Chapter 2 - Second Chance

Darkness… Deep and all-consuming darkness… As I slowly regained consciousness, that was what I felt around me. In that darkness, a rhythmic beat of thumps resounded. They gave me a sense of security, assuring me that everything in the world would be alright as long as I listened to those beats. I slowly drifted into the land of dreams while listening to that soft and comforting rhythm.

I don’t know how much time I spent in that world of darkness, but suddenly my body felt as if it were being pressured from all directions. At the same time, I saw a small light at the end of a tunnel and began moving towards it, the light growing brighter and brighter.

Finally, after what felt like soul-crushing pain, I opened my hazy eyes and tried to look around my surroundings. I heard someone speaking to my right and tried to turn my head, but no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t. It was as if a stampede had run over me. I couldn’t even muster the strength to open my eyes completely. Then I felt a hard slap to my side, which made me cry out. That was the incident that confirmed my position—both horrifying and amusing at the same time…

**Mother’s POV**

My baby… Finally, my baby is born… From this day onward, I will be a mother… But wait, why? According to what my mother told me, the baby should cry the first time, but why isn’t he crying? No, no, no, no… That midwife who came for my delivery is flipping my baby and giving him a hard slap on his back… My heart swelled with rage instantly… and then he cried loudly… Ah, that’s right… So it was like that, huh? My son…

The doors to the room suddenly opened, and a man rushed to my side. He held me closely, and we looked at our son, who was sleeping, feeling content with all of us together.

“Hahaha, I am a father from today. HAHAHA… I promise you, Adalina, I will be a great father for our son,” Lorvak Dragus, my husband, proclaimed loudly while laughing happily.

“I know, dear. That’s right. We haven’t decided on his name yet.”

“Hmmm… Right, how about Azalon, Azalon Dragus?”

“***********************

The world I was born into is one where Spiritual Energy is paramount. Here, the strong are worshipped, and the weak have no choice but to be bullied. It is a world where Spirits and Spiritual Energy differentiate between ordinary people and cultivators, who are called “Spirit Houses.”

Levels of Spiritual Energy cultivation are divided into 9 Realms, and each Realm is further divided into 10 levels. The Realms are:

- First: Spirit Sense

- Second: Spirit Condensation

- Third: Spirit Core

- Fourth: Spirit Manifestation

- Fifth: Spirit Integration

- Sixth: Spirit Ascension

- Seventh: Spirit Tribulation

- Eighth: Spirit Immersion

- Ninth: Spirit Transcendence

Every living thing possesses a spirit, born along with it. This 【Spirit】 is said to be the manifestation of the soul, which is the basis for Spiritual Energy Cultivation. Generally, we cannot see the 【Spirit】, but if one can reach the Spirit Core stage, the spirit transfers from the Sea of Consciousness to reside in the Spirit Core.

After the Spirit Core stage, the next stage allows the Manifestation of one’s Spirit outside the body, through which one can control various techniques and abilities unique to the Spirit, or even bind the Spirit to a Spiritual Treasure, providing incredible battle strength.

Based on the type of 【Spirit】, Elements can be manipulated to a certain degree and are called 【Elemental Spirits】. Generally, only 1 in 100,000 will possess an Elemental, and they are treated as National Treasures, as one Elementalist is generally equal to 10 normal Spiritualists.

The last stage, Transcendence, is present only in legends and fairy tales. Currently, no one in the present time has achieved that stage. It is said that once that stage is achieved, it will be like the existence of the Human Soul in a Spirit Body. The boundaries between Spirit and Human will be completely erased, and one achieves a state of “Being One With The Spirit,” where Everything is Possible and Nothing is Impossible.

Each Realm is divided into 10 stages, classified as Initial, Middle, Late, and Peak. Stages 1-3 are called Initial, 3-6 as Middle, 7-9 as Late, and the 10th stage is called Peak. Each stage is generally referred to by different names. The first three Realms are Beginner, Disciple, and Core Master. From the 4th stage, Spirits are involved, known as Spirit Lord, Spirit King, and Spirit Emperor. The 6th stage represents true immersion into the Spirit World, hence the names Spirit Deity, Spirit God, and finally, the highest Realm, The Spirit Legend.

Elementals consist of 7 basic elements, 2 hybrid elements, and 2 divine elements:

- Basic Elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Lightning, Light, and Darkness

- Hybrid Elements: Wood and Metal

- Divine Elements: Void and Nature

Generally, humans are born with a single Spirit with a single attribute, but occasionally, a person may be born with multiple Spirits. They possess overwhelming Soul-Force and monstrous strength due to the advantage of Spirits over their opponents. These individuals rise to prominence, and any child with multiple Spirits is generally treated generously by Kings and Emperors to recruit them into their factions and expand their rule through their strengths.

However, most people are not fortunate enough to enter the cultivation ranks due to various circumstances. They generally progress using Body Cultivation Martial Arts, which have the same ranks as Spirit Cultivation. They are known as 【Knights】 and are ranked by the color of the Aura they emit as they progress in their cultivation path.

- First: Red

- Second: Orange

- Third: White

- Fourth: Silver

- Fifth: Gold

- Sixth: Black Gold

- Seventh: Black

- Eighth: Grey

- Ninth: Colorless

While Spirit Cultivators use Spirit Energy as nourishment for Soul and Spirit, Body Refiners absorb Spirit Energy to refine their muscles and bones to transcend Realms. Generally, a Knight will not be equal to a Spiritualist of the same Realm. This difference becomes more pronounced from the Core level Spiritualists, as they step into the world of Spirits, which more than doubles their battle proficiency compared to Knights.

Not only humans are capable of cultivating Spirit Energy. Even before humans began their journey into the Spirit World, beasts naturally evolved to incorporate Spirit Energy into their bodies. However, as they lack the comprehension to fully assimilate their abilities with the Spirits, their usage can be described as instinct-based. The major deciding factor is that they refine their bodies with excess energy, so even though the beast may not possess strong martial arts, they boast highly resilient bodies and aggressive natures.

After a beast dies, the spirit dies along with it, but the assimilated energy core in their bodies provides valuable cultivation resources or base materials for divine weapons. Some cores even have Elemental affinities, granting the weapon made from them the same Elemental attack abilities.

The final profession is the Auxiliary Masters, which includes Alchemists (Spiritualists with dual affinity of Wood and Fire), Spirit Blacksmiths (Spiritualists with dual affinity of Metal and Fire), and Rune Masters (who use Spirit Energy to form Runes).

This is the world into which I was born, [Shandra]—a chaotic mess of a world but one that provides countless treasures, adventures, as well as numerous battles and killings. A place where the Law of the Jungle “Kill or Be Killed” is practiced in its most basic form…