The Astral soul system-Chapter 98: Myths and magic

Zen woke up feeling invigorated. He woke up very early today. He had lots to do.

Neo had gone home to visit his sister so it was just him. He quickly took a shower and got clothed after getting out of bed.

"I still don’t understand what happened yesterday" Theia said

"I second that"

Zen sighed.

"I saw your life. Your story "

"You... what?"

"Well the bad parts of it anyway. The story is surprisingly accurate. Unfortunately, after you ascended and disappeared, everything went blank and i woke up "

Zen suddenly heard Black talk to him.

"You got a message yesterday. Check it out "

"Hmm?"

Zen checked his watch and realized he really did have a message. It was from Zaria .

<I keep calling but you won’t pick up. You’re probably busy so I won’t bother you much, just call me when you get this>(10: 30)

<You still haven’t called? And you won’t pick up my calls. Are you mad at me? I said I was sorry. Please call back>(4:54)

<I’m guessing you’re probably really busy,so I’ll just say it. I want to talk about what happened yesterday. If you still want to talk to me,text back and we’ll set up a time and place>(9:00)

Zen checked his calls and saw that she really had called a lot. There were also a few calls from Sable.

Zen immediately texted Zaria back, hoping she’d be online.

<Zaria?>

A few seconds passed before she replied.

<Zen, you replied. So what do you think?>

<You’ll pick the time and place?>

<It’s a date! We can have breakfast together. I’ll send you the details in a bit>

"Ooh, you’re having breakfast with a girl?"

Zen ignored Freya’s teasing and opened the system screen, directly going to the shop.

Zen saw a long list of gear of all kinds.

"I can filter them for you if you want"

Zen held Xavier’s crystals in his hands that were covered with his gloves.

"Anything that can be made with these? Most preferably gauntlets"

The screen went blank for a second as Theia looked for what he wanted. After a few seconds, a single option appeared on the screen.

[Earth-Fang tremor gauntlets]

"This is the best i could find" Theia proclaimed proudly.

Zen clicked on it and was suprised when there were over a dozen other ingredients including specific weaker cores.

[Third tier wolf beast fangs](two complete sets)

[Quake gem](ten]

[Third tier wolf beast ground bone dust]

[Second tier wolf beast core](ten)

[Third grade wolf beast fur]

[Grade X steel alloy no.13]

[Grade V silver alloy no.6]

[Grade S gold alloy 17]

.....

Zen looked at the long and strange list. Although he had studied the process of forging and types of metals,he was no forger. This would probably make more sense to a complete noob than to him.

Right now,all he had was the wolf fangs and beast cores, he’d have to buy the rest.

"Looks like i have to go shopping"

Zen was about to start when he realized he had absolutely no idea how. He had never needed to find ingredients for weapon himself as Freya and Riley made sure they were always abundant.

He asked Freya where she got her materials, and when she asked why he didn’t just use the dark net, he replied that he didn’t have a private teleport point, and getting a dark net package delivered via public channel wasn’t a good idea.

Freya then told him about a decent online warehouse he could get the materials from. Although they were a bit pricey, Freya guaranteed they were good.

Zen opened it and immediately looked up quake gems

<Quake gem -20000 credits>

Twenty thousand credits for a single gem? Although the price was barely anything to Zen now, what about later? He was most likely going to have to keep spending money like this if he wanted good gear. Looks like his newly amassed fortune wasn’t as much as he originally thought.

Zen added ten quake gems to his basket without hesitation, spending two hundred thousand credits.

He quickly found the rest of the ingredients and purchased then, setting one of the school’s public teleport points as the destination.

Now that that was taken care of, Zen pulled out a considerably larger glowing blue core.

"This one’s Jade’s, right?"

Zen nodded

Thiea showed Zen what he could make with it and the moment he saw it, he realized.

"This might be a little more difficult"

*****************

Zen closed the website. It had taken him a while to finish all his shopping, but he was finally done.

He was about to head to the delivery point to get his package when he suddenly received a message from Zaria telling him to meet her at a diner in the city.

Zen felt he had time for breakfast so he memorized the code he’d need to claim his order and headed for the diner.

As soon as he entered, Zen saw Zaria nervously tapping her fingers on the table she saved for them. The moment she saw him she excitedly waved to let him know where she was.

Zen walked over to the table and took a seat.

"Hey. You came....i sort of thought you didn’t want to talk about what happened"

Zen didn’t know how to explain himself so he just said

"Some stuff happened yesterday. I didn’t see your calls"

Zaria nodded absentmindedly

"Sorry if I’m a bit weird. This is officially the third time I’m going out with people in my life"

"You didn’t have friends before the academy?"

Zaria shook her head

"The only time I ever caused an outing was with Diane and Jade, and they didn’t even know why"

Zen remembered that was the day of the thunderstorm.

"I thought you told them "

Zaria chuckled nervously.

"Well...i told them i was feeling sick that day, but I didn’t exactly tell them why"

"..."

"Don’t look at me like that. It’s really embarrassing for me. Put the most terrifying beast in existence in front of me and i won’t bat an eye, but ooh some water,gas and flashing lights and I’m crying like a baby. I know you feel the same too"

Zen didn’t answer, but she was right. There wasn’t exactly any cure for their shared problem. They just had to deal with it.

"Where’s Black?"

"Oh, pets aren’t allowed inside so I let him explore a bit. Can’t you two talk telepathically?"

"Yeah, but he’s been silent lately for some reason "

Zaria carefully pulled out the thin strand of hair and showed it to Zen.

"What are we gonna do about this?"

Zen looked at the hair, seeing the same blinding golden strings and once again used read on it but it was the same as last time.

Theia sighed.

"I can still barely believe it’s his "

Zephyr was confused.

"Who? Why are you looking at hair like it’s something important"

Zen explained telepathically.

"It belongs to a very powerful entity. The problem is that entity shouldn’t exist outside of myth"

Zephyr still sounded like he didn’t get it.

"Okay....so what’s the big deal. It’s just an apocryphal. They’re rare but nothing unknown"

"What?"

"You really don’t know?"

"No"

"Don’t worry about it, keep doing what you’re doing. I’ll tell you later"

Zen was surprised that Zephyr actually seemed to know what this was all about, but it seemed to make sense, after all he was also a god.

"So what do you think?"

Zaria’s question snapped him out of it

Zen looked at the hair and thought for a second before returning it.

"Nothing. Whatever this is about,it doesn’t concern is. You and I have no obligation to dig deeper,IF there’s anything to dig deeper into "

Zaria looked a bit disappointed by his answer.

"Really? You’re not curious at all. The literal monkey king gave me something and some cryptic instructions and you’re not interested in solving it?"

"If it has nothing to do with me,no"

Zen was only half lying. He had grown up surrounded by those legends. Even if he was emotionless,there was still something tying him to those myths. However if it would endanger his life, he wasn’t interested.

[New quest received]

[Myths and magic]

[Investigate the appearance of the mythical creature,Sun wukong]

[Time limit: none]

Theia burst into laughter as she saw Zen staring blankly at the quest.

"Looks like we’ve got no choice,eh,big guy?"

Zen ignored Theia

"But he sounded like he really needed help "

"Do you really think we can help him. If the monkey you talked to is even half as strong as the myth says, and there’s something capable of making him ask for help, we’re definitely too weak to do anything about it "

Zaria looked a bit thoughtful.

"I guess you’re right. Still strange to think about what he might need help with though. Maybe a tenth tier beast?"

Zen thought about that for a bit. A tenth tier beast. Also known as a perfect tier beast or a perfect lifeform, since as far as humanity knew, that was the limit, nothing could be stronger. Zen suddenly realized something. Black was considered an ultimate lifeform by the system.That ranking didn’t exist to humans,so was Black higher or lower ranked than a perfect beast?

Before they could continue, someone came to take their order.

"Hello there. Can I take your order?"

Zaria smiled at the kind waitress and placed an order. Zen asked for the same thing and the woman left, but not without giving a slightly flirtatious wink to Zen.

"Did she seem weird to you?"

Zen shrugged. He literally wasn’t human anymore,he didn’t exactly have the right to call anyone weird.

Zaria suddenly placed her hand on her back.

"Zen...can I ask you something?"

"..."

"That fight we had.... did you...let me win?"

Zen was a bit surprised by the question. His mind wandered back to the last second of that fight.

**********

Zen was dashing towards Zaria with his fist aimed for her abdomen. He suddenly noticed her eyes, realizing something was wrong. At the last second he suddenly utilized another dash with twice as much force as he usually would, similar to how he did in the library, and forced his body to turn 180 degrees as he was now behind her.

Zaria had already started lifting her leg to kick him but she was too slow, Zen’s hand was already at her abdomen. All he needed to do was use soul blade with sting and he could possibly pierce her liver.

At the last second,a stray thought flashed through Zen’s mind. He hesitated. That split second was all Zaria needed as her heel struck his chest, breaking a few immediately. Before he could react she was in front of him with her fists clenched.

***********

Zen sighed.

"You won fair and square. Whatever accidents i made led to my downfall"

Zaria banged her fists on the table.

"So you DID let me win!"

Zen ignored the question.

Zaria calmed down a bit but sighed looking disappointed before rubbing the spot on her back.

"I still felt it a bit though. Like someone pricked me with a needle. I’m a bit disappointed to be honest. I thought I’d beat a..."

Zaria looked around cautiously and whispered.

"Player in hand to hand combat"

Zen shrugged.

"You probably practiced properly incorporating your ability into combat. Unlike you i specialize in pure assa...hand to hand combat "

"I bet i could beat you if we went again "

"If you used your ability, possibly. I’ve actually never seen you use your ability "

Zaria seemed a bit nervous but eventually answered.

"There are a few... problems with my ability "

"Problems?"

"You remember what happened yesterday?"

"You start glowing "

"...yes... but more than that. It’s similar, and yet not. I’d honestly rather not use my ability with people around. What about yours? You haven’t said what it’s all about "

Zen thought for a bit for a method that was subtle and eventually decided.

"Look at your shadow "

Zaria looked at her shadow and was suprised to see it waving at her despite her not doing anything.

This was called shadow puppet. Zen had learned it after waking up from Zephyr’s story last night. Zephyr was suprised but not impressed, only curious at Zen’s talent and memory.

"Wow, that’s cool"

Zaria said, waving back.

"It’s basic but I don’t want to try anything here"

Zaria looked satisfied as she looked away from the shadow.

"You control shadows? So can you like...cast curses or something? Like in those books?"

Zen was about to say no when he realized he had no idea. He decided to ask Zephyr later.

"I don’t know. Still figuring it out"

"That thing you did to Gary. It was your eye, wasn’t it?"

Zen didn’t reply but Zaria was sure it was a yes.

"Isn’t the waitress taking a bit long?"

Before Zaria could answer, the waitress got to their table.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, handsome. You too darling "

Theia suddenly whispered in Zen’s hair.

"Zen,you should probably stop"

"Stop what?"

Before Theia could answer the waitress served what they ordered.

"Two breakfast specials, extra sweet"

Zen was about to grab his plate when he felt his arm brush against the waitresses. He looked up and saw the waitress looking at him with a... suggestive look.

"You know, i could serve you something a lot sweeter than some syrup,you more than qualify for that menu. All you have to do is order"

The waitress gave a wink and raised her skirt with a slight bow for courtesy before leaving.

Zaria watched her leave, confusion etched across her face.

"Did she just flirt with my date in front of me?"

Zen shrugged and looked down at his food and unbothered.

"Focus on your food"

He realized that Zaria hadn’t seen. When the waitress had raised her dress she "accidentally" raised the already short skirt a bit too high... and let’s just say, Zen knew why she had took so long before answering them.

Zaria only looked a bit confused before shrugging and focusing on her food.

Seeing she was distracted, Zen spoke to Theia.

"I’m guessing that was somehow my fault"

Theia chuckled.

"Yeah....."