Chapter 4

  Adam replied to my query with a scholarly tone, “To answer that I am going to need some information about the world you live in. Because it is blatantly obvious that I am just a soul that now resides in your body and you will have to continue ‘physically’ living with this new reality.”

  I just nodded along as I figured that I did not have a choice in the matter, because, Adam was right. I remembered enough of that strange message to know that things had changed for the both of us and that to navigate this new reality Adam and I would have to work together.

  As strange as it was to be working with what was essentially my ‘other self.’

  I then began to tell Adam about my world. How in the center of the continent was the Capital City Equestra, where many rivers converged to create a city overflowing with waterways. I then explained how the Capital was ruled by the Royal Family and the Council of Representatives.

  The Council was made up of 1 Representative from each of the Providences to have a voice that addressed their specific concerns. The head of the Royal Family gave final approval of all measures, but it was the Council’s job to bring measures before them for approval or rejection, while also handling smaller matters that did not need the Royal Families approval to deal with.

  From there the Kingdom of Equestra was divided into the eight providences like a wagon wheel where numerous small towns, villages, and Townships resided. All governed by nobles who kept in contact with their Council Representative. I further explained that I resided in the Night Glen Township, located within the Star Providence.

  The next thing I talked about was the skill structure that was the cornerstone of how everyone lived their lives. When it came to this facet of daily life Adam took on a childlike demeanor with how excited he got over the prospect of numerical values being applied to one’s life. He said it sounded just like the video games he used to play back in his world.

  I wanted to ask Adam what a ‘video game’ was but thought I should hold my question for later so I could finish my explanation about my world.

  To show Adam exactly what I was referring to I said Status in my head with the intention of my status board being visible to others and not just myself. And as soon as my status board was projected into the air, I immediately noticed that it had changed drastically.

  Name: Callum Luxeria

  Age: 16 (Soul Age: 25)

  Skill: Soul Knight

  Sub-Skills:

  Soul Slash, Soul Shield, Soul Blast, Spectral Sight

  Str: 15

  Agl: 18

  Dex: 18

  Soul: 20

  I just stared at the numbers and skills that were not there before, but also noticed that some values were missing. My mana, Intelligence, and Wisdom values were no longer visible.

  Adam, who had crossed his legs and had been floating throughout my explanation, drifted over to get a better view of my weird status board before saying, “Hmm… this looks different from what you described, but I have a theory as to why that is.”

  Looking at Adam I saw a look of concentration come over his face. A look I had seen on others as they were trying to mentally will their status board to be visible. And as he opened his eyes his status board was projected into the air for the both of us to view.

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  Name: Adam

  Age: 16 (Soul Age: 25)

  Skill: Grand Sage

  Sub-Skills:

  Mana Manipulation, Mana Perception, Grand Elemental Magic, Scholar’s Eye, Spell Manipulation

  Mana: 30

  Int: 25

  Wis: 25

  Soul: 20

  As I looked over Adam’s status board, I noticed that while his Skill and Sub-Skills were different from mine, his also contained the missing values from my status board, while excluding the values from mine.

  “Just like I thought,” I heard Adam exclaim from beside me.

  Turning my head to look at Adam as he continued speaking, I heard him say, “Like that message implied, our status boards have been separated to include the values that are relevant to our individual Skills.”

  “The physical values for you, who is a material part of the world and has a Skill that leans towards the physical. And then you have me, who is a soul and a magical practitioner, encompassing the values of those traits.”

  I had to agree with Adam’s explanation, as the evidence was clear for the both of us to see that, that was indeed the case here. I also noticed a new line that was included in both of our stat values, it was something I had never heard of someone possessing. What exactly did the ‘Soul’ value represent? Another question in the long line of them that I had.

  As both Adam and I came to grips with what these new status boards would mean for us, I continued my explanation of the stats and what they represented. Strength was straight forward and told someone how much force they could put into physical efforts.

  Agility was similarly straight forward and determined how quick a person was when engaged in various activities. Dexterity was a little more complex, as it aided Agility, in the way that it enabled a person to adapt to their speed and perform precise movements without error.

  I explained that a good example of such would be an assassin. Even if they had a high Agility, without an equally high Dexterity their movements would be too swift for their reflexes to allow them to take down their target.

  The next three stats I could only give a textbook explanation of as I never had a Skill or the requisite values that allowed me to feel what it was like to utilize their properties.

  Mana was a determination of how many spells a practitioner could cast at a given time. Each spell or magical application required Mana to fuel its outcome. Lower tier spells cost very little Mana, while higher and more complex applications could drain a significant amount from the individual. So, the more Mana a person had the more spells they could cast.

  Intelligence was a measure of how many spells a practitioner could memorize. To cast a spell or apply a magical effect, a person had to memorize the corresponding spell diagram and remember how the Mana flowed in regard to its application. This could not be accomplished without enough Intelligence to hold that information within oneself to be utilized at moment’s notice.

  Wisdom was a measure of how powerful a practitioner’s spells and Mana applications were. The higher one’s Wisdom the more powerful even simple spells were. I elaborated further by saying that if two magical practitioners both cast a Fireball spell at each other, the winner of the duel would be the one with a higher Wisdom stat. It was why some with a magical aptitude focused more on Wisdom then acquiring more spells to utilize.

  Next, I explained the numerical value that was assigned to each of the individual stats and how they received an initial boost upon awakening, but that was it.

  Those values could only be further raised through practice and repetition. I gave an example stating that if I wanted to increase my Agility, I would have to continue doing exercises that would tax that stat, such as performing multiple sprints while making sharp movements. Or if I wanted to raise the total amount of Mana, I had available, I would have to drain my Mana several times for it increase its numerical representation.

  After explaining all of that to Adam, I saw that he was still floating cross-legged, but his eyes were closed and a thoughtful look was on his face. I let him be as I could see that he was sifting over what I had told him and was coming to figure out how it applied to him.

  Finally, Adam opened his eyes and said, “Okay, I believe I understand everything that you have told me, but now I wonder where do you and I go from here?”

  I just shook my head and replied with a grin, “I was hoping you would have the answer to that question. Lest you forget, the last thing I remember was falling out of a tree to my supposed death.”

  Adam just looked at me and showed me a big smile before he said, “I mean you have a point, but the fact of the matter is, you did not die. Instead, you experienced a life changing event and now you have me by your side helping you out by giving you power and advice.”

  Adam then sighed and continued speaking with a sarcastic tone, “You are sooooo the MC any manga, anime, or fantasy writer would write about.” I just gave him a puzzled expression as those terms were unfamiliar to me.

  Seeing my confusion Adam apologized with a smile saying he would have to explain concepts from his world, eventually, so I could understand his references and be part of the jokes he would undoubtedly make in the future.

  “I think the next course of action for you to take would be to wake up before someone finds you and mistakes you for really being dead.” Adam said in a helpful tone of voice.

  With no other option and figuring Adam had a point, I closed my eyes and tried to rouse my body from where it had fallen on the forest floor.