I stumbled on my ass and just stared at the figure. It waved one of its hands at me.

“Come now, Luka. We have much to discuss.”

I gathered myself and silently started walking towards the figure. Apparently it knew my name. That wasn’t concerning at all.

But the creature did have a calming, pleasant demeanor to it. So if it was a soul-consuming demon, it was doing a good enough job of concealing it, and I approached.

“There now,” it said when I got closer. “Let me have a better look at you.”

An overwhelming sense of power emanated from this creature, but it looked at me kindly.

“W-what are you?”

The entity smiled. “I am but a ghost. A memory left by someone who was here long ago.”

“Are you one of the ancestors?”

“Yes,” the entity smiled. “You would call us that.”

I nodded but was unsure what to say. I truly felt like a child in front of this creature. Then the entity waved a hand and made a gesture. I felt something pass through me, like a gentle ocean breeze.

“A mere child ventures here after eons of silence,” the entity mused. “But… you are much older than you look, are you not?”

I flinched, but the creature only smiled. “Fear not. Your secrets are safe with me. But how your existence came to pass does confuse me. It was the work of a power beyond my kin.”

“You— your kin built this place?”

“Yes. We were the First Ones. Long ago we unlocked the mysteries of the arcane. We discovered mana and built our civilization around it. Long did we reign, before the Calamity.”

“What happened to your people?”

“Oh… that is a long story that I will not tell you now.”

“Very well. Then why am I here?” I asked. “Why did you build this place? Why did you make these trials?”

The entity laughed. It sounded very human, and coming from this shining blue god-creature emanating terrible amounts of mana, it was strange. But there was warmth in the laughter. “So that someone such as yourself might find us.”

“But for what purpose?”

The entity gave me an enigmatic smile. “This you will learn in due time. For now, I only wish to instruct you.”

“Teach me?” I perked up. “Magic? Please tell me you’re going to teach me magic!”

The entity laughed again. “Indeed. The trials were left behind to find someone worthy of possessing our highest arts.”

“Am I worthy?” I asked a little carefully. “I kind of cheated in the last room.”

I felt another brush of subtle energy pass me like the faintest wind. This time I managed to turn my Mana Sight on, but I could only detect a faint few particles in the air. What the hell kind of magic had he used?

The creature smiled. “You are truly an interesting one. Indeed, you were not supposed to pass… Oh, the Sage Perk. How exquisite. Yes, that would allow you to pass. Even our designs could not override the System.”

“So, do I get a pass?”

The creature observed me and rubbed its chin in a very human-like gesture of contemplation. Then it nodded. “Who am I to question the System? You passed, and I shall teach you. You lack some foundational mana Skills, and your levels are extremely low, but it will be possible for you to learn our arts…”

“I like the sound of that,” I said and gave him a relieved smile. “I— I’m sorry, but who are you?”

The creature hovering mid air bowed, bringing two of its arms to its navel and two others on its chest. “I am merely a ghost— a construct created by my originator. Technically I am not a person. But you can call me Mez.”

“I’m Luka,” I said. “P-pleased to meet you.”

“Quite,” Mez said. “Of course I already knew who you were. I have been observing you since you entered the temple. It is not every day you see a child navigate the puzzles left for grand sorcerers and archmages.”

“It didn’t seem that difficult.”

“Deciphering the spell formulas, learning the hidden secrets, reaching level 10 in Mana Absorption in ten days. You do not even understand how remarkable that is. Your mother seems to understand. She is wise and bold. Most mothers would fear a child like you. She loves you truly.”

Somehow I felt relieved. A fear I hadn’t known I had dislodged from my chest and I felt silent tears trickle down my cheeks.

Mez let me deal with my emotions with patience.

I sniffled. “Thanks. For telling me. She’s the best.”

“You need not worry. Your mind is pure. Many would turn cold and detached from the world in your special circumstances. But you are earnest. There is merit in that. I feel not bad for teaching you, despite your exploit with Sage.”

I wiped my eyes on my sleeve. “What will you teach me, Mez?”

 “So eager,” Mez mused. “So pure. I will teach you the pinnacle of the magical cultivation my kin discovered. It is called Arcane Body Art.”

“What is it? Is it a Skill?”

“No, it is much more than that.”

“Oh? A Class then? Was that why I was required a set of Skills by the last room?”

“Not a Class either. But a cultivation method.”

My jaw dropped, and Mez smiled. I remembered the Immortals battling in the sky very well.

“Yes… I will teach you to become a cultivator.”

“But… I don’t even have a Class yet. I don’t even know what cultivation is.”

“Your lack of Class is not a hindrance. And I will teach you everything you need to know.”

An excitement bubbled in my chest I could hardly contain. Mez would teach me a cultivation method left by ancient super sorcerers? 

“What is cultivation? Nobody in the village knows.”

“Ah yes, your culture has lost most of our arts,” Mez said. “You will not meet cultivators in the Silver Sea. But if you venture deeper into this world to master the art I will teach you, you will meet them.”

I only nodded and listened as Mez told me everything I’d been longing to know with his deep voice.

“The System is all. It is God and its gifts are many. We do not know its origin, but its purpose is simple: flourishing and ascension. This was the creed of our kin.”

I nodded. I hadn’t articulated it like this, but that was my feel for the System too. It wanted you to get good at stuff.

“Skills are the basis of everything. One can learn to hunt the fish your father preys on without the System. But with the System, excellence can be experienced. And once you have the Skills required… Wrestling, Spear Mastery, Swimming, Athletics… A Class is granted. An idea of who you are. A Class changes everything. It allows for Class Perks and Abilities. There is nothing mystical about it. A Class is a direct improvement of what you were trying to become. But it is the difference between a claw and a spear as it pertains to hunting.”

I nodded. I was absorbing every word. Of course a lot of this I already had learned from mother and Elder Piraka, but their knowledge was limited. With Mez, I could trust that he knew what he was talking about.

“But cultivation is something beyond that. If a class is a representation of who you are, cultivation is a representation of what you are.”

“What does that mean?” I asked.

Mez smiled. “It is serendipitous of you to find this place, little magician. If your father were to discover me, I could not have offered him the Arcane Body Art. I would give him a lesser cultivation art from what I will bestow to you. The Ocean Soul Art perhaps… It would change what your father is. He could turn his skin to scales and control the ocean currents. He could learn to lure fish with his mind. He could sense the breathing of the fish from the beach if he truly listened. A cultivation art would let your father embody what he is. A Fisher. Just like a sword art would let a swordsman truly embody the sword.”

I think I understood. “Is this something different from the System?”

“No, of course not, child. Nothing is beyond the System,” Mez said. “A cultivation method will work similarly to a class. It will rely on certain Skills to improve. That is why the requirements were there. As you advance in Cultivation, not only will you learn Skills faster, but the level caps are gradually removed. Similarly, your Attributes will become more meaningful.”

I frowned. “So how is it different from having a Class? A Class will remove Skill caps too?”

“Quite,” Mez said. “For your Class Skills, the caps will be raised up to 200. But depending on the level of one’s cultivation, Skills can be taken far beyond that. There are powers in this world that now have Skills at level 400. Maybe even 500. And this is primitive. At the height of our mastery, we had Skills in the thousands.” 

Thousands… That boggled my mind. I couldn’t even imagine what having Mana Manipulation at level 1000 would be like. Could I control the mana across a country at that point? Create spells that affected the whole world?

What a wonderful mountain I still had to climb!

“So that is the point of cultivation?” I asked. “It makes Skills faster and removes level caps?”

“No, child. It is much more than that. The System turns mastery into power, child. What a true sword cultivator can accomplish can only be expressed through a Sword Mastery Skill of level 1000.” 

“So what does the Arcane Body Art do?” I asked. “Will it help me improve my magic?”

Mez smiled. “It offers a profound connection with the arcane. It will let you become magic itself.”

I could only stare blankly. What could that even mean? Would I become a font of mana like Mez? Could I cast spells without magic formulas?

“Magic itself? Wha— what does that even mean?”

Mez gestured at his body.

“This ghost that I am. This is not a body of flesh, but a body of pure mana; magic made corporeal. The original Mez mastered the Arcane Body Art, and he created this ghost with a living consciousness through his cultivation.”

I was truly struck with awe. I couldn’t even fully comprehend what Mez was saying. But I knew I wanted it. I wanted it so badly. I wanted to embody magic. I wanted to become magic itself!

“Please teach me!”

“But of course,” Mez said. “You have earned it. But know this: I can only teach you the basics now. Only the foundation of the Arcane Body you will learn here.”

“But… how can I learn the rest?”

“You must find me again,” Mez said. “My kin left these ruins scattered across this world. Ah, but your tribe is primitive, and has not learned this. Allow me to educate you: The world is composed of tiers. You are in the corner of this vast world. Tier 0. This is why the people here are weak. The deeper towards the pole of this world you venture, the higher the tiers become.”

“Wait what do you mean?” I asked.

“Let me show you.”

Mez waved a hand and a massive scroll appeared in front of me and unfurled. It depicted a world map. In the middle was a large land mass. It lit up with a blue light.

“This is the pole. There you will find the final temple to master this art.”

Then there were concentric circles of land divided by concentric circles of oceans between. All the way to the outer ocean, which was larger than the rest and surrounded the whole bizarre world. Scattered into this ocean were hundreds of islands. In one of the corners, the smallest of them lit up. 

“And this is your home.” Mez said. Then he thought for a moment and added. “The outer sea is considered Tier 0. But do not mistake that designation for a measure of everything that dwells within it. My kin settled here for a reason. These waters are ancient and hide many secrets.”

“Really?” I asked. “What kind of secrets?”

Mez only smiled. “You have much to discover, little magician.”

It dawned on me what a massive world this was. Even the land mass was several times the size of Earth. And all of the narrow circular seas only added to the size.

“What would create geography like this?” I asked.

“The Calamity,” Mez answered. “I will not say more of it.”

I swallowed and nodded.

“If you wish to master this art, your quest is simple: Find another temple in tier 1. It can be any one of the few. Once you pass the trials, you will meet me again.”

I pondered at the implications. I knew immediately and very deeply that I would have to embark on this quest. I would reach the pole of this world.

“But let us focus on the present first,” Mez said. “Sit down with me and allow me to educate you.”