7 First Steps (Part 1)

"─ Name: Dojun

─ Title: None

─ Race: Highland Troll

─ Class: None

─ Body: 35

─ Mind: 5

─ Will: 10

─ Traits:

─ Heartbeat of the Highlands: When your physical condition drops below 25%, recover by 50% of your body's peak condition. Does not activate if fire-type damage is the cause."

Dojun looked at Eol and gave him an odd expression as he continued eating his food. It took Eol a few seconds to realize what Dojun had just said. 'Wait, my stats are...?' He checked his own status again, only to realize what was going on here. 'Both of our stats add up to fifty points each. But isn't Dojun's Trait a little OP?'

He raised an eyebrow at Rokuko, expecting her to divulge her stats too. She fidgeted nervously for a moment before relenting.

"My stats are..." Rokuko trailed off and cleared her throat. "I'm sorry! I'm really bad about talking in front of people."

"It's fine." Eol smiled gently at her. "I'm also curious to know how mine match up."

"Well," she began hesitantly as she glanced around the room. "My Mind stat is fifteen. My Body stat is five, and my Will stat is thirty."

Eol blinked as he stared at her. Her body stat was a bit lower than he expected. However, her will stat was nothing to sneeze at. 'That basically confirms we all start with fifty points.' Eol sighed. 'There goes any total stat advantage I was hoping for.'

His own stats were a lot more well-rounded compared to those two. But that also meant they completely outclassed him in Body and Will, respectively. 'I wonder if everyone is more specialized in one stat than the others? Or is someone as balanced as they can possibly be?'

It was an interesting thought, but there was nothing he could do about it. He would just have to make the most of the stats he had. 'That's right! Tael said she was going to teach us how to increase our stats in the afternoon class! I wonder if she'll still introduce me to the Merchants Guild later now I've chosen to take her brother's offer?'

Eol went back to his meal and soon finished his food. As he stood up to go to the washroom, Dojun spoke up from across the table.

"You're doing well, Eol. You should keep working hard."

"Thanks, let's all do our best!" Eol replied before walking away. He couldn't help feeling a little self-conscious about how much praise he'd been given today.

He was pleasantly surprised by the toilet and sink in the washroom. Despite this world seemingly being at a lower technological level, they had somehow replicated the toilets from Earth. Although, the toilet itself was made from wood, with shining gold lines all over it. He could only assume someone had used an enchanting skill to create it. 'This was probably made by a pioneer at some point.' Eol chuckled as he imagined someone random being sick of minor conveniences.

'There's probably a lot of things in this world that have been influenced by pioneers from Earth. So maybe I shouldn't be too surprised if I find something familiar.'

By the time he returned to the common room, it was already empty. A female gnome was busy gathering the plates and cutlery, presumably to wash them. 'They've probably already returned to the training room.' Eol nodded as he swiftly made his way through the building.

When he arrived, everyone was already waiting for him. Tael smiled as he joined the rest of the class.

"As I was saying, for this next lesson we'll have to move outside to a special place. If you'll all follow me and stick together." Tael said with a bright smile as she led the way.

Eol followed after her while keeping an eye out for his surroundings. He was still fascinated by the colonial-type architecture of the surrounding buildings. Most of them were made solely of lumber, while a few were a mix of wood and stone. Only a small number appeared to be made from bricks that were cut from stone and painted. He guessed that the materials used for the buildings most likely reflected the wealth and status of their owners.

Tael took a turn and Eol followed her into a large square. The entire area was covered in grass. There was a large fountain in the middle, with several ferns growing around it. It was surrounded by benches where people could sit. 'I wonder if this is part of a public park or something.'

"Alright, everyone, please take a seat. We're going to start the lesson."

The students quickly sat down on the nearest benches. Eol looked at the other seats, but none of them seemed to be occupied. He didn't see any signs of them being used regularly either. 'Why is nobody using them?' He noticed several natives walking by while shooting curious glances at them. However, in turn, he and the other pioneers were studying the natives' fashion.

The woman mostly wore frilly dresses, and Eol was sure they were probably wearing corsets underneath too. Meanwhile, the men wore cloth trousers and shirts, often accompanied by a leather vest worn over the shirt and leather boots. However, that wasn't to say there weren't women who were wearing trousers. Because there was. However, they seemed to favor a leather corset to wear over their shirts.

"Ok, everyone. Listen closely. The reason we've come here is so you can grasp what you need to do to raise your stats." Tael gestured to the nearby fountain. "This fountain is very special. Its water, which is pumped up from an underground reservoir, is full of World Energy. That energy is all around you, all the time."

Eol frowned. He didn't sense anything different in the square compared to his time spent in the relocation office building.

"The idea behind stat growth is to accumulate World Energy. Once you've reached a specific amount, you'll receive a stat point." Tael beamed at her confused students. "Locations like this one can speed up the process of Accumulation due to the higher volume of World Energy. In contrast, the process will be much slower in other areas."

Several people in their group groaned when they understood Tael's explanation. They had been hoping it was a simple matter of killing monsters or doing quests to earn stat points.

"You didn't think it would be easy, did you?" Tael chuckled. "It takes dedication and perseverance if you want to get stronger. It won't happen overnight. Although... some classes have methods that allow you to further tap into World Energy under the right circumstances. So, those of you who have been offered training in a class may have that to look forward to. But don't get your hopes up too much."

Eol noticed three people hanging their heads in desperation. 'I guess some people really didn't get any offers.' He sighed in relief at having managed to avoid that outcome himself.

"Now, for this process to work, it's best if you sit still and close your eyes. You need to concentrate on feeling the World Energy flowing around you. Once you think you've identified that energy, you need to imagine reaching out with your mind and pulling it into your body. You'll know you've succeeded when a notification of the Accumulation stat appears in your systems." Tael reluctantly smiled. "But don't expect to succeed in this today. It'll be a miracle if any of you identify the World Energy during this session."

She paused before continuing her lesson. "Remember: keep calm and focus! We're going to try this several times over this week!"

Eol closed his eyes as instructed while everyone else followed suit. A few minutes passed by without anything happening, so Eol opened his eyes again. He looked around, but there was no sign of anyone else being able to do it yet. 'I really thought Tael was joking with that statement.' He sighed as he wondered about the nature of World Energy. 'What is it, exactly? I feel like there should be some clue from Tael's explanation. What form would World Energy take?'

He considered those questions for over an hour while everyone else wore frustrated expressions. Eol thought several people looked constipated as if they were attempting to force the process somehow. 'World Energy, huh?'

That was when he felt something change. 'Is it my imagination, or is it getting warmer?' The temperature seemed to have risen slightly. His skin wasn't burning or sweating though, so it couldn't have been very hot.

He slowly raised a hand and tried touching the air. To his surprise, the heat grew even stronger at the contact point. As soon as his fingers left the spot, the warmth quickly vanished. 'That must mean...'

Eol stood up and walked around the fountain. He touched each side of its rim and noted that the area around him had grown warm. He took a step back and stared down at himself. He could see that he now glowed faintly with a pale blue light. 'It looks like I'm glowing... is this World Energy.'

He glanced across to Tael, who watched him with concern on her face. "Are you alright?" She asked in alarm. "Did you manage to identify World Energy already?"

"I think so," Eol said excitedly as he continued to stare at his hands in wonderment. "But what's this feeling of power?"

-Accumulation Gained!

-Accumulation: 1/100

The pale blue light faded as he continued to study his body. He looked down at his chest, where the light had been the brightest, before looking over the rest of his body. He noticed that his hands and feet had been the least illuminated. 'Huh, does my chest act as an entry point before it spreads to the rest of my body?'

Eol turned around and examined the other students, but none of them seemed to be glowing like him. 'What about Tael? Is she glowing too?'

He stepped towards Tael and saw that she wasn't glowing either. However, there was a strange aura surrounding her. It appeared to be a dark grey color with black lines running through it. The longer he stared at it, the dimmer it became until it vanished completely.

"You! How?" Tael stammered, drawing the attention of the rest of the class to Eol.

"I must have a good teacher," Eol smirked as he shrugged his shoulders. 'There's no way I'm going to share this with the others. World Energy is just the movement of the air, heat from the sun, the flow of water, and the growth of plants and weeds from the earth. This is the perfect chance for me to seize an advantage!'

"You did it!" Tael smiled proudly at Eol. "I knew you'd succeed. But, it should've taken you a few days, at least!" She glanced around and then whispered into his ear. "But don't give anyone else hints about this yet if you figure out what you did. They'll only try to steal your secret, instead of learning it for themselves."

Eol nodded in response. "I won't tell anyone. But... can I ask something?" He looked at Tael hopefully.

She raised her eyebrow in surprise. "What?"

"Can I keep going with Accumulation?" He asked eagerly. "Or do I have to stop since I identified World Energy?"

Tael burst out laughing. "Of course! I wouldn't dream of slowing someone down when they're showing such talent. Don't worry, you have the whole time of this class to use."