Motive

Everything that happens has a cause, that's a primary rule for intelligent reasoning. In truth, it's an instinct that is irrefutable, who dares to even try and refute it?

Have you ever seen a donkey suddenly spawn under your bed? Of course not. Have you ever seen a universe being created out of nothing under your feet? Of course not, and you would die if that happened.

Just like 'nothing' doesn't exist, causeless effect is nonexistent. And in the same way, a man can't get transmigrated into another world without a proper reason.

Those were the repetitive thoughts of a young man who suddenly found himself in an unbelievable situation.

He was once called Ace, but after getting into that strange world, he was called "Fool," because of his constant absent-minded look.

Let's not delve into the reason he was able to understand the strange language of the people there, Ace also had no idea, but that language was like no other he ever heard.

His original world was a "pacific" and prosperous one, despite blood baths always happening somewhere, mostly in smaller and poor countries. But after getting into that strange world, he was greeted with the harsh reality that he could die at any minute.

Monsters and wild beasts were always threatening humans, who only had some rudimentary weapons made of stone, bronze, and poorly cast iron to defend themselves, there was nothing such as the concept of technology for them.

But that wasn't the worst, some monsters had supernatural powers! All humans could do when meeting them was to run and hope for the better.

Because of the harsh environment, most human settlements were located in hidden places such as underground caves and other inconspicuous places.

The only allies humans had were some supernatural special beasts with high intelligence and empathy that helped them from time to time, but it was rare to meet them.

Speaking of Ace, he had a hard time adapting and learning some costumes of the village he was living in, which was hidden in a ravine deep into an evergreen forest.

He transmigrated with his original body, but he remembered very well that he died after being hit by a truck. Although he wasn't weak, his body was too emaciated compared to those of the natives, even some kids were stronger than him when he just transmigrated.

The only reason he was accepted into the village was that the village chief had some empathy and thought he was a refugee from another village.

But he had to work hard for his food and survival, the villagers were living a harsh enough reality to help him for free.

He would help when he could and try his best to learn when he had time. He ignored the nickname he received and tried his best. Over the months, the villagers slowly grew used to him and stopped treating him as an outsider.

But despair slowly built up in Ace's heart. Why was he thrown into that strange world without any guidance? Was he doomed to stay there forever?

And then, from time to time, he would look absent-minded and be called "fool" by others.

Before transmigration, Ace was an ordinary young man in his early twenties, he already did good enough by not losing it the moment he was thrown into that world.

If he had anything that could be called an "advantage," it was that his skin was good-looking and he had a handsome face, so some girls from the village wanted to marry him, some of them were pretty but some were not.

Of course, he didn't gain free food because of that, so he just endured silently the furtive stares he received from some girls.

That's until a year after transmigrating, he suddenly felt a sudden strong inspiration in his heart. He went to his 'residence,' which was simply a hole in the ravine's wall, it couldn't even be called a cave, there was no privacy barrier other than a thin mobile wood wall he built.

[Booting complete, the system was successfully transferred to the host's soul.]

A voice sounded in his mind as if coming from the depths of his soul.

[Information compiled, transfering to the host.]

Ace felt like he was hit hard by a sudden dizziness, he instantly fell into a very long dream, composed of numerous kinds of information.

He felt like a small boat floating aimlessly in the raging sea, and an understanding began to appear in his mind.

He wasn't thrown into that world by accident, just as he thought. He was actually caught by a very powerful being and used as an experiment for some unknown reason.

That being tried to send him to the past as an observer to gather some information, but something went wrong and he was directly thrown into that desolate parallel world as an active being.

Although he felt like he was thrown there just after being hit by a truck, the truth was that a long time passed. He was unconscious but the system attached to him controlled his body to gather a lot of information while transversing the long river of time.

But after piercing the barrier between being a mere observer and an active being, the system was damaged and had to directly bind itself to his soul to survive.

The powerful being had cast a sort of spell to protect him and so the system used it to protect both of them while they fell into that parallel world, but the spell was also exhausted after that.

Because it had to recover, the system fell into hibernation for a whole year.

But after awakening, it directly explained everything and transferred all the information gathered while it was in the river of time to Ace.

Some powerful creatures called the world he was thrown in the Primal Desolation World, and it was full of wonders and dangers like a fantasy world.

The human race barely survived in that world because of its weak strength and the presence of supernatural monsters.

Moreover, many creatures from myths actually existed there. Like dragons, qilins, phoenixes, krakens, and others. All of them possessed powers beyond human understanding.

Because humans had no way to obtain supernatural powers, they depended on the craftness and the goodwill of some intelligent creatures to survive. Another factor was that humans were so weak that the more powerful monsters had no reason to prey on them, as there was no benefit in doing so.

It took Ace many hours to awaken from the dream and influx of information, he was no more confused than before, he suddenly found a motive for his being.

The system actually told him that that parallel world possessed rules different from his home world, and that's the reason there were so many powerful creatures there.

Those different rules made it so that the world was full of a type of different and marvelous energy called by the native creatures "Magic Aura," or "Spiritual Energy."

Ace thought to himself that since other living beings could use it to get stronger, why couldn't humans? The system also gave him the affirmation that the energy didn't intentionally avoid humans, but that they simply didn't know how to use it.

Other beings possessed bodies that could instinctively use that energy, but humans didn't. So what Ace had to do was to discover a way. Not only for the humans in that world but for himself, he wanted to survive!

His confidence in finding a way was the system he had, it compiled a lot of important information when they were still in the river of time, where all cause and effect was visible.

Because his soul couldn't bear it, the system only imparted the most important bits of information to him, but it was enough to inspire him.

Although he wasn't a genius, he was still someone about to graduate as an engineer in his original world, so he had a creative mind. Moreover, the system itself was highly intelligent and could greatly help him.

After that fateful day, the villagers discovered that the Fool stopped acting like a fool and acted more normally, and even had an extra charm. Many girls confessed secretly, but Ace rejected all of them.

Although he was tempted by some of them, he still held back and focused on his objective: Finding a way to survive!

It was much more difficult than he thought. He spent two years trying hard with all sorts of methods and strange plants, but he always had zero results, even with the help of the system.

For example, he once drew inspiration from some fantasy stories he once read and tried to breathe the spiritual energy and "cultivate immortality," but it failed miserably.

When he began to despair again, the village was visited by a strange intelligent beast. It was identical to a cow, but it was much bigger and had bright green eyes.

The villagers all treated it with great care and respect, and the cow would lick them time from time.

And then, Ace discovered that the cow could speak! Although he already knew some monsters and magical beasts could do it, he was still shocked when he saw it personally.

The cow played with some kids and teased some of them, Ace heard everything.

[Host, if possible come in contact with the spiritual beast, I can possibly scan its body and find useful information. I was unable to do it in the River of Time.]

Ace swallowed hard and acted like some of the villagers, caressing the cow's fur. It ignored him and continued to play to tease some kids.

[Scan completed, compiling information...]

Ace breathed a sigh of relief and retreated, he was still afraid of the cow, despite its amicable appearance. He learned from the system that a few spiritual beasts were actually cruel to humans and could kill them as if they were ants.

When he returned to his residence, he pushed his wooden wall to give him some privacy and laid on the stone bed.

A flux of information suddenly hit his mind, but it was more gentle than the last time and he didn't fall into a dream again.

Information about the cow's inner structure and how the spiritual energy circulated and was integrated into its body began to appear in his mind.

A wave of inspiration hit Ace hard and he began to take note of many ideas on the stone wall. Since there wasn't paper in that world, he used some natural ink to write in the stone.

He then spent the next days trying everything, he did his best and almost didn't rest. But he reached nothing in the end.

After all, he was an engineer out of the chemical field, so it was normal for most of his ideas to be rudimentary.

He was about to despair and give up, but the system gave him another idea.

[Since trying to breathe the spiritual energy in seems useless, and eating strange plants is too dangerous and potentially useless, why don't the host try it from another angle?]

"What do you mean?"

[Use soul power to control it.]

"What is this?"

[It's normal for the host to not know, but soul power is something that powers the consciousness of a being. My creator was so powerful that his soul power could affect reality.]

"You mean... to use soul power to absorb the spiritual energy?" Ace frowned, "But can I control it?"

[No. But I can help the host to do it for a short period.]

"Is it dangerous?"

[Yes, since the host's soul is not powerful. Basically, all of your soul power is directed to maintain your consciousness stable. If the host uses too much of it, the host might die.]

"So that's why you never proposed it..." Ace sighed and massaged his temples, "But... Do I have a choice? Let's do it."

[It would be great to try it after a good rest.]

The next day, when the sun just dawned on the horizon, they began their operation.

Ace felt a strange force brewing from the depths of his soul, it was the system's acting. His soul power was controlled by it and he could suddenly sense many strange particles in the air around him.

"Spiritual energy..." he muttered but still concentrated. He tried his best to push his will into the particles, trying to use them.

Suddenly, a few particles began to get attracted to him and enter his body. But before he could rejoice, he felt his head spinning and he fell into deep sleep.

When he awakened, he discovered he was being taken care of by some villagers, he was unconscious for two whole days.

He felt horrible as if his head was empty and his being was hollowed.

'Will be there any sequelae?' he asked the system in his heart.

[No! Some information was gathered when the the host's soul power managed to control the spiritual particles, do you want to receive it?]

'Forget about it for now, I want to recover first,' Ace answered and sighed.

After two days of rest, he felt it was about time and asked the system to transfer the information to him.

It turned out that the reason the soul power managed to control the spiritual energy was that the latter seemed to lack any kind of will and could easily be printed with the will of another being.

But it was clearly unreasonable and inefficient to use soul power to do it, so Ace asked the system for a few ideas.

[While the soul power's most powerful potential lies in manipulating the outside world, it can also affect the inside. By nature, very small wisps of soul power circulate in the physical body of all living beings. The host can try to use those small wisps of power to try and refine the spiritual energy.]

'The problem is that the spiritual energy is by nature ignored by my body, and I can't really control those small wisps of soul power in my body,' Ace pointed out a few problems in his mind, 'Don't forget that what I seek is a way for me and other humans to get stronger without external help.'

[The reason the host can't control those wisps of soul power is that the host lacks a proper method. I have a few ideas for that.

[My creator didn't know about any method for humans to control their soul power, but he knew a lot about soul power itself.

[A interesting characteristic of soul power is that it's easier for you to manipulate it if you know that it exists than if you don't. And if you put enough concentration and will into it, you can slowly gain control over soul power by mentalizing your soul through a few methods.

[Because the host's soul is too weak, I didn't plan to teach methods of controlling soul power. But if it's just to control the small wisps of soul power circulating in the physical body, the danger is not high and the host can try.]

A sudden flux of information entered Ace's mind, but he was already used to it. The system transferred to him a special method of mentalization that trains control of soul power.

Ace never heard or read about anything similar to that method, it was full of novel knowledge and concepts to him.

The method was named "Star Stream Mentalization."

The first step was to concentrate and form an imaginary point deep into one's imagination, and slowly fade other thoughts away, leaving only that single point, which represented the soul.

By knowing it existed, Ace would have an easier time growing used to it and slowly gaining control over his soul power.

Another benefit was that the system could help him by stirring a few wisps of soul power from time to time, to help him sense changes.

It took Ace two whole years, in which he lived like an ordinary villager like any other and just trained the method at night to reach initial success.

He could instantly enter a state of deep concentration and mentalize a soul point in his imagination that felt as real as possible, he felt deeply connected to it and the point slowly evolved into something like a shining white star.

The truth was that his connection to his soul was exponentially deepened and so the point seemed to grow. That star symbolized his soul, after all.

With that stronger connection, he felt that a strange invisible energy surrounded that white star, it was his soul power. He knew he shouldn't use it recklessly or he would die miserably.

However, when he opened his eyes and left that state of meditation, he could still feel that invisible energy circulating in his body in very small amounts, almost undetectable.

[Congratulations to the host for reaching the first level of the method. You can now be called a supernatural creature.]

'I still lack the power to be named like that,' Ace mocked in his heart.

[In the last two years, I used the previous data to simulate many situations. I derived a few rudimentary methods for the host to try.]

The system then transferred more information to Ace, who felt way less bothered than before thanks to his mental training.

Ace sat in his stone bed with his legs crossed and began to try the first method.

In the last two years, he stopped shaving his beard and his body grew visibly bulky. He was finally as strong as a normal adult in that world.

The system brewed the first method by using knowledge unknown to Ace. It described that all beings possessed an energy core somewhere in their body where their soul power and biological energy washed each other without mixing.

The human's energy core was located in a space that could only be detected by soul power, it was just behind the navel. The energy core was like an empty spherical space that defied notions of physics. While from the outside it looked very small, its inside was several centimeters wide.

The system's idea was to draw the spiritual energy into the energy core and make the two energies print it with their mark, thus turning it into Ace's energy.

Pure biological energy, although different from soul power, also possessed some ability in printing and refining others' energies.

After concentrating and using the soul power that was inside his body, Ace felt a marvelous energy somewhat flowing outside his skin but not entering it, as if hitting a rock.

Ace controlled his soul power so that every time the spiritual energy hit his skin, his soul power would act like glue and absorb it through his body's pores.

Once the spiritual energy his body, he began to feel very uncomfortable, as if something was messing up with his insides. He quickly channeled the spiritual energy into his energy core, causing him pain in the process.

Once inside the energy core, the discomfort vanished and the two other energies began to wash the spiritual energy.

Then, something magical began to happen. It didn't happen as the system expected, but the three different energies completely mixed and fused into a new energy, which Ace felt that he could easily control.

[Unexpected, totally unexpected... Gathering new data...]

In a flash of inspiration, Ace made that new wisp of energy exit the energy core and circulate his body. It still felt uncomfortable, but way less than with the spiritual energy.

Not only that, but he felt that something was changing deep inside himself as if something new was brewing.

[Detected new changes in the host's physical body, gathering new data... Please wait until I compile everything host. Please avoid playing around with the new energy.]

Ace tried to return the wisp of energy back to his energy core but in the process, it seemed to vanish into thin air, as if absorbed by his body.

He was excited, he thought he finally found a way to strengthen himself and others.

After a few minutes, the system transferred all the new information to his mind.

Aace gained an understanding of what happened. The spiritual energy wasn't branded by the other energies but violently reacted with them to form a new kind of energy that could be controlled.

Meanwhile, that new energy could affect the body's vital essence and change it from the core, with the possibility of strengthening. It was also passively absorbed by his body.

While it was unknown if that new energy would evolve his body in a good way, the system was optimistic, and so was Ace.

He tried to refine more of that energy and succeeded until he felt extremely exhausted. Not only his soul power but also his biological energy was depleted by refining spiritual energy into that new energy.

In his energy core, the new energy was equivalent to one-third of the total energies present, maintaining a balance with the other two energies, but it was only because the other two were depleted.

The system advised him to not refine more to the point it suppressed the other two energies, so it could cause unknown variables and possible damage to him.

[Host, please abstain from using the new energy and let me make a few simulations first in the next few days. I want to know if this new energy will cause damage to the energy core if it stays there for a long time or if it will dismantle itself.]

Ace agreed and decided to recuperate himself for the next few days, he was very tired.