Chapter 4 - Carl Craze of this world

Gradually, Carl's eyelids started to flutter open and his vision returned. His head no longer felt as heavy as before, and his muscles and nerves were back into action.

The first thing that he saw was a white ceiling and the blinding fluorescent light that caused him to close his eyes for a second. After that, he found out that the room was quite minimalistic. His nose was also being filled with the odor of disinfectants, and the sensation of the hard mattress against his back did not go unnoticed.

As he lifted himself off the bed to take a seat, Carl could see the minimal design in the room which was almost all white. One closet, a block of tech he had never seen, a small room, a table, two couches and a small chair, and one window. Carl had never seen a room like this in his former world, and he immediately felt alarmed.

The next thoughts that went up to his mind, was to escape and how to escape!

But he immediately abandoned such thoughts.

'Where am--Gax Street, River Hospital.'

As if a gentle breeze hit him, he was for some reason able to discern his current location, and vivid imaging of the hospital popped onto his mind. At that moment, as his mind and body was able to function with its normal gears, new sets and series of memories also began to flood onto his mind!

'Carl Craze, this is the body of the Carl of this world.'

'Me in short.'

Just like him, the Carl of this world was 15 years of age, turning 16 in a few months. He was currently a student of a River Academy, one of the three mage academies in the Capital City of Fieres.

He is currently in his second year, but his first day coming back to the school as a sophomore did not go so well.

Apparently, the original Carl was nowhere near the talent that he was. 

The rank for new cultivators from the weakest to strongest was that they were separated into three levels of acolytes,: level 1 acolyte, level 2 acolyte, and level 3 acolyte. 

Level 1 acolyte was slightly stronger than the regular person and had faster regenerative abilities. But they could already use the mana of the world to cultivate themselves.

Level 2 acolytes was when cultivators become capable of consuming and producing spell formations. 

A Level 3 Acolyte is the last step before becoming a full-fledged mage. They have far greater spiritual powers than the other acolyte levels. A deeper understanding of magical theory and its application to combat. 

'This Carl is a level 1 acolyte, in the bottom tier.' 

'In the academy's words, he was classified as a Grade 3, Level 1 acolyte. Which was only slightly stronger than normal humans. But...'

'Level 1 acolytes usually have certain cultivation techniques that matches their strengths and weaknesses, but this...not only this body don't know what to do, it has nothing. This is the worst.'

'It's centers of power has awakened when it was ten, but it's like nothing changed.'

Carl wanted to complain.

'This is not what I ordered...'

This Carl grew up in an orphanage, and growing up, had never had the resources and the guide to support him in the process. Until he was ten. When the government conducted their annual magic aptitude examinations.  They found him along with many other kids of his age. 

He started to become special, but honestly, he was just one out of billions of kids who had awakened the centers of power. Also, Carl's aptitude for magic wasn't very high among his peers. But the government saw he possessed two things worth investing...

First, he has the talent to develop onto a elemental cultivator. A mage. One who could access and produce the forces of nature from his fingertips.

This was extremely valuable in the cultivation world where only a handful of children were born with such talent. 

Second, Carl has the talent to develop onto a physical cultivator. An existence that could make chaos in the battlefield with the use of his raw power. Most cultivators could only go this path due to their lack of Carl's first asset.

But Carl's physique was not ordinary.

Having the talent to become a mage might be rare, but that was more important if he indeed becomes a mage. 

With his physique, he was a future super soldier. 

Every cultivators has what was called Centers of Power, that they awaken at ten years old. This was responsible of a cultivators future. Mana pool, mental sphere and physique. One cultivates these three to improve. 

The mana pool was responsible for storing and using mana. 

The mental sphere was responsible for having a strong mind to cope with the challenges of the cultivation journey. 

The physique was the last power. It was responsible for the body and it's physical attributes, such as strength, speed, and stamina. The ranks for physique consisted of Mortal, Earth, Heaven, and Divine. The Carl of this world had the Earth physique, which was possessed by only one in ten thousand people.

Earth Physique! 

'Earth Physique... the talent of having a superior body than your rank. If one has a rank 1 body, having the earth physique makes you possess the strength, speed, and stamina of a rank 2 body.'

Carl shook his head. 

'What good is a earth physique if you don't have a cultivation technique?'

'A good physique is only a start. You need to cultivate it. Otherwise, everyone will leave you behind.'

And Carl feared that indeed was what happened. 

And there was more to see.

Due to his circumstances, Carl hated his physique.

He might have a strong body, but it did not mean anything when he cannot fight back. Most children started to practice their cultivation breathing techniques at one point. This improved their centers of powers, upping their physical attributes, and allowing them to use magic spells. 

Meanwhile, Carl continued to rot. 

Cultivation breathing techniques were the epitome of a cultivator. It was a way of meditation that will temper the centers of power, enhancing it. Making cultivators powerful. 

It was a little costly however. 

Cultivation breathing techniques came from cultivation training books. These books could be at very high prices from the government or a company. Some were also sold on the market place albeit much higher in price. 

Carl had never touched one. He tried to touch one before but he was accused of stealing it. It even got the kid's parents to visit the school to speak to the academy and him. Since then, Carl had trauma of touching one. 

Since his reputation had also turned like that, most kids avoided him and accused him of stealing their stuff. Due to this, he never learned anything. He made some friends, but in the end, they were all just like him. 

Growing up, Carl also wasn't ambitious. He only wanted to graduate from school, go to college, and work a normal 9-5 office job.

Carl however wasn't smart enough to get good grades. He wasn't desperate enough to lock himself up with studying too. Like most in his only social circle, he chose pleasure and instant gratification. He wasted hundreds of hours for gaming and watching. 

It was at one point he heard something. 

At the end of the academy's first year, the government will hand out free cultivation books to students who did not have one. 

Carl started to be happy. 

Carl thought his time will finally come. 

But the bullies in school had another plan for him.

The moment the new school year started, he was ambushed from his room, and was dragged into the Underground City like trash. 

The last moments of the original Carl played onto his retinas.

A fat boy tried to fight back with his meager powers. He was still stronger than a regular human, and had the earth physique, so he could last a basic fist fight. But not against cultivators. 

His will and confidence was also low.

He could never fight a group alone.  He knew what the bullies in school were capable of. They were admitted to a mage academy just like him but they were very different. He was rotting at the bottom ranks while they were at the pinnacle of the school hierarchy. 

The fat boy shouted for help, and wailed to the distance, but the Underground City was as quiet and unresponsive as ever.

The only thing he could hear was the little beasts lurking around and the mockery and laughter of his bullies. 

It was a one-sided fight. 

Outnumbered. Overpowered. Outskilled.

With the other students having power, he was treated like the most useless thing in the world and toyed like dolphins do to their prey.

Carl saw the original Carl's last memory.

The image of a red-haired student smiling from ear to ear as he sent a beam of light that went through his chest making a gaping hole and spraying his blood onto the air. The boy was a level 3 acolyte. 

...

Closing his memories,  Carl touched his chest gently, and found where the wound was, but all he could see now was the distorted skin that have forced itself to heal. 

Carl remembered the depressing pain of the original Carl Craze..

'What a loser. But what can I do about those bullies?'

'Now that I'm alive, they are bound to come back, and the cycle will repeat.'

Carl unconsciously remembered flashes of the last stand that the original Carl took against his bullies. It was clear that it was the first time he actually ever fought back.

'I have a feeling this memories won't come off easily…'

Carl sighed and tapped his glabella, as he swore in his heart to take revenge when the opportunity comes.

Right now, he had more important things to do. Not his Centers of Power. Not his situation at school.

"Who were those people?"

Carl clearly sensed the presence of a few mages just before he passed out. Most likely, they were also the one who brought him here. It was very likely they would visit soon. 

Carl was waiting patiently when the door opened, but it was not who he had expected!

Somehow, the group of bullies who murdered the original Carl were the one who went inside. Clicking his tongue, Carl sighed.  This new life he had wasn't going to be easy.

...

A/N: 'Physique' refers to the third center of power, which is the body. Body and physique, they are interchangeable terms in this book. But physique specifically classifies the talent that the cultivator possess in the physical category.