Theo fidgeted, the excitement and anticipation growing almost unbearable. He had taken the pill from the bag as instructed, the hard shell of it smooth between his fingers. It was about the size of the tip of his little finger, a swirling mix of green and yellow, the colours muted. It looked toxic, if he was being honest, but even that didn’t stop the buzz of excitement. It wasn’t like it was the first time he had dropped a suspicious looking pill and hoped for the best. If only Jimmy could see him now. He could hear his voice in his mind, screaming “Shelve it!”

  He almost laughed out loud, before swallowing the lump that threatened to choke him.

  Master Harris’s voice brought him back to the present.

  “Before we begin, a few words of advice. The pill you have been provided is called a Body Cleansing Pill. The formula is designed to be low yield, created specifically for those that are in the first few tiers of the body gate. Aside from removing potentially negative effects that arise from low-grade poisons, it has the added benefit of targeting the congestion that builds up at the nodes. Given the very targeted mechanism, it will not do anything to push forward your actual cultivation level.

  “Even still, it may feel overwhelming, and will inevitably break through your concentration and ability to control. Do not fret, that is normal when learning to cultivate with aids for the first time. To get the best results, rather than trying to wrangle the flood of aether released by the pill, hold firm to your breathing, and maintain your active cultivation.

  “Over time, that will become second nature, and you will eventually have more mental energy to focus on the actual process itself. As well as you are able, pay attention to the ebb and flow of aether as it accumulates at your nodes.”

  His gazed passed over the class, magnified eyes unblinking. Soft ambient music began to play, just loud enough that it covered any of the noises of the class as they shuffled in their seats.

  “You may ingest the pill now,” Master Harris said softly.

  With slightly shaking hands, Theo placed the pill into his mouth. With a last look at Beth, who grinned at him with pure excitement, he swallowed it dry. He closed his eyes, letting his mind settle, his attention brought to his breathing. He began the cycle he had developed with Jo, letting it take over his conscious thoughts as the pill settled into his gut.

  In the background, he could just make out a soft voice speaking, part of the music track that was playing. He was glad it was not Master Harris’ voice. Whilst the man was an engaging lecturer, his voice was far from soothing.

  He felt the first stirrings of energy within his body as his inhalation drew on the ambient aether. Eyes closed, he visualised as it began flowing through his body. His core was a radiant ball of light, sitting just below his sternum at his solar plexus. He could see hints of the veins of light that shot free from his core, traversing his body and passing through his organs and outwards into his limbs.

  It was far from a clear picture, but visualisation had always been an easy skill for him, and he found the image that he held in mind formed easier as it began to match up with the feeling of the aether as it passed through his body.

  He was jerked from his visualisation when a spike of energy released in his gut. The concern that rose from the feeling was washed away by the soft words of the guided mediation, the timing matching almost perfectly to the cracking of the pills shell.

  Clearly, this was a routine part of the curriculum, and the guided meditation had been developed to match the pills processing. He wondered how variable the process was from person to person, but then caught himself from following the divergent thoughts. He centred himself, letting his wandering mind settle back onto his breath.

  The feeling as the pill continued to break down was strange. It seemed to pulse in time with each inhalation, as each breath flooded his lungs with aether infused air. Rather than the aether funnelling down into his core, the energy was pulled towards the pill and released outwards, merging into the channels of light he had pictured for his meridians. It was the first time he got a sense for the confluence points along his channels, the nodes that the pill targeted.

  Apparently, he had already cleansed two of his nodes, the chemicals the Tagma had used during their recruitment party having fast tracked the process for him. At least, that was what Pat had said. He could now feel them, a soft glowing light in the palms of his hands. They contrasted sharply with the dense dark points along his energy channels that reflected the blocked nodes through the rest of his body. The energy seemed to quicken as it reached them, flowing outwards in smaller tributaries, like the off-shooting capillaries from his arteries and veins.

  It was becoming a challenge, keeping his focus on his breathing whilst also following the flow of energy in his body. He recalled Harris’ advice and brought his focus back to his breath, letting his cultivated cycle settle and become steady. The voice in the background flowed melodically, urging him to breath deep and focus on the areas where the energy congregated.

  He felt the soles of his feet start to tingle, a warmth slowly gathering as the energy from the pill coalesced at his extremities. There was a similar, if slightly less intense sensation also happening in his wrists, though it was too much to focus on both areas at once. Conscious of maintaining his breathing, he let his mind track the changing feelings in the soles of his feet as the cleansing effect of the pill slowly worked away at the built-up congestion.

  Time seemed to condense as any attention on the outside world faded away, though a part of his mind kept track of its flow, an instinct that took no mental effort on his part. The tingling warmth of his feet felt pleasant, and he caught glimpses of darkness melting away as his mind’s eye interpreted the feelings into a visual. The node in his right foot was the first to break, a sudden rush of energy moving freely through his whole foot mirrored by a rush of warmth and a light sense of pins and needles. A few seconds later, the feeling was matched on his left.

  The sensation was enough for him to lose his focus on his breath once again. He caught the words of the meditation as he tried to resettle his focus. Apparently, there was an active component he could try, taking hold of the internal flow of energy and funnelling it towards specific nodes. Given his limited experience handling his internal energy so far, he chose not to give it a go. The pill was working effectively without his active intervention, though he made note of the recommendations for future.

  He had just calmed his mind, and settled back into his cultivation once again when he heard the voice in the meditation come to an end. It was only a few minutes later that he heard Master Harris clearing his throat, gathering the class’s attention.

  “I’ll give you all a few minutes to bring your focus back to the room,” Harris said.

  There was a soft murmur as the class roused. Theo watched as people gradually began to stir. He heard Beth draw in a deep breath beside him.

  “A link to the active mediation will be provided so that you can access it again in the future,” Harris said. Theo took note, keen to listen to it once he was more advanced in his cultivation practice. “For most of you, taking partial control of the pills energetic process should have been possible. Who would like to volunteer their experience?”

  Theo turned to Beth as one of the students towards the front started to speak.

  “Two nodes for me,” he whispered. “Though, I didn’t try to actively control it.”

  “Same! Nodes, that is,” Beth said, her excitement still evident in the hushed words. “It wasn’t easy to control. I only managed to do it for a minute or so before I dropped my breathing technique. It felt so good though!”

  “Do you reckon they will give us more pills?” he asked.

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  “I doubt it,” she said softly. “We will have to use contribution points in the future.”

  Their conversation was cut short as Harris stood, gesturing to the third years that stood either side of the platform at the front.

  “Time to get back on track,” he said. “For the next half an hour, I want you all to settle back into your breathing techniques, and focus on the bowl of water in front of you. See if you can isolate the water attuned aether and attempt to manipulate it directly. Next week we will continue the round robins.”

  Beth squirmed with excitement beside him as Theo took a deep breath to settle himself. He could understand her excitement. This fortnight at least, she was probably going to be near the top of the class. He wasn’t expecting any miracles for himself, but the experience of breaking through two nodes, and his first use of a pill was a milestone he would celebrate later. He closed eyes, letting his breath settle.

  Each breath was a small step forward. Even small progress was still progress; he just had to keep reminding himself that.

  * * *

  Theo rushed down the hall, having stepped away from his training with Allen to make it to his first one on one with Frank. Of course, the change in routine had garnered him a few looks as he had left, though Allen had just given him a nod.

  He slid into the training room, breath coming hard after sprinting the last lap of the hall. To his relief, Frank had not yet arrived, and he had time to catch his breath as he gazed around the empty room.

  The room seemed larger without the other students clogging the space, and his breath sounded loud as it reverberated off the walls. He saw a mat had already been set up near the front stage, and he double checked his watch just to make sure he wasn’t late.

  Reassured, he decided to get started on a quick stretching circuit while he waited. His body was still warm from the training he had already done under Allen’s merciless glare, though even with a month and a half of training under his belt, his muscles still ached from the daily exercise. Stretching out helped to relieve the build-up of lactic acid, easing some of the accumulated stress from his weary body.

  “Good, I am glad to see you can at least take some initiate, and not have to wait for instruction.”

  Franks voice startled him, and he turned to see the weapons master slip into the room, both hands holding a large wrapped bundle in front of him. Theo continued to stretch as Frank deposited the bundle onto the front platform before taking a seat on the edge.

  He could feel the man’s eyes tracking his movements as he ran through the final set of vinyasa poses. He came to a halt, his body feeling more aligned.

  “Focus more on your pranayama, you lost your breathing a few times through the routine,” Frank said simply, coming to stand in front of Theo. “Keep practicing the vinyasa, though I would suggest also introducing some of the early routines of the ashtanga as well. You need to start building on your strength so that it matches your flexibility.”

  “I’ll do that,” Theo said.

  “Good. Now, I have a good sense of your physical capacities, and the ways in which your body moves. That will inform the basis of my recommendations for weapon selections. Before I do so, however, I would like your thoughts.”

  Theo swallowed the lump in his throat. He was feeling unexpectedly nervous. “Ahh, I haven’t got any, really. I have never had any experience with weapons, or with combat at all, to be honest.”

  “It always pays to be honest,” Frank said after a brief pause. He had settled into a relaxed pose in front of Theo, arms grasped behind his lower back, his grey eyes piercing as they searched his face. “I much prefer working with someone who can at least accept their limitations. Too many of your peers are trapped by their own preconceptions, unwilling to listen to sound advice. I have little tolerance for fools.” Theo just nodded.

  “I am sure Beth has already told you, but I have been teaching weapons at the institute for quite some time. Aside from an intimate knowledge of each weapon, and a long history in mixed modality martial arts, I have a keen insight into which weapons suit particular body types and their innate style of movement. Combined with that, I have two skills that assist with my teaching, though they are derived from combat skills. The first of which, helps me to identify weaknesses in an opponent’s combat style.” Theo could see how that would be beneficial in both a fight and when teaching, though he remained silent. Frank just nodded when Theo didn’t interrupt.

  “The second skill is somewhat more esoteric. When a person holds a weapon with intent, I get a visual, an illusion that acts like a forward projection of their initial moves. I have found that using this skill when a student is selecting their weapons for the first time provides me with an accurate insight into which weapon they will most naturally adapt to.”

  Theo was fascinated. They seemed like strange skills, at least compared to the basic elemental skills that had been talked about in his classes so far. It sounded more like the conceptual skills that had been raised briefly in his division classes, though that was a topic reserved for later in the year. Tentatively, he decided to ask Frank about it.

  “Forgive me, Master Frank, but do you mind if I ask a question?” Theo said, getting a quick wave of assent. “This is all very new to me, but I was curious what resonance your skills come from? I have never heard of anything like them before.”

  “Being your first semester, I don’t imagine you would have,” Frank said simply. “They are psionic skills, though they require a conceptual development beyond just having a base affinity for the type.”

  Theo vaguely recalled mention of psionic skills, though the only detail that came to mind was that they were incredibly rare. He couldn’t remember exactly who had mentioned them, it was probably during one of the random lunch discussions with his friends.

  “Putting that to the side, with my observations over the past few weeks, I have brought a small selection of weapons for us to run through today. That you come with no preconceptions or preference makes this simpler, though I acknowledge part of that is ignorance rather than true wisdom.”

  Theo took that as the put down it was intended to be. To be fair, he had been caught up by the whole magic thing, and had largely ignored the fact that they were training at the institute to join the rapid response teams and to fight against cultists and mutated beasts. Perhaps that had been a bit of wilful ignorance on his part. The idea of being in a life and death battle just wasn’t that appealing to him.

  “We will train with most of these over the coming weeks, as well as touching on some of the others that I have not brought with me. The reason for this is simple. There will inevitably come a time that you are without access to your own chosen weapon.

  “You may find yourself on the battle field with the only weapon available to you being one you find lying on the ground. In most cases, you will be safer relying upon your own body than picking up a weapon you have no training in. I will endeavour to make sure you have, at the very least, the basic skills required to not injure yourself.” Fuck me, Theo thought, trying not to grimace at the man’s words. This was going to be intense.

  “There are a few things that I would ask you to consider over the coming weeks. The first is where you see yourself in a team composition. With a radiant and nuclear affinity, the options available to you are diverse.”

  “We have only just touched on that in my division classes so far,” Theo said. “Mostly we are focused on basic chemistry and physics at the moment, with only a little bit of discussion about resonance advancement.”

  “As is fair. Most of your peers have had variable early education when compared to the typical insensate curriculum, so refreshing the basics is important for them. You may find you have some advantages for these first two semesters. I would hope, by the time your classes progress to more advanced topics, that you have adapted more to the cultivation world, and won’t feel so adrift.”

  That was reassuring to hear.

  “Now returning to my point, you will need to consider where you fit in team composition. Teams typically consist of five members, though there are a few that make do with four. An ideal combination would include one tank, one healer, two damage dealers and one control type.

  “As radiant dominant, you could consider healing, though that largely neglects your nuclear resonance. Shadow is the most common affinity for the combination of the two, which tends to be more common for an assassination type skillset. Not that I would try to pigeon hole you just yet, but your build also lends itself well to that particular combat style.”

  Ahhh, so that’s what affinity meant. He was thinking back to his first conversation with Brendan. Radiant or light, combined with Hydra, could lead to a mirage style affinity. This was a completely new train of thought. He tucked it away for further consideration. What else could come from a combination of light and dark? He could see now why a combination of polarities could be troublesome. He heard Frank clear his throat, and smiled apologetically.

  “Sorry sir, just thinking about potential affinities.”

  “I could see the cogs in your brain turning,” Frank said with a soft chuckle. “That is good. But try to refrain from doing so whilst in the middle of my training.” Oh, hello embarrassment. Push that down as well. “Now, the combat role you decide on will have a bearing on your primary weapon of choice. Do you wish to be support or damage dealing? If damage, will you be in the melee, or ranged? As you can see, there are few things to consider.

  “There is no immediate pressure to decide, though I would recommend you not take longer than the next month to come to a decision. You will need to start focusing on your particular combat role and group combat dynamics in preparation for the mid-yearly examinations.”

  That made sense.

  “Rather than me continuing to talk at you, I think it best we let the weapons do the talking. Shall we get to it?” Frank said. He stepped away then, unrolling the bundle of weapons and laying them out. There were a range of short swords, daggers, kick sticks, and other shorter range melee weapons in the mix. There were also a few larger weapons, like a staff, polearm, hammers and maces. That the man had carried the lot of them in effortlessly was damn impressive. Seeing Frank step back, Theo swallowed the nervousness and joined Frank in front of the selection.

  “Take your first pick, Theo.”

  ★ Lewd rude and Crude Comedy Isekai incoming ★

  How A Slacker Replaced

  The Demon Lord

  Isekai Comedy Character-Focused Action Australian

  Zachery MacDonald is a 23-year-old Australian slacker... Sure he's got a job, hobbies, friends but zero ambition. His days are anime, doom-scrolling, video games, repeat.

  Luckily our story follows him after he dies. He wakes up in the lap of a beautiful succubus, in a brand new body that just happens to be the second most powerful thing alive. Unfortunately for everyone, that makes him the new Demon Lord.

  A character driven adventure in an absurd world with plenty of art, lewd humour, crude plots and rude people.