The “Magic of Laria” provided insight, however, much of the information was disappointing. First, most of the major cities came to be through the pantheon of gods and goddesses. Some of the buildings, such as this one, existed since the beginning. Magic users had tried to replicate some of its major magical feats, such as the training room or my dormitory, but they could only manage smaller, less extravagant versions of what had been accomplished by the gods. No surprise there.

Secondly, unlike the gods of Earth based on faith, these Laria's gods made their presence known. Many examples of them appearing and granting blessings or curses were evident throughout the book.

Thirdly, and this was the disappointing news, magic users were relatively rare, with wizards being the sought-after crown jewels. Many magic classes existed, some dedicated to crafting and building, others focusing on the creation of spell and ability scrolls. Wizards, however, were a commodity. Each race only had a handful, and most of them were involved in the army. The power they wielded was extreme and could single-handedly turn the tide of battles.

Ability scrolls were rare and expensive, so access was limited according to the book. The class, Skill Scribe, was highly sought after by all twelve races of Laria. Some notable scribes were even listed by name in the book, having developed new techniques or abilities that lead to the betterment of the world.

Fourth, and the most applicable to my current situation, regarded Mana Manipulation. Every single living person, monster, animal, or plant for that matter–they all had mana within themselves. The skill Mana Manipulation, or MM for short, was the ability to access more, have more, and use more of that supply of mana. Trained warriors used the mana to fuel various abilities and skills. Moves like cleave, whirlwind, and other typical fighter abilities were mentioned and recognizable to me from video games. Mana could even be used for farmer classes to harvest quicker or have a higher yield of crops.

Lastly, I became educated on the world’s currency. Copper, Silver, Gold, and Platinum, in that order. 100 copper equaled 1 silver, 100 silver equaled 1 gold, and so on. Farmers made, on average, 10 silver a week. A common skill for farmers, Yield Increase - Basic, brought in 20 gold. If you wanted to be a mana user, it would cost you. However, that skill increased your yield by 50 percent, so just like any good investment, it would take time to see the results. I still hadn't figured out the lifespan of different races yet, but Fenley said he was several hundred years old, so investing in a skill like that would make sense, if you could swing it.

I wasn’t sure how much of this was basic information I should have already known, but the books were invaluable to me now. I would try and finish as much as I could in the brief time I was here.

Morning came quickly, the sun shining through the window. As I wiped the sleep from my eyes, a rap on the door, the call of “breakfast,” and the sound of a tray clattering to the floor signaled my day was to start. The previous night's dinner was soup with different meats and vegetables. A screen had let me know that all status benefits from meals had been temporarily blocked during the initiation process. Probably didn’t want to give an unfair advantage if someone decided to forgo a meal.

I put on my uniform and bracelet, ate my meal quickly, and washed it down with some water. I decided to make my way to the training area from yesterday. I had to make up for lost time. I arrived to find several students had beat me to it, perhaps one-tenth of the amount that had been there during the previous day's peak. Some read books, while others sparred or practiced different forms with and without martial weapons.

I approached one of the arenas that housed a man who appeared my age, practicing by himself. I wasn’t sure if he belonged to my group or was from another city within the kingdom, but it wouldn’t hurt to start making connections and meeting new people.

“Hello!” I called out to him from outside the arena. “Care to practice?”

The man nodded, and we stepped into the arena.

You have entered a sparring arena. Health will not fall below 1 HP, and will instantly be restored to full if you fall out of the arena, or, hit 1 HP.

At least we can give it our all this way.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

He raised an eyebrow in response. “Carter…” he replied. His “r” trailed off in confusion.

“Good to meet you Carter, my name is Vince.” I smiled.

“Yeah, I know, I analyzed you.” He was clearly confused by my line of questioning.

Out of habit, I had introduced myself like I was still on Earth. Everyone could see your name here, and I wasn’t used to it.

Carter (level – 1)

Class – In Process

So, no last name? I guess they strip us of that, my status screen only says Vince as well…

“Right, sorry. I came in late yesterday, still trying to get used to things I suppose.”

Carter nodded politely. “Yes, I remember seeing you come in late. I think you are from my city's Adoption Center. Johan right?”

“Yeah!” I said. Having someone I could talk with and train with would be helpful, plus, just having contact with someone in a similar situation was comforting.

Carter smiled. “The pantheon sure did bless us with such a world and second chance on life, right?”

I forced my best fake smile. “For sure.”

We talked a little about our experiences so far, and his personality was nice enough, but lacked the nuances that come with being exposed to different cultures and environments. He was, technically, a newborn with an adult body and brain capacity.

We decided on hand to hand combat, and since he had trained some already this morning, I had a feeling it would be a bit one sided. I looked over my opponent. We were both about 6 feet tall, same as myself. I had a longer reach, and he had a little more muscle. He wore a uniform and bracelet that were identical to my own.

He took his stance, left leg forward with both arms stretched before him, hands open. I had seen McGregor fight in the UFC like that. He kept his hands out to grab opponents or deflect blocks more easily, only to follow up with a crazy left hand that caused grown men to develop spaghetti legs.

Unlike Mr. McGregor, I had a total of zero hours in martial arts training. I mirrored his position with my legs but kept my arms closer to my face in more of a traditional boxing stance. I was hoping by getting my ass kicked, I would be able to pick up on some of his training and make up for the information I clearly lacked.

He stared at me through dark brown eyes below buzzed hair. Inching closer, he stayed balanced, ready to adapt to any move on my part. I, however, just lumbered forward like a cocky bully unbeknownst to him that the subject of said bullying was a black belt martial artist. Big difference is, I knew I was going to get my ass kicked, but I had to figure it out at some point.

I lunged at him with a hard-right cross toward his face. The problem was I hadn’t thought of step two or plan b. He used his left hand to parry the blow and hit me with a hard-right counter.

-5 damage taken

That blow knocked me a step backward and made the world spin.

Carter didn’t come directly after me, although he very well could have. He was being nice, letting me reset before continuing.

At least he’s being a gentleman before he fucks me.

I decided to just go for some good old-fashioned tackling. I had played rugby in high school, so I was confident in my ability to at least do that. As I went for the tackle, I felt him maneuver into a weird position. As we hit the ground, my instincts told me that this was going to be worse than the punch to the face.

A few seconds of struggling later, my arm was stretched in an awkward position, and a pop-like sound could be heard as he had put me into an arm bar. Unlike the UFC, where the goal was to get the other person to tap, in a fight to the death the goal was to, well, kill me. Breaking someone’s arm and rendering it useless was a good step toward that goal.

-20 damage taken, critical attack!

Your left arm is broken! Minimal use of that arm, x2 damage and x2 pain when affected arm is struck.

I didn’t need the status screen to confirm much of that, but no matter. I was on the ground, clutching my arm in agony. I couldn’t concentrate.

“Stop, stop, stop!” I yelled to Carter.

Do you wish to forfeit your duel?

“Yes! Fuck! Please!” I begged to whichever god or goddess was responsible for this particular set of status screens. A sickening pop, another spike in pain, and then ultimate relief washed over me as my hit points reset and debuffs removed.

“Sorry, Vince.” Carter said sincerely. “That was the first move the teachers showed us. They said we need to get used to the pain now, so we may develop the skill to bear it and keep on in the fight.”

A few screens popped up in my view after the battle concluded.

You have learned, “Unarmed Combat – Tier 1, beginner.” +1 percent to unarmed strike damage and knowledge of combat.

You have learned, “Endure – Tier 1, beginner.” +1 percent to pain reduction, +1 percent to focus through pain.

All experience toward increasing your level will be withheld until the end of the Initiation.

A hell of a headache hit me after seeing those messages, causing a wince. In my mind, in a span of a second, I saw a replay of the fight from a third-person perspective. My strike, the block, and then counter-punch. I saw minor mistakes in my footwork, and how I could prevent the follow up attack. The correct technique flashed as the next scene.

Another depiction, the aftermath of the arm-bar. The second scene, getting up and continuing the fight rather than forfeiting. Then it was over, the headache disappeared, and the images were no more than fleeting memories. Thankfully the concepts remained. The pantheon, or magic, or whatever, had injected knowledge when I encountered the skill.

No wonder Carter performed that move so well in just a day’s worth of training. This is a cheat code!

Carter nodded in response to my bewildered expression. “All normal, no worries. The teachers explained we will get a few of those moments while we are here, and that the more we learn, the longer it takes to level up our skills.”

It was interesting to hear Carter talk. “No worries” didn’t seem like something someone would say from here in my experience so far. Maybe a little bit of Earth’s nuances transfered over, if he is even from Earth.

Carter and I continued to fight, and I surprised him by tagging him a few times. I never won, but it was progress. I also leveled up my skills in Unarmed Combat and Endure to tier 2, but received no additional bonuses or insights like I had when I first got them.

During our fights, more students and instrustors had begun to enter. I was pleased to see Mr. Murdock find us and offer a smile. He was in an instructor’s outfit now, and asked us to continue so he could observe. At one point, he asked us to pause as he brought another two over, both women, to learn some group combat.

I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about fighting a woman, but had to put that thought aside. This was a place of magic and abilities, where your sex had nothing to do with your physical capabilities. Plus, it was sparring, so we would all be fine with no permanent injuries.

“Did you do group combat yesterday?” I asked Carter. We took our positions in front of the two ladies.

Carter shook his head. “No, this will be my first. Strategy?” He never took his eyes off our opponents.

“Don’t lose.” I quipped. We inched our way forward. The girls were shorter than us by about 4 or 5 inches, and assuming strength didn’t matter here based on stature, our advantage was our reach.

“Keep them in striking distance, use our reach.” I whispered to him as we began to close the gap.

Having Laria power boost my knowledge of fighting was a bizarre feeling. On the one hand, I knew for a fact I had just learned to fight only a hour before, but on the other, my body and mind felt comfortable with the new movements, like I had trained for at least a month or two.

Both groups mirrored each the fighting stances of the other. We didn't know much more at this point. The girl to my right was slender, probably 120 pounds. Brown hair went to her shoulders. She was unremarkable in terms of beauty, but her eyes portrayed nothing but focus and a killer’s stare. The woman to the left, focusing in on Carter, had a blond ponytail and a slightly bulkier build.

Our opponents made the first move, attacking us at the same time. Mine closed and threw a quick left jab, causing me to back-pedal. Carter performed a good take down move on his, using weight to his advantage rather than reach.

I kept my hands in front of me, trying to keep the brunette from grappling. She lunged forward, with the intent of taking me to the ground. I used her momentum against her and did a flying knee to her chest while grabbing the back of her head.

6 damage dealt

An audible “oomph” escaped her lips as the air was driven from her lungs. To her credit, she held onto my back and used her legs to trip me up and topple us over. I braced for the impact of her landing atop me, but she turned and ran toward her partner.

“Carter! Incoming!” I yelled as I got back on my feet. Either he didn’t hear me or was lost in his own mind in the battle, because he didn’t look up from his mounted position. The brunette rammed her knee into Carter’s ribcage, and he flew off his opponent. Now, my opponent was mounted atop Carter, whaling on him, while the blonde stood up to block my interference.

Taking notes from Carter, I decided to be the aggressor and use my weight to my advantage. I closed the gap, taking a few glancing blows before I got my hands on her.

-1 damage taken

-3 damage taken

-2 damage taken

I looped my arms between her legs and lifted one into the air. My head was under her armpit and I could feel her trying to get a lock around my neck. As I used my momentum to make her hop in place, I managed to loop her other leg as well. I lifted her into the air before returning her body aggressively to the ground.

8 damage dealt

I began my assault on her as she covered to fend off my blows. It worked. I was only able to do two or three damage at most as she deflected my attacks. I then felt a pair of arms slip around my neck, lifting me off the ground and cutting off my air supply. I glanced in the direction of Carter , now on his butt outside the arena with a look of shame on his face. He had been forced out somehow, or hit zero hit points, and was out of the fight.

I couldn’t breathe, and felt my windpipe beginning to crush. Flashes of 2 damage, 3 damage, 4 damage, appeared periodically. The blonde stood before me as her partner held me firmly in place.

“You two were barely a challenge for us.” She grinned punching me in the gut and face. “Some people must be the farmers, so the warriors like us, can protect them. Or maybe you can become my personal servant. I’ll be sure to look out for you when this is all over.” She gloated and continued to use my body as a punching bag. Turns out, even when you have new memories, some people are just born assholes.

I could feel my blood begin to boil as I approached 1 HP. I felt my muscles tighten in rage at the stupidity of the situation. In a new world, I was getting thrashed by two women, and might never see my home again. An intense mass began to build inside me, like a pressurized cooker waiting to have the steam released. My anger boiled over, and I yelled at the top of my lungs, allowing the what had built inside me to escape.

The pressure around my neck released as I saw the woman in front of me thrown backward with such force, it looked like she had been yanked with a bungee cord. Behind me the brunette was lying outside the arena with a look of shock on her face.

Some of the pressure I had felt was gone, but a tingling sensation remained, coursing through my entire body. I felt… powerful. I was on a high better than any drug I’d ever tried. It was like I had been blind, deaf, and slow, and only now could truly see, hear, and move. I released and clenched my hands, feeling power all the way down to my fingertips.

A look of fear replaced my opponents bravado. I could hear her say something, holding her hands up in a “stop” motion and she back pedaled. I walked toward her, tunnel vision seeing nothing but my target. Maybe I might be a farmer, and maybe I’ll never go home. Hell, the chance of me becoming a servant was probably high. I would, however, before all was said and done, be kicking this girl’s ass.

Your opponents have been knocked out or have resigned. Carter and Vince win the duel.

I mentally swiped away the notification. Like my favorite Shaman character says, “Like Hell!”I wasn’t going to let a message stop me from releasing this building pressure within me. I had to release it, and her face was a good target.

Mr. Murdock appeared in front of me, putting his hand on my chest. “Stop. She resigned.” He was trying to snap me out of my drunken battle stupor. “Look at me.” He grabbed my shoulders with both hands and put his face directly in front of mine, blocking my view of the girl. “Breathe. Relax. Feel the pressure within you escape from your fingertips all the way down to your toes. Breathe.” Following his suggestions I began to feel the pressure ease, and my clenched fists began to relax. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath in, and after a few moments, my mind and body were my own again, albeit a weaker less fulfilling version.

“Thanks…” I replied.

You have learned the ability – “Pulse.” Release the mana within your body in an outward force of energy. The amount of force is contingent on the amount of mana used.

You have learned the ability – “Enhance.” Imbue your body and senses with your accessible mana. Increase in Power and Agility is contingent upon the amount of mana used. Mana is used in 3 second intervals. Cooldown is applicable if canceled.

You have exhausted all your mana!

Fatigue swept over me. The world turned black and I collapsed. The last thing I saw was Mr. Murdock’s face. He did not seem concerned, in fact I noticed a small smirk on his lips before slipping into darkness.