Ch.14: Friendship
--<3rd PoV>--
Kijin
A race of unique demi-humans known for their exceptional constitution.
With unnatural strength and a potent affinity for the darkness element, they are considered among the strongest of all demi-human races—if not the strongest outright.
Every Kijin is born a warrior. Said to carry the blood of both dragons and Black Ogres, they possess physical traits and mystical properties inherited from both formidable lineages.
But with great power comes great side effects.
The Kijin's deep connection to darkness—a rare elemental attribute ranked even higher than the five basic elements and the four advanced ones—grants them overwhelming power. Darkness is especially feared and revered for its capacity to absorb and suppress all five base elements.
However, for Kijins, this affinity walks a razor-thin line. The darkness within them often teeters dangerously close to demonic energy, a curse passed down from their Black Ogre ancestors.
Over generations, many Kijins have attempted various methods to suppress or avoid this corruption. Some relied on powerful artifacts, others chose the path of magic to distance themselves from their darkness, while some simply refused to use their elemental affinity altogether.
But years ago, there was one who succeeded where others failed—a rare, pure-blooded Kijin. Just a few years before his death, he developed a true solution.
'Dark Spirit Unification Art.'
A Transcendent-grade aura cultivation technique, it was based on a revolutionary principle: using one's spiritual will to harmonize and control the darkness within, rather than suppressing or denying it.
It was created by none other than Kaelen Virelios, Ray's grandfather.
And now, this was what Ray had chosen as his trade offering.
If you're wondering why Ray would offer something so valuable—essentially a family heirloom—to someone else, then you clearly don't understand Ray Virelios.
If confronted, his answer would be blunt, cold, and without remorse:
"What's the point of a family heirloom when you don't even have a family?"
Or,
"It's useless to me anyway."
And as always, there was a rational reason behind the apparent recklessness.
"Because, as it is now… I can't even use it," Ray muttered, copying the book's contents in another one while simultaneously memorizing every word.
His mana pathways were no longer natural. They had been rebuilt, crafted through his own methods. Artificial circuits—complex, innovative, and vastly different from the world's standard magical framework.
Yes, they had potential—but they lacked compatibility with techniques native to this world.
Ray glanced at the completed copy in his hand. It would serve its purpose soon.
Because he already knew someone in the Dimensional Chat Group who needed this far more than he did.
As for whether that person could use it—well, that's where the group's trade function came in handy.
It didn't just allow members to exchange items; it also had a built-in conversion feature. Whenever something was traded, the system would automatically adapt it to match the recipient's power system—ensuring complete compatibility.
And that's exactly why the Shop function felt like a scam.
If someone purchased something from the shop, the item arrived in its most primitive, unrefined form.
It's like his case back when his mana circuits were broken. At that time even the most powerful technique would be completely useless for him—it simply couldn't interface with his condition.
To acquire a compatible version of that same item or technique, he'd have to pay ten times the normal price.
Which meant, quite simply—if you wanted to thrive, you had to build relationships. Get someone else to buy the items in their world for you and send it through the chat group's transfer system.
In other words, the chat group's hidden message was clear:
Make friends.
Ray scoffed at the very notion.
"Make Friends, my ass. It's just a scam."
Still, he couldn't deny the value of that conversion feature. With it, he didn't need to worry about wasting points—he could simply obtain compatible items from others across dimensions, practically for free.
And in that moment, multiple schemes started to unfold in his mind.
He already had plans to charm and manipulate the naive girls of the group—gently leading them right into the palm of his hand.
"Hahahahaha…"
[Tang Ya: Um, why are you laughing like that?] (personal chat)
[Ray: Oh, it's nothing. I just saw something funny on my side.]
[Tang Ya: So? Do you want to talk about something? After all, you were the one who initiated the chat, right?]
[Ray: That's right, actually I want to get to know you better. After all, I joined the chat group because I wanted to make friends.]
Tang Ya frowned at the message.
Coming from someone like him—the high-and-mighty chat group Admin—it felt... off.
Her first impression of Ray hadn't been great. Not just her—no one liked how he muted others just because they said something he didn't like. If it were a one-time thing, maybe she'd have let it slide. But he'd pulled stunts like that multiple times over the past two weeks.
It was confined somewhere with nothing else to do—always online, always nitpicking.
He even clashed a few times with Cheon Wonryou, the girl who at least pretended to be mature.
To be fair, those arguments were kind of impressive. Ray didn't mute her—he verbally beat her down with logic or sarcasm until she just gave up and left.
Still... how could someone be so insufferable and yet undefeated at the same time?
So yes, Tang Ya was suspicious of his sudden friendly message.
Honestly, she'd only even responded because of his profile picture. Something about it piqued her curiosity.
'Handsome guys are often misunderstood,' she reasoned. 'Maybe he's one of them?'
'And honestly… he might be the most good-looking one I've ever seen,' she admitted to herself with a reluctant blush.
[Ray: Hello? Tang Ya, you there?]
His voice message startled her out of her thoughts.
[Tang Ya: Ye-yeshh!]
She bit her lip in surprise, flustered and annoyed at herself for reacting that way.
[Ray: You okay?]
[Tang Ya: Ye-yeah! I just saw something that surprised me, haha!]
She scrambled for an excuse. Awkward.
[Ray: What a coincidence. Looks like we're similar in that way. Hahaha.]
His casual tone helped ease the tension.
[Tang Ya: I know, right? Hahaha.]
Fake laugh. But hey, in text, no one knows if a laugh is real or not.
[Ray: This martial soul thing—it's from your world, right? Mine is called "Lord of Domains." I was wondering if you could tell me more about it?]
[Tang Ya: Of course, why not? I'm free anyway.]
With the Spirit Sentience card cultivating her martial spirit on its own these days, she really had all the free time in the world. Talk to a potential new friend, or lay in bed all day? This sounded like the better option.
They started chatting.
A few messages turned into a few jokes.
Half an hour in, they were already talking about the nature of the chat group.
By the first hour, they'd moved on to their worlds and their philosophies.
And by the second, they were exchanging personal thoughts—dreams, regrets, and the strange loneliness of being stuck between worlds.
Eventually, the conversation began winding down.
[Ray: Ok then. It was nice meeting you. See you around.]
[Tang Ya: Sure! But next time, let's talk in the group chat instead of private. That way, you can make more friends.]
[Ray: …Leave it. I prefer making friends one by one. Otherwise, I always end up saying something impulsive that hurts someone's feelings.]
Tang Ya chuckled, shaking her head. "Heh. Why don't you just admit you're a tsundere already?"
[Tang Ya: Well, if that's how you see it.]
And with that, their private chat came to an end.
On Ray's end, he slumped back in his chair, wiping imaginary sweat from his forehead.
"Hah! Talking so sweetly is exhausting."
Then, with a mischievous grin, he muttered to himself, "Now that the fish has taken the bait… it's time to reel her in."
Meanwhile, in Tang Ya's classroom, Zhou Yi announced the end of the lecture.
Just then, a soft ding echoed in her ears—another notification from the Dimensional Chat Group.
'What can it be now?'
What she saw really blew her mind.
[Ray (Admin) has proposed a trade with you.]
[Ray (Admin) has presented a Darkness Attribute Cultivation Technique.]
[System has deemed this technique a Beginner Transcendent Rank Cultivation Method with 96% compatibility with you.]
[As per Ray (Admin)'s trade rule, to redeem it, you must present a cultivation technique of at least Heaven Rank and of Attribute-less origin.]
[Time limit remaining: 2 hours.]
Tang Ya shot up from her seat, nearly knocking over her desk. "No way!!"
The sudden outburst echoed across the classroom, drawing every gaze toward her.
It wasn't just any class. It was Zhou Yi's class—the infamous 'Devil Teacher' known for her rigid standards and zero tolerance for nonsense. A pin drop silence followed as even the air around them seemed to hold its breath.
But to everyone's surprise, Teacher Zhou Yi let out a soft chuckle.
"Looks like student Tang Ya is rather upset that my class is ending for the day. Don't worry—you can always come to me for extra homework." She smiled with a dry but harmless tone, waving off the disruption.
Despite the joke, the message was clear: get your act together.
Tang Ya, realizing the spotlight she had unintentionally claimed, quickly sat back down, cheeks burning with embarrassment.
"Sister Ya, you're amazing!" whispered Jiang Nannan from across the table, eyes sparkling with admiration. "You just yelled in Zhou Yi's class and survived!"
But Tang Ya barely heard her. Her gaze was locked on the glowing system interface floating before her eyes.
A cultivation technique...
Darkness Attribute...
Transcendent Rank...?
She blinked, rereading it again and again.
'Is this... for real?'
Her fingers trembled slightly. From what she'd seen through the system's evaluations, even her current Mysterious Heaven Cultivation Technique only had a 49% compatibility with her physique. But this one?
Ninety-six percent.
Was that even possible
And from a stranger. No—from Ray.
'Why would he give something like this to me?'
It was more than a powerful technique. When she checked the accompanying description, her heart skipped a beat.
It wasn't just some anonymous method—system had tagged it as a family heirloom.
That single line hit her harder than any lecture ever could.
A warmth bloomed in her chest as her thoughts ran wild. Her imagination began stitching together a story—perhaps one too romantic, too dramatic, and entirely speculative.
'He must be... a lonely soul,' she thought.
She envisioned it clearly: Ray, an orphan from a fallen noble house, betrayed by those around him. Wounded by trust, shielded in sarcasm. A tsundere personality, forged from solitude and pain.
Someone who had lost faith in people... but decided to take a chance on someone from another world.
Someone like her.
'He trusted me... someone who can't possibly have ulterior motives, someone far removed from his world's politics and betrayal.'
Her chest tightened, her throat felt dry.
'He might act tough, but he's so soft underneath.'
Unconsciously thinking how similar both of them were.
'We're… kind of the same, aren't we?'
Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.
She wiped them away quickly, not wanting to draw more attention. But in her heart, something had already changed.
"I've decided," she whispered under her breath, clenching her fists.
"I, Tang Ya, will absolutely honor this friendship."
With a determined nod and no hesitation, she accepted the trade.
_______________________________
To Be Continued:
[Word Count: 1925]