"So that is the might of a Magical Cultivator, is it? You were wise to seek his assistance for us, Sect Elder. That man is a terrifying force in Combat, and as he said earlier, his style only gets stronger as it faces more opponents." The strongest of the Acolytes in blue robes told the shocked Sect Elder that they were traveling with.
"It gets stronger? What does that mean?" The Immortal asked Luna, as Cain caught his breath after a hard fight.
"We learn skills to share the damage between nearby enemies, as well as area attacks, and Summoned Helpers like the two Seraphim," Luna explained.
"Plus they know the skills of Dragon Breath." The Innkeeper informed the Immortal as if the man could have forgotten the epic finale or mistaken its origin.
"That is expected, of someone from Earth. The Dragons have a strong presence there, and many Human fighters learn techniques from the Dragon churches. Their powers can be terrifying, but he is still a human after all, so there are limits. Did he say what he wanted here?" The Immortal asked.
The Innkeeper nodded. "He and his daughter passed through a one-way portal and couldn't return home, so they are looking for a challenge to build their powers, and then a way back to where they came from." The Innkeeper nodded, and the Immortal smiled happily.
"Wonderful. There are many appropriate challenges for a pair of promising Humans here on the Immortal Plane.
I do hope that they don't come across something that they can't handle before they have a chance to truly temper themselves and build their strength. Humanity always needs promising new talents.
If their skills were more compatible with ours, I might have offered to take them in myself."
"We could still be friends. The Librarian told me it was good to have friends everywhere that you go." Luna informed the old man very seriously, then offered him a spiced veggie Kabob, the ultimate peace offering in the little Lamia's mind.
"You have a point young one. Take this token, and if you see others wearing the same symbol that we do, you may show it to them to let them know that you are not our enemy." The Immortal decided, handing Luna a small golden token on a string necklace in exchange for the Kebab.
"Thank you very much. It means a lot to me to have made a new friend in a strange world." Luna told him, giving the Immortal a surprise hug that made the Innkeeper laugh.
The Immortal Sect Leader was not someone that most people would casually hug, the people of this region held him in the highest of reverence due to his status, but clearly, the protocol in Luna's mind wasn't the same as the ones that they lived by here.
That made a number of the spectators wonder if maybe these two might have come from a kinder and more peaceful world, one where hugging strangers wasn't such an unthinkable thing, and was more likely to be taken as kindness rather than a lack of respect for their station.
Fortunately for her, the old Immortal understood the customs of Earth and their children. He gave Luna a pat on the head and she smiled happily up at him, now assured that she had a new friend.
"The challenger's storage items and weapons, Master Cain. As far as we are aware he did not possess anything else of value other than a few disciples." The man who refereed the sparring matches informed Cain, handing over a pair of rings.
"Thank you. It is a shame that it had to come to that." Cain sighed.
"Congratulations on your victory. I think we caused enough of a spectacle here in town, why don't we retire back to the Inn for a few drinks, and I'll tell you all about the area around the city." The Blue Robed Sect Elder asked, not wanting any more excitement in his day, and needing time to process all that he had learned about this new combat style.
When they got back to the Inn there were three beautiful women waiting for Cain with despairing looks on their faces.
"Please Master Cain, we have been left with nothing, you must take responsibility." An exceptionally delicate and petite dark-haired woman begged while the two larger blonde ones nodded in distraught agreement.
Luna burst into laughter, and all eyes turned to her. "Sorry, sorry. In my mom's romance books that phrase is used in a very different situation. Unless, Dad, you haven't been here before, right?"
That made Cain and the Innkeeper both snort in amusement before Cain shook his head.
"You ladies must be his disciples, right? Since the deal was winner take all I suppose I am somewhat responsible for your well-being. Why don't we find a seat and a drink and we can talk." Cain suggested.
"She wasn't kidding about us being left with nothing. After he bound us to obedience he confiscated all our belongings. The clothes we are wearing are all we have." A blonde explained in a more powerful than expected voice.
[Name] Penny
[Level] 205
[Species] Lycan
She wasn't even awakened, but she was the strongest of the three. Cain wondered if her former Master had deliberately withheld the good skills, or if he was keeping them for reasons other than cultivation.
"That's not a problem Penny, I will make sure you three are taken care of, even if you want to go your own way and find a proper Sect," Cain explained.
"You killed him and you don't even want what he had?" Penny asked, confused.
"As much as I like good girls like you three, I am a traveler in this world, and that life isn't for everyone. Plus, your former teacher and I wouldn't have ever fought if he hadn't issued a challenge to try and take my daughter."
The dark-haired one was looking at Cain suspiciously. "Forgive me, but you don't seem like the sort who associates with good girls."
Luna was openly laughing now. "He just loves to pat their head and feed them snacks. On the other hand, my mother started a cult and conquered half a Continent on his behalf before she won his favor."
While technically true, she could have phrased that better, and Cain suspected that she was talking about herself when she mentioned good girls.
Cain took a soft candy from his inventory and popped it in her mouth, then tousled Luna's hair while she happily chewed the caramel.
"What I meant is that if you would like to study under a proper Sect I will return your belongings and break the curse that was placed on you." Cain offered.
"You know the skills of a Curse Breaker as well? What an interesting combination." The Blue Robed Sect Elder observed.
"A small benefit of Magical Cultivation." Cain lied smoothly.
"I heard you're not from this world, is that right?" The blonde Lycan named Penny asked.
"That's right. We got here yesterday. Until your former Leader arrived, everyone here had been quite pleasant." Cain agreed.
"Then you don't know how hard it is to find a suitable Sect at our power level. This is not the Mortal Plane, only compassionate oddballs like the Lightning Dance Sect treat unawakened acolytes as more than slaves, and they're an all-male Sect." Penny informed him.
"Then we just need to awaken you. That's easy." Cain shrugged and again became the target of confused stares.
"Oh, it's that not a thing here? Forget I said anything." Cain mumbled.
"Oh no, no chance. I think we all need to know how exactly that works." The Immortal Sect Master laughed, appearing in the middle of the room without warning.
"For a Mythic Awakening or First Awakening, I am not sure what you call it here, you just need to implant the knowledge of a Mythic Skill and it will force your body to adapt and awaken."
The Sect Master thought deeply about that methodology for a moment. "And if the influx of energy kills them?"
"Why would death be an issue? I mean unless they explode or something?" Luna asked Cain quietly but got shushed for the moment.
"I have a Technique to bring the recently dead back to life," Cain explained.
"So the man you killed?" The Innkeeper asked.
"In the first few minutes, he could have been saved, yes. But on moral grounds, I decided against it." Cain shrugged.
"Interesting. I have pills that do the same thing. Put them in the mouth and add energy to revive the recently dead, as long as they're intact." The Sect Master looked enraptured and took a seat across from Cain.
"I could write a tome for you to study later. I can't guarantee that you personally would have an affinity, but the technique is very useful to anyone who cares for their comrades. In fact, I can make two copies, one for either Sect present." Cain suggested.
"What about us?" The dark-haired little human woman asked.
"I will teach you personally if you like."
Luna looked excited and stood up from her chair. "Should I go ask that friendly guard if there is someone we can stab for a little while?"
"Sit down and eat. They don't need a test subject until they have mastered the skill. You know how long it takes to learn them manually." Cain told her, placing Luna back in her chair.
"I like your daughter, Master Cain. She's always so eager to help." The Immortal Rank Sect Master laughed, watching the two of them interact with fatherly amusement.
