Monster Cultivation

Drew sat in a chair by Milia’s hospital bed, peeling an orange with his fingers. “You’ve already eaten?”

She watched him as he took a slice, her eyes following every movement, lingering on the juice running down his fingers. The sweet aroma filled the room.

Drew noticed she hadn’t answered, her gaze fixed on his orange like it was prey. She probably thought he was eating it in front of her just to taunt her.

He split it in half and held out one side. “You want it?”

She hesitated, then quickly took it. “I’m only taking it so you don’t ruin the floor with juice.”

Ruin... the floor?

Hard to believe, especially since she immediately turned away and popped the piece into her mouth, whole.

Drew thought he should’ve bought two oranges. The money from Bein’s father had finally come in, so he could afford it, but he wasn’t sure if she’d actually take it. He hadn’t wanted to waste an extra.

She wiped her mouth and looked back at him, eyeing the other half in his hand.

“You haven’t eaten today?” Drew asked.

It had been three hours since he’d had breakfast, just an hour from midday.

“No. I have my reasons.”

“Yeah, you’re starving,” he said, handing her his half of the orange.

She took it. She didn’t say thank you, either.

Pointing at his face, she said, “Where’d you get that cut?”

“I had it before I saved you, you know.”

“Oh. So did Rei do it?”

“No. It’s complicated.”

“And your shoulder? You’re not moving it much.”

“Oh, that. It’s from Shun.”

“You definitely picked on him.”

“I did not.”

“He’s too nice to have started it.”

“Well, you can tell him that. He showed up, claimed I cheated, and wanted a fight. Natural order, hierarchy—all that nonsense.”

She stared at him. “Did you lose?”

Drew half-smiled. “I forfeited.”

She sighed, disappointed. “Damn it. I was excited for a second.”

“Humiliating the clan’s treasure would probably ruin my life. Might even get me killed.”

“You think you could beat him?”

“Most definitely. But again, then there’s the whole hierarchy thing that the powerful keep going on about.”

“Hmm… yeah, I guess I can see that. He is a top-scale, after all. Imagine the clan’s reaction if he lost to a medium-scale core.”

“It shouldn’t even matter that much since we’re just newbies. But that’s how it is. The moment we open our cores, we’re put in our places. I’m cannon fodder; he’s the chosen one.”

“Would you have backed down if Rei had the top-scale core?”

Drew rolled his eyes. “I’d have put up a fight.”

“What about Bein?”

“I’d have beaten his ass even harder.”

She laughed. “Oh damn, you hate him. Because he punched you?”

Drew remembered how that punk and his family assassin got him—and their obnoxious acting. If they hadn't put on an act, the second year would have been in trouble for unpromptly attaching a first year. But it still grinded Drew's gears.

“It’s a bit more than that.”

“What is it?”

“I’m keeping some things secret. Like you are.”

She was visibly annoyed but let it go. “Have you had anyone check your wounds? They can get infected.”

“My face cut’s healing; just a scar for now. My shoulder’s not a big deal, either.”

“You should get it checked. No one wants to be around someone with an infected wound. It stinks. You will stink.”

“It’s fine.”

“Uh-huh... Anyway, as much fun as it’d be for a top-scale core to lose to an ordinary one, Shun’s a nice guy. You should make up with him. Be friends.”

A nice person. Shun appeared to be, sure, but the kind of person he’d eventually become was why future Drew never made friends after his original friends died. Why Future Drew only trusted his monsters and pets. Why both Future Drew and the current Drew had become so obsessed with power.

Future Drew hadn’t been betrayed by Shun. It wasn’t about trust; it was fear. A fear so deep it burned into hatred. A fear that kept Future Drew awake at night, even when Shun wouldn’t have thought of harming him—as long as they shared the same ideologies.

Drew told Milia, “Shun’s nice now. But if you saw who he becomes, you’d wish he was never born.”

“How do you know that?”

“Just a guess.”

“You keep saying that, but I’m starting to doubt it.”

Drew smiled, standing up. “I’m going to look for another hidden trial. Something for a quick power boost.”

“Which one?”

“The comet trial.”

“Oh. Good luck.”

“Want to give me a clue?”

“No idea where it is.” She shrugged.

“Lies! You definitely know.” he pointed at her.

“L-lies?!” She looked offended. “Calling the patriarch’s daughter a liar? You’ve lost your mind!”

“What would you prefer? Deceiver? I know you know. Tell me! Information on this comet trial isn’t easy to find in the library.”

“I don’t know anything about it.”

Drew gave her a look. “Greedy bitch.”

“Keep that up, and I’ll have you hanged.”

“‘I’ll have you hanged,’” Drew mimicked her mockingly.

She narrowed her eyes. “Just remember, I’m the one who reaped the rewards for the Moon’s Affairs hidden trial.”

Drew opened the door and left, slamming it behind him. That had really ticked him off.

Guess I just have to find the first comet's trial on my own.

Her room door opened, and she leaned casually on one leg, looking unusually serious, as if she'd had a change of hear—

"The orange is nice. Really nice," she said, biting into the other half she hadn't tried until now.

"Give me the damn trial details!" he snapped, lunging toward her.

In the end, he didn't get any trial details—only a few burns, courtesy of her fire monster. Typical.

Damn her, hoarding all that knowledge.

Not even I am that selfish... For the most part. Kinda.

Drew was now in the library, scouring shelves for any book that might have information on the first comet. Almost nothing.

Frustration built as he realized all this time spent searching for trials could have been used for cultivating. He was probably falling behind the likes of Rei and Shun—or would be soon enough.

Guess the ego boost isn’t as important as I thought. It had felt nice, though. No point lying to himself.

Either way, the library wasn’t proving helpful. He could forget the first comet’s trial and focus on the lead for the other trial he’d gotten, but he knew next to nothing about that either. Researching it would take forever.

As much as he hated to admit it, his only real option might be to give up on the hidden trial and just cultivate.

Disappointed, he left the library. The sky was dark now. Since he’d left Milia, he'd spent hours hunting for valuable information on the first comet—a complete waste of time.

On his way to the classroom, he passed groups of students chatting, laughing, even play-fighting.

He spotted Shun hanging out near the dormitory steps, which surprised him; he’d expected Shun to be training relentlessly.

Perhaps he wasn't that impacted by their battle?

Nah. He definitely was impacted. He wasn't smiling and looked like he had a rough day.

Some students were trying to talk to him, make jokes. But he barely gave them a fake smile there and then.

Rei was at the top step, chatting with two others.

Maybe they’re just taking breaks, Drew reasoned. To them, power isn’t everything.

They were spending their time with others.

The regular students were enjoying their time with their friends.

For a moment, he thought of Milia, and the urge to talk to her crept in. How ridiculous, he chided himself. The smart choice is to get stronger, not waste time socializing.

They should all be cultivating until they felt sick from it.

But... would it hurt to check on her? She’d skipped breakfast—what if she missed lunch too?

He frowned, rationalizing. It’s just a concern. Future me didn't need friends, and I don’t need them now either. Future Drew and I are the same person, after all.

Drew’s brow furrowed, his voice a quiet murmur. “We are the same person.”

Am I being honest with myself?

The question lingered, but he shook it off. Future Drew and him were the same, he told himself with conviction.

He needed to cultivate, to grow stronger. Blocking out the thoughts, he continued to the classroom, dedicating most of the night to cultivating.

When he finally opened his eyes, the sky was still dark. *Maybe two hours until dawn.*

He was tired, reasonably so. Alone in the classroom, he scanned the empty wooden desks and chairs.

Miss Maroon was at her desk as usual, probably half asleep.

He put his head down, trying to sleep, but sleep didn’t come. After a few minutes of restless shifting, he sat up.

May as well make use of the time.

Drew ended up at the school shop. A different clerk was behind the counter—a bit of a relief since the same person working 24/7 would be odd.

The clerk was older but bore a striking resemblance to Gujin.

"Is Gujin your son?" Drew asked, approaching the counter.

The tired man looked surprised. "Yes, sir. You know him?"

"A bit. He’s very nice."

"Oh… that’s wonderful!"

Drew returned the smile.

He was back at the hospital now. He’d knocked on her door an hour ago but got no response.

She was definitely asleep. So he decided to wait, sitting on a bench with a straw bag filled with pineapples, oranges, and a few grandjins.

Grandjins weren’t his favorite, tasting like a cross between mango and apple, but they were high in calories, which she needed.