Chapter 12: Rank 1 oak
"The message displayed on the oak changed?" Aru exclaimed.
[Rank 1 Oak <Spirit energy 10.0>]
"Huh!"
"When did it become rank 1?" He tilted his head in confusion.
Despite his exhaustion, Aru felt the need to quickly understand why the oak tree had ranked up.
Patting down the snow stuck to his bottom, Aru stood up to get a closer look.
"There is no change except the text shown by the system. It looks like any normal oak."
Although the oak had achieved rank 1, Aru couldn't discern any change in its physical appearance. It resembled an ordinary tree and, in fact, appeared even more unassuming.
If the system text hadn't been shown, he wouldn't have even noticed the upgrade in rank the oak went through.
"Was it due to me sharing my spirit energy with it?"
Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in Aru's head. There was no reason for the sudden change of rank except himself.
He was the one who pumped spirit energy into the oak that had its maximum amount of energy.
"The oak tree might have been on the verge of a breakthrough. When I pushed more spirit energy, it might have triggered something inside it to rank up."
It was a windfall.
Although unexpected, it was a desirable outcome for Aru.
Accidentally, he levelled up his first link.
Now, he had more spirit energy to use at his disposal.
"But if that's possible, is the reverse also possible?" He speculated.
Aru had been taking baby steps.
Rather than rushing head-first into challenges, he was slowly unravelling the mysteries of this new world he had been sent to. Through trial and error, he gained knowledge and experience.
"No one can stop me from trying it, right?" Aru said as he looked at the oak tree.
This was the first time he was attempting it.
Instead of sending spirit energy into the oak tree, he imagined it gathering toward him.
The sharing spirit energy was an ability he gained through the system. As the name suggests, the transfer of energy wasn't limited to one way.
Aru could share his energy with his link, and at the same time, he could also receive from them. The symbiotic system facilitated this channelling of spirit energy without harming the receiver and the sender.
Just as he imagined it, the spirit energy began to trickle down into Aru's body. Even while he walked around the oak, the spirit energy continuously flowed into his exhausted body.
'It feels like a cool breeze washing over me.' Aru felt refreshed when he received spirit energy.
Even this time, the oak tree showed no change outside.
"Finally full."
Three units, Aru's maximum capacity of spirit energy, were quickly siphoned off from the oak.
"What happens now?"
Aru continued to receive spirit energy.
The spirit energy washed over his body as usual. He could see the spirit energy in the oak tree decreasing visibly.
But nothing happened after that.
"Hmmm…"
There was nothing.
"System - energy status."
[Spirit energy 3.0]
"The maximum energy of my body is not increasing."
Aru's spirit energy was stuck at 3.0. But he could still feel the spirit energy wash over his body. And this time, the cool breeze-like feeling was further intensified.
"Wait a minute!"
Suddenly, he realized something.
"My fatigue is gone."
"Even the physical pain that I experience is completely gone."
"This is different from the reaction that the tree had shown. It ranked up while my body recovered."
"There is only one explanation for it…" He thought and stopped receiving energy from the oak.
[Rank 1 Oak <Spirit energy 4.0>]
"...It has something to do with the elemental property of the oak."
"Once my body reached the maximum spirit energy it could hold, the remaining was consumed to heal me."
"The cool breeze that was washing over me even after I was full might be due to the healing process."
Aru could feel his body brimming with energy. The exhaustion from his training completely disappeared. He was in pristine condition now.
"Wood element was said to have healing properties. The oak tree is a tree with wood elemental affinity. That might be why the excess spirit energy healed my aching muscles."
"And the reason why the oak ranked up might have been due to it being on the verge of a breakthrough. It might not have anything to do with my elemental property."
Most of it was speculation. But he had time to test it out in the future.
"Sh*t!" Suddenly, Aru remembered something.
The reason he went to the oak was to quickly empty his spirit energy before breakfast. But now, he had completely recovered from physical and spirit energy exhaustion. He had completely forgotten about it.
"It would be a waste to have breakfast like this."
Aru immediately sent back all the spirit energy to the oak and began running towards the tribal hall.
[Rank 1 oak tree <Spirit energy 6.9>]
—
Rank 1 was a stage at which a warrior could use spirit energy to strengthen their body. It was an important stage in which the warriors familiarized themselves with the use of spirit energy. Similar was the case for other organisms.
When they reached rank 2, elemental properties could be exhibited through spirit energy, gaining a wide variety of magical abilities. For example, creating fire using spirit energy or controlling water.
Rank 3 was one of the most important stages in which the spirit could be condensed into an illusory form. A person's ability to utilize and store spirit energy immensely grew during this rank.
A spirit is a crystallized form of a person's knowledge, experience, and bloodline. It is a symbolic representation of a person's soul. When someone becomes a rank 3, they can condense and mobilize their spirit to exhibit immense strength and wondrous abilities.
The chief and shaman of the Boulder tribe were ranked 3 warriors. They were the pinnacle of power in the Boulder tribe.
But there were more ranks above rank 3. There were warriors with immeasurable strength in different tribes all along the Vankara continent.
A rank 4 warrior could merge with their spirit to create a physical avatar, an armoured version of themselves to fight.
A rank 5 could create a sentient and physical representation of their spirit and let it fight away from their body.
This world was beyond what Aru could even imagine. As he was, he was nothing.
While he ran towards the tribal hall, Aru struggled to utilize spirit energy to strengthen his body. Although he remembered the feeling of it flowing through his body, it was not that easy to mobilize it while he was running.
If he could just use it to strengthen his body, he could become a rank 1 warrior. A real warrior of the tribe.
'Maybe another day.'
Aru reached the Tribal hall. But this time, something was different. He could see a lot of people gathered nearby.
'What's going on?'
Warriors with bulging muscles and huge bodies were everywhere. Even in this cold climate, they were walking around wearing simple clothes.
Although something odd was happening, Aru squeezed through the crowd to get his breakfast. He didn't want to be late and leave with an empty stomach.
The savoury aroma of meat wafted toward him as he walked forward.
'Smells great.' Expectations rose in his mind.
As Aru walked into the place that distributed meals, he found himself in a crowd.
This time, everyone, not just the orphans and the needy, was having a meal.
Usually, free meals were distributed only to orphaned children and the needy, as most people had their families providing for them, rendering village assistance unnecessary.
However, this time, all the warriors could be seen eating a meal from the tribal hall.
'Leave something for me…please,' Aru screamed inside his mind.
Looking at the strong, giant warriors drinking soup and eating large blocks of meat, he felt as if his meal was at risk of being consumed.
"Kid, stop gawking. Come and take your portion." An elderly man who was distributing the meal called out to Aru.
"Yes!" Aru strode forward immediately to receive the food.
Instantly, a giant slab of well-cooked, sliced meat was given to him in a bowl. Another bowl containing soup was given to him.
Aru stood shocked seeing this. The meal was a hefty one.
'There is no way they are giving this to me for free. Is it a special day today?'
"Kid, stop blocking the way. Move forward." The annoying elder once again commented, seeing Aru staying still, looking at the meal with confusion.
"Okay!" Aru snapped out of his daze and ran towards a table.
"Did you prepare the arrows?" Someone on the next table near Aru spoke.
"Yes. It's ready." A burly man replied.
"It was unexpected, but thank god that we are prepared."
"Hm. The migration began earlier than we expected. We need to get ready to set out tomorrow."
Although not by choice, Aru eavesdropped on their conversation. He felt no guilt for it because they were not exactly trying to hide what they were saying.
"I heard that it was your son who went with the scouting party. I also heard that he was the one who rushed back after gathering information. That kid has grown up. He will become a great warrior one day."
"Of course, he is my son after all."
They were talking about Dam, the big brother of Fatty Dal, the bully.
The one who praised Dam was a warrior of the tribe. The other one was Das, the father of Dam.
Das felt proud seeing his son being praised. Although the younger one was still naughty, the older one seemed to be turning out right.
Aru, who heard the conversation, didn't know who Das was. He didn't know the relationship he had with the bully, Fatty Dal.
But he was still shocked by the content.
'Set out tomorrow! Early f*cking migration!'
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone