Martial Arts Encyclopedia, Chapter 1

I will post a new series on Patreon. Originally it ran on the forum questionablequesting, I'm posting the chapters here on Patreon for my subscribers, as a potential second series starting next month.

Arrival

For those reading this journal, my name is Andrew Uehara, 22 years old. I am just an ordinary college student studying for my finals in my freshman year while worrying about my part time job to help pay the bills when my life suddenly changed forever.

The day started simple enough, with waking up and preparing myself to go to college, however, I felt an ominous feeling the moment I stepped outside. I looked around the early streets and saw very few pedestrians walking so I tried to dismiss that apprehensive feeling. At the street intersection I looked left and right, and saw no cars coming from both sides, and took a step to cross the street like normal.

I felt a sudden impact, and everything became blindingly bright.

“Oh shit, did I run over a mortal?”

I didn’t hear the voice, but instead I felt it within my soul. I don’t know why I was certain of this; I only knew that I did as surely as I knew myself.

“Sorry little brother, I didn’t want to kill you. How about I send your soul on your way, and we don’t speak about this anymore?”

I felt indignant about my situation. It is one thing to die from circumstances outside your control, even freak accidents, but this is as far as a supernatural event can get, and the only thing I get is ‘please don’t tell this to anyone’?

“What a little rascal, trying to fleece me of my wealth? Are you running an insurance scam?”

I am both offended and alarmed that immortal beings that can hold my soul in their hands still need to worry about insurance scams.

“Transcendence is not cheap, you know? Anyway, here, take this and we will be even,” the immortal creature said, and something pierced through my soul bringing me a sharp moment of pure agony. “Oh, don’t be such a baby, it’s no different than tagging wildlife for later identification. Now, where did I pick you up again? Is that here, or over there? Oh well, lower worlds all look the same to me, that one should be fine.”

Without any ceremony he threw me into the great cosmos, and then I landed face first into the stone pavement.

I rolled away in pain at the impact, drawing the attention of a couple of onlookers. As my vision cleared, I looked up and realized two things: first, I’m a back alley in a city with medieval style architecture, with buildings made of wood and stone, and no electricity lines visible; second, there’s that fuck huge tower that forever in the sky that is impossible to miss.

Is this Orario? Did that Entity just casually throw me into Danmachi?

I drag myself out of the alley and start walking towards the tower while trying to make sense of my situation.

I’m in a different world, I’m broke, homeless, and Orario is a harsh place to live even if you’re not an adventurer. If you are an adventurer unless you have some kind of cheat you’re fated to a life of mediocrity and die young while diving into the dungeon.

There are also other threats to consider, like Evilus being an organization made by grifter gods, the “artificial dungeon” somewhere in Daedalus Street, the One-Eyed Black Dragon… that will canonically destroy Orario one year after canon starts unless Bell Cranel can defeat it!

Fucking hell author, don’t you have a sense of scale?

Wait, the immortal entity gave me some compensation after he ran me over, my very own cheat! Thank God, I have a chance to survive this deathworld!

A heavy, blunt object hits me square on the face as soon as I finish that sentence, and once again I’m rolling on the ground and crying in pain. The onlookers give me a wide berth, some of them dropping a few coins in pity.

I shamelessly take those coins before looking at the offending implement that attacked me. It’s a book with a blue cover, resembling an ancient Chinese book, but it isn’t a mere antiquity if the title is any indication.

“Martial Arts Encyclopedia.”

I look around and pocket the book before finding a small fast-food stand called Jyagamaru-kun to buy a couple of the iconic pastries from the series, sold by a middle-aged man. While I wait for my food, I flip through the pages and I see a list of techniques, martial arts, cultivation techniques, and various other items offered in exchange for Karma Points.

‘Every cycle, Karma coalesces into Spirit, Spirit liquefies into Essence, and Essence dissolves into Blood and Qi. By paying the appropriate tribute, you shall reap the benefits left behind by your ancestors.’

Interesting. I was half expecting some generic game-like system nonsense. Upon reading, I learned how the Martial Arts Encyclopedia works.

After accumulating enough Karma through significant actions, I can buy access to the contents of the book, however outside certain special items, most of what I will buy comes in the form of knowledge instead of proficiency. I still need to train things the old-fashioned way if I want to make use of them.

Looking at the prices of the items and my Initial Karma points, I cringed. Only one hundred Karma points. Then again, some of the things on offer are worth the inflated price.

Right now, I’m little better than a brawler, having practiced some martial arts while in college mostly for the body conditioning offered with no talent for it. I can correct that with a simple purchase, but I need to think long term. Here in Orario most gods require the user to have some kind of special talent before they can join a Familia unless it is a freshly descended divine like Hestia. I can’t assume things will work out easily like that, so I need to buy myself some marketable skills first.

Spending the Karma is a unique experience as I feel an energy flowing through my body, sending shivers down my spine, and I feel that same energy flowing on the Encyclopedia which then draws a simple circle on the selected item without any fanfare or lightshow.

At 50 Karma, my first purchase is basic, but vital for my future. 

‘Martial Arts Talent. The student gains innate insight on Martial Arts collected through countless other practitioners, so that one day he too may one day add his own experience to the greater whole.’

Already I can feel myself change, my mindset change. I’m more aware of my body and how it moves, and I fidget in place for a while until my body stops feeling uncomfortable as I adjust my posture and breathing. Just by those minor adjustments I feel invigorated.

With the first part done, now I need to find my “X-Factor,” my “Secret Ingredient” to make the gods wish to take me in. There’s little that’s immediately applicable that is worthy of note, but eventually I settle on something under the category of Inner Energy Cultivation for my remaining 50 Karma.

‘Touki. Also known as Battle Energy, it is the combination of breathing method, body language and meditative techniques to sharpen one’s will towards combat. A form of spiritual and mental cultivation that supplements their combat power.’

Once again, I feel a difference in myself, this time it was like my body became a sword, and with a simple mental switch I can unsheathe that weapon and prepare myself for combat. Some of the clients of the food stall tense as they feel my change in demeanor and I once again sheath that weapon back into my mental scabbard, earning a sigh of relief from the other clients.

I quickly pick my food from the unfazed stall owner and mutter a small apology to him, whom no doubt is familiar to adventurers being cranky around him, and I power walk away from there towards Babel.

I pay attention to my walking and breathing while focusing on the various presences around me so I can gain familiarity with my new abilities, until I find myself in front of The Guild’s doors. I sharpen my focus and ready my mental weapon to steel my nerves, and with a resolute step enter the building.

After a brief scan of the place, a certain presence catches my attention, stimulating all my senses to its limits, making my instincts scream at me to move towards it!

With resolute steps I march towards my target until we’re face to face with each other.

She’s no doubt a goddess. In Danmachi, everyone can spot a god or goddess on sight with the same ease and certainty that someone can look at the sky and call it blue. It’s hard to put it into words but I will try anyway: her pale skin has no blemishes or marks, being soft and clear like an idealized painting. Ash blond hair tied in a braided bun behind her head with two bangs framing the sides of her face that makes her amber eyes shine like polished golden coins. Her expression is stern, in contrast with her light outfit that resembles a black leotard that’s open near her tights, chest, and armpit areas.

She’s beauty and terror incarnate, not a mere lion but instead she’s a dragon, and as such I take to a knee and present her with tribute.

“Please allow me to join your Familia!”

For an instant I feel the world being silent around me, and I am keenly aware of my heartbeat and breathing, and I force myself to remain calm in front of her.

She accepts my tribute, picking up the bag of Jyagamaru-kun from my outstretched hands.

“I accept your request.”

Yes! Sorry Hestia, but I too, fell to the allure of Boobtoria.

Now, how to ask for her name without feeling awkward?