(POV MC)
"Sweetie, you see (Hunters) as we call them, are mostly humans who rely on knowledge to use the weaknesses of what they hunt to kill them. Most monsters don't train to be strong but were just born that way with those kinds of powers." My Mom said.
'Isn't Dad a (Hunter)... But Dad has cursed energy so he's different I think)' I thought.
"Now we can begin the fun stuff, Sweetie...That's the general way monsters obtain power, but demons unlike monsters can get stronger if they obtain a certain status in hell or have some souls under their command to use to empower themselves. That is the general way demons gain power. They use souls as batteries to fuel demonic methods to empower themselves. " Mom said as she let her floating gray book slowly fly towards me to show me what she was talking about using pictures.
'Oh, Demons are just human souls that got corrupted from hell... What's this about souls?' I thought as I was about to flip to the next page.
The book flew out of my hands as it was caught right back in my Mom's grasp.
"I was just about to go over souls, sweetie. Can't my baby boy wait for me to cover the material I'm trying to teach..." My mom sighed before she continued her lecture.
"As you might have guessed this isn't something uniquely done by demons. Souls are just that much of a hot commodity, sweetie. Well real Souls contain an unbelievable amount of energy, this unique energy can't be stolen or used without consent.
These are some of the reasons demons are willing to grant you any mortal wish, as your soul is infinitely more valuable than the gold, status, or power they give you for it." she said as I was totally lost about the value of a soul.
"Sweetie, I want you to imagine this. Let's say you built a robot. Now let's give them the codename of 2Mz5U and name them Mr. Bolt. Mr. Bolt has a very special heart. This heart can last forever by itself. But Mr. Bolt's body will break and fail on them in only a hundred years.
Yet Mr. Bolt will always exist if his heart exists. Now the life of Mr. Bolt is a hard one where he will face many trials in his life. Yet even if his life is hard Mr. Bolt can't ever use his heart to solve his problems. Others who know of this heart want to take it, but this heart can't be taken unless it's freely given with Mr. Bolt's consent.
As you might be able to tell an object that could last forever is always more valuable than a temporary object! Those greedy dark merchants will always come to Mr. Bolt's side and offer him anything he could have ever dreamed of if he would only sell them his heart.
But the moment Mr. Bolt agrees to their demands he will be marked for his doom the moment he dies and his heart becomes their property." Mom said as she was about to continue before I stopped her.
"Mom, can you tell me a few stories about souls?" I asked with a smile.
Sweetie, I'll tell you a few more, but we have to get back to our lesson later on though. Imagine a person had a super nuke capable of destroying a world by itself.
But, this person was unable to use said super nuke. So another person came by with an offer. They told them they would give them a single building with one grenade capable of destroying a single small minivan. All of these usable items would be given to them if they just sold the nuke to the man making the deal.
He would try to say you can't use the nuke anyway. Then finish it off by saying you might as well sell it to me while getting something valuable and useful in return." Mom said as she told five more stories using her book to boldly highlight the value of a soul.
'So nothing in the world is equal to your soul huh? I'll ask Mom later on how to train my soul, who knows maybe having a strong soul might make me stronger... I wonder what kind of knowledge will be involved in that field, I can't wait to learn all about it.' I thought as I could barely contain myself as mom kept teaching more and more fun things.
"Most monsters or creatures of myth don't train to gain strength but just exist and get strong powers. Beyonder pathways are the way anyone can gain power easily. The Flow power system is another method. Monsters/demons from a certain dimension have demon energy. Angels have sacred energy, the highest form of spiritual energy around. Something only heroes of myth can obtain. We'll talk about this further another time." Mom said as she kept telling me more.
"Almost every other power system requires talent or a special bloodline to use. Hunters gain strength via knowledge of those they hunt, creatures in myth are inherently powerful, and using souls requires knowledge and ability. Hunters don't count as they are just regular humans with knowledge about monsters." She said as I was writing most of this down on the book she gave me to keep notes.
'Mom and Dad are hunters, so chances are I will also become one later on.' I thought as I looked at my arm and started to flex it thinking of my Dad's big muscles belonging to me once I train enough.
"Your father's gifts are like those of a monster, they also have a chance to get stronger with training. Cursed techniques aren't made, they are something you are born with. The cursed energy power system is 80% innate talent and 20% hard work and training." She said while pointing to the cursed energy diagram showing how it worked.
'80% talent, 20% hard work, that doesn't sound very user-friendly.' I thought as I frowned at this crappy power system.
'Why did I have to be crippled according to the standards of the Jujutsu sorcerer world.' I thought while mumbling a bit under my breath.
"The sequences in any pathway offer an insane amount of power, but it is also an easy way to go insane. Becoming a Beyonder is extremely dangerous in the long term." Mom explained with a monotone voice.
'Becoming a Beyonder sounds dangerous, but perhaps if I do it correctly, it can be very rewarding. Mom says it's dangerous, but maybe I can do it since my blood will probably purify some of the corruption. When did she talk about the corruption again, yes she did talk about it, yes...' I giggled a bit at the endless future possibilities.
"Most Beyonders are hidden from the public. These individuals are the most hidden most of the time. The Flow power system isn't something we use, so if you want to learn more you need a teacher for that." Mom said before fighting the page and showing something fascinating
'I'll leave that up to Mom, maybe she knows someone that can teach me..'
"Those who become Beyonders fight against themselves, and Gods who seek to corrupt them into whatever they see fit. Almost everything you do as a Beyonder is dangerous. But taking on this path is very rewarding with the power it grants.
I and your father chose not to become a Beyonder, as we felt it was too risky. If you ever want to become one. Never choose any of these five pathways, Demoness, visionary, Abyss, Error, and Chained. All of them are either owned by powerful groups or powerful gods.
There might be other pathways to watch out for, Sweetie. Be careful, we don't know the ins and outs of Beyonder politics, and these five pathways are just the ones we know to stay away from." Mom said with a stern voice as she flipped the page to another section.
'Sounds like Mom purposely left out some information. Can these Beyonders... help one become a God? Become a God… Be a God…. DIVINITY!' I thought as I looked at my hands and imagined myself sitting on a golden throne being worshiped by the entire world...
'Why be a hero or a wizard!? When you can be a God! The instant I had this idea I KNEW being a God was a better dream than a FUCKING being an Arch Wizard. All my other dreams don't matter anymore... Being a God is my dream it is my GOAL!!! Eternity. . . Infinite knowledge. . . Endless possibilities!!!' I thought as I started to laugh uncontrollably with delight.
Unknowingly, without anyone noticing the white spider was on Lucas's shoulder, as its mouth warped to form a smile. Without missing a beat, the spider turned invisible and vanished.