Boundless Cultivation - [Isekai Progression Fantasy with Light LitRPG Elements]

"What do you mean?" asked Dale, skeptically. "Are you talking of cheating?" Dale's face scrunched into concern.

"No, Dale," replied Alaric. "I'm not talking about cheating or using any unfair means to gain an advantage. I can show you a method to unlock your full potential. But not right now, not here."

Alaric gestured at Dale to stop when he wanted to reply back. It seemed Dale didn't believe him and wanted to argue, but Alaric simply kept quiet with a smile on his face.

They talked for a while, discussing various topics related to the Evercrest Academy. Alaric learned the structure of the examination in more detail and mentally set a goal to perform accordingly.

He didn't want to showcase his full potential, since it could create an uproar and attract more scrutiny. However, he decided to demonstrate above-average skills to ensure he could easily secure admission.

That aside, the reason he was confident he could help Dale was not due to overconfidence. He had detected a tiny knot of energy in Dale's subtle body that prevented the proper flow of energy to his solar plexus chakra.

It was the reason Dale was unable to utilize his mana properly. Fortunately, it wasn't a block in Dale's mana channels because fixing that would've been trickier and costlier.

To clear energy knots within the subtle body, one simply needed to perceive the location of the disturbance and infuse it with subtle intent to unravel the knot.

Of course, normally, that would've been impossible without a thorough understanding of chakra cultivation or having true vision. However, Alaric had decided to guide Dale.

With this procedure, it was possible to temporarily improve the flow of energy within one's body. But for a more permanent solution, this procedure needed to be practiced daily, and eventually, the problem would resolve itself.

Alaric glanced at the door to the next compartment. Suddenly, he had the urge to explore the locomotive compartment as well. According to his knowledge, there was only one last compartment between the observation deck and the locomotive.

So he approached the door to sneak in a glance. However, as he tried to slide it open, the door didn't budge. It was locked and a sign denoted that entry into the next compartment was restricted.

That was strange. As far as Alaric knew, the final compartment should be reserved for government officials in charge of train security and the locomotive compartment with the driver was the coach after that.

These compartments were indeed restricted, but they were never locked. Oftentimes, officials allowed entry into the next compartment for a few seconds so that the passengers could witness the locomotive through a glass window.

A brief chat with Dale revealed that his new acquaintance also found that odd. The noble kid had traveled numerous times on trains and the reserved compartment had never been locked.

Alaric knocked on the door a few times. "What is it? Is there some kind of emergency?" asked a gruff voice from the inside. A slit opened on top of the door, revealing a pair of eyes scrutinizing him.

"No, there is currently no emergency that I'm aware of," replied Alaric. "I just wanted to go through to look at the locomotive."

"Ah. Sorry, but that wouldn't be possible today," replied the person behind the door. "We have orders not to allow anybody in today."

"May I know why?" Alaric pushed for an answer, although he didn't really expect a genuine response.

"It is due to security reasons," said the stranger, clearly annoyed at having to answer a kid.

Alaric didn't push for an answer any longer. He simply nodded and turned around, approaching Dale, who looked at him expectantly. Dale had also wanted to check out the cab.

Alaric's senses told him something fishy was going on today. He activated his [True Vision], carefully scanning the next compartment. And what he saw painted a really good picture of what this security reason was that warranted the extra security measures.

He saw a gathering of people clad in uniform, escorting a prisoner. By their uniforms, Alaric could guess that these were official authorities of the Empire - probably some kind of law enforcement officials.

However, these weren't the city guards - the insignia on their chests and shoulders seemed unfamiliar.

If they are escorting a prisoner, it makes sense to restrict entry into the compartment. Alaric took some time to scan everybody in more detail, especially the prisoner. But why are there so many guards to escort a single prisoner? Is he that dangerous?

He refrained from reaching out with his aura tendrils to get an estimate of their power levels. He had already made the mistake of believing nobody could detect his subtle scanning.

But if there were somebody with a perception skill that was good enough to detect his aura or true vision, he could really get into trouble this time.

Thus, he let go of that idea with a frustrated sigh, unable to gauge the strength of the law enforcement officials or the prisoner.

The prisoner was handcuffed with some kind of metal that interfered with the ambient mana. He also had chains around his feet and neck, made of the same material.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

That seemed more than necessary to subdue a Tier 3. However, they had also put a black bag over the prisoner's head with small holes for breathing.

Alaric could see through the dark material, noticing the man's long, braided hair. It seemed that the man was completely still with his eyes closed, either sleeping or meditating. There wasn't a flicker of worry on his face.

Many of the law enforcement officials chatted among themselves, while a few slept or enjoyed the scenery outside while having breakfast.

Alaric slipped into his thoughts, trying to understand the situation. He didn't know the protocol for transferring prisoners on passenger trains, but it couldn't be a common method.

None of the passengers had been alerted, probably to reduce panic or contain this information. It meant that the whole procedure was done in secrecy. For what reason, he had no idea.

For a while, he remained immersed in his thoughts before something strange happened. The train had started to slow down after releasing a series of whistles.

Alaric looked outside the window, spotting that they had entered an area with forests on both sides of the track. Thick pine trees dotted the landscape, and he felt an uneasy sensation crawl up his spine.

Something isn't right. They still had a few more hours before the train would arrive at the capital. The passengers started murmuring as they noticed the train slowing down, too, before some of them erupted into shouts.

The emergency sirens sounded an alarm, flashing red lights inside the observation deck. A moment later, he heard the boom of an explosion up ahead, followed by a rattle that reverberated through his feet.

Alaric was instantly on alert, drawing upon his mana to create a defense shield. The pops of minor explosions erupted soon after, covering the surrounding area in thick, black smoke.

Smoke bombs! A small canister rolled down at his feet and erupted into a blast of smoke that reduced visibility. We are under attack!

There was no time to think, so he acted. He forged a mana blade, creating a clean round cut in the wall and glass of the observation deck, before kicking it.

He sensed a few people drop down, losing consciousness. A little sniff confirmed that these smoke bombs weren't lethal or poisonous, but they released sleeping gas. It didn't have any effect on him due to his lung reforging, but he worried about the other people.

"Alaric, what is happening?" Dale said, the panic clear in his voice.

"Come, and stay with me," Alaric pulled on Dale's wrist, guiding him outside the train. "And don't inhale the smoke. You will lose consciousness."

Dale followed Alaric in a daze, unable to process what was happening. Fortunately, once they were outside, they could breathe a little better. A thick smoke blanketed the air, reducing visibility, but the smoke outside didn't seem to be sleeping gas.

Once out of immediate danger, Alaric activated his [True Vision] and focused on the chaos. A throng of people clamored, trying to escape the train in any way they could. Some exited through the doorways, while many smashed windows or created their own exit like Alaric had done.

I have to find my father. He wasn't really worried about the safety of his father, but staying together could improve their chances of overcoming whatever was happening.

However, before he could move from his spot, a clattering sound caught his attention. His danger sense spiked. Alaric turned around in a blur and raised a mana shield to block a few consecutive heavy strikes.

With his true vision, he detected the form of long, hairy, slender legs, bent at an angle that connected to a large body the size of a horse. It was a monstrous spider.

Alaric smirked. He didn't know the name of the monster, but judging by the aura that escaped its body, it was early Tier 2. The spider flicked its numerous legs like sharp spears, attempting to skewer Alaric.

But it was in vain, every missed strike puncturing a hole in the ground. Alaric danced between the strikes of the monstrous spider for a while before dissecting its body with his mana sword.

Meanwhile, many more monstrous spiders had emerged from the forest, some locked in fights with cultivators while others trailed common citizens who ran for their lives.

Alaric spotted the group of law enforcement officials engaged in combat with deer-like monsters with large horns, while others were busy forging a large dome made of earth.

He spotted many cultivators setting up a defensive perimeter surrounding the earthen dome. They were gathering the kids and civilians within the fortified structure. The knights from different houses banded together to fend off these monsters and safeguard the civilians as well.

A scream pulled his attention to the side. Dale narrowly avoided a strike from a spider. But, the spider immediately shot a web from its mouth, locking Dale's leg in place.

Before the spider could strike again, Alaric unleashed a mana blast, splattering pieces of spider flesh and blood over Dale.

He swiftly went over to Dale and instructed him to take cover and carefully make his way towards the makeshift earthen fortress created by the law enforcement officials.

Shit! There are too many kids here. Alaric caught a kid in his arms, preventing the crying boy from slamming himself against a spider.

He weaved through the monstrous spiders, deftly evading their attacks before reaching the earthen fortress and leaving the kid under the care of a man standing guard.

The monstrous spiders didn't pose a risk to him at all, but they were deadly to civilians and the kids. So, he resolved to save as many lives as possible.

Fortunately, he wasn't the only one determined to save lives. The knights, guards, and law enforcement officials made short work of the spiders while many people carried the kids to safety.

A nasty stench permeated the air, mingled with the desperate cries for help. It reminded him of the battles he had fought in his previous life. But he refrained from spiralling into old memories, instead focusing on saving people who couldn't defend themselves.

He was surprised to spot Corvin and his group participating in killing the monsters as well.

Dale's brother had a maniacal smile on his face. It seemed that Corvin enjoyed killing the monsters. He weaved his hand in grand gestures, clearing the smoke and ash in the area, which improved visibility and wielded fire-based abilities to injure the spiders.

The other members in Corvin's group struggled but they worked together to get people to safety.

A splash of water hit his back and pulled his attention. That's when he observed the strange girl with the golden hair effortlessly slicing through the spiders with water jets, occasionally freezing a few in place before destroying their bodies.

Her face was etched with a grim determination. It appeared the girl was quite talented as well.

Within a few minutes, everybody who wasn't at least a Tier 2 cultivator and the kids had entered the earthen fortress. However, the spider monsters kept on coming, as if there was no end to them.

Still, Alaric released a sigh, content to witness that no lives had been lost yet. A sliver of doubt crept into his mind as he scanned the landscape that had transformed into a battlefield. It was splattered with monster parts, but there were no human body parts anywhere.

It was a grand stroke of good fortune, but his intuition told him that there was something else going on. It was hard to believe that so many monsters had failed to kill a single human being.

But it was not the time to ponder these mysteries. Now that the weaker cultivators and civilians were out of danger, Alaric proceeded to scan the battlefield with his true vision in more depth. He wanted to find his father.

The crackling of thunder in the distance attracted his attention. He glanced in the direction where blue lightning crackled with thunderous roars every few seconds. Alaric smiled, realizing that he had possibly found his father's location and swiftly made his way towards him.