Chapitre 3: CHAPTER 3: Merging Memories and the First Lesson

The darkness outside Arun Cave was utterly thick and solid, far darker than the nights in Jakarta, which were always illuminated by light pollution. The cold pierced straight to the bone. I shivered. Even though this young body felt strong and resilient, the 33-year-old soul of Arya felt incredibly small and blind in the gloom of this new world. All the agility I possessed felt useless if I couldn't see where to step.

"First, find firewood. Fire. A source of light and basic protection," my thoughts raced quickly, prioritizing survival logic. My mind felt clear, processing information at a speed I had never experienced before, yet I still couldn't pierce this darkness.

I fumbled for the Oculus on my wrist and turned it on. Its blue holographic screen dramatically worsened the situation instead. Its bright light was dazzling and only made my surroundings feel darker. "Idiot!" I scolded myself. "Bright light ruins night vision! Think, Arya, think!"

I turned off the Oculus. Total blindness. I had to rely on my other senses. I stood still, trying to listen and feel. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down and suppress the panic that was beginning to spread.

>Oculus: (Soft Vibration) Sonar Search Mode Active. >Environment Scan: Sonar Vibration. Direction: 11 o'clock, 5 meters. Pile of dry objects detected.

My Oculus vibrated with a different pattern, providing tactile feedback, like sonar to my wrist! It didn't tell me what was there, but where something was.

Carefully, I stepped slowly, relying on instinct to keep my balance on the unseen ground, while my hands groped ahead. Finally, my fingers touched a dry twig. "Yes!" Guided by the vibrations from the Oculus that grew stronger as I neared the source, I managed to gather firewood and return to the mouth of the cave.

As for making fire, I had no matches. But I remembered one thing: friction. I found two suitable sticks and started rubbing them together. The result: blistered hands and almost no smoke. "Damn. This is harder than it looks." It seemed luck wasn't on my side tonight.

Just as frustration began to set in, a foreign memory slipped in.

--Flashback-- A young boy—Arthur,around 10 years old—was hiding behind a barrel in a market. An old woman in a simple robe approached him, her hands concealing a small clump of fire that suddenly appeared from her thumb and forefinger. "Boy," she whispered, "fire needs three things: fuel, heat, and… intent." Her thumb rubbed her forefinger, and whoosh, a small, stable flame appeared on her fingertip. "Think of heat. Feel the heat in your finger. Take a breath, and… release." --End of Flashback--

I was amazed. That wasn't Arya's memory. It was Arthur's memory. And it was his first magic lesson. I could feel something pulsating in response to that memory, a source of energy I hadn't known before.

I closed my eyes, trying to mimic it. I wasn't just rubbing sticks. I focused all my attention. I imagined the friction creating intense heat. I imagined the wood molecules exciting, until finally… they glowed.

"Heat… intent…"

I felt something. Not in the wood, but in my hand. A strange warm sensation, like static electricity, gathered at my fingertips. I focused that sensation onto the point of friction.

Creek… creek…

Pfft!

A small spark finally appeared, followed by smoke, and finally a small flame that consumed the dry grass I used as tinder.

"YES!" I whispered fiercely, a feeling of relief and small victory surging through me. I did it! Not with cheats or software, but with Arthur's memory, Arya's understanding, and my own power!

I built the fire into a campfire. Its warmth felt like a blessing. The campfire's light finally illuminated my surroundings, providing the limited visibility I desperately needed. It was then that my Oculus vibrated.

>Warning: Low Mana Level (15/25). Strenuous activity not advised. >Suggestion: Rest and consume food.

"Hah, so there's an indicator," I murmured. With the firelight now illuminating the area, I could see clearly. I opened the Dimensional Watch feature through the Oculus. My energy reserves plummeted drastically again, leaving only a little. But it was worth it.

I checked Laras's GramSosmed. The latest photo was still the picnic one. I looked at Andi's ViewTube history. He was watching drawing tutorial videos. I watched Alya's ShortVid. She was mimicking the latest dance trend. They were fine. It gave me the peace of mind to focus here.

My thoughts returned to the memory. Cici. That name echoed. A worry that wasn't my own seized me. Arthur was worried about her.

I used the Oculus to search for information about "Cici" and "Valoria" in the Etheria Database. The results were sparse. Cici was a nickname for young maids. Many were missing or killed during the coup chaos. It seemed I had to try harder to find information.

"I have to find her," my resolve strengthened. But for that, I needed power. I couldn't just rely on a campfire.

I remembered the old woman's lesson. "Think of heat."

I reached my hand toward the campfire, not to warm myself, but to feel its heat, to understand its energy. I tried to draw the concept of "heat" and "fire," not its physical form, using that newfound energy source.

The Oculus provided real-time data. >Energy Analysis: Fire Element Detected. >Suggested Pattern (Based on Memory & Data): Concentrate Mana on a point, imagine an exothermic reaction, then release with a push.

This was like programming! I had to understand the library (the fire element), write a function (the concentration pattern), and execute it (release it). My mind immediately went to work, absorbing the information rapidly.

I tried. Over and over. My energy reserves depleted and recovered slowly. I felt dizzy, tired. But I kept trying.

Finally, after maybe a hundred attempts, a small spark, the size of a match head, appeared on my index fingertip. It was unstable and went out immediately. But it was fire, created by my own energy!

>Skill Detected: [Spark] learned. >Mana Cost: 2 MP.

"Progress!" my inner voice cheered. I didn't stop. I practiced until I could control the spark, make it bigger, the size of a fist. The energy cost increased, but my strength was enough to keep my hand steady.

>Skill Updated: [Fireball] learned. >Mana Cost: 8 MP.

I trained relentlessly, like debugging complex code. Looking for bugs in my concentration patterns, improving efficiency.

Then, I tried other elements. I tried understanding "air movement" to create Wind Blade, and "drastic temperature drop" to make Ice Shard. My Oculus became an invaluable training partner, analyzing every failed attempt and providing data for improvement. My mind digested all that data quickly.

>Skill Detected: [Wind Blade] learned. Mana Cost: 7 MP. >Skill Detected: [Ice Shard] learned. Mana Cost: 10 MP.

I also tried a more abstract skill: Blink. This was the hardest. I had to understand space and its coordinates myself. I almost crashed into the cave wall several times due to miscalculating the distance.

>Skill Detected: [Blink] learned. Mana Cost: 18 MP. Max Range: 5 meters.

Tired but satisfied, I looked at the list of skills I had managed to learn that night by myself.

Kring! My Oculus vibrated. >Warning: Lifeform Detected. 25 meters. Approaching. Mass: ~15 kg. Classification: Night Scavenger - Possibly Aggressive if Threatened.

Adrenaline immediately flooded my system. "Shit," I thought. I quickly extinguished the campfire with a kick of dirt, shrouding myself in sudden darkness. I was blind again.

I heard a hiss and small footsteps. My heart pounded loudly. I'm not an explorer. I'm a programmer! But the Arthur inside me screamed to survive. I held back the panic.

"Don't panic. Don't panic," I whispered to myself. I raised my hand, trying to recall the pattern for Fireball. My hand trembled. My energy reserves were running low.

The creature lunged! I heard its jump!

Reflex, not trained skill, made me react. I didn't release a Fireball, but Blinked spontaneously! The world shook for a moment, and I was 3 meters to the side, stumbling and falling on my rear. My energy reserves plummeted.

>Mana: 7/25

The creature, confused that its prey had disappeared, growled and turned, searching. I heard it approaching again.

"Dammit! I need something faster and cheaper!" I thought. Wind Blade! I thrust my hand toward the sound, imagining a thin, sharp blade of air. My energy was almost completely drained.

Swish! An imperfect blade of air energy, more like a gust of strong wind filled with stone fragments and dust, hit something in the darkness.

"Kreeeek!" A scream of pain. Then, a howl and the sound of footsteps scrambling away.

I slumped down weakly, gasping for breath. My body trembled. That was… close. My skills were still lousy for real combat. I had to train more seriously. I relit the campfire with my remaining Spark, my body still shaking. That night, I fell asleep near the fire with mixed feelings: proud of my progress, but also acutely aware of my own fragility. My energy slowly recovered as I slept.

The next morning, after resting and my energy recovering to 25, I decided to explore the cave deeper before leaving. With the help of the Oculus's View Object Detail, I scanned every crevice. My mind analyzed the rock structure. Behind a large, nearly invisible boulder, I found a narrow gap. With great effort, I forced my body through.

Inside was a small chamber. There was a makeshift bed of dry leaves, and most importantly, a weathered leather notebook wrapped in simple plastic. The journal belonged to Arthur's loyal servant, the person who saved him!

With a pounding heart, I opened it. The writing was simple, telling of their escape, his worry for the young Arthur, and… a clue.

"…we had to separate. I will take the Young Master to Arun Cave, a safe place. I ordered Cici, the other young maid, to infiltrate the nearest fishing town, Seahaven, and seek shelter at The Drunken Mermaid Inn. May the gods protect her, that brave child…"

Seahaven! The Drunken Mermaid Inn! I got my first clue! Cici might still be there! Finally, a lead!

My spirit burned. Now, my goal was clear. I had to go to Seahaven. I stepped out of the cave, the morning sun of Etheria shining on my face. Fear was still there, but now there was purpose. Arthur Valoria, or whoever I was now, was ready for his first step. I checked the Oculus one more time, making sure the Dimensional Watch was still accessible. Seeing my wife and child's smiles gave me the strength to move forward.