Raze and Safa found themselves residing in a place referred to as a temple by the locals and the Red Brigade. However, in Raze’s homeland, it would have been labeled as an orphanage.
Nestled partly up a mountain, and a tad isolated from the town, the vast estate featured a large, tiled courtyard at the front and an exceptionally broad single building. Raze couldn’t help but wonder about the cost of constructing something this grandiose on his home planet Alterian.
Including the newcomers, the orphanage was now home to twelve children, all there for various reasons. Yet, this was no ordinary orphanage. Acceptance was contingent upon the approval of Mr. Kron, the proprietor. A scar running from his chin through his face marked the visage of this bald, monk-like figure, always seen in robes. The children, on the other hand, made do with ill-fitting hand-me-downs, their ages ranging from as young as five to adult teenagers like Raze, who had recently discovered he was fifteen.
Sonny had mentioned that a year older, and Raze would have been on the streets. Pondering this, Raze recalled a starving child and wondered why he was admitted to the temple, but the other was not.
Raze was clueless about Mr. Kron’s criteria. Sonny had mentioned there were requirements before leaving them in Mr. Kron’s care, assuring them they were safe. Whether Sonny genuinely believed that or merely sought to instill confidence in them after a recent attack remained uncertain to Raze. Nonetheless, the previous night’s events made Raze realize he needed to understand this world of martial arts better.
On their first night, Mr. Kron assigned them a shared room with only one bed due to space constraints. Raze, unbothered, let Safa take the bed while he settled on the floor. Although Safa gestured that sharing the bed was fine, Raze quickly reminded her of his rule – “No touching.” Disappointed, she abandoned the idea.
Ready to help around the temple the next morning, they stepped into the main hall and encountered a familiar face. “Ah, looks like the two of you managed to sleep in alright then,” Sonny greeted them warmly. “I told you I would be back tomorrow to check up on you two. Now that I see you’re both okay, I can head off.”
“Wait!” Raze interjected. “Actually, I have a few things I want to ask you about.”
As Safa accompanied Mr. Kron to familiarize herself with her chores, Sonny and Raze retreated to the latter’s study—a spacious room filled with well-maintained, high-quality books and furniture, superior to anything in Raze’s own home.
Settling into a single-seater chair, Sonny invited Raze to sit on the couch before asking, “So what is it that you wanted to talk about?”
Struggling with memory gaps about this world and recent events, Raze sought clarification, particularly regarding martial arts. In his world, martial arts served merely as exercise, not a combat form. The notion of someone punching hard enough to break a wall belonged to the realm of fiction, not reality.
“Oh, I see. I guess I should really treat you like you’re an alien or something then?”
‘More like from another world, but close enough,’ Raze mused.
As Sonny elucidated everything he could, Raze’s curiosity deepened, realizing the world was not just slightly different, but vastly so.
Primarily, those proficient in martial arts, like Sonny, were known as Pagna Warriors, akin to how magic practitioners were dubbed Mages. However, a rationale existed for the distinction. 𝑂𝒱𝓵xt.𝗇𝓔t
Not everyone pursued martial arts to the extent Raze witnessed. Pagna Warriors belonged to a unique community, separate from the military and Empire, with their own societal norms. Although it was a standard rule for Pagna life members not to interfere with others and vice versa, Sonny explained it was more of an excuse. Pagna Warriors enjoyed greater freedom, such as the right to kill. Kingdoms also often hired and compensated Clans for their services.
“Now that you know about Pagna Warriors, you need to know how they are split. The continent is considered one large piece, despite there being islands here and there, but it is divided between three large factions.
“You have the Dark Faction, the Light Faction, and the Demon Faction.”
Sonny had marked the territory areas on the map, and it was fascinating to note that several different places and kingdoms resided in different regions.
“In each of these factions, there are several families, each with their unique styles of martial arts that they pass down to those loyal to the clan. For example, the Red Brigade, we are a clan that is part of the Dark faction.”
Sonny continued to explain a few details, such as, even though other clans were in the same faction, it didn’t mean they were friendly. Clans mostly operated on an individual basis.
The faction a clan belonged to mostly depended on the source of their martial arts energy. It wasn’t as simple as the clans in the light faction being good, or those in the dark being bad, but rather the type of energy they used for their techniques.
Raze was incredibly interested in this particular part, considering his own powers. Being a mage, research was his forte, but Sonny seemed to be pressed for time.
“Of everything I tell you today, this might be the most important. As warriors, we cultivate our powers and perfect our techniques, and among us, we have masters so powerful they could obliterate an entire city with one fist.”
What Sonny described sounded like the same power as that of a 9-star mage.
“The stages of a Pagna fighter can be split into three parts. The initial stage, where fighters are ranked from level 1 to 6, the middle stage, where fighters are ranked from 7 to 9, and then the Deity stage, from rank 10 to 12.
“If you ever become a Pagna warrior, you would truly learn how frightening each of these stages can be, and the titles that are given in each of these stages. Because the difference in power between ranks can be astronomical. For you, though, just understanding the three stages is enough. If you ever hear someone use the words ‘Deity stage,’ then you should never anger them. No one will be able to save you if you do.”
The tone of Sonny’s voice and his entire demeanor changed when talking about the last part. It was interesting to note the mention that the current Raze was not a Pagna warrior. A ‘no name,’ one with no family name, was one that wasn’t related to a clan, nor were they related to any of the higher-ups in the kingdoms and empires.
He could only imagine the strength he would have had if he had transmigrated into the body of a powerful Pagna warrior.
“So… what stage are you at?” Raze asked.
Sonny smiled as he thumped his chest. “I’m at the initial stage, a rank 2 Pagna warrior,” Sonny declared.
Raze was quite impressed. If that was what a rank 2 warrior could do, he could only imagine in his head what a Deity stage warrior could do.
Thinking about that, something clicked in his head.
“Wait, the ones that attacked us, were they Pagna warriors as well?”
Sonny nodded.
“Then, if that’s the case, why would Pagna warriors target a no name family like ours? And even go to the point where they would target us again last night?