I wake up in the ancient cave. Oh good, I didn't get transported to some random place this time.
An air-cooked krill floats in front of me. Yum!
To my surprise, there's a whole line of krill leading out of the cave. What do I do? Eat, of course. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
As I pass the entrance, still chomping away, the trail snakes out of the chasm. I could get used to this. Seriously, the way to my heart is krill.
Outside the chasm, on top of crags, the trail ends.
I spot my master patting an orange big-belly seahorse, the size of his forearm, the same size as me.
It happily munches some planktons from his hand.
He turns to me and lets go of the creature.
"I see you're ready for today's training."
"Ready to level up and work on my roar. It needs to be strong like a cyclone."
He arches a brow, his voice unnervingly stern.
"You're forbidden to use that technique today. If I catch you using it, I will deduct marks."
"But why? I can do it."
"Says the one that passed out after using it. You need to work on other skills first before you can use that technique."
Luckily, he fed me first, or I might've turned into a very cranky whale.
"Fine, what do I need to work on then? If elemental power is a no go at the moment."
"Take a guess," he nudges the seahorse forward.
It whinnies at its introduction.
"Pfft! You're going to make me race it, ain't you? Aren't big bellies slow? Like, snail pace slow? Come on, give me a challenge."
"Clearly, you haven't realized how slow you are. He's a level 2 in speed. And what level are you?"
"One..." I dip my head. He didn't have to rub it in. I can't be that bad.
Whoosh!
Long Fei floats back 500 meters in lightning speed and extends his hand.
"It's simple. The first to pass me wins the race. I'll give you three chances. Now, start next to your competitor."
Well, compared to him, yes, I am slow.
I eagerly set myself next to the seahorse. It whinnies. This is going to be easy. I'm going to prove that I'm faster than a snail
"Ready, set. Go!"
I swim as fast as my tail can handle, flipping my fins as fast as possible. My body propels forward. I'm going to win!
The seahorse rocks slowly ahead of me, towards the finish line and wins.
Oh, the shame. I can feel my face burn up. I want to dig a hole in the sand and bury myself.
"Now, do you realize your speed?"
I refuse to answer. I follow the speedy seahorse to the starting line, steeling myself for the next round.
"Round 2. Go!"
Again, I force my fins and tail to move like the wind.
The sea horse moves slowly and steadily past the finish line.
My master pats it while it neighs happily.
Oh! Come on! As I pass the finish line, I pant heavily. This is not going to work. My fastest movements can't, for the life of me, outrun this supposedly sea snail. There has to be another way.
Long Fei tilts his head towards the start line.
I grudgingly make my way back, out of breath and disappointed.
My competitor waits patiently for me to float next to it. It smiles and neighs.
I take a deep breath, ready to blast its infuriating smile away, then pause. Oh right! No elemental power allowed.
The sea steed sways happily as though it's confident it has this in the bag.
A devilish grin creeps on my face as an idea forms...
"Last chance! Go!"
As the steed starts moving, I dip my head and clench my teeth into its tail. It yelps and speeds toward the finish line. I bite harder, refusing to let go. At the last second, I flip it back with all my might, then launch myself past the line in a final burst.
Long Fei's eyes widen.
"That's one way to win. Now I'll need to tend to your poor competitor's wound."
He floats over to the crying sea horse, plucking a small ointment jar from his sleeves.
He gently applies the ointment to the bite mark, hushing the poor creature.
It whimpers as the ointment soothes the wound.
The sound of the whimpering made my heart clench. Maybe, I did go a little bit overboard. I approach my victim with remorse.
"I'm sorry. I'll go get some more planktons." I sniff the water. I turn to my master and dive into his sleeve that has the scent of planktons, rummaging for it. He gently pushes my head aside. But I managed to grab some in my mouth and spit it out next to my victim.
The sea horse whinnies, its eye smiling along with its playful grin as it munches on my peace-giving.
***
Back at the ancient cave, I insistently nudge Long Fei as he writes on parchment, and then he rolls it up.
"Master, you can tell me my results now."
To my surprise, he hands me the scroll.
Then he floats back to his usual seat.
Staring at the scroll, my fins try to reach but it's too short.
I give my master a deadpan look.
With a flick of his wrist, the scroll unfurls itself.
He impassively looks back.
"I suspect that you can read. Reading is one of my favorite pastimes. If you try, you will pick it up in no time."
I groan. This sounds more grueling than any training.
I stare at the parchment, not even sure what I'm looking at. I recall what he said previously about the levels and skills.
Since my Elemental Power was at Level 3 and I wasn't allowed to use it today, then the numbers must mean 3 since they're identical.
Courage: Level 3
Elemental Power: Level 3
Physical Power: Level 3
Strategy: Level 3
Agility: Level 3
Speed: Level 3.
"Yes, I'm on level 3 for all skills now," I jiggle, doing a little dance.
"See, I told you, you will catch on quick. Well done!" A smile tugs at his lips.
"I get why I leveled up with speed because I beat the big belly but why did I level up with all the others too? Are you going soft on me?"
"Not at all. It takes courage to change your fate. If you continued to do the same thing, you would have lost. It takes power and agility to flick a creature your size back. Your strategy paid off in the end, even though it's probably fueled by your competitive nature."
"A win is a win. I didn't break any rules. I won fair by my terms," I beam as my chest puffs out.
"True, I only said whoever passes me first. Wins."
"Since all my skills are balanced now, does that mean tomorrow I can work on my blasting technique?"
My master didn't reply. He closes his eyes as he cultivates. That's my queue to keep quiet. I do not want to be caught in his maelstrom.
My mind reels at all the possibilities that tomorrow can offer. At this rate, I'll be evolving in no time. I can't wait to have others not wanting to be in my maelstrom too.