Lone Cultivator In Another World

…Across the country, people are flooding the hospitals and clinics. The unknown virus has now spread throughout the world and become a problem in more than 50 countries. It is yet unclear as to what the consequences of this new disease are, but its contagiousness is alarming. If someone you know complains about anything unusual, from nausea to hallucinations, please help them get to a doctor.

In Mumbai, beekeeper Jayesh is boasting a revolutionary technique for training bees. The way he controls them is almost magical, the insects even follow his verbal commands and perform tricks. Good news for amateur beekeepers, Jayesh is now accepting students.

And in Delhi, a surprising new following appeared, with over a hundred members so far. The followers praise the "Entity" and provide volunteer help to poor and disabled people. The religiosity of the following is under question.

…

After the two came home, they entered Anna's apartment together. She let Richard go, and the puppy dashed into the bathroom. Moments later, he stuck his head out through the door, as if asking where the food was.

After he made sure there was no food, he ran circles around the apartment, explored every room and closet. Everything seemed so wonderful and new!

Michael set up the d.o.g.g.y bed and unpacked the bowls for food and water, and Anna rechecked the recommendations on the pack of dog food. Finally, when dinner for Richard was ready, they found him proudly sitting in a corner of the living room next to a smelly piece of feces. The puppy's smile was blinding.

"Bad dog!" Michael caught the little hooligan with ease and buzzed him with a hundred or so glory points. It was just enough for Richard to feel a pang of electricity, and he w.h.i.n.ed miserably.

"Hey, what are you doing?!"

Michael shrugged, "I have no idea how to train dogs, so let's try the classic carrot and stick method. Do you have a piece of cloth you don't need?" he made a grabbing gesture at the poo.

Covering his hand with a rag, he picked up the smelly thing and proceeded to the bathroom. There, he put it into Richard's toilet.

"See? It goes here," he said, looking at the puppy whom he held in the other hand.

Richard looked at the toilet, then back at Michael, and smiled.

"Are you sure this is how it works?" Anna inquired, arms crossed.

"It might, on him. Richard seems like a smart fellow, aren't you, boy?"

"Rraf! Rawr!"

"It's dinner o'clock. Go!"

The puppy found his food by smell and attacked it, making a lot of noise. Michael and Anna watched him eat with a smile until the cultivator excused himself. At the door, he suggested the girl used up her energy before sleep, to see how much would recover.

The first thing he did after getting home was call his parents. Everything happened so fast these last few days. He cured LZD1 and advanced to 2-stage, Anna evolved, he closed off his emotions from hormonal influence, and then they spent a day figuring the Russian girl's powers and fought a robber. All of that, in just three days!

Michael asked his mom and dad to come back because he was afraid of the chaos that was sure to erupt all over the world. He could never forgive himself if they got in trouble. It had been five weeks since they last left, so the old couple agreed to return. They hadn't seen their son in a long time and missed him dearly.

After that, Michael took care of miscellaneous matters. He recorded videos, drafted a letter of invitation to Buddy Earl and reviewed business doc.u.ments.

Buddy Earl was a gifted biologist whose participation in the cancer meds development was crucial. Step three required a specific set of skills and a peculiar approach. Perhaps, Buddy was the only person in the world capable of succeeding in the following five years. And with Michael's guidance and nudging, it could be done in two, if not less.

As for Michael's business, his second game Kingdom Rush which had been developed by Ironhide Game Studio in his old world, was already out for two months. It enjoyed the same popularity as Angry Birds and had a small following. Michael had chosen the game for its sequel potential, and the fans didn't disappoint him, asking for it often.

Kingdom Rush was also North Gaming's official debut, and it was a big accomplishment.

Angry Birds 2 was due in two days. Outsourced programmers completed their work in time, and Dimitri was now going through it with a fine-tooth comb.

DestiniGo was the name of the taxi app. Sofia came up with it and created a nice logo, the upside-down drop like in Google Maps with a globe drawn inside it. The app was a work in progress and served as a platform for Dimitri to develop his skills further.

Michael also used the fact that his thinking belonged on an a.d.u.l.t man for the first time in months, to make sure the cancer medication developers were moving in the right direction. Everything seemed fine, so he would keep relying on them in the future.

Finally, he opened the Notifications menu to see if he missed something. Indeed, there was a reward for saving the clerk's life.

"1000 glory points earned for saving a life. Good, brave and selfless deed. 2/3."

Glory's hidden features bothered Michael. First there were sounds he could swear were made by Glory, but with no notifications to match them. Now, this.

Back when he saved Carina, he got a similar message, but it said, "1/3." What would happen after he saved another person? A gift? A new hidden ability?

Michael scratched the scar on his right palm. The way it closed up, he would need to save up a little to heal it fully. But Tai Chi level 5 cost only 56,000 points, so he wanted to purchase it first. Level 4 didn't offer him much new information, so training would soon lose its meaning.

When he was done with these matters, Michael lay on the bed. He would repeat yesterday's pattern, training in the dreamscape followed by cultivation.

"Mind Alarm Clock, 3 hours. Mind Lullaby. Lucid Dreaming."

The night went by, and in the morning, Michael finished cultivating an hour before classes. He took a shower and put on some fresh clothes. He also took up a habit of watching international news and saw them from a different perspective than most.

Forest fires? Fire powers like Marie's.

Beekeeping technique? Sounds like rudimentary animal control.

Explosions with no bombs? Likely an ability!

A prisoner escaped when guards were asleep? Akin to his own Mind Lullaby, but usable on other people!

The rise in kidnappings supported Anna's theory about teenagers developing powers more often than other age groups. They might be unable to control their new powers, spontaneously turning invisible, taken away by the governments or gangs or hiding, thinking they were freaks.

The world was already in turmoil. It just didn't know it yet.

After the cultivator learned that Anna's powers were nature-based, and Marie's were fire-based, he thought they all would be elemental. However, the robber's ability was vibration which didn't belong to any element. Any that Michael knew of from fantasy novels, at least.

He missed breakfast because it was time to go to class. Without hunger, eating turned into a useless habit he could skip with no consequences.

The first lesson was history with Jimmy Carter. The happy-go-lucky American's style of lecturing became popular among his students for being engaging and fun. At EIS, there were no struggling students, but most were too absorbed into their interests. A rare teacher could appeal to them enough to evoke genuine interest.

Jimmy Carter was one of those, hands down.