An essence is considered the essential aspects of a concept, and in my hands I held two of them. The essence of Archmage and Blank.
Archmage gives perfect memory with infinite storage.
Beyond genius-level intellect.
A capacity to learn any 'Magic', even unique ones, upon seeing it once or understanding enough about it. This includes things like Ki, chakra, soul power, etc.
A supernatural reactor that can adapt to any supernatural energy to fuel spells, enchantments, powers, etc. The reactor will also provide me with a steady supply of power that will grow over time. For example, I could use high consumption abilities with wild abandon, and still not make much of a dent after hours of use.
I can also teach others' systems even if they previously lacked the capacity.
I will be able to manipulate entire systems or combine them with a bit of experimentation. And finally, I will be capable of casting any spell as long as I have the energy, and I won't require any casalist, extra element or materials.
The other essence was a lot simpler, but arguably on par with Archmage.
The essence of Blank did one thing: by drinking it, my potential will become limitless.
I will be able to learn any discipline or skillset, even if I shouldn't be capable of it, without forgetting it and practice them into mastery, no matter how many I learn. Any abilities I had from the archmage will also increase and develop in ways beyond its initial purpose.
Essences were so overpowered. In my last life, I had read the meta essence document, and these were two of the best that stood out to me. That being said, Rob giving me these made me think, 'Why would he give me what was essentially two concepts of reality for me to live in a relatively weak and comedic world like Beelzebub?' He did say that he made the world more lively, but I hope it's not 'world-ending crises every week' lively. It was not a very comforting thought.
"Well, whatever he did, I can't change, so I'll just go with the flow."
I looked at the two vials in my hand and decided to start with the blank essence. I didn't want to start with archmage just in case me having multiple essences fucks up my soul, or something. I had once read a book where the main character had six essences and drank them in the wrong order, causing him to need to find relics that would heal his soul so he could unlock the full power of them. It was a great read, but I didn't want to risk that happening to me.
So I popped the cork off the white vial and downed the entire thing. It was cool but not so cool that it would feel uncofutable. It also had no taste; it felt kinda like I was taking a shot of water. After drinking it, he realized, this was not the normal Blank. Instead, it was Blank II. It was essentially the same, except it had the added benefit of anti-body and soul tampering. Meaning no one would be able to read his mind, clone him, or interfere with his soul in any way.
Letting the essence settle for a minute, I didn't feel any different, so I just shrugged and thought, 'Well, I hope it worked.'
Moving on to the next one, I removed the cork and repeated my actions of downing the whole thing at once. Unlike Blank, Archmage did have a flavour. It tasted like rich, sweet and perfectly ripe blueberries. As soon as I finished the vial, this time I felt something in me change. It felt like I had a new muscle that was waiting to be used. It didn't feel weird either; it felt like it was always a part of me, just never in use.
With both essences in me, I thought about what happened today. Thanks to the archmage, I had a perfect memory, so in my head, I quickly ran through the old Beelzebub manga to give me a refresher of the story. 'I'm so glad I read the manga after I watched the show. The differences between the two are minor, but it's good to know what will happen.'
'Hmm, okay, today was the day the Oga and I were supposed to meet, and other than the fact that he was originally supposed to protect me from some Donbura dude with a bat, everything was pretty much the same.'
Now, with my mind refreshed, let's start training. "Takayuki, dinner's ready!" I heard my mother call from downstairs. '...Alright, food first and then training.'
----
After dinner, I was back in my room and once again going through the media from my old life in my head. Just because I had perfect recall didn't mean I would remember it all at once, so I made myself a mind palace, or in this case, a library. The library had everything from anime, manga, movies and TV shows, to games, graphic novels, normal books and even fan fiction I've read. All dated, categorized and filed away for later use. 'Thank you, blank and archmage, for making this easier than it should have been. Genius-level intellect and limitless potential for the win.'
Archmage said I could learn any 'Magic', upon seeing it once or understanding enough about it, but it never said I had to see it in person. With my library, I'm gonna go far, but for now, I should start with something simple. Sure, I could start with magic training, but I don't want to accidentally blow up the house, or god forbid, myself.
So I'll start with physical training, after all, a strong body is a strong foundation for everything else. And I know just where to start, Saitama's training method. It would be hard, especially at the beginning, but it would be worth it. I doubt I will gain the same power as him, but it's a good start. 'I just hope I don't lose my hair'.
I got down on my floor and decided to start with one hundred push-ups, and after ten minutes, I realized something. I was weak. So incredibly weak. I could barely do ten before collapsing. 'This might be harder than I thought.'
----
Six months. For six months, I had a routine. Every day I would wake up a five in the morning and I would attempt to do the Saitama workout. I would do as much as my unathletic body could, then I would shower, have breakfast and go to school.
At school, I would hang out with Oga, and afterwards, we would usually go to the arcade that the Red Tail had all but taken over. At the arcade, Misaki would usually 'train'(beat) her brother, whether it be at games or physically, while I just hung around Shizuku and Haruka and played games with them.
Sometimes the Red Tail would go out and fight other gangs, where I would stand to the side and watch the fights while absorbing as many of the techniques as they had. Granted, most of the Red Tail and their enemies were bralwers throwing fists and hoping it would land, but some of them knew actual martial arts.
Misaki, Shizuku and Haruka, for example, were definitely not brawlers. Haruka knew kenpo, and she may be small, but her fists were deadly. Shizuku, on the other hand, liked to carry around a wooden pole. I didn't notice the first time the Red Tail fought, but it seems she knew some sort of bojutsu (staff arts) because the way she was hitting guys was a sight to see. Finally, was Misaki the strongest, and I really saw why she was the leader of their gang. Her kicks looked like they would cave your chest in. At one point, I think I saw her juggle a guy with them like a certain video game character.
Other than that, life was pretty normal. There was one day when Oga and I made it to the arcade only to find it a lot quieter than usual. We went to where the girls normally hang out and found them huddling over textbooks and papers strewn about. "Hey, are you all okay?" I asked, walking up to Shizuku.
"Takachin, save me from this vile task!" Shizuku glomped me as soon as I got close, but was quickly pulled off by Haruka. "Shizuku, stop that. We all need to study if we want to pass this year."
"But I don't wanna study, it's so boring!" Shizuku whined as she was dragged back to her desk. I understood what was happening now. The Red Tails were all studying for their end-of-year exams. They were all first years at Ishiyama High School, so this was their first year of exam season dread. I remember the pain of year-end exams; it sucked ass. Glad I don't have to deal with that shit anymore. Thank you, archmage and your beyond genius-level intellect.
I stood behind the depressed Shizuku and peered over her shoulder to look at her paper. It was a mess. She was studying math, and it was hard to watch. I'm pretty sure I saw her brain melting as she struggled to finish the problem.
I felt bad, so I took a pencil and helped her with the problem. "Here, Shizuku, this is how you solve it." I quickly wrote out the solution that was puzzling her, surprising the girl. "You're good at math?" She asked.
"Math? God no, I'm good at all subjects." I gave her a smug smile as Oga cut in with a "Yeah, Taka always gets perfect scores on all our tests." My smile grew wider at the praise, but it quickly faded as I saw all the girls in the clubhouse stare at me like a lion hunting a gazelle.
Before I could pull a Joestar family special and retreat, Misaki grabbed my shoulder with a terrifying grin on her face. "Takachin, why don't you come help your big sis study, hmm?" And that was the day I became the official tutor of the Red Tail gang.
On the bright side, thanks to my help, all the girls passed their exams, and Shizuka now showers me with her 'love' anytime we go to the arcade. Granted, it was mostly just her hugging me a lot and letting me get the first pick on any games we played together, but who was I to complain? A pretty older girl was showing me affection, and as the saying goes, 'We love older women.'
So now, as I sit here, I finally feel accomplished, as I have after all this time, the Saitama workout no longer hurts to do. In fact, I don't even feel winded doing it. I stare at myself in the mirror and see that my body has filled out a bit more, and I was truly one of the 'athletic kids' in class.
Time to move on from the body and focus on martial arts. My original plan was to ask my mom before the essences were to ask my mom about some sort of training from a dojo, but now, instead of some random teacher, why don't I learn from a man who is considered one of the best fighters in his world?
I closed my eyes and moved through my library to find the manga, and soon found it. This technique was from the same world as Saitama. The Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist.