Chapter 4: Power system
"Your will is my command, Your Highness."
The air around Vane shimmered as a soft, glowing energy flowed from the Vane into the Prince. It was the sign of a Blood Oath.
[QUEST COMPLETE: Recruit Night watch Leader] Rating: B [REWARDS] – Experience: 850 XP – Influence: +5 – New Asset: Night watch leader, his remnant followers and few trading businesses under influence [SYSTEM ALERT] Current XP: 11,350 / 14,000 (Level 37)
Alexius frowned internally. Only 850 XP?
He had gained 3,000 XP from handling Lupus and 2,500 from dealing with Canis. But then he understood why he got almost nothing from Vane. Vane didn't have much influence and impact yet. The System rewarded value and impact, right now, Vane was a high-potential asset with almost no real "market worth."
Basically XP also worked in another way. You earned 1 XP per simple action—drinking water, eating, walking. The number only showed how many actions you had taken. Only major choices with real impact gave large amounts of XP.
But with his weak body, Alexius couldn't do much, so his XP stayed too low to level up.
"Rise, Vane," Alexius said, suppressing a wince as his burned hand throbbed.
"We have work to do. Gather Every forces you can mutter. Spend the gold. Buy food. Fix your gear. I will contact you in three days."
"Three days," Vane repeated, standing up.
He looked at the Prince's trembling left hand.
"And Your Highness... put some ice on that. You can't kill a Dukeif you lose your hand to a rusty knife."
Alexius offered a tight smile.
"I'll keep that in mind."
........
On the way back to the Palace,
"Damn it," Alexius said, holding his hand.
"My Lord!" Elias immediately reached for the medical kit. (Yes, he is a professional butler, and he brings everything.)
"The skin is burned, and the bruise shows the damage is deep. If not for Your Highness's order, I would've already killed him."
"It's fine, Elias. Just wrap it."
As Elias treated his injured hand, Alexius closed his eyes and activated the Sovereign Protocol.
'System. Status Window. Detail View.'
[STATUS WINDOW] Name: Alexius Demetrios Leo Race: Human (Royal Phoenix Lineage) Title: Prince Regent Level: 37 HP: 485 / 4,500 (Status: Injured [-15 HP], Weak Constitution) MP: 12,000 / 12,000 Strength: 12 Agility: 10 Intelligence: 99 Constitution: 8 Luck: 50 [Unspent Stat Points: 10]
He looked at the numbers. His Intelligence was top-tier, but his physical stats were terrible. The fight with Vane had made that painfully clear.
He had barely been able to hold the dagger (Low Strength).
A quick movement had pulled his tendons (Low Agility).
And a simple friction burn had taken a chunk of his health (Low Constitution).
"I can't stay a glass cannon," Alexius thought. "If I want to live through an assassination attempt, I need to take a hit, move fast, and have the strength to block."
He made up his mind.
"System," he said in his mind. "Put 5 points into Constitution, 3 into Strength, and 2 into Agility."
[Allocating Points...] [Constitution: 8 -> 13] [Strength: 12 -> 15] [Agility: 10 -> 12] [Recalculating Vitals...] [Max HP: 4,500 -> 6,200] [Current HP: 485 -> 850 (Vitality Surge)] [Muscle Density: Increased] [Reflex Synapses: Enhanced]
A warm feeling spread through his body, taking away some of the pain in his hand. It wasn't a full heal, but he felt a bit less tired. He was now a little tougher than a normal person, though still weak compared to any trained fighter.
In this world, strength is divided into 10 ranks. Each rank is ten times stronger than the one below it. But Rank 10 is special—it's beyond normal measurement because it reaches the level of a Demi-God, just one step below a true God. After level 10 one can ascend to godhood and disintegrate physical form to live in celestial realm. The rank are as follows,
[THE MARTIAL RANKS (Path of the Sword)]Rank 1: Squire (Basic physical conditioning)
Rank 1: Squire (Basic physical conditioning)Rank 2: Warrior (Proficient in weaponry)Rank 3: Expert (Able to manifest faint Aura. Alexius is here.)Rank 4: Captain (Aura can coat weapons permanently)Rank 5: Knight (Can destroy a small building with a strike)Rank 6: Sword Lord (Tactical nuke level. Can fight armies.)Rank 7: Sword King (A disaster-class threat. National Powerhouse)Rank 8: Sword Master (Can manipulate "Sword Intent" for ranged destruction. Regional powerhouse)Rank 9: Sword Saint (Legendary. Continental powerhouse.)Rank 10: Sword Demi God (Mythical. Infinite Aura.)
[THE MAGICAL RANKS (Path of Mana)]
Rank 1: Apprentice (Basic mana sensation)Rank 2: Mage (Single target spells)Rank 3: Senior Mage (Area of Effect spells. Alexius is here.)Rank 4: High Mage (Flight, complex barriers)Rank 5: Great Mage (City-block destruction)Rank 6: Magister (Weather manipulation)Rank 7: Arch-Magister (Natural disaster summoning)Rank 8: Grand Mage (Mastery of high-tier elemental laws.)Rank 9: Archmage (Legendary. Reality warping.)Rank 10: Magic Demi God(Mythical. Infinite Mana.)
Alexius shivered as he looked over the Regional's Power Ranking. Currently he only have information assets on neighbours.
The Kalian Empire (Western Border) They were the bullies of the continent.
Sword Masters (Rank 8): 20.Grand Mages (Rank 8): 7. (Each controlling a specific Elemental Tower).Their sheer volume of Rank 8s allowed them to overwhelm anyone.
The Federation of Libertas (Eastern Border Technologically advanced, using magi-tech to supplement power.
Sword Masters (Rank 8): 5.Grand Mages (Rank 8): 3.
Not surprising—thanks to magi-tech, it can even be considered powerful nation.
The Southern Kingdoms, City States & Theocracy (Southern Border) A loose coalition of religious states and merchant princes.
Sword Masters (Rank 8): 5.Grand Mages (Rank 8): 2.
Why wouldn't they? With over 20 nations, that number is actually lower than expected.
The Principality of Leo (Home)
Sword Masters (Rank 8): 1. (Captain Fidus, The Royal Guard Captain. Loyal.)Grand Mages (Rank 8): 1. (Court Mage Solon. Dual-Elementalist. Politically neutral/opportunist.)
"We have the least number. Also, Rank 9 and 10 are myths," Alexius muttered, staring at the dark ceiling of the underground passage.
According to the archives, the only being to ever reach Rank 9 and 10 in both Sword and Magic was the First Emperor, the Founding Father of United Empire, who united the entire continent 5,000 years ago. He was a singularity. Since his ascended to the celestial realm, the continent had fractured, and no one had reached his level.
Alexius looked at his own skills again.
Imperial Swordsmanship
Level: 3 (Expert)
Description: Muscle memory of the Royal Guard style. Lethal precision.
Note: Body moves faster than conscious thought.
Omnielemental Affinity
Level: 3 (Senior Mage)
Elements: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Lightning, Light, Dark
Description: A generational anomaly. The host possesses high-tier aptitude for all magical affinities.
So even mastering one skill also counts toward your rank.
He wanted to become the second person in this world to rise to the Celestial Realm as a god. He believed he had a chance, because the system said that no one—past or present—had ever possessed Omnielemental Affinity except the First Emperor.
(Even though the system is limited by my level, it can still state facts about the world—like the laws of nature—and previous information about the First Emperor falls under that.)
"Elias," Alexius call his butler.
"Yes, My Lord?"
"The gap between us and the Empire... it's hopeless isn't it? Twenty Sword Masters against our one."
Elias finished tying the bandage. He looked up.
"Numbers aren't the only thing that decides a war, Your Highness. One light in the darkness can guide a thousand ships… or burn them."
"And don't worry, Your Highness. I have information that only one Sword Master is stationed at our border. The rest are busy fighting the Republics and watching the other rival Empire to the north."
Alexius smirked. "You're right.....that gives us room to move. But we need to secure our own power first if we want to defend ourselves."
The light enter the vision. They had arrived at the palace.
"Tomorrow,"
"We secure our Rank 8. I need to know if Captain Fidus is truly the shield we believe him to be."
(Continue.....)