[You may skip past this chapter and start with the first chapter unburdened. But those who would understand the laws of Life before witnessing its clash will see more than blood and spectacle.]
Power in this world does not come from mana, qi, or energy alone.
It comes from Life Span — the capacity of a being to contain, endure, and express existence.
Life Span includes:
Potential
Durability
Authority
Existential Weight
Life Span Ranks
(These are Existence Thresholds, not levels.)
Mortal Continuum:
Weak — 25
Includes broken civilians, abandoned humans, and those unable to stabilize their existence.
Tier 1: Mortal — 70
Includes soldiers, workers, and social elites.
A fully stabilized human existence.
Tier 2: Awakened — 140
Life begins resisting reality.
Minor abilities manifest.
Tier 3: Lieutenant — 160
Tier 4: Lord — 180
Presence subtly alters surrounding space.
Dominance Continuum:
Tier 5: Warlord — 200
Authority manifests.
The choice between order and tyranny begins here.
Tier 6: Overlord — 250
Existence becomes self-sustaining.
Enhanced regeneration and extreme resistance to environmental limits.
Tier 7: Ascendant — 300
Life breaks past natural human limits and enters the demigod threshold.
Sovereign Continuum:
Tier 8: King — 500
Life imposes law.
Territory responds instinctively to presence.
Tier 9: Emperor — 1000
Life bends causality.
Fate becomes negotiable.
Tier 10: God — 2000
Life is eternalized.
Death becomes conditional.
Tier-???: Anomaly / Legacy-Bearer
Exists outside measurement.
Gods do not rule because they are powerful.
They are powerful because their Life Span is uncontested.
Grades
(Social Classification — not power.)
Existence Grade
Common — Disposable citizens
Uncommon — Skilled labor, trained fighters
Rare — Military elites, specialists
Hybrid — Altered humans / beast-blooded
Epic — Strategic assets
Legendary — National deterrents
Mythical — Unregistered anomalies
Exalted — Gods, Sovereigns
Illegal — Power that violates the Continuum law
Skill Expression Grade
E → D → C → B → A → S → SS → SSS → X → ∞
Key Rule:
Skill does not equal strength.
Skill equals efficiency of Life usage.
Mechanics:
A lower Tier with higher skill can outplay a higher Tier.
Raw Life Span will eventually overwhelm skill.
Skill grows through struggle
Killing a higher-ranked being without resistance damages one's skill.
Humans, Beasts, and Gods
Humans:
Skill increases control.
Higher skill = sharper, more refined existence.
Beasts
Skill increases mass.
Higher skill = larger, more monstrous form.
Gods:
Born at Tier 6 (Overlord) minimum.
Default Skill Grade: A.
Cannot grow skills naturally. But must inherit, consume, or rewrite reality.
This makes gods static — and humans dangerous.
Stealing abilities:
Rips fragments of Life Span.
Leaves victims existentially hollow.
Classifies the user as Illegal.