Chapter 6: New Beginning [2]
Gerhman observed the holographic windows with an apparent detachment, although he felt a slight vibration in his internal mana circuits. Electhra, seated, stared at him, not daring to disturb him in his reflections, gazing at the azure reflections dancing on her master’s face.
[ STATUS ]
Name: Gerhman
True Name: Azrael D. Velaros (Sealed)
Title: The Königsmörder (Disabled)
Age: 18 years
Class: Magician
Level: 1
Existence Rank: Transcendent (Weakened by the Law of Causality)
Current Power Restriction: 90 %
[ Statistics ]
Strength: 10
Vitality: 10
Agility: 10
Intelligence: 100
Sense: 50
A smirk of pure contempt stretched Gerhman’s lips as he scanned the insulting weakness of his physical statistics. For an entity that had once devoured so many of its kind and Helldritch, finding itself with the constitution of a simple human teenager was a humiliation he did not intend to tolerate for long. However, before he could express his disgust, the interface suddenly turned a deep crimson red, accompanied by a shrill alarm signal.
[ ALERT: SOUL INSTABILITY DETECTED ]
[ Status: Your divine essence is saturating and breaking the mana circuits of this mortal body ]
[ Risk: Disintegration of the receptacle within 30 days ]
[ STABILIZATION QUEST ACTIVATED ]
Objective: Find clues on soul stabilization methods within the Towers.
Description: Your soul is not yet fully fused with this mortal body. Without an external catalyst or a compatible energy source, your existence will collapse.
Gerhman felt a painful friction, as if his will was trying to tear itself apart. He closed his eyes for a moment, regulating the internal mana flow to delay the inevitable.
[ SUB-QUEST GENERATED ]
Objective: Absorb the essence of monsters of rank D or higher.
Effect: Delays soul disintegration through absorption of absorbed mana cores.
Gerhman closed the screen with a simple blink of his eyes, indeed feeling an unbearable friction between his ancestral will and his current flesh. He turned his attention back to Electhra, who had stood up to keep a respectful distance.
"My soul is unstable in this receptacle." he explained. "This body is nothing but a fragile shell that crumbles under the weight of my existence..." he declared with bitterness. "I must find a way to stabilize this fusion before this world rejects me."
"Can’t you delay it, master?" asked Electhra, looking worried.
"There is one way, I will have to consume the essence of the creatures that inhabit this world." replied Gerhman.
"I see." nodded Electhra. "I will put all of Aegis Prime’s resources at your disposal to help you."
"When I came here, I crossed paths with many people possessing a trace of mana in their veins... Explain to me precisely what these beings are." asked Gerhman as he advanced toward the bay window, observing the thousands of silhouettes stirring below in the streets of Seoul.
Electhra stood up and walked around the desk to stand beside Gerhman, looking at the passersby.
"What you perceived are the Awakened..." she began her explanation as she crossed her arms under her chest. "Several decades ago, mana began to saturate the Earth’s atmosphere following the appearance of the Towers, those structures that the Seven Deadly Sins used to extend their influence..." "The humans who managed to absorb this energy and manifest supernatural abilities are called the Awakened... They now constitute the new elite of this world, dividing society between ordinary citizens and those possessing mana..."
Gerhman let out a dry laugh, devoid of any human warmth.
"Awakened... a rather pretentious name for ants that merely beg for a power they do not understand..."
Electhra nodded, sharing her master’s contempt for human weakness, but a smile formed on her lips.
"Although they are ants, they have shown such prowess in mana manipulation that it is impressive." she added.
Gerhman turned around, went to settle into the black leather armchair, crossing his legs with aristocratic elegance, his gray gaze fixed on his servant.
"And how do these parodies of warriors organize themselves... Are they subject to a strict hierarchy or do they simply fight like dogs for the scraps of mana?"
"These Awakened organize themselves into Guilds..." she continued while activating a holographic map of the Korean peninsula. "These are private organizations that bring together the Awakened to explore the Towers and collect magical resources on behalf of governments or for their own interests... Aegis Prime, the guild I founded, is currently the most powerful, but we are in constant competition with eleven other major guilds."
Gerhman fixed a luminous point on the map representing a nearby Tower.
"And this system that appears before my eyes... is it their doing?" he asked in a monotone voice.
"The World Association of Awakened is an organization established by the masters of each guild to regulate the ascension of humans..." explained Electhra. "Every human who manifests mana must compulsorily go through a five-step virtual tutorial imposed by the system to define their class... warrior, mage, assassin or healer... orchestrated by these bastards to prevent the birth of a new being capable of defying the established order." "It is a selection test that limits their potential by locking them into predefined categories..."
Gerhman let out a dry laugh, completely devoid of joy.
"They have put leashes on their servants... they classify and label them to ensure that none of them exceeds the threshold of divinity... What pathetic arrogance on the part of Esys and his clique..." he murmured.
"That is exactly it..." confirmed Electhra. "The Awakened are classified by power ranks, ranging from F for beginners, often used as cannon fodder, up to S or SSS for the world elite. The High Rankers are treated like demigods by the civilian population. Moreover, the Law of Causality protects this world against transcendent entities. It automatically reduces our power by 50 to 90% to prevent our mere presence from breaking the biological structure of this inferior planet."
"So the world has become a playground where my enemies pull the strings through a rigged system..." he murmured to himself.
Gerhman remained silent for long minutes, analyzing every fragment of information. According to the system, he was still a magician but his level had considerably decreased. In a world ruled by his enemies, trapped in an unstable mortal body and restrained by universal laws, he was truly not at an advantage. Yet, instead of fear, a cruel satisfaction overwhelmed him. It reminded him of the good old days.
"For now, stabilizing my soul and becoming strong is the priority." declared Gerhman as he stood up, stretching his limbs. "For now, I will make sure to keep a low profile."
"I agree, master." nodded Electhra.
