{A.N: Everything written in this chapter will be slowly explained in the main story, you can either use this chapter as a summary of the individual strength levels in case you forget about something while you are reading, or you can read it now if you are curious…
- I will (probably) post another chapter like this one when necessary...}
- - - - Sources of power - - - -
There are three known sources of power within the bodies of the beings living in the sealed world… The physical body, ethereal body and the spirit.
Physical body - You can already guess what it comprehends… Reaction speed, muscle strength, lifespan, vitality, endurance, etc...
Ethereal body - Imagine it as a body made of energy that cannot be touched or seen physically, it comprehends the energy channels within your body that allow you to make the energy flow within your body, organs that allow you to store or change the structure of the energy, the skin that defends against energy-based ( Or psychic) attacks, the breathing apparatus that allows you to absorb energy from the surroundings, etc…
Spirit - It's the "brain" of the ethereal body and it is closely related to how good your control over energy is… It's used to transform energy… for example… 10 units of natural energy enter your spirit and a fireball goes out.
- [ Power realms ] -
The known power realms within the sealed world are 2:
Mortal realm and Ascended realm.
- - - - Mortal Realm - - - -
The mortal realm is further divided into 3 Tiers… Lower Tier, Mid Tier, Upper Tier.
The Lower Tier is composed of beings that cannot even manipulate one type of energy within their body.
In the human race, only minors belong to this Tier since every human being naturally learns how to do it when they are around 16/19 years old.
(In most factions, humans are considered as adults when they enter the Mid Tier.)
The Mid Tier is composed of those that know how to manipulate and circulate one type of energy within their body to empower their physical strength for some time…
The duration and the level of boost in power that they can obtain is defined by their reserves of energy, their control and their efficiency in controlling energy
Every human naturally enters the Mid Tier, but that is it... if they want to reach the Upper Tier, they must work hard and be talented enough (Or have a "lucky encounter")… Not every human can reach the Upper Tier even if they work hard for it in their entire lives.
The Upper Tier is composed of those that can control a type of energy even outside of their body…
Those in the Upper Tier can use martial techniques that defy any logic (From the point of view of those in the Low and Mid Tier) like walking in the air or using their energy to coat their weapons, thus making them deadlier.
- - - -
If we want to compare the difference between the Tiers in the mortal realm…
Imagine those in the Lower Tier as a human teenager
Imagine those in the Mid Tier as an adult man/woman at the peak of their strength.
And imagine those in the Upper Tier as a fully equipped soldier that knows martial arts.
Aside from the Tier… It isn't necessarily true that someone in a higher Tier will always win against someone in a lower one…
Think about it, the difference in Tier (For humans and some other races) is determined by their control over their energy.
But this doesn't mean everything… An adult man that trained for years may have better skills and a greater amount of energy within their body.
The quantity of energy within someone's body isn't defined by how good they are at controlling it…
Someone with better control may be able to absorb energy at a faster speed but if the one with better control is young and just entered the Upper Tier while the other in the Mid Tier is a veteran that spent more time gathering energy… The one in the Mid Tier may have a higher quantity of stored energy.
For this reason, the Tier indicate the highest potential of combat power within that realm, not their current battle power.
Someone at the peak of the Mid Tier will never be able to even dream of doing what someone at the peak of the Upper Tier can do casually (Like walking in the air or firing energy waves while using a weapon)
- - - - Ascension steps - - - -
There are only two levels of individual strength within this "Pseudo-Realm" formed by three steps.
The steps of ascension aren't considered a True Realm of power because it's just a transitional phase that the mortals go through while Ascending.
Those that achieve a step but fail to take the next one in a short time will enter into a state of "Exhausted potential". (As you can imagine, after entering this state, it is almost impossible to break through the next level of individual strength.)
The beings in the First step have a physical body far better than that of mortals in every aspect… Reaction speed, brute strength, lifespan and vitality… But, most importantly, a far better affinity with the type of energy they use
As for the beings in the Second step, they also have a far better ethereal body than that of mortals in every aspect… Energy reserves, energy circulation speed, energy circulation efficiency and the energy recovery speed… It also improves the speed of energy absorbed from the atmosphere, but only slightly since it is mostly defined by the spirit's strength.
As for beings that complete the Third step… They officially enter the Ascended Realm
- - - - Ascended Realm - - - -
The Ascended Realm is divided into 3 Tiers as well… Lower Tier, Mid Tier, Upper Tier.
(Before the destruction of the seal in the sealed world, the highest individual strength level ever achieved has been the Mid Tier Ascended)
The Lower Tier is composed of beings that can start to assimilate a type of energy. They enter the Mid Tier after completely assimilating it.
In the Mid Tier, an ascended can start to feel and understand other kinds of energy.
As for the Upper Tier… No one ever achieved it and no one knows if there is something beyond it.
- Excerpt from Zephyr's data archive