Ciaphas locked himself in his room for about an hour as he tried to understand his current situation.
'' So it appears I am a noble, and a handsome one too as well'' he stated while checking himself in the mirror, removing his clothes so he could wear the formal attires his maid brought him under the orders of his butler.
A mysterious symbol, similar to that of a pagan rune, had appeared on his chest, right above his heart. It looked like a red snake circulating a hand that was trying to reach the sky.
It wasn't uncommon for nobility to have various runes carved onto their bodies since power runes, even though rare amidst the common populace, were quite handy for those who had the coin to purchase them.
There weren't many rune masters in the Kingdom due to the lack of materials needed for their craft so the demand was always sky high. The advantages of a noble with a rune versus someone who was fighting without having one were enormous.
Speed, strength, agility, those were just the most basic ones one could get yet their price and of course, availability was something only wealthy nobles with strong connections could chance upon.
Hiring a runemaster was not an easy task. All if not most of them were already extremely rich, so unless you had a rare material or benefit that could manage to satisfy them, the possibility of actually helping you was usually close to zero.
A noble house that manages to nurture an actual runemaster always ends up climbing the ranks of nobility and becoming a pillar of a kingdom in a matter of years, if not months, while other Houses struggle for decades, even generations, if unlucky.
Being a runemaster isn't the only road to success.
Those born with a sufficient affinity towards magic could train themselves to become strong and mighty characters that could topple kingdoms if they so wished.
There were five stages of cultivation, each divided into three smaller ones. First, we have the warrior stage, where most people with low to average talent spend all their lives in. They usually become soldiers of the Kingdom, mercenaries, or even bodyguards for wealthy families.
Despite being the stage with the most people, it was uncommon for a peasant to reach it since the resources and training required to achieve such a stage were quite absurd for an average family to shoulder.
The warrior class is divided into Elemental, Awakened, and Purified.
Those in the Elemental stage can sense the elements in the atmosphere, enabling them to store them in their bodies, doubling their strength and increasing their life span by ten years. Once a certain amount is stored, one can ascend to the Awakened stage, allowing him to perceive those around him in a radius of ten meters, further increasing his strength by 100 kilograms worth of damage. Those in this realm are also known as rank two battle warriors and are the most prominent force of the nobles.
Favoured by nobles and merchants alike, the demand was always huge since having an awakened Warrior nearly always guaranteed your safety.
A purified warrior was something like a legend to the common folk. Once an Awakened Warrior reaches the Purified stage, apart from doubling his strength once again, he also sheds the impurities from his body allowing him to use strengthening types of magic on himself, making him an unstoppable force on the battlefield.
By reaching the Purified stage and declaring your allegiance to a Kingdom, you automatically get a noble status and land of your own. The strength one can muster in this stage can truly turn the tides of war in your favour so it is always in the Kingdom's best interest to acquire them whenever possible. Apart from a lofty noble status, they can also work as teachers in the most prestigious academies in the Kingdom of their choice, helping numerous new generations of students reach their potential, further increasing their value by leaps and bounds.
There are four more stages of cultivation, one mightier than the other.
After the Warrior stage, you have the Mage stage. Not much is disclosed about them since chancing upon one is near impossible. It is rumoured that the retired King of Tirisea has reached this stage, further increasing his life span and securing the peace of the Kingdom, but it hasn't been confirmed yet by the royalty.
Next, is the Archmage stage, followed by the Saint stage, and lastly The Paragon. These types of existences have not appeared in the world for hundreds of years. The last record of a Paragon was found in an ancient text and was depicting a fight that levelled a city.
Many believe it to be the cause of the emergence of the Dead Plains area, a land deprived of any life for hundreds of miles.
It is the dream of many to reach this stage and have all the world bow to their feet. Riches, women, and good food will always be abundant, their names etched into the books of history for many generations to adore.