Matthew was baffled by the message.
"No Soul detected? What does that even mean? I'm here aren't I? How does one even exist without a soul? Wait... Souls are real? I though that was all just a thing made up by religions that believed in reincarnation. Then again, I'm on a world that has Monsters, Magic and Gods..."
Matthew struggled to comprehend what he had read. Had he died in his last life and been reincarnated in this world as a being with no soul?
"Am I a monster of some sort?" Matthew asked himself.
He remembered back to when he had killed that Goblin. He had never been a violent person, he was more the receiver of violence than the initiator, But when he had killed it, he felt nothing. Even during the whole journey, being alone, he had felt nothing. The first instance he had felt any emotion since coming to this world was when Linda had reminded him of his Mother. Even now, after finding out that he was soulless, he felt nothing but curiosity.
"Well, enough of those thoughts," Matthew said as he lay on his bed, "Lets get some shut eye."
Matthew drifted off to sleep, the only thought in his mind being about what his Mother must be doing at this moment. He had been gone for a whole day now, and he had never not come home. He had some worries, but even those could not keep him awake.
.
Matthew awoke to the smell of Bacon.
"Mum must be cooking Breakie," Matthew said as his eyes shot open and he jumped out of bed onto a... wooden floor.
"Oh, right, new world," Matthew noted as he looked around at the room provided to him from the Chief of the Village Victor Greyvault, and the owner of the Tavern, and what he had learnt later, the Inn, Linda Brair.
Matthew made his way downstairs towards the delicious smell and spotted a young woman at the counter. She had light blond hair, emerald green eyes, and wore a casual jeans and shirt.
The woman looked over at Matthew and smiled.
"You must be Mom's guest. Matthew, right?" asked the woman, "I'm Grace, nice to meet ya."
"Ah, yes. I'm Matthew. G'day," Matthew replied. "Are you Linda's daughter?"
"Yep, that's me," Grace said. "Mom! Matthews Awake!" She yelled.
Linda walked in through the door that led to the courtyard she had taken Matthew to the day he had arrived.
"Oh Matthew, good morning. How'd you sleep?" Linda asked.
"G'day Linda. I slept well, the beds are amazing here. Soft and Comfy."
"Well I'm glad. I see you've met my daughter Grace. Sorry to say Matthew. I know she's a beautiful young woman, but she's already taken by Travis. You'll have to find another," Linda teased.
"MOM!" Grace said, embarrassed. 'Don't mind 'er," Grace said, blushing, "She likes to poke fun at people," She said, glaring at he Mother.
Linda laughed, and looked to Matthew. "So, any plans for the day?" Linda asked while pouring a cup of water for Matthew, handing it to him.
Matthew drank the water given to him and answered after he was finished. "I don't know really. I was going to head over to Travis and ask him some things about Ranks and Monster Cores, as well as other things."
"Oh good, you can take him his lunch then. He's out on guard duty by the entrance to the village," Linda said with a beaming smile. She lifter a box with food onto the table. "Take this to him will you?" she asked him. She leaned in closer, whispering to Matthew, "Say that Grace made it for him," Linda said with a wink.
Matthew smiled back, "Will do Linda," He said, chuckling.
.
Matthew made his way towards where he had come into the village from. He had received a few waves from a few people he had recognized from the tavern the night before.
Matthew had arrived, seeing Travis standing by the entrance.
"Hey Travis, I've brought food from the Briar's. Grace made you food," Matthew said, holding out a box of food.
"Linda told you to say that, didn't she?" Travis asked, cautiously.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Matthew said, unconvincingly.
Travis eyed him, but didn't think about it anymore. He lifted the lid and took in a whiff of the breakfast that had been made for him.
"So Matthew, what brings you here? Usually it's Grace or Linda that bring me the food. Was there something you wanted to talk about?" Travis had asked. He had a sausage in his hand and took a bite.
"Actually, yes. I wanted to know about Monster Cores and Ranks," Matthew said.
"Ah. I had heard from Victor that you had absorbed a Monster Core from a Goblin. Is that right?" Travis said.
"Yeah," Matthew replied, "I'm unsure what these ranks mean. I remember you and Linda calling me a 'Rank 0', but I don't know what those mean."
Travis pulled out two chairs that were stacked behind a post and gestured for Matthew to sit.
"Ranks," Travis began, "Are what we use to determine the strength of an individual. There are 5 stats that every person has, no matter the race or species. These are: Strength, which represents your physical power; Speed, which represents your physical speed and agility; Stamina, which represents your health and physical recovery rate; Intelligence, which represents your Mana capacity and Magical Ability strength; and finally wisdom, which represents your Mana regeneration rate and... your Soul."
Matthew's ears perked up at the final word and asked, "Soul?"
Travis nodded. "Yep, your souls is pretty much your 'being'. All your abilities and skills are given to you depending on the nature of your soul. Take Linda for example. She is someone who puts priority on the wellbeing of others. Her 'Liquid Manipulation' ability allows her to clean things and people. It's unable to be used for much else as the mana it's able to contain isn't a lot, so weaponizing it is out of the question. But with the capabilities it does have, she is able to use it to help others."
Travis smiled to himself, before continuing. "I have been told that I myself am as sharp as a blade. I am always prepared to meet a situation with caution but the readiness to act at any time. My teacher always said that I was meant for the sword, and my Abilities reflect that aspect. One of my abilities is called 'Pierce' which allows me to strengthen the tip of my blade and pierce through anything that is below my strength rank. Though I will warn you not to pry too much into the abilities of others. Most people don't take kindly to those that are too nosy."
Travis continued, "There are 20 Ranks. Those that have not used Monster Cores to unlock their abilities are known as 'Rank 0's'. They could even have four of the five abilities needed to rank up, but they are still classified as a 'Rank 0'. A 'Rank 1', which is the rank that I am at, are those who have all 5 abilities unlocked. We also have gained access to a class, which anyone who reaches rank 1 will obtain. I chose to go with the common class 'Swordsman'."
Matthew glanced at Travis' sword, then back at him as Travis continued to explain.
"Each ability will link itself to a stat that resonates with it. As you rank up your stats, your abilities will increase as well. All abilities have different thresholds that you will have to meet before you are able to upgrade them specifically. It is not just based on the rank of the stat it is linked with, but also the total mastery of the skill and the total rank of yourself."
Matthew remembered the skill [Soul Bound]
-[Soul Bound: Rank 1]
You are able to absorb the souls of enemies that you have defeated. Souls that you have absorbed are able to be summoned as familiars. Each soul is able to grant you an ability depending on the rank of the ability [Soul Bound] and the stat that the familiar is linked to. You are able to use the Aura of any souls absorbed with this ability.
The Ability [Soul Bound] has linked to the [???] Stat
Current Souls: 0/5.
Current Mastery of Skill: 0/100%.
Increase your Rank to absorb more souls. Rank needed to upgrade [Soul Bound]: Rank 3 -
.
He had noted the rank of the skill, the Mastery Percentage, and the Rank needed to upgrade the ability.
"My skill Pierce," Travis said, "Is at 'Rank 1'. I need to increase my mastery of it to 100%, Increase my speed stat which it has linked to, and be rank 5 before I can upgrade the ability. All ability upgrades can vary from Mana cost reductions, to damage increases, to more instances of the ability being used, and so on. The higher rank you are the harder it is to rank up. The most common rank for people in this area is 'Rank 1'. This includes the neighboring villages and towns. When you go to more populated areas in the Continent, the higher the average rank will be. In the City of Cytirus, the average rank is 'Rank 3'. Those who are at that rank though are usually adventurers."
Matthew's heart skipped a beat. Adventurers? Those who go out to fight monsters and save people? The more he learnt about this world, the more he learnt that it was the same as the fantasy worlds created by his.
"Tell me more about these adventurers," Matthew said.