Chapter 26: Beast Level
The forest was illuminated by the pink and blue glow of the two moons. The flowers of the forest trees seemed to absorb the moonlight as they too were glowing.
In the forest atop the cave's main entrance sat both Kevin and Nicholas. They sat in silence, watching the enchanting view and enjoying the serene atmosphere.
The peaceful silence was broken by Kevin as he coughed lightly and turned to Nicholas, speaking slowly, he said,
"So, my first question is... what rank are you and what is your spirit ability?"
Nicholas exhaled as he turned to Kevin, who was watching him intently.
"I'm a rank 2, and my spirit ability is the Void element."
Nicholas gave his answer, but Kevin's face was filled with surprise, which then slowly turned to confusion and then realization. He muttered with his hand on his chin,
"It suddenly makes sense now, but at the same time, it doesn't."
He turned to look at me quizzically and asked,
"How did you manage to kill the Tier 5 crocodile when you couldn't even injure a Tier 3 wolf?"
"Oh, that. Well, I still haven't figured out how I killed the crocodile. As for the wolf, it was very strong, fast, and full of spikes, so the only thing I could do was dodge until it fell into the lake and..." Nicholas said this and went silent, the memory of those tentacles was really daunting.
Kevin listened to what Nicholas had said and went into thought, his hands stroking his chin.
Nicholas looked at Kevin and said,
"You've asked two questions, so let me ask two. What is your rank? And you seemed surprised when I killed the crocodile. Can you please explain the ranks of humans and beasts?"
Kevin halted his thoughts as he listened to what Nicholas was saying. Once he was done speaking, Kevin thought for a bit before saying,
"For your first question, I'm a rank 3. As for my ability, you already know.
For your second one, this is how it works. We humans have a system to measure power, and it is in the form of ranks.
The higher your rank, the more powerful you are. These ranks are from 1 to 5, and above that is the hunter rank, but that is a different matter entirely.
For the ranks, when you get to rank 4, you will notice that there is a difference in power between rank 4s.
This difference led to the breaking down of rank 4 into early stage, mid-stage, and late stage.
"The same applies for rank 5. As you advance in ranks, you will notice that the gap between ranks widens the higher you go.
In the aspect of spirit abilities, every time you increase your rank, you will gain a new spell; most people gain one, some gain two.
Most Spirit abilities are based on the life experience of the wielder or their personality.
"Sorry I'm deviating, back to what we were saying.
The beasts have a somewhat similar power system.
For example, that wolf pack we fought, the reason you were able to kill them was because they were all tier one, but their leader was a tier 3.
And if I had fought it in that state, I would die and might still not kill it.
That was why I tried to avoid fighting it. For beasts, only humans that are in peak condition and are of the same level or higher can fight.
Most times, beasts have the advantage, so it is advisable to fight in groups.
"The breaking down of rank 4 and 5 also applied to beasts.
You can determine the level of the beast by its aura; you can also do the same for humans.
Now, you can only determine its level by its aura when it's alive, but what about when it's dead? That's where spirit stones come in.
Give me the spirit stone you acquired from the croc."
Kevin spoke with a slight smile.
"Here."
Nicholas complied and waved his hand. Immediately, the space beside him cracked and revealed a hole, and from that hole, a fist-sized blue crystal flew out and into Kevin's hands.
"How did you...?" Kevin asked, surprise evident in his voice.
"It's a spell," Nicholas said, nonchalantly.
"Wow, that's neat," Kevin spoke then continued his explanation,
"Back to what we were saying. If you look at this crystal, you will notice that there is some kind of liquid in it.
Now, that liquid is what we use to determine the level of the beast prior to its death.
If the liquid fills up the crystals, then we can say that the crocodile was a peak-stage tier 5.
If the crystal is halfway filled, then we say the crocodile was at a mid-stage.
If 1/4 of the crystal is filled, then we say the crocodile is at the early stage."
Kevin spoke while using the spirit crystal to demonstrate. He looked up at Nicholas and asked,
"From what I have told you, can you determine the level of this crocodile through its crystal?"
Nicholas scrutinized the crystal for a bit before answering,
"Early stage tier 5?"
"Yes, that's correct.
You can also use this method to determine your level.
Do you have any questions?"
"Yes, I do."
"Well, go ahead," Kevin prompted while reluctantly returning the spirit crystal to Nicholas.
"When you were explaining, you said something about the 'Hunter' rank. What rank is that?"
"Well, I can't give you an accurate answer because my knowledge of this is based on rumors. The rumors I have heard state that the leaders of the seven cities are at the 'Hunter' rank. It might seem absurd, but it's not baseless. If you think back to the first time we met, you will remember that you were almost killed by a stray fireball. What happened that day was that one of the direct subordinates of the leader of Ocean Manor City was fighting a black diamond eagle that had attacked the city. And that bird was a peak-stage tier 5."
When Kevin said this, Nicholas went into deep thought.
Kevin yawned and asked,
"Any more questions?"
"No," Nicholas replied absentmindedly.
"Well, I'm gonna go catch some sleep, and you're gonna sit here and keep watch. You've already slept enough," Kevin said and went into the cave.
Waking up from his reviere, Nicholas smiled lightly, sat in a comfortable position and entered his spirit world.
'Hmm, Helios is awfully quiet today,' Nicholas thought as he closed his eyes.