Four years melted away like snowflakes on a summer's day. Aether, once a boy, had blossomed into a captivating young man. His twilight hair, now medium long, framed a face etched with determination. Years of relentless training, guided by Lumi's assistant, had honed him into a lean, formidable figure. Every push-up, every grueling run, fueled his singular purpose – to forge the base of his core strength to endure mana vessel strengthening needed to heal his mother.
Aether clung to Lumi, the enigmatic system bestowed upon him by an unknown entity. It was his path to power, a chance he wouldn't squander. These past four years had been a whirlwind of learning. Lumi had unveiled the secrets of Embehod, the world Aether called home. It pulsed with mana and arcane energy, a gift from the sun itself, governed by the elusive gods of old. Information on these deities was scarce, shrouded in whispers and myth. All Aether knew, thanks to Lumi's cryptic pronouncements, was that seven gods held sway – the Southern God, the Sword God, the Arcane God, the Demon God, the Beast God, the Death God, and the enigmatic Jester God. Awakened beings, blessed with extraordinary power, forged a connection with the gods of old through unwavering faith and deep understanding. Their devotion stemmed from two sources: a profound knowledge of their chosen deity's nature and the age-old folklore that whispered of these gods' immense power. This connection, fueled by divine revelation, shaped their every skill and ability, mirroring the essence of the deity they revered But Aether was different. His status – "Blessing of No God" – marked him as an anomaly. A nagging suspicion festered within him – the system, his very source of power, wasn't a gift from any god of old. The reason remained tantalizingly out of reach, another enigma in the ever-growing mystery of his awakening.
Lumi, ever helpful, provided Aether with a visual representation of his current status. This stat window, visible only to him, displayed his attributes:
Name: Aether Ilon
Race: Human (???)
Bloodline: ???
Physique: ???
Status Class: Pseudo-Awakened
HP: 500/500
Strength: 45
Agility: 15
Intelligence: 65
Charm: 70
Mana: 10/10
Aether furrowed his brow as he met Lumi's silence regarding the question marks on his status window. "Looks like I'll have to find those Chronolith shards to unlock this frustrating mystery," he muttered to himself. Sitting on the familiar hilltop, legs crossed, sweat still clinging to his skin from his morning workout, a determined glint flickered in his eyes. This hill held memories of peaceful moments with his mother, a stark contrast to the grueling path he now walked.The early morning air carried a crispness that invigorated him. His routine, grueling but necessary, had become a familiar rhythm. Finishing his workout, he crossed his legs again, pulling up his status window. This time, a genuine smile tugged at his lips. Progress. Strength at 70, intelligence at 100. He was getting stronger, smarter, all for the sake of one goal. With a newfound resolve, he knew it was time to move on to the next crucial step – strengthening his mana vessels. Every challenge, every unanswered question, only fueled his determination.Aether closed his eyes, picturing mana flowing within him like a familiar river. Mary had always instructed him to visualize it as a pool of water in his abdomen, circulating throughout his body. But Aether had no such pool. All he saw was an endless expanse of darkness. Yet, even in the absence of a visual guide, he could still draw upon that hidden wellspring.He reached out mentally, a silent question directed at Lumi. But the system remained frustratingly silent on matters shrouded in mystery. "Different anatomy," Aether echoed Lumi's cryptic words from his training sessions. A sliver of hope pierced the darkness.He drew, and the mana felt heavy, thick, as if resisting his every attempt. Time blurred as he strained, fatigue creeping in. Drawing was only the first hurdle. Now came the true challenge – circulating this dense energy throughout his body.Moments later, Aether collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath. Sweat soaked his clothes, his entire body a screaming protest against the exertion. But his mind flickered with a defiant spark. "I can't give up," he growled inwardly, determination battling exhaustion.He needed a distraction. As he lay there recovering, Aether's thoughts drifted to Eziel. It had been four years since his 'mentor' had left for Freiheitsstad, seeking a party or a Master adventurer to investigate Nightscale's unexpected appearance in the forest. Nightscale, the creature typically confined to the deepest shadows of the verdant forest, had become a source of worry. Yet, no word had arrived from Eziel. What could be the reason for his long silence? A new layer of concern settled upon Aether, adding to the weight of his own struggles.Aether pushed Eziel's disappearance to the back of his mind, the worry momentarily eclipsed by a need for a different kind of focus. He turned back to Lumi, a question lingering from years ago. "Lumi," he asked, "what are the chances of Nightscale attacking the village?"The system responded with its usual clinical detachment. "[Less than 20%. 'Eunectes murinus', Emberhod class: Nightscale. Prefers forest habitat over village clearings, unless displaced.]"Aether exhaled a breath of relief, a small victory amidst the larger battles he faced. Still, Eziel's prolonged absence gnawed at him. But with the off chance that Nightscaled attacked, insurance against the unseen future was crucial.His thoughts drifted back to the encounter when Lumi took control of his body.
The raw power, the effortless execution of unfamiliar skills – the concepts resonated within him, yet remained frustratingly out of reach. Those weren't ordinary Emberhod techniques. "Authority," Lumi had called them. A spark of excitement ignited within him.These "Authority" skills, Lumi had explained, were exclusive to him. But they were locked behind a wall of mana capacity – 2000, to be precise. That explained his collapse when Lumi took over. But the explanation ended there. Lumi offered no further details, leaving him with tantalizing fragments of knowledge and a burning desire to unlock them."Those damn shards," he muttered under his breath, frustration bubbling up.
"Whoever gae me this buggy guide could at least loosen their grip on information." He adjusted his posture, resolved to push on with his training. The path ahead was shrouded in mystery, but with each step, each unanswered question, his resolve solidified. He would unlock his potential, decipher the secrets of his being, and face whatever challenges awaited him.