Capítulo 208: Ranks
"Some might call me a spirit. Perhaps a ghost? Either way, I don't really care."
"A ghost? Then are you dead?"
"I don't think I was ever alive in the first place," they said.
"How could that be…" Elizabeth did not understand.
"I don't have a physical body like yours. The closest you can consider my body now is your bow, more specifically the crystal."
"Your body is the crystal on my bow?" the girl wondered incredulously. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "How come this is the first time we're talking then? If you've been watching me this entire time without saying anything, that's…" she shuddered. It was a really disturbing thought.
"The reason why we're able to converse this time is because the connection to your Core and Channels has been completely wrenched open."
They raised their hand and conjured a diagram made of light. Elizabeth was amazed that magic could be used in such a way. A river made of energy was formed in the air, traversing from one end of the sky to the next. However, half-way through, it was blocked.
"This was your original state. You could say it was a psychological limit. Since you were never exposed to Arcania before, you had this subconscious limiter in place that stopped you from perceiving magic. Naturally, this included our conversation. Once you started accepting the concept of Arcania, a bit of that flow was released." On their command, some of the energy trickled through. "You were unconscious the last time you were here, so we did not speak then."
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow and thought, If not the time with the emperor, then… they must be referring to after I was rescued in the Kuthong Forest? At that time, I was unconscious…
"So, you're saying that my half-dead state right now is the reason why we're able to talk?" Elizabeth concluded.
"That's right." With a snap of their fingers, they dissolved the diagram. "To be it bluntly, your body is extremely vulnerable to external influences right now which is why I can intrude on your Core. Normally, it would be more difficult."
The girl frowned. "If you're this powerful, then how come you didn't help me against Lord Wenmord? If the same thing happened to him as Emperor Lianghu, then I wouldn't be in this sorry state."
The figure's voice turned low. "You shouldn't underestimate that person. This Lord Wenmord is not simple. If my guess is correct, then they should be upper-tier Rank 4. They aren't an opponent you can take lightly."
"Rank?" Elizabeth tilted her head. This was the first time she heard of this term.
"Ah, that's right. Humanity doesn't have a concept of Ranks yet…" they were speechless. "You know how there's such a thing as Realms of Mastery and Core Levels, right?"
Elizabeth nodded. This was basic knowledge. The Realms of Mastery referred to physical training and was demarcated into two realms: Fundamental and Perception. The vast majority of humanity was a Fundamental Realm, with very few breaking past the shackles of their body to become Perception Realm. They would be labelled as superhumans or transcendental. They could perform unbelievable feats that others could not dream of. It was the same for the Core Levels for magical training: Gaseous Fog and Condensed Drop. As far as she knew, there were a little more than ten Arcanists in the Zino Kingdom with Condensed Drop Core Level. They formed the backbone of their military strength as trump cards or secret weapons.
"In a sense, it is silly to distinguish the two systems," they explained. "Both represent combat strength, and they can be directly compared thus forming the Ranking system which serves as the universal standard. For example, Rank 1 would be the lowest. They are the Fundamental Realms and Gaseous Fog Arcanists. Rank 2 would be Perception Realms and Condensed Drops and so forth. Beyond Rank 2, it gets more complicated, but you don't need to worry about that."
"Wait, wait, wait!" Elizabeth raised her hands. "You mentioned that Lord Wenmord is an upper-tier Rank 4? That's twice as strong as a Perception Realm? …You're joking, right?"
"Twice?" She almost heard a chuckle. "At the earlier Ranks, the differences might be minor, but in the upper Ranks, the differences are as wide as the heaven and the earth. They are incomparable!"
The girl's jaw dropped. Sir Winstin could already perform supernatural feats of strength. To think that he would be so insignificant in this world made it a little hard for her to accept. Remember, he was the publicly acknowledged strongest knight in the Alzar Kingdom! She thought that Lord Wenmord was unfathomably powerful, but this… this really put things into perspective. Her viewpoint was far too small! For someone as weak as herself, Elizabeth had to crane her neck just to see their toes. Like a frog in a well, she had no idea what true strength was! It was almost like a fairy tale. If Lord Wenmord was really as powerful as this person claimed then… Elizabeth gulped. He could be called invincible!
"Then…" her voice quivered. "What did Lord Wenmord want from me? No, that's the wrong question… What is Lord Wenmord?"
There was no way Elizabeth could reason he obtained that level of ungodly strength. It was not like Lord Wenmord was some random person off the streets. He was the patriarch of the Lannisail Household, a Grand Nobility Household! His every movement was constantly monitored and scrutinized by everyone. It was hard to imagine that this man could fool the Alzar Kingdom's extensive information network. She knew how hard her Protector, Sir Winstin, trained every day to maintain his strength. It was not something that someone could offhandedly do! Strength was an accumulation of daily efforts. Therefore, this could not be the same Lord Wenmord who could freeze space!
"Even I don't know," the person answered plainly. "I have limited perception capabilities to the outside world."
"I see," she was slightly disappointed.
"It's best that you forgot about that person. Rank 4 combat strength is near the pinnacle of the world. It is not something that you or humanity can handle."
"Then what is the pinnacle?" Elizabeth asked curiously.
They closed their eyes and explained, "Rank 4s are respectfully called Emperors for their power to rule an elite civilization. They can dominate a massive region with an iron fist. In truth, there are not many in the world that can reach this level, and anyone that can is bound to affect the entire world's power structure. That is how influential they are!"
"But they're not the peak," she deduced.
"… Above the Rank 4s are the Rank 5s. Earlier, you thought that Lord Wenmord was invincible or a god. That is not true at all. Only when someone reaches the preeminent Rank 5 can they be called invincible! They are titled Gods!" Seeing Elizabeth's astounded face, they continued, "There's no point in worrying about these things. You might as well forget what I said. It might be better for you."
However, the girl curled her fists together and faced the person with a serious gaze. "Is it possible then? If you teach me, can I reach that level?"
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder