Alex sat on the top of the gigantic tree. When he touched the large egg, the voice provided the limited information:
“ITEM – SPIRIT EGG. REQUIREMENTS TO HATCH – BLOOD OF THE RAISING ROOSTER. RARITY – ? RACE – ?”
His inventory window was open, the slot previously holding the Book of the World was empty. He mentally pushed the egg toward the empty slot, and it vanished inside. He then looked down the towering tree. He still could not see the ground, even with the aid of his All-Seeing Eyes skill. He didn't know how to descend.
“How do I get down?” he asked himself.
“PROVIDE THE ELEVATOR WITH MANA.” the voice spoke.
He scratched his head, realizing he still lacked the basic knowledge of how to use mana. Then, the information installed by the Book surfaced.
Magic, or mana for short, is like air and light—invisible, but constantly sensed. Mana flows through the soul and is then materialized and circulated inside the body. Cores (or mana cores) are consumed to allow a body to begin adapting to the soul’s needs. A person can only access mana after consuming a core. As a person’s Rank increases, their body evolves, until the soul and body become one at the Divine Rank.
Alex took out the item: the Core of Hegemony. It was a large, fist-sized gem, a swirl of vibrant purple and gold.
The voice immediately prompted: “ITEM – CORE OF HEGEMONY. RARITY – RELIC. USES LEFT – 1/1. ACCEPT OR REJECT.”
Having no alternative, Alex mentally chose to Accept. He was instantly engulfed in a blinding beam of purple and gold light. He felt a profound shift in the atmosphere, sensing that the sun itself had fallen into a state of eclipse. He lost his consciousness, remaining upright within the beam.
Meanwhile, Ketovan Motsari was standing on the watchtower inside the local Church of the Hegemon. He was furiously trying to devise a strategy to locate the wielder of the Core of Hegemony.
His thoughts froze as his eyes widened in terror. The sun entered a sudden, unnatural eclipse, covered by swirling purple and gold colors. A tiny amount of sunlight leaked from the edges of the cosmic shadow. Abruptly, the colors coalesced into a dense beam that plunged downward, striking the abandoned city of the forest dwellers.
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Ketovan slammed his fist onto the pointed wooden end of the watchtower. His Commander Rank body annihilated the top entirely, leaving behind nothing larger than sand particles.
“Dammit!” he roared, his frustration and rage exploding.
When Alex regained his consciousness, he could feel a palpable presence around him, distinct from the air. It was mana.
“Rule number one,” Alex made a mental note, a dry internal chuckle escaping him. “I need to confirm whether I will remain conscious before I use an item. I’m losing my senses far too often.”
He gently breathed out, and he sensed mana flowing from his soul and body.
“According to the Book, the soul should only purify and draw ambient mana into the body for use. But my soul is giving out mana, not drawing it from the surroundings.” He scratched his head.
A screen materialized before him—a swirling vortex of black, gold, purple, and silver colors, mixing but not blending. It was his Status Screen:
NAME:ALEXANDER FEDRICK SOBREVIVIENTE
RACE:OMNIARCH
AFFINITY:HEGEMONY
AURA BEAST:EMPEROR
RANK:NORMAL
LEVEL:1 / 100
CORE ABILITY:COMMAND {NORMAL RANK}
RACIAL SKILLS UNLOCKED:1 / 5
PAGE?:1 / 2
??He mentally willed the screen to shift, and it instantly moved to the next page:
MANA:?2000 / 2000
STAMINA:
MP:2100 / 2100 ??
CORE ABILITY USAGE PER SECOND:???
STRENGTH:???
AGILITY:???
INTELLIGENCE:???
DEFENSE:???
AURA:???
Alex finished his exploration of the city. He counted approximately 200 buildings. About 120 of the skyscraper-tree houses were so thoroughly burned that most of their supporting trees were charred black stumps. The rest were slowly yielding to the forces of nature.
After a thorough stroll, he reached the Temple of Ancient. It was the only building that appeared completely untouched by fire or the passage of time. As he stepped inside the foyer, the voice spoke again:
“YOU ARE ENTERING A PLACE WITH ITS CONNECTION SEVERED FROM THE WORLD. THE SKILL VOICE OF THE WORLD WILL NOT WORK WHEN YOU ARE IN PLACES WITH THEIR CONNECTION TO THE WORLD SEVERED.”
He ignored the warning and moved toward the main entrance door of the temple. It was a massive, black door, around 25 feet tall and 10 feet wide. When he touched it, it felt like smooth, cold metal.
Engraved on the door was a depiction of a man with six arms, his face deliberately smoothed into a plain oval bulge. His body was covered in armor, and one hand held a saber. In the background, a magnificent dragon flew, its body seeming to beam with light, contrasting with the dark metal of the door.
He pushed the door. It shrieked slightly as it slowly drifted inward.
“Let’s get going,” he muttered, stepping into the building.
