Mundane, Lesser, Greater, Superior, Legendary, Mythical. These are the ranks that order everything in the system, from items to classes to the monsters we face. This naturally leads to questions over what these ranks mean and how important they are.
The ‘quality rank’ is how it is most often referred because it directly relates to the base quality of mana within a given subject. Of course mana quality is something difficult for us to properly measure, so for the purpose of my explanations I will use rough numbers to give an idea of the power difference between the ranks.
For starters, anything Mundane has a base mana quality of zero, the subject is completely without magical effect and has mana levels indistinguishable from the ambient mana in the environment. This makes it impossible for anything mundane to ever ascend and reach higher star ranks, or really do much of anything at all beyond existing.
The Lesser quality rank is where things start to become interesting, Lesser has a base mana quality of one with every star ascension adding on to that quality and increasing it further. Greater rank has a base mana quality of two and Superior has a base mana quality of three. At Legendary we see a larger jump though with the base mana quality going from three to five. Then Mythical rank has the largest increase of all doubling from five to ten.
These rank differences are important because each star ascension is said to double the mana quality of the user. Therefore the difference between the bottom and the top is staggeringly high. A Mythical ranked monster would effectively have an entire extra ascension of mana quality against a Legendary ranked monster of the same star level.
However, please do keep in mind that these are rough estimates and can vary between individuals. Also mana quality alone does not determine strength. Having a higher star rank than your opponent offers many advantages when it comes to stat totals, skills, spells, and abilities. So while it is possible for Mythical and Legendary ranked creatures to fight up a star rank, they often can only reliably do so when at the top of their own star rank.
* An excerpt from `The Power of Stars` by Guildmaster Lina Lei of the Talway Branch
Bellator POV
I scurry away quickly, my four legs pumping as fast as they can to bring me away from the loud noises and bright lights. A small piece of something sweet and soft clutched in my mouth at the last minute now causing me no small amount of trouble as I need to squeeze through a small hole to escape. I delicately take the tasty morsel into my front paws and shove it through the hole, the sound of meowing and the scratching of sharp claws on wood causes my heart to pound and my efforts to accelerate.
I finally manage to wiggle the food through the opening and quickly follow it myself. My skin and flesh is pressed tightly, yet my skull makes it through the gap with ease allowing the rest of my body to follow. I quickly grab the now squished food in my mouth and scamper along towards my family's nest. The sound of a door opening and a massive ferocious beast entering the space I was once in echoes in the background. Fortunately I have already escaped.
Escaped. Something about that word, about the thought of being forced to run causes me to shake my head in disgust. Why did I run? It makes no sense, in all my memories of my 2 years of life I’m always running. My parents and siblings all tell me to run, that escape is the best path of survival. So then why do I feel disdain at the thought? Why does my blood boil and my arms ache to fight back?
I shake my head to loosen the errant thoughts and hurry to make my way up the wall and into the nest. It is a cozy space filled with many soft and warm things, things taken from the human dwelling below. Feathers and cloth from pillows, yarn from scarfs, the occasional piece of hair or fur left behind by the humans and their pets. Truly unfair that they keep some animals while scorning others. Yet aren’t I one of the animals they’re supposed to love?
More stray and useless thoughts. What a silly notion of course I’m not one of the animals humans like, I kill humans all the time. Wait, that's not right . . . I shake my head as a strange feeling overcomes me causing me to drop the food I was holding and cry out in pain. Several long whiskered faces poke out of piles of bedding and rush towards me to check on me. My numerous siblings and cousins and family members. They check me over, licking and sniffing and pawing and squeaking. Yet for some reason I cannot understand their words. My head burns and my mind swirls with memories of my life.
Why am I surrounded by prey? Why do I have memories of being a mouse? I am no mouse. I AM NO PREY!
I force my eyes open, I force my claws to extend, I shoot upwards with great force before landing on all fours and glaring at my surroundings.
The nest is gone. The mice are gone. I stand alone within a small glade, trees towering overhead, gentle rays of warming light shining down upon me, a soft breeze carrying the scents of the forest. The false memories created for my ascension begin to fade away as I regain control of my mind.
I am Bellator Aeternus, the First Warrior of the Eternal Dungeon.
I pull a deep breath of air to fill my lungs and then slowly release it, allowing my breath to carry away the fake memories with it. I open the eyes I hadn’t even realized that I closed and see a mirror of myself before me. An exact duplicate of myself.
“Relax, your changes will take time. Take this moment of peace to prepare yourself for the next step.” My mirror says to me. Its voice has an odd effect to it, as though its words are spoken ten times by the same mouth.
“What do I need to prepare for?” I question it, yet even as I speak the words I already know the answer.
My duplicate smiles at me, a toothy smile filled with mirth yet lacking malice.
“With growth comes pain and through pain you will grow. You already know this well, deathless one.” My clone speaks, now slowly circling me while keeping its eyes locked to my own.
I do not respond to it. Further questions are pointless, my ascension will give me whatever knowledge it sees fit and not a single bit more. I sit down on the soft grass and bask in the warmth of the sunlight. I breathe slow and steady breaths, readying myself for when the changes of my ascension will shift from the mind to the body. Then the pain will start.
Unlike Lord Eternal, my physical changes will be immense forcing me to suffer the fate of all living creatures that ascend. My body will consolidate the mana, increasing its quality and absorbing it to leave room for further growth. My body will be broken down and reforged by the ascension process causing immense pain, yet in the end it will be worth it.
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Aika POV
I charged down the dirt road through the center of the burning town. The previous days rains had turned it into a slippery mess of mud and the current days events only added to the problem with blood spilled seeping into the ground. All around me I could hear screams and shouts, cries for help as the villagers and common folk had their homes pillaged.
“CHARGE!” A shout comes from my left and the small group of 15 men I’m with turn to see a group of 30 militia come pouring out of a side road by our left flank.
“Haha, Gut 'em all lads! We don’t have time to be playing with farmers when the lord's mansion is open for raiding!” Our boss shouts out to us.
Our gang turns to meet the poorly equipped militia men. Not only do we have higher levels and better gear, but our classes are perfectly tailored for combat. We are bandits, thugs, and raiders. Classes designed to intimidate, fight, and pillage.
Seven of our guys break off to fight the 30 militia men, it only takes them five minutes of one sided slaughter before the poorly equipped farmers route and run away. I’ve seen this kind of thing happen several times already, if the people stood their ground and just fought us we would lose to their numbers. Yet the power of multiple stacking intimidation skills paired with attack skills that make the injuries we inflict look more harmful then they are make it difficult for non-combat classes to stand up to us.
It doesn’t take long before our group boss leads us right to the opened gates of the lord's manor. The building is already aflame and another one of the groups is currently crowded around several bound and screaming women. Our boss clicks his tongue in annoyance as he surveys the area and realizes that we’ve been beaten to the best prize.
“Damn, looks like Kenny’s boys beat us here. What a shame, the manor’s already been looted and it looks like they’ve already got those pretty maids tied up. Let’s move towards the west, if Kenny beat us here then he likely skipped over most of the good stuff.” The boss orders quickly getting us moving again.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
I feel a strange surge of disgust well up inside me as I take another look around. Men slaughtered, women and children in chains, homes looted and then set ablaze. ‘Why am I with these men, these lowlife wretches?’ My brain tingles as my own mind fights itself. Eventually a memory surges up causing me to become calm again and my growing headache to abate.
‘That’s right, I’m a bandit myself. A lowlife criminal thug. It only makes sense that I would join a strong gang and participate in their activities. I have several memories of being nothing but a poor low class girl, destined for the brothels or the gutter. Until I turned 12 and I received a class, thanks to my aptitudes for violence and my lack of morals it only made sense to be a bandit. It offered me a chance for a much better life so long as I didn’t get caught, not that that was likely out here in the middle of nowhere.’
The fire surges once more into my head causing me to trip and fall face first into the mud. The only other two women in my group stop for a moment to check on me, laughing when I tell them that I tripped on my own. I can barely hear their laughter through the intense pounding within my skull. I force the pain down, pain is something I’ve always been good at dealing with. After a few moments I regain my footing and return to the group.
The boss leads us into a surprisingly intact area. The fires haven’t spread here yet and the buildings still have intact doors. Movement behind hastily boarded windows catches my eyes causing me to focus on a nearby untouched home. The burning in my brain stops me from approaching it, but not from watching.
“Alright lads, raid the place! Take everything and everyone, the empire pays well for fresh slaves!” The boss shouts out, his words barely register in my burning mind.
I watch as the house has its door knocked down and two large burly men from my group run inside. Screams follow, the sounds of crashing and ceramic shattering. Suddenly the boarded window I’m watching breaks as a body is flung through both the boards and glass landing on the ground in a heap a few feet in front of me.
My eyes snap down to see a small child, her crumpled form beaten and broken. One of her fluffy cat ears has been broken and lies bent against her hair, the other was cut off entirely. Her tail is ragged and crooked. Her clothes are bloody and torn.
A scream, a roar of agony and anguish echoes out as the flames in my mind purge the falseness away. This is wrong. I am not a criminal, a bandit, a lowlife wretch. I am a protector! A valiant defender of my people and a servant of the Eternal Lord!
The fake world begins to break away as my ascension test is passed, yet I halt it. I feel a strange gaze locked onto me as it judges what to do. The world stops breaking and instead freezes, everything stopped as though time itself has been halted. A perfect mirror of myself appears before me, a curious look adorning its face.
“You desire to continue with this farce? With the false memories erased you should know well that none of this is real.” The Mirror’s voice has a strange effect to it, as though it speaks a dozen times at once through a single mouth.
“I will not allow this injustice to happen to my people, the falseness of the world is irrelevant to my conviction. I made a promise.” I say, meeting my duplicate’s gaze with eyes of steel and the stubbornness of stone.
“I shall allow it, but know that I cannot halt your physical changes. You will endure the agony of your body's ascension, is it really necessary to make things harder on yourself like this?” My double questions.
“You already know the answer.” I respond, closing my eyes and taking a breath.
When my eyes open again my double has vanished and my form has become identical to my real one, even down the equipment I wear. I watch as time slowly begins to return to its proper flow as I release my bladed whip from its sheath and make it curl around me like a snake. My expression morphs to one of anger and hatred as I loosen the shackles on my mind and allow myself some release.
The pain starts before I even reach the first bandit. Horrible burning fire rips through my body, melting me away before forcing me back together. Slowly building my body anew as my mana rampages wildly, fighting against the ascension process.
I ignore it.
Pain is familiar to me, I may be the most accustomed to it of any dungeon creature. I forced myself to suffer under Lord Eternals insanely potent mana as my coming of age ceremony. I suffered that mana baptism and in exchange I became chosen. Yet I was still weak.
Every other creature had more experience in combat and more training in it, pulling from each new memory that was taken from adventurers. All they knew was fighting and all I had known was peace, protected by Lord Eternal. So once again I turned to pain as my teacher, also known as Bellator.
My fellow chosen has killed and injured me many times for the sake of training, all because I refused to rest and recover. Every wound, every death, was worth it if it meant I could grow stronger. So long as my mind remained unbending I would get back up and keep fighting, keep trying to improve. To prove that I was worthy of being Chosen. To ensure that I had the strength to keep my promise to the Eternal Lord.
As my whip tore the throat of the first bandit, all the others turned to face me. My countenance must have been truly terrifying as they all turned and ran, the fear clear in their faces and scent. I gave chase, my body burning yet my mind unyielding. I let loose all the negativity that had built up in my mind and body, allowing myself to simply bask in the glory of destroying the wicked. Each ounce of pain serving only as a stone to sharpen my will further.
I will not yield.
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Wyla POV
My eyes land on a beautiful vista. Rolling hills gently slope ever upwards into towering snow capped mountains. The entire scene covered by a seemingly endless field of flowers. A gentle breeze brings the sweet scents of vibrant flowers along with the fresh mountain air. In the distance a waterfall cascades down the steepest mountain slope until it crashes down into a large lake of crystal blue water, its surface a perfect mirror of the sky above.
“Lovely, but I think my partner has created better views.” I speak aloud.
“How truly unfair, my fellows get to sponsor mythical creatures and I get a grumpy system entity.” A ball of light speaks as it forms next to me, its voice echoes as it though it speaks everything thrice at the same time.
“Well we all need to grow at some point. Besides I hardly think that it's unfair, you yourself are rather new aren’t you. Only three fragments, such a low number, it's no wonder you got assigned to me.” I say, ending my speech with just enough laughter to annoy the being before me.
“You're rather sassy for an oversized log.” The wisp of light bites back.
“And you’re rather boring for a Watcher. If all your little jabs are going to be this weak perhaps I should seek better counsel.” I respond in kind.
“Oh don’t you worry, once I have the mental power to spare I’ll turn you into sawdust. For now why don’t we just move on, it's not like you don’t know what’s going to happen.” The wisp says slowly circling around my trunk.
“Very well, I suppose I shouldn’t delay this any longer. It’ll only make things worse the longer I wait.”
“Good. Be ready, I’ve actually heard that it’s even worse for flora than it is for fauna.”
“How fun, and here I was hoping that the pain would only be agonizing as opposed to excruciating.”
“Good luck little tree, I look forward to seeing you again in the future.” The wisp says before disappearing and ending our dialogue.
I mimic my partners approximation of a sigh as I await the torture that will soon follow, at least I should wake up first since my mind trial only took a few minutes.
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Eternal Lord POV
I feel a pulse of mana as the entire dungeon shakes as though an earthquake is happening. I turn my gaze from my many projects and recombine my many splits to observe my partner. I rush my mental projection over to her nexus of consciousness, the brain equivalent that all sapient plants have. Her’s resides at the base of her trunk where it is strongest and most defensible.
I watch as pulses of mana echo out from the core held within her nexus point, these pulses cause her entire massive form to shudder and shake. Waves of verdant green and aqua blue radiate outwards destroying and rebuilding her entire body. The process lasts hours and all I can do is patiently wait, sending comforting emotions and thoughts down our currently muted bond.
I manipulate my mana to help alleviate the effects of her changing body on the rest of her dungeon. I don’t want the adventurers to freak out too much.
As I wait for ascension to complete both Bellator and Aika awaken from their own. I had left pieces of my attention with them, but there was little I could do to help them other than what I was already doing for Wyla. My Chosen’s ascensions were fast and brutal, taking less than three hours once the physical changes had started and taking only around seven to eight hours overall.
I bring each of them into my core room where all of us patiently wait for Wyla to finish. It isn’t until the next day, after 35 hours of torturous mana waves that the process finally concludes. Her entire body has been remade and now all the mana that remains is compacted into her core. Normally this is when her mana would go through a qualitative change, yet because her mana is my own it can’t. As a true core I already harness the highest quality mana and Wyla has to do the same.
This thought makes me wonder if my maxed out mana quality is responsible for how long her ascension process took.
“Relax Mark, it would’ve taken that long regardless. I already told you being a system entity, and apparently being a plant, causes my ascensions to take much longer.” Wyla speaks into my mind. Her voice is strained and exhausted, the pain in it is clear to me.
“Wyla, it's good to have you back. Please, take some time to rest. You don’t sound that great right now and your body is clearly low on energy.” I say to her, doing my best to keep my voice calm and reassuring.
“I told you it's fine, just give me some mana and let's get back to work. We have a dungeon to build, remember?” She responds, her voice regaining some of her normal tone and personality.
“Fine, no use in arguing.” I concede to her, sending a stream of my mana directly into her emptied core.
All of the mana begins to circulate through her newly improved body, saturating her trunk and leaves before finally filling her core. Her leaves now shine with a slight shimmer of Wyld mana and her roots and trunk have become even more hardy. I doubt that anything below two star could harm her, even if she’s only at the beginning of one star. I watch as she pulses her own mana reaching out her aura and entwining it with my own, it almost looks as though she stretches before turning it into a hug.
“Alright. I’m feeling better and it's time to work.” Her voice says into my mind, now fully back to how I remember it.
“Sounds good to me. We have a dungeon to build.”