The System was generous enough to give me a brief explanation of its leveling system, and it turned out that even Common Archetypes weren't useless.
Kill enemies to earn EXP. You can also buy it for System Points. With enough EXP, you can gain a level. Each level gives you 5 free points to spend. There are level limits for each User Rank.
You start at level 0 and Rank F unless your starting Attributes total more than 100.
First, choose a Common rarity Archetype at level 0 to reach E rank.
At level 20, choose a Common or Uncommon Archetype to advance to D rank.
At level 50, choose an Uncommon or Rare Archetype to advance to C rank.
At level 100, choose a Rare or Ultra Rare Archetype to advance to B rank.
At level 250, choose an Ultra Rare or Epic Archetype to advance to A rank.
At level 500, choose an Epic or Legendary Archetype to advance to S rank.
At level 1000... when the time comes, we will tell you what to do.
Each advancement past the first requires paying a fee depending on the Rank and Rarity of the chosen Archetype. The rarer options require more System Points for advancement. You can't advance or continue to level up if you don't have any available Archetypes of the necessary rarity or enough points to pay the fee.
Now, choose your first Archetype from the following options:
The Nerd (Common)
Trait: Knowledge Seeker - Gain a 15% bonus to learning speed for theoretical subjects, -5% to social interactions. Don't worry, being socially awkward is part of the charm!
Innate Ability: Neural Mail - Create a temporary mental connection to transfer knowledge directly into an ally's mind. Warning: May cause headaches and a sudden urge to quote Star Wars.
Cost: Low
Cooldown: Short
Scaling: Mind
Gamer (Common)
Trait: Game Sense - Convert gaming experience into combat proficiency, increasing reaction speed by 20% and strategic thinking by 15% during battle. Those countless hours weren't wasted after all!
Innate Ability: Virtual Interface - Create a temporary HUD overlay showing levels, weak points, and predicted attack patterns of your targets. Note: No, you can't use it to quick-save in real life.
Cost: Low
Cooldown: Moderate
Scaling: Mind, Grace
Dropout (Common)
Trait: Street Smart - Convert missed academic opportunities into practical wisdom, gaining 15% to improvisation skills, -10% to academic pursuits. Who needs calculus when you can count cards?
Innate Ability: Street Smart Breakdown - Momentarily deconstruct complex scenarios into simplified survival patterns, revealing hidden paths and quick solutions. Reality becomes a playground of strategic possibilities.
Cost: Low
Cooldown: Short
Scaling: Mind
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Robber (Common)
Trait: Urban Opportunist - Gain enhanced awareness of vulnerable targets and situational advantages. +15% chance to detect unguarded valuable opportunities in high-risk environments.
Innate Ability: Value Perception - Temporarily see valuable items and potential marks highlighted through walls. Like a thief's thermal vision, but shinier.
Cost: Very Low
Cooldown: Moderate
Scaling: Mind
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Pit Fighter (Common)
Trait: Arena Veteran - Convert battle experience and audience attention into raw power. Gain Might and Grace equal to 10% of your Spirit when fighting in front of spectators (you should be watched by at least ten people to trigger this effect). Because nothing says 'entertainment' like showing off your moves while people bet on your survival!
Innate Ability: Crowd Pleaser - Temporarily enter a state of heightened combat awareness, where each successful strike builds crowd enthusiasm, converting it into increased combat effectiveness. The more they cheer, the stronger you become. The effect ends if no one is cheering for you… and can actually decrease your stats if the crowd is unhappy.
Cost: Moderate
Cooldown: Long
Scaling: Spirit
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System installation: 87%
My choice was limited to Common rarity Archetypes. The Robber was immediately out of the question—the last thing I needed was for someone to check my Archetype and label me a thief. The Nerd, while offering some interesting utility, was fundamentally a non-combat Archetype. Its focus on theoretical knowledge and mental connections would be great for a scholar or researcher, but I needed something that would help me survive in battle. The social penalty was just the cherry on top of an already unsuitable choice, especially when coordinating with others was crucial for my quest.
Dropout was similarly misaligned with my needs. Sure, the street smarts and improvisation could be useful, but it was another Archetype better suited for someone avoiding direct confrontation. I needed power I could rely on in a fight, not just clever ways to find alternate solutions. Besides, my interrupted education wasn't something I particularly wanted to build my identity around.
In the end, my only options were Gamer and Pit Fighter. While both offered decent bonuses, Pit Fighter had obvious drawbacks. The requirement for spectators severely limited its usefulness—I couldn’t rely on having an audience every time I needed to fight. More importantly, the whole concept rubbed me the wrong way. I had spent enough time as the Kingdom's "entertainment" back in Luminosa, forced to prove myself while nobles watched and judged. The idea of building my power around amusing others while risking my life... no thanks.
The Gamer Archetype felt right. Not because of my recent arena performance, but because it represented who I was even before Luminosa. Those countless hours spent mastering games, developing split-second reactions and strategic thinking—it was the most authentic choice, an Archetype I had earned simply by being myself. Plus, the reaction speed bonus would always be active, not situational, and I was genuinely curious about how its Virtual Interface ability would look.
The moment I confirmed my choice, I felt the familiar fluctuations of the System's runes inscribing themselves on my existence. The runes were small, taking up little space or energy, but their complexity was staggering. My enhanced senses could detect their formation, but understanding them remained as impossible as comprehending the natural runes that governed my Elements.
The way Mana cultivation worked was easier to understand through metaphor. Think of it like a tree growing in soil with distinct layers. The deepest layer consisted of my body and soul—the foundation that determined how much Aether I could absorb and convert into Mana. The upper layer was my Condensed Mana, accumulated through cultivation and training. Just as soil holds water and nutrients, the quality of my body and soul determined how much Mana I could contain and utilize. Condensed Mana also served as a kind of sponge, increasing my capacity until it was converted into my foundation as I advanced to the next rank.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
In my case, the "tree" produced three types of "fruit"—Air, Lightning, and Gravity. These were my Elements, manifestations of power that emerged naturally from my soul's resonance with specific types of Aether. The better I cultivated, the more powerful these manifestations became.
The System's modification added what felt like a third layer, distinct from both my natural foundation and my Condensed Mana. It was closer to the Condensed Mana in nature but fundamentally different—an artificial construct that didn’t interfere with my natural abilities. Instead, it used the groundwork created when the System extracted my Condensed Mana to establish its own growth pattern.
The Archetype felt like a metallic tree growing alongside my natural one, drawing from this new layer. My levels would add depth to this artificial soil, allowing both trees to flourish independently. While the metaphor wasn't perfect, it helped me understand what I was sensing—the beginning of a parallel path of power, one that would complement rather than replace my existing abilities.
The key difference lay in how these powers were understood. My Elements required months or years of practice to master truly, each new technique demanding countless hours of experimentation and failure. The System, however, simply granted knowledge directly through its runes, like downloading information straight into my soul.
The moment my Archetype settled, I decided to test its Innate Ability. Drawing a tiny amount of Mana—barely enough to notice the drain—I activated Virtual Interface. The sensation was unique, completely different from my usual manipulation of Elements. Instead of shaping Mana with my will, it felt more like flipping a switch, the System's runes lighting up in response to my intent.
My vision shifted subtly as information began overlaying reality. The most immediate change was seeing levels floating above everyone's heads in the restaurant—Sergio's level 25, Alisa's 7, Marcus's level 4, and both José and Kusogaki at level 3. Our dark elf waiter's level 250 was particularly eye-catching—far more convenient than having to deliberately query the System each time. The interface also highlighted potential movement patterns during combat, marking possible attack trajectories and defensive positions with faint lines, even in this peaceful setting.
Through my Mana Sense, I could feel how the ability drew power continuously but efficiently. I could maintain it for hours with just this minimal expenditure, though using more Mana would presumably enhance its analytical capabilities. For now, this basic activation was enough to familiarize myself with its features.
"Is something wrong?" Alisa asked, noticing my focused expression.
"Just testing a new ability," I replied, watching the numbers hover above their heads like some kind of RPG come to life. "Looks like my gaming addiction is finally paying off."
With the Archetype part of the System settled, I would normally need to choose my Skills next, based on what Sergio and Alisa had explained. Skills were supposedly even more useful than Archetypes, with options depending on your Archetype, level, and rank. You'd have to buy them for SP, but I had enough points for something basic. Of course, things couldn't be that simple.
System installation: 87%.
Quests
Achievement Assessment (Cleared)
Status
Archetypes
Skills [Unavailable]
Shop [Partial Availability]
Inventory [Unavailable]
Was the System intentionally keeping me weaker, or was there an actual problem with integration?
At least one important interface worked:
[You have leveled up!]
[...]
[You have leveled up!]
[Congratulations! You have reached level 8!]
Level 8? I couldn't help but shake my head. Wasn't the System being a bit too stingy? I'd defeated someone 357 levels above me. I was probably limited by some hidden restriction. Based on the pace of my companions, the first levels were supposed to be super fast to gain. But to be fair, I should have been around level 500 with my stats and normally wouldn't benefit from such weak opponents.
I opened my status screen. If the System was giving me points to spend, who was I to decline?
Status Screen
Race: Human*
Level: 8 (57%)
Archetypes: Gamer (Common)
Skills: None
Attributes [2573]
Might: 480
Grace: 620
Tenacity: 416
Mind: 56
Spirit: 1001
Free Attributes: 40
As I pondered how to distribute my free points, my gaze fixed on the race entry: "Human*". The asterisk caught my attention, and as if sensing my curiosity, more details appeared:
[Race: Human*] One of the common evolutionary results for mammalian species on worlds that achieve sapience. Very common among primates that develop brains capable of advanced thinking. While many species of humans exist, some are more sturdy and others more intelligent, you belong to the smarter strain. Your particular civilization has been advancing at such an unprecedented rate that your planet barely had time to Awaken before your technology could discover and utilize Aether. Had your world not connected to the System in time, your planet would have been forced to eliminate you to maintain balance. Thankfully, now that you are connected to the System, we will ensure your science develops along appropriate paths. You can thank us later.
[Unique Points of Humans]
* Sophisticated cooling system allowing for superior endurance compared to most mammals (though birds still have you beat)
* Hands capable of fine manipulation (though inferior to tentacles and other appendages of sapient species)
* Physical strength is rather lackluster compared to body size, though trainable
* Exceptional aptitude for communication and empathy (as well as murder and deviancy!)
* You breed like rabbits if given enough resources and space
* Have an unnerving tendency for self-destruction
[System Integration Notes] With the advent of Aether and Mana, your species demonstrates one of the most adaptable physical and mental codes. This grants humans access to a vast array of Archetypes and Skills, provided they prove themselves worthy. The chosen ones among you can achieve the peaks of power within the System. Your low starting point (below 100 total attribute points) allows the System to shape you advantageously in the long term compared to more powerful races that start at higher levels but lose some Archetype effects as a result.
[Special Status: Clinton Wyatt] You have been contaminated; your initial code has been altered to something else. However, this change was so natural and sophisticated that we could build around it, allowing you to follow the traditional human advancement path as if your initial attributes were below 100. There are very few beings quite like you. With our help, you could bring balance to the universe... or break it entirely.
[WARNING: Special Conditions] You require significantly more experience to advance levels. While this gap is almost tolerable at lower levels, it becomes increasingly noticeable as you progress. To fulfill your potential, you must fight increasingly powerful beings that you won't find in common worlds. Even Epic and Legendary Archetypes won't circumvent this requirement—you must defeat opponents many times your level. Unfortunately, we don't make all the rules (well, some of them we do, but others are beyond our control). We can't simply give you the most powerful Archetypes and Skills for free, no matter how special you are. We have to be fair, you know?
[System Status Update] Installation Progress : 87% Note: Your natural runes demonstrate remarkable defensive properties, resisting our interference. This makes integration... challenging.
Estimated time for complete System installation: 20 hours
I decided to invest my points into Mind, my lowest attribute. The moment I confirmed this choice, I felt a distinct change—my Mind attribute jumped from 56 to 84. Through my Mana Sense, I detected an interesting phenomenon: new Condensed Mana forming in specific regions of my brain rather than spreading throughout my body.
This distribution of Mana was particularly telling. Different cultivation paths created distinct Mana patterns in the body. Fighters typically had their Mana spread evenly throughout their form, with minimal concentration in the head—perfect for physical enhancement. Casters were the opposite, concentrating almost all their Mana in the brain like a dense cluster of energy, maximizing their spell-casting potential. As a Primalist, I normally maintained a balance between these extremes, but this System-granted power—the addition to the Mind Attribute—was definitely brain-focused.
The boost was significant, but not in the way most people might expect. Even Casters with Mind attributes in the thousands didn't become super-geniuses; instead, their brains got more efficient at specific magical operations. Think of it as upgrading a computer's specialized graphics card rather than its general processor. But doing this would still improve the general performance, so to some extent things such as memory, math skill and so on enhanced as well. Your brain worked better, faster, but your IQ didn't change much. In more practical terms, the Mind attribute enhanced the ability to understand magical principles or runes and learn spells, while Spirit governed the actual manipulation of Mana and its efficiency.
The difference was still remarkable. I had been operating at above-human mental capacity since reaching the Third Tier, but this was different. Every cultivator, even at Tier One, processes information faster than normal humans, but raw processing power doesn't equal genius-level insights or creativity.
The System's enhancement seemed to build on my existing capabilities rather than fundamentally changing how my mind worked. With the differences between Archetypes and Elements, it was very possible that some people would utilize the Mind Attribute for science and discovery rather than for mere spells. And this... this was a scary thought. I couldn't help but remember the description of our race—it seemed that, whether due to the Atheos System or our planet itself, they perfectly understood how dangerous we could become using science. For better or worse, the System seemed to have some countermeasure in mind.
Before I could fully explore these new mental capabilities, a notification appeared that instantly derailed my train of thought:
[WARNING: One of your little geese has died. You should've taken better care of them.]