Nichol opened his Status Window with gleeful expectation.

With the traits of his previous life now merged to his present, his intelligence and sensitivity to details were magnified by several folds. Hence, analysing what transpired in the Boss Room when he undertook the Awakening, he deduced what ability had awakened in him.

A deduction he prayed to be accurate.

______________________________

[Status Window]

Name: Nichol Schade

Age: 18

Condition: Injured (All Stats reduced by 40%)

Level: 1 [Mana: 12]

Strength: 13 (-5)

Dexterity: 11 (-4)

Vitality: 13 (-5)

Intelligence: [unidentifiable]

Innate Skill(s): [SENTINEL], [ONE ABOVE ALL]

______________________________

‘YES!’ Nichol eyes glinted when he saw his Innate Skills.

Next to their connection to the Akashic System, the most vital to a Ranger’s existence is the Innate Skill(s) awakened in them by the system. Aside that it’s what grants them the physical means to hunt monsters, it also serves as the benchmark onto how a Ranger should advance (Level Up).

Nichol’s former identity, Gecko, due to his job as a porter, is versed, though not extensive, to the Ranger’s Innate Skills as well as to the Types.

These Types are divided into 6:

1. Enhancer-type

2. Transmuter-type

3. Conjurer-type

4. Controller-type

5. Emission-affinity

6. Special-type

In his former understanding as Gecko, he deemed these 6 as the categories where a Ranger belonged. Like how Enhancer-types are experts in melee combat because they can augment their attack, defence, and speed or how Transmuter-types has magician-like abilities. Those understandings are not wrong but they are superficial. The simplest explanation so that the common folk could understand.

In reality, these 6 types are actually the inclinations of the Ranger’s body in utilizing Mana.

Enhancer-types utilizes their Mana to increase their natural abilities or the natural abilities of an object they wield. Hence, because they can increase their strength, defence, and even speed, Enhancer-types are best suited for melee combat.

Transmuters, as the root word ‘transmute’ implies, are Rangers that can change, transmute, their Mana to mimic the properties of a certain substance. It is for this is to why most, if that all, Transmuter-types has magician-like abilities such as firing fireballs and lightning bolts.

As for the Controller-types, these are the type of Rangers that can manipulate living or non-living things by injecting their Mana into them. The injection can either be accomplished via physical contact or via a condition the Ranger must first fulfil. Telekinesis, taming, provocation, and mind-control all falls under this type.

Conjurer-types are often confused as Transmuters and vice versa because both manipulate the existence of Mana to become something else. However, while Transmuters manipulate their Mana to mimic the property or properties of a certain substance, Conjurer-types on the other hand sacrifices their Mana to create a physical and independent material object. In a master level, adept Conjurers can even create sentient things, making the Conjurer-type the most versatile type of Ranger there is.

Unfortunately, it is also the Conjurer-type that suffers the most number of limitations.

The most common is that because the product of the Mana manipulation is an independent object, depending on the identity of the conjured, the Ranger will have little to no control over it not unless a certain condition or contract is prepared beforehand.

Then there’s the matter of Emission-affinity. Tackling this matter, this is the part where the Ranger typing and even the existence of the Rangers as a whole will get a little complex.

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Unlike the first 4, the Emission-affinity can never be a standalone affinity and is more define as the fences that separates the elite from the ordinary Rangers.

When using Innate Skills, regardless which and what type it is, the Mana consumption is always 1 Mana and the power procured by the skill is always fixed congruent to the skill’s current level. However, if a Ranger has a high Emission-affinity, from the root word ‘emit’, a multiplier is applied to the effect of the skills.

It is via this guideline that Rangers are ranked and the ranks the Rangers Association established are as follow:

1. Rank SS

2. Rank S

3. Rank A

4. Rank B

5. Rank C

6. Rank D

7. Rank E

Rank E, the lowest, are those that procured less than the acceptable. Their Emission-affinity is below average that the fixed effect of their Innate Skills weren’t even met.

Rank D is the borderline, the average. Their multiplier starts from 0% up to 50%.

70% of the Rangers around the world either belong to Rank E or Rank D.

Rank C are those with multiplier above 50% but still below the coveted 2x. They constitute 15% of the Rangers’ population.

Now we move to the first benchmark of the elites, the Rank B. Rangers with Emission-affinity above 100% belong to this rank and are highly sought by large organizations. Unfortunately, they only comprise 10% of the overall number of Rangers.

Finally, it’s the final 5%, the elite among elites. The Rank A with the 3x multiplier and the Rank S with the 4x multiplier. Among these 5%, only a couple hundred are Rank S and the rest belonged to the Rank A.

The most prestigious of Clans and Guilds are those where these 5% belonged.

As for the Rank SS, there are only 9 of them in the world and with a multiplier that’s at least twice than that of a Rank S, each are esteemed either as National-treasures or Superweapons. Countries and States that are aligned with them are the strongest in the world.

So far, the Emission-affinity ranking are within these seven with an speculation of the existence of an 8th one, a rank above Rank SS called the Rank X. However, no indication or evidence were ever presented yet that proved the rank’s existence and such, the ranking system is fixed to these seven for the foreseeable future.

Lastly is the Special-type, the type that could be broadly defined as anything that does not belong to any of the other five.

Nothing much is known about this type and how it manipulate Mana, probably because in some cases, Mana isn’t even required to generate its effect, making it the vaguest type there is.

The awakened Innate Skill hints which among the 6 affinities the Ranger is highly inclined and hence, it creates the parameter which Skill Book(s) to secure and learn and what Stat to enhance over the course of their advancement.

However, these facts aren’t the reason why Nichol is rejoicing and neither is the fact that he’d awakened two Innate Skills which was quite a rare endowment, a one-in-a-thousand awakenings as a matter of fact.

It is over the identity of one of his Innate Skills. He had his speculations based on what transpired in the Boss Room after his awakening but now, it is fully confirmed.

Sentinel was reincarnated with him.

Immediately, Nichol opened the Skill Window for the [SENTINEL] skill.

______________________________

[SENTINEL | Level 1]

The ability to realize the existence called Sentinel.

The system could not generate more information about the skill.

The system is leaving that task to you. Hopefully, you’ll have better luck.

Sentinel’s Level synched with [ONE ABOVE ALL].

______________________________

The Akashic System is unable to provide description or rather, it’s unable to identify Sentinel. Either because Sentinel isn’t just an Innate Skill but a reincarnate like himself or Sentinel himself is intercepting the influence of the Akashic System.

“Can you hear me?” Nichol asked to the Skill Window.

-Yes. (Sentinel)

Nichol heard his voice.

-Brother, is it really you? (Sentinel)

“Yes,” Nichol smiled and giving that confirmation to Sen, the Skill Window digitalized into countless binaries of 0 and 1 then reconstruct to adapt the form of a baby slime which landed onto Nichol’s hand.

-Brother! It’s really you! (Sentinel)

Sen exclaimed in joy.

“Sen!” Nichol also cried happily, drawing Sen close and rubbing him against his cheek. “You’re really back!”

-Brother, do you know where we are? (Sentinel)

When the high was over, Sen inquired, which was briefly surprising since he’s Sen, the Super A.I. that once command the digital world and all the information it offers. Unfortunately now after their rebirth, that identity is now an ancient history and his world is presently exclusive to him right now. It is even still something to confirm if he’s still capable of navigating the digital world or he’s simply stuck in him. Hence, Nichol caught him up with everything.

-Something like this was possible? It’s so unscientific. (Sentinel)

Sen was astonished.

“Well, the how is actually irrelevant,” he said back. “We’re here and that’s all that matters.”

-Yeah, you’re right. We don’t have a place in the former world after all. So what’s your plan? (Sentinel)

“First, we figure out what you can, what I can, then we’ll take our next step from there.”

-If that’s your pace then you better start with your other Innate Skill. (Sentinel)

“Why?” Nichol frowned. He was just about to check it. “What’s wrong with my other Innate Skill?”

-Better see it for yourself. (Sentinel)

Nichol complied and immediately opened the Skill Window for [ONE ABOVE ALL] and when he saw the skill’s description, he cried in shock, “What the fuck!?”