CHAPTER 49: RANK UP

Night fell...

Alaric rose from his seat after finishing the dinner.

He rubbed the back of his neck, stretched once, and turned toward his room. Just as his hand reached for the door, Sari’s voice came from behind.

"You remember what Lady Selene told us, right?"

Alaric turned halfway, his gaze meeting hers over his shoulder.

"Yeah," he said with a short nod.

Sari stood up too, her expression unreadable as she walked toward her own room.

Her footsteps were soft.

Alaric watched her reach for the doorknob. She paused for a moment, casting a glance his way before turning it and stepping inside.

"Don’t make any mistakes," she added coolly, before closing the door with a click.

Alaric stared for a moment longer, then let out a breath and turned away. He entered his own room and shut the door behind him.

Then he picked the book from the table and plopped onto the bed with a soft thud. Stretching out, he flipped it open and let his eyes scan the content.

The title etched:"Foundations of Essence and Its Divergent Paths."

He flipped through until he found the section he had bookmarked earlier.

" A Theory of the Five Paths."

"Essence, the primordial force that governs all things, flows differently through every living being. But depending on one’s affinity and training, it may crystallize along five distinct paths."

"The Body Path – Essence here reinforces muscles, bones, organs, manifesting in raw power, speed, or regeneration. Practitioners often feel a burning pulse in their limbs when it activates."

"The Mind Path – Essence runs through the neural lattice, heightening focus, memory, perception, and allowing mental attacks such as, Illusions/Hallucinations, etc."

"The Soul Path – The Soul Path binds to willpower and identity. Users develop strange abilities like empathy, dreamwalking, or soul projection, which can even affects others souls. It’s unstable and hard to master, but immensely powerful. They don’t cast spells, they will them into reality. And can also summon spirits."

"The Elemental Path – The most well-known and flashy. Essence connects to nature’s laws—fire, wind, water, earth, and many more. Elemental users form contracts with the world or command it outright. But it takes precision, not just power. A mistake can burn both the enemy and the caster."

"The Beast Path – The wildest of all. Essence blends with a creature’s instinct, forming bonds or even transformations. Some tame beasts, others become them. Practitioners often awaken primal urges, and the stronger the beast, the more difficult it is to keep control."

Alaric frowned, his eyes lingering on the last line, parah, explaining about how one can sense the early stages of these and use them.

He leaned back, resting the book on his chest.

I tried using them all... but still... nothing.

His thoughts trailed off wirh flicker of frustration passing through his gaze.

He exhaled sharply and stared at the ceiling above.

Silence settled.

Then he placed the book on his chest, slid one hand behind his head, and let his body relax. One leg bent upward, the other resting lazily across it.

"I wonder what Iris would be doing right now?"

He exhaled softly, closing his eyes.

"I hope she’s doing okay..."

Just as the words left his lips—

[DING!]

A mechanical chime echoed directly in his mind.

[System Online.]

[Functionality Restored.]

[Host is thinking about everyone but their assigned target.]

Alaric blinked.

[Reminder: Host, emotional distractions may hinder the progress.]

He sighed again, this time deeper."I was just... thinking."

[Thinking ≠ Progress.]

Alaric rubbed his temples with his free hand."Yeah, well, maybe progress doesn’t mean shutting off every damn feeling."

Then—

He narrowed his eyes slightly and asked aloud,"Why weren’t you responding to my calls these past days?"

There was a brief silence.

[Host underwent partial Awakening. Due to this event, core system functions were suspended for emergency maintenance, and safety protocols.]

[Congratulations Host for successful Awakening.]

Alaric let out a slow breath of relief."So... I did awaken after all."

A quiet, fleeting smile touched his lips, but it vanished just as fast. His brows knitted again.

"Then why..." he muttered, eyes shifting toward the ceiling. "Why don’t I feel any different? I can’t use any of the skills or techniques I should’ve gotten. Isn’t that what’s supposed to happen after Awakening?"

A moment passed before the system responded.

[Because host hadn’t unlocked the skills related to their path yet.]

Alaric blinked and the opened his mouth.

But before he could say something.

[Re-establishing Sync.]

[Ding!]

[Rewards for Successful Awakening.]

[+5 to All Stats | +500 EXP | +500 Domination Points.]

Then a sudden tingling sensation rushed through his limbs.

His breath hitched.

It started as a subtle warmth in his chest, then bloomed, like a rising tide, through every nerve, muscle, and cell in his body. His fingers clenched the bedsheet as a surge of power pulsed beneath his skin.

Rank: Unawakened

EXP: 100/100 (1800 + 500)

Rank: F-

For next rank- EXP: 300/300 (1500 + 500)

[Sub-Rank upgrade: +2 to each stat | +6 Free stat points!]

Rank:F

For next rank- EXP: 600/600 (900 + 500)

[Ding!]

[Sub-Rank upgrade: +2 to each stat | +6 Free stat points!]

Rank: F+

EXP: 1100/1100 (300)

[Ding!]

[Rank upgrade: +5 to each stat | +12 Free stat points!]

Rank: E-

EXP: 300/1800

{A/N: Sorry for inconvenience}

[STATUS WINDOW]

Name: Brandon (Past Life: Alaric Noir)

Race: Human

Age: 19

Title: Slave, Model Servant, (The Fallen King)

Essence Path: The Path of #$#&##@##

Rank: E-

For next rank- EXP: 300/1800

Stats:

STR: 15 — 29

AGI: 14 — 28

END: 14 — 28

WIL: 21 — 35

CHA: 25 — 39

INT: 13 (??) — 27

Free stats points: 24

Domination Points: 730

Main Quest: Subjugate Selene Gilmore (49% Progressed)

System Level: 2 (Requires 3000 Domination Points to Upgrade)

Skill Tree: ___

Shop: Basic Tier Items

Obedience Meter: Target Not Found!

Loyalty Meter: Target not found!

Harem Tracker: 0

DP Exchange: Available

??? (Locked – Requires System Level 3)

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End of the Chapter...

{A/N}

Sorry for the late updates guys.

I’ll try to avoid this and update on the schedule in upcoming days.

Okay, so bye and enjoy...

And also comment if you don’t like any parts of the writing or like prose, wb, characters...

It’ll really be helpful for futher improvement.

That’s it for today.

And thanks for reading.