The television inside continued to run.
Voices. Reports. Fragments of information.
The world was trying to understand.
Trying to catch up.
"…Ethan," Krishara called softly.
He turned and walked inside.
Nethan sat near her, eyes fixed on the screen.
"This is an official announcement," a voice said.
A man appeared on the screen.
Mid-forties. Sharp eyes. Military posture.
Calm. Controlled.
"My name is Commander Arjun Senanayake."
Ethan's gaze sharpened slightly.
Government. So they had begun organizing.
"I will be sharing confirmed information regarding the system," Arjun continued.
"This information was obtained through pre-initialization questioning privileges."
Ethan understood immediately. One of the three questions.
"So they used it for structure," he thought.
"The first topic is player progression."
A panel appeared.
"All individuals begin at Level 1."
"The maximum confirmed level is 100."
"Beyond that… remains unidentified."
A brief pause followed.
"For classification purposes, levels are grouped into tiers."
The screen shifted.
Level Classification System
Level 1–20: Initiate Tier
Level 21–40: Awakened Tier
Level 41–60: Ascendant Tier
Level 61–80: Master Tier
Level 81–100: Transcendent Tier
Beyond Level 100: Unknown
"These tiers are based strictly on level," Arjun continued.
"However, actual combat capability may vary."
Ethan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…So they haven't unlocked it yet."
"Further data suggests that a true 'combat power' system will activate only after an individual surpasses Level 60."
That was new.
Ethan leaned slightly forward.
Interesting.
The system revealed itself in stages.
"The next classification: player types."
Another panel appeared. Confirmed Player Types
Warrior (Strength-based combat)
Assassin (Agility-based combat)
Tank (Vitality-based defense)
Mage (Intelligence-based abilities)
Healer (Support and recovery)
Hybrid (Rare)
"These are determined by attributes and talent synergy."
Ethan processed it instantly.
Basic.But necessary for others.
"The third classification: talent categories."
The screen updated again.
Talent Types
Attack Type
Defense Type
Support Type
Growth Type (Rare)
Unique Type (Extremely Rare)
"Growth-type talents improve over time."
"Unique-type talents do not follow standard rules."
Ethan remained silent.
But his thoughts moved.
"…Confirmed."
"The next topic: dungeon classification."
The screen dimmed slightly.
Dungeon Ranks
F → E → D → C → B → A → S → SS → SSS → Mythic → EX
"At present, only F and E rank dungeons have been observed."
"Higher ranks will appear as global levels increase."
Krishara spoke quietly.
"…So it gets worse."
Ethan nodded.
"Yes."
"This system is not static," Arjun added.
"It evolves."
Ethan's eyes sharpened.
"…Or it's controlled."
That thought stayed.
"As for dungeon mechanics, there is currently no confirmed time limit."
"This may change with higher-ranked dungeons."
Another variable.
Ethan stored it.
Then Arjun paused.
"There is one more point."
His tone shifted slightly.
"Some individuals possess rare talent combinations."
The screen displayed two talent names.
Talent Names (Classified User)
Aegis Fortress (Defense Type)
Crimson Break (Attack Type)
"These talents belong to a single individual."
Ethan's eyes narrowed slightly.
Dual-type.
Rare.
"…So he's one of them."
Commander Arjun Senanayake.
Not just a speaker.
A future pillar.
Ethan leaned back slightly.
Processing. New structure. New rules. New limits.
But more importantly, new gaps.
"Level-based control…"
"Delayed combat system…"
"Progressive difficulty…"
A brief pause.
"…And hidden layers."
Ethan exhaled slowly.
"They're still reacting."
Which meant
He was still ahead.
Nethan looked up.
"Appachchi… what level are we?"
Ethan looked down at him.
"…Higher than most."
Krishara studied him.
"You already knew some of this, didn't you?"
"…Some," he replied calmly.
But not all.
And that was enough.
Ethan turned his gaze back to the screen.
Because now the system had a structure.
And structure could be exploited.
End of Chapter 7