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CHAPTER 7: The Weight of Knowledge.
The hallway was silent.
Only the faint echo of footsteps followed behind him.
Slow.
Measured.
Heavy.
---
Lucius walked forward.
..
Each step grounded.
Each breath controlled.
---
His body still ached.
A dull, lingering pain spread through his ribs.
A reminder.
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You're still weak.
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He didn't deny it.
He accepted it.
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That was why—
He kept walking.
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Behind him—
Soft footsteps.
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"…Young Master…"
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Elara.
Her voice carried hesitation.
Concern.
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"You shouldn't be walking this soon…"
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Lucius didn't stop.
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"I said I'm fine."
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Simple.
Calm.
Final.
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Silence followed.
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But she didn't leave.
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Of course she wouldn't.
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He glanced slightly to the side.
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"…Then stay quiet."
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A pause.
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"…And follow."
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"…Yes, Young Master."
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They continued.
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The estate was large.
Once grand.
Still beautiful.
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But—
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Quiet.
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Too quiet.
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The kind of silence that came from decline.
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Fewer servants.
Less activity.
Less life.
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Lucius noticed.
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So it's worse than I thought.
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The Venus family—
Falling.
Slowly.
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But that didn't matter.
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Not yet.
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What mattered—
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Was knowledge.
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They stopped.
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Before a massive set of doors.
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The library.
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Tall.
Ancient.
Heavy.
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Carved with intricate patterns.
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Symbols of the past.
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A time when the Venus family stood at the peak.
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Lucius raised his hand—
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Then pushed.
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CREEEAK—
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The doors opened slowly.
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Dust stirred.
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The scent of old pages filled the air.
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Rows.
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Endless rows.
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Bookshelves stretching from floor to ceiling.
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Stacks of knowledge.
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Untouched.
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Forgotten.
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Lucius stepped inside.
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His eyes sharpened.
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"…Good."
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Elara hesitated at the entrance.
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"…Young Master, should I prepare—"
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"No."
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He walked forward.
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"I'll handle it."
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Silence.
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"…Yes."
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She stepped back.
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The doors closed behind him.
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And just like that—
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He was alone.
Lucius moved deeper into the library.
His fingers brushed against the spines of books.
Dust.
Age.
History.
A pause.
"…Even though I've received his memories…"
His gaze lowered slightly.
"…I didn't get everything."
Fragments.
Incomplete.
Blurred.
Faces.
Voices.
Names.
But not—
Structure.
"…Then I'll learn it myself."
His hand moved.
Stopping on a book.
He pulled it out slowly.
"The Structure of the World."
Lucius opened it.
"…A fantasy world…"
Magic.
Swords.
Monsters.
Dungeons.
A world where strength—
Defined everything.
"…And hierarchy…"
His eyes moved across the page.
At the very top—
The Royal Family.
The Kingdom of Garcia.
Founded by—
King Reeve Garcia.
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A man who rose during the age of chaos.
A ruler who unified territories.
A conqueror—
Who established order.
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But more than that—
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He was a wielder of a God Tier Talent.
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A being who stood at the absolute peak.
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His Talent—
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Creator of Thunders.
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A Talent that allowed him to command lightning itself.
To create it.
To control it.
To destroy with it.
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Because of this—
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He was known as—
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The Thunder God.
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A name feared across the world.
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"…So even the founder…"
Lucius murmured softly.
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"…stood at the very top."
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His eyes continued scanning.
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After establishing the kingdom—
After bringing order—
After reaching the peak—
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"…He disappeared."
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No war.
No death.
No trace.
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Gone.
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"…No one knows where he went…"
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"…Or if he even died."
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Silence lingered.
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A king.
A god-like existence—
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Vanished.
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"…Interesting."
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Because that meant—
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Even the strongest—
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Could disappear.
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Or perhaps—
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Transcend.
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Lucius closed that thought.
--- The world was not just the
Kingdom of Garcia. Far to the north lay the Dwarven
Kingdom of Dwargo, ruled by King Durak Dwargo, a
fortress realm carved into mountains rich with minerals
and metals. Its warriors were known for unmatched
smithing and heavy armor, and its engineers crafted
weapons that rivaled magic. To the east stretched the
Elven Realm of Elvons, led by Queen Elizabeth Elvons.
Towering forests, pristine rivers, and hidden magical
sanctuaries defined the land. Their Talents often
centered around nature, magic, and unparalleled archery.
To the south, the Holy Kingdom of Denmarkia stood,
governed by King Check Denmarkia. A land of faith,
temples, and knights, it was the center of religious power,
its soldiers often blessed with divine Talents. Finally, to
the west, there was the Kingdom of Queens, an
agricultural and trade powerhouse ruled by Queen
Manase Queens. Fertile lands and sprawling farmlands
fed the neighboring regions, and its people often
specialized in cultivation, trading Talents, and production
of rare goods. ---
--
"…And from him…"
"…came the foundation of the Imperial Kingdom."
A lineage that carried authority.
Power.
Control.
Below the throne—
The nobles.
Seven Great Houses.
The pillars of the kingdom.
Each holding influence.
Territory.
Military power.
Lucius's eyes sharpened.
"…Seven."
He read carefully.
1. House Garcia – Royal Family
Rank: King
The absolute authority.
The rulers of the kingdom.
Through the founder, each of their bloodlines awakens the Thunder Talent....which shows their authority and rulers of the Kingdom.
2. House Valtherion
Rank: Duke
The strongest noble house beneath the crown.
Military power.
Loyal to the throne.
3. House Draven
Rank: Duke
Masters of strategy and warfare.
Feared for their influence and the one's who made a contract with a vampire lord, which helped them in facing the invaded monsters.... Through this pacts their bloodlines started to awaken known as "Blood Manipulation" Talent....
4. House Brett
Rank: Marquis
A house of mages.
Deeply connected to magical research....
And they are also known as House of Beasts Tamers, through being able to tame Beast,this also affected their bloodlines which makes each one of them Beasts Tamers....And their Talents is Beast Tamer
5. House Thornvale
Rank: Marquis
Control over trade and resources.
Wealth beyond measure.
6. House Reinhardt
Rank: Count
Knights.
Warriors.
Battle-hardened.
7. House Venus
Rank: Count (Formerly Duke)
A declining noble house.
Once powerful.
Now—
Fading.
Silence.
Lucius closed the gap between the lines with his own thoughts.
"…So that's where we stand."
Not at the top.
Not even close.
Falling.
Slowly.
"…A ruined name…"
But—
His grip tightened slightly around the book.
"…Not for long."
His eyes moved again.
Hierarchy.
Power.
Control.
Everything—
Was structured.
Defined.
"…Good."
Because systems—
Could be understood.
And once understood—
They could be broken.
Lucius closed the book slowly.
"…Now…"
His gaze deepened.
"…let's see how Talents fit into all of this."
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Lucius moved deeper into the library.
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His fingers brushed against the spines of books.
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Dust.
Age.
History.
---
"…Let's see."
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He stopped.
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Pulled one book.
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Opened it.
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"Fundamentals of Talents."
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His eyes scanned quickly.
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Absorbing.
Filtering.
Understanding.
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"…So this is how they explain it."
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Talents.
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Not random.
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Not entirely.
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They were—
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Inherited.
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Influenced.
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Shaped by bloodlines.
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"…That explains the nobles."
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Why powerful Talents appeared among them.
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Why strength stayed within certain families.
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But—
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Not always.
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There were exceptions.
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Rare.
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But real.
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"…Commoners with high-grade Talents…"
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"…TRANCENDER'S."
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People who broke the system.
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People who rose.
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People who—
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Changed everything.
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Lucius's gaze deepened slightly.
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"…But this is only what people believe…"
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A pause.
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"…That Talents are born from the soul."
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His eyes narrowed.
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"…Or awakened from within."
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Silence.
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Then—
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"…But that's not entirely true… is it?"
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A faint thought crossed his mind.
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Because if that were the case—
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Then why—
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Were Talents so structured?
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So… intentional?
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"…Given…"
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A quiet whisper.
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"…Not just gained."
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Lucius leaned back slightly.
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"…Talents…"
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"…are gifts."
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A pause.
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"…Granted by the gods."
And Later influenced by Blood lines..
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A faint pause.
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"…And when a Talent awakens…"
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Lucius's eyes moved slightly as he recalled the details written in the book.
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"…a panel appears."
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A blue screen.
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Floating.
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Visible only to the awakened individual.
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Displaying everything—
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Name.
Talent.
Rank.
Stats.
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Proof of one's worth.
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Proof of one's limits.
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"…So everyone sees the same thing…"
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A system.
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Standardized.
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Controlled.
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A pause.
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Lucius's gaze deepened.
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"…But mine…"
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Silence.
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"…is different."
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No blue panel.
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No fixed awakening moment.
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No Divine Announcement.
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Only—
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The system.
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Something beyond what this world understood.
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"…So even this…"
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"…is outside their rules."
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A faint smile appeared.
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"…Good."
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Because that meant—
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He wasn't bound.
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Not completely.
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Not like them.
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The realization settled.
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Heavy.
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"…Which means…"
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"…power isn't truly yours."
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A faint smile appeared.
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"…It's borrowed."
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And borrowed power—
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Could be taken away.
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Or controlled.
And also there are people who Talents are the same as
their skills For example someone who have awakened
'Foresight Talent' have the skill known as Foresight itself
Which is being able to predict or anticipate something
before it happens.
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"…Interesting."
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Lucius closed the book.
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Then reached for another.
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"Dungeon Classification and Risk Assessment."
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He opened it.
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"…Dungeons are ranked…"
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E.
D.
C.
B.
A.
S.
And Unknown
These Dungeons rarely appear, it appeared once and later
cleared itself...
So they don't have "much information" about "Unknown
Dungeons" which is also called "Question Mark
Dungeon"...
And by clearing Dungeons one can gain 'Skills' ,
equipments and monster core, which can be used in
forging equipments or weapons.....
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Each step—
A massive difference.
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"…E-rank."
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The one he entered.
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The lowest.
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"…Yet I almost died."
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A faint smile.
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Not amused.
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Realistic.
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"…So that's the baseline."
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Weak.
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He turned the page.
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Monsters.
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Behavior.
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Patterns.
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"…Skarnlings…"
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His eyes paused.
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"…Pack-type creatures."
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"…High aggression."
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"…Low individual strength."
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"…Danger increases in groups."
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"…Variants exist."
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"…Brute-type…"
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"…Tyrant-class…"
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Lucius's gaze sharpened.
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"…So it wasn't random."
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The Skarn Tyrant.
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It was—
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Expected.
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"…Good."
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That meant—
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Predictability.
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And predictability—
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Could be controlled.
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Lucius closed the book.
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Silence filled the space.
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"…System."
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No response.
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"…You don't answer questions."
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A faint exhale.
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"…Fine."
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He didn't need it.
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Not for this.
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Lucius turned.
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Walking back toward the entrance.
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His steps—
Steady.
---
His mind—
Working.
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Processing everything.
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Talents.
Dungeons.
Systems.
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"…This world…"
---
His eyes darkened slightly.
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"…is far deeper than I thought."
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He reached the door.
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Opened it.
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Light spilled in.
---
Elara stood there.
Waiting.
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"…Young Master."
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Lucius stepped out.
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"…Prepare more books"
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A pause.
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"…Everything related to Talents."
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Elara blinked—
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Then nodded.
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"…Yes, Young Master."
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Lucius walked past her.
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Without stopping.
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Without hesitation.
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Because now—
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He understood something clearly.
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Strength alone—
Was not enough.
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Knowledge—
Was power.
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And he intended—
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To take it all.
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To be continued.