Essence Talent

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〈System: You have completed your first Basic Training Quest.〉

〈Sytstem: +5 Strength, +5 Stamina〉

〈System: You have leveled up to Lv.4.〉

〈System: +10 Stat Points〉

As Apollo sat in silence before Cynthia, he pulled up his status screen and looked for the best places to place his points.

┌───────────────────

(Demon Monarch System) Lv.1 [0/10]

Name: Apollo Kaiser

Race: Human

Level: 4

Experience: 0/400

[«Attributes»]

Strength: 20 → 25

Stamina: 15 → 20

Agility: 10

Perception: 80

Vitality: 15

[Stat Points: 10]

└───────────────────

'There's a chance we might do the same training tomorrow. But, my Agility is also low. Azridan said Agility is crucial, so I can't neglect it. Hm....'

As Apollo descended into a rut over his stat allocation, he turned to Azridan for advice on the matter.

[For now, go all in on Vitality. The higher your Vitality, the faster you will heal. The fast you recover, the more training you can conduct. The more exercise you perform, the quicker you and the system grow. Do you see the cycle.]

"I do," Apollo replied mentally.

Apollo took Azridan's advice and invested all his available Stat Points in Vitality, increasing it to 25. The wounds on his hands grew warm, and the aching pain subsided slightly.

The system and the healing spread under his bandages helped accelerate the healing process to where it should be bearable within one day.

Cynthia noticed Apollo's alleviated expression and smiled. "Does that feel better for you?" She lifted her hand and caressed Apollo's cheek tenderly.

"Yeah. Auntie, do you know what tomorrow's training will be?" Apollo asked.

Azridan didn't deliver a quest, so it was evident his knowledge on the matter was nonexistent. Instead, Apollo would have to ask someone like Cynthia, who acted as one of the training instructors.

"Tomorrow? I believe we'll start with an Essence Talent Assessment to understand who should receive additional training. Some children got through today's training with little to no problems. Aaron happened to be one of those children. So, we need to challenge them."

Unlike Apollo, Aaron's hands were only slightly bruised and swollen, which didn't require any medical attention. His body would naturally absorb Essence and heal itself.

"What exactly is an Essence Talent?" Apollo's gaze filled with an inquisitive light as he looked at Cynthia.

"Essence Talent is how easy or difficult the process of Essence Absorption is for an individual. The higher one's Essence Talent, the quicker the process. Essence Talent also determines how much Essence can be absorbed in one sitting."

"Is it defined at birth?" Apollo blinked while awaiting the answer to this.

Cynthia shook her head. "Not at all. While children may exhibit signs of talent from a young age, the nature of their talent isn't revealed until their 10th birthday, when their Natural Root matures.

"Natural Root…" Apollo's lips curved downward at another unfamiliar mention.

"The Natural Root is what drives Natual Essence to the body. It's also helpful in converting Essence into Aura, and the distinction of an individual's Natural Root is defined by the color it radiates. Depending on the color, it'll be gauged from Warrior to Empyrean."

"Empyrean? That… that sounds cool," Apollo muttered in a dazed voice.

"It is. Because the ancestors who first established the path of Aura have reached that level of Essence talent," Cynthia said with a hint of pride in her.

A flash of awe registered in Apollo's eyes as he remained stunned. From what Cynthia expressed, Empyrean was a level of Essence Talent that rarely occurred. 

"How about you, Auntie Cynthia? What's your Aura level?"

"I'm just a humble Rank 8 Aura Knight," Cynthia replied.

While Apollo was unsure how powerful it was, it sounded like an Aura Knight was superior to the Aura Warrior Danyul mentioned.

Cynthia noticed Apollo's curiosity and walked to a bookshelf before placing a book on his lap.

"Information regarding levels of power are located inside. But, before you read about it, do you want to hear something even more amazing, Apollo?"

"What is it?!" Apollo's ears perked up when he noticed the excitement, praise, and tenderness in Cynthia's eyes.

"Your papa was an Aura General and an extremely mighty one at that. Keep this information in mind when you read through that book," Cynthia said.

Apollo nodded in a slight daze before opening the large book in his lap to the first page. The chapter was titled «Stages of Natural Power». Apollo quickly became engrossed in the knowledge to where hours passed without his notice.

Not only did this book go in depth regarding power levels, but it also covered the benefits and practicality of Natural Essence—a resource that changed human life on Astarat completely.

'So Auntie is essentially at the third stage of power, while father reached the fifth stage before he died. Aura General and Aura Knights… Knights…'

Apollo's mind drifted to his memories of knights in his original world. Knights referred to individuals who wielded magic-endowed weapons and reinforced their bodies with Mana. It was essentially the same concept as Aura Users in this world.

'Hm, an Essence Talent is required to manipulate Essence in any way, shape, or form—'

"Apollo, dinner!" Cynthia's voice suddenly rang out, interrupting Apollo's thought.

He sat at the table with Cynthia and Aaron, who held his hand above the table for a high five. "You were amazing at training today, Apollo. I saw you! I know it was painful to hit the post, but you didn't stop."

Apollo high-fived Aaron before the corner of his lips curved upward into a faint smile. His gaze quickly panned between Cynthia and Aaron as a thought rose in his mind. 'So… this is what genuine love feels like?'

[Don't get mushy on me, now. While a remarkable experience, love is a weakness enemies can take advantage of if they know its sources.]

"Just because it can be seen as a weakness doesn't mean it's wrong. Everyone wants some semblance of love and validation," Apollo replied. 

[I—... Hm, I suppose. But, still. Love is something you should only partake in after obtaining the ability to protect. Otherwise, you're only setting yourself up for eventual despair. Take this advice from me, a Candidate who was betrayed in the end.]

"Candidate? What's a Candidate?"

[It's unimportant right now. You'll come to know when the time is right.]

"Ok," Apollo answered. Afterward, Azridan fell silent while letting Apollo enjoy his meal with his family.

Aaron and Apollo recounted their experiences during training while Cynthia watched this with a faint, saddened smile. 'Are you watching over him? Your boy is growing, and I'll continue doing my best to protect him.'

Eventually, Apollo noticed the emotions hidden within Cynthia's eyes. "Are you sad, Auntie?"

"Huh? Oh…" Cynthia wiped a single crystalline tear that subconsciously trailed down her cheek. "I'm not sad. I'm happy—happy you aren't alone."

"Mm," Apollo nodded, but he had doubts as he finished his meal. 'I've seen that look from Miss Clarice once before. I think she called it empathetic sadness—sadness she felt for someone else.'

"You'll be staying here tonight. You can stay with Aaron,"

"Awesome," Aaron chortled and cheered at the table. 

"However, you boys must read before bed. I've given you a few books that build upon the two lessons you've sat through thus far."

Aaron groaned, but Apollo's eyes lit up. 'Two lessons? It must be related to those Terrors!'

Apollo scurried into Aaron's room and quickly picked up the book. However, the title made his jaw drop. 'Records of Catastrophe?'

After opening the book, Apollo almost tossed it across the room in fright. Just opening the page revealed descriptive and gruesome sight. It could only be described as a nightmarish walking entity.

In the glimpse of the image he caught, a towering figure with countless rows of razor-sharp teeth gazed with unfocused eyes into the depths of his soul. Enlarged claws dripped with an unknown, black viscous liquid. All the while, this towering monster's body consisted of a vile greenish-black flesh.

Apollo gave the picture another look and struggled to keep his food down while he gagged. 

Whoever created this image was too talented for their own good because Apollo's skin crawled when looking at the ostensibly puss-filled bubbles that sprouted on its apparently rotten flesh.

"No, no, no," Apollo continuously shook his head and immediately switched the page.

Unlike the last one, this page was filled with twords, words that drew Apollo in until he became engrossed. Before he knew it, his face planted on book's pages and he fell asleep beside Aaron.