Chapter 13: Status, Talent, and Alignment Pt. 2

'So, I consume his soul or what? Let's see~" He decided to test this skill on 'his' former Anima.

××××

Name: Orb of Darkness(Former)

Rank: SSR

True Name: Shard of Monarch Core(Devoured)

Rank: ???

Type: Artifex - Control System/Power System

Description: A Soul manifestation, can control and command demons and monsters. The extent of control likely depends on the user's Soul Power and the strength of the target.

Monarch's Essence (Hidden): The Orb of Darkness carries traces of the essence of a powerful Demon Monarch, which makes the Orb of Darkness incredibly dangerous Anima.

While offering immense power, it also corrupts the owner, slowly turning the body suitable for the vessel for the Monarch of the demons.

Note: The time depending on the corruption depends on individual to individual.

Influenced Corruption: 27.83%

Owner: Asher Agnes (Former)

-It is Devoured by the Individual, ???.

Note: Due to the presence of the Essence of the Demon Monarch, during the devouring process. Your body is going through a significant change.

***

'As I thought 'his' soul was devoured, heh~ and Those rumors about him being related were true.' Memories of the forums in Eternal Heroes came across his mind.

There are many hidden pieces about 'Asher Agnes' in the Eternal Heroes.

During his time, there were thousands of questions were raised in the EH community.

[How could he possibly be so powerful.]

[He breaks the game balance! Is he a secret developer's pet.]

[Maybe he's like the hero in the lore, some super-overpowered being.]

Please, their tiny minds couldn't comprehend the concept of someone simply being better.

Despite just being a game, it kept a certain level of power balance between both the NPC and the Players.

That's why such ideas were discarded quickly.

Many new speculations were made, a few of them being:

[What if Asher is Talented like the hero or Half Race]

[Maybe He's half-demon! But then his daddy must be the Demon Monarch himself!]

To be associated with it, even hypothetically, was terrifying.

During that time, he found an article - [Demonic Heritage: The True Power of Asher Agnes.]

The article detailed the theory with some surprising accuracy about him, that perfectly aligns with the skill details he saw in his status.

The post detailed the theory of the hidden mechanic of his Anima: the Orb of Darkness.

'Demon Monarch?' Asher thought a gradual smile lifted on his mouth as he recalled the details.

'Just by 5%... No, it's less than that.' That's how much power the Demon Monarch needed to destroy Kyros. Compared to the power shown by Demon Monarch, 'Asher Agnes' was barely using a watt.

In his mind, the fight between his past life and Asher Agnes played out. Back then, Asher wasn't even using a fraction of the Demon Monarch's power. Yet, 'He' was strong.

He was able to kill Tier-6 being easily despite himself being Tier-5, and the thing is, as Tiers increase so does the power gap between them.

Even then, Asher Agnes died, but as the most notorious villain, creating a name for himself.

Except, of course, that wasn't the whole story.

The death of Asher Agnes was simply the opening act, the dramatic curtain rising before the True Star of the game took the stage: The Demon Monarch himself.

Details about the Demon Monarch are extremely hard to get, but it is said that he is a being residing beyond the boundaries of this world, possessing power that transcends even the Literal Gods.

Asher had some plans, that is if he by chance awakened the Orb of Darkness.

He wasn't interested in the power itself.

"Almost 30% gone," he muttered, a hint of disappointment flickering in his eyes.

He was talking about the treasures of the world that have been scattered around the world.

All of them appeared due to the influence of Orb of Darkness and Villain Asher.

'haa~…' A sigh, escaped Asher's lips. It wasn't a sigh of fear, of course. How utterly pedestrian. No, this was a sigh of… inconvenience and annoyance. The Demon Monarch loomed a potential annoyance and danger in an otherwise beautiful new life.

As for the question whether he could face the Demon Monarch, well that's upto future and him. But would he stoop this low to fight such a road side fight?

He wasn't afraid, not in the slightest. Why would he be? He needed time. He had time. And time was all being he needed.

Anyway, He pushed everything related to the Demon Monarch and looked over the race.

Asher's eyes, unnaturally wide and gleaming with an intense staring, across the screen.

"Hehehe~" A small and innocent giggle escaped his lips, and a feral grin split his face, revealing newly sharpened canines.

'Half-Human Half-Demon… It's nice, It's perfect, absolutely perfect, isn't it?' his smile, wide and sharp, feeling the intoxication, he put both of his hands on his face.

"Ah~ so good~"

Being Half-Race was an extremely irregular blessing, a genetic lottery ticket he'd just won.

Half races were extremely rare in this world, and the inherent advantages were undeniable.

Half-Races inherited the most desirable traits from both parent races, a cocktail of pure potential. And Demon? Now that was the real prize.

They, in particular, were the genetic equivalent of high-octane fuel, their very biology pushing the boundaries of physical prowess.

And him being Half-Demon? One of the best options imaginable. It granted him exceptional physical attributes, pushing him near the peak of [Tier-0] in almost every stat.

Of course, there was a catch. The vast difference between human and demon physiology made successful impregnation and childbirth a near-miracle.

Imagine trying to jump-start a tricycle with a Formula One engine – That would be disastrous or messy, often lethal, and Maybe successful. Who knows?

Nevertheless, the truth is Asher wasn't a natural-born Half-Demon. If he were, then his stats would already be in the coveted to <Tier-1 >.

Even then, he received a tremendous head start, a 90% advantage over most thanks to his new Half-Race heritage.

Asher wasn't just better than most. He was fundamentally superior.

The union of two powerful individuals from different races was difficult at best, often resulting in the death of the infant, more so when they were high-tier individuals.

Conceiving such a child is hard for the mother to bear. In most of the cases, infants always die, and mother succumbs as well.

The minuscule 0.23% chance of survival made half-races like him incredibly rare, forcing them to be extremely secretive if being one of them.

Asher knew this, for he'd encountered a handful of these 'chosen' few in his past life.

'Now this is what I'm truly curious about.' Asher looks at the 'Unknown Gloves' with excitement bubbling within him.

He looked like a cute child getting his hands on his favorite toy. Though a Demonic Child.

Asher can still feel the smoothness, his eyes glowing with an unnatural light and an eerie crawling sensation around his body. He shuddered in intoxication.

×~×~×~×~×~×~×~×~×~×

Name: Unknown Gloves

True Name: ???

Rank: ???

Type: Artifex - ??? System

Progress: <Favilla: 1.2%>

Description: A Soul manifestation, it can Devour. ??? ???

Property:

Cleave: When the wielder strikes with the gloves, they can unleash a powerful cleaving attack that cuts through armor and flesh alike, dealing devastating damage.

???

???

[Note: The wielder can only gain experience points by using the Devour. ???

Fundamental Flaw: Due to <Devour > getting <Experience Points> is impossible through traditional means, such as physical training, combat practice, or defeating Monsters.]

×~×~×~×~×~×~×~×~×~×

'And this is what I've been waiting for!' A crazed smile curled up on Asher's lips.

'Though several relics and equipment are now useless for my Anima, there are still a few that are exceptions for this type of Anima.'

Yes, the Anima came with limitations and disadvantages, making many of the planned relics hunts useless. But who cared about the scraps tossed aside by dead beings?

'Limitations breed creativity,' It is a small price to pay, but it also meshed perfectly with his awakened Anima.

'And lastly, let's see the full details of <Class: Monster>.' with a smile, dismissing the details of the Anima.

Useless for the weak, not for the chosen.

The class itself was unusual, rarely seen through the course of history, and shunned by the simpletons who clung to traditional methods and the notions of "heroism."

Unlike the cookie-cutter heroes who follows similar and predictable paths, it's a very unique class depending on the race or skill it was aligned with.

××××

[Class: Monster]

[Rarity: Unique]

Description: Monsters are powerful and adaptable beings who grow stronger by consuming their foes.

They lack the conventional social dignities, often hunting alone, and don't use the weapons of other classes, but compensate with raw power and unique mutations.

Upon consuming a defeated monster, the Monster Class character gains experience points and a chance to evolve.

Evolution grants permanent stat boosts and unlocks new abilities or passive effects.

The type of monster consumed can influence the evolution path, leading to new mutation or sometimes, the emergence of an entirely new race.

Class Advantages:

Claws and Fangs: Deal increased unarmed damage and have a chance to inflict bleed effects.

Fear Aura: Gain a passive aura that weakens and discourages enemies.

Natural endurance: Increased base health and resistance to physical damage.

××××

Asher let out a satisfied sigh.

"So, I only get the default class? No problem," he muttered to himself. This wasn't a bad thing. He preferred the freedom to build his character from the ground up.

He knew, however, that his class wouldn't be accessible to everyone.

It belonged to a special category known as "Alignment-restricted" classes.

In the Eternal Heroes, players could make the choice between the Alignment.

But in this world, to acquire such a class requires being born in a specific race or situation: Good, Neutral, or Evil.

Each alignment offered its own set of advantages and restrictions(For Eternal Heroes):

[They are]:

Good

Neutral

And, Evil

There are subdivisions for this too, but for the time being, push that aside, and focus on how these Alignments affect the player's character.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Alignment: Good

Race: Human only

Class: Hero or other Superior Class

Talent: Top Grade (highest potential)

Stats: Average starting stats

Bonuses:

Increased reputation gain with good-aligned factions.

Access to unique good-aligned quests and storylines.

Choosing the good path is meant upholding virtues like justice and compassion.

Players received the prestigious "Hero" or "Saint" class and an exceptionally irregular "Top Grade" talent, indicating exceptional potential.

However, their starting stats were average, requiring more hard work to excel in combat.

Note: This might appeal to players who prefer a more traditional hero archetype.

ווווו×

Alignment: Neutral

Race: Any neutral race or Human (a very flexible choice)

Talent: Solid (High potential)

Stats: Balanced starting stats

Bonuses:

-Access to quests and storylines from both good and evil factions (though not exclusive ones). Along with a separate Neutral-aligned Quest.

-A "Sub-power system" to compensate for lower talent levels.

The neutral path offered more flexibility in class selection, allowing players to choose any neutral race or Humans. They received a solid "Solid" talent, signifying a high potential, and balanced starting stats.

ווווווו×

Alignment: Evil

Race: One of the dark races (e.g., vampire, demon)

Talent: N/A (replaced by "Evolution")

Stats: High starting stats

Bonuses:

-Increased reputation gain with evil-aligned factions.

-Access to unique evil-aligned quests and storylines.

-Stronger offensive abilities.

-Special: "Evolution" trait for unique character development

The path of evil offered the most significant advantage in starting stats, making characters immediately powerful fighters.

Additionally, players could choose from powerful dark races like vampires and demons.

Instead of talent, they gained the unique "Evolution" trait, offering a different path for character growth.

They also unlocked special quests and benefits within evil-aligned factions and gained stronger offensive abilities.

***

Some Info Dump together with a nicely written chapter (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠), I deserve it don't I? Those pawa Stones.

Anyway, I hope, it blance out few stuff.

But it's all talk, there are many hidden things in this two chapters... Also many new stuff gonna be revealed... I can't wait...