World setting: Contemporary. Little to no difference to our current time.
The only difference is that humans use mana plus the existence of monsters that invade Earth randomly through portals.
The following are some of the terms you will come across in the novel.
The League: A worldwide association set up to manage these monster invasions and anything that poses a threat to humanity.
The Elite Academy: this is an institute set up by the league to train new cultivators. It is set up in most countries. Some Elite Academies produce more powerful individuals compared to others.
There are also other alternative academies for cultivation but the Elite is the most recognized one.
Ordinary school: schools everyone attends before the age of 16. At 16, people head to the Elite Academy for cultivation.
Lilim: an organization that opposes the league. Members call themselves revivalists.
Spirit: this is the thing that allows people to cultivate mana.
It awakens at the age of 16.
If a person is spiritually disabled, that person can never cultivate mana.
Spiritual Emblem: This is a tattoo on a person's shoulder that shows the power attribute one can manipulate by taking up its symbol. For example, a fire user's emblem will be shaped like a flame.
Before a person's spirit activates, that person's spiritual emblem is just a black smudge stain on the shoulder. Once it activates, the emblem turns golden and takes up its attributed shape.
Emblem extension: This is a property of a spiritual emblem that varies proportionally with the increase in Rank.
When one's rank rises, an intricate design grows down the arm. The distance this design covers can be used to tell someone's rank.
A Samoan tattoo is the easiest thing to relate it to. Only that it is golden.
Once this extension covers the whole arm and hand, a person gains a spirit weapon.
The emblem and extension can also be hidden if a person wants to.
Just thought it would be dope to have the protagonist duel and he reveals his monstrous emblem and extension to intimidate others.
Note: both the emblem and extension serve as indicators for mana charge. If a person has cultivated enough mana in their bodies, the tattoo is golden. If they are out of mana, the tattoo turns black and appears like an ordinary tattoo.
The Golden color is not a permanent color. So don't get confused if a character has a black tattoo later on in the novel.
Warning: this novel also features the creation of inventions so you will sometimes see the protagonist pondering about scientific nonsense which may or may not be true. ( ◎ ﹏ ◎ ) ψ(`∇´)ψ