Chapter 6

Sebastian woke up to a blinding white light. He blinked and looked around. He was in a hospital room, surrounded by machines and wires. A chair and a table were next to his bed, with some fruits and pills on them. He felt a throbbing pain in his head. He touched his body, but he didn't find any wounds.

The door of his room opened, and a man in his twenties entered. He was muscular and wore a uniform with a crow emblem and a star on his chest. Sebastian recognized him as the captain of the guards who had slain the beast. The beast that had taken his mother's life.

The man smiled and said, "How are you feeling?"

Sebastian said, "I'm feeling fine. Are you the captain of the beast escorting guards?"

The man nodded, but he looked a bit guilty. He said, "I am Aiden Brown, high rank 5, captain of guard battalion 24."

Sebastian asked, "How is my mother?"

Aiden lowered his eyes and said, "She died as a hero. We buried her body in the graveyard nearest to your house , with a grave. I'm sorry for your loss."

Sebastian felt a surge of grief and anger. He said, "How long have I been unconscious?"

Aiden said, "You've been unconscious for 24 hours, after you were struck by lightning. I thought you would be injured, but you were not. Your body was glowing with a unique white aura, but you were unconscious. So I brought you to the hospital."

Then Aiden took out a ring from his pocket and gave it to Sebastian. He sat down on the bed beside him. Sebastian examined the ring, which looked old and rough. He asked, "What is this?"

Aiden said, "This is a spatial ring. It can store things inside it. It has some money from the government for your loss. It also has the beast core of the Pyro Feline, the low rank 5 beast that killed your mother. Are you the one who got 0.8 score on the Earth Academy entrance test?"

Sebastian clenched his teeth and said, "Yes, I am that failure." He felt tears in his eyes.

Aiden said, "Do you know how many ways a beast core can be used?"

Sebastian shook his head and said, "No."

Aiden said, "Okay, listen carefully. A beast core can be used for many things, such as blacksmithing, array making, alchemy, or engraving. But the most common use is to absorb it. If you absorb a beast core, you can increase your mana power, even if you have low talent. But you can't exceed your potential. That's why the government and the academy control most of them. Do you understand?"

Sebastian said in a distressed tone, "But I have no connection with mana, in result it showed 0."

Aiden said in a soft tone, "Every living being has a connection with mana, it is the origin of all of us, it is said in legends that mana is a very weak and calm form of chaos energy, in result it showed 0.8, it means you can absorb beast core, your speed will be slow but if you have enough determination, you can become strong."

Sebastian felt a little better after hearing this. He asked, "What is the difference between talent and potential?"

Aiden replied, "Talent is your connection with mana. The stronger your connection, the faster you can ascend ranks. Potential is the highest rank you can ever reach. In short, talent is your speed, and potential is your limit.

Aiden explained many things to Sebastian as they sat in the hospital room. He told him about the ranking system that measured the mana power of people across all the solar systems they had explored. The highest rank anyone had ever achieved was mid rank 11, the Celestial rank. Only a handful of people had reached that level, and they were revered as legends.

The ranking system (for all)as follows;

Beginner (Rank 1)

Novice (Rank 2)

Practitioner (Rank 3)

Elemental (Rank 4)

Expert (Rank 5)

Master (Rank 6)

Grandmaster (Rank 7)

Sage (Rank 8)

Archsage (Rank 9)

Ascendant (Rank 10)

Celestial (Rank 11)

Aiden also told Sebastian about the knights, the people who used beast cores to absorb their mana power. Beast cores were the crystallized essence of beasts, the creatures that roamed the solar systems and posed a threat to humanity. By absorbing a beast core, a person could increase their mana power, even if they had low talent. However, there were drawbacks to this method. Knights had less mana than other people of the same rank, and they had to train their bodies rigorously to withstand the beast core's influence. Knights were also close combat fighters, who relied on their physical strength and speed rather than their spells.

Aiden then left the hospital, leaving Sebastian alone to digest all the information. As Aiden left, Sebastian's eyes were no longer dull. They were shining with determination. He had made a promise to himself, and he was looking forward to fulfilling it.