Soul Aspect

It's been a day since I met Evelyn, as I began going around to gather information about the world.

Unfortunately, I was unable to enter a library since all the libraries in my state are closed on weekends.

As a result of this predicament, I couldn't find any information regarding soul energy or the trials I was seeking.

Seated in silence, I gazed up at the ceiling in a daze.

"Should I call her?" I mumbled hesitantly, contemplating whether or not to reach out to a stranger I had met just a day ago.

Inhaling deeply, I released a low sigh, allowing my breath to escape slowly.

"Fine, it seems like you know I would face this scenario from the start."

I stood up from my seat took out the paper note that Evelyn gave me a day ago, and began dialing her number.

-Du..Du..Du..

"Hello... who there.?" Evelyn's soft, clear voice rang in my ears.

"It's me, Robin. the guy you met in the library."

"Ohh? You called.. never expected for you to call me this soon," she replied with a hint of surprise evident in her tone.

"Right..." Evelyn trailed off, as she sighed before continuing.

"Ask away, what are your questions."

Taking a deep, soothing breath, I launched into a rapid-fire onslaught of questions, resembling that of an assault rifle with a full magazine of ammunition.

"So, how do the trials work?"

"What did you mean by not trusting anyone within the trials?"

"What do I do within the Trials?"

"Are there additional precautions I need to be aware of within the trials, aside from not trusting anyone?"

However, before I could continue, Evelyn eventually interrupted my barrage of questions.

"Wait! Wait! wait! Ask one question at a time. I ain't omniscient for the love of god."

I blinked my eyes a couple of times before I sighed to myself. Completely forgetting the fact that Evelyn although is an Arbiter, she is still a human.

"Apologies on that one. I'm currently in dire need of information." I apologized in a low tone, realizing my impatience.

"Sighh.. It's fine." 

I heard a tired sigh coming from Evelyn, and a pang of regret washed over me for reaching out to her.

"Are you busy right now? if so then I'll just call you later." I asked in a soft tone, giving Evelyn the option to end the call.

"No. It's fine for now," she replied in a soft and clear tone.

"Regarding your first question about how the trials work, let me explain."

Trials are essentially a subspace wherein an individual would part take in a 'Purpose' given by the Trial.

The 'Purpose' bestowed by the Trial represents the objective that must be accomplished to complete the trials.

However, the Trials does not provide the 'Purpose', instead it is up to the individual to discover it on their own.

The Trials are designed to encourage individuals to uncover their path, and their 'Path' rank would be evaluated based on how skillfully they navigate and uncover their path.

Furthermore, there are also various levels of Trial difficulty, as it ranges from [I] -- [IX]. The level of difficulty is determined by an individual's 'Soul Spirit' or the destiny of the 'Soul Spirit'.

"That doesn't sound too complicated at all." I sarcastically remarked.

"So.. what are soul spirits and like how does it work anyway.." 

Evelyn fell silent for a moment, seemingly contemplating how to provide a proper explanation for the concept.

"mhmm.." she hummed to herself, as I silently waited for her response.

"Alright. I think I know how to explain it now." Evelyn finally responded, indicating that she was ready to explain.

Taking a small breath, she continued her explanation.

'Soul spirit' can be understood as the essence of the soul, it represents the unique identity of an individual.

On the other hand, the 'Soul Spirit Vessel' refers to the physical body that houses the soul spirit.

To visualize this, think of the 'Soul Spirit' as the processor, while the 'Soul Spirit Vessel' is akin to that of a motherboard. 

My mind buzzled for a moment, as I struggled to fully comprehend Evelyn's explanation.

"Wait, let me take it in for a minute."

"So... in a more literal sense, what would be the equivalent of a GPU?" I asked dizzily as stars seemed to dance before my eyes.

"Duhh.. it's the Soul Core"

"???" My mouth hung open, leaving me at a loss for words.

Confusion clouded my thoughts as I rubbed my temples in an attempt to alleviate the mental strain.

Finally, I managed to gather my thoughts and replied, albeit in a tone filled with confusion.

"I never expected you to be tech-savvy. you know what never mind."

"Just continue with your explanation at this point. I'll eventually grasp it."

I could sense her eye-rolling through the phone as she continued. "As I was saying.."

'Soul Cores' are what enable humans to become Arbiters. They serve as a system that directly connects to the 'Soul Spirit Vessel'.

Additionally, the potential of the core rank is determined by the individual's destiny through their 'Soul Spirit'. The stronger one's destiny is intertwined with their 'Soul Spirit', the higher the potential their 'Soul Core' will be.

Take note that Destiny is directly linked with the individual's 'Soul Spirit.'

It is also important to mention that the 'Soul Spirit' itself does not directly increase the rank of your 'Soul Core.'

Rather, it only determines the maximum core rank potential of the 'Path' you can attain based on the destiny you have received from the Trials.

"Okay. I got that part." 

"So basically. Soul spirit determines the maximum core rank potential of an Arbiter." I nodded with stars still dancing before my eyes.

"Right.. now this part might get a bit confusing," Evelyn warned, with her tone laced with a hint of amusement.

Completing the First Trial grants you a specific 'Path' based on the destiny of your Soul-Spirit. 

As stated before, the 'Soul Spirit' only determines the maximum potential rank of the Path. However, upon attaining a Path, your ranking within it won't reach the highest rank just yet.

Arbiters must continually engage in Trials and successfully fulfill the purpose assigned by each Trial to increase their Path ranks.

It is important to note that there is a possibility of not increasing the ranking at all, as it heavily depends on the performance during the Trials. Even if you have a strong destiny.

"You know what. Hold on a second." 

I swiftly grabbed a pen and summarized all the information that was shoved into my head.

"Let me take a guess.. you're writing everything down," Evelyn responded as she giggled weakly.

"No shit.. this is too confusing to me."

"It's fine.. you'll eventually get used to these confusing concepts," she reassured. However, to me, it felt as if my world was crumbling around me.

I froze in place, as I heard that there was more to this bullshit concept.

'Light novels don't even have this kind of complicated power system.' I grumbled inwardly, silently cursing how messed up this world was.

Taking a deep breath and composing myself, I began writing everything down. 

==========================

Trials have a difficulty of [I] -- [IX]

Each difficulty is based on the destiny of the 'Soul Spirit'

Destiny = linked with 'Soul Spirit'

Purpose = Objective of the Trial

Soul Spirit = Identity of a being, It also determines the maximum core rank potential an Arbiter could attain in their life. ( Soul-Spirit -> Destiny -> Path )

Soul Spirit Vessel = Physical body of the being

Soul Core = Enables humans to became Arbiters, ..

Path = Attained by Completing the First Trial,.

==========================

"Care to continue with the explanation now?" I grumbly replied to Evelyn over the phone.

"Don't interrupt me then, since this next part will be much more confusing than before," she warned.

"Just take it slowly, because everyone had been there before." 

"That being said, you're already at the age to know all of this."

A 'Path' can also be linked to a class, as each Path is connected to an individual's destiny, signifying their talent in that particular area.

For instance, if someone has a 'Path' related to swordsmanship but decides to focus on archery instead, they would find themselves unable to make significant progress.

This is a 'Path', essentially locking an individual to a specific field, allowing them to maximize their growth and development in that particular area while simultaneously limiting their progress in other fields. 

'So.. there aren't Arbiters that have a jack of all trades huh.' I pondered while wearing an expression of disappointment.

Shaking my head, I continue to listen to Evelyn's explanation.

Onto the topic of 'Path' ranks now. They are categorized based on colors, ranging from white, which represents the lowest potential. To read, which signifies the highest potential.

The order of the color hierarchy is as follows: White -- Green -- Blue -- Purple -- Gold -- Red

These colors are the maximum core rank potential that an Arbiter can attain. While it may initially sound confusing, it becomes easier to grasp with further explanation.

For the white path, the highest core rank potential that can be attained is the rank of Master. Moving up the hierarchy, the green path corresponds to the rank of Grand Master, followed by higher ranks for the subsequent colors.

"Master?? Grand Master?.. okay I'm lost here." 

Ignoring my remark, Evelyn continued her explanation.

Now, let's delve into the 'Soul Core' ranks, which are divided into three separate systems: Major ranks, Minor ranks, and Sub ranks.

The major ranks include Rookie, Hunter, Master, Grand Master, and Saints... 1

The minor ranks consist of Novice, Initiate, Solstice, Axis, Vitalis, Dynamo, Apex, Ascendant, and Luminary...

Lastly, the sub-ranks are denoted by symbols: [ - ], [ · ], [ + ].

"Okay, at least the power system seems relatively simple.." I commented with a sigh of relief.

'Glad to have grasped this particular aspect of the concept.'

"I'll just send you a drawing image to help you understand the power system better. "she reassured me.

"The italicized text is basically what I had written just to give you a better idea"

I tapped open my 'Message' app and found the image she had sent.

==============

Rookie: Robin

Incarnation : [Title here]

Soul Core: Novice [ - ]

Destiny : [Path here] ( Path rank: Here )

Soul Link: [Path class skill here]

Soul Shard : [Skill here]

Zone: –

Attribute : [Details]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Soul Bind: –

Soul Bane : [Weakness here]

==============

"Before you even ask any questions, all of us start as Novice [ - ].." Evelyn responded with a slight hint of annoyance, seemingly starting to lose her patience at answering my question on this point.

I opened my mouth to speak but quickly closed it again, realizing that she always seemed to anticipate my thoughts and questions.

'Am I really that predictable?' A bitter smile formed on my face before I shook my head, preparing to ask another round of questions.

"So.. according to this image, I would need to progress from Novice [-] to reach Novice [+] before advancing to Initiate [-]?"

"Yes, that's correct," Evelyn replied casually with her tone still carrying a slight hint of annoyance.

Without further ado, she resumed her explanation, diving deeper into the details.

She explains it in a very simple way.

So simple that it left me speechless for a moment.

===============

Path rank: White ( Master Potential ) -> Green ( Grand Master Potential ) -> Blue ( Saint Potential )-> Purple ( ??? ) -> Gold ( ??? ) -> Red ( ??? )

Major rank: Rookie ( Minor rank: Novice, Initiate, Solstice, Axis ) -> Hunter ( Vitalis, Dynamo, Apex ) -> Master ( Ascendant, Luminary, ??? ) -> ???

===============

"..." 

Instead of explaining verbally, Evelyn sent me an image instead, which was much better than her explaining unfamiliar terms or new concepts.

"You know. you suck at explaining." I replied with a tone of dissatisfaction.

There was a brief silence between us before I heard a heavy sigh coming out from my phone.

"Honestly, maybe your right.." Evelyn relented.

"Might as well just send you images then.." 

5 images appeared on my 'Message' app.

================

Incarnation - Title that revolves around the Path(Class) or Destiny

Soul Bane - Weakness or Flaw, After obtaining the 'Path'

Soul Link - Class skill

Soul Shard - Skill..

Soul Aspect - A transparent panel that appears in front of an individual

Soul Bind - Items that are bound to the 'Soul Spirit' once an individual 'Soul Sealed' an item to themselves. These items can vary widely, ranging from rocks and books to swords or any other object.

Zone - ...

Soul Fire - ...

True Flame - ...

================

As I examined the images, I found myself gaining a better understanding of most of these terms and concepts.

I started writing them down on paper to summarize everything.

==========================

Trials have a difficulty of [I] -- [IX]

Each difficulty is based on the destiny of the 'Soul Spirit'

Destiny = linked with 'Soul Spirit'

Purpose = Objective of the Trial

Soul Spirit = Identity of a being, It also determines the maximum core rank potential an Arbiter could attain in their life. ( Soul-Spirit -> Destiny -> Path -> Path Rank )

Soul Spirit Vessel = Physical body of the being.

Soul Core = Main power system of the world.2

Path = A Path is essentially a class attained by completing the First Trial.

Path Rank = core rank potential.

Incarnation - Title that revolves around the Path(Class) or Destiny

Soul Link - Class skill

Soul Shard - Skill

Soul Bane - Weakness or Flaw.

Soul Bind - Items that are bound to the 'Soul Spirit.'

==========================

"Why are there question marks in some of these images?" I asked Evelyn over the phone.

She responded sarcastically. "Do you expect humans to actually reach higher than saint rank within 800 years?"

"Also, the reason why you can't see the entire minor rank category is because it's restricted information. Even the arbiters on Earth haven't reached the level of Dynamo or Apex."

"..." I fell into a momentary silence, deep in my thoughts.

As I opened my mouth, preparing to ask once more, she interrupted me yet again.

"Before you ask where are the others, the answer to that question is restricted information."

Now, I was actually left completely speechless, thinking back on the conversation we had over the past hour.

I asked something that I didn't understand nor did she mention about.

"Can you please explain what you meant by 'Possibility of not increasing the ranking?" 

"It is what I meant. Ughh.." Evelyn replied with frustration as she began her new round of explanation.

It appears that the Path rank is not fixed from the beginning.

Each time an individual participates in the trials and attains exceptional performance or defies the 'purpose' of the trial while still managing to clear it, their path rank can be increased.

However, if they fail to meet the criteria, their path ranks will stay stagnant.

Additionally, an individual can only undertake the trials when they break through a major rank.

The first trial starts at the Rookie rank, while the second trial begins at the Hunter rank, and so on.

"What about..."

...

2 hours later.

"Are you finished with your questions now?" I could sense her irritation through the phone as her tone conveyed annoyance.

"Yes..." I weakly replied, realizing that I had asked too many questions.

"Alright, I'll end the call."

"But the next time you bombard me with so many questions, I'll do my best to answer them all," she remarked in a soft, sweet tone, yet I could feel a cold chill run down my back.

'It seems like the next time I ask too much, she might answer me with a punch.'

"Thanks for the explanation," I responded.

With that, I ended the call.3