Elnova

Noon sunlight streamed through the window, pulling him from sleep. The previous day's ordeal had left his body stiff, but mercifully pain-free. He stretched, wincing slightly at the creaking of his muscles. With a grumbling stomach, he made his way to the dining room.

Empty.

No Verona, just another ridiculous feast laid out on the table. A note propped against a plate caught his eye. "Make sure you finish everything," it commanded in Verona's elegant script.

He sighed. He wasn't sure his stomach, still recovering from the previous night's ordeal, could handle another monumental meal. Nevertheless, he sat down and began to eat. Slowly at first, then with increasing urgency as his stomach rumbled its disapproval. Even after feeling comfortably full, the unspoken pressure of the note hung heavy. He forced himself to take another bite, and another, until his stomach felt like a stretched balloon.

He slumped back in his chair, one hand resting on his protruding stomach, the other on the note. He wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed, sleep beckoned again.

"Wake up, it's time to read," a voice announced. Verona stood in the doorway, a stack of books taller than him cradled in her arms. "I was preparing your syllabus – basic knowledge you'll need. Go through these books," she gestured to the imposing pile, "read them all before dawn."Disoriented, he looked around.

He stared at the books, eight in total, each resembling a hefty encyclopedia. Finishing all of them in a single night seemed as likely as him flying. "But… all of them… by dawn?" he stammered, disbelief lacing his voice.

Verona simply smirked and began to fade away. "No excuses," she called over her shoulder before disappearing completely. He slumped forward, defeated. With a resigned sigh, he picked up the first book, cracked it open, and began to read.

The boy blinked, his eyelids heavy from the relentless pursuit of knowledge. Dawn was just beginning to peek over the horizon, casting an ethereal glow on the mountainous stacks of books now surrounding him. Exhaustion gnawed at his mind, yet a sense of accomplishment thrummed through him, at first it was difficult but as he got more involved in it, it became easier it even reached a point where it seemed he was just flipping through pages and not reading them. He'd done it. He'd devoured the eight books, gleaning a wealth of information about this strange world he now inhabited – Elnova.

He rummaged through the jumble of facts and figures, piecing together a comprehensive picture of this world – Elnova. Seven continents, each belonging to race, each with their own customs and territories. Nexus zones, neutral ground where races could interact, a sort of interspecies marketplace. But beyond these neutral areas lay exclusive territories, sanctuaries where the races could be themselves without fear of judgment or exploitation.

One race, however, remained shrouded in an aura of mystery – the vampires. Isolated in their own continent, they rarely ventured out, and those foolish enough to trespass on their lands did so at their own peril. Their sustenance was blood, and their methods of acquiring it were surprisingly structured. Instead of mindless hunting, they devised a system of purchase, preferring to draw sustenance from willing partners and familiy. Someveven indulged in a hobby of "blood tasting" – acquiring blood from different races solely for its unique flavors. Their lack of discrimination extended to blood color – green, blue, red, it mattered not. This indulgence stemmed from laziness, a desire to avoid the messy business of hunting. Instead, they treated their prey like cattle, raising them and taking regular "dues" in exchange for gold – a resource they possessed in abundance, thanks to their rise as the big hoarders after the treasure-obsessed dragons.

The human continent, he learned, was dominated by seven powerful forces. The Imperial Family, supposedly descended from a legendary hero, held the highest sway. The Six families, descendants of the hero's companions, wielded significant influence. The elven race, on the other hand, operated under a centralized monarchy, with a queen ruling over a network of noble houses. Dragons and Beastmen, fierce and independent, lacked a unified government, opting for a decentralized system. Werewolves were ruled by an Alpha King, while the dwarven race thrived under their own king.

There were three paths: the Knight, the Mage, and the Hybrid. Knights, honed warriors, manipulated Aura, channeling it to enhance their physical prowess. Mages, on the other hand, wielded Mana, an energy coursing through the world, to unleash spells and manipulate the elements. The Hybrid path, the most difficult path, offered the ability to tap into both Aura and Mana, a feat so rare that its practitioners were few and far between. The last known Hybrid, the rumored hero of legend, was a figure shrouded in myth.

Both Knights and Mages operated within a tiered system, their power measured in stars. One star denoted a fledgling, while twelve stars represented the pinnacle of strength. However, raw power wasn't the sole factor. Proficiency, ranked from novice, apprentice, master, grandmaster, sage and Absolute.

It wasthe mastery of skills and techniques, played a crucial role. A six-star Knight with grandmaster-level weapon proficiency could potentially defeat a seven-star Knight and even pose a significant threat to an eight star Knight who lacked proper training.

The world he read about in the novel mentioned potential testing conducted on children at the age of eight. This test determined a person's aptitude for growth. An E-potential meant a person would likely only reach the strength of a two-star Knight or Mage – rare and considered the bottom rung. D-potential promised growth to a four-star level, C to six stars, B to seven stars, A to eight stars, and the coveted S-potential held the promise of reaching ten stars. Legends whispered of a mythical SS-potential, capable of reaching a terrifying twelve stars, "my mother the previous one had been said to have this kind of potential don't know if it's true though" I thought.

Demons, however, remained shrouded in a different kind of mystery. Their power structure wasn't detailed in the books, only a vague mention of a hierarchy with "commoner" being the lowest rank and "duke" the highest encountered so far. This disparity in information fuelled a sense of foreboding within him. The demons were a looming threat, and yet, their true power remained a dangerous unknown.

Verona's question hung heavy in the air. "So, do you know about power systems?" she inquired, her crimson eyes glinting with something akin to amusement.

"Yes," the boy replied, his voice still hoarse from the previous day's exertion. He puffed out his chest, a flicker of pride in his ability to absorb the information from the books.

"Excellent," Verona purred, a predatory smile playing on her lips. "Then it's time for a test."