"What do the skills and mastery levels mean, Master?"
Theo leaned forward, curiosity finally overriding the tension in the room.
His eyes were fixed on the paper in Spiro's hand, brows slightly furrowed.
Master didn't answer immediately. He flipped a page in his book, as if organizing his thoughts into something we could understand.
"The letters," he began, "represent rarity and potential."
We all straightened slightly.
"F is the lowest. Then E, D, C, B, A, S… and beyond that, SSS."
Theo's eyes widened a little.
"So that means… Fate Defier is the strongest?" he asked, almost too quickly.
Master paused for not long, but enough to make us wonder.
"Special traits are… different," he said quietly. "They don't follow the same rules. Very few are understood. Even by me."
That answer didn't feel incomplete. It felt… intentional.
Like, there was more he chose not to say.
"But," he continued, shifting the focus, "a bloodline blessing being ranked S means its ceiling is extraordinarily high. In contrast, something like Basic Swordsmanship is limited. It can only go so far. That's why it's ranked D."
I glanced down at the paper again.
So rank wasn't just strength.
It was potential.
A ceiling.
"And mastery?" Theo asked again, not letting it go. "What's Journeyman… Apprentice… all that?"
Master tore another page from the book and handed it to us.
"This is the classification."
We leaned in slightly.
Mastery Tier
1. Novice
Basic understanding; high error rate.
2. Apprentice
Functional but rigid execution.
3.Journeyman
Competent in standard, real-world conditions.
4.Adept
Technical proficiency and specialized focus.
5. Expert
Battle-hardened and highly adaptive.
6. Elite
Peak efficiency; near-perfect execution.
7. Master
Complete command and authority over the skill.
8.Grandmaster
Innovation and creation of unique arts.
9. Ascendant
Supernatural and reality-defying feats.
10. Sovereign
Absolute conceptual dominance.
Silence.
We read it again.
Slowly.
Carefully.
"…we're not even close," Agni muttered.
Even Spiro, our strongest, only had Journeyman at best.
Rank three.
Out of ten.
The gap suddenly felt… suffocating.
"Okay," Master said, closing the topic without ceremony. "Next is Robert."
The mana in the room shifted again.
I focused.
The strings appeared.
Robert's thread glowed as it connected to the book.
Master tore the page and handed it over.
Robert Balcier
Class: Assassin
Strength: 33
Vitality: 53
Dexterity: 24
Intelligence: 56
Mana Density Level: 4
Skills:
Balcier's Blessing [S] | Mastery Level: Journeyman-tier
The blessing of Balcier, the Keeper of the Adamantine Steel Oath.
Steel Skin [A] | Mastery Level: Journeyman-tier
A reinforcement art that momentarily hardens the outer layer of the body to the density of forged metal.
Regeneration [A] | Mastery Level: Apprentice-tier
A passive biological acceleration that knits flesh and bone back together at an unnatural rate.
Armor Mastery [B] | Mastery Level: Apprentice-tier
The intuitive understanding of weight distribution and joint mobility while encased in protective plating.
Shield Mastery [B] | Mastery Level: Apprentice-tier
The strategic science of using a stationary barrier to redirect kinetic force and manipulate the flow of a fight.
Mana Control [B] | Mastery Level: Novice-tier
The precise internal regulation of raw energy flowing from the core to the strike.
Basic Swordmanship [D] | Mastery Level: Apprentice-tier
The standard foundation of blade-work focuses on the fundamental cycles of offense and defense.
Special Trait:
Fate Defier [SSS]
Robert read it quietly.
No reaction.
Just… absorbing.
Theo leaned over his shoulder.
"…wow."
Robert didn't respond.
"Fifty-three vitality?" Theo continued, grinning. "You're basically a walking wall."
Still nothing.
"I mean, look at that, Steel Skin and Regeneration, are you even human?"
A pause.
"…done?" Robert asked flatly.
Theo smirked.
"…no."
Robert folded the paper once.
Carefully.
Then…
Thud.
Theo's head snapped to the side as Robert punched him cleanly in the shoulder. "—ow! What was that for?!"
"You talk too much," Robert answered with a flat expression.
"That's not a reason to hit me!"
"It is."
Theo glared at him.
Robert didn't even look back.
"…fair," Agni muttered.
"Next," Master said, ignoring the exchange entirely, "Margaretha."
The glow returned.
Stronger this time.
I didn't need to check.
I already knew.
Her mana…was denser.
Master handed her the paper.
Margaretha Duvent
Job: Assassin
Strength: 25
Vitality: 19
Dexterity: 42
Intelligence: 74
Mana Density Level: 5
Skills:
Duvent's Blessing [S] | Mastery Level: Journeyman-tier
Blessing of Duvent, The Overlord of the Sharpest Gale.
Duvent's Martial Art [A] | Mastery Level: Journeyman-tier
Duvent's exclusive martial art maximizes their bloodline power.
Mana control [B] | Mastery Level: Journeyman-tier
The precise internal regulation of raw energy flowing from the core to the strike.
swift footstep [D] | Mastery Level: Novice-tier
A specialized movement art that allows for unnatural bursts of speed and weightless repositioning.
Basic swordmanship (D) | Mastery Level: Novice-tier
The standard foundation of blade-work focuses on the fundamental cycles of offense and defense.
Special Trait:
Fate Defier [SSS]
Margaretha's eyes moved quickly across the page.
Sharp.
Focused.
"…level 5," she murmured.
My hypothesis was confirmed.
Her mana was the highest among us.
I exhaled slowly.
So my assumption was right.
Most of us were level 4.
She was ahead.
Her skill count was lower than Spiro's and Robert's.
But her mastery…
Especially in mana control…
Was higher.
"…I'm ahead," she said quietly.
Not arrogance.
Just a fact.
Theo snorted.
"Yeah, yeah, we get it…"
She didn't even look at him.
"I'll get stronger faster."
That wasn't a statement.
It was a declaration.
Pritha looked at her with wide eyes.
"…you're amazing."
Margaretha didn't respond.
But her grip on the paper tightened slightly.
"Rick."
I looked up.
Master was already holding my paper.
He handed it to me.
Rick Avenir
Job: Assassin
Strength: 27
Vitality: 30
Dexterity: 75
Intelligence: 85
Mana Density Level: 4
Skills:
Avenir's Blessing [S] | Journeyman-tier
Blessing of Avenir, The Farseer of the Future.
Archery [B] | Mastery Level: Journeyman-tier
The mastery of projectile physics and high-tension bows to deliver lethal force across a distance
Mana control [B] | Mastery Level: Journeyman-tier
The precise internal regulation of raw energy flowing from the core to the strike.
Swift footstep [B] | Mastery Level: Apprentice-tier
A specialized movement art that allows for unnatural bursts of speed and weightless repositioning.
Knife Throwing [B] | Mastery Level: Apprentice-tier
A specialized discipline in balance and rotation, turning small blades into silent, high-velocity projectiles.
Basic swordmanship [D] | Mastery Level: Apprentice-tier
The standard foundation of blade-work focuses on the fundamental cycles of offense and defense.
Special Trait:
Fate Defier [SSS]
I stopped breathing.
Archery.
Journeyman.
No.
That didn't make sense.
I barely trained it.
I barely used it.
Then why…
My grip tightened on the paper.
"…what?" Theo leaned in. "Let me see…"
His expression shifted immediately.
"…wait."
"Seventy-five dexterity?" Pritha gasped.
Her eyes were practically shining.
"And intelligence… eighty-five… Rick, that's…"
I didn't hear the rest.
Because my eyes were still locked on one line.
Archery [B] | Journeyman-tier
"…that's wrong," I said.
Silence.
"…what?" Theo blinked.
"That's wrong," I repeated, sharper this time. "I don't train archery."
"Maybe you're just talented…"
"No."
Too fast.
Too harsh.
Everyone went quiet.
Margaretha narrowed her eyes slightly.
"…you're saying the record is wrong?"
I hesitated.
Because that sounded dangerous.
"…I'm saying it doesn't make sense."
Theo suddenly grinned.
"Ohhh, I get it."
I didn't like that tone.
"You're secretly a bow user," he said, nudging me. "All that sword training for nothing…"
"Shut up."
Too fast.
Again.
Theo raised his hands.
"Hey, I'm just saying—maybe you should drop the sword. Go full archer."
My chest tightened.
Drop the sword.
For a split second
I saw it.
My brother.
Holding a blade.
Standing in front of me.
"This is our clan's pride."
My grip trembled.
"…don't say that."
Theo blinked.
"…I was joking."
"I said don't."
The room shifted.
The air felt heavier.
Pritha looked between us nervously.
"…Rick?"
Margaretha watched me closely.
Not mocking.
Not judging.
Analyzing.
"…you hate it," she said quietly.
I didn't answer.
Because she was right.
Not the bow.
What it meant.
That maybe…
Everything I was trying to hold onto…
Didn't fit me.
"Enough."
Master's voice cut through the tension instantly.
"Sit properly."
We all straightened.
"Your strengths are not a mistake," he said, looking directly at me. "They are data."
Data.
Cold.
Absolute.
"Whether you accept them or not is irrelevant," he continued. "What matters is how you use them."
I lowered my gaze.
"…yes, Master."
But my grip on the paper didn't loosen.
Because for the first time…
I wasn't confused by the numbers.
I was afraid of what they meant.