novelraw Chapter 57: The Anatomy Of Power
Chapter 57: The Anatomy Of Power
One has to know the size of one’s stomach.
Zane knew it about himself but as he saw the interface, he figured Conflux wasn’t behind as well.
The Interface was divided in sections and the first section included about him.
At the side of the interface, Zane’s hologram circled in one spot, as arrows depicted which part of his body was in best condition and which weren’t. Including his internal organs as well.
His head, brain, heart were in great condition along with his groin area and his knees, lungs, liver were in moderate condition. Nothing was in the worse condition as no organs were glowing red.
The reason was also written there and it had something to do with the pollution in his atmosphere.
Nevertheless, ignoring the hologram, he looked at the interface.
———
[ CONFLUX SYSTEM INTERFACE ]
— — —
[ Host Core :- ]
—
[ Name: Zane Atlas ]
[ HP: 98% (Sleep Recommended) ]
[ Designation: Myth Harbinger (The Warning) ]
[ Rank: 10 — Void Fragment ]
[ Humanity: 100% ]
[ Synchronization: 8.53% ]
[ Convergence: 0.1% ]
[ Vessel Capacity: 0.1% ]
———
Zane read the details closely two times consecutively and still was at a loss.
I only understood my name, synchronization, and convergence here. What are the other things?
[ Just like your Ashbearers have ranks, you have one too. In their case, there are only five ranks and the highest rank is Ashbearers. But since you are their lord, you have ten ranks and right now you are at the lowest. Each Rank comes with a skill. ]
So rank ten is the lowest and one is the highest? And where can I see the skill I got from it?
[ Yes. Rank ten is the lowest. And you see the skills below. ]
Hmm. How do I increase my rank?
[ Conflux will assign Quests soon enough. Or you can merge objects and create something of a certain tier to rise in ranks. You can decide later. ]
Fair enough. And don’t just stop at the rank. Tell me more.
[ A Designation is the Universal Function assigned to your soul by Conflux. While a Rank measures your power, a Designation defines your Purpose in the grand architecture of Dwarkam. You are the one who arrives before the stories end. ]
Zane read the words.
I still didn’t understand it fully but it doesn’t sound bad. Will it stay the same? And what about Humanity and Vessel Status?
[ Designation changes after each rise in Rank. Each Designation brings one Trait as well. And humanity simply means how much humanity you have. And vessel status depicts how much of the Conflux your body can handle. Basically, your physical strength. ]
Zane slightly nodded and it was straightforward enough to understand. He needed to increase his strength as well. He might have the system but his body wasn’t good enough to handle it.
He made a mental note and read the next section of the interface.
———
[ Conflux Core ]
—
[ Merge Points: 8 ]
[ Merge Nodes Unlocked: 2/4 Basic Nodes ]
[ Merge Nodes Locked: 2/4 Basic Nodes. 4/4 Advanced Nodes. 4/4 Mythical Nodes ]
[ Basic Nodes: 2/4 ]
[ 1. Owned Skills + Owned Skills ]
[ 2. Owned Objects + Owned Objects ]
[ ??? ]
[ ???? ]
—
[ Advanced Nodes: ???? ]
—
[ Mythical Nodes: ???? ]
———
Zane read the second section and he was somewhat familiar with the terms it had. But he still asked one thing.
How should I unlock more nodes? Quests?
[ Yes. Now that you have unlocked the interface, you will get all kinds of Quests. And some nodes will also be unlocked after reaching a certain Convergence level on their own. ]
Zane nodded and finished this section as well.
He wasted no time and moved to the next section.
———
[ Quests Core ]
—
[ Active Minor Quests: 0 ]
—
[ Active Major Quests: 0 ]
—
[ Active Critical Quests: 0 ]
—
[ Active Mythical Quests: 1 ]
[ 1. Quest: Legion For Depose. ]
[ Time Limit: Nil ]
[ Rewards: ?? ]
[ Penalty: Destruction ]
—
[[ Hidden And Mandatory Quests Aren’t Recorded! ]]
———
Zane gave the section a quick glance as he was already familiar with the ongoing quest and there wasn’t much to see in it. Though, he did asked a question:
It says Destruction in Mythical Quest’s penalty. Destruction as in what?
[ Destruction as in destruction. Don’t ask obvious things. ]
Zane’s brows twitched.
Where did you learn to talk like that?
The system said nothing and Zane proceeded to the next section.
———
[ Legion Core ]
—
[ Legion’s Name: To Be Decided By The Host ]
[ Total Subordinates: 10,986 ]
—
[ Subordinates Competent Of Being An Ashbearer: 2 ]
[ 1. Xavier (Already Assigned) ]
[ 2. Jammy ]
—
[ Ashbearers: 1/10 ]
[ 1. Subject: Xavier Reivax (Alias) ]
[ Current Rank: 5 — Coal Bound ]
[ Final Rank: 1 — Ashbearer ]
[ Loyalty: 95% ]
[ Subordinate Bonus: +10% to all Physical Stats when within 50 meters of the Host. ]
[ Soldiers Under Their Phalanx: 0 ]
———
Zane read this section as well and what caught his eyes were two things.
Jammy is competent? And Xavier’s loyalty to me is ninety-five percent?
[ Yes. ]
What happens when the loyalty reaches a hundred percent?
[ They will be fully able to reap the benefits of being under you. ]
What is the loyalty of my other subordinates?
[ Only the loyalty of Ashbearers are important. Make someone an Ashbearer to see their loyalty. ]
Zane frowned.
If the loyalty of one of my normal subordinates becomes low, doesn’t it mean they will leave me?
[ Yes. But it won’t harm your quest. But if you continue to keep your promises no one will leave. ]
Makes sense. I will think about Jammy later. I need more trust in him.
Zane moved on to the next interface and as soon as he saw it, his lips curled up.
This was one of the reasons he wanted to see the full interface.
He wasted no time and read the whole section.
———
[ The Conflux Shop ]
—
[ Available Merge Points: 8 ]
[ Currently Purchaseable Items: 3 ]
—
[ 1. Rusted Lockpick]
[ Description: It can unlock normal locks and some complex locks to some extent. It has a high chance of snapping inside a lock. ]
[ Tier: F (Scavenged Junk) ]
[ Type: Object ]
[ Cost: 6 MP ]
[ Durability: 1/1 (Will break after one use or one failed merge) ]
—
[ 2. Faint Pulse ]
[ Description: A primitive technique that allows the user to briefly suppress their heartbeat and breathing. It makes the user appear "inanimate" to low-ranked enemies for 10 seconds. ]
[ Tier: F (Scavenged Junk) ]
[ Type: Skill ]
[ Cost: 6 MP ]
[ Limit: 2 uses per day (Causes severe dizziness and 5% HP drain) ]
—
[ 3. Cracked Rib-Blade ]
[ Description: A crude dagger fashioned from the scavenged rib of a weak creature. It is sharp enough to cut cloth and soft skin, but it is extremely brittle. ]
[ Tier: F (Scavenged Junk) ]
[ Type: Weapon ]
[ Cost: 6 MP ]
[ Durability: 2/2 (Has a 50% chance to lose 1 durability point upon hitting a hard surface) ]
—
[ Brought Items: 0 ]
—
[[ Collect more Merge Points and Increase In Ranks To Perceive Higher Tier Items. ]]
———
Zane finished reading it in under thirty seconds and to be honest, it wasn’t exactly as he expected.
Three items are very less. And what with their tiers? And if I buy one will it make the other two items disappear? And what if I want to know all the items the shop has?
[ The shop will only show the items that are within your buying capacity according to available Merge Points and your rank. Mostly Merge Points. You can’t see all the items of the shop as of your low level or Rank right now. If you buy one item the other items won’t disappear. You can buy them whenever you have enough Merge Points. And F tier means the lowest and ZZZ tier is the highest. ]
Zane nodded a few times after reading that, and then another question popped up. Something he should have asked the moment he read about the shop.
Where are these items coming from? I got you from the Slab so how come you have a Shop?
Scenarios ran in Zane’s mind as he didn’t want to find himself in an unexpected situation if the items turned out to be illegal or heck, they turned out to be someone else’s.
[ This is the Conflux Shop. That’s all you should know. Don’t think too much. ]
You replied? Now I am even more tense.
The system stayed silent this time and after thinking that he didn’t reveal the system to anyone, and if someone knew about it, he would already be in trouble.
I am safe... for now.
He took a deep breath and stared at the shop again.
He read all the three items he could buy right now and looked at their cost and his Merge Points.
I am going to the Citadel tomorrow and for a chance of survival, I should not hold back.
Zane made up his mind and before seeing the next section, he commanded:
I want to buy something right now.