[Authors note: if you're seeing this, then this book's frist arc is undergoing a rework. Please save this book in your library as the the book will be reopened on 5th of October 2025]
If you still want to read it, don't go past chapter 34. (I'll be updating the chap regularly to tell you where I've reached in my reworking progress. But it's better to binge when I'm done)
Ok ok, now I couldn't put this information in the auxiliary chapter so please forgive me for putting this in the frist chap.
*Clears throat*
There are six ranks of individual who use skill cards.
Mortal ranks - posseses no skill cards
Earth rank - posseses 1 skill card
Sky rank - posseses 2 skill cards
Star rank - posseses 4 skill cards
Heaven rank - posseses 8 skill cards
Divine rank - posseses 16 skill cards
The ranks of individuals just means how many skills your soul can take, it deals on capacity, not power.
Note: that doesn't make you stronger than people below your rank, so training matters, not just mindlessly leveling up.
People get more skills by absorbing existence stones, which are hella rare so don't go expecting the mc to go around leveling up like some op dungeon novels I know too well. *Smirks*
To increase your rank, you need to consume existence stones, which comes out of high level demons called thyxars. Kill one (not sure if that's even possible), pry out the stone, eat it, and it makes you stronger, pretty neat right?.
And everytime you level up you get to undergo something called a transmigration trial.
Basically you go to another world, accomplish a task, and return, simple right?.... (wrong). There are no consequences if you fail, just the fact that you never return.
Now, skills themselves have ranks, and the more you use you're skill the higher your mastery becomes.
In this case, I will be using the mediocre skill 'Flash step' to explain this example, since it's the most versatile.
The mastery is as follows.
Ignorance > Curiousity > Suspicion > Awakening > Clarity > Resonace > Perfection.
Now, flash step at ignorance stage can only be used for dodging a punch, or just slipping past a locked door for one or two steps. It can't traverse a great distance. *So no, anime protagonists, you can't go zipping across cities to impress you're girl. At best you'll trip into her doorstep and look stupid.* lol.
Now we move on to Curiousity, What it does?. A flash step at the Curious level can flash past a room, blink from one rooftop to the other and can be used to appear behind opponents, very handy in skirmishes and quick escapes.
*Authors imagines this with an indecent character and smirks*
*Ahem*
Now of you've used the skill well enough it can advance to the next seaquence level i.e the stage of suspicion.
A flash step at the stage of suspicion can traverse an entire courtyard, imagine it like a phantom step, one moment you're here the other you're not. People who have reached this stage can start to use it offensively like closing the distance between a huge monster, appearing 30 feet in the air to deliver a nasty combo afterwards, the possibilities becomes endless at this stage.
Now we move on the big guns—the stage of awakening.
What it does?, you can vault a collapsing bridge, cross an entire battlefield or reposition your squad in an instant. It can be the turning point in a life or death battle and escape the proximity of a high level monsters. *So yeah, great for saving your squad... or just ditching them faster than your ex did when rent was due*.
Now we move on to the next seaquence level—Clarity.
YAY!
For perspective, you can now escape a near death subatomic nuclear explosion in the blink of an eye, covering insane ground with just a single activation, blink past towns, and reappear atop a moving dragon from the ground (not sure why'd you want to do that).
Basically what this means is you're untouchable, your skill activates by itself when threatened with danger.
Let's say a robber tries to stab you in the back.
Boom*
You're no longer there, instead you're atop a nearby house, looking down at the idiot who tried to rob a genius who had reached the Clarity stage of flash step.
You're skill basically activates to protect you.
Next seaquence level?.
Congrats!
You can appear anywhere, a different country?, no problem.
You can zip past continents in a blink of an eye, appear on the moon (again why'd you want to do that?), and show up in any room unannounced. (Again, Prevert!!!).
Besides, even grand masters and venerables only have 1 to 2 resonance stage skill cards in their arsenal.
Now let's talk about perfection.
When you reach the stage of perfection, your skill stops time and bends the origin laws of the universe as we know it. In the stage, rival cooperations can just throw in the towel and say "yep we're screwed". You're basically OP, capable of leaving phantoms in multiple countries, having clones by spamming the skill in rapid succession.
You can be Everywhere Everytime.
Now that I've explained the power system it's time to explain the different classes of mystic artists.
There are six classes of mystic artists.
Knight class. Mage class. Seer class. Stealth class. Beast class, And shifter class.
The knight class is simple, it consists of combat type skills.
Example: Crescent slash. pretty basic huh?.
The ideology is: sword, shield, charge in, hit stuff till it's stop moving. Their skill cards usually boosts strength, defense, weapon mastery or raw durability.
A knight with a good movement skill (like flash step) basically becomes a juggernaut.
•Unkillable brute + speed hacker = Nightmare.
You'll see what I'm talking about in the later chapters.
Mages are flashy. Fireballs, lighting, magic attacks —Downside?, squishy as glass (well not technically glass but you get the idea).
A single high speed bullet could end they're career for life if they don't have a defensive skill card. But when a mage hits the level of awakening?, whole battlefields vanish in an instant. *Shivers*
Then we have the seer class. The creepiest ones.
Seers don't fight, they just peek through the veil of existence. Foresight, illusions, mind tricks —you name it. A seer at mastery could even tell your next three moves before you make them.
Worst part?, you can't sneak up on them. Those bastards already know what you're planning.
Stealth class: the assassins.
At low masterys they're just shadows in an alleyway, but stronger?, and they can appear in your room, slit your throat, and be gone before anyone realizes you've been killed. *Spooky right?*.
They are the assassins of my world. Speed?, stealth?, infiltration?, Yeah, just leave it to them.
Beast class are the monsters tamers. *Think of it like Pokemon*. They can summon beasts to fight for them, defend them and be a professional body guard. *just imagine a beast class at perfection. They'd be summoning leviathans left and right*.
Or they could ride a dragon!, amazing right? (Or suicidal if you fall off).
And the Morph class?.
These ones are the shape shifters, they can possibly regenerate with enough mastery, spout wings, change their claws and do all sorts of things with they're body. Well it depends on the kind of morph skill they get.
I know what you're asking....
Slow_Thinker does this mean a divine rank master who's maxed out all his skills can't still win an arm wrestling with a pro bodybuilder.
Fortunately. No.
Because there are these things called blood stones. (A less rare stone found in monsters that can boost strength and speed) the more you consume, the stronger and faster you are.
Oh I forgot—thyxars(you know, scary monsters that just show up)
There are ranked:
Imp > Fiend > Hunter > Reaper > Demon > Hollow.
Imp have the destructive ability of a hand gernade, especially terrifying when you're a normal human trying to live a normal life when you see a Six foot ghoul on you're kitchen counter.
Fiends can destroy an entire building.
Hunters can obliterate neighborhoods.
Reaper are nighmares and can wipe out cities.
A demon could wipe out an entire country.
And a hollow? * he he*... you don't want to know.
I hope I've answered all questions here( if you have more feel free to drop it in this chapter comment)
Enjoy reading.