To better understand, it's best to use the adventurer ranking system:
First, from E to SS rank.
Anyone who can fight the weakest monster is considered E-Rank. I'm not even E-Rank yet. Maybe after I can use one or two spells and my body becomes healthy I would.
Then comes D-Rank. They can handle 10 E-Ranks, though they'll be left badly injured.
Next is C-Rank. They can handle 10 D-Ranks, exhausted but not too injured.
B-Rank adventurers can take on 30 C-Ranks, exhausted but not too injured.
Then comes A-Rank. They can handle 50 B-Ranks, ending up totally exhausted and slightly injured.
In the Adventurers Guild, the promotion from B-Rank to A-Rank is monitored closely. Why? Because A-Rank adventurers are considered "truly powerful." For most people with realistic dreams, reaching A-Rank is their highest goal.
From my academy, the average 3rd-year graduates already possess A-Rank strength. Keep in mind, this is the best training academy in the world. Also low rankers might be B-Rank and someone from top 10 may reach S-RANK.
Next is S-Rank. They can handle 100 A-Ranks, though they'll be very exhausted and injured.
The teachers in academy are generally of S-Rank though if some who have talent in other field they can be A-Rank too.
As you can see, A-Rank covers a wide range of power. So when Raven claimed he was S-Rank, it might have been optimistic. Maybe he is, but the guild must confirm it. Only after promotion is it certain that someone is truly 100% S-Rank.
Then comes SS-Rank. They can handle 100 S-Ranks—exhausted, yes, but not too badly injured.
Now, this is the official ranking system. But there's one level above it. It doesn't have specific criteria. They are simply called Powerhouses.
Remember I mentioned why I was avoiding major cities? Yeah, it was because of them. They're incredibly rare, with only a handful across the entire world. But with all this instability, who knows where I might encounter one.
You already know about two Powerhouses: the Principal of my academy and the Mist Dragon.
No matter what SS-Ranks try, they can't defeat a Powerhouse.
Also it's because of presence of Principal that royals feel comfortable sending their heirs to academy.
The criterion to be considered a Powerhouse? Recognition from other Powerhouses. Yes, it's vague, but that's how it is. Their strength can't just be tested publicly. I mean what can they say- go destroy a country?
Now that I've explained the current power system, it's easier to tell you who could use nature mana after the age of 40.
In those ancient times, Powerhouses were checked for mental stability. If they wished to keep using magic, they were allowed to extend their limit by 5 more years. Why this exception? Because losing someone that powerful was a huge blow.
But there was a cost. After turning 45, they were executed. No exceptions.
Every year, the Day of Heroes was held as a festival. If a Powerhouse had used magic until age 45, people from all across the land would come to witness the final journey of their hero.
And what if someone refused execution, fleeing to continue using magic? Then every single Powerhouse—even from enemy countries—would unite to hunt them down.
Now, what I'm searching for is called Nature Force.
You see, Powerhouses of those times, who used nature mana, were hundreds of times more powerful than today's Powerhouses. Each developed a spell that became their personal specialty. Since they channeled mana through their skin instead of inside their body, the flow slowly formed patterns on their skin.
When they were executed on the Day of Heroes, their life essence flowed into those patterns, mixing with the corrosive nature mana. The result was a sealed space containing the natural phenomenon of their spell.
At the time of execution, these places were extremely dangerous, so they were sealed away. But after a billion years, they stabilized. Because they contained life essence, they no longer harmed anyone. Any species, even monsters, could now absorb them and use them instinctively. And since they ran on nature mana, they didn't consume stamina.
These are called Nature Forces.
But as I said, they were sealed. Finding one is harder than winning the lottery.
In the novel, many characters eventually possessed Nature Forces. That's expected since the MC was alive during this time. Still, they were so rare that only two members of the main cast had them—one being the MC himself.
Most of them remain tightly sealed, while some are weaker and easier to access.
I'm searching for one such Nature Force. It doesn't directly boost combat power, but it increases protection. It's called "Sixth Sense."
You might wonder what it does. It amplifies intentions and lets me feel them. Its uses are countless, so explaining briefly is difficult.
The man who had it in the novel was extremely slippery. Even when the MC investigated him, Sixth Sense always kept him one step ahead. But eventually, he encountered the Demon King. He could sense what the Demon King intended to do—but he still died. So Sixth Sense can't stop overwhelming strength. It's more like a survival tool against equals.
In the novel, when the Demon King asked where he had found it, the holder said: on a hill that, through the mist, looked like a dragon.
In fact, one reason the Mist Dragon resides here is that people might confuse him for that hill. I just hope I don't make that mistake. That would be beyond terrifying.
Another day passed. I wasn't very hopeful anymore, but I had one more day before I had to return and make another batch of the Mist Dragon's scent.
There wasn't much to see anyway—everything was hazy except for large structures here and there.
Finally, I saw something shaped like a dragon. I kept my distance. I gave Flash a more concentrated dose of the Mist Dragon's scent and signaled danger to him, just as the old man had explained.
You see, Sky Dogs have an excellent sense of smell, which is why they're used for scouting, detecting poisonous vapors, and other tasks.
Right now, I gave him the scent and told him it meant "danger." If that hazy figure was just a hill, we'd be fine. If it was the dragon, Flash would immediately carry me far away.
You might wonder whether the dragon would be suspicious of his scent drifting from afar. But it's his own smell. As long as we stayed far enough away, he wouldn't notice—especially if he was sleeping. Dragons can sleep for weeks without waking.
Flash wasn't reacting. Good.
I descended onto a hill. Now, where was it? The area wasn't huge, but it wasn't small either.
I started by checking the easiest-to-reach spots, searching through the vegetation. The man who had found it before must have been injured. Reaching this place uninjured would be nearly impossible with his strength. He must have chosen somewhere he could rest without danger. I had to stop thinking like a normal human.
So, I switched tactics, riding Flash and looking for places suited for resting or hiding. After an hour, I still hadn't found anything.
Defeated, I wandered aimlessly, looking for signs, but nothing useful appeared. Finally, I sat down and gazed around casually—only to be forced up again when a swarm of bugs started flying in and out of some holes nearby.
A thought struck me. I pointed and commanded:
"Flash, attack!"
The old man dragon had taught me that Flash recognized a few simple words, and one of them was attack.
Flash struck with immense power, raising a massive dust cloud. I was completely covered in dirt. But when it cleared, I saw a huge cavity.
This must have been the seal. The magic was long gone, leaving only plain rock.
I entered with Flash at my side, just in case. Soon, though, the passage narrowed until only I could continue. Suddenly I understood: the previous holder of Sixth Sense must have felt safe here, knowing only a human—or something smaller—could pass through.
I pressed on and eventually reached an altar shrouded in haze.
I touched it, but nothing happened. Then I remembered: it required blood. Since it contained life essence, it would only respond to life essence.
I pricked my finger with a knife and pressed it into the haze again. This time, the haze sank into me through the wound.
I felt nature mana flooding in as Sixth Sense etched a pattern into my life essence. Yes, life essence. If I died, I would lose it. Even if I somehow revived, I wouldn't regain Sixth Sense.
It's a passive ability, always active even while I sleep. But when I focus, it becomes active, and its power grows stronger.
As the process continued, I absorbed nature mana as well, though I couldn't feel it directly.
Finally, after a few seconds, it was complete.
I had absorbed a trace of nature mana, and Sixth Sense had awakened. But as soon as it finished, I felt a massive presence—and fainted.