Morning came with the sound of a bell ringing three times, Dex woke up in the small inn room they rented last night, a simple but clean place with two separate beds and a window facing the main street, Van had already woken up earlier, sitting on the chair near the window while reading a book different from yesterday.
"Morning," greeted Van without lifting his eyes. "Hungry?"
"a little." Dex sat on the edge of the bed, stretching his body. "What book this time?"
"Catalog of Power Systems in this world." Van lifted his book. "Very interesting, Turns out there are more types of power than I thought."
They went down to the lower floor for breakfast, The inn's dining room was quite crowded with other guests, mostly merchants and workers preparing to start the day. In the corner of the room, Dex noticed a group of people sitting apart from the others.
One of them, a man in his thirties with rune tattoos on his right arm that glowed faintly, Runescribe, Dex thought. Next to him sat a young woman whose eyes occasionally changed color, the distinctive sign of a Spirit Contractor.
"Look at them," whispered Van, following Dex's gaze. "That guy is a Runescribe with Scribe level runes, still a beginner, See how his rune glows? If he were at the Master level, his rune would shine brightly even without activation."
"You know a lot about this," commented Dex.
"Just reading. That girl is a Spirit Contractor, From the way her eyes change color, she seems to be at Bond level, the second rank in their system, beginner Contractors can usually only communicate with spirits, but she can already do partial manifestation."
Dex observed more closely, Sure enough, now and then a faint shadow like butterfly wings appeared behind the woman.
Their breakfast was interrupted by a commotion outside, The sound of shouting and clashing metal, Van and Dex exchanged glances then hurried out with the other inn guests.
On the main street, a fight was taking place, A young man in luxurious clothes was facing three large men, What caught Dex's attention was the way the young man fought, his body changed, his muscles enlarged, his nails lengthened like claws.
"Bloodline Warrior," said Van in awe. "And from his transformation, he's already reached Awakened level, Still far from True Blood or Progenitor level, but enough to fight three normal men."
One of the attackers suddenly pulled out a small dome-shaped artifact, Once activated, the area around the fight changed, gravity became heavier, the air thickened.
"Domain Master," whispered Dex. "But low level, maybe Domain Initiate. If he had increased his level, he could alter this entire block as he pleased."
The fight ended when a city officer arrived, He wore mechanical armor that emitted steam, a product of Aetherium Engineering. From the complexity of its design, Dex estimated he was an Artisan-level Mechanist.
"Disperse! Get back to your activities!" shouted the officer. His mechanical armor hissed as he moved.
The crowd began to scatter. Van and Dex returned to the inn, but the atmosphere was no longer the same. Conversations around them were now filled with discussions of other powers.
"I heard there's a new Guild accepting Psions," said a merchant. "They need Mind Weavers of Adept level and above."
"Psion?" asked his friend.
"Mental power. Some can read minds, manipulate memories, even perform psychic attacks. The levels start from Sensitive, Adept, Master, to Transcendent."
At the next table, two people were talking about something different.
"Saw a Chrono Mage at the guild yesterday. He could slow down time around him."
"Wow, what level?"
"Seems like Temporal Novice. Still can only manipulate time for a few seconds. If he were already at Time Lord level, maybe he could slow down an entire area."
Dex listened while eating. The more power systems he heard about, the more he realized how complex this world was.
"Van," said Dex quietly. "You said earlier there's a catalog of power systems, Can I see it?"
Van opened his book and showed the table of contents.
Main Power Systems:
Circle Magic (wizard)
* Levels: Apprentice → Adept → Expert → Master → Archmage
Mana System (Archer/Ranger)
* Levels: Beginner → Skilled → Professional → Expert → Grandmaster
Aura System (Swordsman/Warrior)
* Levels: Trainee → Practitioner → Expert → Master → Sword Saint
Constellation System
* Levels: Stargazer → Astronomer → Star Reader → Constellation Master → Stellar Emperor
Spirit Contracting
* Levels: Communicator → Bond → Synchronize → Unity → Transcendence
Runescribe
* Levels: Scribe → Inscriber → Runesmith → Master → Grandmaster
Bloodline Warrior
* Levels: Dormant → Awakened → True Blood → Ancient Blood → Progenitor
Domain Master
* Levels: Initiate → Manipulator → Controller → Sovereign → Reality Bender
Aetherium Engineering (Mechanist)
* Levels: Apprentice → Craftsman → Artisan → Master Engineer → Grandmaster
Van flipped the page, showing rarer systems.
Psion (Mental Power)
* Levels: Sensitive → Adept → Master → Transcendent → Mind God
Chrono Mage (Time Manipulation)
* Levels: Temporal Novice → Time Walker → Chronos Wielder → Time Lord → Eternal Master
Void Walker (Space Manipulation)
* Levels: Step Walker → Portal Maker → Space Bender → Dimensional Lord → Void Emperor
Elemental Sovereign
* Levels: Touched → Attuned → Sovereign → Elemental Lord → Prime Elemental
Soul Forger
* Levels: Novice → Shaper → Forger → Master → Soul Emperor
Life Weaver (Biological Manipulation)
* Levels: Touched → Shaper → Weaver → Life Master → Genesis Lord
Death Knight (Necromancy)
* Levels: Acolyte → Death Touched → Necromancer → Death Lord → Lich King
"So many," murmured Dex. "And each system has a different way to level up?"
"Yes. unfortunately this book isn't complete either, Circle Magic requires theoretical understanding and mana accumulation, Aura System needs physical training and mental discipline, Spirit Contracting depends on the bond with the spirit, Bloodline Warrior needs to awaken their ancestral blood."
Dex kept reading, There were even more exotic systems.
Karma Weaver
* Levels: Observer → Influencer → Manipulator → Karma Lord → Fate Controller
Dream Walker
* Levels: Lucid → Walker → Controller → Dream Master → Oneiros
Shadow Dancer
* Levels: Shadow Touched → Dancer → Master → Shadow Lord → Umbral Emperor
Beast Tamer
* Levels: Friend → Companion → Bond → Alpha → Beast Emperor
Artifact Smith
* Levels: Apprentice → Smith → Master Smith → Legendary Smith → Divine Smith
Suddenly, a conversation at the next table caught their attention.
"Someone saw a Tarot user in the eastern district yesterday," said someone in a low voice.
"Seriously? The Spes Organization is active again?"
"Not sure, But they said she managed to defeat many guards without getting hurt"
Van and Dex exchanged glances, They remembered the woman in black from yesterday.
"Does the Tarot system have ranks too?" asked Dex.
Van flipped to the page explaining rare systems.
"No. This system is the most dangerous," whispered Van. "The user must be chosen by the Card itself to gain its power."
"Chosen?"
"Yes, not only chosen they also must have a strong will, Memories, emotions, even thoughts, can disappear, if they don't have strong resolve, they will die when using it, The stronger the card, the greater the madness, That's why only the Spes organization dares to use it."
---
After breakfast, they walked around the city, Millhaven turned out to be an interesting place to observe various power systems, In the workshop district, they saw a Craftsman-level Mechanist making steam armor, In the market district, there was a Companion-level Beast Tamer selling various creatures.
"Look at that," Van pointed toward a grand building. "Academy branch for Wizards. To enter there, you must be at least Adept level."
"What about the others? Do Swordsmen and Rangers have academies too?"
"They do. But they prefer direct training at guilds or dojos. Bloodline Warriors usually train within their clans, Spirit Contractors learn at the Sacred Grove or Spirit Sanctuary."
They passed a small park where an old man was playing chess alone, But strangely, the chess pieces moved on their own.
"Psion," said Van. "Telekinesis. He's at least an Adept-level Mind Weaver."
The old man turned and smiled. "Are you interested in mind games, young men?"
"Just admiring your ability," replied Van politely.
"Ah, Psions are rarely seen, Most people prefer powers that look spectacular." The old man moved a piece with his mind. "Yet mental power is the most fundamental."
"How does someone know if they have Psion talent?" asked Dex curiously.
"Usually appears under stress or strong emotion. Objects move without touch, or suddenly you can hear others' thoughts." The old man looked at Dex sharply. "But some have their psionic talent buried deep, needing special circumstances to awaken it."
After saying goodbye, they continued walking. Van looked deep in thought.
---
In the evening, they returned to the inn, In the lobby, there was a small commotion, A young woman was crying while being hugged by her friend.
"What happened?" asked Van to the innkeeper.
"Her little brother has been missing for three days, Suspected kidnapped by illegal Spirit Contractors."
"Illegal Spirit Contractors?"
"Yes, Those who use spirits by force without proper contracts, Very dangerous because the forced spirits become uncontrollable and aggressive."
Dex listened carefully, He remembered Vannesa's screams from the past.
"Why would they kidnap him?" asked Dex.
"sacrifice for spirit summoning, or sold to the black market for dark rituals, Some say the Spes organization also needs 'materials' for their Tarot power experiments."
That night, Dex couldn't sleep, He stood by the window, looking at the quieting city, Van was still reading his book on his bed.
"Van," said Dex softly. "What do you think someone needs great power for?"
"Depends on the person, Some to protect, some to dominate, and some just to satisfy personal desires" Van closed his book. "What about you?"
Dex was silent for a long time. "I once couldn't protect someone important."
"And now?"
"Now I don't know anymore what I want to protect, or what I'm doing."
Van didn't answer, but he understood. Sometimes, power comes too late, And when that happens, what remains is only Regret and guilt.
Outside the window, Millhaven looked peaceful, But beneath that peace, various powers moved in the shadows threatening the World for an Ambition, And somehow, Dex was conflicted he only wanted to live quietly without getting involved, yet he also had a faint desire to help many people.