Orion sat at the dining table, the warmth of the room contrasting sharply with the cool evening air outside. The smell of fresh yeast filled the large living area.
It was a simple dinner. A vegetable stew and freshly baked bread were all Leile could manage with the limited ingredients in the pantry. But to Orion, it looked like a feast.
Leile stood by the edge of the table, her hands clasped tightly in front of her apron. She watched him take the first bite with bated breath. She kept glancing at Orion's face, clearly waiting to see if he would frown or complain.
"I apologize, Mr. Vale. The kitchen system is still weird for me, and the delivery for some simple tools hasn't arrived yet." She bit her lip, her eyes darting between him and the stew.
"This is just… bread and broth."
Orion swallowed the hot, savory liquid and tore off a piece of the soft bread.
"Leile, sit down." He pointed to the empty chair across from him with the spoon.
"But..."
"Sit."
Leile hesitated for a second longer before pulling out the chair. She sat down gingerly, as if the furniture might bite her.
Kalista was already eating. She didn't wait for permission or pleasantries. She tore into the bread with a focused intensity, dipping it into the stew and eating with efficient, rhythmic movements.
Even while eating, Kalista's gaze shifted now and then toward the balcony and the hallway. Old habits. She never fully relaxed, not even at the table.
"This is delicious, Leile. Seriously." Orion took another large bite. "I'm used to simple things back home. This is a luxury compared to that"
Leile's face flushed a deep shade of pink. She finally picked up her own spoon, her shoulders relaxing slightly.
"Thank you... I'll make sure to prepare something worthy of your status tomorrow. I didn't expect to have problems with the oven."
Orion watched the two girls for a moment. Leile was brave and cheerful this afternoon but trouble with the kitchen made her nervous. She probably thought she'd be fired and lose her new job.
Kalista was still quiet but looked much better than the first time they met.
The dynamic was strange. On one side, a nervous chef who treated him like royalty. On the other, a silent assassin who treated him like a job.
And then there was him. A guy from Earth who still felt like he was having a dream about a magical world. Everything was still surreal.
They finished the meal in relative silence. The only sounds were the clinking of spoons and the soft hum of the magical lighting fixtures above. Kalista finished first, setting her spoon down with a soft movement.
After dinner, Orion stepped out onto the balcony.
The academy grounds stretched out below him, bathed in the soft glow of the two moons, Ithil and Ethil.
From this height, the world looked peaceful. Lights flickered in the distance, marking the other dormitories and faculty buildings. It was a city within a city, a fortress of knowledge and power.
Orion leaned against the railing, the cool wind brushing against his face.
"So this is where I will live for years…" He muttered to the night sky.
He had unlimited credits. A luxury suite, a personal chef and a bodyguard.
It was everything he could have dreamed of back on Earth. But beneath the surface, he could feel the weight of it.
They made him a Champion and expected a savior!
He turned away from the view and walked back inside. It was time to focus. He retreated to his bedroom, the heavy door sliding shut with a soft hiss. The room was spacious, the bed large enough to sleep four people comfortably.
Orion sat on the edge of the mattress and pulled out the books someone delivered from the library.
But before he dove into the magic theories, he needed to understand himself.
Orion closed his eyes for a moment, centering his thoughts. His System was an anomaly. He knew that much. Based on the books he had skimmed earlier, no one else had this. Everyone in Midka used a cultivation-based system for warriors and mages.
Midka had a level concept, but it was just for convenience. It wasn't a hard mechanic like his.
The power system here used Tiers.
Tier 1 was an Awakened Fighter for the warrior path, for example. It sounded organized from the outside. But up close, it was messy. Just different titles slapped onto power jumps, nothing more.
It seemed completely inadequate and problematic for a modern person like him.
"Very cool names, especially Kindled." Orion scoffed softly, tracing the spine of the history book.
The warrior path had developed out of desperation. When humans first appeared, they were considered a "cattle" race. They had no mana, no claws, no natural armor.
Humans survived by observing the monsters and different races that were born with mana abilities. They mimicked them with bloody experimentation.
It was a path carved through slaughter and near-extinction. Because of that, it looked systematic even if it wasn't.
The book stated that the number of techniques and development methods for warriors was several times greater than for mages. He saw the ranks from the first few pages of the book.
Awakened (Tier 1): Trainee.
Kindled (Tier 2): Fighter.
Corebound (Tier 3): Knight.
Bearer (Tier 4): Aura Knight
Simple and direct names for warriors. The mage path was different. It had only existed for a few centuries. Humans had only managed to harness mana for spellcasting about five hundred years ago.
Awakened (Tier 1): Novice.
Kindled (Tier 2): Acolyte.
Corebound (Tier 3): Arcanist.
Bearer (Tier 4): Elemental Magus
"This title-based system was automatically inherited from the Elves..." Orion muttered, flipping a page in the book. It had so many shortcomings.
For example, take a veteran mage who had been an Acolyte for twenty years. Then take a student who had just broken through to that same tier yesterday.
From the outside, they were both "Kindled Acolytes." They held the same rank.
But the twenty-year veteran could easily kill several of the newbies at once even if they had similar skill sets. The gap in experience, mana control and spell variety would be massive.
Orion didn't know why they didn't improve this system by using crude numbers to measure something this complex.
To Orion, this felt laughably outdated. For a world built on war, this system barely scratched the surface.
The tier system didn't involve elements, combat abilities, bloodlines and combat experience. And Orion immediately understood the ambiguity inherent in such topics.
As long as the right conditions were met, someone who newly reached a certain power level could one-shot someone who had decades of experience at that level.
Doing this was easy as long as you have overpowered weapons, family inheritance or combat bloodline abilities. It was chaotic and mostly unpredictable.
Knowing someone's tier didn't say much about their combat level. Orion had read in a book that purebred Elves could see all the secrets of another being the moment they looked at them. It was a racial trait. And other races had similar ability or artifacts for the purpose.
"Can they see my System?"
The thought made him pause reading. If an Elf looked at him, would they see his levels? Would they see the numbers hovering over his head?
Orion doubted it. His System felt alien to this world. It didn't rely on ambient mana or cultivation roots.
But this made him stop and look at the stat numbers again.
"System."
The familiar blue window materialized in his vision, hovering silently in the air.
Since reaching Level 10, the vague descriptions had vanished. Now, he could see exactly what his stats did. He focused on the first line.
[Endurance: 17]
-It indicates the quality of blood, internal muscles and organ tissues inside the body. It is a direct indicator of the amount of health and energy. (Depends on Strength and Luck)
As he read it, Orion imagined everything related to internal bodily functions being tied to this stat.
Heart strength. Lung capacity. The density of his stomach lining.
That made the connection between natural regeneration of the body or stamina capacity. If his tissues were higher quality, they would repair faster or they would hold much more energy.
What confused him was the final sentence.
"Depends on Strength and Luck."
That line clearly implied something. He got the idea that different parts of the body were connected and developed together like a living system.
"Biological dependency." Orion found this fascinating.
You couldn't have massive endurance without the physical strength to support the frame. And Luck... perhaps genetic potential played a role in how well the body utilized that endurance.
Orion tapped the Strength stat next and started reading.
[Strength: 24]
-STR represents physical strength. It shows the quality and strength of the bone and external scattered muscles. (Depends of Endurance and Luck)
And he finally realized that there was a hidden "stat co-dependence." This made perfect sense.
If he had 50 Strength but only 5 Endurance, his muscles would likely tear themselves apart from the lack of bodily energy. His bones would shatter under the force of his own movement or his heart beats would burst his chest.
The body needed balance. The System wasn't just adding magic numbers, no, it was reconstructing his whole biological being.
He moved his eyes down to the other stats.
[Perception: 17]
-PE shows how sensitive the sense organs are. (Depends on Agility, Intelligence and Luck)
It wasn't just eyesight. It was how fast his brain processed the visual data.
That explained the dependency on Intelligence. You could have the eyes of an eagle, but if your brain was slow, you wouldn't understand what you were seeing until it was too late.
[Intelligence: 18]
-INT indicates the quality of brain cells, neuron system and thinking capabilities. (Depends on Agility, Perception and Luck)
Orion rubbed his chin. So Intelligence wasn't just "being smart." It was the hardware. The quality of the neurons. The storage capacity of the brain.
It relied on Agility. "Why?"
He looked at the next stat, and the answer clicked into place.
[Agility: 17]
-AGI indicates the quality of the nervous system and its ligaments. It allows "thoughts" to be formed, transmitted and implemented faster in whole body. (Depends on Strength, Intelligence and Luck)
[Warning: Although Agility is known as Speed, it represents the speed of the nervous system, not the speed of the body]
"This..." Orion sat up straighter, his eyes widening. This changed everything.
Agility wasn't about how fast he could run in a straight line. That was mostly Strength and it's explosive muscle power.
Agility was reaction time. It was the signal speed from his brain to his fingers. It was the ability to think a command and have his body execute it instantly.
If his Strength was high but his Agility was low, he would be a lumbering giant. Powerful, but lagging.
If his Agility was high but his Intelligence was low, he would have fast reflexes but no tactical processing power to use them effectively.
Everything was connected.
[Charisma: 18]
-CHA demonstrates the level of the language, social control and general communication capabilities. (Unique Stat)
This one seemed isolated. A "Unique Stat."
It explained how he could adapt everything so quickly. And give away why he could navigate social situations with that dangerous red head Thalia as a socially awkward man from Earth.
As a side thought, dead Orion was probably a playboy or good at interacting with girls too.
And then, there was the final stat. The one that had been a mystery until now.
[Luck: Locked]
-Luck is the combination of the newborn and hereditary inheritances of the body when s/he was born. Luck may or may not affect; body's talent, breeding capabilities and evolution chances. (Unique Stat)
Orion stared at the text. "Breeding capabilities?"
He felt a sudden heat rise in his cheeks with wild thoughts. The System was surprisingly blunt.
But it made sense in a twisted biological logic. Luck represented the genetic lottery. The traits passed down from ancestors. The potential for evolution of yours or your next generation.
In a world where bloodlines determined power, Luck was probably the most important stat of all. And his was locked for now.
Does that mean I have no luck? Or infinite luck? Hidden until a certain power level for my own good?
Orion shook his head, dismissing the thought for now. He closed the System interface with a wave of his hand. The blue light faded, leaving him alone in the dim room.
He looked at the pile of books on the bed.
"Magic and Mana, Volume One - Rogery A. Fairchild."
He reached for the book. His hand didn't tremble. Now he knew his Agility ensured his every movement was smooth, precise and instant.
Orion opened the cover of the Magic Book.
It was time to find out what this body, with its reconstructed stats and locked luck, could actually do. The Academy expected him to continue to be a mighty warrior.
But he had other plans.