(A/N: This chapter will provide a detailed explanation of the world's power system and some of its lore. Beware of info drop. The story will shift to first-person perspective in the next chapter.)
While Ravin was undergoing his transformation, an ancient, indescribable aura descended across all of existence. It unleashed a deafening, echoing ring that reverberated through the fabric of reality itself—so powerful and overwhelming that even the most powerful beings in existence felt a flicker of fear. It was not merely a noise; it was a warning, a hint at the arrival of something beyond comprehension.
Beings who ruled galaxies and shaped laws of nature felt a primal instinct to retreat, their consciousness recoiling from something they couldn't comprehend.
When they tried to identify the source of the aura, they found… nothing. There was no entity to be traced, no energy signature to track. It was as if something beyond time and reality had woken up from its slumber.
And then—as if it never existed—the aura was gone. Not even a hint of it remained; it was as if it was never even there. That was when Ravin's transformation was complete.
---
When the old woman woke up, she groaned softly as she felt a slight headache. She then glanced over to the cradle in the corner, where she heard a soft wail.
"Oh no, not again," she muttered, as she walked towards the crib.
Inside the crib was a baby boy, no older than a few days. He had silver hair and purple eyes. He had just pooped again.
"There, there, little one." The woman spoke to him in a gentle voice, while changing his diaper with practiced ease.
"Urghh, I can't wait to be able to walk and stop pooping in my pants. It's very humiliating for me when I am mentally an adult." He thought to himself.
After the old woman left, he internally sighed, as there was no other option than to endure.
After mentally ranting for a bit, Ravin composed himself and decided to focus on more important matters. He had gotten new skills as a gift from his system, and he decided to view them.
As he summoned the system interface, he felt a heavy sadness and a sense of loss pass through him. He had been reborn in this world, which he thought of as nothing more than a game, as a nobody, where power is everything, and lost his system for a few years. Thinking about his new reality, Ravin felt his determination to survive and grow stronger increase.
"I will become strong.... Strong enough that nobody can threaten me and the ones I love. After all, I need to be strong in order to make a harem ." His serious expression turned a bit lewd at the end.
That was the day, the monster, whose mere name alone would spread fear in the hearts of countless people, was born.
---
Nelixes is a world where strength and power are all that matter and even survival is difficult for the people without power. All People in this world rely on a naturally present energy called Mana. Mana is used for everything from physical enhancement to casting world-ending magic. Everyone in this world has a fixed affinity with only one or two elements, with there being rare exceptions who can use three elements, and can only use skills and spells related to their elements. People can follow one out of the three paths to power, except for some races, which can only follow a fixed path.
The three paths are:
• Warrior: Warriors are people who condition their body with mana to get enhanced physical prowess, who mainly use weapons and body-related skills related to their affinity with the elements. They store and refine their mana in a special organ called the dantian, gradually expanding it and improving its quality.
• Mage: Mages form and develop a mana core, a vessel to store their mana, from which they use it to cast spells and curses related to their elements.
• Star Mage: This is the hardest yet the most rewarding path. Star Mages follow the path of both a warrior and a mage. They condition their bodies like warriors and form mana cores like mages. This dual cultivation grants them more power than any other path but requires equally great talent, hard work, and potential.
Everyone in Nelixes has a status screen that shows them their path, rank, stats, and affinities, but increasing those stats and rank takes hard work, discipline, and talent.
[Rank Requirements for Standard Warriors and Mages]
• Mortal → Novice- : Create a mana core (mage) or begin mana body conditioning (warrior)
• Novice+ → Apprentice- : 50 points in each stat (only Strength, Agility, Vitality, Defence, and Stamina)
• Apprentice+ → Master- : 100 points in each stat
• Master+ → Expert- : 500 points in each stat + condensing mana into liquid form
• Expert+ → Grandmaster- : 2000 points in each stat + condensing mana into semi-solid form
• Grandmaster+ → Sovereign- : 5000 points + fully solid mana + the ability to create a Domain
• Sovereign+ → Transcended- : 10,000 points in each stat + fully solid mana + access to universal energy + finding one's own unique concept ( finding one's own unique concept is the first step to reach godhood)
For Star Mages, every rank requires double the stats. To progress from novice+ to apprentice-, they need 100 points in each stat instead of 50. To become a master, they need 200, not 100, and so on. This path is not for the weak-willed—it's a path for people with exceptional talent and an unbreakable will.
But with greater difficulty comes greater reward. Star Mages develop a sturdier foundation, making their power far more stable, versatile, and explosive than that of single-path cultivators.
There have only been 4 Star mages in the history of Nelixes who have reached the Transcended rank, one of them was a legendary figure known as the First Hero, who sacrificed himself to kill a God-ranked calamity with the help of several other allies of transcended rank.
Monsters and Calamities:
Unlike humans and other races who use mana, monsters draw power corruption energy. This energy is chaotic, dark, and full of malice. Monsters grow stronger at alarming rates thanks to the corruption energy.
A monster of any given rank is considered just as powerful as a Star Mage of that rank—making them some of the most dangerous threats in existence. Monsters above the Monarch rank are also called calamities.
No one knows where these monsters came from. They have existed since the beginning of the world, emerging from the deep wilds and rifts in reality. Even Ravin, despite having full knowledge from the game, never learned the full truth about their origins. The game only vaguely hinted at their origins.
The game's main plot followed Leon, the chosen protagonist, on his journey to protect the world from the awakening Calamities, while making a harem. Ravin had always thought the story was light-hearted. But now, reborn into this world with all its hidden dangers, he understands how serious things really are.