On the morning following the arrival of the message, Alistair stood before the system panel inside the command hall, flipping through the options with focused eyes.
He opened the combat skills section in the shop, and a new list appeared:
š Military Skills Section ā System Rank: Level One
š¹ Basic Combat Technique ā Rank D ā 100 Points
āŖ Enhances soldiers' coordination in battle, reduces chaos in the ranks, and accelerates their experience gain
āŖ Effect when used by a commander: multiplied by 150%
š¹ Single Sword Style ā Rank C ā 300 Points
š¹ Advanced Spear Technique ā Rank B ā 900 Points
[Your current balance: 200 Points]
Alistair whispered to himself:
"I won't wait until the battle... If I don't prepare them today, I'll bury them tomorrow."
He pressed the purchase button:
[ā Do you want to purchase: Basic Combat Technique ā Rank D ā for 100 Points?]
āļø Yes
[Purchase complete!]
[Skill installed in Command Center]
[Due to high leadership attribute, "Skill Transmission ā Level 1" has been activated]
[Skill automatically applied to the entire army]
Over the next two days, the training ground turned into a beehive.
New formations, precise movements, commanders shouting, and dust rising with every step.
The soldiers began to show noticeable discipline, even the former farmers started acting like warriors.
And despite the short time, thanks to the system's ability to transmit skills automatically and Alistair's special leadership effect, those farmers became official soldiers.
As for Alistair, he trained alongside them.
Same drills, same shouts, same sweat. He wasn't just a leaderā¦ he was a true role model.
On the second day, as the sun began to set, he stood in the center of the field, his body wrapped in a faint blue aura, repeating the "Aura Breathing" exercises.
[System: Aura accumulation at 98%... 99%... 100%]
[Breakthrough conditions met]
[Do you want to break through to Rank D ā Aura Fighter?]
[Warning: Breakthrough will begin now. Please prepare.]
He didn't hesitate.
Pressed: āļø Yes.
Suddenly, the temperature around him dropped, and the aura gathered in his chest with overwhelming force, like an iron block being compressed in his heart.
He fell to his knees, but he didn't scream.
The aura surged through his veins, lighting up his eyes with a glowing blue light, and his body rose slightly off the groundā¦ then!
A soft energy explosion scattered into the air like a flash of lightning.
[Congratulations! You have broken through to Rank D ā Aura Fighter]
[Reward: +1000 Shop Points ā All stats increased by 10 points]
["Aura Breathing ā B" fully mastered: 100%]
He slowly opened his eyesā¦ and the soldiers around him had stopped training, staring at him in awe and admiration.
Garth stepped forward slowly and said:
"Sirā¦ I felt it all the way from the rear camp. You'veā¦ changed."
Alistair smiled, wiped the sweat from his brow, and said:
"I haven't changed. I've just gotten closerā¦ to being ready."
A few minutes after the breakthrough, while Alistair was still sitting in the center of the field breathing slowly, a new window appeared before his eyes:
[š© New System Message]
[Do you want to purchase: "Awakening Stone"?]
āŖ Price: 500 Shop Points
āŖ Effect: Awakens the latent trait inside the body ā (element/nature)
āŖ Note: In rare casesā¦ more than one trait may be awakened.
His eyebrows furrowed, and he muttered:
"Awakening Stone? Do they mean those traits gifted at birth? Like fire or wind?"
He opened the elements section in the shop and read the description:
šŖØ Awakening Stone ā Rare Item
Activates the natural trait hidden inside the user
Can reveal multiple elements if hidden talents exist
Some traits are rare, others are considered legendary
ā The stone cannot be reused or changed once activated
Only works for individuals of Rank D and above
He looked at his balance:
[Your current balance: 1100 Points]
He smiled calmly and said:
"Alright... If these traits will give me more power, I won't hesitate."
Pressed: āļø Purchase Awakening Stone
[ā Purchase complete!]
[Item added: Awakening Stone (inactive) to tools list]
He took a deep breath, then chose a quiet spot near the edge of the field and retrieved the stone from his tools list.
It was a transparent spherical stone, glowing faintly, as if it held the universe within.
[ā Do you want to activate the Awakening Stone now?]
āļø Yes
As soon as he confirmed, the stone lit up suddenly, and a tremendous energy burst through his body all at once!
His eyes widened, the aura around him vanished, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.
A burning pain pierced his heart... but in the next moment, strange visions appeared in his mindā¦
Fireā¦ Lightningā¦ Darknessā¦ Gravityā¦ Iceā¦ Deep watersā¦ Cracked earthā¦ Earthquakesā¦ Vast spaceā¦ Then wind storming through his body.
[Congratulations! 10 traits awakened]
š„ Fire
ā” Lightning
š Darkness
šŖļø Wind
š Water
āļø Ice
š Earth
š Space
š§² Gravity
š Earthquakes
[ā System Alerts: Exceptional multi-trait awakening recorded ā Probability 0.0001%]
[New Title Activated: "Bearer of Elemental Wrath"]
[Advanced skill paths unlocked for each trait ā Check the shop]
The soldiers in the field felt an energy erupt like a volcano, and ran toward the center, only to find Alistair standing amidst a vortex of auras, each element orbiting around him like planets around their star.
One of them said, staring in shock:
"What is thisā¦? Is that Alistairā¦ No, that's not human anymore!"
"All those auras!!!"
"Lord Alistair!!" said Garth, sweat pouring from his face.
In this world, everyone is born with a trait, which only reveals itself once someone reaches Rank D.
Most people awaken a single trait, a rare few awaken two, and some geniuses awaken three.
Garth thought, his gaze fixed on his master:
"Soā¦ you're telling me that Lord Alistair went beyond all thatā¦ and awakened ten traits!!!"
"The blessingā¦ has descended upon our barony," Garth said, his eyes full of tears and pride.