Chapter 3 — The Price of Climbing
Kairo did not move immediately.
After his second restart, the forest felt different — not because it had changed, but because he had.
The system's glow faded slowly, leaving behind the quiet hum of night insects and the distant rustle of leaves. His breathing steadied. His heart no longer raced the way it had after the first death.
That scared him.
I'm getting used to it, he realized.
Death still hurt. It still terrified him in the moment. But the aftermath — the restart — had already begun to feel… familiar.
Dangerous familiarity.
Kairo clenched his fists and forced himself to slow down.
"Think," he murmured. "If I rush this, I'll die stupidly."
He looked down at his hands again.
They looked the same.
But when he focused, felt inward, he could sense them — faint, but undeniable.
Two presences.
One sharp and electric, coiled around his nerves.
The other dense and heavy, resting beneath his skin like hidden armor.
Enhanced Reflexes.
Steel Skin.
Both Rank D.
A thought surfaced immediately.
"What does D actually mean?"
As if summoned by the question, the system responded.
[INFORMATION REQUEST DETECTED]
Displaying public ranking framework.
A new screen unfolded, wider than before, lines of text stacking neatly.
BLESSING RANKING SYSTEM
F-Rank — Latent / Minor
• Barely detectable blessings
• Often utility-based
• Minimal combat value
E-Rank — Low
• Minor physical or mental enhancement
• Common among civilians and lower soldiers
D-Rank — Standard
• Combat-capable blessings
• Entry-level elite
• Common among trained soldiers and academy graduates
C-Rank — Advanced
• Specialized or synergistic abilities
• Often define combat roles
• Rare outside noble families
B-Rank — High
• Battlefield dominators
• Strategic-level assets
• Frequently tied to bloodlines
A-Rank — Superior
• National-level forces
• One individual can influence wars
S-Rank — Legendary
• Existences that alter history
• Extremely rare
• Often mythologized
Divine Rank — ???
• Data unavailable
Kairo stared.
Slowly, he exhaled.
"So Renn… was D-Rank," he said quietly.
Standard. Elite compared to civilians — but nothing special in the larger world.
Which meant…
"I'm still near the bottom," Kairo concluded.
Two D-Rank blessings didn't make him invincible. They made him viable.
That mattered.
He scrolled further.
[ADDITIONAL NOTE]
• Individuals may possess multiple blessings
• Compatibility and synergy affect overall effectiveness
• Rank does not guarantee victory
That last line lingered.
Rank does not guarantee victory.
Kairo smiled faintly.
"I like that."
He dismissed the screen and looked toward the path the squad had taken earlier.
Renn would rejoin them soon. The others would be waiting.
If I return now, nothing's changed for them, Kairo thought. I'm still the unblessed baggage. Still expendable.
But for him?
Everything had changed.
He tested his reflexes again — tossing a pebble into the air, tracking it effortlessly, snatching it mid-fall without even trying.
Then he struck a tree once more, harder this time.
The bark split cleanly.
Steel Skin absorbed the impact, leaving only a dull ache.
Kairo nodded.
"I can survive," he said. "But surviving isn't enough."
He needed control.
And information.
The academy lay half a day's march from the border forest.
By dawn, Kairo had rejoined the squad.
No one questioned his return.
Renn barely spared him a glance.
To them, he had simply wandered off and come back shaken — typical behavior for an unblessed.
That ignorance was priceless.
Kairo walked near the back of the formation, silent, observing.
The squad consisted of six.
• Renn Valis — D-Rank, Enhanced Reflexes, Steel Skin, Minor Vitality
• Lysa Thorn — E-Rank, Night Vision
• Borin Hale — D-Rank, Heavy Strength
• Two others with minor E-Rank enhancements
• And Kairo — officially unblessed
Unofficially?
A ledger had begun to form.
He watched how they moved. How they fought minor beasts. Who took risks. Who hesitated.
Most importantly — who relied on their blessing too much.
By noon, they encountered a pack of razor-wolves.
Low-tier beasts. E-Rank threat.
The squad formed up easily.
"Unblessed stays back," Renn ordered without looking.
Kairo obeyed.
For now.
The fight was quick and brutal. Blood splashed. Steel rang.
Kairo watched every movement.
Borin overextended. Lysa panicked when a wolf leapt from the side. Renn compensated — fast, confident, reckless.
If this were a real fight, someone would've died, Kairo thought.
After the wolves were slain, Renn wiped his blade and glanced at Kairo.
"You're lucky today," he said. "If this were a higher threat, we wouldn't bother protecting you."
Kairo lowered his gaze.
Inside, his mind was already calculating.
Not yet.
Not here.
Not wastefully.
That night, Kairo didn't sleep.
He sat apart from the campfire, pretending to rest, while listening to the others talk.
Blessings came up often.
Who had the potential to reach C-Rank.
Which noble houses bred strong bloodlines.
Stories of A-Rank champions.
Kairo absorbed it all.
This world was obsessed with rank.
Which meant rank was leverage.
Later, when the camp fell quiet, the system stirred.
[NOTICE]
Death's Ledger synchronization complete.
A new interface opened — deeper than before.
DEATH'S LEDGER — OVERVIEW
Total Deaths: 2
Total Blessings Acquired: 2
Current Blessings:
• Enhanced Reflexes (D)
• Steel Skin (D)
Synergy Detected: Low
Ledger Stability: Stable
Kairo leaned forward.
"Synergy?"
[EXPLANATION]
Blessings with complementary effects may merge, evolve, or unlock secondary traits when conditions are met.
"So stacking matters," he murmured.
Not random theft.
Not blind accumulation.
Intentional builds.
The realization thrilled him more than the power itself.
"This isn't a curse," Kairo said softly. "It's a system."
A system he could master.
But mastery required patience.
And restraint.
The next death came three days later.
Not by Renn's hand.
By accident.
A cave-in during a scouting operation. Rocks crushed his leg. His body broke before anyone could reach him.
Pain. Darkness.
Restart.
The system activated.
[DEATH CONFIRMED]
Cause: Blunt force trauma
Involved Entities: Environmental
No blessing fragments available.
Kairo sucked in a sharp breath.
"So environment deaths don't pay," he muttered.
Good to know.
But something else changed.
[WARNING]
Repeated deaths increase mental strain.
Ledger instability may occur if recklessness continues.
Kairo went still.
Mental strain.
"So there is a price," he said quietly.
Not unlimited.
Not free.
That sealed it.
"I won't die unless it's worth it," he decided.
From this point forward, every death would be deliberate.
Every entry meaningful.
Every stolen blessing chosen with care.
He looked up at the sky as dawn broke over the mountains.
"This world ranked me as nothing," Kairo said.
"I'll climb every rank it worships."
Behind his eyes, the ledger waited.
Patient.
Hungry.