"I need to get stronger. Yes, thats the only way I can live the way I want. It was true in my previous life too, and more true in this world."
Ethan made it his goal to become the strongest so that no one could ever order him again.
"And I was also killed just because—!" Ethan suddenly realised.
"I have a family member?!... no wait, more like a cousin. Damn, I was an orphan in my previous life and this life too. But unlike before, a far relative adopted me. My uncle and aunt... I can feel the previous owner of this body cared for them deeply and they were fucking killed!!!"
Ethan's rage flared as if they were his own family and not the previous owner's. He calmed himself down and thought carefully.
Ethan's uncle and aunt were killed just because the lord of this town, Baron Karl Voss, wanted his aunt as his concubine. When his aunt refused, he sent men to take her by force. Uncle tried to resist and got killed. Aunt also died when she fought back. Now only his cousin Mia remained, but that bastard Baron's son, Victor Voss, wants her now.
But Mia always managed to slip away because she worked in a restaurant owned by a retired intermediate 2-star bloodline user and he was one of the rare good men who protected his employees. Being a 2-star, he had similar power to the Baron, who was an advanced 2-star bloodline user.
The restaurant owner kept running it because most of his bloodline strength had weakened and only one remained, there was also the fact that his wife cooks well, but that single bloodline was enough to make the Baron think twice. He wouldn't risk open conflict just so his unawakened son could take a commoner girl.
So Victor played dirty. He decided to make Mia completely helpless by killing Ethan, who was her only remaining support.
"Fuck you Baron and your entire line... Shit. In both worlds I died just because of freaking dicks!"
Ethan said with clenched teeth as his resolve to get stronger only increased.
It was already nighttime and Ethan unconsciously started walking his way back to home while contemplating his next actions.
"So... tomorrow is my awakening trial." he checked his pockets. "Fuckers even took my money. Thank god that I kept the trial hall pass in the house. That freaking pass costs 50 Bronze Coins! Didn't they say they need strong bloodline users? Which commoner would be able to save that much, damn, it was only thanks to Mia that I managed to get the pass... I need to awaken, that's the only way."
Ethan's thinking was in the correct direction; it was all the nobles' ploy that the cost was this high. Being already established in good positions, they didn't want any more competitors to appear. Also the fact that bloodline power increased life span, they planned to rule unhindered for a long time. It's said that the Emperor has been alive for more than 200 years and still looks young!
One legitimate reason was that, if no cost had been added, every year the whole town would try their luck, even the ones that failed once. But nonetheless, the cost was still high.
100 coppers equalled 1 bronze coin, 100 bronze coins equalled 1 silver coin, 100 silver coins equalled 1 gold coin, and finally 1000 gold coins equalled 1 platinum coin.
50 Bronze coins may not seem much, but only that much could fill the stomachs of a 5-member family for nearly a month! Mia only earned 20 Bronze coins per month working at the restaurant, and Ethan did some odd jobs here and there, making around 5 bronze coins. Not to mention the expenses on clothes and daily necessities. They had barely managed to scrape 50 Bronze in the course of a year so that Ethan could participate in the awakening ceremony.
"Mia..."
Mia was a bit older than Ethan, 24 while he was 22, making her play the big sister role which she naturally assumed was her responsibility. When her parents died 5 years ago, just so Ethan would not worry, she presented herself as strong in front of him. She too had tried for awakening, but even though her soul rank came out to be Rare, she didn't awaken any notable bloodline power.
Yes, Soul rank. This was a measure of the strength of one's soul. It decided how powerful one's bloodline could become and how much ability he could draw from it.
There were 10 soul ranks, from weakest to strongest—Common, Uncommon, Rare, Super Rare, Epic, Legendary, Mythical, Transcendent, Divine and Eternal.
But there is another perk to Soul Rank.
The number of abilities they can use from their own bloodline.
With common rank only one shared ability, and another ability is added with each higher rank.
That is—
Common[1]
Uncommon[2]
Rare[3]
Legendary[6]
Mythical[7]
Eternal[10]...
High Soul Rank even meant how easily you could get stronger.
So basically, you can be individually more stronger even without relying on external bloodline power if you have high soul rank, with common souls relying heavily on their bloodline to fight for them. So lets say a Rare Soul Rank awakener draws the maximum power allowed to him, then he can have an arsenal of 33 abilities!
But it had to be mentioned that reaching the potentially maximum amount of abilities was rarely seen, and more difficult the higher the rank. With most common and uncommon rank souls only able to handle 1 to 2 abilities.
Even the Emperor, who is said to have a Legendary Rank soul has only 10 abilities.
It was the same for abilities, some common rank souls couldn't even handle a single ability before their souls collapsed.
---
"Shit... I am pathetic in this life. A man's greatest ability is to make money, and I even fail in that here."
Ethan muttered quietly as he cursed himself. Somehow he felt it was he who was in the wrong.