Chapter 16 – Systems of Power
The scent of ash drifted through the ruined wind.
Auther crouched beside a mutant's corpse—its body still twitching, steam curling off its torn flesh. He pressed a boot to its side and pulled free his blade, Mana Edge, the blue light fading from its surface.
Another fight.
Another test.
Another body.
But this one had mattered.
The creature had been Rank F9—the peak of the mortal stage.
Auther wiped blood from his cheek, his breaths deep but steady.
He wasn't injured.
Just drained.
But more than that—he was excited.
---
[Enemy Defeated – Rank: F9]
[Skill Points Gained: +5]
---
The system's prompt glowed before his eyes, dull and mechanical as always. No emotion. No tone. Just raw function.
But Auther's smile widened.
That meant the formula held.
He'd tested it enough times now to be confident in it.
He opened a small notebook he'd scavenged weeks ago and flipped to a neatly written page:
---
Skill Point Gain System (Confirmed):
Same Rank Enemy Kill: +5 SP
+1 Rank Above: +7 SP
+2 Ranks Above: +10 SP
+3 Ranks Above: +15 SP
+4+ Ranks Above: +20–30 SP, based on difficulty
---
"It's consistent," he murmured. "But harsh."
It meant no freebies. No inflation. If he wanted points, he had to fight.
And survive.
There were no system handouts—only blood.
He crouched and harvested the mana core from the mutant's chest—about the size of a plum, glowing with violet threads. The stronger the enemy, the denser the core. And the denser the core…
The more useful it was for cultivation.
He stored it carefully, stood, and looked at his surroundings.
The ruined schoolyard had become a graveyard of broken mutants. Three corpses smoldered, mana leaking into the air.
He'd cleared them all in under twenty minutes.
"Rank F9, huh?"
He flexed his fingers.
He wasn't just stronger now.
He was changing.
He could feel it.
---
His body felt tight.
Buzzing.
As though something inside him was stirring.
F9 was the limit of mortals.
Any further, and he'd break through the threshold—step into E-rank.
Into Awakener territory.
A higher lifeform.
He recalled the phrase he'd found in a skill book weeks ago, scrawled in the margin like a warning:
> "To cross from F to E is not a step. It is a leap into fire. Your body will burn. Your soul will cry. And if you are not ready, the mana will consume you."
This wasn't a level-up.
It was a rebirth.
Bones would break. Organs would twist. Internal circuits would forcibly restructure.
And if he failed—he'd die.
Simple as that.
"I'm not ready yet," he murmured.
His foundation was strong—but not perfect.
Not yet.
He needed to push further. To polish every weakness.
To fight something even stronger—and survive.
---
Later, in the safety of his bunker deep in the ruins, Auther sat by the dim light of a crystal lamp. The air was thick with humidity and mana haze. He wiped sweat from his neck and opened the Skill Creation window.
---
[Skill Creation – OPEN]
[Skill Points Available: 5]
---
He tapped his stylus against the edge of his notebook, thoughtful.
He had what he needed to survive: Fighting Mastery, Burst Step, Reinforced Frame, Starwave Breathing, Energy Activation, and several high-functioning utility skills.
But survival wasn't enough.
He needed scaling.
A path to long-term power.
And the bottleneck… was skill points.
His most powerful tool—Skill Creation—was chained to his kills.
So he wrote an idea that had been forming in his mind for days.
---
> Name: Skill Point Generation – Proto Form
Description: "Allows the user to generate 1 Skill Point over a period of time through mental focus and controlled meditation. Cannot be used more than once per day. Consumes a moderate amount of mana and stamina. Internal strain scales with repeated use."
---
He hit Evaluate.
And waited.
[Evaluating…]
[Skill Rank: F9]
[Cost: 124 Skill Points]
He choked.
"Are you serious?"
The system didn't answer.
It never did.
But the cost burned into his screen like a slap to the face.
"Even the most basic version costs that much?"
He scrolled down to the breakdown.
---
> Base F-Rank Skill: 10 SP
Extra Function (Generates SP – Nonstandard Ability): +50 SP
Bypasses World Laws (no external kill): +40 SP
Daily Cooldown Mechanism: -10 SP
Mana/Stamina Cost Clause: -6 SP
Strain Penalty Clause: -5 SP
Final Cost: 124 SP
---
He slumped back, rubbing his temples.
It made sense.
He was literally trying to break the world's natural rule—gain power without killing or looting.
A method to generate SP on his own?
Of course the system would tax it like a heresy.
"No free lunch," he muttered. "And even if I created it, the strain would probably fry my circuits."
Still… the idea was valuable.
Once he reached E-rank, maybe—maybe—he'd try to refine it.
For now, it was out of reach.
---
Instead, he turned his focus to something more immediate.
He needed to perfect his body before attempting the breakthrough.
So he created something simple.
---
> Name: Internal Fortification
Description: "A passive technique that slowly reinforces internal organs, blood vessels, and energy circuits through ambient mana flow. Pairs well with cultivation techniques. Minor boost to resilience and breakthrough survivability."
[Rank: F3 | Cost: 10 Points]
---
He didn't have the points yet.
But he bookmarked the idea and nodded to himself.
This was the kind of preparation he needed.
He had to make his body bulletproof before his evolution.
Only then would he survive the storm.
---
Three days later, Auther hunted again.
This time, he targeted a known E1 mutant in the lower city ruins—a reptilian hybrid with long fangs, two tails, and skin like black steel.
It was faster.
Smarter.
It set traps.
But he beat it.
Not with brute force—but with technique.
---
[Enemy Defeated – Rank: E1]
[Skill Points Gained: +7]
---
The fight had cost him a cracked rib, a torn shoulder, and the full use of Lesser Flesh Knitting for hours.
But he won.
He limped back to safety, poured a potion down his throat, and grinned like a madman.
He could now kill E1s.
And that meant it wouldn't be long before he could pressure E4s—his target before breaking through.
---
In the quiet of his shelter, he stared at the candlelight, thinking.
Once he reached F9, he would push.
He would prepare.
Then he would break through.
And leave mortality behind.