"…"
No words left my mouth as I stared at the screen in front of me.
How could there be? The upgrades I just received from the merge were really something else entirely.
At first glance, they might not seem like much. But once you look at them and think about it deeply you would understand the sheer weight of what I had gained just now. My potential didn't just increase. It didn't just jump a few ranks. No, it went from a meager B- to limitless.
Limitless.
Of course, that only meant anything if I stayed alive long enough to make use of it. But even so, it wasn't the kind of thing you can just ignore. Whether out of curiosity, caution, or whatever, I had to ask.
"Why did my potential suddenly skyrocket from B- to limitless?" I asked the system, my eyes still glued to the glowing text.
I had expected improvement over time, sure. Maybe even access to some rare treasure that could increase my potential up to SS-. There was one in the novel that did just that, though it was tied to a villain and interfering with story too early might make some unnecessary changes over the course of the story. I had thought maybe the system shop would offer me a safer route.
But this?
This was the easiest and effortless way.
[Host, as I mentioned before that one's power is bound to the soul and governed by the laws of the world they inhabit, which in this case is Aether. However, your soul is not originally from Aether. In other words you are an Otherworlder. And because of that you are not completely bound by this world's laws and limitations.]
The system's voice rang clearly in my mind.
"Well... that kind of makes sense, I guess."
Aether—that's the name of this world by the way. Everything here, from the interface to the rules that govern life, power, and growth, is made and managed by Aether itself.
Having the Limitless trait didn't just remove my potential cap but it also drastically boosted my growth rate compared to my peers. The only exception to this is the protagonist of course. He too eventually gains the Limitless talent, but only after grinding for it through his system by saving up currency for three long years. His system was stingy, offering him basic quests with measly rewards in the early phase though he should have attained limitless potential by now. Still, even from the start, his potential was already S+, which is leagues above of what I had . His greatness sometimes arises questions like Why did he even needed the system? But then again he was chosen to fight against the demon king afterall.
And then there's that reason because of which he became celine's or should i say my mother's disciple—it wasn't due his potential- maybe that too played a good role but It was his affinity with a particular element that caught her attention.
Moving on to my current state—my rank had increased from E- to E. On screen, it doesn't look like much. Just a single level. But in reality, that change matters a lot. Time is my biggest constraint, and this slight bump saves me some of it.
I have four years.
Four years to grow strong enough to defeat the Demon King or at least become a major asset to the protagonist's squad. So Every small gain matters.
I also saw increases in my strength, endurance, and mana levels. Not massive jumps, but progress nonetheless. And then there's the addition of new system features I've yet to explore.
But before diving into those, my attention turned to something even more interesting—my new elemental affinity: Void
It's not like I had never heard of void element before. I had. But the problem was, it was never mentioned in the novel at all—not even once. From what I knew according to my knowledge that I had accumulated via other novels, void was typically portrayed as an overwhelmingly powerful and chaotic element, one capable of erasing everything in its path.
Yet in my status, it was locked.
"System, why is my Void element locked?"
[Host, Void is an extremely powerful and unstable element. You must be at least mid D-rank to even attempt to wield it. Otherwise, you risk destroying yourself.]
"So it's a double-edged sword, huh..." Not entirely surprised by the answer, after all void is indeed protrayed as such a element.
A precaution and honestly, I Preferred it. It's good that the system has safeguards like that in place. I'd rather not accidentally disintegrate myself while trying to cast a spell.
"System, what about the additional features? Explain them," I asked. It's not like I didn't understand them, but it's always better to get confirmation straight from the source.
[Hos—]
I cut the system short.
"Can you call me by my name instead of 'host'? It really doesn't sit well with me. Makes me feel like I'm harboring some parasite... which, well, kind of is the case, but still. I'd prefer you just call me by my name."
[Affirmative.]
"Thanks."
[So, Thorin. The System Shop offers you various goods like skills, artifacts, and even elemental affinities but naturally, everything comes at a cost. That brings us to the next function: quests. These quests are tailored to help you grow in a direction that supports the main mission. Rewards can include spells, artifacts, and system coins which is also the currency used in the System Shop.
Then, there's the Training Dome. You can access it once per day for one hour. Inside, you won't experience fatigue, no sound will escape, and you'll be able to summon opponents to practice against. These opponents can be tailored as per your requirements though it require coins.
Lastly, the Inventory. It allows you to store up to ten items with their condition perfectly preserved.
NOTE: These features can be upgraded as you get strong]
"Pretty good, huh," I muttered to myself.
All of this—quests, rewards, training dome, inventory , it made the mission ahead feel just a bit more easy. But what really caught my attention was the shop's ability to sell elemental affinities.
In this world, most people are born with just one element. A few rare talents are born with two, and they're instantly marked for greatness. I'm one of them with Ice and Void in my possession, though the latter is still locked. But there is only one person with three? The protagonist. He was born with two and acquired the third through the system—an affinity so rare and also the symbol that he is the one with the ability to defeat the demon king.
"The Light element," I whispered. Though he kept it hidden and presented himself as someone with 2 elements .
I shook myself out of that thought. No use brooding over his greatness. Right now, I had my own journey to begin. The questions were done, at least for now. I did want to explore the system shop, but with zero coins to my name, it would just be pointless window shopping. And I was never fan of window shoppings.
Besides, It was time for something important.
"The Academy."