Although concerning, I need to set my priorities straight. Now, the end of welcoming dinner draws to a close, I need to confirm the starting stats of every key character in the first act. To remain inconspicuous—and avoid drawing Kael's attention—I'll save him for last. I was given this ability as an outsider. I'll make full use of it.
I look towards the House of Ignis. Finding the embodiment of living flame:
"Temporal Anchor, Inhabitant ID Seraphyne Valmont"
Name: Seraphyne Valmont
Class: Novice-Class Mage
Title: "Scion of the Blazing Rift"
Stats:
- Strength: Unreadable, your difference is too great
- Vitality: 4-Star
- Agility: 5-Star
- Intellect: 3-Star
- Stamina: 100%
Attributes:
Sovereignty of Valmont: A generational power. The voice that holds authority in words, each phrase spoken becomes a command to the followers of the Valmont Household, similar to a spirit contract.
Eyes of an Emperor: "To rule, one must see all—before it even moves." A visual mastery honed to the absolute peak of human potential. The user is granted 20/20 vision, natural simultaneous tracking, adaptive optics and a slower world view.
A Monarch's Lineage: A bloodline filled with great mages. A lineage of the 3 Great Kingdoms. Genes trained for magic. Spells casted by the user will be amplified by 30% in power.
Element Affinity:
Fire (Main Element): 3-Star
Lighting (Fire-Derivative Element): 4-Star
Mana Remaining: 350/350 MP
Hmm. No changes from what I remember, if her strength is unreadable that means she has a strength stat of 4-Stars or above. Serpahina's causality is untouched. Next, the storm manifested in the House of Nereza.
"Temporal Anchor, Inhabitant ID Lysandra Elenos"
Name: Lysandra Elenos
Class: Adept-Class Mage
Title: "Herald of the Tidal Currents"
Stats:
- Strength: Unreadable, your difference is too great
- Vitality: 5-Star
- Agility: 4-Star
- Intellect: 5-Star
- Stamina: 100%
Attributes:
Sovereignty of Elenos: A generational power. The voice that holds authority in words, each phrase spoken becomes a command to the followers of the Elenos Household, similar to a spirit contract.
Daughter of the God-King: The God-King's own child. A Genius amongst Geniuses. The user is granted superior intelligence amongst those with exceptional intelligence, possessing photographic memory on another level simply put.
A Monarch's Lineage: A bloodline filled with great mages. A lineage of the 3 Great Kingdoms. Genes trained for magic. Spells casted by the user will be amplified by 30% in power.
Element Affinity:
Water (Main Element): Unreadable, your difference is too great
Wind (Main Element): 4-Star
Mana Remaining: 400/400 MP
As expected of the heir to Elenos—Lysandra truly is a genius among them. Her causality remains unchanged. Now, the last of the heroines: The Tempest of the Sylvas house.
This one's going to be... awkward.
I need to stare at her for at least two seconds before I can safely avert my gaze. And with us seated at the same table, concealing that glance will be difficult. We'll, it's not like she'll kill me if I linger my sight on her for too long.
I turn my head and quickly mutter in my head
"Temporal Anchor, Inhabitant ID Leona Aurelthane"
Quick please, but she… ignores it? Well thank goodness.
Name: Leona Aurelthane
Class: Novice-Class Mage
Title: "Adept of the Howling Wind"
Stats:
- Strength: 3-Star
- Vitality: 5-Star
- Agility: 5-Star
- Intellect: 4-Star
- Stamina: 100%
Attributes:
Sovereignty of Aurelthane: A generational power. The voice that holds authority in words, each phrase spoken becomes a command to the followers of the Aurelthane Household, similar to a spirit contract.
A Monarch's Lineage: A bloodline filled with great mages. A lineage of the 3 Great Kingdoms. Genes trained for magic. Spells casted by the user will be amplified by 30% in power.
Element Affinity:
Wind (Main Element): Unreadable, your difference is too great
Regal Tempest (Unique Wind-Derivative Element): 1-Star
Mana Remaining: 400/400 MP
Yes, Leona still retains all her stats, as expected from Lysandra's main rival throughout EAA. Her unique royal element is still present and statistics similar to Lysandra. Leona's causality is untouched.
That's great. All three heroines' stats from the start of the game are the same as they are now. Therefore no significant change has been made to them in terms of personal growth.
And now, the main course. Kael himself. I wait for him to start looking away and when he d0es…
"Temporal Anchor, Inhabitant ID Kael Veldt"
[ Inhabitants stats cannot be fetched. Attempting to obtain ]
"Huh? What do you me—"
The words die in my throat.
Agony slams into me. I slam my head forward. It flies downward on instinct, both hands flying to my face. A white-hot spike erupts behind my eyes.
"AARRGGHH!!!"
The scream tears out of me like a wild animal. My eyes—they're on fire.
It's as if every nerve in my optic disk is surging with molten blood, each vessel pulsing to the edge of rupture. My pupils contract, then flare wide, focusing and refocusing at impossible speeds. I can feel the pressure—like claws behind my sockets, twisting, wrenching, tearing something open.
It burns. God, it burns. Even with my eyes closed, the blue interface appears.
[ Attempt failed. ]
[ Improvement is needed. ]
[ Criteria for improvement is met: ]
- Sufficient Collective Observer Effect is present
- Sufficient Chronon in the localized area present. Manifest gauge invariance kept
- Sufficient Bioelectromagnetic waves in the effective field present
[ Epigenetic conditions met, attempting improvements ]
Just get it over with already. My skull feels like it's about to split. My eyes—they're seconds away from bursting. The pressure is unbearable, building behind them like boiling magma trapped beneath glass.
I hear footsteps—rapid, urgent. Professors rushing toward the Sylvas tables. Hands press against my shoulders, my back, my face—too many voices, too many spells murmured at once.
And then—Professor Aldrick Voss' presence. I don't need to see him to know he's here. I can feel the air shift—cool, damp, and heavy with forest mist. His nature spirits emerge. They coil around me
The healing begins. A slow seep green fills my vision even with my eyes closed. But my God.
My God, it still hurts. And it's only halfway
[ Progress: 50% ]