Chapter Fifteen — The Power System in the World of Throliem
Leon motioned for them to follow him down a corridor, and as they walked he began to explain.
"By the way, you asked about the ranking system among the Knights, so I'll tell you quickly. There are four main ranks: Novice Knight, Skilled Knight, Veteran Knight, and Commander. Above them sits only the Lord of Knights, who belongs to the royal family. I am currently a Novice Knight."
The four entered a small room with a round table and a few chairs. They sat, and Leon began to outline the power system.
"Listen carefully, because the system here is a little complex...
First, almost every one of us has something implanted near the human heart by the Tower called the Heart of Orne. A person must be at least twenty years old — that is the Tower's rule. This heart is responsible for storing what we call Refined Mana.
Second, there is something else called an Eira. These are tools or weapons also made by the Tower; when you feed them Refined Mana stored in the Heart of Orne, they activate and grant supernatural abilities.
"Oh, and mana is a kind of energy that exists in this world, with many varieties tied to natural sources. But a single Heart of Orne can store only one type of mana. The five basic mana types known in this kingdom so far are:
1. Fire Mana
2. Water Mana
3. Air Mana
4. Earth Mana
5. Lightning Mana
This kingdom is relatively low-ranked compared to other realms. Other elements — like Light and Darkness, Gravity, Sand, Ice, and many more — are available only in higher kingdoms or at the heart of the empire, Verina. A person can refine more than one type of mana if they acquire a second true Heart of Orne, but that depends on their body and how many elements they can refine together. Such people must be exceptionally gifted at mana control because they carry two or more different mana types in their bodies. For that reason, they must raise their mana-control level insanely high... Well, in fact, we all should improve our mana control if we want to grow stronger faster."
The three exchanged looks, each absorbing what they had just heard in his own way.
"Now, let's move on to the details of the Heart of Orne. First — the Heart looks small, but it is a dimensional pouch; we haven't been able to determine its interior size yet, and no one has discovered all its uses. The Heart consists of a core called the Orn Core, around which surround circles known as mana circles. The Orn Core is the key element that determines how many circles form around it and how complete they are. The stronger the Orn Core, the greater the number of circles or the more fully formed each circle becomes.
"The mana circles — the Heart of Orne holds Refined Mana within it in the form of mana circles, which are also divided into levels.
"The Orn Core is upgraded by devouring False Hearts of Orne. They are called 'false' because they cannot store mana like genuine Hearts do; instead they are used only to strengthen the original Heart by being consumed. But when that happens, the original heart becomes weakened and needs time before it can consume another false heart. Also, controlling Refined Mana becomes more difficult during that phase.
"As for Eira, they vary greatly — both in the type of mana they are activated with and in the power of the Eira itself. Eira have two classification paths: first, the level, from Level One to Level Nine, which determines the power of the skill the Eira releases — for example, a Level One fire-sphere Eira is weaker than a Level Two fire-sphere Eira. Second is the rank, which determines the place and strength of an Eira compared to other Eira: ranks go F, E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, SSS. An B-ranked explosive fire-sphere Eira is stronger than a D-ranked normal fire-sphere. The higher the rank, the rarer it is — until you reach SSS, where each Eira of that rank is unique in the world.
"One more important thing: in this kingdom almost no one uses original Eira; they use copied Eira, also called Nira.
"Originally, a person earns an original Eira from the Tower through excellence in the Tower's trials. When someone possesses such an Eira and studies it — learns its secrets and how it is composed — they can produce a copied Eira of the same level or lower. But you must know that each Eira has its own specific cloning method and unique components, even if another Eira is of the same level or rank.
"There is a great difference between an original Eira and a copied one — the Nira. Original Eira have unlimited uses, while a Nira has a limited number of uses; when that number is exhausted, the Nira automatically destroys itself. They say there are other differences too, but you'll discover those in Level Four specifically. Eira are defined by both rank and level. The rank defines an Eira's strength relative to other Eira, while the level defines the Eira's raw power and who can use it — levels run from One to Nine."
"The mana circles in a Heart of Orne consist of nine circles, from the first up to the ninth. A person can use the Eira corresponding to their level or lower, depending on the number of mana circles they possess. Every time a person completes three circles, their strength changes both quantitatively and qualitatively. In the first three stages, the mana circles are in a gaseous state. In the fourth, fifth, and sixth stages they are liquid, while in the final three stages the mana becomes solid.
"Also, each subsequent circle is always larger. For example: when the first circle is complete, the person has 10 mana points; when they have two circles, they have 30 mana points — 10 from the first circle plus 20 from the second.
"The terrifying thing is that I've heard many people in this world have reached the ninth circle. Those people are the current rulers of mankind; they can erase a kingdom like this — or even a higher one — with the snap of a finger."
Leon paused and returned to the topic of the Eira a person uses. "An Eira belongs entirely to its owner; no one else can use it. Even a copied Eira is tied to its owner, because it must be connected to a Heart of Orne in some way. Even if an Eira is in another person's hand, it remains linked to its own heart by a method not yet understood. You can think of the connection like Wi-Fi in our old world — invisible but present — though matters change when the owner dies.
"But this feature comes with a fatal flaw: each heart can connect to only a limited number of Eira, and that number equals the number of mana circles that heart can form."
Leon then demonstrated how mana control works and how to train to increase it. He thrust his thumb forward and a thin thread of mana sprang from his fingertip — a glowing green filament that looked like a strand of living light. He regarded the three before him and said in a calm but clear voice,
"The more control you have over mana, the easier it is to manipulate this line."
He flicked his finger lightly, and the thread twisted in the air like a snake dancing in the rain.
"And if the amount of mana you control increases, these lines take on the form and density of rods. That shows your control is higher. In short... the more skilled you become at manipulation, the more easily you can handle larger quantities of mana."
He fell silent for a moment, then added with a warning tone, "Know well that manipulating mana inside the body is far better than manipulating it from the outside. Each of you must set aside daily time to train your mana control, especially when the mana is outside the body. This training makes mana smoother to move, eases the process of devouring hearts, and shortens the interval between each devouring. The better your control, the safer your progress to the next circle. That's all I know about mana control."
Leon lowered his finger; the green line vanished as if it had never been there. He fixed his gaze on them and continued speaking, his eyes steady and focused.