NOVEL WEB Chapter 8: Bastard Profile
It had been over a month since Tyberius first encountered what he believed was the process of mana absorption, which later turned out to be force fundamental or so it says according to the announcer's voice.
The point of the story is, since then, he has committed himself to practising the technique daily. Clumsily at first, then with growing grace, he got better.
The results, while not explosive, were evident in subtle but undeniable ways. His body felt sturdier. His mind, sharper. And most notably, his character profile had begun to shift.
'Bastard,' Ty thought flatly, narrowing his eyes at the transparent screen that was soon to pop up.
[Tyberius Arkwell]
True Name: Ngth'rel Varkhud (Lifespan: 100 years)
Race: Vaylun (Lowest Tier Divine Human)
EP: 01,291 / 10,000
Force Factor: Force Fundamental Stage
Magic: Unawakened
Talent: Unawakened
[!] [!]
[Character Ranking: 319]
What stood out most were the changes to his EP, and his race which had updated from a blank mention of his sub-race alone to now having more information regarding his racial ranking.
And then there was the Force Factor, the mysterious energy source he had mistakenly believed was mana. But this "Force" was something else entirely. Something... deeper while being a complete mystery of its effect compared to mana.
'If I remember correctly, the Vaylun race is said to possess a Force Factor, a crystallised organ capable of generating Force energy. It's a power entirely separate from mana. Mana and Force... two different currencies of power.'
The revelation was both alarming and intriguing. Did this mean he wouldn't be able to wield magic? Would he be excluded from one of the world's most coveted power systems?
But then again, the race description had also noted that the Vaylun were closer in essence to True Dragons than any other human lineage.
'If dragons are involved, then I've got nothing to worry about.'
After all, it had cost him a significant sum of karma points to obtain the race. It couldn't be trash. Could it?
Still, he couldn't help but bristle at the term Lowest Tier Divine Human. The name sounded impressive, sure, but the prefix "lowest tier" irked him like a splinter lodged beneath his skin.
'But it also says Vaylun can evolve.'
That was the real kicker. Evolution. Unlike static race classes, Vayluns had the potential to grow beyond how they started. His being in the Lowest Tier showed he could evolve into beyond just that.
'So EP… must be the metric tied to that evolution. The higher my EP gets, the closer I get to my next form.'
It was an assumption on his part, but calling it out made more sense to be just an assumption. His background as an avid gamer made it easier for him to decipher the system around him. Even if it wasn't laid out in traditional stats with no STR, DEX, CON, or AGI, he could still see the framework under the surface.
But that also highlighted his biggest gripe.
'This profile screen sucks.'
If the game or world, rather had gone with a more familiar interface, it would've saved him hours of theorising.
'All I have is EP rising slowly, no breakdown of stats, no skill tree… just this abstract number and a ranking. Even worse, I have no idea what that ranking really means.'
His eyes shifted to the small notification marks [!] [!] hanging like unread messages. They'd been there since the first day he accessed the Force Factor.
'What are these even supposed to be?'
He squinted at one of the blinking markers, half-jokingly thinking, 'Do I just click it or—
Before the thought was even complete, the notification expanded, as if responding to his mental cue.
> [!] : The reward given by the administrator. Would you like to open it? (Yes | No)
'Administrator?'
That term didn't feel like simple game terminology. It felt... omniscient. Watchful. Still, Tyberius didn't panic.
'Right, the reward. Of course, open it.'
Memory served him well enough to remember he had received two rewards, one from being the loudest spender so to speak. And the other as an extra skill for his achievements.
All were awarded to him by the administrator.
[Rewards unlocked]
You have been rewarded: [Subspace Function]
You have been rewarded: [??? Egg]
'Two rewards?!'
He instinctively reached his hand out, expecting something to fall from thin air. Nothing did.
'So how do I get them physically…?'
A quick glance at his updated profile gave him the answer.
[Tyberius Arkwell]
True Name: Ngth'rel Varkhud (Lifespan: 100 years)
Race: Vaylun (Lowest tier divine Human)
EP: 01,291 | 10,000
Force Factor: Force Fundamental Stage
Magic: Unawakened
Talent: Unawakened
[Subspace] : ??? Egg
[Player Ranking]: 319
There it was. Stored neatly under the new [Subspace] section. Apparently, the function acted like an inventory storage. All he had to do was think about the object in question, and there it would be, stored in and ready to be picked at his convenience.
[??? Egg]: The egg of a forgotten creature, a myth that thrived in the days of the ancients.
'That's it? That's all I get?'
He leaned back, slightly disappointed. The name alone was vague, and the description might as well have said "cool mystery thing, good luck!"
Still...
'An egg of a forgotten creature... It has to be a dragon. Right?'
Vaylun are said to be entities closer to a True Dragon, which made Tyberius assume that if an egg was involved, it had to be a dragon, or so he wanted to believe.
He imagined it now: soaring through the skies, cloaked in wind and flame, riding atop a colossal beast of legend with smug superiority on his face and a blade strapped to his back.
'The wet dream of every man thrown into a fantasy world. No way I'm settling for less.'
He clenched his fists and exhaled through his nose. The anticipation of seeing the egg hatch gnawed at him, but all he could do was wait. Wait... and grow.
'Whatever you are, come out soon. I've got plans for us.'
Because in a world where Force could rival magic, where the bloodline of dragons flowed through divine humans, and where forgotten myths stirred in the shadows...
Tyberius Arkwell would not remain an insignificant bastard like his lineage claims.
Not for long.