Chapter 11 - Refinement Levels

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The Overseer remained nonplussed, gazing at the screen before him. The summary of Lucian's seemingly confounding prospects had appeared!

[Accumulated Destiny: 1]

[Additional Fractal Versions: 0]

[Awakening: F]

[Refinement: Incomplete Normal]

[Advancement: Indiscernible]

'This is absolutely shocking; just how did he end up here? An F Awakening, in addition to a Normal Refinement? This is unprecedented, I've never seen someone with a single destiny! What in the world is wrong with this individual?!' the Overseer internalized.

Not only was the baseline of a Guardian an A Rank Fractal Rating, but even the lowest Refinement would grant this increase in strength, but Lucian's situation was truly odd.

While in his daze, one by one, the others' pillars shattered. Upon completion, a mechanical voice entered their ears and the information in the records was updated instantly.

The same information displayed to the Overseer was delivered to Lucian. Contrary to what one would expect, his attitude wasn't radical. Because of the Overseer's reaction, he had already prepared himself for the worst. And, lo and behold, it appeared—yet another blow to submerge him within the widening pit of despondency.

"Odd, very odd. That means besides this vessel, there are no other copies of you, or at the very least, they have done nothing to gain a fate; yet even that is hard to accomplish. Fate isn't exceedingly hard to acquire. However, in your case, I believe the only reason you've generated fate is because of your arrival here," the Overseer surmised, concluding Lucian's situation.

Afterward, a look of pity crept upon his face, "I'm not sure whether or not you've been condemned. But, if you manage to survive in this tower, I'll treat you just the same as the others. It is our duty as an Overseer to remain impartial."

In response, Lucian could only nod. Truthfully speaking, Lucian expected a derisive attitude, similar to the disposition of his world. F Ranks were frowned upon, rarely finding a place in society due to two reasons.

First, because they were awakened, their status engendered envy from normal humans, those who dreamed of awakening to abilities. Sadly, despite numerous tries, some just never awakened them.

Second, their low rankings garnered ostracization from higher ranking, viewing them as nothing more than disposable eyesores; only in some cases were they deemed useful.

As a result, Lucian felt respect for the Overseer, but something else he said bothered him.

"You said I arrived here; don't you mean I was summoned?" Lucian inquired. From the Overseer's words, it sounded more like an intrusion than summoning.

"No, I meant what I said. You arrived here. Since there are no records of you, that means you weren't summoned. If you were, I would have your information. Hence, why I said your situation is odd," the Overseer responded.

"I see," Lucian nodded, even more questions arising within his mind; if the situation was this unique, what was the cause of it? Sadly, from the Overseer's lack of knowledge, Lucian knew he wasn't the one to obtain information from.

"Also, do you have a name? I don't think going around calling you Overseer all the time is normal," Lucian commented.

"You may address me as Overseer Vohr," he answered. After answering, although he was still translucent, he purposely revealed some of his defining features. The only difference between his appearance and a human was the horn atop the mask and the wing-tipped ears.

All of a sudden, Overseer Vohr snapped his fingers.

One by one, the appearance of the shattered pillars changed, lines of vibrant energy resembling a circuit board surfacing on each piece. In the next moment, the fragments synthesized with every youth's body.

From here, this was where the power of their Fractal Versions merged with them, astral winds of different intensities appearing in place of the pillars. Overseer Vohr, on the other hand, watched out for any noteworthy individuals. More specifically, he was observing for anyone with an Elite or greater Refinement.

Different destiny accumulations were required to achieve each higher level of Refinement. A Normal one required 1 - 19 accumulated destinies. Strengthened required 20 - 49 accumulations, but Elite required at least 50 accumulations, making it extremely difficult to attain and strengthen. However, Extraordinary was even more stringent, requiring a number that was rarely reached—at least 500.

For the most part, the majority experienced the Strengthened version. It wasn't odd for one to have 25 copies of themselves, each bearing as least one accumulated destiny. As for information surrounding Elite and Extraordinary, that was hard to come by. Any sensitive information was generally guarded without utmost security.

However, even within the Refinements levels, there was a divide. Depending on the completion of the range percentage, the amplification was more thorough. In other words, an Elite Refinement with 200 accumulations would be stronger than one with 100.

Once everyone's respective fragments merged with their vessel, the phenomenon subsided. An immediate change was felt in everyone, even Lucian, despite the lacking effectiveness of his refinement process.

Patiently, Overseer Vohr analyzed everyone's Fractal Pressure. According to what he witnessed and discerned from the records; 8 individuals had reached an Extraordinary Refinement!

'At the very least, their vessel will reach the peak of the Transient Realm. Touching beyond that will depend upon their luck and encounters as with any other minor beings we assist,' Overseer Vohr thought.

Afterward, he directed everyone's attention elsewhere.

"Since you have undergone this transformation, you all can be counted as pseudo-Guardians, therefore, you also have some qualities unique to this title. For example, take a look at the back of your palms."

A symbol resembling a segmented hexagon compromising both inverted and stretched triangular shapes materialized there. Until they advanced in the monolith, this was just a basic insignia, but it served as proof of their attempt at Guardianship.

"Just picture a status menu and the symbol should react," Overseer Vohr instructed, noticing the change in all of their expressions.

Lucian, for one, was intrigued by the different choices emerging in a simple format.

[«Status»] [«Inventory»] [«FM Shop»] [«Tasks»] [«Destiny»]

"Begin by taking a look at your status, you should take the time to familiarize yourself with your parameters and abilities. After all, not too long from now, I'll be sending you all into the tutorial space," Overseer Vohr revealed.

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Name: Lucian Salvatore

Title: N/A

Archetype: Augmenter

Fractal Rating: F (F+)

Authority: Nil

Health: 100%

MQ: 15/15 (.5 MQ per min)

[«Attributes»]-

»Strength: F+

»Agility: F

»Endurance: F

»Dexterity: F

»Vitality: F

»Perception: F

»Spirit: F-

»Wisdom: F-

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[«Enhancements»]

»Points: 0

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[«Abilities»]-

»Reinforce [F+ Rank Ability]

…

At a glance, Lucian felt his parameters were underwhelming. There wasn't a single attribute surpassing the F threshold, indicating his current rank.

Meanwhile, the 8 who achieved Extraordinary Refinements displayed satisfied expressions. Their auras were reminiscent of behemoths, reigning supreme above the rest.

"Some of you may possess a single ability, others may possess more than one, but each of you plays a definite role in clearing the floors of the Monolith. Although it is possible to do so alone, it isn't advised. The foes set in place are more than strong enough to give your current level a substantial fight," Overseer Vohr announced.

Afterward, he swiped his hand horizontally, sending an alert to everyone. In front of Lucian, a message appeared.

〈Alert: 100 Merge Tokens have been deposited into your account.〉

'Merge Tokens?' Lucian thought curiously, but then he noticed a question mark symbol next to the number. When he focused on it, the question mark expanded into a variety of information. Reading through it, Lucian became aware of several ways to utilize the points. It went hand in hand with the menu before his eyes.

Although the tokens couldn't be used directly on the status menu, one could purchase a slew of items from within the shop. Once purchased, it would remain in one's inventory until used or until a certain accomplishment was fulfilled.

"Make sure to select the useful items to assist you later on. You have 3 minutes to do so. Afterward, we'll conclude our meeting with a breakdown of the tutorial to come," Overseer Vohr said.

Before everyone's eyes, a timer of a hundred and eighty seconds appeared. Naturally, this was the time given to decide their choice of items.

The moment the timer appeared; Lucian focused on analyzing the items in the shop. If he wasted time, he wouldn't be able to evaluate the best combination of items to bring along.

Browsing through the FM Shop, he realized it was separated into 4 major parts: Weapons, Armor, Knowledge, and Consumables. Outside of that, there seemed to be other options, but they were blacked out. When he focused on them, a message repeated.

〈Alert: Authority insufficient. Access to the second tier is denied.〉

'Authority? Why does it start out as indefinable?' Lucian mused while also pondering the optimal way to spend his points.

〈Alert: 150 seconds remaining.〉

As the notification reappeared with less time, Lucian pushed the question to the back of his mind. With the time left, he quickly browsed through the consumables, but halfway through, he stopped. After the eighth item, the given amount wasn't sufficient to purchase a single item.

Hence, Lucian directed his attention to the equipment. Within seconds, he laid eyes upon useful items. In addition to protective gear, there was a vast selection of inferior weapons along with numerous potions.

'Although they are inferior, since they give us these tokens, they should at least be worth something. However, I don't think it is practical for me to use every last one. It may be more important to save some,' Lucian determined.

The more he thought about it, the more he believed his reasoning. As a result, he settled for the necessities. In this case, splurging wasn't the best case because realization dawned upon Lucian.

'Just like Overseer Vohr revealed, we'll be able to interact without interfaces as long as we bear this marking. So, perhaps he's testing us to see how our skills of preparation are?'

While looking around, Lucian noticed some people with overwhelmed expressions. These were the bunch who didn't fare well under pressure. Their decision-making skills deteriorated when left in stick situations. In other words, they weren't fit to be leaders or reliable trump cards for that matter.

Meanwhile, Lucian spent 80 tokens, acquiring what he deemed to be necessary for the process.

〈Alert: You have acquired the 6 following items: Inferior Battle Suit (Light), Inferior Dagger, Inferior Bow, Crude Arrows (25), Slingshot & Stone Package, Lesser Recovery Package.〉

At first, he thought about choosing a sword and shield, but he decided against it for the time being. Not only was he inexperienced, but he was unaware of the upcoming enemies' strength, so taking hits wasn't ideal.

Besides, since young, his accuracy was decent. So he felt confident about using a bow and arrow despite his lack of formal training.

Still, he left enough tokens to give himself a cushion for any unforeseen scenarios. 

Once his purchase was finalized, Lucian's appearance was refreshed. He now donned a battle suit made from a futuristic and sturdy yet lightweight material reminiscent of Kevlar. Additionally, there was a quiver of arrows and a bow on his back accompanied by small pouches hung around his waist, followed by a dagger strapped to his thigh.

Several moments later, the timer finally reached zero, causing a drastic change in scenery. Everyone stood in the middle of a vast forest, thrumming with verdant foliage and towering trees. Be that as it may, it seemed vacant.

"Before I send you into the tutorial space, you all will need to form teams. It's advised you mingle amongst yourselves to form squads of 8. There are exactly 800 of you, so I expect 100 teams. Balance doesn't matter as you'll have to learn that fairness is relative to the situation," Overseer Vohr announced.

The atmosphere instantly turned social, everyone searching for potential partners, but Lucian noticed everyone zoomed past him and likely even avoided him like a plague!