Spending time with Rowan, Hector remembered days he spent alone drinking. Definitely not a healthy habit he had created, but it was comforting in an odd sense. Rowan’s drinks were all unique; they tasted good but did not share the same flavors he was used to. They were sweet but had a mild burn; the real difference was how they made him feel. He knew the beverages had a wide range of effects, but all of them seemed to energize him, intoxication still occurred, but it didn’t feel as rough as alcohol from Earth. Every time he drank one, it felt like his soul exhaled. The constant pressure he had grown used to eased, as his internal world settled into something quieter.
Rowan took another sip, then finally broke the silence.
“Alright, here is the deal.”
Hector looked up.
“One of the few rules that is consistent across all four thousand nine hundred and twenty-seven known universes, is that very few acquire skills above their Core grade. Now this is not a constant, just a standard rule. You aren’t the first to do this, but it is highly unusual.”
"Ok...go on...”
“Like I said it has happened before, but it is rare enough that it is just a dream aside from the most gifted of the Pantheon.”
Hector frowned. “Wait. Four thousand nine hundred and twenty-seven universes. Is that one planet each or...”
“Focus,” Rowan cut in, grinning.
“I have not even gotten to the unpleasant parts yet.”
Hector shut his mouth. Rowan leaned back against the table, expression shifting from amused too serious.
“Typically, a body cannot handle power above its Core level, that is not a philosophical rule. It is a natural law created by the system. Perhaps your healing, as chaotic as it is, has a power that not even I understand yet.”
He tapped two fingers against the mug.
“Skills are graded to match what a Core can stabilize. Mana output, intent authority, element alignment, backlash tolerance, along with several other factors, everything is layered so that when you push too hard, something shuts down before something breaks.”
“So, what does all that mean exactly, you kind of lost me. What exactly happens when I push past that point?” Hector asked.
Rowan’s eyes flicked up.
“Hard to say really, but the options are endless...none pleasant though.”
Hector felt a chill run through him.
“Above grade skills do not fail gracefully. They overload the user's body, destroying them from the inside. Best case scenario you lose some levels or progress; your core can even shatter causing you to be crippled.”
“If that is the best case, I am not sure I want to know the worst.”
He took another drink.
“Exploding is actually one of the cleaner outcomes,” he added casually.
Hector grimaced. “You really know how to sell this.”
Rowan snorted.
“Your system split things for a reason. Core first, body second, skills third. You broke that order.”
“I did not mean to,” Hector said.
“I know, that is the part that concerns me.”
He gestured vaguely toward Hector’s chest.
“Your Core stabilized instead of rejecting the strain. Your body adapted instead of collapsing, and the system responded by giving you E grade skills tied to an F grade Core, a Core that should not be able to support them yet.”
Hector stared into his mug.
“So, what happens if I use them? Will I explode and that’s it. It’s really going to suck if I have to not use them till my next Core level.” He asked.
Rowan did not answer immediately.
“If you use them carefully, you could become a top player within your power level. ”
“And if I do not use them carefully?”
Rowan met his gaze.
“Then the system will let you kill yourself, because from its perspective, it warned you.”
Silence stretched between them, and Hector exhaled slowly.
“So, I should not use them.”
Rowan shook his head.
“No, you cannot pretend they do not exist; that would be worse. You use them sparingly; they may very well save your life, but you need to listen to your body. You stop before failure, not after. Those Order bastards aren’t going to be simple foes, and you will need every advantage you can get, trust me.”
Hector frowned. “That sounds… encouraging.”
Rowan smiled.
“Welcome to being ahead of the curve. There are no manuals up here.”
Hector stared at the mug for a moment, then looked back up.
“So let me get this straight. If I use my new skills too much, my Core might crack or I could just explode out of nowhere. Not using them though would put me at a severe disadvantage?”
Rowan lifted his mug in a small toast.
“Now you are paying attention.”
Hector let out a short, humorless laugh.
“Great, so should I even be using them at all? The idea of just exploding out of nowhere has really caught my attention. Can’t say I am a fan.”
Rowan’s smile softened just slightly.
“Yes, because the alternative is stagnating, not using what you have will put you at a severe disadvantage in the long run regardless of the risks. Not leaning into your power could stunt your growth, you may be powerful now, but you need to focus on your foundations as you level up, this includes your unique ability to get overpowered skills for your level.”
Hector leaned back, the weight of it settling in.
“Good to know.”
Rowan chuckled.
“Oh, lad, this is only the warning portion. You remember the explanation I gave you on cores, right?”
“Ya, basically cores maintain the spiritual aspect of my body, so I guess that means anything related to mana”.
“Correct but there is more to them then just that though, the core holds your mana aspects and many other traits that even those born into an un-inducted world share, markers, affinities you name it, it can probably be found within soul, and your core is the conduit for the soul.”
“Ok this is starting to get pretty heavy”.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Rowan waved his hand as glyphs appeared in the air, and he began to draw and shape them. The glyphs slowly turn the space in front of them into a white blank screen. Hector was reminded of his time spent in school. Lectures posted on whiteboards as he rushed to scribble down the notes before a teacher could erase them.
“Time for a visual representation of cores and how they work.”
The glyphs slowly turned into readable words.
- Mortal Core (F) – The starting core, weak and unrefined. Levels 1-100
- Spirit Core (E) – The first evolution, body and energy begin to harmonize. Levels 101-200
- Soul Core (D)– Core energy fuses with the soul, greatly increasing potential. Levels 201-300
- Elemental Core (C) – Core gains elemental affinity; energy becomes versatile. Levels 301-400
- Astral Core (B)– Core starts radiating energy naturally, linking to the cosmos. Levels 401-500
- Celestial Core (A) – Core reaches divine resonance; near-godlike potential. Levels 501-600
- Divine Core (S) – Core becomes a conduit for legendary power. Levels 601-700
- Primal Core (SS) – The essence of creation is felt; core can influence life itself. Levels 701-800
- Ancient Core (SSS) – Legendary tier; core is beyond mortal comprehension. Levels 801-900
- Transcendent Core (SSSS+) – Peak tier; core approaches ultimate evolution.
“Alright so these are the core stages you will work through as your body levels up, we may be deviants, but we all follow this path”.
“So, what I just hit the prescribed level and boom, everything upgrades? Seems a little simple but I like it that way.”
“Yes and no, upon hitting each required level tier, the system is going to offer you 1 of 3 quests of increasing difficulty. These quests will shape and mold your core into something to fit the power you collected all the way up to that point. In your case your healing and deviant skills will shape it, most likely turning into something either not seen before or something not seen in ages.”
He took a moment and stared at the projection. Thinking of his current growth and where it could get him as he continues to get stronger.
“Not going to lie, seeing it mapped out like this gets me pumped up and ready for the next challenge. Where do you land at on this list Rowan?”
“Oh, me? I am a Paragon. I went past Transcendent a very long time ago.”
He said it casually, like he was commenting on the weather. Hector stared at him.
“Past?” He repeated.
Rowan grinned. “That reaction never gets old.”
Hector leaned back in his chair, rubbing a hand over his face. “You just casually skipped the part where that should be impossible. Let me guess you broke the Pantheon to do that?”
“Impossible is a flexible word, highly discouraged is more accurate.”
He waved a hand, and the glyphs dissolved; the projected list fading back into nothing but air.
“That is enough theory for now,” Rowan said, draining the rest of his mug.
“If I keep explaining things, you will either get overwhelmed or start thinking you understand them.”
“That would be bad?” Hector asked.
Rowan snorted. “That would get you killed.”
He set the mug down and straightened, stretching his shoulders.
“You do not learn what your limits are by talking about them, you learn by brushing up against them and backing off before they bite.”
Hector frowned. “I thought you just spent the last hour explaining why doing that is dangerous.”
“It is, that does not make it optional.”
He pointed toward the door with his thumb.
“You have new skills. Your body feels different, your mana flows differently, and your instincts have not caught up yet. If you walk back into the world without testing them, the first real fight will do it for you, and it will not be gentle about it.”
Hector considered that, then nodded slowly.
“So controlled risk?”
Rowan smiled. “Exactly.”
He stepped toward the door, then paused.
“Three rules,” Rowan added, holding up fingers.
“First, no pushing past pain, you cannot recover from quickly. Second, no stacking high output skills back-to-back, namely your new E rank skills. Third…If something feels wrong in a way you cannot explain, you stop. Immediately.”
Hector stood walking towards the door. “And if it just hurts?”
Rowan chuckled. “Then you are probably doing it right.”
They moved outside, the warm air of the field washing over them. The familiar forest edge lay beyond; the ground open enough to fight without burning half the landscape down by accident.
Rowan gestured broadly.
“Plenty of space. Nothing important nearby, and I will be watching.”
Hector took a slow breath, feeling mana settle within him. The subtle hum beneath his skin impossible to ignore now that he knew what to listen for.
“Alright, what do you want me to start with?”
Rowan shook his head.
“I do not, this part is on you.”
Hector looked at his hands. They felt heavier than before he flexed his fingers; life aligned mana stirring instinctively.
“Guess I start small,” he murmured.
Rowan’s grin widened.
“That, is already progress.”
Hector stepped forward into the clearing, rolling his shoulders as he centered himself. Whatever came next, one thing was certain. The time for talking was over. Now he needed to see what his body could actually do.
Suddenly the ground beneath him shook as holes started to form; wooden tendrils shot out and grew with an amazing speed. He leapt back in surprise, looking back towards Rowan with a look of confusion. Meanwhile, Rowan was hunched over and rolling with laughter.
“Sorry, that was too easy, figured you would want a training dummy to help with the skill tests, oh the look on your face” As he wiped a tear from his eye after the violent laughter.
The wooden tendrils continued to grow, slowly, they turned into a humanoid-like creature, basically if you gave a tree hands and legs, then you had whatever these were. Quickly, the tree people began to change colors into a dark metallic hue.
“Alright, they are ready when you are. This species tends to have masochist tendencies, so they are going to love this”.
He rolled his eyes but got into position. Hector planted his feet in the center of the clearing and let his breathing slow. The hum beneath his skin sharpened as his focus narrowed. Mana no longer felt like something external he had to reach for. It was already there, threaded through muscle and bone, waiting for direction. He raised one hand slowly.
“Alright, let us see how bad this goes.”
He started with the simplest thing he knew, Emergency Heal. The familiar golden green aura bloomed around him, clinging close to his body like a second skin. It felt different now, denser. Less like a wash of energy and more like something anchored, pressing inward instead of spilling outward. Hector frowned slightly.
“That is… tighter? Kind of hard to explain...”
Rowan’s voice carried from the edge of the clearing. “Good. That means it is staying where you put it.”
Hector nodded and let the aura fade. Next, Hands of Triage. He stepped toward a half-fallen tree at the edge of the clearing; its trunk split and scarred from old damage. He did not rush or load it with intent quite yet. He just let the skill settle into his arm. His body reacted before he struck. His stance shifted on instinct, weight distributing more evenly through his legs. The sensation was subtle but unmistakable, like his body was bracing itself without being told to.
“That is new,” he murmured.
He struck. His fist met the wood with a dull impact, green light flashing briefly across his knuckles. The bark did not explode. Instead, the damaged fibers beneath the surface tightened and reinforced, the crack sealing just enough to stabilize the tree. Hector pulled his hand back, eyes narrowing.
“I didn’t tell it to heal,” he said.
Rowan hummed. “Your body did, Sanctified Frame at work perhaps?”
Hector tried again, this time loading killing intent. The difference was immediate. The moment his intent shifted, the mana followed. His fist drove forward and the trunk caved in; a clean crater punched straight through hardened wood. The impact traveled up his arm, but instead of tearing at him, the force dispersed, bleeding harmlessly into his frame. He staggered back a step, more surprised than hurt.
“That should have damaged something.”
“But it did not,” Rowan replied.
Hector flexed his fingers, then his wrist, no backlash. Just heat and a faint tremor beneath his skin. He exhaled slowly.
“Okay, that is an upgrade.”
He turned his attention inward and gathered mana again, this time not into his fists.
“Heal Blast”
The energy condensed in his palm, tighter than he expected. It resisted compression at first, like it did not want to be shaped that way, then snapped into alignment with a sharp internal click he felt more than heard.
“Here goes nothing.”
He extended his arm and released the mana. The pulse tore through the air in a straight line, a compressed bolt of green light that slammed into a boulder across the clearing. Stone cracked outward from the point of impact, not exploding, but fracturing cleanly as if struck by a focused hammer. The recoil hit him half a second later. His arm jerked back, muscles screaming as the backlash rippled through his shoulder and chest. He grunted, dropping to one knee as the pain flared and then faded just as quickly.
He laughed breathlessly. “Yeah, that one bit a little.”
Rowan nodded approvingly. “But you survived!”
Hector pushed himself back to his feet, rolling his shoulder. The ache was already fading; Emergency Heal ticking along quietly without him consciously activating it.
“That recoil would have wrecked me yesterday,” Hector said.
“And today?” Rowan asked.
Hector clenched his fist.
“Today it just hurt.”
Rowan smiled.
Hector took one more breath and settled again, this time deliberately slowing his thoughts. He did not activate a skill. He simply let everything align. His breathing synced with the faint pulse of life energy moving through him. Stillness Under Strain took hold, and the world felt quieter. When he opened his eyes, Rowan was watching him closely.
“That one, is going to save your life more times than you realize.”
Hector nodded, sweat cooling on his skin.
“Yeah, I can feel that. Everything feels clearer, and my resources are loving the boost in regeneration.”
He looked back at the clearing, at the damaged tree, the cracked stone, the faint scorch marks where energy had passed.
“This is manageable, dangerous, but manageable.”
Rowan stepped forward at last, clapping him once on the shoulder.
“That is all I wanted to see today, you respected the edge.”
Hector let out a slow breath, exhaustion settling in now that the adrenaline was fading.
“So, same time tomorrow?”
Rowan laughed.
“Oh no, tomorrow we make it harder.”
Hector groaned as Rowan’s grin widened.