Daneel didn"t respond to the system right away. He wanted to do it right.
Teleporting to the top of the Palace of Lanthanor and casting a camouflage spell to make sure that no one could see him, he conjured a throne and opened a bottle of premium wine that cost over 10 Gold Lans.
Taking a sip and enjoying the spiciness sliding down his throat, Daneel looked out over his Kingdom for a moment.
From this vantage point, he could clearly see the sprawling grounds of the Palace, and right outside, all of the meticulously constructed villas and mansions of top officials in the Kingdom were in glorious display.
Beyond that was the wall that separated the inner and outer cities, and past it, he could see the Academy where he had spent his formative years.
It was always important for one to remember their roots when taking a major step forward, solely so that they would remain grounded instead of ascending too much into the sky and running the risk of cras.h.i.+ng and burning into nothingness.
Finally, taking a deep breath, Daneel ignored the module that he had been told about and continued to ask the system the questions he had listed before.
After all, that module would always be present for him to peruse. However, the answers to these three questions were things that he had been searching for for what felt like a long, long time.
"System, what is the Hero level, and how does one get to it?"
[Hero Level: The level that one ascends to after reaching the Peak of the Champion Level.
Requirements to reach Hero Level:
1. Acknowledgment by the World.
2. Peak Champion Level.
Methods to reach Hero Level:
There are two main methods.
Method 1: By taking the resonance used when breaking through to become a Champion to the next level
This is the method used when one has chosen a Champion Path that can be refined to take them to the next level. The requirement is that there must be a deeper level that can even be reached in the Champion Path that is chosen. However, this is typically not told to Peak Warriors, as it must not be a criterion when one is choosing their Champion Path. Research carried out during the time of the Empire suggests that each and every Champion Path has a deeper level that can be found if one is talented enough, and if one is capable of resonating with it enough. Top-tier Acquired Champion Paths already have the route for this laid out, but there is a chance that this route cannot be pursued, as, after all, one who chooses an Acquired Path is choosing one that is not completely their own. Hence, the most common practice was to adapt Acquired Paths with set routes to one"s own preference, and then use the guidelines when the time comes to break through to become a Hero.
For example, there is information on the "Mad" Champion Path. Unlike the one that was seen by host in the case of the individual known as the "Mad Doctor", this is an acquired one which provides guidelines regarding how one can connect with their inner madness to influence the World. The deeper connection is achieved when one can understand the different types of madness that are present in the world, and then gain possession of knowledge regarding the true meaning of this concept known as "Madness", instead of just resonating with what is inside themselves.
When a threshold is reached, the World automatically responds and bestows one with power that "can rend the skies and shatter the earth". A qualitative change occurs, putting Heroes on a much higher level when compared to Champions, so much so that even tens of the latter cannot really compare to just one of the former.]
True…meaning?
Daneel had made a lot of speculations regarding just what the Hero level could be.
He didn"t need the system to tell him about the disparity between Champions and Heroes: he had seen it himself. It might not be as exaggerated as what the system had just said, but the chasm was definitely much wider and deeper than anyone could imagine.
He had imagined that it might be the next step in resonance, but he could never have expected that it would be something like this.
Truly profound.
Yet, when the system continued, it made him drop the smile that had appeared on his face when he imagined himself choosing an incredible Champion Path and then taking it all the way to the Hero level.
[Special Note: This method is not possible in this age.]
"What? Why?!"
[Energy Level. For the World to facilitate this kind of breakthrough, a certain overall Energy Level is required, which is currently not present. There are deeper calculations and reasonings regarding why this is the case, but the general consensus is that the Will of the World is too weak to even acknowledge this kind of deeper resonance and grant the owner with a special power that allows them to break through when the Energy level is low. Would host like the system to elaborate?]
Daneel"s jaw dropped as he heard this.
Seriously?!
After getting past the shock regarding the fact that the overall Energy Level of the continent was tied to even this facet of one"s growth in power, he realized that there were some incongruities between this method and what he had learned so far regarding the Hero level from Rayen.
Apparently, no one could become a Hero on this continent without the express permission of the Head.
If this method was possible, why couldn"t one simply achieve the required level of resonance/knowledge, and then directly break through?
Why would the Head"s permission even be required?
Something was definitely fishy.
Looking forward to being able to, for once, answer a question as soon as it appeared in his mind, Daneel asked the system to continue instead of elaborating.
[Method 2: By gaining the acknowledgment of the World in a different way.
The first Method can typically only be used by those who possess extreme talent. In 1000 Champions, it is considered lucky if 1 can use that method to become a Hero.
Hence, this second method also existed for those who couldn"t achieve said requirements.
The Will of the World is present to be controlled by all beings on the continent.
As such, those who are on the Path to Power are capable of manipulating this Will even further.
In other words, they can stand in for the Will in such cases where deeper resonance is not possible.
The key behind this is a special type of Oathstone that can only be made during the event of a Hero"s death.
Typical Oathstones are not a natural resource. They are special materials fas.h.i.+oned from Ker Gems and inlaid with Hero-level formations that enable them to act as Oathstones.]
Wait…what the f*ck?!
Here, as he heard this, Daneel couldn"t help but conjure the Oathstone that he was in possession of- the one that he had obtained when he became the King of Lanthanor.
It had been a long time since he had taken this thing out, as there had been no need to take oaths recently.
So, now, when he viewed it…he still saw nothing.
Oh, yes. These were Hero-level formations. As a Warrior, how could he even detect them?
If the Hero-level formations were high enough in level, even the system probably wouldn"t be able to scan and detect them, as it was only at the Peak Champion Level.
So, he decided to ask the Ancient Dragon.
"Drakos, is this really an artificial thing, and not a natural one?"
One of the first things that Daneel had found out about after becoming a King was that Oathstones were wondrous substances found in nature and h.o.a.rded by large organizations due to their ability to not let oaths expire if the one whom the oath was sworn to died.
So…all that was bullsh*t?
"Yes, Young King. In fact, it is an Artifact: the next level of magical item after a trinket. There were many kinds of Oathstones with different properties during the Empire. Let me see this one…oh, it is one from a famous product line which boasted that these Oathstones were "indestructible". They used to advertise that even the apocalypse wouldn"t be enough to destroy their Oathstones, and that all the Oaths would be safe. Although I cannot believe it, I guess that they were right."
Daneel raised his eyebrows as he heard this while continuing to stare at the red-colored egg-shaped stone with sharp edges in his hand.
He was still surprised, but he had to admit that it made sense.
Oaths were basically like data backups back on Earth. They could be considered as a record of debts, and if they were lost, then there would be no way to enforce a certain debt. In the same way that losing the records of all the student, business, etc. loans of a country would cause chaos and needed to be avoided at all costs, Oathstones which couldn"t be destroyed would also be sought after.
Putting it away and marveling at how one of the earliest things he had found out after transmigrating had turned out to be a lie, Daneel asked the system to continue.
[In the event of a Hero"s death, said Hero can infuse the authority they possess over the World into the Oathstone, turning it into an object known as a Willstone.
Willstones are indistinguishable from Oathstones. The difference can only be known by one who has bonded with them.
When a certain number of people at a certain level- either as a Fighter or a Mage swear oaths to a Willstone, their Will can be called upon using the authority left behind by the dying Hero to cause one to break through and become a Hero themselves.
Exact number of people varies according to overall Energy level, but according to estimates, based on all the power levels of all the people that host has witnessed in the Sect of Hedon, that Sect"s Oathstone, given that it is a Willstone, would be able to produce 2-3 Heroes.
The owner of the Willstone can also bestow this power unto others.
Those who become Heroes using this method are weaker than those who use the first method. Hence, they are known as "Lesser Heroes", while those who use the first are called "Greater Heroes".]
Daneel immediately got up from the Throne he had conjured as he heard this.
It all…made sense now!
What if…the Head was in possession of all the Willstones from all of the Big 4?
What if anyone who reached the peak of the Champion level would need his permission to grow stronger and become Heroes, as the first method was unavailable to all in this age?
This perfectly matched with what Rayen had said.
Anyone who wanted to become a Hero would have to allow that Artifact made by the Emperor which made one swear an Oath stronger than a normal one that could not be defied even by a Hero to bind them.
According to Rayen, there were two commandments to swear by : that they wouldn"t divulge any details regarding the Hero level to anyone, and that they would forever remain loyal to Angaria.
The more Daneel thought about this, the more he became sure that he was right.
Only…just one thing didn"t add up.
Pacing around on the rooftop of the Palace, Daneel began to think furiously.
Yes, that first commandment made sense.
But why the second? Why was it so important to make sure that this info was kept a secret?
Could it be that the Head didn"t want aspiring youths on the Path to Power to know that they would have to basically enslave themselves to this continent if they wanted to become the most powerful version of themselves?
Yes, that might leave a bad taste on their mouths, but Daneel"s gut told him that it was something else. This wasn"t good enough a reason.
Finally, a few minutes later, the King of Lanthanor abruptly stopped as an idea hit him like a thunderbolt.
"Drakos…how can one tell the difference between an Oathstone and a Willstone?"
The Ancient Dragon was thrown off a bit by the question, but he soon answered, saying, "For anyone who has possessed both, it stands out as clear as day, Young King."
Daneel pressed on.
"But what if…someone has only ever possessed a Willstone? Just tell me one thing that a Willstone can do that an Oathstone cannot."
"Hmm, let"s see…well, an Oathstone can only hold oaths and pa.s.s them on to the next owner. But a Willstone allows the possessor to speak to those who have sworn oaths directly, into their mind. Willstones are also nearly indestructible."
"I F*CKING KNEW IT!"
Hearing the King exclaim in such an uncouth way, Drakos was startled, but Daneel was too busy celebrating as he had cracked what was possibly the biggest secret buried in the Central Continent.
All the d.a.m.n Oathstones in the Central Continent had always been capable of this!
That meant that these were all Willstones!
But because no one knew this way of distinguis.h.i.+ng them, they simply took them to be rare, but simple materials-whereas the truth was that they could be used to help a Peak Champion break through and become a Hero without needing the permission of the Head!
Daneel was sure that even the Head knew of this, and that must be why he had set down that other commandment.
It was exactly like a peasant using a fist-sized, fat diamond as a paperweight back on Earth. It might seem normal to him, but only those who were knowledgeable regarding what it was would be able to know its true value.
Daneel had been worried before that there might be problems in the future if there was ever a time when he, or any of his subordinates might ever need to break through to become Heroes. He had feared that they might have to go obtain permission from the Head, too.
Well, now…he could happily say one thing.
"F*ck you, Head."
This felt great and all, but he calmed himself down, as if he was still a puny Warrior, for whom the Hero level was still far away.
So, Daneel took another deep breath and asked the next blazing question.
"How do I obtain the strongest Bloodline?"