13 Chapter 12: Status, Talent, and Alignment Pt. 1

Asher sunk into the plush comfort of his bed.

His eyes, wide and unblinking, stared into the black screen before him.

'Who would have thought about this?'

"HeheheHeheheHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAA~" A laugh, sharp and brittle, escaped his lips, changing into a series of manic cackles, a sound that would send shivers down anyone unfortunate enough to hear it. Fortunately, nobody was there.

He could almost pity other faces, filled with awe and disbelief when others even knew of his "Noble" lie.

Even he was, when he checked the stats.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA" He threw his head back, running his hands through his hair, his chest heaving with exertion and a mixture of exhilaration and disbelief…

He told a lie. A beautiful lie… The truth… the truth was so much more delicious.

He hadn't told her about the real talent, the one that made Noble-grade look like a rusty spoon compared to Excalibur.

The so-called 'Noble talent' he'd told Scarlett and others wasn't a 'Noble-grade' one.

Though, It is considered one of the greatest talents found in measy one in a billion humans.

He paused, then a chilling smile stretched across his face when he thought about the future.

Archon! Pathetic. Yes, they felt pathetic in front of his eyes. He sneered, the disdain dripping from his lips.

They are the Anima prodigies who possessed a potential that far exceeded the norm.

Those with such a Talent earn the Title 'Archon', reserved for the chosen few.

These "chosen few," were children compared to him.

He glanced at the ceiling, his mind drifting further.

Solid-grade talent was already considered exceptional, a mark of high potential achieved by only a small portion of the population.

And there was one class above them all: the Top-grade talent, the chosen few who started with 5 stats.

A seemingly small difference, but a completely different world.

They were the legends, the heroes of the past.

So what? Those were mere crumbs, tossed to the dogs while he feasted at the king's table!

He could practically hear Scarlett's choked gasp, the desperate scrambling in her mind as she tried to understand the sheer monstrosity he was.

But she wouldn't Understand, nobody ever will.

Talent wasn't something earned. It was a birthright.

It was an intrinsic quality, given from every fabric of your being by the Anima that manifested within you.

The Higher the potential your Anima holds, the greater your talent will be, and the more powerful it could become.

[The Ranking of Talents]

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Top-grade Talent (5 stats): almost Impossible to find.

-Represent the pinnacle of Talent, it's simply considered a God-gifted Talent, a whole different world from other talents.

Noble-grade Talent (4 stats): Extremely rare - Represents a very small portion of the population, maybe the top 2-5%.

Solid-grade Talent (3 stats): Very rare

Represents a significant portion of the population, possibly around 20-33%.

Good Talent (2 stats): rare - Represents a substantial portion of the population, potentially 40-60%.

Worst Talent (1 stat only):

Uncommon - Represents a smaller portion of the population compared to "Solid Talent", perhaps around 10-25%.

Talentless(None): The remaining Humans, it's better to be dead than being Talentless.

×~×~×~×~×~×~×~×~×~×~×

Only four, he recalled, had ever been documented with the elusive Top-grade talent. One, the hero Liora spoke of, was amongst them. But here, in his status screen, lay something, far and far better than those.

'But even that doesn't exist here, not even in the game world I remember.' He stared back at the screen, a dark glint reflected in his eyes.

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[Name]: Asher Agenis

[Gender]: Male

[Age]: 10

[Race]: Half-Human / Half-Demon

[Class]: Monster

[Level] : 0

Tier - 0 <Novus >

[ExP Re.]: 00 / 100

××××××

Soul Power: 580

Strength: 23

Agility: 19

Vitality: 24

Stamina: 21

Dexterity: 18

Intelligence: 35

Constitution: 20

Will: ???

Charm: 77+

Luck: ???

SP(Stat Points): 07

××××

[Anima]: Unknown Gloves

[True Name]: ???

Progress: <Favilla: 1.2%>

-Orb of Darkness (Former)

Skills: Mnemonic Master (Mind Palace), Veritas, Eye of Esoteric Truth

Affinities: Darkness, Shadow, ???

Physique: ???

Trait(s): Evolver, ???,

Title(s): [Reincarnated One, Anomaly, Former vessel of Demon King]

Evaluation: Oh God, what has been born in this world? This kid's potential is off the charts.

He's got everything since the start, the power, the charm, and the questionable decision-making skills of a ten-year-old.

You will have the power to change everything…

×××××

He stared at his status screen, a single, smug number holding his attention. Seven. Seven Stat Points. Do you see that Seven?

It screams how much superior Potential Asher possesses. He was a glitch in the system.

'Seven Status Points! Can you believe it, Scarlett? Can you believe it, anyone?' He could have screamed it from the rooftops, but where was the fun in that? The peasants wouldn't understand. It would be like revealing the crown jewels to a pack of drooling wolves.

He didn't need to shout. He didn't need to announce his Talent. The revelation would be oh so much sweeter when they saw it for themselves. The peasants, those pathetic fools, wouldn't understand now.

But the time for revelation would come.

'Also it will bring more harm than good.'

Knowledge was a weapon, and right now, discretion was key.

"Now, the real fun begins~" he murmured, his eyes gleaming with something dangerous.

Asher wasn't interested in the tired hero's journey, in saving damsels or slaying dragons. No, his sights were set far higher. Something beyond anyone could ever dream of. And he'd achieve that. Whatever it takes…

'First~ Let's see what this 'Veritas' skill is all about.' Asher's eyes had always been on the skill 'Veritas' ever since he awakened. He hadn't seen such a unique skill in the game.

As he thought of the skills, another screen appeared before him.

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[Skills]

Name: Veritas, Eye of Esoteric Truth

Category: Observation and Information

Description: This skill grants the user the ability to:

Scrutinise: Allows you to assess the properties and potential of objects, creatures, and even environments. By focusing your senses and harnessing your knowledge, you gain valuable insights beyond the surface.

Perceive emotional states: Accurately gauge the genuine emotions of others, perceiving through facial expressions and verbal cues, such as stress levels, happiness, or anxiety (limitations apply, details remain vague).

Evaluate favorability: Sense how others perceive the user, whether positive, negative, or neutral.

Access basic stats: Gain insights into a person's overall stats, class, Anima.

Obfuscate: actively disrupts and hinders the effectiveness of any observation and information-gathering skills like Scrutinise, Observe, and Appraisal.

Limitations:

Subjectivity: Emotional perception can be influenced by individual biases and expectations.

Limited scope: The skill provides basic emotional insights, not a complete understanding of an individual's emotions.

×~×~×~×~×~×~×~×

'heh! It's better than Appraisal.' He smiles widely. Asher has used that skill <Appraisal > before and he knows this skill is far better.

'So, I consume his soul or what? Let's see~" He decided to test this skill on 'his' former Anima.

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A bit different from what I was normally writing, I just wanted to show the difference between MC and normies, hope you like it.

Also next chapter is In a few hours. Also, you know the drill~ give me pawaer~ hehe :3