Chapter 18: Chapter 18 : An Uninvited Guest

Psi Rank. This is determined by the Mental Energy signature that naturally accompanies the materialization of Psi in the outside world. This energy signature is also one's Maximum Psi Control (MPC), the total amount of Psi a psionic can control at once.

The Rank 9 system is applicable to most Psi classes. The ranks aren’t defined arbitrarily. Their formation is a product of nature, and a curious phenomenon known as the Mental Gap.

There are certain ranges of values Mental Energy does not stop at, and these gaps are precisely what separates Psi Ranks. The reason for these gaps remains unknown. These gaps aren't the same size. Instead, they widened as they move up the 9-Rank system. What starts as small gets bigger and bigger, and by the end, they're substantial things. Interestingly, the rate of expansion doesn't follow a set pattern.

‘And, I thought it was wonky before. No doubt, the Gods threw the dice on this one,’ Rei thought as he read the passage.

On Psi Rank, Rei had, by using Hana as a reference, come to learn he was a Pinnacle Tier Rank 3. Knowing that there were 9 Psi Ranks, Rei was greatly disappointed, but Ralf quickly cleared up his gloom with the following words:

Psi Ranks aren’t static things. Rank 3 isn’t the best, but it's not bad. Besides a few Uniques, no one starts as a powerhouse. Even Kai, my ancestor, who later became an Ascendant began his Psi journey as a humble Rank 4 Mimic. You can't start off as a Rank 9 psionic. Even if you started off as a Rank 5, there's no guarantee you'll become a powerhouse. It's all about ranking up.

When Rei inquired into the ‘how’ of levelling up, all he met with was Ralf’s wry face and a shrug. He couldn’t understand the action back then but reading the text now, the light of understanding shone on him.

‘I’m not a fan.'

What did you have to do to level up?

For three centuries, this question had been asked countless times by countless people.

The answer:???

Yes, there was no sure-fire method to level up.

Ranking up requires two things, the first being; a sufficient amount of Mental Energy to broaden the established connection between the Soul Core and Great Aether, and the second being the destabilization of the soul which allows for the widening process to take place.

The first requirement isn't considered a huge huddle. Just as one’s Psi capacity increases over time, one’s Mental Energy also does. This builds up and gathers in one's Mental Domain, waiting for its chance to be used. The tricky part is the destabilization of the soul. What destabilizes the soul?

The Society of Learning remains at the forefront of answering this question. They’ve conducted numerous studies on the matter. Using large sample sizes, they recorded the activity and circumstances surrounding a psionic's ranking up. The findings were all over the place, from monster battles, trauma, taking intoxicants, sleeping, sexual activity, drinking beverages, meditation, exposure to certain rocks, reading books, etc.

Hundreds of studies were done and hundreds of thousands of psionics gave their accounts. While the list of reasons was extensive, when tabulated up, situations where psionics experienced intense emotions, both positive and negative, made up a clear majority at sixty-three percent, with negative emotions accounting for eighty percent of this figure. This is consistent with our common-sense assumptions. Regions affected by tragedy and conflict have shown psionics rank up at higher rates than those from more peaceful regions.

‘Oh, this is a recipe for disaster.’

The author seemed to hear Rei's internal comment as he went on to write.

To be clear, this is not an endorsement. There’s no certainty that living life dangerously will lead to one’s advancement. And, even if one ranks up through this experience once or twice, there’s no guarantee it will happen a third time. The trigger that destabilizes one soul can change at every rank…

Rei paused his reading.

‘Then, the only way to guarantee level ups is to live a varied lifestyle, one of both highs and lows…’ He frowned '...I’d rather avoid the lows, I've had enough of that. Hopefully, our trigger is sipping milkshakes or eating sweets."

Rei sipped his milkshake then cast his thoughts to his and Ralf's Soul Core arrangement. ‘With how they're positioned, will our level-ups affect each other? Can Ralf even level up his power? Mm, questions for later.'

Putting the thought in the back of his mind, he resumed his reading. He learned several more things.

He learned that psionics weren't limited to jumping a single rank at a time. It was extremely rare but some psionics had managed to jump up two ranks, and even three in one go. Three was super rare though, only a handful of people were known to have accomplished this feat.

Another thing he came to learn was that there was a golden period for rank ups, where most rank ups were recorded. This golden period was from age 18 to 30. After thirty, it wasn't impossible to rank up but it was far rarer. This fact led to quite a lot of wild lifestyle choices during this period, in the hopes of levelling up.

Rei also learned of the mandatory level-up phenomenon. No matter what Psi Rank one started at, one was guaranteed to level up at least once before they reached twenty. It was due to this phenomenon that there's no such thing as a Rank 1 psionic in his twenties.

‘There's so many rules and considerations...and it seems this is just the tip of the iceberg,’ Rei thought as he eyed the other ‘books’ in his surroundings. Six more books, hundreds of pages in length, all dedicated to psionics powers alone. While others would be put off or intimated by it, Rei was different.

‘Only by knowing the rules can one play the game effectively.’

With this mindset, he continued.

But his delve would be short-lived. Suddenly hearing the clicking sound echo in his mind, Rei paused his reading and addressed his other self.

[[What’s up?]]

[[Drop what you’re doing and come over.]]

Rei perked up as he sensed the giddiness in Ralf’s voice. Without another word, he made the trip outside.

When the darkness cleared, a wide landscape of Lagner appeared before him. Simple, but neat wood and stone structures made up most of the area, with several small fields also present. Each plot of land was sizeable and given ample breathing room from its neighbours.

Through enhanced sight, the entire village, around two kilometres in diameter was clearly captured. It was circular, surrounded by 5 meter tall sturdy stone walls. Rei took in everything from the western edge of this circle. The buildings, the number of people present, their outfits, the village's overall mood, he observed everything keenly.

After a few seconds, his mind relaxed.

[[You called me over for this?]]

Ralf smiled, then tapped his foot on the thatched roof below him. [[How did I get up here?]]

[[You climbed up, how else?]]

[[Nope. I hopped up.]]

[[In a single bound?]]

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Ralf didn’t answer, and instead casually hopped down. Landing in the backyard with a thud, he turned and then with a slight bend of his knees, leapt.

Swoosh!

Landing lightly, Ralf smirked then answered, [[Yes.]]

[[Whoa…]]

Rei was stunned by the ridiculousness of the feat.

‘I knew this body was superhuman, but this is crazy. That jump was easily five meters, and he wasn't even giving it his all. If this body is like this now, how powerful will it be in the final stage?’

The smile on Ralf’s face widened.

[[Neat right.]]

[[Yeah.]] Recovering, Rei answered. [[I assume this is part of the physical stat assessment, how far are you?]]

[[I just started now actually. I was so surprised that I had to call you over and get your reaction. So far, it's not looking great.]]

[[Oh, how so?]]

Ralf hopped down and landed in the grassy backyard. [[Recording the strength stat is easy. All we need is weights…but as you can see, we’re short on that.]] He moved to a lone rock and kicked it. [[And what’s here is too light.]]

[[We’ll have to journey around the village then.]]

Ralf nodded. [[Next is speed.]] He punched out. The grass around him danced at the resultant air shift. [[It's difficult to tell how fast we’re moving. The faster the object, the slower my perception becomes.]] Ralf picked up a stone then threw it towards a wall.

Rei observed the phenomenon Ralf spoke of. It wasn't as drastic as the ‘time stop’ effect shown by activating Overclock in the room with the wooden knife, however, the duo was able to perceive the stone's speedy trajectory through the air with sublime clarity.

‘I wonder what the limit is? Enough to capture bullets? And speaking of that...'

Rei stared at the wall in astonishment. Had he not known for certain that it was a thrown rock's doing, he would have assumed the indent and crack left on the wall was caused by a bullet and a hefty one at that.

‘What insane power. We have a lot to correct,’ he thought as he remembered their Mental Space avatars' stats.

[[See?]]

[[I see, but there’s an easy method. We have to use a known speed. Luckily, we have one, or rather an acceleration.]]

[[Oh, you mean gravity.]] Ralf quickly caught on.

[[Yeah.]]

Rei took control of the body. He picked up a stone, brought it high, then dropped it.

[[With the same gravitational acceleration inside and out, we can use it as a point of reference. We'll record everything using the helmet. Then, by comparing the speed of your punch to that of the falling stone, we can calculate the speed you’re moving at. After punches and kicks, we'll test for dashes and such. Eventually, we'll have an accurate picture. Ralf, ask your mother to help. Her assistance will be valuable.]]

Rei glanced at the house behind him. [[You said she built this. Given the accuracy of the dimensions, she must have units of measurement saved in her Conceptual Memory. With her help, things will be much more accurate.]]

[[Good idea. I’ll ask when she comes back.]]

[[She’s gone? Where did she go?]]

Ralf paused before responding. [[She’s gone to pick up some supplies and to take care of business. Oh, she mentioned us moving from here.]]

[[Moving, why? And to where?]]

[[North of here. As for why, she says that there’s a gang of sorts operating in this place.]]

[[Gang,]] Rei’s forehead creased as he repeated the term.

The word caused a strong reaction in him. In those days of roaming the streets trying to earn money through street chess and other activities, he had many encounters with gangsters.

Needless to say, they weren’t pleasant experiences. While he had distanced himself from their reach in later years, those experiences of being threatened, beaten up and having his pockets emptied, filled him with deep resentment and anger towards those who lived as gangsters. Rei’s mood soured as those old memories played through his mind.

Sensing his other self's feelings, Ralf followed up with, [[Before we can run, we have to learn to walk, so let's take things one step at a time, okay.]]

[[Yeah.]]

While Rei didn't dispute the words, his feelings remained as they were. He hated gangs and if he could, he'd destroy every last one of them in a heartbeat.

[[Oh, mom’s back.]]

Ralf’s mood rose as heard the entrance gate swing open. His senses rushed to capture his mother's existence, but as they did, they captured another's as well.

An uninvited guest had arrived.

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