ENERGI: THE PRIMORDIAL CONDUIT[OP MC, APOCALYPSE, SURVIVAL, AND LITRPG]

The next moment, a book suddenly appeared in his hands. Despite looking worn and tattered, the book exuded an ancient aura, as though it had weathered countless ages and survived the erosion of time itself.

Kael studied the cover for a while, but after not seeing anything notable, he took a deep breath, adjusted Py in his embrace, and then tugged the book open.

The somewhat yellowish pages were blank for a moment before lines of text soon flooded down their length. Kael quickly found himself engrossed in the message, and before he knew it, every negative thought he had felt about wasting his coins was wiped away.

The first page focused on cultivation ranks. As he already knew, LV 1 - LV 24 wasn't given a proper rank and were simply referred to as the Awakened. But that changed completely once a person crossed the LV 25 mark.

First Order, also referred to as the ‘Order of Self.’

When a person initially awakened their powers, they developed no new special organ. Instead, their existing bodily systems were enhanced to allow for the proper circulation of mana, or in his own case, Energi. During this stage, the heart acted as a temporary reservoir for said energy, but such a system was far too inefficient, as energy constantly leaked throughout the body during circulation, limiting the awakened's overall output and control.

But this all changed when an awakened entered the First Order. A core would form within the lower abdomen, becoming the true center of power where mana would be condensed, stored, and refined.

But if that was all the First Order entailed, then it would simply be overrated.

Each awakened, after collecting the required EXP to level up at LV. 24, would receive requirements for their entry into the First Order. Those with Common, Rare, and Elite classes had it easier compared to the others. While such requirements would still prove difficult, they weren't to the point of impossibility. However, for any Epic-ranked awakened and above, the requirements became increasingly difficult, and that too not to directly advance, but to gain permission to enter a trial they would be teleported to. Only after passing such trials would they receive their rewards.

Reaching this point, Kael's gaze became deathly cold.

‘So this is why, huh?’

He had noticed how unusual his sister's behavior was. It was unlike her to remain quietly at the side while watching her friend try to convince him about Py’s name. He had found it strange but hadn't spared it much thought. But now he knew.

His sister was already level 24. Knowing that girl, she might have planned on entering that trial secretly, afraid of how Kael could react. After all...

‘One can die in the trial.’

The coldness on his face seemed to bleed into the air around him. The thought of little girls like his sister and Sophia having to brave danger alone without any help rubbed Kael the wrong way. In fact, his first thought was that he wouldn't allow them to enter the trial and would forcefully keep them at his side. But he still restrained himself from making a decision and focused back on the book.

The power upgrade upon entering the First Order could be described in one word.

Overwhelming!

First, there were Titles. Each person received the chance to select three titles rewarded to them by the system. These titles were issued as a result of the path they walked and the decisions they made from the moment they awakened up until the trial. And while the book didn't elaborate on what those titles did, Kael was sure they were nothing to laugh at. As an avid novel reader, he knew how powerful titles could be, not to mention here in their current reality, where they seemed to carry even more weight than usual.

Next, the system granted a unique weapon tailored specifically to the awakened. Such items were bound to their owners and could neither be lost nor stolen.

And finally, the main perk of the First Order—Order Imprints. These were marks etched onto an awakened's mana core. They were ranked according to grades, from lowest to highest.

Bronze.

Silver.

Gold.

Diamond.

[INSUFFICIENT AUTHORITY]

Kael's eyes lingered on the final message for a moment. It seemed he didn't possess enough authority to access the higher grades of the Order Imprints, but that didn't matter much to him. He focused on the ones mentioned, and his eyes couldn't help but widen into saucers at how unimaginably powerful each was.

Each grade was further divided into five tiers, each tier granting a massive amplification to the awakened's stats.

Tier I Bronze to Tier V Bronze: 0.1 - 0.5

Tier I Silver to Tier V Silver: 0.6 - 1.0

Tier I Gold to Tier V Gold: 1.5 - 2.0

Tier I Diamond to Tier V Diamond: 2.0 - 2.5

“Bloody hell…”

Kael couldn't help but gasp. The strongest Silver Order Imprint, a Tier V one, could already grant a stat amplification of 100%, while the strongest Gold Imprint could increase a person's stats by as much as twofold.

Wasn't this too much? The gap between a First Order existence and an ordinary awakened was simply too vast.

Kael's eyes suddenly snapped into focus as a realization dawned on him.

‘So those bronze auras around the zombies and the Ruinsteed were Order Imprints? No... they were specifically Bronze Order Imprints. And they already felt so strong.’

Just a power-up of at most fifty percent had already left him under immense pressure, then what about Silver Imprints, Gold, and even Diamond ones?

Now Kael found his ENERGI units painfully insignificant in comparison to the monstrous growth granted when breaking into the First Order. Every thought he had of depending on his unique reserve to cross that chasm and fight against higher-realm monsters was painfully crushed.

He shifted his thoughts away from himself and couldn't help but rub his head in frustration.

‘There is no way I can stop them from entering the trial. After all, Order Imprints are granted based on how high the completion grade of the trial is.’

There was no way he would cut off his sister's and the others' path to such immense power just because of his worries.

But that still didn't ease his frustration.

‘What do I do?’

*****

AN: Hello, my dear readers!

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