After Tan's trial, my entire perception of strength shattered.
The world wasn't simple anymore — no longer just monsters, dungeons, and humans trying to survive. There was a hierarchy woven into existence itself, a ladder that reached from dirt to divinity. And somehow, I'd stepped onto it without even knowing.
For days after my return, I couldn't stop thinking about Tan's words.
"Strength defines reality. But understanding defines power."
Those words haunted me.
---
We were camped near the Western ridges of Eldrath. The others were asleep, but I couldn't. The stars above flickered differently now — every constellation looked like a rune, every breeze whispered like a voice I could almost understand.
I opened my system interface again, something pulsing faintly within it. A new tab had appeared since my return from the Dimension of Ascension.
> [System Update: Global Ranking Protocol – Unlocked.]
A map appeared in midair — continents, floating islands, even celestial realms suspended above the world. Each location shimmered with numbers and letters beside them. F, E, D, C, all the way up to EX.
> [World Classification Analysis in Progress…]
The holographic map rotated, and I realized this wasn't just a rank list. It was a living structure — an entire order of creation.
---
F–Rank: The Common World
Tan's voice echoed in my mind, as if guiding me again.
"The F–Rank are the ordinary — farmers, smiths, scholars. They hold no aura, no blessing, yet they keep the balance of existence through mortality. Their weakness is their strength."
The image showed villages — humans living under wooden roofs, laughing, struggling, dreaming. For all their fragility, there was something sacred in their persistence.
---
E–Rank: The Awakened
Flames of aura appeared on the map, spreading through forests and mountains.
"These are the Awakened," Tan's voice continued. "Those who sense energy and wield it through training or birthright. They are humanity's first defenders — knights, rangers, elemental users."
I saw images of warriors sparring, mages chanting under moonlight. They looked powerful, but after what I'd seen, it was only the beginning.
---
D–Rank: The Superhuman Boundary
The map zoomed out — now showing cities suspended on cliffs, fighters breaking boulders with a single punch.
"D–Rank marks the boundary of mortality," Tan said. "The point where a being surpasses human limitation. Their strength reshapes their environment."
So that's what I was before — back when I thought I was strong. Just a D–Rank child swinging a sword in the dark.
---
C–Rank: The Superior Tier
The map expanded again, showing vast armies, giant beasts, and towering elemental storms.
"C–Rankers command nature itself," Tan whispered. "They lead nations, move mountains, and bend the elements to their will. They are the apex of humanity."
I clenched my fists. "Then what am I now?"
---
B–Rank: The Ascended
The stars darkened, showing silhouettes glowing with halos of light.
"B–Rank," Tan's voice said, "are those who have transcended mortality. Their bodies reject disease, their souls forge mana into divinity. They are called Ascended."
I remembered the assassin leader — his unnatural speed, his divine essence. So that's what he was.
---
A–Rank: The Masters
Lightning tore across the projection. Figures wielded magic that warped gravity itself.
"These are the Masters," Tan said. "Those who command elements as extensions of thought. They can destroy cities or heal kingdoms. Few reach this level — fewer survive it."
Amara's face flashed in my mind. Her divine seals… her staff of lunar light. She was close to this level already, whether she knew it or not.
---
S–Rank: The Divine Threshold
The vision changed — the mortal world fading beneath a curtain of stars.
"S–Rank," Tan said softly, "is the boundary between gods and mortals. They create miracles, rewrite laws, and walk unseen among their kind."
The air around the projection felt heavy. I could feel their presence, distant but immense — those who ruled from above.
---
SS–Rank: The Beyond Divine
Now even the stars trembled. These figures didn't walk — they were existence itself.
"Beyond Divine," Tan continued. "The SS–Rank control celestial laws, command armies of worlds, and decide who ascends or falls. Only the greatest legends in creation reach this point."
I felt small. For a moment, I wasn't Kael the fighter — I was dust before giants.
---
EX–Rank: The Supreme
The map exploded in golden light.
For an instant, everything froze — time, breath, sound. A single figure stood at the center, robed in pure radiance, holding a sphere of creation in one hand and destruction in the other.
"EX–Rank," Tan said, his voice low and reverent, "is not a rank. It is a truth. Beings at this level define what is. They do not live in the world — the world lives through them."
Then his voice faded. The projection dimmed until all that was left was a faint sigil burning at the center of the map.
> [Host Exception Detected: Undefined Rank.]
Undefined. Not below or above — just… outside.
"What does that even mean?" I muttered aloud.
> [System Response: You do not belong to any rank. You exist as a variable.]
"Variable," I repeated, frowning. "So I'm an error in the system?"
> [Correction: You are the bridge between Systems. The heir of equilibrium.]
The words made my chest tighten. Bridge between systems? Heir?
I thought back to what Tan said — about the factions, the gods who warred for supremacy: the Nor, the Akene, the Tempest, and the Supreme.
"Each god faction came from one source…" I murmured. "The Primordial Faction."
When I said it aloud, the interface flared with light.
> [Primordial Signature Confirmed.]
[New Subsystem Unlocked — Origin Protocol.]
A golden rune spun in front of me, lines of unreadable script etching themselves across the sky. Power surged from my core — hot, divine, and endless. I gritted my teeth, trying to stay upright.
The system's voice returned, colder now.
> [Origin Protocol: You are recognized as a Descendant of the Primordial Line.]
Primordial. The first gods. The creators of the systems themselves.
And somehow… I was part of that bloodline.
My hands trembled. "So this is why they want me dead…"
> [Affirmative.]
[Balance cannot exist if the bridge survives.]
I clenched my jaw. "Then balance will have to adapt."
The interface flickered again. This time, it projected images of the others — Lyra, Arden, Amara — their names highlighted under different ranks. Lyra: D–Rank (Potential: B). Arden: C–Rank (Potential: A). Amara: B–Rank (Potential: S).
Each one of them was destined for greatness. And me? The system simply wrote:
> [Kael: Undefined / Ascending Variable.]
That last phrase lingered in the air like a prophecy.
---
The next morning, when I explained everything to the others, their reactions were a mix of awe and disbelief.
"So you're saying there's a literal ranking scale for the world?" Arden said, rubbing his forehead. "Like some kind of divine leaderboard?"
"Exactly," I said, sitting by the campfire. "And every one of us is somewhere on it."
Lyra frowned. "And you're not?"
"Apparently not. The system calls me… an anomaly."
Amara crossed her arms, her eyes sharp. "An anomaly powerful enough to draw divine attention. We'll need to move carefully. If Tan was right, the factions will come for you."
"I know," I said quietly, staring into the fire. "That's why we train harder. The next battle won't be against assassins. It'll be gods."
The flames crackled in response, as if agreeing with me.
> [System Objective Updated: Surpass the Boundaries of Rank.]
I smiled faintly. "Challenge accepted."
---
That night, I lay under the stars, thinking about what Tan had shown me — that immense ladder from F to EX, from human to creator.
And somewhere above all that, beyond even the gods, the word Primordial pulsed in my mind like a heartbeat.
I didn't know what kind of being could stand above creation itself.
But I was going to find out — no matter how high I had to climb.