Chapter 9: Hero Power Ranking—Who Is Really Number One?
[Rowan Ashford has completed Rank I advancement.]
[Elara Vayne has completed Rank I advancement.]
After the two announcements, the regional channel became lively again.
"Finally, something normal. Rowan second, Elara third."
"Aren’t both of them A-grade?"
"If Cassian hadn’t appeared out of nowhere, Rowan would definitely be first."
"Not necessarily. Seraphine—the one who bought that equipment for two thousand crystals—still hasn’t shown much."
The last message had barely appeared when a new sound rang across the region.
Not a normal announcement.
Three bells sounded in succession.
DONG—!
DONG—!
DONG—!
[The number of high-quality heroes in the current region significantly exceeds the average.]
[Special ranking triggered.]
[Hero Power Ranking unlocked.]
[Settlement Time: Tomorrow at noon]
[Reward for Rank 1 Lord: Epic Chest ×1]
[Reward for Rank 2–10 Lords: Rare Chest ×1]
[Reward for Rank 11–100 Lords: Refined Chest ×1]
The entire region went quiet for a second.
Then it exploded.
An Epic Chest.
Not Refined. Not even Rare. Epic.
On the first day, everyone understood what that could mean. An Epic weapon, an Epic building blueprint, an Epic inheritance—any one of them could create an immediate gap between one newcomer and everyone around them.
Lucan was the first to speak.
"Now this is a ranking that actually measures strength. First advancement can involve luck. Trial rating might come from a one-use item. You can’t fake the strength of your hero."
A few people agreed.
"True. A Lord’s hero says a lot about their foundation."
"Isn’t Rowan’s starting hero a Rare Ash Knight?"
Rowan didn’t respond, but Lucan was already enjoying himself.
"We should open a pool. Settlement isn’t until noon tomorrow anyway. Let’s bet on who takes first in Hero Power."
Not long after, a public betting pool actually appeared on the Regional Exchange.
[Hero Power Ranking — Rank 1 Prediction]
Candidates filled in rapidly.
[Rowan Ashford]
[Lucan Deyne]
[Elara Vayne]
[Seraphine Valcrest]
...
Cassian’s name was there too, but the odds on him were absurdly high. Almost no one was betting on him.
The reason was simple. Everyone knew he had Veyra, but no one knew what quality she actually was. Most people had already settled on an explanation that felt reasonable: Rare, perhaps Epic at most, and probably some special hero obtained from the Golden Newcomer Chest.
Otherwise, how could an F-grade Domain possibly have ended the trial so quickly?
Lucan said it outright in the channel.
"Cassian probably isn’t taking this one. Luck has limits. If that female hero were truly Epic, there would’ve been some kind of system phenomenon already."
"Besides, Epic heroes cost an absurd amount to develop early on. An ordinary newcomer couldn’t support one."
Someone asked, "Then who are you betting on?"
"Seraphine," Lucan answered. "She spent two thousand Aether Crystals on Refined gear without blinking. Nobody starts with that kind of resource reserve unless someone prepared for them."
He started to add something about the Valcrest name, then stopped.
In the betting pool, however, Aether Crystal began pouring onto Seraphine’s side.
Cassian watched for a while, but his attention wasn’t on the odds.
It was on the reward.
[Epic Chest]
For now, that was worth having.
Veyra walked out of the Oath Hall. Only three of the ten Aether Crystals Cassian had given her remained.
He looked at her status.
[Veyra]
[Manifestation Level: 2]
[Seal: Eclipse Chains ×7]
[Comprehensive Combat Rating: 49★]
Were there heroes in the region stronger than forty-nine stars?
Cassian didn’t know, but he doubted there were many.
"They’re betting on you," he said.
Veyra looked over. "Betting on what?"
"Whether you’re first."
She glanced at the ranking rules. "And?"
"I want the chest."
"Then take it."
"You sound confident."
Veyra crushed another Aether Crystal in her palm. Pale-blue light flowed into her hand. Two crystals remained.
"I’m sealed," she said. "I’m not dead."
Cassian nodded.
Fair enough.
——
Far from the Forgotten Shrine, another Domain was already taking shape around a white-stone castle. A silver-white banner hung from the highest tower, bearing a golden griffin with its wings spread wide.
Seraphine Valcrest stood beside the Domain Core, her long golden hair tied back as she studied the Hero Power Ranking rules.
A woman in silver-gray robes stood beside her. She looked no older than her thirties, but there was nothing young in her eyes.
[Dame Maelin]
[Quality: Epic]
[Class: War Seer]
[Abilities: Fate Sight / Battle Calculation / Arcane Command]
Seraphine smiled faintly. "Hero Power. That came quickly."
"It was probably triggered because this region has several high-quality heroes," Maelin said calmly. "My presence alone may even have been enough to raise the first-place reward to Epic."
Seraphine looked at the betting pool. "A lot of people chose me."
"As they should." Maelin made no effort to sound modest. "On the first day, a Rare hero is already an exceptional start. Epic heroes should not be appearing in the hands of ordinary newcomers."
Seraphine’s finger stopped over Cassian’s name.
"What about him?"
Maelin looked as well.
"Cassian Vale. F-grade Forgotten Shrine. First to Rank I. A-rated trial. Six-second clear. And he sold a Refined weapon almost immediately afterward."
Seraphine’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Too many strange results around one person. I don’t like calling all of that luck."
Maelin smiled. "You’re being too cautious."
A thin ring of silver light appeared in her eyes.
[Fate Sight]
Across an unknown distance, an invisible line of perception traveled outward through the regional connections and ranking records, searching for Cassian—and for the hero beside him.
Several seconds later, the silver light faded from Maelin’s eyes.
"I saw nothing abnormal."
Seraphine glanced at her. "Meaning?"
"His Domain itself is still only F-grade. As for the woman..." Maelin frowned. "Her information is extremely blurred. She may be some kind of specially sealed hero."
"But if her quality were equal to mine—or higher—Fate Sight should have caught some trace of it."
Seraphine relaxed slightly. "So?"
"He won’t be first."
Maelin’s tone was calm.
"Unless..."
She smiled.
"An ordinary newcomer with no family resources somehow began the first day with a being whose true nature even I couldn’t read."
Seraphine smiled as well. "That would be rather unlikely."
——
At the Forgotten Shrine, Cassian was studying the map when the war mist to the west suddenly pulled back across a wide area.
Three Blackfang came running out of the forest. The one in front stopped before him and gave two low growls.
Pack Dominion transmitted a vague bundle of impressions directly into Cassian’s mind.
West. Two kilometers. Underground. A strong metallic smell.
Cassian’s gaze sharpened.
"Lead the way."
The three Blackfang turned at once, and Cassian followed.
Less than ten minutes later, a gray-black mineral vein exposed along a hillside came into view.
[Resource Point Discovered.]
[Iron Vein]
[Quality: Common]
[Reserve: Medium]
[Extractable Resource: Iron Ore]
The Rank II panel surfaced with four requirements: 500 Aether Crystals, 1,000 Stone, 1,000 Black Oak, and 100 Refined Iron.
Cassian’s attention went straight to the last one.
Ordinary Iron Ore wouldn’t work. It had to be smelted first.
Rank I had already unlocked basic Domain construction. A Smelting Yard would cost 100 Stone and 50 Black Oak and normally take twenty minutes. Cassian had the materials, and the Blacksteel Dirk sale had given him enough Aether to pay for speed.
He paid 200 Aether Crystals to finish it immediately.
[Aether Crystal -200]
Gray-white light spread beside the Iron Vein and condensed into a stone smelting yard.
[Smelting Yard construction complete.]
[Iron Ore extraction has begun.]
[Refined Iron can be produced once smelting requirements are met.]
Rank I advancement had already begun attracting a small number of Settlers to the shrine. Cassian sent ten of them to the mine and left three Blackfang to guard the site.
The first Iron Ore was soon on its way into the furnace. That was enough for now. The Refined Iron bottleneck had a working path.
Cassian looked up.
The Hero Power Ranking countdown still hung in his vision.
[Time Until Settlement: 17:41:26]
The mine was secured. Rank II had a route forward. The Epic Chest was still waiting.
Cassian turned back toward the Domain.
A sharp pulse suddenly traveled through the Temporary Covenant from the direction of the Forgotten Shrine.
Veyra.
Cassian stopped.
A few minutes later, he was back at the shrine.
Veyra had stopped absorbing Aether Crystal. Two crystals rested beside her while she stood at the entrance of the Oath Hall, her gray-gold eyes narrowed toward the distance.
Cassian walked over. "What happened?"
Veyra looked toward an empty stretch beyond the Domain.
"Someone was watching this place."
"A person?"
"I don’t know."
Veyra raised one hand. A thread of silver light, so faint it was almost invisible, was wrapped around her fingertip.
Dark-gold divine power flashed.
Snap.
The silver thread broke.
"Weak," Veyra said. "But the technique wasn’t bad."
Cassian watched the last trace of silver disappear.
"Can you find where it came from?"
Veyra turned her head. "What are you planning to do?"
"First I want to see whether they’re worth killing."
Veyra stared at him for a moment.
For whoever had been watching them, being discovered might not have been the most dangerous part.
The dangerous part was letting Cassian find out what they could do.