As Izroth inspected Empyrean's status window, he had to look twice just to confirm that he was seeing things correctly. After all, if any other player saw what was displayed before him, to say that they would faint from shock may not be an understatement.
'This is a Soul Avatar?'
Izroth inwardly shook his head. He was concerned that the time, resources, and effort he spent to cultivate the Soul Avatar would not be worth it. However…
Name: Empyrean
Experience: 0.00%
Level: 1
Class: Paragon Skybreaker
Race: Skybreaker
Health: 10,000/10,000(+1,000) (100%)
Mana: 100,250/100,250(+300) (100%)
Attack: 2,000(+100)
Defense: 2,000(+100)
Agility: 2,000(+100)
Magic: 5,000(+100)
Physical Resistance: 75%
Magical Resistance: 75%
Luck: 3
Traits:
-«Melded Sentience»
-«Independent Soul Link»
-«Independent Mind Link»
-«Unworthy To Be Equipped»
-«Innate Anti-Magic Body»
-«True World Connection»
-«Child of the Skies»
-«Sky Domain: Heaven Connecting Tethers»
Skills:
-«Skybreak» – SSS Ranked
-«Quasi-Divine Body» – SSS Ranked
-«Absorption \u0026 Conversion» – SSS Ranked
-«Ancient Spirit Magic: Celestial Winds» – SSS Ranked
-«Mana Core: Complete Cycle» – SSS Ranked
-«Mana Core: Third Cycle» – SS Ranked
-«Sky Shattering Steps» – SS Ranked
-«Sky Culling» – SS Ranked
-«Peak Physique» – SS Ranked
-«Great Spirit Magic: Wind Path» – SS Ranked
-«Peak Physical Resistance» – S Ranked
-«Peak Magical Resistance» – S Ranked
-«Crowd Control Immunity» – S Ranked
-«Poison Immunity» – S Ranked
-«Debuff Immunity» – S Ranked
-«Flight» – S Ranked
-«Atmospheric Pulse» – S Ranked
-«Shock Absorption» – S Ranked
-«Spirit Magic: Wind Approach» – S Ranked
-«Mana Core: Second Cycle» – S Ranked
-«Mana Core: First Cycle» – A Ranked
-«Magic Fundamental Mastery» – A Ranked
… It was entirely beyond Izroth's expectations! At level one, Empyrean's overall stats had already surpassed Izroth himself! But, what truly stood out among Empyrean's stats was not his extraordinary physical and magical resistances. Instead, Empyrean's magic and mana were on a completely different level!
Not 1,000 or 10,000—but over 100,000 mana! This was the main reason that Izroth had to look twice despite his perfect memory!
'Excluding the true dragons, I assumed that the Trephasias were the most magically gifted race in RML, given that they are born with vast amounts of magic and mana. However, it would seem that my knowledge leaves more to be desired. There are still countless strange races in RML that have yet to be discovered and remains hidden away.'
Until just a few moments ago, Izroth did not even know that a powerful race called Skybreaker existed. Based solely on the information at his disposal, Izroth understood that not only were the Skybreaker a magically gifted race, but they also possessed the natural ability to fly. Furthermore, their connection to Spirit Magic appeared to be extremely deep—perhaps even stronger than the Trephasia! How could such a domineering race not be mentioned in any books within the Amaharpe Palace Library? Or, could it be that information regarding them was located on a higher floor?
'Can it be that this is a race that lives outside the Mortal Realm?'
That was the first thought that drifted through Izroth's mind. After all, he was aware that the Mortal Realm was not the only place out there. With the Shadahi Realm and Nether Realm's existence, it was likely that there were even more unknown realms in RML. Not to mention, Izroth had access to information that other players did not due to winning the second team's selection at the Sky Palace—the Lustrum Imperial Bout.
The Lustrum Imperial Bout was a grand competition between the various realms in RML that took place in the Imperial Peninsula Realm. Since that was the case, Izroth was absolutely positive that races with innate talent on par with the true dragons would appear. Even races with similarities to the Trephasia that he never heard of before may not be uncommon.
'I can see why the will of the world wanted to block this Skybreaker from appearing here. If it does not belong in the Mortal Realm, then it being rejected is not unexpected. In the future, if I get the opportunity to create a second Soul Avatar, I will have to proceed with caution. Depending on what materials I use, the degree of potential risk will change.'
To be truthful, without the Thirty-Two Localities Isolation Talisman, Izroth estimated that he had less than a 15% chance of success at suppressing the mysterious chains. His Luck stat also played a huge role as it allowed him to use the Thirty-Two Localities Isolation Talisman twice. Therefore, Izroth understood that next time, he had to be appropriately prepared.
The second thing that caught Izroth's attention was the number of skills at or above the S-rank. Most players in RML lacked even one S-ranked skill, yet Empyrean had twenty S-ranked or higher skills—even Izroth himself had less than half that number!
But, what truly stood out was not the skills Empyrean had in his arsenal, but rather his traits.
The first trait was Melded Sentience. In simple terms, it gave Empyrean his own "personality" so to speak. In other words, his active intelligence was on par with named NPCs such as Gear—maybe even slightly higher.
As for Independent Soul Link and Independent Mind Link, they allowed Izroth to remain connected to Empyrean no matter how far away they were from one another. This also made it so that Empyrean shared Izroth's will despite having an individual personality and the ability to act for himself.
The next trait on the list, Unworthy To Be Equipped, was something that Izroth did not know whether to laugh or cry about. It was a trait that genuinely lived up to its name as it did not allow Empyrean to equip anything below the divine rank. This meant that if it was not a divine-quality piece of equipment, then it was no better than trash in his eyes!
The other traits also stood out and lived up to their names. However, when Izroth's eyes landed on what was at the bottom of the list, he could not help but inwardly furrow his brows. At level 1, Empyrean already had a domain. Not just any domain, but one of the Main Upper Eight domains, Sky.
Izroth was already level 50, yet there were no signs of a domain emerging. Although Kayn said that it would happen naturally and he would know when it was time, Izroth could not help but feel that this Soul Avatar's fortune was even better than his own!
As Izroth familiarized himself with Empyrean's traits and skills, Empyrean stood up straight as a frown appeared on his face as he looked around the room. Of course, Izroth noticed Empyrean's uncomfortable expression.
"If you have something to say, you can speak freely," Izroth stated. Although Izroth could somewhat tell Empyrean's thoughts due to the Independent Mind Link trait, he was curious how his Soul Avatar would interact with him.
"This place is confining… Is there no sky that exists in this world?" Empyrean replied as the wings on his back stretched open before settling back in.
'I see. Although this room is not small, it is not big either. Right now, he must feel like a fish out of water.'
While Empyrean's reaction did not seem as severe as a Trephasia being in a place of death without nature, one could tell that a disconnect from the sky negatively affected him. Not to mention, he was still new to this world. So, his knowledge of it was virtually nonexistent despite his physical appearance.
"It exists. Outside this building, there is a sky that stretches further than the eye can see." Izroth answered.
"I want to leave. Will you stop me?" Empyrean asked. To others, it may seem as though he was indirectly threatening Izroth. However, Empyrean's mute facial expression—paired with the pure tone that his voice carried—made him seem more like a child who was asking their parent if it was alright to play outside. In the end, Empyrean was Izroth's Soul Avatar—a part of him. Therefore, it was impossible for him to go against Izroth's command.
Izroth shook his head and replied, "I won't stop you. However, I must first establish a few ground rules. Also, since you will be out, there are some things that I want you to take care of. As long as you handle these matters well, I do not mind letting you go where you please. Of course, if I call you, then you must come at once."
Empyrean closed his eyes as he stayed silent for a moment before he gave a small nod and responded, "As you will."
When Empyrean opened his eyes, it was as though the skies above filled every inch of the room. At that moment, if one stared into Empyrean's eyes, they would feel as though their body had left the room of the Mystical Realm Palace and suddenly reached a boundless sky.
However, what Izroth did not know at the time was that Empyrean's existence in the Mortal Realm, while a great blessing… was also a calamitous curse.
…
Several hours ago in the Mystical Realm Palace…
The Mystical of Realm Palace's first floor was busy as usual, with players coming and going. The atmosphere was peaceful yet hearty as the order was well maintained. After all, no one wanted to be kicked out, or even worse, put on the shop's blacklist and be banned from entering ever again.
"Hey, did you hear? Out of a thousand players, less than twenty were able to pass the competition held by the Palace Master."
"Ha? You actually believe that nonsense. It's probably just an exaggeration to make working here seem more exclusive than it is. Pfft, you don't even know this much?"
"What?! Are you calling me a liar?!"
"I ain't calling you a truther!"
The two players began to get into a heated argument that caused them to receive awkward looks from the nearby players.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound of footsteps approached the two players as a polite voice soon entered their ears, "Dear customers, while we value your business, if you continue to disturb the other guests, I will be forced to ask you to depart this establishment."
"Huh?! Who do you think you are?! Stay out of t-" One of the players who was a part of the argument snapped as he turned to see the person who approached him. However, he immediately released a series of rough coughs as a nervous smile appeared on his face.
He then continued, "I-I mean, we will keep it down. Just two friends joking around—right?"
"Yeah, yeah. Just joking around." The other player responded with a forced smile.
The one who approached the two players and instantly settled the argument was none other than Opal, the Mystical Realm Palace manager. While Izroth was busy or away, it was her job to ensure that things at the shop ran smoothly.
"As long as you understand," Opal said with a pleasant smile as she walked away from the scene, which caused the two players to breathe a sigh of relief. If they got kicked out just then, who knew when or if they would be allowed back in?! They personally witnessed others who did not take Opal's warning seriously and were quickly ejected, as well as put on the shop's blacklist. Still, who could have thought that the shop owner would give so much authority to an NPC?
At the same time that Opal put an end to the argument, a woman entered into the Mystical Realm Palace.
The woman wore a light blue and white combat mage outfit. She had a tidy appearance with neat ice blue hair, and hidden behind the pair of glasses on her face was piercingly cold eyes the color of the artic. Attached to her waist by a strap was a white book with a sky blue trim and arcane magic symbols embedded onto its cover.
"So, this is the Mystical Realm Palace. It is my first time here in person, but it is just as busy as I imagined." The woman said as she took her first step forward.
