“Are you completely sure? Don’t you want to wait a bit longer?” Brendu asks me again for the third time—she wants to be absolutely certain about my decision.
“Yes, there’s no reason to wait anymore. I want to take advantage of the fact that all of you are here to say goodbye for a few days.” I’m already prepared for my ascension—I don’t want to delay it any longer.
Sol, Marga, and Arisa’s stay extended longer than expected. At first, it was only supposed to be a few days, but in the end, they’ll stay for a total of seven days. Today is the last day before they return to the empire—I want to see them one last time while we’re all still at sapphire rank.
There’s no exact waiting time while your body adapts to the new rank—it can take a couple of days, three weeks, or even longer. From what I’ve discussed with Susan, my body should take even more time to fully assimilate all my abilities and capacities.
Brendu lets out a small huff. She doesn’t look upset or sad—just worried that I haven’t taken enough precautions. I don’t need much to rank up, just a spacious room where I can rest my body. Luckily, the school has several available, and I managed to secure one.
Brendu will stay with me most of the time—there’s a medium-sized room inside. She’ll be my companion and monitor my condition. She also has the authority to call a doctor if my state worsens for any reason.
“Go all out, champion.” Arisa taps different parts of my body with her index finger, her bright smile as radiant as ever.
“The next time we see you, you’ll be a ruby rank… time is passing so fast.” Marga hugs my waist—she looks just as happy.
“Everything will go well. We’ll always support you. Just make the right decision—remember, ruby rank is the beginning of a new path.” Sol, as always, is the most composed—her mind is already thinking ahead.
Sol is right. The moment my Banner takes over my entire body and becomes a Dominion, everything changes. It’s like a new beginning. Most people from great families already have a legacy established within them—a foundation built over generations with the help of special objects.
Brendu, Arisa, Marga, and even Sol have already begun nurturing their family legacies. When they rank up, their options will be more limited—but far more powerful. No legacy is simple or repetitive—they’re all different, even if they share similarities, because no two people are the same.
For example, the twins Bruk and Brak will have similar options, but also some differences. No matter how alike they are in personality, they still have different tendencies and habits.
My case is a bit different. My family is technically only in its second generation. When Sers inherits the territory, the third generation will begin. In terms of years, we’re a newly formed noble family—completely different from theirs.
My Dominion will have a wide range of options, all depending on the paths I’ve taken throughout my short life. I’m not too worried about my choices—I’ve trained consistently, and my foundations are solid. My Dominion won’t lose to any other noble’s, I just need to be careful not to choose something dangerous.
Even the weakest option can still be valuable—it will grow as I grow stronger. But that’s not what I’m aiming for. I’m looking for something powerful, with great long-term potential.
“I’ll carefully review all the options and follow my instincts—they’ve never failed me.” Hopefully, this won’t be the first time.
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I receive advice from all of them. The four have already had multiple discussions with their parents or specialists—they have a much clearer understanding of how the selection process works. I’ve only read a few books and received some guidance from Susan—she didn’t want to influence my decision.
“Good luck. Everything will go perfectly—just be as strong as you’ve always been, and nothing will go wrong.” Sol is the first to give me encouraging words.
“Check every option multiple times so you don’t choose something inconvenient… although if you make a bad choice, I might end up closer to you in the future.” Arisa’s smile makes me laugh.
“Don’t be afraid of your decision. Follow your instincts if they tell you it’s the right choice. We’ll support you.” Marga raises her thumb in encouragement.
“We don’t care what you choose—we’ll always be here for you. Go and make us proud when you wake up.” Brendu still looks a bit worried—and she’s not the only one. I can see traces of concern on all their faces.
We say goodbye with a tight hug—their words truly reach my heart. “See you soon.” I raise my hand as I walk toward the center of the room.
There are sensors placed in the middle. According to Susan, they measure my body’s condition—pressure, pulse, and more. Brendu will be able to monitor everything from a screen in the other room, and alerts will appear if something goes wrong.
I place each sensor on my pinky fingers. Everything is almost ready—now comes the most important part.
“Are you ready? Do you want to come out?” I ask Glia mentally.
She’s the main reason I delayed my ascension for a while—though, in a way, she’s also the reason I’m moving forward now. She’s ready to reach grade 4—her body is in perfect condition, and she has absorbed enough mana over these months.
We don’t want to delay her progress any longer—holding too much energy can damage her core, just like it did to my cube. Sometimes, containing large amounts of energy is more harmful than beneficial.
“Yes, I’m more than ready.” Glia responds. She appears beside me—and I can see how much she has changed.
She’s grown larger—from her front paws to her head, she’s now a little over 180 cm tall. She’s as tall as me, not to mention the length of her body. She’s become much more intimidating over these past months—but in my eyes, she’s still just a gluttonous little girl.
“I’m a bit worried I won’t be able to help you if something happens inside your cube…” she says as she lies beside me, resting her head on my right thigh.
“Nothing bad will happen. Focus on your own ascension—I can handle mine.” I try to send as many positive feelings as possible through our connection. I want her to stay calm—it would be a problem if she keeps worrying about me.
“Leave this to your big brother.” I wink at her. For a moment, I feel like I hear someone calling me a battle-obsessed womanizer… I must be imagining things. Maybe it’s just a side effect before ranking up.
I take a sphere Susan gave me the day before—it’s one of her personal gifts for winning the school tournament. This colorful sphere is based on the core of a grade 5 monster, modified by a specialized artisan into a stabilizer and enhancer.
It’s of extremely high quality—it should be enough to counter any issues. If nothing unexpected happens, the energy will slightly enhance my new Dominion. If something goes wrong, the energy will flow to stabilize me.
“Let’s do this together.” I tell Glia.
We both close our eyes, focusing on our ascension. Now fully concentrated on my body, I can feel my cube. I need to expand it in all directions—it’s more of a metaphorical expansion.
After several attempts, the omnipresent voice finally appears with a notification. “Checking requirements to ascend to ruby rank.”
It feels like it’s analyzing everything inside my body—even reviewing my entire life as a sapphire rank.
“Merits: Approved++.”“Mana: Approved+.”“Abilities: Approved+.”“Imra: Approved++.”“Laws: Approved++.”“Banner: Approved++.”
All categories are at least “Approved+”? I didn’t expect that. The highest most people aim for is simply “Approved.” Getting a “+” means you’re above most who reach ruby rank. Getting a “++” is something everyone desires.
I feel quite proud of myself—but I don’t have time to dwell on it. The omnipresent voice continues.
“Ascending to ruby rank is recommended. Do you wish to proceed?”
I accept after a brief moment of hesitation—there’s no reason to doubt.
“Ascension will begin immediately.”
My mind becomes hazy. I drift into a completely dark world. I don’t know how much time passes—it feels like a minute… or several years.
“Choices are extremely important! Prepare to walk the true path! You must choose one of the following options as the foundation of your future. Choose carefully!”