Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 13: Open?

Upon entering his room, Asher sank onto the edge of his bed, immediately lost in thought. Lyra, sensing his introspection, remained silent, standing quietly by his side.

After a few moments, Asher lifted his gaze and looked toward her. ”You may leave. I need to review the changes that occurred after the awakening.”

Without a word, Lyra stepped forward, and the file Zarek had entrusted to her materialized in her palm. She handed it to Asher, who began to scan its contents with an unreadable expression. At the bottom left of the document, his eyes caught Lyra’s signature.

”Hmmm, are you certain you wish to remain my permanent maid?” Asher asked quietly after finishing the file. Once he signed this document, he alone would have authority over Lyra, even the Primarch himself would be powerless to command her..... Or at least that’s why the Wargrave laws says.

”Yes, Young Master,” Lyra replied with a respectful bow.

Most maids would have abandoned Asher the moment he awakened, after all, they assumed he wouldn’t progress far, having awakened only on his last attempt. Such a failure would inevitably affect their own lives: diminished cultivation resources, reduced pay, and a drop in status.

It was, by all accounts, a poor bargain. Yet Lyra chose to remain by his side, fully aware of the risks she faced in losing all those privileges.

Asher was well aware of the implications, though he didn’t understand why Lyra chose to remain. He decided not to ask.

Instead, he simply nodded, approached the table before him, and took up a pen. With a steady hand, he signed the document and handed the file back to her.

”You may leave. Don’t stand by the door this time. Return to your quarters.”

Without hesitation, Lyra accepted the file and departed. She understood that Asher wished to immerse himself immediately in the details of his awakening, after all, it was the natural course for anyone in his position.

A faint smile graced her lips as she made her way back to the maids’ quarters.

Now alone, Asher could no longer contain his excitement. With a surge of joy, he mentally shouted, ’System!’

[Ding]

[Acknowledging Host...]

[System Assimilating...]

[2%... 30%... 50%... 70%... 80%... 100%]

[System Interface Booting...]

Name: Asher Wargrave

Age: Seventeen

Bloodline: The Wargrave Lineage

Titles: [Youngest Heir] [Tenth Sun] [Disgrace of the Wargrave]

Life Rank: Faintstar

Sub Life Rank: Dust

Affinity: Lightning

Strength: 13 → 26

Agility: 13 → 26

Vitality: 14 → 28

Perception: 9 → 18

NOTE: Normal human stat cap before awakening: 10

Wargrave stat cap before awakening: 15

System Inventory: Empty]

Asher’s eyes gleamed with fascination as he absorbed every detail displayed on the system panel.

His gaze lingered on the Life Rank, the equivalent of cultivation levels in this world.

’From what I’ve read, the Life Ranks progress as follows: Faintstar — Kindlestar — Brightstar — Blazestar — Swiftstar — Firmstar — Wavestar — Voidstar — Soulstar — Crownstar. Ten ranks in total’ He thought.

He then shifted his attention to the sub-rank beneath it, which the progression was: Dust — Spark — Flare — Pulse — Radiant for all Life Ranks.

Asher’s eyes settled on his affinity. From the very moment of his awakening, he had sensed a newfound connection to the element, an intimate bond that had been absent just four days prior. He realized that with but a single thought, he could command it at will.

Raising his right hand, lightning effortlessly danced and crackled around his fingertips, responding seamlessly to his command. He could feel the surge of Astra energy within him fueling the elemental display.

Instinctively, he understood that once his Astra was depleted, his control over the lightning would vanish.

Nonetheless, a smile blossomed across his face. This was nothing short of an impossible feat in his past life. But here, he could command the very forces of nature with effortless ease. The thought of future battles made his smile widen, anticipation bubbling beneath his calm exterior.

Then, suddenly, his thoughts faltered. ’Wait. What am I thinking?’ he thought. ’Is the Wargrave bloodline turning me into a battle-crazed fanatic like the rest?’ Yet despite the unease, he couldn’t deny the surge of joy that came from wielding such supernatural power firsthand.

With renewed focus, Asher’s eyes returned to the system interface, his gaze sweeping over his attributes. Every single stat had literally doubled. He could feel his body pulsating with newfound energy, stronger, sharper, faster than ever before.

The man he was yesterday was incomparable to the one he had become today. Such was the undeniable miracle of awakening.

His eyes then settled on his Perception stat, noticeably lower than the rest. Yet Asher understood why, the original Asher had never honed his senses, focusing solely on physical training. That explained why his other attributes soared while perception lagged behind.

Asher felt the Astra energy coursing through every fiber of his being, invigorating and strengthening each part of his body. He could sense the Astra veins winding within him, much like the network of blood vessels that sustained life.

’The greater the flow of Astra energy, the higher one’s Life Rank,’ Asher reflected.

His eyes shifted to the ”Note” notification beneath the attributes. ’Truly a family of monsters,’ Asher mused as he read the message. The Wargraves had clearly surpassed even humanity’s natural limits, at least before the Awakening.

He had read of their extraordinary physical prowess in the library, but the reality was staggering: a full 50% increase in Physical stat alone was almost unfathomable.

But Asher knew this was merely the baseline; countless skills and techniques existed to amplify people’s power.

’If the original Asher hadn’t wasted an entire year drowning himself in alcohol, his physique might have reached its absolute peak,’ he thought bitterly.

Then his eyes caught the final line on the system panel, and a smile crept across his face. ’At least my system has an inventory. Now, all I need is a space ring to conceal it,’ Asher mused.

He reached for the rectangular wooden talisman the First Sun had given him earlier. With a mere thought, the talisman vanished from his palm, only to reappear instantaneously moments later. Asher nodded in quiet satisfaction, pleased with the seamless test.

With a thought, the system interface vanished

’Time to find out what weapon I’ve awakened,’ Asher thought, an unshakable feeling stirring deep within his soul, as if the weapon itself were calling out to him.

Just as he prepared to answer the silent call, the system interface abruptly reappeared, as if displeased at having been ignored.

[Ding]

[Newbie Package Distribution in Progress]

[Open?]