Sovereign of the Ashes

Not long after leaving the Ylli Knight Alliance, Sein stepped onto the soil of the Alveroth Empire.

This time, however, he had not come to poach initiates.

Alveroth the Magic Empire was a beacon of magical civilization, its advancements flourishing to unparalleled heights.

Apart from Sky City, the Alveroth Empire stood as the most significant hub for spellcasters in the Magus World.

It boasted the most advanced magitech and alchemy, the widest variety of elemental disciplines, the largest population of spellcasters, and the greatest number of Rank Four and above mages.

Compared to other spellcaster-dominated powers like the Dragon Warlock Clan, the Northern Witches Council, or the Marmett Union Alliance—which Sein had visited previously—the Magic Empire stood head and shoulders above the rest.

Legend had it that the Alveroth Empire had existed since the primordial era, serving as the cradle of the Magus World’s glorious magical civilization.

Sein had visited the Alveroth Empire during his time as a Rank One mage and had been awestruck by its remarkable achievements in infrastructure and the widespread application of elemental magic.

Here, even commoners in the cities enjoyed the conveniences that magic brought—comforts that were beyond the reach of other regions in the Magus World.

Now, returning to this land as a Rank Three grand mage, Sein found himself seeing the empire through new eyes.

***

“In the Alveroth Empire, spellcasters seem to value Arcanist rank more than life level or external wealth. This is where the Arcanist system of the Magus World thrives the most,” Sein murmured to himself as he stepped into the Divine Tower of Golden Moon.

This divine tower was an organization founded by a Rank Five mage in the southern part of the Alveroth Empire.

Unlike the divine towers of other regions in the Magus World, the Divine Tower of Golden Moon gave Sein the impression of being far more open and tolerant, particularly toward full-fledged spellcasters.

Perhaps this inclusivity stemmed from the empire’s fervent dedication to making magic accessible to everyone.

While spellcasters in the Alveroth Empire valued knowledge immensely, they lacked the traditional mentality of their counterparts in other regions.

If the price was right, the mages of the Alveroth Empire did not hesitate to exchange academic achievements with others.

For instance, outside a cafe on the Divine Tower of Golden Moon’s central shopping street, Sein noticed several Rank Two mages engaged in a lively debate through the window.

The spellcasters of the Alveroth Empire referred to these sessions as “academic salons”.

These more private gatherings were not exclusive to divine tower mages. Even traveling mages like Sein could participate, provided they were invited or found a natural rapport with the attendees.

It was likely this culture of academic openness that allowed the Arcanist system to thrive in the Alveroth Empire.

While a Rank Three grand mage might not garner much attention in a region teeming with numerous and highly skilled divine tower mages, a Rank Three Arcanist, proudly displaying the badge of their rank, would immediately command respect and admiration.

Sein was well aware of the challenges involved in advancing through the Arcanist system and fully understood the steep price one had to pay to achieve Rank Three.

Aside from the challenge of parting with one’s hard-earned truths, there was another key reason for the difficulty—the unpredictable value of knowledge.

What one considered groundbreaking magic insight, painstakingly acquired over years, might not earn the expected points when submitted to Arcane Light.

This was very common in the Magus Civilization, where generations of mages had already explored vast swathes of magic knowledge.

For lower-ranking spellcasters, much of the “foundational knowledge” had been thoroughly explored and refined by their predecessors.

In this landscape, uncovering new elemental mysteries and truth required more than just talent and diligence.

It demanded innovation and no small measure of luck.

Mages with the mindset of a pioneer were especially sought after in the Arcanist community.

The Magus World held a long-standing belief, often regarded as truth, that a spellcaster’s Arcanist rank was directly linked to their future elemental achievements.

For instance, if a Rank Two mage earned the title of Rank Three Arcanist early, their eventual promotion to Rank Three was practically guaranteed.

This was no mere superstition but a claim backed by consistent data—an astonishing 100% success rate.

However, the difficulty of advancing one’s Arcanist rank meant that many Rank Four mages often remained as Rank Three Arcanists, even after establishing their divine towers.

Although Sein was a powerful Rank Three grand mage, his Arcanist rank remained at Rank One.

Even his Arcane points were still in the single digits, having spent most of them to acquire the “Mirage’s Almanac of Souls” back then.

Upon arriving in the Alveroth Empire and experiencing the atmosphere that set it apart from the rest of the Magus World, Sein quickly realized that to truly blend in and make the most of his time here, he would need to raise his Arcanist rank.

“If the ‘Arcanist rank theory’ is really that reliable, then wouldn’t earning the Rank Four Arcanist title as a Rank Three mage practically guarantee my promotion to Rank Four in the future?” Sein mused aloud.

The Spider Queen suddenly materialized by Sein’s side like a ghost, as she often did, and chimed in, “Of course!”

“This theory doesn’t just apply to ascending to Rank Four. If you manage to earn the title of Rank Seven Arcanist early, then congratulations—you’d be considered a treasure by the entire Magus Civilization. It would mark you as a guaranteed future overmage,” she added with a teasing smile.

Her comment caused Sein to grimace.

Rank Seven Arcanist?

Sein could not even imagine how much knowledge one would have to impart to Arcane Light to reach that level.

Since earning the Rank Four Arcanist title was already an enormous challenge, the idea of becoming a Rank Seven Arcanist was a far-off fantasy for most mages.

Sein decided to focus on more immediate goals. For now, he would aim to earn the title of a Rank Two Arcanist.

“I wonder what Arcanist ranks my mentor and my grandmaster have achieved... And come to think of it, Master Lorianne did mention that the faction would grant me another pyro elemental knowledge. Why haven’t I heard anything about that yet?” he mumbled, scratching his head.

***

At the Divine Tower of Golden Moon, Sein was able to undergo Arcanist rank verification directly.

The increase in one’s Arcanist rank relied entirely on the transfer of knowledge into Arcane Light, the repository of accumulated magical insights shared by spellcasters.

After careful deliberation, Sein ultimately decided to withhold four major fields of knowledge from being uploaded: alchemy, Verdant Flame, Ashen Flame, and his body-tempering experiments.

Without hesitation, he submitted all the other elemental mysteries he had unraveled over the years to the Arcane Light.