Explaining Crests- SPOILERS, BEWARE
So, crests are the prevailing trait that humans in this world have, their usage is extremely varied and complex so I thought that writing something of an auxiliary chapter would best explain them instead of having some rando spew exposition at you in the main story and completely breaking the flow of things. This system is something that is deeply ingrained in human culture and something Kye has already been through, since this is reincarnation and not isekai. So, as we begin volume 2, I thought it best to explain this system before it becomes important in the story.
So, from what has been mentioned at this point, you're aware that a crest has a value and an effect, such as minor crest of alchemy or something similar. To specify, there are 6 ranks of crest that go:
-petty: a level that is obtained by the large majority of regular people. It doesn't mean that they're bad at the skill or that they're 'trash' but that they won't excel massively in the area greatly either.
-minor: those that dedicate themselves to their crests effect can reach the minor rank fairly easily with constant practice. Those with the minor value are about 1.5 times better than someone at the petty level at their given task
-advanced: for those with dedication and drive like none other, this rank can be achieved through using their crest's effect constantly throughout their lives. Tradesmen and soldiers will normally reach this rank quicker than others as their skills are constantly used in their jobs. People at this value are 2 times better than someone at the minor level
-major: this rank is unachievable through effort alone as it would require an extremely long lifespan to achieve. To get this value, expensive materials are brewed into elixirs that are consumed by affluent families to boost their heir's abilities. People at this value are 2 times better than those at the advanced level.
-supreme: a rank that is rarely seen around the human world. A supreme value requires an extreme amount of resources and effort to reach, as even elixirs cannot boost you to this level alone. A deep understanding of your crest's effect is needed and those at this level are thought of as having reached the pinnacle of whatever their crest's effect may be. People at this value are 2 times better than those at the major level.
-divine: less than 10 people in the entire history of humanity have had the divine level. Not much can be said about its power and what it brings but it is common myth that those that have reached the divine rank ascend and become living gods of their effect. Their power relative to someone at the supreme level is not known. How to reach this rank is also unknown.
So, there are a few more values than I had originally planned, but I think I like this more. I won't retcon anything I've written, so the current values still stand. On to the more complex side of this system, is that effects have their own rankings that aren't specified. The more specific or grand an effect becomes, the more powerful it is. For an explanation, while the value of a crest is important, it can be improved, the effect of a crest will NEVER change. This is where the idea of 'worthless' crests plays in.
In Kye's first life, he was a dual crest holder, of both the mechanist and arcanist crest, which he achieved the rank of major in both through dedication to work alone. He dedicated his entire life to his craft thus broke through regular understanding and became so good at what he did, that he moved past the need for an elixir. But that didn't matter as the mechanist and arcanist crest were seen as useless by society as a whole at the time. No matter how high the value of his crest was, if it was a useless crest, you're seen as worthless.
So what did I mean by saying that 'the more specific or grand an effect is, the more powerful it is'. Well, say you had someone with the minor crest of magic. They could cast all spells of their level to an adequate degree of proficiency, but if someone with the petty crest of hydromancy fought the magic crest holder in a battle of water spells, the hydromancer would win every time as they have a more specified effect on their crest.
So someone with the sword crest couldn't beat someone with the sword mastery crest with the sword, as so on and so forth. Having a specific job in your crest isn't always better but it does mean you will outclass someone with a general crest in what you know, even if your value is lower up to two levels. Someone with the petty crest of sword mastery would beat someone with the advanced crest of the sword.
Yet crests are not an 'I win, screw you' type of talent. Someone who has no physical training can't win a fight with someone just because their crest is of greater value or effect. To put it a different way, the crest is a measure of your understanding and potential in a certain subject, not your actual skill.
If anyone has questions about the system after reading this, then drop a comment and I'll respond and hopefully give you a satisfactory explination.
Weekly Power Status
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