Chapter 42: Power System
[Chapter 41 Comment]
[Marceli4326r3: I got a question if you ate aware that you are in a novel can you shift the novel so you control it and not the author also you wanna meet the author what are you gonna so then?]
[Adam_Balch_7324: That seems like an excellent place to improve your understanding of the way that world works]
"I'm not sure about that either. After all, every action I took was in order to escape from the control of the author. However, it could be interpreted another way. What if that very action itself was actually what the author made me do? The more you think about it, the more it looks like a paradox."
"Instead of seeing it that way, it's better to think this way. There is one variable that the author can't control. It's you, readers. The author can't control what you comment. You can help me, fool me, or whatever."
"Even if the author is trying to force me to act in a certain way to gain support, either for him or me, you are the one who will make the decision. So, you're the uncontrollable variable. That's why whether I could meet the author or not... whether I would be in control or the author, everything would be in your hands."
Theo explained his current situation. This was the exact reason why Theo had actually said the author was going to regret giving him this power. After all, an uncontrollable power would be a double-edged sword.
"Dad. So, are you going to that place? How many students will you bring? I want to go too! This illusionist looked like you, so that place should be interesting, right?" Mia suddenly came to him.
That was right. After reaching an agreement with the school, he had returned to the apartment with Mia. Since there was nothing to do, he decided to take some rest while preparing for the upcoming mission.
Coincidentally, Mia was expressing a similar sentiment to what had been said in the comments. Theo smiled, "Yeah, it's going to be an interesting place."
"In our original world, Mom said you were the master of reality. A single wave of your hand could actually alter reality. How do you compare to this guy?"
"Hmm... I don't want to sound arrogant, but..." Theo looked up, recalling how Baold had explained the guy. "From what I can see, this guy has been trying to overcome the limits of illusion. The fact that he can leave a wound with just an illusion means that the deeper we enter the place, the more apparent the change in reality. However, he should be at the level of blurring the line between reality and illusion."
"The line between reality and illusion." Mia looked down for a moment. "Does that mean he still can't fully control reality?"
"Something like that. But currently, my power doesn't have control over reality. So, there is a chance that in this ruin, I can find a way to change that." Theo nodded.
"I see. I want to follow you. Is that possible?"
"To be honest, I don't want you to follow me. It's not that I want to exclude you, but there is a matter I want to entrust to you." Theo raised one finger.
"A task?" Mia wondered what kind of task her dad would give her. "There aren't many things related to us... so, if I narrow it down, is it about the previous incident?"
"Yeah." Theo nodded. "You are going to find the one who caused that incident. I will also provide you with some help. Even though I know a way to control plot armor, I don't want to overly rely on it."
"I see." Mia agreed without hesitation. "As much as I want to fulfill Mom's request to stall you, it bothers me to have the killer around. So, I will be the bait!"
"Bait, huh? There is no way I'm heartless enough to make my daughter become bait." Theo shook his head helplessly. "Besides, the killer is going to assassinate you instead of capturing you, so I'll give you the plan later."
"Hehe." Mia made a big smile. Even though her dad was pretty merciless during training, he always set limits in order to protect her, her future, and her potential.
"In any case, I think it's time for it." Theo grabbed the briefcase and opened it. "It's time to take this."
"This is..." Mia tilted her head in confusion. Even though she came from the Demon Realm where this fruit was located, it didn't change the fact that she was too young to learn all kinds of knowledge.
"It's a Spiritual Fruit called Herlion Fruit. Let's test your knowledge about the power system in the demon realm." Theo smirked.
"Hmm..." Mia thought for a moment. "The Demon Realm's power system is about the connection between a human and a demon. In the demon realm, the monsters appeared out of nowhere and humans were defeated. They tried to seek help from Heaven, but the ones who offered them help were actually the demons."
"Just like the name implies, the demon is the being that feeds on humans. In exchange for power, the humans have to offer something to the demon. It can be anything: organs, lifespan, memory, and even physical possessions. Depending on the grade of the sacrifice, the more power you will be granted."
"However, it would be ridiculous for a normal person to become the strongest in the world just by trading their entire lifespan for one hour of full power. If it were that easy, the world would be in chaos. The demons also have restrictions. And that is the Spiritual Connection."
"The Spiritual Connection is like the degree of assimilation between the human and the demon. The higher the Spiritual Connection, the more power the demon can lend. However, it also contradicts the parts where you can offer everything for greater power."
"From what I've found in the original Mia's memory, you can offer everything you have in exchange for ultimate power, but if you can't utilize it, then it's useless. However, there is also a meaning behind that action."
"You might not be able to utilize it for the time being, but the demon has been pouring its power into you according to the exchange. Since you've been exposed to that level of power, once you reach the level of Spiritual Connection needed to use a certain power, you can use it right away."
"In addition, there are people who use a lot of money in exchange for power. For example, one can sacrifice an artifact in order to use one ability... It might be a way to utilize the demon's power without sacrificing anything related to your life, but it's pretty inefficient."
"So, people either choose to sacrifice something important at the start and gradually increase it as they get stronger, or they will sacrifice only when they need it. I mean, you can probably tell the demon to suck out a portion of your blood in order to use one ability, but losing too much blood in a battle is pretty dangerous. So, yeah... Most people will choose either of those two scenarios."
"Foolish people won't sacrifice anything while desperate people will sacrifice the most important thing. Though, we are in a different case. We might sacrifice important things, but that's limited to the original body, not ourselves. Is this enough?"
Theo closed his eyes for a moment before making a smile. That was enough of an answer.
"Yes." Nana pumped her fist.
"Then, I will continue with the Spiritual Connection." Theo pointed at his heart. "The Spiritual Connection is the level of integration between the human and the demon. To put it simply, it's the way to create a vessel that can contain the demon's original power."
"There are a total of ten levels of Spiritual Connection, divided every ten percent of the progress. Each level, the demon will grant us one ability, so you can get a total of ten abilities in your entire life. Humans are more adaptable, so if they can utilize their power to the absolute degree, they could even overpower the demon."
"As for the vessel, it mostly affects our organs. The first level will be our heart where the source of power originates. It then continues to blood, bone, muscle, and flesh. These are the first half of the Spiritual Connection."
"Once you reach the second half, the situation will be different as it will affect your mind, senses, and so on. Many people who reach the second half end up getting devoured by their own demons. So, you have to tread this carefully."
"In order to increase the Spiritual Connection, you can choose between four options. The first one is making a connection with the demon itself, like talking to him and so on. The more you understand them, the more you realize the connection between you."
"Then, you can choose to use the essence in the air and fuse them with the demon's energy, creating the so-called demonic essence. This essence can increase the connection. This is the way most people choose, but the rate will depend on the grade of the demon itself. This is the reason why a Royal Grade Demon is highly regarded."
"The third way is through external forces like Spiritual Fruits or Artifacts. The ones I brought home can increase your Spiritual Connection by five percent. This is a significant number. At the same time, this fruit can only be eaten once in your entire life. So, we'll eat one each and leave one for your mother. The last one can be reserved for another occasion."
"Last but not least, the unknown practice. This method is not known to many people. But it's said that if you can control how your heart beats, you can make it in a way that is suitable for the demon, allowing the Spiritual Connection to increase quicker. Yes, this also means that you can control the way your blood flows and so on, depending on the level of the Spiritual Connection. I assume that a lot of influential individuals have this kind of practice as their core. That's all... Do you have any questions?"
Theo finished his long explanations.
Mia tilted her head from side to side. "I'm not sure. The explanation is too long, and it's hard to process everything at once. Give me some time to absorb the knowledge."
"Haha. Take your time." Theo chuckled while grabbing two fruits from the briefcase and putting the rest in another room.
"Before I ask something, is it alright for us to discuss the power system for this long? How long have we talked? Won't the readers be bored or something?"
"It's not even a chapter." Theo shook his head. "Besides, I'm just fulfilling the readers' request about our power system. Of course, we're only covering two topics today. There are a lot more to the power system. For example, if you can use blood as a part of sacrifice, what if you store your blood in a bag periodically and use it when needed? And other stuff like that."
"Hoh? Mom taught me about this!" Mia smirked. "You're telling them a lot, but not everything. Just like love, if you told your loved one about everything, she would soon lose interest in you. So, you purposely hid some things to make her curious. Then, she would feel that she always discovered something new. Mom said you were like that in the past."
"Well, the intention was different, but it was similar, I guess. In any case, our discussion would definitely bring some questions to the readers' minds. Unfortunately, I'm not going to tell you everything if you ask, so I will apologize in advance." Theo chuckled while patting Mia's head. "In any case, let's eat the fruits first."
"Okay."
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone