The Ruler Of Judgement

The Level 1 Advancement

Magnus thought he was a goner when a wolf showed up near the tree he was hiding in. But his luck was good because the wolf did not stop at the tree he was hiding and went deep inside the forest. He stayed put for half an hour, waiting for the coast to be clear, before finally climbing down and sprinting for home as darkness fell.

Back at home, fear gripped Magnus. "What do we do now? The wolf could kill us!"

The system reassured him, "Host, don't worry. You only need sixteen more rabbit beasts to level up. Stay out of the forest for the next few days and hunt for them on the outskirts. Once you reach level 1, you'll be strong enough to fight the wolf."

Calmed by the system's advice, Magnus thanked it and followed its instructions. After twelve days, he was one rabbit beast short of leveling up. He ventured into the forest and was happy to find his prey. Using his previous strategy, he successfully killed the beast.

The system then advised, "Go home and rest, Host. You'll be level 1 when you wake up."

Following the system's guidance, Magnus returned home to find it empty. He went to sleep, overcome by excitement.

Two hours later, he woke up to the system's announcement, "Congratulations, Host! You are now Warrior Level 1. Your attributes have also increased."

Feeling a surge of power, Magnus opened his status screen to see the improvements:

[[ Status

Name: Magnus

Age: 14

Strength: 20

Speed: 20

Stamina: 20

Intelligence: 15

Health (HP): 150

Magic Power (MP): 0 (Dormant)

Magic Attribute: Judgement (Dormant)

Mage Level: 0

Weapon Power (WP): 0 (Dormant)

Weapon Type: Soul Sword

Warrior Level: 1

Skills: Basic Swordsmanship

Title: Ruler Of Judgement (Not Qualified to Equip Yet), Hope of The Judgement (Not Qualified to Equip Yet) ]]

He was thrilled with the significant improvement in all his stats. The system explained, "Level advancement is the most effective way to increase attributes at higher levels. Without it, attributes will only rise by 1 or 2 points even after years, which is too slow for you."

Magnus inquired, "What's the minimum attribute value per level?"

The system replied, "It's the base value your attributes increase to upon leveling up. For example, at level 1, your attributes are all 20."

Understanding dawned on Magnus, but then he asked, "Why hasn't my intelligence increased since the beginning? It's stuck at 15."

The system responded, "Intelligence is tied to magic. It can only improve with your Mage Level. Likewise, your Strength, HP, and MP will also increase as your Mage Level rises."

With a month and a half left until his birthday, there wasn't much he could do about magic until then.

Magnus sought advice from the system on what to do next. The system recommended, "Now that you're level 1, consolidate your power and practice swordsmanship for a few days. Then, you can return to the forest to hunt level 1 beasts."

Magnus agreed and asked, "What kind of beasts are level 1?"

The system informed him, "There's a beast called a Magic Hound in the forest. They attack with bites and have very sharp senses. They're faster than rabbit beasts and prey on them."

For the next three days, Magnus focused on strengthening his power and swordsmanship skills. On the third day, he challenged Michael to a proper fight. He had previously appraised Michael's attributes while they were training, and they were much higher than his own. He appraised Michael again, and the results were:

[[ Status

Name: Michael

Age: 40

Strength: 26

Speed: 22

Stamina: 24

Intelligence: 10

Health (HP): 160

Magic Power (MP): 0

Mage Level: 0

Weapon Power (WP): 0

Warrior Level: 0

Skills: Advanced Swordsmanship

Title: Adventurer ]]

Michael's attributes were indeed superior. However, according to the system, despite being level 1, Magnus's years of training had increased his base attributes from 20.

Initially, Michael intended to go easy on Magnus during their spar. But to his surprise, Magnus was able to keep pace. The fight escalated into a serious match that lasted for about an hour before Magnus was defeated. Yet, he wasn't discouraged. He felt stronger and had a better understanding of swordsmanship.

Michael was utterly astonished. Michael, still speechless, finally said, "Magnus, you have incredible talent. You should venture out into the world to experience and hone your skills. I'll talk to your grandfather about it."

Magnus was surprised by Michael's suggestion, but simply nodded in response. They then headed back to Magnus's house together. William was busy cooking meat when they arrived.

Upon hearing Michael's words, William showed no surprise. Magnus had expected his grandfather to be reluctant to let him go. However, William disagreed. "I wouldn't be so selfish as to hold you back, Magnus. When I saw your potential, I knew I'd have to send you out someday. Herbew Village simply can't provide the environment you need to grow."

Magnus felt a mix of relief and sadness at his grandfather's words. He knew he had to leave, but a part of him ached at the thought. With a heavy heart, but determined, he looked at William's conflicted expression and said, "Don't worry, Grandpa. I'll definitely visit you during my travels."

William, initially taken aback, replied with a smile, "You rascal, focus on yourself. I'm an old man who's lived a full life. Now it's your turn to experience the world. But remember, Herbew Village will always be your home."

Touched by his grandfather's words, Magnus replied, "Of course, Grandpa. This village will always be my home."

They then had dinner with Michael, who left afterwards. Magnus and William also retired for the night.

Over the next five days, Magnus sparred with Michael repeatedly. In the last two days, they were evenly matched, ending their fights in draws. Finally, on the fifth day, the system announced, "Host, you've consolidated your power. It's time to begin your next level advancement by hunting."

Hearing this, Magnus started preparing for his venture into the forest.

He informed William of his plan to hunt magic beasts. William granted his permission with a warning, "Only fight the rabbit beasts. If you encounter any higher-level beasts, run away immediately."

Magnus nodded in agreement.

That night, William, believing Magnus was now mature enough to understand, decided to reveal everything he knew about the world and magic beasts. "Magnus," he began, "our world is called Fantasia. Many different races inhabit it, such as humans, elves, beastmen, dragons, and more. I've only ever encountered beastmen in my lifetime, but stories from adventurers have told me about the others. There are also four human empires and one theocracy. I don't know the names of the other three empires, but our village resides in the country of Ignis, which has been ruled by the Ignis Royal Family since its founding. The theocracy is a religious nation devoted to the supreme goddess of light, Illumina. Aside from these, there are countries belonging to the other races, but I have no knowledge of them."

Overwhelmed by this information, William gave Magnus some time to absorb it all. He then continued, "Fantasia is a world that operates on a level system. You're not yet 15, but once you turn 15, you can go to the guild to have your status checked, revealing your attribute values and level. Everyone starts at level 0 when they're born."

Since Magnus couldn't reveal his ability to check his status, he simply nodded.

William explained further, "Leveling up requires defeating a certain number of beasts corresponding to your current level. I'm only level 1 because reaching level 2 requires awakening either Weapon Power (WP) for warriors or Magic Power (MP) for mages. Unfortunately, I haven't awakened either, so I'll remain a level 1 warrior until the end."

A shadow of sadness crossed William's face as he spoke. In his youth, he too had dreamt of awakening a power and becoming exceptionally strong. However, fate had other plans, and he could never progress further.

Sensing his grandfather's dejection, Magnus tried to comfort him. "Don't worry, Grandpa. I'll fulfill your wish."

William felt a surge of joy at Magnus's words, but replied, "You shouldn't concern yourself with that. Your talent with the sword is exceptional. Even without awakening a power, you can become quite powerful by focusing on swordsmanship."

Deep down, William knew that unless Magnus awakened either MP or WP, he would likely remain average in a world of awakened individuals, as level advancement depended on awakening from level 2 onwards. However, he also knew that awakening was a matter of chance for ordinary people, and there was nothing either of them could do about it. He didn't want to dampen Magnus's enthusiasm, so he advised him to pursue the path of the sword as a backup.

Unable to reveal his dormant MP and WP, Magnus stayed silent. He thought to himself that he could share the good news with his grandfather in a month's time, once he awakened.

However, little did he know that fate had a cruel twist in store for him in the near future...