Chapter 116: Status Window

Kai hit the bed like his bones had given up, the day had taken a huge toll on him- well, that was literally every day in the academy.

He unbuttoned his shirt with lazy fingers, stripped it off did the same for his trousers, kicked the Academy uniform away from the mattress, and sank back down left in nothing but his underwear and for a while he only stared at the ceiling.

The room was medium-sized and honestly beautiful by student standards, it had everything he essentially needed from table to bed to lamp and a built in bathroom of it’s own but for someone who has experienced the true taste of luxury in this world, the room was incredibly mediocre in all aspects. He took the scenery in with the distant awareness of someone already halfway out the door. From tomorrow he would not stay here. Intermediate mages were housed in another building. That was the reality of the Academy’s structure, it was literally brutal in its simplicity.

The structure was simple Merit first, Comfort second, you either Go big or go home. The absolute best were treated better than the underperformers, and underperformers were reminded of that fact every time they walked past better dorms on the way to worse ones.

He had to be better to be treated better.

Now that he was intermediate, he was moving into a cozier room than this one. Better wards. Better privacy. Better distance from the noise of first-phase failure. It did not get much clearer than that And in other to get through the beginner phase it took him literally seven months.

There were four stages of magecraft, and one special stage above them. Each step took perilous processes to reach, and getting past the beginner phase alone was already a hassle most students underestimated.

Kai dragged a hand down his face, then absently touched the necklace from Faust where it rested against his collarbone. He had not meant to think about the fairy. The memory arrived anyway, light and inconvenient, and he let it pass without chasing it.

"Hey, System."

[Hmm?]

"Open stat window."

[Any specific stats, or generally?]

"I want to see everything."

[Acknowledged.]

A blue screen spread above his sight while he remained stretched out on the bed, one thumb still brushing the necklace without real intention. Writing rolled across the panel in clean layered fields, and for the first time in months Kai did not brace for disappointment before reading.

[HOST STATUS WINDOW]

[Name: Kai Valerius]

[Current Classification: Intermediate Mage]

[Academy Standing: Upper ranked bracket, intermediate track pending full reallocation]

[Physical Condition: Fatigued / stable]

[Mana Construction: High-ceiling layered architecture]

[Bloodline: True Dragon Bloodline — Sealed]

[System Authority: ★★★☆☆ (3 Stars)]

Kai’s eyes stopped on the stars.

"What is that?"

[Explanation required.]

[Stars represent Host authority over System functions.]

[Authority determines answer depth, autonomous recommendation range, store access tier, emergency intervention threshold, and the volume of sealed information Host may request without full rejection.]

[One Star: basic interface and survival support.]

[Two Stars: expanded appraisal and limited strategic advice.]

[Three Stars: advanced status mapping, deeper lore partials, improved intervention logic, and broader inventory interaction.]

[Four Stars and above remain locked.]

[Host has reached Three Stars through cumulative route completions, survival events, institutional progression, and verified growth.]

Kai let out a low breath.

"So the more I grow, the less you get to answer me with ’insufficient authority.’"

[In simplified terms, correct.]

"Good."

The panel continued.

[CORE TRAITS]

[Beautification Beyond Measure — Passive / Maxed Foundation]

[Effect: permanent elevated physical presence, refined features, intensified social and instinctive response from observers.]

[Note: cannot be deactivated. Host has adapted to secondary complications.]

[Arcane Eye — Rank Up: Intermediate]

[Effect: appraisal, structural reading, weak-point detection, mana signature parsing.]

[New layer: short-duration predictive motion reading under combat focus.]

[Infinite Strength — Compatibility: 48%]

[Effect: output amplification through physical channels.]

[Progress note: compatibility has risen steadily through controlled usage. Risk of structural backlash reduced from early thresholds, not eliminated.]

Kai stared at the compatibility number longer than the rest.

Forty-eight percent. When the skill first became relevant, it had felt like holding a weapon that wanted to break his hands on the way out. Now it sat closer to usable power than pure hazard.

[Mana Circulation — Stable]

[Effect: native gathering, shaping, and recovery of mana.]

[Progress note: Host has moved from untrained opening to intermediate control under academic pressure.]

[Flight — Permanent Acquisition]

[Effect: sustained aerial movement.]

[Combat integration: confirmed.]

[Stamina efficiency: improved through repeated Trapball and evaluation use.]

[Wordless Casting Method — Restricted Hidden Skill]

[Effect: limited structured casting without full verbal incantation.]

[Public classification risk: high if exposed.]

[System recommendation remains unchanged: conceal.]

Kai huffed once.

"Still nagging about that."

[Correct. Concealment preserves advantage.]

The screen shifted into the combat inventory he had asked to see in full.

[SPELL EXPERTISE: 15]

[Water Ball — A]

[Water Bind — C]

[Mist Veil — D]

[Gust Burst — C]

[Air Step Assist — D]

[Dispersing Current — C]

[Spark Needle — C]

[Shock Lock — D]

[Flame Spark — D]

[Heat Flash — E]

[Stone Chip — D]

[Dust Screen — E]

[Mana Brace — C]

[Impact Soften — D]

[Focus Thread — D]

[Highest stable offensive category: Water.]

[Casting note: Host demonstrates strongest efficiency when water-structure control is used as the primary frame for follow-up attribute attacks.]

Kai’s mouth curved despite the fatigue. Seeing Water Ball formalized at A-rank after the match made the promotion feel less like a title and more like proof.

"Continue."

[SUPPORT FUNCTIONS]

[Adaptive Resistance — Active]

[Effect: improved recovery against poison, low-grade residual corruption, and charm-type social pressure.]

[Will Separation — Active]

[Effect: temporary mental partition under emotional overload.]

[Estate Link — Active]

[Effect: remote status alerts from House Valerius remain available across distance.]

[Ring of Infinite Storage — Expanded Tier]

[Capacity increased. Retrieval speed stable. External detection remains low.]

[Random High-Value Draw — Unspent x1]

[Note: Host has continued to ignore this resource.]

"I am saving it."

[Acknowledged. Hoarding behavior recorded.]

Kai made a face at the ceiling.

"Do not record it like that."

[Acknowledged.]

The panel deepened into older route residues and current growth markers, and the System’s cadence stayed even, explanatory, almost scholarly, the way a highly intelligent attendant would lay out facts without dressing them in false comfort.

[ROUTE HISTORY MARKERS]

[Execution survival: complete]

[Emeraldwood anomaly survival: complete]

[Voltra incident contribution: complete]

[Adventuring Arc: closed by Host declaration]

[Cinderella Event: complete]

[Academy Route: active]

[Intermediate threshold: newly crossed]

[CUMULATIVE GROWTH READING]

[Host is no longer operating on emergency reaction alone.]

[Host now possesses a mixed foundation of physical reinforcement, native mana control, aerial mobility, appraisal dominance, and structured spell work.]

[Primary weakness remains incomplete formal magical education relative to high-ceiling construction.]

[Secondary weakness remains sealed bloodline instability under extreme stress.]

[Tertiary weakness remains concentrated external attachment pressure from multiple high-value individuals.]

Kai grimaced.

"You could have left that last one out."

[Host requested everything.]

"I regret my wording."

[Regret recorded.]

He pinched the bridge of his nose, then waved the irritation off and kept reading. Bond values, candidate density, and current institutional position stacked under the main combat fields in thinner text. The System did not moralize. It only presented the board as it stood: stronger than before, more visible than before, and still unfinished in the places that would matter once intermediate brackets started trying to break him for real.

[BLOODLINE STATUS]

[True Dragon Bloodline — Sealed]

[Seal strength: high]

[Current symptoms: elevated reactivity during sustained combat stress]

[Manifestation criteria remain incompletely disclosed under present authority]

[Three-Star authority now permits one additional partial note:]

[Partial note: the seal is not merely a lock. It is also a rate-limiter designed to prevent premature identity collision between Host body and latent origin pressure.]

Kai went still on the bed.

"Identity collision."

[Correct.]

[Further detail remains restricted.]

Of course it did. Even at three stars, the System still knew how to stop the door halfway open and leave him staring through the gap.

He scrolled back up through the whole window one more time, slower now, and let the full picture settle.

Kai’s throat worked once.

"I really am strong."

The words left him quieter than expected, not as arrogance, as recognition. He flexed the fingers of his free hand and watched faint mana thread answer the motion without protest.

[Correct.]

[Host strength has increased substantially.]

[Warning: strength increases visibility. Visibility increases challenge density.]

"Do not ruin the moment."

[Acknowledged.]

Kai let the panel hang above him a second longer, drinking in every field like a man counting weapons before a new floor of the game unlocked. Intermediate housing tomorrow. Harder brackets after that.

He was still sunk in that thought when the knock came.

Three short taps, clean and familiar enough in rhythm that his tired brain defaulted to the obvious answer. Mira. Rolf. Maybe both, coming to talk rankings or drag him to food or make fun of something..

Kai pushed up from the bed with a sudden hit of easy energy.

"Coming!"

He said it enthusiastically, already crossing the room in bare feet and underwear, one hand on the latch before the more cautious part of his mind could ask why either of his friends would sound quite that measured through the door. He pulled it open with no suspicion at all.

Baylor Baste stood in the corridor.

Shirt open and Abs on full display. A bottle of wine hooked loosely from one hand. His eyes moved down Kai’s bare chest and underwear in one unhurried pass before the surprise on his face shifted into something sharper and much less polite.

He whistled.

Impressed and completely shameless.

Kai frowned, still half-caught in the residue of stats and promotion, and completely failed to register that he was being looked at as anything but an interrupted man in his own doorway.

"What are you doing here?"