Aurora had to stay behind and play with Elvina, so she couldn’t accompany me to Liam’s office.

Liam’s office was an extraordinary place, adorned with ancient artifacts and mystical relics. The centerpiece was a brilliant magic stone that shimmered under the soft glow of enchanted lamps. My gaze was drawn to a magnificent silver sword mounted on the wall, its polished blade reflecting a faint yet distinct aura.

‘An aura sword,’ I thought. ‘Dad once told me that every high-aura controller wields one. That means he must have had one too.’

As I observed the room, Liam stepped forward, his presence commanding attention. Rows of chairs were neatly arranged, and he gestured towards them with a knowing grin.

“Please, take a seat,” he said, his voice carrying an air of authority.

The master took the chair to my right. Just as I was about to sit down, Casia unexpectedly chose the seat to my left. Calvin’s eyes widened slightly, as if he had just pieced together something significant. I noticed Liam’s subtle grin in response to Casia’s action, and, to my surprise, Master smirked as well.

I felt lost. ‘Why are they all smiling?’ I wondered, shifting uncomfortably.

The master patted my head gently as if reassuring me.

Liam clapped his hands together. “Let’s begin.”

We nodded in unison. My heart pounded with anticipation—I was about to learn about this world’s military structure, something I had been curious about for a long time.

Liam cleared his throat. “Listen carefully. The human kingdom, Emea, is surrounded by various powerful kingdoms. We have the Beast-Men’s kingdom, Kitias. The Elven kingdom, Eurisa. An unexplored wasteland filled with untold dangers. And at last we have the Dwarven kingdom, Kanash.”

He paused, letting the information sink in before continuing. “Emea’s capital is Whisom, where we are now. The Elven capital is Valanore, the Beast-Men’s capital is Siti, and the Dwarves’ stronghold is Kansha.”

I absorbed the information, finding it fascinating how the various kingdoms were structured so methodically.

“There are two primary classifications within our continent's population,” Liam explained. “Those who possess aura and magic or can only wield aura. Because of this distinction, the human military is divided into two major groups: swordsmen and mages.”

He took a measured breath before elaborating. “Swordsmen train in the art of combat, mastering the use of weapons enhanced by aura. Some of them are also skilled in magic. The swordsmen have their own dedicated institution—the Swordsmen’s Academy. Only those who possess aura and augmenter magic holders can enroll. Classes are divided based on whether one can utilize only aura or both aura and augmenter magic. Mages, on the other hand, are trained in the Magic Academy. Augmenters with a lineage deeply rooted in magic, or those who prefer close-range combat, often pursue this path and children who are Conjurer.”

Liam smirked slightly. “It might start to get complicated now, so listen carefully.”

I leaned forward, eager to grasp every detail.

“Humans form their mana core at the age of seven,” he continued. “Elves, however, develop theirs earlier, at five. Dwarves follow the same timeline as Elves, but Beast-Men are born with fully-formed mana cores but mostly of Beast-men are augumenters.”

I was taken aback by this revelation. Beast-Men had such an advantage from birth? It was no wonder they were known for their incredible strength.

“Each race has distinct magical abilities,” Liam added. “Elves are naturally gifted and can wield any type of magic. Only they can control plants. Beast-Men possess a similar affinity but unable to control plants. Dwarves, however, are limited to earth, fire and magma magic. Humans, while capable of wielding all magic types, can only harness up to two elements per individual. Three-element wielders are rare, and as for four-element wielders? There are only seven in existence who are able to control all four elements.”

I marveled at this complexity, realizing how much strategy must be involved in combat.

“Aura, on the other hand, can be utilized by anyone,” Liam stated. “Now, let’s talk about military ranking.”

I straightened up in my seat. This was what I had been waiting for.

“The military is structured into units,” Liam explained. “Each unit has a captain and a vice-captain. Generals oversee multiple units, and at the top of the hierarchy is the commander, who issues orders to all. Beyond these ranks, we also have classifications based on power levels.”

I nodded, trying to keep track of everything.

“The swordsmen’s power ranking is as follows,” he continued. “At the lowest level, we have Low-Level Aura Controllers. These individuals lack a mana core and struggle to control their aura effectively. Mid-Level Aura Controllers follow, possessing more refined control in aura and, some are magic-swordman which makes them different from others.”

Liam’s tone grew more serious. “Then comes the High-Level Aura Controllers. They can project their aura short distances through their weapons. Magic swordsmen in this category can mix aura and mana to use, granting them enhanced strength and attacks. Beyond them are the Swordmasters—experts who can shape aura into complex forms. All Swordmasters, except one, possess mana cores. In this kingdom, only fifteen people hold the title of Swordmaster.”

I was astonished. ‘Just fifteen? Oh, Dad told me while introducing him that he is one of the fifteen Swordmasters in the human kingdom.’

“Above them are the Grandmasters,” Liam continued. “Every grandmaster is a magic swordsman; they can use mana to launch their attack with weapons like conjurer but without incantation. Yeah, but for a very short distance as a shield. They can use multiple auras and bend them all together and use them as they want. There are only five Grandmasters in the kingdom.”

“Finally, there’s the Transcendent rank,” Liam declared. “They can alter the very nature of aura itself, converting it into raw mana. Even Grandmasters pale in comparison to their power. There are only two Transcendent in existence – the whole continent – One is human and Another one is an Beast-man.”

A shiver ran down my spine. 'What kind of people are these Transcendent?'

Liam exhaled, giving us a moment to process the overwhelming information. Then he shifted his focus to mages.

“The mage hierarchy is not as extensive,” he admitted, “But it is equally formidable. Mages are classified by core color. First-tier mages have dark orange cores. Second-tier mages have light orange. Third-tier mages possess solid yellow cores, and fourth-tier mages have light yellow.”

He took another breath before finishing. “Fifth-tier mages possess silver cores. Sixth-tier mages wield white cores. And finally, the pinnacle—Seventh-tier mages, with translucent mana cores.”

"Then comes the two more ranks of mages which aren't according to core but their achievements. As you know, if a sixth-tier person trains himself well then he can defeat translucent or you can say seventh-tier mage. The ranks beyond these come Archmages then the most powerful mage, Infinite mage. There are only four Archmages in the human kingdom. But there is not a single Infinite mage in the whole continent."

I sat in stunned silence, absorbing the magnitude of the system I had just learned.

“This is the foundation of our human kingdom’s power structure,” 

I swallowed hard. There was so much to learn.

One thing was certain—I needed to grow stronger.