Chapter 200: Lances Actions Have Changed the Course of the World

Chapter 200: Lance's Actions Have Changed the Course of the World

Sitting in Talia's cozy, reassuring apartment, Hyperion let out a sigh of relief. "Lance, thank you for saving me again."

"Rest easy, Hyperion. Now that you've got Miss Tali backing you, you won't be in any danger unless a cardinal actually forces their way into the capital."

Lance looked at Hyperion. Even after the interrogation of Fenix was completed, her mood hadn't lightened at all.

Hyperion nodded and softly said, "But I'm afraid the Southern Continent won't remain peaceful for much longer."

Beyond the intelligence they had already gathered from Sticella, a member of the cult that they had subdued during the Banquet of the Sanctuary Villains Shadow Realm challenge, Fenix had revealed hints of a joint operation between Ivanos, Cardinal of Destruction, and Farmer, Cardinal of Decay.

Coupled with this assassination plot, it was clear that the two cardinals intended to secretly sabotage relations between the Hutton and Yaloran Kingdoms. They were likely plotting something truly terrifying against both nations.

Lance had also told Hyperion that once the vampires fully seized control of the Krati Empire, their first move would be to launch a war. This would serve a dual purpose: purging internal factions that still harbored dissent against the vampires, and annexing more kingdoms to plunder resources and herd humans like livestock.

Given that the Krati Empire in the far south was already in turmoil, and with the various cardinals of the Southern Continent making premature, restless moves, the war destined to erupt across the Southern Continent was likely accelerating rapidly.

When that time came, it wouldn't just be a crisis for Hyperion. The entire Kingdom of Hutton would face grave peril.

Lance admitted with a wry smile, "Once we retreat to the Northern Continent for winter break, your fifth Star of Doom shouldn't appear for a while. To the Church of Resurrection, it will look as though we've vanished into thin air. They'd never guess that we have swapped identities and infiltrated the heart of their organization in the north. However, once we return to the Southern Continent, your fifth crisis might well be the outbreak of the continental war itself."

He had counted them up. This was the fourth attempt on Hyperion's life. Precisely because he kept saving her and altering the original course of events, it now appeared that the decisions made by the vampires and the Church of Resurrection might shift due to her prolonged survival, much like the butterfly effect.

Combining the intelligence only he possessed with the information gathered from the Church of Resurrection's followers, Lance had realized that the likely consequence of Hyperion's continued survival was that the vampires would launch a war sooner and with greater urgency.

Hyperion murmured, "If an all-out war instigated by the Krati Empire breaks out in the Southern Continent... With issues compounded by the Church of Resurrection's calculated, covert offensives, the entire region will descend into chaos..."

The Southern Continent was home to over a hundred nations of varying sizes. Beyond the massive Krati Empire that was isolated by mountain ranges and major powers like the Kingdoms of Hutton, Yaloran, and Cambella, there were numerous smaller kingdoms, as well as various duchies and marquessates situated closer to the north.

"Once the empire launches its northern invasion, some neighboring small states might immediately defect to its side, while powers like Hutton and Yaloran would likely form an alliance. Of course, there would also be nations that choose to remain neutral and wait to see how the situation unfolds."

Lance laid out his predictions to Hyperion with the air of a prophet. He knew exactly what the Southern Continent would look like once war erupted.

In the storyline of the original game, the Southern Continent was destined to become a land of chaos and turmoil. In that turbulent era, the presence of top tier powerhouses would be crucial.

Rank 7 or 8 experts could drastically influence the outcome of major battles on the field. Some Rank 8 powerhouses were, in themselves, worth more than an entire army.

Lance was currently only at Rank 4, so this was still a scenario far beyond his current level of progression. While he possessed a special advantage against vampires, he stood no chance against regular Rank 7 opponents, let alone Rank 8 ones.

From Rank 5 onwards, not only were the attribute gaps between ranks immense, but higher tier cards also possessed absurdly overpowered, game-breaking effects. Disparities in combat power between individuals of the same rank would also become increasingly pronounced. To put it another way, the higher the rank, the greater the potential gap between "whales" and ordinary players.[1]

An entity on the level of Ivanos, the Cardinal of Destruction, could single-handedly slaughter an entire principality unless held back by several Rank 8 powerhouses. If Ivanos were to ever reach Rank 9, the cardinal would become a true God of Calamity, capable of arbitrarily controlling life and death.

In concepts leaning towards game mechanics or quantified stats, Rank 8 could be viewed as the level range of 80 to 89. Even within the same rank, attributes continued to rise as a person approached Rank 9. For instance, there was a massive gap in base stats between the weakest Level 80 and the strongest Level 89. However, since both could equip Tier 8 cards, they were classified under the same rank.

Furthermore, the experience required to advance from Level 89 to 90 was astronomical, and the resulting power boost was immense. A breakthrough signified a transition from the Rank 8 realm to Rank 9, granting access to world-shattering Tier 9 enchanted cards.

Upon reaching a pinnacle point like Rank 8, disparities stemming from innate attribute growth potential become glaringly obvious. Moreover, with the powerhouse's Orange Epic and Pink Divine cards largely selected and their deck structure solidified, the counter-relationships between different classes and factions became highly pronounced.

This explained why a Level 80 individual might sometimes be stronger than a Level 89 one.

Of course, in this real world, the concept of "quantified levels" did not actually exist. Lance was merely drawing an analogy based on the game from his past life.

Lowering her head, Hyperion murmured, "If Father were still in Hutton..."

Moments like these always made her think of her father.

Lance remarked with a sigh, "Indeed. If Duke Michael were still around, the Hutton would possess a combatant of at least the quasi-cardinal stage."

"Quasi-cardinal stage...?" Hyperion looked at Lance in puzzlement.

He immediately explained, "That's the terminology used by the College of Alchemy."

Lance then launched into a wry explanation about this rather outlandish, unofficial classification.

Regardless of the specifics, a Rank 8 powerhouse was undeniably among the elite of the Northern and Southern Continents. Due to the lack of concrete quantified level markers, combined with the vast power gaps found within Rank 8 itself, the students at the College of Alchemy had devised multiple sub-stages to categorize Rank 8 strength.

Debating and arguing over these power rankings had long been a favorite pastime at the College of Alchemy. Just from what Lance had overheard, there were numerous outlandish classifications floating around. These were terms like "ordinary Rank 8 stage," "strong Rank 8 stage," "quasi-cardinal stage," "cardinal stage," and "super-cardinal stage."

For instance, both Ivanos and Lawrence were categorized within the cardinal stage. Talia, meanwhile, was likely to be in the strong Rank 8 stage.

Those with quasi-cardinal stage strength could barely hold off a cardinal of the Church of Resurrection using their own power, but couldn't actually defeat one. The Undying Sword Saint Juliana was a prime example of this.

The super-cardinal stage referred to the strongest cardinals within the Church of Resurrection. Of note, in times of war, a single Rank 8 cardinal could potentially alter the destiny of an entire nation.

That was precisely why Lawrence was hailed as a guardian powerhouse of the Kingdom of Hutton.

Consequently, the disappearance of Duke Michael dealt a devastating blow to the kingdom. As a holder of a Primal Tablet, the duke possessed strength at least on par with the quasi-cardinal stage.

One day, unable to stand the bickering among his fellow students at the College of Alchemy, Lance had casually suggested the concept of "quantified, incremental levels," an analogy intended to help them standardize their measurements.

To his surprise, however, ever since Lance introduced the concept, the students at the College of Alchemy began arguing even more fiercely about combat power.

They were constantly debating exactly which "level in the eighties" Dean Lawrence, Hutton's strongest figure, occupied, and where the Cardinal of Destruction, Ivanos, fell within that same range.

The arguments grew increasingly heated. Apparently, the College of Alchemy had begun a joint research project with the College of Magical Engineering, aiming to develop a magical device capable of precisely analyzing a target's "precise, quantified level."

In any case, these were not matters for a "Level 40-something" like Lance to worry about.

Lance was simply certain of one thing. He and Hyperion had secured their ticket to the Church of Resurrection's territory on the Northern Continent. All that remained was to make the necessary preparations before embarking on their winter break project.

He just hoped that by the time they returned from the Northern Continent, the Southern Continent would still be stable. After all, Lance wasn't confident that a single trip to the Northern Continent would be enough to boost his strength to the point where he could sway the outcome of a continent-wide war.

1. In the gaming industry, a whale is slang for a player who spends an exceptionally large amount of real life money on in-game purchases, microtransactions, or virtual currency. Basically, pay to win. ☜