"And that's the last one," Kyle said as he put a bunch of ore into the middle of a big hall.
He took a small moment to look at the gathered ore in front of him.
At this moment, there were over 100 different piles of ore in front of him. They were not very big. The biggest one was only 20 centimeters tall, and it was only so big because he couldn't buy it in smaller quantities.
"This is just the first set," Theodor said. "You will need much, much more."
"I know," Kyle said. "At least, I have a use for all of my money now."
The ore Kyle had gathered in front of him was not very expensive.
In fact, it was really cheap.
After all, every single pile of ore was comprised of Rank F Materials.
Rank F Materials were for normal people.
Smiths, farmers, regular merchants, and so on.
Rank F Materials were used for basic tools that only regular people used.
Iron or copper, for example, were Rank F Materials.
These ores weren't even purchased with Ether Pebbles but with gold.
Sometimes even with silver or copper.
Kyle took a deep breath as he readied himself for a lot of work.
"You're sure this will help me become more powerful?" Kyle asked.
"Over the long term, yes," Theodor said. "The Fragment for Rank F Materials is one of the worst in existence. Its use is limited, but it should make it easier to understand higher-ranked Fragments."
Yes, Theodor had told Kyle that he should start learning about Fragments.
Naturally, Kyle had asked if it wasn't too early, but Theodor had told him that it was never too early.
Fragments were parts of Laws, and many Fragments made up a Law.
However, just like when someone dropped a vase, the fragments would be of different sizes.
At this moment, Kyle was essentially looking at one of the smallest and least complex Fragments in existence.
The Fragment Kyle would be focusing on was the Rank F Material Fragment.
Understanding this Fragment represented understanding all Rank F Materials.
Of course, it was important to note that the word material, in this case, only referred to metals.
There were also materials that were not metals.
Beast hides, scales, bones, tendons, wood, types of stone, and so on.
A more fitting name for the Fragment would be the Metal Ether Specific Rank F Material Fragment, but it was too much of a mouthful.
Technically, there were no real names for the Fragments.
Too few people came into contact with Fragments, and there were just too many of them. Understanding a Fragment meant understanding a part of the world.
"Back when I was still alive, I managed to comprehend the Rank F and Rank E Material Fragments," Theodor said. "Those were the only two Fragments I managed to comprehend."
"Did they increase your power?" Kyle asked.
"No," Theodor said. "They are essentially useless during a battle."
"Do they have any other uses?" Kyle asked.
"Technically, yes, but not really," Theodor said. "You can do a lot of things with these materials after comprehending their respective Fragments, but they are simply too weak to make an impact."
Kyle took a deep breath. "But I should still learn everything about them, right?"
"Correct," Theodor said. "All of these Fragments do the same thing, but with different levels of materials. If you manage to get to the Rank C Material Fragment, it will benefit you a lot."
"We know that for a fact since we have a precedent."
"Silvester," Theodor said.
"The Skysand Champion, right?" Kyle asked.
"The Champion of Skysand, yes," Theodor corrected. "The Law he comprehended that allowed him to become a Transcendent was made by fusing all the Metal Material Fragments."
"Silvester is very powerful, but even more importantly, he makes everyone around him more powerful."
"He is the only artificial source of Rank S Materials. The only way to get these materials the natural way is to fight a Nature God."
"However, thanks to his unique Law, Silvester can create these materials himself."
"And if you manage to comprehend that Law as well, you will be able to do the same thing."
"If you know the Rank F Material Fragment, you can use Rank F Materials to synthesize new materials on the level of Rank E Materials. Even more, these synthesized materials are essentially custom-made."
"You can choose whatever attribute you want up to a certain limit."
"You can make a material as hard as the hardest Rank E Material while it only has the weight of a Rank F Material."
"The materials Silvester can make are even better than the Rank S Materials harvested from Nature Gods since they have all the properties you could possibly want."
"Silvester is the reason why our Transcendents have a significant advantage in terms of equipment."
"Even more, his Core Spark allows him to increase the power of his own equipment even more."
"Wait," Kyle said. "That's a new word. What's a Core Spark?"
"When you become a Transcendent, you have to condense a Core Spark, " Theodor explained. "A Core Spark is the physical manifestation of your Law and your source of Ether."
"You can view it as unique abilities related to the Law you've comprehended."
"For example, Silvester can use his Core Spark to strengthen the properties of metal he touches."
"His equipment is made of Rank S Materials, but it has the actual power of an even higher-ranked material with his Core Spark."
"That's crazy," Kyle said. "How can anyone even get through that? That sounds too strong."
"Other Core Sparks are just as powerful," Theodor said. "For example, the General of Skysand has the Law of Sunlight. His Core Spark grants him the ability to create a powerful domain of blinding and burning light around him, and he doesn't even need to use any Ether."
"Anyone with a body weaker than a Late Royal Knight would be incinerated almost instantly."
Kyle took a deep breath.
That was also crazy.
"And King Skysand is even stronger?"
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