Chapter 87: EX 87. Drawback
As a trial taker, there was only one path to advancement, only one way to climb the ranks that defined power within the Federation:
Arts.
Unlike Skills, which were fixed in form and level, bound to rarity and ceiling, Arts were fluid. They weren’t static. They grew, evolving with the trial taker as they ascended through the ranks. That evolution, that synergy between taker and art, was what made Arts the perfect conduit for achieving Enlightenment, the sacred act of transcending one’s current limits and stepping into a higher Trial Rank.
There were nine ranks of trial takers within the Federation, stretching from F at the lowest, to SSS at the peak. Each rank-up demanded more than just brute strength or experience, it demanded a resonance with the Trial World itself, a deep-rooted understanding of one’s art.
To achieve that resonance, to reach Enlightenment, trial takers relied on Arts. These were classified into four tiers:
Basic, Advanced, Superior and Supreme.
Each rank determined how far the art could be taken, and thus, how far the taker could grow. A Basic Art could only take you so far, perhaps. Supreme Arts, on the other hand, were rare legacies, capable of guiding a trial taker all the way to SSS-rank, if their will and mind endured.
****
But for Leon Kael, the challenge wasn’t just finding any art.
His problem was far worse.
Due to his absurdly high stats, something that most F-rankers could only dream of, even the Advanced or Superior Arts wouldn’t be enough to tip him into Enlightenment. His resonance threshold had already outgrown Phantom Edge, his current Basic Art. It could no longer serve as a bridge to the next rank.