The Demon Monarch System

Chapter 12 - Difference

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At first, Apollo was bewildered, thinking to have bumped into someone of the older generation. Contrary to his thoughts, the person he bumped into wasn't much larger than him at all.

In fact, she was nearly the same size as him, only a half a head taller. Upon feeling the collision, Lily turned around and inspected what bumped into her. Naturally, what she saw was the disheveled Apollo on the ground.

"Oof! What th-... Oh, Lily, that was my mistake, I bumped into you. It was an accident, I wasn't trying to do that," Apollo defensively uttered while also rubbing his throbbing butt.

"Oh...it's ok," Lily succinctly replied whilst turning around. She didn't seem to have any thoughts over what just transpired. After her brief words, she continued her steps, headed in the same direction as Apollo—the Dining Hall.

As he gazed at her back, Apollo grew curious. He was sure he didn't walk with much momentum because he slowed down to think. Yet, when he collided with Lily, Apollo felt as if he bumped into a stone wall. In return, he asked himself a question.

'Hm, I wonder; what level of the Mortal Realm has she attained? Although it may not be much, I'm capable of wielding 3 Zuls, yet a casual bump ended with me being on the ground. Is the difference between me and other kids this large?'

His curiosity was piqued. So, Apollo rebounded to his feet and caught up to Lily at a brisk pace. The questions on his mind were getting the better of him.

"Excuse me, Lily. If you don't mind, can I ask you something? Well, besides this question of course," Apollo rubbed his head with an awkward chuckle.

Her small voice sounded again, it was like the chirp of a morning bird. "What is it?"

"Ah, what is your cultivation realm?"

"4th Rank Mortal," Lily curtly replied. Like earlier, her response was short. Although her attitude wasn't cold, it couldn't be considered warm either. It was simply casual.

'4th? What the-... that means she can wield at least 31 Zuls of Force?'

"Wow, that's interesting," Apollo nodded, rubbing his chin and falling into silence once again.

However, there was an odd look on Lily's face now. She wasn't used to Apollo approaching her. In fact, she was only used to Aaron.

"You seem...different. What rank are you, Rank 2?" Lily asked, this time sparing Apollo a cursory glance.

"Nope, that's impossible. Thanks to my illness, I'm a glorified Rank 1 Mortal; probably on par with a toddler. For now," Apollo said, mumbling the last part. His tone came off as playful, but in truth, it was very matter of fact.

It had to be known even the weakest of children were born as Rank 1 Mortals. However, as they aged and their physiques slowly matured, their body would naturally absorb trace amounts of the atmospheric Natural Essence.

By the age of the first awakening; age 10, a child should be well into being a Rank 2 Mortal almost reaching the cusp of Rank 3. Of course, depending on the talent the situation could vary. For example, Apollo's and Lily's.

Lily's expression shifted for a moment, partly curious, "Rank 1? How many Zuls can you wield?" 

"About 3 or so." Apollo shrugged. It wasn't a secret. His Zul Count was something that could be easily discerned by the training equipment he used.

"Oh okay, I see. Um, just work hard. Don't be discouraged," Lily consoled with a blank expression. It would be a lie if she said hearing this number wasn't depressing. Nevertheless, she soon turned her head; there was another person incoming.

In the distance, Aaron cupped his mouth, "Oi! Lily, Apollo; wait for me!" Needless to say, they slowed down allowing Aaron to catch up.

When he did, he gave his greetings but immediately targeted Apollo with a question, "Have you used your Foundation Strengthening pills yet Apollo?" 

"No, not yet. I'll do it when I go back to my room. By the way, what rank are you in cultivation?"

The longer Apollo looked at Aaron, the more curious he grew. He wanted to understand how he fared against all the other children besides the extremely talented Lily. Although he read the information in the book, he now wondered what each level of talent did.

"Oh, me? I'm at the late stage of Rank 3 Mortal stage. I can wield 27 Zuls," Aaron replied.

Immediately after receiving an answer, Apollo matched it against Lily's ability. It wasn't long before he got an idea of what talents did. Although it was too early to call it concrete, he could vaguely calculate the difference between talent levels.

'There should be roughly a 50% increase in strength accumulation speed between large meridian grades. Then shouldn't Lily be around…'

Apollo turned toward Lily with a zealous light in his eyes, he questioned once again. "Lily, you can wield around 34 Zuls?"

"Mn," Lily nodded, partly taken aback due to Apollo's accurate assumption.

Aaron leaned closer between the two, "Woah, did she tell you before?" 

Apollo glanced at him shaking his head, "No, I just guessed."

"That was a great guess then. Looks like we have a little genius here," Aaron chuckled as he ruffled Apollo's hair.

Lily silently inspected Apollo's small figure. A slightly curious look appeared on her face as she wondered about his comprehensive ability.

'Maybe because his body is weak, his mind is strong,' Lily inwardly mused.

On the other hand, Apollo thought about other matters as they entered the Dining Hall. His eyes fell on the figure of Axel.

'Based on Lily's and Aaron's power level, Axel should be around 29-31 Zuls. In other words, like Lily, he is at least 10 times stronger than me at the moment.'

Due to his thoughts, Apollo's eyes filled with the desire for revenge coupled with tightly clenched fists. He wanted to make Axel and everyone in his circle cower. However, he calmed down after contemplation. His rational mind told him the difference was currently far too great.

Similar to the other, the trio claimed their seats. Before them, everyone in the younger generation could be seen walking to a large window. One by one, based on their identity card which was delivered to their residences earlier in the day, they received a sumptuous meal.

It had to be known, the cards came in different styles, indicating the kids' cultivation talent along with their privileges.

Upon witnessing the youths using these cards, Apollo patted his pockets with a blank expression. Previously, when he left the assessment, he didn't hear about these new items. Moreover, he realized he never went home today to check for one, "Uh oh...I don't have one of those."

"Don't worry, we'll share my meal," Aaron waved his hand, dismissing the issue.

The menu today was slightly special, Rank 1 Spirit Wolf Meat. It was the equivalent to a Rank 5 Mortal Human. Thus, its flesh is extremely nourishing to those who are Rank 5 and lower.

Shockingly, Apollo shook his head, "Wait, let me try to get my own."

Once he reached the serving area, he put on an amicable expression, "Hello, can I have one serving plea-"

"Save it, present your identity card to receive your meal," brusquely replied the male dressed in a chef uniform. While he wasn't born within the family, due to his skill with handling Spirit Beast meat, he possessed a decent status within the family.

"Well, err... I don't have one currently. I don't know if I was given one. Maybe is it at home," Apollo muttered. He crossed his fingers, hoping 

Looking up the chef seemed to be extremely irritated. "Then simply go get it."

"E-err, but when I get back the window will be closed," Apollo rebutted.

"Well, whose problem is that? Next time, don't forget your identity card," retorted the chef causing Apollo to frown.

"Excuse me," a voice sounded behind Apollo, directed towards the family chef, "Forget him, esteemed family chef, may I have a serving?"