CHAPTER 17: ETERNAL CHRONOVOID PHYSIQUE!

Another reason behind James’s calmness was a conversation he had with his father not long ago.

When he said that he wanted to go to Lycranor City to recruit Eldric, his father was naturally worried. It was only natural as Lycranor City wasn’t exactly a safe place for the Steelhearts.

But then, James told him to not worry because Nyxrael had broken through to Epic Knight Rank, and if Nyxrael were to use his ultimate skill, he was confident that he could kill the previous Duke in a single strike.

Still, James requested reinforcement just in case things went south and asked for some people at Peak Platinum Knights.

His father was silent for a few moments and finally responded with a long sigh. "I suppose it’s finally time for us to show the world after being silent for a long time."

Then, he added something with a firm tone. "Alright then, James. I’ll support you fully. You don’t need to hold back or fear the consequences. The Steelheart Family today is no longer the same as it was in the past. But remember to be careful and prioritize your own safety."

Just as James was wondering when the mission was being completed, he heard the notifications from the system that he had been waiting for.

[Ding! Mission Completed!]

[Ding! Calculating rewards based on the results...]

[Ding! Perfect completion detected — granting highest-tier reward!]

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Eternal Chronovoid Physique!]

When James looked at the notifications, he raised an eyebrow. "This one sounds ethereal and high-tier."

"System," James asked curiously, "just what kind of reward is this?"

[Ding!]

[The Eternal Chronovoid Physique is the best physique that ever existed...]

After listening to the explanation, James was shocked, widening his eyes so wide that Gareth and Eldric asked him what happened.

Apparently, the reward that he just received was literally the best physique known to exist that was related to space and time, as its rank was at the primordial rank, which was the highest rank out there.

The system explained that the Primordial Rank was out of his reach and that even the system itself didn’t know how high its rank was, to the point that it didn’t have the information about the rank below Primordial because the system’s level was still low.

After calming down, he checked his personal information tab — but to his confusion, the new physique wasn’t displayed.

"System, why isn’t it showing up in my status?"

[Ding!]

[Your current strength is insufficient to fully awaken the physique. You may still forcefully apply it now, but doing so will subject your body to unbearable pain. It is advised to reach at least the recommended rank before awakening.]

"Interesting..." James smiled, then asked again. "What’s the recommended rank then?"

[The recommended rank for optimal compatibility is Gold Knight. However, you may forcibly awaken it at Silver Knight rank, though that’s the bare minimum threshold.]

’So, I’m one rank away from reaching the bare minimum level.’ James thought to himself.

The knight ranks from the weakest to the strongest that James knew were

Iron Knight Steel Knight Silver Knight Gold Knight Platinum Knight Epic Knight Legendary Knight Transcendent Knight Abyssal Knight

The Transcendent Knight was a rank that only the King of the Grimwald Kingdom has ever reached in the entirety of this kingdom.

As for the Abyssal Knight Rank, no one in the entire kingdom had ever managed to attain it—not because it was impossible, but because Grimwald Kingdom was just one small nation under the vast Drakensreich Empire.

The realization hit James like a cold breeze. In the grand scheme of things, he was still nothing more than an ant. But instead of discouraging him, it only made his resolve burn brighter.

...

The journey to Lycranor City was long and slow, especially with several carriages in tow. They had to stop halfway through and set up camp in the forest to rest the horses.

That night, James experienced many new things, such as hunting fish using a spear, stargazing while chatting with everyone, etc.

James was truly happy because they really spent quality time together even though they weren’t close to each other. If this were in his previous world, everyone would’ve probably been on their phones instead of having a good quality time together like this.

At this time, perhaps due to the influence of alcohol, Eldric eventually loosened up and shared more about himself. James was quite shocked when he learned Eldric’s true identity.

Even though Eldric didn’t talk in detail, he mentioned that his family was a renowned artificer family in the Drakensreich Empire.

However, due to an accident where he was almost killed, he was forced to stay here, as he couldn’t contact his family and couldn’t even go back there because of the danger that lay ahead on the way there.

At that moment, James asked Eldric out of curiosity what ranks come after the Abyssal Knight, as he thought that Eldric should’ve at least known about them.

Eldric answered that the strongest knight he had ever seen in his entire life was at the Hallowed Knight Rank.

Hallowed Knight Rank was two ranks above the Abyssal Knight, and in between them was the Cataclysm Knight Rank.

From these points alone, James could deduce something that actually gave him a shiver.

The scariest thing was that Eldric’s family must have been a really strong one, as Eldric casually said that the Hallowed Knight Rank was his father’s friend who came for a favor.