Chapter 20: Bardic Knowledge (1/2)
{Baleaf Flower}
Common Plant (Tier 1, Rank 0)
A common sight in the grasslands of Almir, this white flower is famous for its distinctive aroma. It is frequently used in the Almiran fragrance industry. Known to have minor medicinal properties as an analgesic.
Mike sighed as he used Inspect on yet another plant along the side of the road. He had managed to increase the skill to Rank 3 in the time they had been walking to Dewey Glen, but he was having a hard time moving past that point. It seemed like the only time he made any progress is when he was examining rare of valuable materials. The plants he could find along the road simply didn't make that much of difference.
[I wonder why this skill is so hard to level up. I originally thought it might be due to it being Tier 2, but my healing magic doesn't seem to have the same problem.] He decided to rely on the closest thing to an expert he had access to at the moment.
”Hey Morris, what's the deal with the tier ratings in the skill system?”
The older man blinked at him in surprise. ”I'd almost forgotten you had an issue with your memories. The tier system is supposed to be common knowledge.” He frowned for a moment, pondering how to explain it.
”To really understand the reason for tiers, you need to know a little bit about how the system works.” He paused, squaring himself up as if he were about to deliver an important message.
”It is said that the sacred number is five.”
Mike tilted his head in confusion.
Morris hastily explained, ”Look there are five creator gods, five foundation elements, five high elements, and five tiers used to classify all things in the system. All living beings have a tier in accordance with their skills. All objects are assigned a tier by the system based on a number of factors. Almost all skills have a tier associated with them, based largely on the effect of the skill.”
There was a lot for Mike to process in that bunch, and he felt like he now had more questions than answers. He waited for the other man to continue.
”Each tier is broken down into five ranks meaning that, essentially, there are 25 ranks within the system. Objects and skills both have a definitive rank associated with them, but living beings are more complicated. Typically, their rank is dependent upon the sum total ability provided by their skills. The more developed an individual's skills are, the higher the Tier they fall into. That said, it should be mentioned that we don't have access to all 25 ranks. Tiers one through four are considered the limit for mortals, while Tier 5 is the realm of the gods. ”
He held out his hand and started count down his fingers. ”Tier 1 is composed of the weakest individuals and most common things in the system. It has been estimated that roughly half of the people and creatures living in this world fall into this category. Everything from a common rock to basic crafted goods also falls into this tier. To put it in perspective, prior to my injury I was a low Tier 2 individual, but now I'm a high Tier 1.”
”How do you know when your tier changes?” Mike asked, interrupting.
”When you develop enough to become a Tier 2, the system will begin to display your tier ranking in your status.”
Mike checked his [Status], and saw Tier 2 prominently displayed under his class. He must have missed the last time he had looked. Hopefully, this promotion wasn't a product of the skill he had picked up after his night at The Fanciful Maiden.
”Anyway, creatures and objects in Tier 2 compose most of the rest of the world. The creatures are primarily the skilled and competent individuals that have not yet reached the realm of true experts. The objects in this tier are more valuable, more useful, or contain more energy depending on the objects nature.”
He put down another finger. ”Tier 3 is the realm of the powerful. People like high-ranking adventurers, elite knights, and skilled magic users populate this tier. Typically, they compose less than 10% of all living beings in this world. Tier 3 objects are usually extremely valuable, or contain a great deal of magic.”
”Is there really such a large gap between tiers?” Mike asked.
”Keep in mind, each tier is composed of multiple ranks. There is not a whole lot of difference between two ranks of the same tier, but there is a significant gap between Tier 2, Rank 5 and Tier 3, Rank 1. Most experts believe that this is mainly due to the tier ratings of skills. A low ranking Tier 3 skill is much more potent than a high ranking Tier 2 skill.”
Mike nodded in understanding. ”So going by the rankings so far, Tier 4 is reserved for the paragons of mortal achievement, right?”
Obviously a little annoyed in having his thunder stolen, Morris replied. ”That is correct. Tier 4 is the realm in which people like the Archmage of Cadun, the High Guildmaster of the Adventurer's Guild, the Sorceress Queen of Mirithia, and the Thief Lord are found. Most true dragons and other similarly powerful creatures carry this designation. Objects in Tier 4 are quite simply legendary due to their rarity or potency.”
Mike opened his mouth to ask more follow on questions, but was halted by a stern look from Morris. ”Finally, as I mentioned before, Tier 5 is solely the realm of the gods. It is rumored that living beings that are able to achieve Tier 5 through their skills become a unique type of divine being, an Ascendant Mortal. Supposedly, the system grants these individuals a number of powerful benefits, including immortality, but there have been no recorded instances of someone achieving Tier 5 as a mortal.”