Malek continued to stare at his status, his mind blank. "What in the name of the gods is this?" he thought. Authority? Skill destruction? Is this some kind of joke? Is this some kind of system bug? No, that's not it.

  And why am I babbling to myself? Let's calm down. I need to calm down.

  Malek walked downstairs. His legs felt heavy, and his hands shook as he reached for a glass. He filled it with water and chugged it down. The water was cold. It burned his throat as it went down too fast.

  He drank a few more glasses of cold water before he tilted the pitcher and poured it directly over his head. The water splashed all over the kitchen floor. It soaked through his shirt and dripped from his hair onto the tiles.

  "Ahh, shit."

  What did I do? Elara will kill me for making a mess in the kitchen. Well, I will deal with it later. Let's first focus on the immediate matter.

  Malek walked back to his room. Water dripped from his clothes and left a trail on the wooden floorboards. He didn't care.

  He lay down on the floor and closed his eyes. He tried his best to calm down, but the thoughts kept raging at the back of his head. Something was extremely wrong.

  He summoned his status again. The blue screen appeared in front of his closed eyelids.

  ---

  Name: Malek

  Race:Human

  Class: Alchemist

  Rank: Unranked

  Attributes

  INT 6 | WIS 4 | STR 1 | DEX 2 | CON 3 | CHA 2

  Alchemical Masteries:None

  Known Formulae:None

  Innate Ability: Iron Will

  Skills: [Principle Resonance (Passive)]

  [Mutable Interpretation (Active / Mental)]

  ---

  Unranked? I definitely saw my ranking increase to rank 10.

  Also, Iron Will. When did I acquire this?

  Malek opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. The wood grain patterns blurred together as he tried to focus. His wet hair stuck to the side of his face. He didn't bother to wipe it away.

  There are a few explanations for my current situation.

  Number 1: This is some kind of glitch or a bug, which this unlucky me has acquired somehow.

  But I can't be sure about that. I don't think it's a sentient system. Given the reason why it's not sentient, the system should be something logical. Bugs happen in logical systems. They happen all the time.

  But would a bug cause something this specific? Would it take away my rank but leave everything else intact?

  Malek rolled onto his side. The hard floor pressed against his shoulder. He didn't get up.

  Number 2: Some kind of error occurred when I was reborn, which did some kind of soul damage, which in return made me unable to rank up.

  But if that was the case, she would have known. Or noticed, at least. How can it be possible that she missed something so important? She was a goddess. She had power beyond anything I could imagine. She could see through souls and bend reality.

  So I guess I can cross this out.

  Unless she did know. Unless she knew and didn't tell me. But why would she do that? What would be the point?

  Malek shook his head. That line of thinking would drive him insane.

  Number 3: The system may not be sentient, but it has some kind of administration. Some kind of higher authority that manages it.

  When beings like her can exist, then how can I be sure that no such administrator exists? And the notification also said that something interfered in my rank up.

  This is the most possible explanation for my current situation.

  Malek sat up. His wet clothes clung to his body. He wrapped his arms around his knees and rocked back and forth.

  But there is one big problem. One massive problem. If this is true, then will I be stuck at unranked my entire life?

  "Ahhh." Malek ruffled his hair and rolled on the floor. He grabbed fistfuls of his wet hair and pulled.

  It's hurting my head. The more I think about it, the worse it gets. It's so depressing. And I can't, for the love of god, do anything about it. It's way above my capability. Way above anything I can handle or fix or even understand.

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  He lay flat on his back again. His arms spread out to his sides.

  I need to think about this logically. I need to break this down step by step. What do I know for certain?

  One: My rank was reset to unranked.

  Two: I acquired an innate ability called Iron Will.

  Three: Something called Authority interfered with my rank up.

  Malek focused on the skills. He tried to will more information to appear about his skills and ability.

  A mild pain hit Malek in the head. For a few moments, he felt like someone opened his skull and poured hot water inside.

  Then the skill knowledge came to him. Just understanding that settled into his mind.

  ---

  Innate Ability: Iron Will

  Category:Innate

  Acquisition: Birthbound

  Rank:Exceptional

  [Description]

  The user possesses an abnormally rigid and enduring mental core. Emotional pressure, fear responses, pain feedback, and external mental interference are resisted at a fundamental level. The system recognizes the user's will as a stabilizing constant, preventing collapse of intent under stress.

  Effect: +3 STR

  ---

  It was this ability that helped me with the wolf incident. Malek had his doubts about what really happened at that time—he didn't really remember much.

  Iron Will. His innate ability. It prevented mental collapse. Resisted fear and pain and external interference. Let him maintain focus even under extreme stress. Mental costs converted partially to physical endurance instead.

  There were hidden effects too. Effects that would only activate under certain conditions. But the details were locked. He couldn't see them yet.

  Malek pressed his palms against his eyes. The pressure helped somehow.

  He focused on his skill now.

  ---

  Principle Resonance (Passive)

  Classification:Alchemy

  Rank: Unique

  [Description]

  Principle Resonance is a high-level foundational passive skill that allows an Alchemist to perceive, attune to, and harmonize with the underlying principles governing matter, reactions, and transformation. This skill refines understanding, allowing the Alchemist to work with natural laws.

  At its core, the skill establishes a resonance between the Alchemist's consciousness and the intrinsic principles embedded within substances—such as balance, purity, volatility, equivalence, and transformation.

  Advance Effect: (Locked)

  Mastery: 5%

  ---

  The knowledge of Principle Resonance came next. A passive skill. It let him perceive and align with the fundamental principles governing alchemy. Balance. Equivalence. Stability. Transformation.

  The skill would automatically adjust his work to harmonize with these principles.

  It increased success rates. Reduced backlash from failures. Improved material efficiency. And most importantly, it would tell him why things failed through understanding.

  As proficiency increased, he could stabilize incompatible ingredients. Detect hidden properties in materials. Learn from failed experiments instead of just failing.

  Malek's breathing slowed. His mind processed the information piece by piece.

  That's powerful. That's really powerful. Most alchemists spend years learning to identify why formulas fail. But this skill just gives me that knowledge.

  According to Master Aldric's Alchemy Manual:

  The reason why Alchemists don't have high success rates in making potions was a lack of principle understanding.

  Understanding of principles and fundamentals are the core of Alchemy—the more you understand them, the higher you can rise and progress.

  He focused on his last skill.

  ---

  Mutable Interpretation (Active)

  Classification: Alchemy

  Rank:Unknown

  [Description]

  Mutable Interpretation is the alchemical skill that allows the practitioner to temporarily alter the interpretive framework through which alchemical principles are understood and applied. This does not alter reality, natural law, or material truth. Instead, it alters how the Alchemist defines and engages with established alchemical concepts during a working.

  Alchemy functions through structured understanding: symbols, formulas, principles, and agreed meanings imposed upon observable reality. These structures are not absolute truths but refined models used to produce reliable outcomes. Mutable Interpretation loosens these models without discarding them.

  Through this skill, the Alchemist may reinterpret the function of components, reactions, or principles while maintaining adherence to deeper alchemical law.

  Operational Effect:

  While active, alchemical elements may be treated according to alternate definitions. These reinterpretations must remain internally consistent and logically coherent within the working.

  The physical components remain unchanged. Only their symbolic and functional roles within the reaction are adjusted.

  Limitations:

  Mutable Interpretation cannot violate fundamental laws of exchange, conservation, or causality.

  Outcomes must still be achievable through valid alchemical processes.

  The skill requires continuous mental focus; loss of concentration immediately restores standard interpretations.

  Excessive reinterpretation increases instability, producing unpredictable side effects rather than total failure.

  Risks:

  Improper or contradictory reinterpretations may cause:

  - Mental fatigue or interpretive backlash

  This skill is particularly dangerous when layered atop complex or unstable formulas.

  Activation Cost: Mental Focus + Cognitive Strain

  Duration: Short to Sustained (scales with mastery)

  Cooldown: Variable (depends on depth of reinterpretation)

  Advance Effect: (Locked)

  Mastery: None

  ---

  Malek's brain stopped working for a while. "This is absurd," Malek said in a half-focused state.

  This doesn't make sense at all. What the hell is with this skill? It's way too broken. If I understand it correctly, the applications of this skill are enormous. It can change everything.

  If I master this, I don't need new ingredients. Same materials, same setup, different outcome. That alone changes everything. Crafting, combat, transmutation, even recovery work. Entire branches of alchemy become shortcuts if you stop treating principles like unchangeable laws.

  The skill doesn't really change the fundamental laws—it stays the same. What this skill really does is alter how those laws are applied during the process.

  But I can't get excited yet. There are many limitations to this. And I can't be sure if it will work like how I imagine it will.

  Malek heard the footsteps from downstairs.

  "We are home."

  Mira and Elara were back from the market.