What truly shook Dante wasn't the robe's potential...
It was what his mother casually said afterward.
"If only he could craft robes capable of handling attacks up to Level 7. That would make me much happier."
Dante froze.
That single sentence told him more than everything else she had said.
His mother wasn't impressed that the Royal Crafter could create robes capable of enduring attacks below Mythical Level 1.
She was disappointed they couldn't withstand attacks above Level 7. The realization sent a chill through him. When he had first been reincarnated, both he and the System had assumed Aurora and Justin were simply powerful.
Only now did he finally understand.
His parents...
Were absolute monsters. Unable to hold back his curiosity, Dante asked about the Empress as well. The answer only left him more speechless.
Although her Mythical-tier skill was still only Level 0, she possessed two additional Legendary-tier skills, both already above Level 40.
Three high-tier skills.
And all of them absurdly powerful.
Dante inwardly clicked his tongue. 'Tsk... it's fine. More powerful pawns are always better than having none.'
Even so, he couldn't help but feel amazed. He knew firsthand how difficult it was to level a skill. He was almost certain it would take him longer to raise one of his Mythical-tier skills to Level 10 than it would to raise a Legendary-tier skill all the way to Level 40. Putting those thoughts aside, Justin continued explaining the remaining skill classifications.
Debuff Skills and Tactical Skills occasionally overlapped.
Mind-control abilities and illusionary skills, for example, could fall under either category depending on how they functioned.
Dante didn't particularly care. A skill was a skill. As long as he understood what it did, the category itself meant very little to him. What truly caught his attention were...
Special Skills.
Justin's expression became noticeably more serious.
"Special Skills are somewhat similar to All-Rounder Skills, but they're... strange."
He paused before continuing.
"When I was still a Mystical Being, I encountered another Mystical Being whose skill was called..."
'A Thousand Lies Can Become Truth.'
Dante immediately looked interested. Justin nodded.
"That skill was an abomination. The owner possessed almost no combat abilities whatsoever. But, as the name suggests... If he successfully told one thousand lies, and every lie fulfilled the skill's conditions...upon telling the thousandth lie..."
"Every single one of those lies became reality."
Dante's eyes widened. Aurora shook her head as though remembering an unpleasant memory.
"It was horrifying. We couldn't tell what was real anymore. Things we knew for certain had happened...suddenly hadn't. She frowned before giving an example.
"I remember personally killing one of his strongest subordinates. I watched him die. I was certain of it. But afterward..."
"The fact that he died became the lie. What became truth instead...was that he had only suffered a grave injury."
Silence filled the room. Even Dante felt his heartbeat quicken. For the first time since arriving in this world... He truly felt how terrifying skills could become.
There were no fixed rules. No logical boundaries. The abilities themselves really did feel like...
Anything goes.
Fortunately, Justin explained that they had eventually tracked the man down and dealt with him, even so...
The story served as a warning. No matter how powerful Dante became...
He could never allow himself to underestimate the sheer variety of skills that existed. Soon afterward, the conversation shifted to the topic Dante had been waiting for. The requirements for entering Midvest Academy. From Justin's explanation, Dante quickly realized the academy truly stood at the pinnacle of the world.
It housed numerous Mythical Beings. Even 4 Sovereigns openly supported it. He briefly considered asking about the powers that stood above Sovereigns...
Then immediately decided against it. His heart had suffered enough for one day. Dante couldn't help feeling slightly depressed. He had originally believed being born with Mythical-tier skills meant he had practically started near the finish line. Apparently...
Not even close.
Still... Oddly enough, that realization also reassured him. The world itself seemed balanced. Even the strongest beings were still restrained by something greater. His earlier conclusion only became firmer. There was almost no chance of encountering someone capable of casually destroying continents or shattering the world itself.
Everyone...
No matter how powerful...
Still existed beneath the laws of this world.
'Good. I've accepted it. Mythical Beings aren't invincible neither are Sovereigns. Power only remains interesting when it actually has a ceiling.'
He had always disliked stories where every new realm simply revealed another realm above it, eventually, even readers stopped feeling excited whenever the protagonist became stronger because everyone knew...
Another higher realm would simply appear. Growth began feeling temporary, meaningless in a way
Thankfully... for the most part, everyone could die so death was equal to everyone and while similar, his world didn't seem to work that way.
As for Midvest Academy, Dante summarized the admission requirements in his own head while allowing the System to handle most of the finer details.
To him, it was surprisingly simple. If neither of your parents had reached the True Sage realm...You could forget about using influence to enter. Children born to families with at least one True Sage needed an Epic-tier skill at Level 30 or higher and were required to pass five entrance trials.
If one parent was a Legendary Being... The requirement dropped to an Epic-tier skill at Level 20 or above, with only four trials. If one parent was a Mythical Being or Sovereign... An Epic-tier skill at Level 10 was sufficient. Those applicants only needed to complete two trials, passing just one of them, Apparently it was because if the child wasnt born with a mythical skill, they would still reach that realm faster than even those born of legendary being parents and born with a legendary tier skill themselves.
It wasn't preferential treatment so much as practical acknowledgment. After all...
The academy itself wasn't lacking Mythical Beings or Sovereigns. Influence alone wasn't enough. Talent still had to be proven. Applicants who possessed a Legendary-tier skill before reaching one hundred and fifty years of age only needed to complete a single trial. Those fortunate enough to possess a Mythical-tier skill before the age of three hundred...
Also only needed to pass one. Halfway through the explanation, Dante completely zoned out. The information no longer mattered.
He was getting into Midvest Academy regardless.
That was all he really cared about.