Wilder Force, I recognize that.
He recalled that he saw it on his status screen right after awakening.
"If you're trying to check your status, all you have to do is use your will to make it appear." Nexus chipped in, knowing well that Marcus would also be curious about it.
Marcus glanced at him, unsurprised by the interjection. The man clearly paid attention to his reactions.
Doing just that, his data appeared before him, but he didn't let it linger for long.
Though he was new to this, he wasn't sure if the status display was visible to others. The last thing he wanted was to expose information he didn't fully understand himself.
"Don't worry, we can only see the basic information, such as your race, name, and level. As for the rest, it's hidden unless you make it public. Or unless someone with absolute strength forcefully pries into it… Someone with a powerful mental strength."
Marcus nodded, however, he didn't call his status out again. He had already confirmed what he wanted to.
"What does one do with Wilder Force?" He asked.
"Plenty… think of it as fuel from a well of magic. Power that exists everywhere. If you can learn how to circulate it, use it to improve and refine your body, you would be realms above those who use the fragments of Apocalyptic Diaries alone."
"And only the Imperial Families can do that?"
"Not only them," Nexus replied. "But they're special. They can cultivate Wilder Force naturally, without even awakening. They don't need a False Page or Broken Diary as a carrier. Their ancient cultivation art allows them to absorb Wilder Force directly from the environment."
He paused, then continued more seriously.
"For the rest of us? It's a different story. We can only access Wilder Force because of the diary fragments. They act as a vessel—channels for us. Without them, most people couldn't manipulate Wilder Force at all. It's the base for every skill in your status. No Wilder Force? Then whatever you've awakened is just as good as empty potential.
"It is also hard to increase your Wilder Force points. Really hard. And once you run out, you'll have to wait for it to recharge on its own."
Nexus leaned forward.
"That's where the difference between False Pages and Broken Diaries becomes obvious. Those who awaken with False Pages usually start with less Wilder Force, and their recovery is slow. Broken Diary users, on the other hand, start stronger—and recover faster."
Everyone has Wilder Force… Marcus frowned. He didn't seem to have any. Is it because I'm still a level 0?
"How big is the gap between a recently awakened person and a person who just started cultivating Wilder Force?"
"Well, with a bit of sense, the cultivator can take on a level 10 awakened."
Marcus paused, he didn't know if he should ask about the possibility of not awakening to any Wilder Force points. Perhaps there's truly something off about the False Page I awakened with. After all, it wasn't supposed to be in the cargo in the first place. Is it possible to change it?
"Is it possible for one to change the False Page in their possession to another?"
"Would you like to try?" Nexus chuckled, clearly amused. At this point, Marcus knew not to take such comments from his seriously.
"It is possible to strip a False Page or Broken Diary from its wielder, either by killing the person, or the person willingly severing their connection to the fragment. After losing your awakening catalyst, you will lose your awakened powers, and reigniting it with another fragment… I won't say that it's impossible, but, it has never been done.
"So if you would like to remain an awakened, you either die and leave your fragment behind, or you stay alive and don't let go."
Marcus really thought about it… even though he had only awakened a few hours ago, he was already intoxicated by the power coursing through his blood. He wanted to explore more. And also, even if he chooses to ignore or forget everything that Nexus had said to him tonight, he agreed with one statement.
Power.
With enough of it wouldn't his family be safe? Was it not because of power that the Imperial Family had continued to reign for many years?
All of these went through Marcus's mind.
Marcus's eyes burned quietly as the thought settled into his bones.
If any true loyalist could've heard what he was thinking right now, he would've been tried for treason and executed on the spot.
But he didn't care.
To Marcus, the Imperial Family was nothing more than high-nosed parasites—elites perched atop golden thrones, reaping the efforts and blood of the common people without offering anything of real value in return. They only stirred when their own interests were threatened, never for the welfare of those beneath them.
They had allowed a parliamentary system to govern the Empire on paper, yet retained the authority to override any ruling with a single word. A farce of democracy veiled beneath absolute power.
And yet they remain in their palaces and watch the rest discriminate against their own people.
He felt that they had the power to change everything. They had the means to elevate every citizen under their rule.
But instead, they thrived on the stratified society they built. A brutal ladder of classism where every citizen was forced to claw and bleed just to raise their family's status by a single rung.
And falling meant exile.
Demotion from the comfort of the inner city to the fringes of society—banishment to the borders of the First Ring.
Border-born… when we are just a few hundred kilometers away from the inner parts of the First Ring and not the true borders…
He hated this name… but the hatred gave him purpose. In the Academy, it kept him standing when everything else tried to break him.
With a sigh, Marcus forced himself to breathe, easing the fire in his chest. "There should be other reasons why the Empire doesn't want to hand these fragments to just anyone, right?"
Nexus grinned, finding it a bit funny. He had purposefully avoided talking about the dangers of having an Apocalyptic Diary fragment, just because he knew that Marcus was trying to use a roundabout way of asking.
Your pragmatic nature is betraying you, kid. But I'll let this slide. You owe me another one. Nexus thought to himself.
"Yeah, not everyone can awaken. Many would fall and die during the process. Others go mad, some combust from the inside out before their souls stabilize."
Marcus blinked.
"And then there's this," Nexus continued. "Every Apocalyptic Diary fragment has… something inside it. A mechanism. A directive that sometimes gives you a mission. And if you follow through, you're rewarded—level boosts, skill gains, and all kinds of growth.
"But it's never free. Whatever you got," Nexus added with a shrug, "Will always be proportionate to what you were forced to do. The harder the task, the greater the reward."
He looked Marcus dead in the eyes. "But you'll still have to work like a dog for it."