Chương 59: The fourth Era: Edric Maelor Ashveil

Kyle curiously picked up the book and examined it. It had a smooth leather cover, and the text engraved on it seemed threaded with gold.

'Looks expensive.' Kyle ran his finger along the cover.

"Hey, Luke! Do you mind if I read this?" Kyle raised the book in his hand, showing it to Luke in the kitchen.

"I don't mind, but be careful; it's a limited edition." Luke looked back, glanced at the book, and nodded before focusing on his cooking.

"Thanks," Kyle said before opening the book and reading it. [The fourth era was the human era. The fall of the Elf Empire, the Dwarf Federation, and the beastkin court left a vacuum that humans filled.] [They learned magic from the elves, combat skills from beastkin, and forging and enchantment from dwarves, allowing them to develop their own classes and giving birth to many human powerhouses.] [During the fourth era, kingdoms rose and fell as humans fought for supremacy. We drove away the elves to the depths of forests, the beastkin into the northern prairie, and the dwarves into the mountains.] [Later during the fourth era, three great empires emerged, bringing human development to a new peak.] Kyle read carefully, his curiosity sharpening with every line.

'I didn't expect that elves, dwarves, and beastkin jointly ruled the world for an entire era. What about giants and dragons? What about the divine?' Kyle mulled.

'I guess their rule dates back even further.' Kyle guessed. Unfortunately, recorded history grew thin past the third era.

'Maybe elves and dwarves had it?' Kyle guessed, then shook his head. Such ancient history didn't hold much significance for him. The one he was interested in was… Kyle turned the page, skipping the prologue and moving straight to the section concerning his predecessor. [Emperor Neos, also known as Edric Maelor Ashveil, once hailed as the emperor of mankind, is known today as the Tyrant from Outside the Heavens.] [He was born near the end of the fourth era as the third son of Cassian Maelor Ashveil, the grand duke of the Drakonir Empire, the largest and strongest human empire at the time.] [During his youth, he didn't display outstanding qualities like his two elder brothers. In fact, he was recognized as an individual with low potential initially, because he only reached rank 1 at fifteen.] Kyle's eyebrows twitched as he read that last sentence.

He was called a genius many times because he reached rank 1 at sixteen, yet the emperor reached it even earlier and was still considered a disappointment. However, upon thinking about it more, Kyle slowly relaxed his brows.

'The standard is different. He was the son of one of the greatest nobles at the time. The resources he had at his disposal and the education he had should have been at a whole different level.' Becoming a rank 1 professional at 16 might be considered exceptional in a small town, but it was average in big cities and mediocre for nobles. For the great nobles and royalty, it was basically trash. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

[This was fatal at the time, because the Drakonir Empire was a militaristic nation that placed power and competency above all else. Thus, he was considered untalented trash.] [However, this changed at his sixteenth birthday.] Kyle's pupils shrank. He was seeing a pattern.

"Bang!" An explosion sounded from the kitchen, interrupting his thought process.

"What happened?" Kyle bookmarked the page, then rushed towards the kitchen. He nearly collided with Luke on his way out of the kitchen. Taking a step away, Kyle's eyes widened as he looked at the black-faced Luke. Kyle's face slowly reddened as he tried to contain his laughter.

"Pfft! Are you okay?" He said through muffled laughs.

"I'm fine. Sigh…" Luke sighed and looked at the burnt charcoal on the stove and the brown and black soup next to it.

"It seems that I'm really not cut out for cooking," Luke muttered, picking up a towel and cleaning his face. Kyle also spotted the charcoal-shaped… things on the counter.' Was that steak? Is it even possible to screw up this badly?' Kyle was speechless.

"How about I do the cooking?" Kyle offered.

"No, it's fine. I'll just go buy breakfast from the usual shop. It won't take long; just wait here a bit." Luke picked up the key next to the door, put on his shoes, and walked out. Looking at the closed door ahead, Kyle shrugged before walking back to the sofa, picking up the book, and continuing to read. [After his sixteenth birthday, Edric changed. He displayed astonishing talent, outshining even his talented brothers. He reached the second rank within a year, and became a rank 3 master before 20.] [Before the age of 30, he created an exclusive special class and became a legendary rank 4, squashing his brothers' resistance and inheriting his father's Grand Duke title.] [His brilliance didn't extend to just combat skills and magic. He was a genius artist, leaving behind many art pieces, poems, and books. Including "Sonata in Grey" and "Thirty-Six Stratagems of the Drakonir Court".] [He was also a savant scientist. Many of his creations are still prevalent in the world today. Including clear crystal glass and spectacles. Steam engines and the printing press. His achievements in magic machinery and golem creation are still unsurpassed even today.]"This guy…" Kyle's eyebrows twitched.

"He's plagiarizing too much. Isn't he afraid of a copyright strike? Then again, this is an otherworld. Never mind." Kyle shook his head with a look of amusement. His gaze drifted back to the top of the page, his amusement fading.

"Then again, a change at sixteen…" He frowned.

'A massive change in talent. Does he have one of those systems, or is it a special talent? Is it the same as mine or different? No, if it was the same as mine, then he wouldn't be a mere rank 4 legend at 30.' Kyle shook his head. He focused back on the book. The next changes were even more exaggerated than he expected. [During the war against the Lysandria Empire, he led the charge against their dreaded dragon knights' squadron, nearly annihilating them and conquering a large portion of their territory. He was honored later on as Edric the Dragonbane.] [During the trial for the imperial succession, all the emperor's heirs died due to unforeseen circumstances. Facing the Empire's instability, he rose as the regent, keeping every faction at bay.] [Ten years later, without the appearance of a new heir, against the opposition of all parties, he rose as the new emperor.] [Shortly after, he achieved the impossible and became a rank 5 transcendent, becoming the youngest transcendent in recorded history.] [He launched campaign after campaign, conquering one kingdom after another. In the end, even the other two mighty empires fell at his knees. He completely unified all human kingdoms in just 2 decades, creating an unprecedented United Human Empire.]"Amazing." Kyle exhaled softly; he was impressed. The scale of his predecessor's rise was almost impossible to process.

'Though that might not have been achieved honorably.' Kyle felt that much of the book had been carefully glossed over, but he wasn't that surprised. He also noticed that the growth of his predecessor's power seemed to accelerate with time.

'Is this the effect of his cheat?' Kyle wondered. Flipping to the next page, Kyle was a bit disappointed. The rest of the book did nothing but praise the emperor's achievement, offering little useful information. Nothing about his controversial policies or the fall of his empire was written about. There wasn't even an explanation for why they changed his title from Emperor of Mankind to the Tyrant from Outside the Heavens.

'I guess this book was written by one of his fans,' Kyle judged before closing the book and placing it back on the shelf. He stretched and leaned back into the sofa, his gaze distant as he mulled over the contents of the book.

"Clang!" The door slowly opened, and Luke walked in, holding two paper bags.

"Just in time," Kyle said as he took one of the paper bags from Luke's grasp. He opened it and quickly devoured the food in it. Luke was even faster.

"I met Dane on the way. He said that Doyle invited us to have lunch at his place," Luke said. He was shaking the milk bottle in his hand, trying to get out the last few drops of milk. Placing the bottle on the table, Luke's gaze drifted outside, a bit vacant.

"Are you going?" He looked back and asked.

"Yeah." Kyle's expression sobered slightly.

"I've been meaning to see how he's doing anyway."