"Those at Rank 0 have a potential lifespan of 100 years." As Valyr began to read through the various values the book had given him on the maximum lifespans one could hope to achieve per rank, his eyes glistened with interest, committing every bit of information he got from the book to memory. "Ascending to Rank 1 increases this by 50%, giving those at Rank 1 a potential lifespan of 150 years."
"On the other hand, ascending to Rank 2 increases one's potential lifespan by another 50 years, which allows a Rank 2 class holder to live twice the maximum natural lifespan a Rank 0 class holder could achieve as long as they have a high VIT stat."
Though he was glad to find out that ascending to a higher class rank and achieving a high VIT stat was all he needed to obtain more than enough time to do the things he wanted to do in his current life, Valyr continued reading through the book, noticing that it also detailed the potential lifespans of those with class ranks higher than Rank 2.
"Ascending to Rank 3 increases one's potential lifespan by a hundred years, though the same could be said if one were to ascend to Rank 4 and Rank 5. With that, the potential lifespan one would have at Rank 3, Rank 4, and Rank 5 were 300 years, 400 years, and 500 years respectively."
'Even if I didn't focus on increasing my VIT stat once I hit Rank 5, I could still live for over 400 years.' Taking some time to process the information he had just received, Valyr thought about how absurd it was for him to be able to live for an incredibly long time as long as he reached Rank 5.
Totaling the amount of time he lived so far through his two lives, he had only barely surpassed one-twentieth of that number.
Yet here he was, in a world that gave him an incredibly long lifespan as long as he continued what he was doing.
Getting stronger.
'Hmm… I guess that's all the information I could get regarding lifespans from the book.' Feeling that he had digested and absorbed the information he had read earlier, Valyr continued reading through the book's pages, noticing that the book now tackled certain materials alchemists used in order to concoct pills that allowed one to get closer to one's potential lifespan.
Though he felt like the lifespan he would obtain even if he didn't focus on increasing his VIT stat was more than enough for him for now, he still committed some of them to memory, considering that he knew the location of a few of them.
'Well, that was quite enlighten—oh?' Just as he had finished reading the part of the book that tackled materials used in alchemy for greater lifespan, Valyr was about to place the book back where he had gotten it, satisfied with the information he had obtained.
However, before he could stand up and head back to the bookshelf to return it, he noticed that there still remained a few pages at the end of the book, prompting him to flip to it, only to find out that there was still more information he could obtain from the book regarding one's lifespan.
Specifically, how becoming an Epic or a Legend increased one's lifespan.
'Is this book really meant to be at the fifth floor? With this information, it should be placed at the floors made for Rank 3 class holders at the very least.' Naturally, after coming across this information, Valyr wondered whether the staff maintaining the orderliness of the Myriad Archives had misplaced this book, feeling that this information he was about to read could only be obtained with a higher rank of authority.
'Oh well.' Of course, that didn't mean Valyr wasn't going to read it. On the contrary, he was eager to find out how having an Intent or a Force affected one's lifespan. With that, he read the text written on the final pages, murmuring each and every sentence to himself.
"Manifesting an Intent applies an increase of 25% on one's potential lifespan, allowing Epics at Rank 3 to obtain a potential lifespan close to that of a normal Rank 4, totaling to 375 years. Epics at Rank 4, on the other hand, would have a potential lifespan that's on par with a normal Rank 5, while Epics at Rank 5 would be able to outlive normal Rank 5 class holders by over a hundred years."
"However, if a Rank 5 were to deepen their understanding of their Intent and turn it into Force, that increase changes from 25% to 50%, allowing them to live for over 200 years more than normal Rank 5 class holders, their potential lifespans totaling to 750 years."
"As for the lifespan one would be able to achieve if one were to ascend to Rank 6 and turn their Force into a Concept… that is something only a select few people are privy towards."
Letting out a slightly disappointed sigh at the final paragraph he had read, Valyr took a few deep breaths before closing the book, briefly shrugging his shoulders as he stood up to put the book back in its original place. "Well, I did get far more information than what I bargained for, so I can't really complain much."
"In any case, I guess I now know why the rulers in this planet are seldom replaced by their descendants. With a lifespan that long, they would undoubtedly be at their prime level of strength for hundreds of years." Valyr faintly chuckled as these words lingered in his mind.
Feeling satisfied with the answer he had obtained, Valyr decided to move on to the other questions in his mind that were still unanswered, going through the various bookshelves within the fifth floor to see if he could answer the two questions in his mind that he considered were slightly harder than the question about lifespan.
"Found it." Fortunately, after a few minutes of scouring, he eventually found the books that allowed him to obtain an answer to these questions, heading to another nearby table to sit down before taking a look at the titles written on their cover.
"To my left, 'A Detailed Breakdown on Weapon Bonds and the Like'," Valyr muttered to himself. "And to my right, 'A General Compendium on Curses'."
"Hmm…"
"Guess I'll start with the one on my left."
