I recently picked up Unbound again after having read 60 odd pages. I remember some stuff, but most of it is lost. I don't want to read it from the start again but these essences and tempering sound important and are recurring topics so can anyone please let me know? thanks!
Don't read it myself but the essence is the origin of powers, much like in real life the big bang happened and created essences like energy, light or whatever you want. Running a marathon could expend your vitality, but being drained by a succubus would expend your vital essence (which does not refill after rest). (also she'd gain your essence and that'd increase her own power source.) Tempering is a process that's actually from 'forging' and it's similar in the way that it makes something stronger. Like the beating of a sword, the tempering of the body would require external stimuli that are barely above your capability so you can grow stronger after resting. Just consider body tempering techniques to be body building except instead of weights you can use beatings or impacts from energy like lightning or even fire.
thanks for the reply but what im looking for is in the context of the novel itself. 'Essence' and 'Tempering' have a specific meaning in the novel
Basically, when a skill reaches a milestone (like level 20), you have the opportunity to ingest an essence and strengthen yourself. That process of strengthening is called tempering. I believe you can only temper three physical skills, three mental skills, and three magic (or auxiliary, it's been awhile) skills. The most common essence is Iron Essence. There seem to be essences that work well with all skills to a lesser degree, Iron Essence, and ones for specific skill that cause a large change, Wayfarer/Traveler's Essence with the Explorer skill. I didn't get to where it explains the process of making essence, but the MC was able to temper himself using a strong and rare poison. So it is likely that essence can be obtained from almost anything as long as it's refined, but the process requires some special skills or something. I know Poison Resistance was the only one he could temper with poison.
thanks for the reply! Just what i was looking for! can you answer a few more questions please? What was the essence of inevitability? What is apprentice level, silver, gold rank? What happens when you temper skills?
Sorry, I can't remember. I only got up to the 70/80s or so, then there was a major cliffhanger and I said, "Alright I'm out. I'll wait for more chapters." The funny thing is, I LIKED the pacing. But I was so curious about everything that I decided to just take a break and let chapters build up.
Answers: 1. The essence of inevitability was MCs essence formation when he reached lvl. 25 in poison resistance. 2. Apprentice tier is what system calls the first milestone in skill development (which is lvl. 25). The silver and gold ranks r what the adventurer guild or the guild uses for ranking the adventurers. 3. Tempering is like specialisation of a person , it only happens when the skills reach certain lvls , for now only lvl. revealed is 25 but it can be deduced that they r 50, 75 as well. Remember most people dedicate their whole lives to make their skill reach these lvls and their r generally mostly 5 skills a person would take to these lvls because of difficulty and time , so people only take those skills that they Want hence specialisation.