Night came.
I lay on the bed in my new room.
"It's pretty simple. Just a bed, a bench, and a table."
I stared at the ceiling, my vision blurring.
'I need to get better at magic. Looking at Storm I see that I'm not yet ready to venture out.'
'I've got maybe twenty years or so before this world goes to shit…'
I shook my head.
"I need to check that again."
Status open.
≡ ITEMS (272g) … >
"I'm still low on gold."
"I guess I'll need to kill for that. Monsters or people." I paused. "No, just monsters. Can't handle killing in here."
'I saw some monster-hunting missions at the Mission Hall. I'll go there later.'
I rolled onto my side and my mind began to drift off.
"As for magic… I'll need to use the UI as reference and… other things…"
.
The next day, I sat in the Meditation Gardens, the same yard I had been teleported into when I first arrived.
About twelve people, ranging from kids to adults sat cross-legged around me. They all seemed to know each other. I was the only outsider, so naturally, they kept throwing glances at me.
I looked up at the enormous repaired statue of Yun Ne'Zuk and read the inscription below it.
'Yun Ne'Zuk. One of Ixtal's mightiest. An Ascended warrior. The only ancestor to have survived the great war against the Void Rift. Through his leadership, the remaining civilization rose to what it is today…'
"They know he was an Ascended warrior?" I muttered. "Well, of course they do… but I never expected them to be so open about it."
Ascended warriors were basically lab rats of the gods, celestials, or whatever you might to call them. Using a colossal Sun Disc and the enslaved power of Aurelion Sol, some warriors had reached the level of demi-gods.
'Those guys turned to weapons if I remember correctly. That's one of my goals too… no about being a sword, the demi-god part.'
"Hmm. It looks easy actually. How difficult could it be to climb a mountain? Or am I mistaken?"
There was a place called Mount Targon. Those who climb it could become Aspects, vessel of constellation-type gods.
"If I somehow trapped them… or managed to steal their power, that would be ideal."
"Hey," a boy mumbled to his friends, "what's that weirdo talking about?"
"Y-You!" someone behind them shouted.
It was a short-haired girl with a scar running from her cheek down to her neck. Her clothes were wrapped tightly around her chest and hips, leaving the rest fully bare.
"…Do I know you?" I asked.
She marched straight up to me and stared intently from head to toe.
"So you really are a dual user," she said, smiling as she sat down beside me. "I saw you using fire to reach the monolith, and then run to reach the other side. So that last technique was Light. You need to teach me that!"
"…"
"The inner disciple test." She said, realization hitting me.
"Oh. You're the one I slapped!"
"No! I'm that guy!" she refuted immediately. "My name is Racks!"
I blinked. "Oh. You're the girl who warned me about the monolith nullifying thing."
She looked at me like I was an idiot.
"Sigh," she continued, "if you're here, that means what you used was the Light element. I saw you jump from one place to another in an instant. You really have to teach me that… what do you call that?"
"…You must be talking about the spell Flash."
"Flash!" Her face brightened. "Great name choice!"
I looked at her cheerful attitude for a moment.
'Back then she gave off more of an 'I'm too cool' vibe. Where did that go?'
"Cough, cough."
A middle-aged man cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention.
Once we fell silent, he began to speak, still sitting cross-legged.
"All of you are here because you've either caught a glimpse of the path to mastery… or you've only just begun walking it." His eyes landed on me.
"Like every element, you must first find your intention. Connect to your mental spirit." He raised his hand slightly. It glowed with soft golden light.
"But mastery is unfair," he continued, expression turning serious. "Truthfully, it relies more on instinct and luck than anything else. That's why every person's light looks different once mastered"
He paused, letting the information settle.
"Still," smiled, resting his hands on his knees, "that doesn't make it impossible."
His body suddenly flared with brilliant light. A swarm of luminous butterflies burst from him, fluttering gracefully through the air before fading into sparks.
"After all, magic is about doing the impossible. About stepping into the unknown. That is your path. That is what I want you all to remember today."
The ambient fell into a stunned silence. Some stared in awe, others thoughtful.
"Now everyone try it."
.
…After half an hour of effort, I still couldn't summon even a single spark.
'My mental spirit only shows the same three: fire, darkness, and my own spirit. So how am I supposed to summon Light?'
'For the shards earlier, I mostly used Flash and Shield spells. If those crystals make it easier to draw those laws… does that mean it only works if you already have the born aptitude?'
I frowned, turning the thought over.
'No. The UI and its spells can be considered a born aptitude too. But then… how do I actually draw from it?'
I watched the others. Some were summoning soft glows while the master walked between them, giving quiet pointers.
"Looking at them is not helping."
I concentrate again.
"Fuck it. Let's cheat."
[Clarity] activated.
Meditation pulled me in like a trance.
I delved into the spiritual realm. No stone were needed anymore.
Inside it, my head felt light, like I already knew everything. I stared at the golden rays of sunlight all around me. Reached out with both hands.
Then the realization hit:
"I can take it by force."
.
//3rd Pov
Outside, Axion's body started to glow.
At first it was faint. Then the light grew stronger. Brighter. It kept rising until golden-white energy burst out of him in thick waves.
The air around him started to hum.
Everyone turned at once.
A girl dropped the weak spark she was making. Some kids just stared with their mouths open. One boy even took a step back.
The master stopped moving. His eyes went wide. Then a big, proud smile slowly spread across his face.
Energy kept pouring out of Axion. A lot of it. More than anyone else before.
"Of course he would." whispered Racks.
Inside, Axion showed a contemptuous face after catching a glimpse of what his Light could actually do.
Yet he knew it would take a while for him to use it.
.
.