[A/N: Sorry for the long delay, I'm having some trouble keeping up with regular chapter submissions, but I'll be back to normal soon.]
[A/N II: This chapter may have errors, so let me know in the comments section if you find any, as I haven't proofread it yet.]
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Magic.
The magic of the world of Excedia was extremely difficult to deal with when compared to other magic systems in popular published works.
It couldn't be called unique, but neither could an individual say it was generic — which, honestly, was one of the factors that made the book interesting to read, even when it was full of clichés throughout the plot.
And obviously, the magic and magical energy cultivated by the heroes, antagonists, and other characters present in LOTH was probably one of Ezran's favorite aspects, without a doubt.
For starters, magic was something sensational just thinking about.
It was something to marvel at, just witnessing it in action, even if it wasn't anything surprising like just turning a stone into specks of dust.
In any case, most normal people would not be able to fully conceive of it, after all, this went completely against the rules of physics and science laid down by great and highly decorated scholars of history.
But so what?
What assiduous reader never got lost inside a work he liked, inside an interesting dialogue or a flashy world construction, in which he (or she) daydreamed about being present in that scene?
Ezran wasn't any different, even when he tried to be as logical and realistic as possible.
That was why the red-haired boy couldn't count how many times he'd simply wished magic was real so his life could change — assuming, of course, that he could train it to a proper level of manipulation.
Something that, clearly, he didn't seem to have in either this world or his old one.
It was okay that he'd already kind of accepted being trapped in that world, but was that enough?
Indeed not.
Hostile threats that would put not only his own life in jeopardy, but also the lives of everyone on the planet, be they villains, ordinary people, or heroes, were lurking just waiting for the right moment to commence.
'Fuck…' He thought, going over the facts of what had happened so far.
The boy's mind had never worked so fast in his entire life, as he recalled everything he could about the concepts and workings of magic in this new world.
The world of his favorite novel: 'Excedia' — the Planet Earth of another reality, whose new name harked back after humanity's survival to the advent of monsters and powers.
'It's not like I can pull out my notebook here, to check the veracity of things,' Ezran stated, nauseated. 'They took my bags to the fucking dorms…'
Moving forward in a straight line, in an awkward almost rectangular formation, Ezran and the rest of the Quiescent class finally reached the armament room on Winthers' instructions.
Slowly, the students dispersed around the place, scattering into different positions.
People muttered things under their breath to one another, divided into groups, while Ezran stood impassive, a cold, unreadable expression on his face as he lost himself in deep thought.
Fortunately, Professor Winthers, in charge of their class, had given them a break so they could discuss freely about the test they would take, in a few minutes.
''Hmm.. What do you think your aptitude will be? Think you'll get a good way?'' A blonde girl, standing a few feet away from Ezran, woke him from his trance, asking her friend. "I couldn't sleep well, thinking about it."
Ezran's drooping ears were suddenly snapped to attention, his eyes surreptitiously moving back and forth in the direction of the blonde girl's slim, well-proportioned figure.
That topic caught his attention — it was an important part of Excedia's magic — so he focused on the two girls' conversation, even if it sounded very bizarre.
''Frankly, I have no idea.'' Replied her friend, crossing her arms. ''I just hope it's not the Way of Wisdom, it's complete shit.''
"As long as we get a fitness from a common but decent pathway, like the White Tower, or the Passage of the Wind, I'll be more than happy." The blonde girl uttered, sighing.
A moment later, she and her friend headed in the opposite direction of Ezran, continuing their conversation by waving excitedly in the direction of other acquaintances of both.
Ezran, however, remained motionless, perplexed.
"A Pathway of Transcendence, isn't it?" He mused, smoothing his chin.
The Pathways of Transcendence, at least as Ezran's vague memories dictated, were the choices a chosen individual could make to further strengthen themselves in the pursuit of power.
The route of magic in this world, as he thought, was quite different from those laid down by other famous works published in his ancient Earth.
For starters, as far as he could tell, the Pathways of Transcendence were over 46, of which they were 12 degrees each, for a sort of primary power scale that humans used.
Each pathway had a different nomenclature for its levels, so most of the time people just referred to the levels as 'degrees' and 'stages'.
What's more, of the 46+ discovered, only about 16 were truly featured and detailed during LOTH's long serialization that spanned over 6 damn years.
"The test of the pivot stone is what establishes a person's Pathway." Ezran continued, shaking his head up and down. ''On the same day, they must also choose their main armament, if I'm not mistaken.''
The pivot stone was a magical artifact discovered in the ruins of dungeons explored by the first heroes, the legendary ancestors of over 40 years ago, during Calamity's first appearance in the night sky.
Although humans could cultivate the magical energy known as 'Ether' openly, once a Pathway of Transcendence was obtained, the individual's effectiveness and potential for empowerment would skyrocket.
It was a difference that no one could overcome, not even with immeasurable effort, such as, for example, the difference between the speed of a private plane and an ordinary car.
Furthermore, the Pathway of Transcendence wasn't exactly something that was mandatory to become someone of worth in the world of heroes, or to train the Ether itself.
This was why the students of Brivid Academy, for the most part — as was the example of the protagonist, Qilin and his companions, such as Sasha and the others — had trained their Ether cores to some degree.
However, the Pathway of Transcendence helped the individual immensely in his cultivation, so that those who were not able to obtain one during the pivot stone test would only eat the dust of those who were able.
''They're freaking monsters. I'm not...''
For that reason, Ezran's nervousness had reached another level.
As a person who had inadvertently taken over the body of the original Ezran, would he really be able to get a pathway in the first place?
He didn't know and he didn't have time to think about it right now.
Professor Winthers finally opened his full, dry lips, arching them in a grotesque smile:
''Now then, prepare yourselves. As I said before, today's activity won't take long.'' Said the muscular man, gesturing with his hand. ''So let's start with the first task: The ''selection of the pivot stone''.
People looked at each other.
''Also feel free to decide which weapons to use, after all, any weapon and equipment you can think of should be here.''
Ezran grunted, spitting out unintelligible words afterward.
What would be the right choice of a suitable pathway to begin with? — That is, would he even be able to materialize some Ether orb to get some pathway, at first?
''I'm excited to see what you guys will choose. And I can already see some faces I know."
It was the same for Ezran.
Aaron French, Sasha Blake, Lissandra Yoon, Julius Trawlhaban, Lucas Barastrosa and the (absent) Qilin.
These six were the important characters that Ezran could see at first glance, observing his surroundings.
In that place, Sasha leaned against the wall as she caught up with Lissandra and Aaron. As Julius and Lucas saw each other as rivals, they distanced themselves, though they looked in each other's direction repeatedly, like children fighting over candy.
Qilin, the protagonist of LOTH, was nowhere to be seen.
And Ezran, as someone whose reputation was far from good, was evidently lonely, in a cold sweat.
His inner worries gnawed at him, while excited laughter and excited people, waiting for their names to be spoken by Winthers, chatted among themselves.
"Aaron French, step forward, please!" The instructor called out loudly.
In front of the pivot stone, three colored orbs shone with a blinding light, as if they were hearts beating and pumping blood nonstop.
One was opaque and dark as night, in which a sort of ragged veil was submerged;
The other was crystalline blue that looked like the sea, with no visible objects except for a streak of what looked like metal.
And, the last one, and which Aaron showed the least interest in, was red and orange like the afternoon sun, with a spyglass figure obscured in the middle.
The orbs materialized by Aaron's will and talent were impressive, apart from the orange that seemed to be detested by everyone present in the hall.
''My God, it's the Pathway of Darkness!''
''He also got the Silver Serpent's pathway, dear God!''
''That guy is really skilled!''
''Three orbs, amazing!''
Eyes fell on Aaron, who carefully studied the three Pathway options in front of him.
Ezran, who considered himself a goddamn LOTH encyclopedia, knew each of those orbs very well.
The orb with the tattered veil referred to Darkness, which would later reveal itself as the attribute of the Transcendence of Corruption, should everything go as dictated in the original storyline — which, frankly, would only bring misfortune to Aaron's life.
His good, perky life would very soon begin to plummet as he advanced in his quest for ultimate power.
'The orb of darkness, huh?' thought the redhead, intrigued.
Aaron was destined to choose her, but Ezran's analysis didn't end there.
The bluish orb with a crystal aspect referred to the endless sea, where the symbol of the Silver Serpent, worshiped by many religions around the colonies established on the terrestrial globe, floated intermittently.
And finally, the one orb that people didn't even dare open their mouths to comment on, and the last one to materialize at that moment: The orange orb, where the spyglass bobbed up and down.
The orb that referred to the Pathway of Wisdom, one of the most underrated pathways in the entire LOTH work.
One that, due to its difficulties in becoming strong, and specialized professions (those that work best with a given Pathway) ineffective in combat, was treated as complete garbage.
''Are these your weapon and orb of choice?'' The professor asked, not looking too surprised.
''Yes, sir.'' Aaron replied, nonchalantly.
A pointed spear that gleamed in the light of the overhead lamps was dangling from his left hand.
As expected, Aaron had absorbed the black orb and entered the Pathway of Transcendence of Darkness.
He walked off the podium where the pivot stone — a sharp, triangle-shaped object — had been, making room for other students in the class.
In this way, the list of students quickly followed, without any 'Abortion', as those unable to manifest an orb effectively, did not appear at all.
''Remember: stand in front of whatever weapon you want. We will provide you with the training equipment.'' The teacher said, uninterested in a student's test. ''But don't despise them just because they are training. Their market prices exceed 6 million dollars each.''
He snorted, seeing the girl take the Pathway of Transcendence from the Passage of the Wind, which was common among the ranks of heroes scattered across Excedia.
''But choose carefully. Once you choose your weapon and Pathway of Transcendence, you will not be able to change them for at least 6 months."
The list then came to an end, where the instructor had left Ezran for last, for some reason the boy didn't know — maybe the man didn't like him?
Or maybe it was because of his late going to the Academy?
''Ezran del Razón Zebedee, come forward, please.''
Climbing the podium, Ezran felt overwhelmed.
He stretched his hand forward, repeating the same actions he'd seen people perform in those last few dozen minutes that felt like endless hours.
Viscous sweat ran down his forehead, spilling and wetting his exquisitely ordered robes by the institution itself.
He was nervous to an inhuman level.
'Please, a suitable pathway…'
A cold sensation seemed to rise from his feet, reach his head and then disperse through his ears.
A glow capable of blinding anyone watching it too closely shot from the pivot stone, spreading throughout the hall and forcing everyone to momentarily close their eyes.
''What?'' People wondered, resting their eyes in Ezran's direction.
Three orbs surprisingly hovered in front of him, leaving the others gaping.
However, even if he didn't show it, the red-haired youth was also dumbfounded.
First, a slightly crumpled, apparently malformed purple orb appeared.
It didn't seem like an option to be coveted, as she hadn't even materialized properly.
Second, another one of white color, completely pure and without drawings or symbols scattered, besides a star that pulsated continuously, attracting eyes in its direction.
And finally, the characteristic orange-red orb where the sillhouette of a scope moved up and down.
''F-fuck! What the hell?!''
''The Orb of the Pathway of Purity!''
''Isn't it the same as that guy, Qilin, who woke up years ago without the stone?!''
Ezran was petrified for a second. Time incredibly seemed to pass slower than in his entire life.
Of the two choices he could make there, the Pathway of Purity would obviously be the most popular choice among heroes.
At the back of the room, Sasha, Lissandra, Aaron, and the others took a step forward, trying to get a better look at the pivot stone and Ezran.
If Ezran was right, with every certainty of the 100 students there, they would all choose the Pathway of Transcendence of Purity — the Pathway of Darkness, Purity, and the King were known as the Holy Trinity of transcendence.
On the other hand, he wouldn't.
He knew secrets that no one else had any idea about; if he wanted to survive, he would have to make certain sacrifices to advance.
Immediate power would be useful, but the Pathway of Purity would not be useful to him as much as it was to Qilin.
In the long run, to make potions and get stronger, the one of Wisdom would prove to be more useful to him -- an ordinary person with no combat training.
''Ezran del Razón, why are you standing still?'' The instructor asked.
Ezran stared blankly at the one orb no one was interested in.
The real weapon of the modern world.
Humanity's ultimate weapon wasn't raw power, endurance, or the like — it required knowledge and wisdom, and it was something one could acquire in a short time: intelligence.
In this world, this weapon was often treated with contempt when it came to combat. This was probably just because they could choose from a multitude of different Pathway types.
But this was the only choice Ezran had.
He didn't intend to die, he would become strong.
''Ezran.''
The instructor's voice dropped and the gazes of other students fell on Ezran's scrawny figure.
Surprisingly, all the protagonists were paying attention to him at that point. It was an odd feeling, but he ignored it.
He still hadn't decided whether or not he would like to be in the spotlight, but for now he had no other option.
''Whatever.''
He quickly reached over and grabbed the orb, feeling a burning sensation in the hand that held it.
He could feel that there was no weight in his hand, as if it were all just an illusion, as the image faded more and more and it entered his body.
''It's not possible...'' Other students uttered.
More eyes fell on him as he absorbed the orb.
The orb in Ezran's hand was not one of the Pathway of Purity.
No.
The orb in his hand was that of Wisdom.