"Judging by the time, it's almost that moment."
In the student council, Owen lowered his gaze, silently counting the time in his head, completely ignoring the discussions around him.
Owen vaguely remembered that in the original story, around this time, Elaine was nearly killed.
Although she narrowly escaped, she was left with a hidden injury that affected her future cultivation.
The cause was nothing more than someone giving in to lust and trying to sell out a friend for personal gain.
"I should find some time to visit the Ethereal Kingdom."
"Chief? Chief?"
Andrew cautiously approached, tapping Owen on the shoulder, pulling him back to reality.
"Hmm? What's the matter?"
"...Chief, were you not listening to our discussion just now?"
"Sorry, I was distracted. What were you discussing?"
"We were discussing the Headmaster's proposal for you to create a new School specifically for teaching Demotion, Ascension, Variant, and Dimension Magic. What do you think, Chief?"
"You want me to become a School Head? Why wasn't I informed about this? Isn't a master-tier mage required to be a School Head?"
Andrew shook his head with a sigh. "We're not sure about the details, but that's what the Headmaster conveyed. With the new enrollment period approaching, the Headmaster hopes you can establish the School before the new students arrive."
"...I see. However, let's discuss this later. I might have to leave tomorrow, for anywhere from a few days to half a month. Since the enrollment period has already been delayed, and there are about two months left, there should be enough time."
Due to the incident in the Tower, the academy's monthly enrollment period was postponed, along with the Starlight Duel Tournament being delayed, giving Owen some extra time.
"Understood, Chief. I'll relay your message to the Headmaster. Is there anything else you need?"
"By the way, how's John been lately? He's been awfully quiet."
"I haven't paid much attention to him, but I'll have someone keep an eye on him."
"That's fine. Just watch him; don't interfere."
With that, Owen stood up, draped the mage's robe symbolizing his position as Chief over his shoulders, and left the student council.
As they watched Owen's retreating figure, the others exchanged glances, their expressions complicated.
After a long silence, Farms spoke first, cautiously asking, "Don't you think the Chief has changed a lot since he disappeared for a month? What do you think he went through?"
"I don't know, but I'd advise you not to pry into things you shouldn't. Chief has his own decisions, and it's not for us to meddle in," Glena said, organizing her notes with a serious tone.
"I was just curious, just asking..."
"Considering what happened, it's understandable that it's hard for everyone to process. Besides, the Chief seems to be in good spirits, not as downcast as one might expect."
"Trisha, you don't understand. The Chief has always been like this, shouldering everything on his own. If you don't ask, the Chief will never seek help."
Andrew stroked his chin, contemplating for a moment before continuing, "I think we should find a way to help the Chief."
"And how do you plan to do that?"
"What if we have Emily join the student council? You all saw how she performed in the Tower. Now, the Chief seems more distant, while Emily has become more proactive. Having her around might improve the Chief's mood."
Before Andrew could finish, the group immediately and unanimously rejected the idea.
"That's a terrible idea! I disagree. She's not even a platinum-tier mage. Since when did the student council have such low standards?"
"Then what do you suggest? Do you have any better ideas?"
The room fell silent.
...
Back at the Chief Mansion, Owen held his cat in his arms, planning to bask in the sun in the courtyard when the system's voice suddenly rang in his ears, announcing the daily reward.
Although Owen didn't feel like he had spent a whole month in the Beyond Dimension, the rewards for that month had indeed been fully distributed.
"[Host has slacked off for thirty-four consecutive days, receiving a daily reward: Advanced Gardening Skills.]"
"Another useless skill? How many times has this happened?"
"[Daily rewards are random and entirely luck-based. Host should maintain a calm mindset.]"
"How can I stay calm? This month, aside from two forbidden-tier spells, everything has been these flashy but useless skills. Are you deliberately messing with me?"
"[The system does not engage in such behavior. Additionally, the system has detected changes in the story's direction and will now activate the Fate Alteration module... Activation successful. Current target: John.]"
Hearing this, Owen's eyes widened in confusion. "What is this now?"
"[Based on the story's progression, John was supposed to be the Chosen One of this world, with a fate point total of 100. Host's actions will affect John's fate point total, causing it to increase or decrease accordingly. For every ten points John's fate points decrease, a corresponding reward will be given. Due to the host's actions, John's fate points have dropped to 77. Note that if the fate points drop below 30, John will lose his status as the Chosen One.]"
Listening to the system's explanation, Owen suddenly understood.
So, all his efforts hadn't been in vain after all.
First, he sabotaged John's relationship with Emily, then he took the treasure that should have belonged to John in the Tower, thus weakening John's fate points. It all made sense.
Otherwise, if Owen did all that and still couldn't change his fate, it would be too unfair.
"If John's fate points drop to 30 and he loses his Chosen One status, can I take his place?"
"[No. A new Chosen One will emerge.]"
"Damn! Then all my efforts would be for nothing. I might as well keep John around since he'll never escape my grasp anyway."
What if the new Chosen One had even better luck? Wouldn't that mean more trouble for Owen?
"[The replacement of the Chosen One is not under human control. Once John's fate points drop to a certain level, even if the host does nothing, his fate points will gradually decrease until he loses his Chosen One status.]"
"You're really strict about this... Fine. What about my reward? Hurry up and give it to me!"
"[Issuing reward... Congratulations, host. You have received forbidden-tier magic: Frost Moon.]"
"[Congratulations, host. You have received forbidden-tier magic: Blazing Sun.]"
Hearing this, Owen's eyes lit up.
"Stellar Magic?"
Stellar Magic was a type of magic that appeared in the original story's later stages.
It was incredibly powerful, far surpassing Dimension Magic.
Using it as a trump card was more than appropriate, and having it at this stage was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
"By the way, you mentioned before that there's a condition that must be met to break through to god-tier. What exactly is that condition?"
"[The host must discover it on their own.]"
Once again, the same vague answer. Owen, frustrated, scratched the cat's back, earning an annoyed hiss in return.
Discover it on his own?
Without any direction, it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. How was he supposed to explore?
"Can't you give me even a little hint?"
"[When the host meets the condition, the system will notify you.]"
"Forget it, I can't rely on you for anything. I'll figure it out myself!"
Owen set the cat down and was about to leave when he ran into Andrew and Emily walking into the Chief Mansion together. This pairing puzzled Owen since Andrew and Emily never seemed to get along.
"What brings you two here? Do you need something from me?"
"Chief, Emily has submitted an application to join the student council. We need your approval."
"There's no need for approval. If she wants to join, let her join. There's no need to bother me with such trivial matters, Andrew. You should handle it. You know that once I establish the School, I'll automatically step down from the student council. At that point, you'll be the only one who can take my place. It's time for you to start taking charge."
"That's for the future. As long as you hold this position, Chief, we must follow the rules. So, please review the application."