Standing beneath the towering cassia tree, he enjoyed the touch of its fluttering golden petals lightly brushing against his skin, carried by the gentle rustle of the branches in the breeze. Its fallen petals on the ground felt like a carpeted, fragrant pathway laid for a bright future. The sight of the glimmering golden petals illuminated by the evening glow filtering through the cassia tree was a breathtaking sight that would have filled him with a deep sense of peace and appreciation for the beauty of mother nature.
However, now he shared the same mix of anxiety and anticipation as the people waiting in line, hoping to secure an Ascension path.
Sounds of shuffling feet and whispering conversations woven with nervousness drowned everything around them. Their faces varied, some filled with hope, others with determined expressions, and most with traces of worry, painting a picture of the diverse emotions.
All their sentiments were justified.
They were, after all, standing at a turning point that would decide the trajectory of their life.
He couldn't blame them.
The result had the potential to rewrite their life from rags to riches or poor to beggar. They have to be wary not only just to gain a path but also not end up with an undesirable path like Thug, Thief, Prostitute, or the more vile ones.
If they were granted a path in the Ascension ceremony that the authorities considered an eyesore, their life in the village would always be under the watchful eyes of the Guardian waiting for them to make a mishap. And failing to secure an Ascension path meant a bitter life filled with countless unfair battles ahead.
Nero could be considered fortunate since his system had revealed a relatively favorable path.
However, he did not feel that way.
He wanted the system to be proven wrong. He wanted to be assured that all the grueling work he put in without caring whether it was day or night to achieve what he wished was worth it. Nero wanted to feel in control of his life and prove that his relentless work would always bear fruit.
Deep down, a small part of him even wished not to continue walking the path he started to tread along.
"Why so serious?" Granny's question next to him brought him back to the present.
His eyes traveled down.
Seated in a wooden chair, she brushed off the golden petals stuck on her white hair as if irked by them. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead, and her eyes had tiredness written all over it.
Since morning, she had been tirelessly pushing herself for the rituals.
During the Harvest festival, the main event in the sacred grove is to organize the ceremony to please Goddess Aphaia and give out her blessing.
Regardless of their profession, the village residents would cleanse and present their newly purchased or old work equipment, as well as the beasts that were solely used to assist them in their line of work, to the Temple.
These pieces of equipment ranging anything from plough, pickaxe, and meat cleaver to even tapestry needle alongside the beasts needed to be prepared for rituals. Once the Goddess was pleased with the ceremony, the priestess would act as her medium to give out her blessing. This process would continue for two days, from morning till dusk.
Once the ritual was over, the tools and beasts were returned to their owners. Most people would generously repay the Goddess' favor with money or a portion of their harvest yield.
Nero's entire day was dedicated to assisting Granny in the ritual. Aside from aiding her with minor tasks during the ceremony, Nero had to handle any unexpected issues that popped up in between, keep track of who brought which tools and beasts, and record what they offered in return. This was also why he took this long to attend the Ascension ceremony, which has been going on since morning.
Still, his condition could be considered better off than Granny's.
He had heard from others that acting as a medium for a higher being took a tremendous toll on mental and physical energy. Even the most sturdy men would struggle by evening because of the strain it imposed on their bodies. Granny had always fared much better after the ritual than the rumors suggested.
Nevertheless, Nero wanted her to rest and return home, especially since she had repeatedly expressed her health was waning these days.
But the instant the ritual was over, she had told him to grab a chair and dragged herself over here to see his Ascension ceremony. She had been tagging along with him in the line, adamant about personally witnessing him gaining his path.
Sigh, why won't she ever listen? Granny's stubbornness as a child just like it is now always troubled him. Once she fixes her mind, she becomes rigid like a stone statue, without consideration for others.
Before he could reply, he heard a mix of disappointed and consolation voices in front of them.
It seemed someone failed at gaining a path once again.
He looked ahead. Nero knew the guy. He was quite old already. At best, he may have one more chance in this year's second Ascension ceremony. If he can't secure a path, then it was pretty much over for him.
Anyone from the age of thirteen to twenty years can undertake the Ascension ceremony held twice a year during the harvest festival to check whether they have any compatible path granted to them.
Your chances of gaining a path usually slim down the more Ascension ceremonies you attend or the more you age.
The villagers even had the superstitious belief that anyone gaining a path past eighteen was not even that talented compared to their peers who gained a path earlier than them. They considered the earlier you awaken a path, the more gifted you are at it and the more time you can invest in improving yourself than a late bloomer.
Seeing the unlucky lad disappointedly breaking down while getting consoled by his friends and family was hard to watch. The gloomy feeling soon spread like a plague to the rest of the people waiting in line, and even Nero was infected by it a little.
"Relax, you will do fine." hearing Granny's soothing words, he made a small smile to show he was holding up well.
Fortunately, there was no more bleak news for those in line. Most gained peasant, a common path awakened by residents of Agroville, while a lady even lucked out on getting a healer as her path.
Slowly but surely, people in the long line started to thin, leaving the area with few lingering regrets and hearts filled with hope, curious to see where their paths would lead them.
Before long, Nero stood in front of the line.
Inside a wooden pavilion, Mrs. Rafealla, Alvin, and the village head were seated next to a long table. A spherical runic tablet with small, different-colored shards embedded around a circle at the center was placed on top of the table. Next to that was a rectangular black stone tablet that seemed to absorb all light, with an engraving of a vertical eye in the center and more complex runes interwoven.
An Affinity tablet and Seer stone.
"Please step forward," Mrs. Rafealla informed him formally.
Taking a deep breath, Nero nodded and took the two steps to stand before the table.
"You can start with the Affinity tablet," Alvin instructed.
Each embedded shard contained a piece of a Dao essence, representing the most common awakening paths in this region. There was fire, lightning, water, ice, earth, metal, wind, sound, light, darkness, life, wood, death, curse, spirit. These did not cover half the path Ascenders cultivated in the kingdom of Aodh, much less the human world. They were just a mix of what most people were likely to awaken and what the temple could get hands-on to mass produce.
He placed his hands on the Affinity tablet and channeled his mana. Before long, the green shard representing life started giving a bright glow.
Alvin quickly noted it and asked him to proceed toward the Seer stone.
Mrs. Rafealla requested he place both hands on the Seer stone, and he obliged.
It felt cold, like ice sending a shiver through him.
Mrs. Rafealla placed her warm hands above his, closing her eyes as she recited something under her breath.
Nero following the same shut his eyes and felt foreign energy entering his body through his hands. Rather than battling against it, he tried his best to calm himself down and welcome it.
Immediately, he felt as if his mind had been pulled into a vast space of void and darkness. Countless eyeballs floating in the void scrutinized him from head to toe. Under their careful appraisal, Nero felt naked, vulnerable, and eerie dealing with the bizarre.
Time stretched before him until he couldn't guess how long he'd waited, and then a voice spoke, the tremors sending waves throughout his being.
He felt a sting in his mind as a piece of new knowledge was engraved on it.
Then his mind slammed back into his body, and he gently opened his eyes.
Alchemist.
Nero heard Mrs. Rafealla announce while enduring the same pain he had.
Sigh, was I too stupid to expect anything else?
Nero wished the path system revealed wouldn't hinder him from gaining a different path in the Ascension ceremony. He wanted to be like those rare prodigies from fiction who could obtain and cultivate the dual path to the peak.
A small chain of applause broke out behind him. The village head and Alvin gave him a nod of approval, while Mrs. Rafealla flashed him a toothy smile.
He accepted all with a weak smile and stepped aside for the next person in line.
"It's quite good even if it was not what you had in mind," Nero turned to look at Granny as he heard her voice.
Nero wanted to respond to her encouragement, but no words came out. She was the person who knew what he wanted the most and how much he worked for it. Facing her after all the big words he said in the past also felt like crap.
"Sheesh, don't make that face, child. You didn't lose anything. It just got a little more difficult down the road for you." She said in a soothing voice to cheer him up.
Granny, seeing him stay silent, sighed.
"Why don't you take a walk and calm yourself down? Just get back home in time for dinner. I will stay with them for a while." She said, her face pointing towards the three in the pavilion.
He gave a nod and slowly took off.
The trade caravan arrived at the Agroville village in the early morning, and by afternoon, most had set up temporary shops and stores in the widespread field. Every available space in the area was filled with countless vibrant tents propped up in various shades of yellow, red, blue, and green, while the sections in between were packed with street stalls.
The darkness began to settle in as the village prepared for another night. However, today, the bustling trading caravans, illuminated and full of life, seemed determined to hold back the night alongside the moon.
An endless stream of residents spilled into the area from the village. The young kids freely hopped around, while the grown-ups radiated joy like a festive celebration. Groups of people either surround the stalls or endlessly pour in and out of the entrance of the tents. The area was alive with the clamor of vendors selling their goods.
Nero moved along with the crowd, taking in the scenes and walking alone aimlessly, his thoughts adrift.
Well, it's not a punch in the stomach I never saw coming. It only feels like crap because I was too optimistic, hoping for a miracle. I can't mop all day now, can I?
Besides, I have already taken steps to straighten things out and am almost there.
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Name: Nero Orias Lilin
Affinity: Life
Job: Alchemist
SP: 191
Charm demon (23%)
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There had been a steady increase in his SP alongside his progress on the Charm demon. Once I gain 200 SP, I can choose one of the Ascension techniques that could help me get an adventure license.
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[Baron of Corruption]-200SP
[Bone-Flesh Scholar]-200SP
[Frenzied Butcher]-200SP
[Blood fiend]-200SP
[Spirit Devourer]-200SP
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These were the only ones the system offered him.
Apart from having a vague guess that the first one would align with a Charm demon path, he had no idea what other Ascension techniques were for. He didn't know whether they were combat-oriented, required special affinities, or needed resources that were hard to get hands-on. He was truly in the dark here.
In the end, Nero decided to first fill up his SP before coming to a decision.
Let's wait for the trading caravan and Carlos to leave, and then I can look up Sharron again.
Just as he was about to browse through the stalls, Jacob ran out from who knows where and told him in between rushes.
"Big bro Nero, Papa wishes to see you. He is waiting for you at home."