Gripping the hilt of his practice sword so firmly that his knuckles turned white, Nathan stood in a corner of the training area. Students were engrossed in sparring sessions all around him, and the sound of wooden swords clanging and the occasional flash of light from a novice spell filled the air. His eyes kept straying to the neighboring duels when he should have been concentrating on his own training.
There was Alaric Solen, effortlessly disarming his opponent with a smirk plastered across his annoyingly perfect face. With his golden hair and keen features, Alaric not only had the appearance of a prodigy, he was one. He seemed to have been born knowing how to fight because every move he made was accurate and well-thought-out.
Nathan hated him. Not because Alaric had done anything specific, but because watching him made Nathan feel like a complete fraud.
"Pay attention, Caelum!" He was brought back to reality by the instructor's yell.
Nathan turned back to his sparring partner, a round-faced boy who had an apologetic smile on his face and didn't appear much more assured than Nathan himself. After five minutes of their practice match, it was obvious that neither of them had any hope. Their footwork was clumsy, their strikes were slow, and they lacked endurance. Every swing of Nathan's sword depleted the little energy he still had, making his body feel as though it were moving through molasses.
"Reset!" The teacher clapped his hands and snarled. "You two appear to be attempting to swat flies." Once more!
Nathan suppressed a moan and went back to where he had been. His companion followed suit, albeit his face had changed from one of contrition to one of pure misery. Nathan considered saying sorry for a moment, but he changed his mind after realizing how painful his arms were.
He raised his blade and whispered, "Let's just get this over with."
The rest of the morning was a blur of drills, humiliation, and aching muscles. By the end of the practice, Nathan was hardly able to raise his sword, much less make his way back to the hostel without a limp. As soon as he returned, he fell onto his bed, ignoring the dull aching in his legs and gazing up at the ceiling.
He mumbled, his voice muffled by the pillow he had put over his face, "This body sucks." The training wasn't the only thing. This life felt... wrong in every way. Though they lacked the physical talents to support them, Nathan Caelum's memories of the prior Nathan had been useful enough to get him through the fundamentals. And now he felt as though he was stuck running in place as everyone else ran ahead, regardless of how hard he pushed himself.
He was startled out of his pity party by a tap at the door. With a moan, he turned to face the door.
"Who is it?" Even though he wasn't sure he cared, he called.
Before he could respond, the door opened and a girl with a fierce red hair and a serious face entered. She had a steaming cup of something in one hand and a book in the other.
"Do you ever not look like death warmed over?" Aurora Lys inquired, using her foot to shut the door behind her.
Nathan let out another, louder groan. "Awesome, my go-to inspirational speaker. Aurora, what do you want?"
"I want you to take this seriously and stop pouting." She gave him the cup and placed the book on his desk. He accepted it with reluctance; it smelled like herbal tea.
Nathan declared, "I am taking this seriously," but even he didn't seem persuaded. "I'm trying, it's not like that."
Aurora raised an eyebrow. "But are you? Because it appears to me that you are only following the procedures and holding out hope for a miracle."
Wincing from the bitterness, Nathan took a sip of the tea. "I'm doing my best. It's not my fault that I'm terrible.
"Everyone sucks when they start. It is called training for a reason." Aurora crossed her arms and leaned on the desk. "You believe that Alaric was holding a sword when he popped out of the womb?"
"Yes," answered Nathan firmly.
Aurora gave an eye roll. "You can't keep blaming your body, your situation, or whatever justification you've come up with today. I'm not saying you have to be great overnight. You will remain precisely where you are if you don't challenge yourself."
Nathan put the cup down on the nightstand and frowned. "I appreciate the lecture. I will include it in the list of things that aren't helpful.
Aurora's face softened a little. With a softer tone, she took a seat on the edge of his bed. "Nathan, I'm not attempting to be rude. I simply don't want you to give up. You're superior than that.
Nathan remained silent. He had no idea how. Instead, his chest constricted with frustration, he gazed at the ceiling. Although he wanted to believe her, he wasn't entirely sure if she was correct.
The following days went along pretty much the same manner. Training was exhausting, he made no progress, and his frustration increased hour by hour. He studied magical theory late into the night, put himself into drills, and tried everything he could think of to get better, but to no avail. It always felt like he was striking an unseen wall no matter how hard he pushed.
He was prepared to give up by the end of the week. The thought was there, chewing at the corners of his mind, but he didn't utter it aloud. If he was not going to succeed, what was the sense of trying?
He was lying in bed that night, staring at the ceiling, when an odd event occurred. His chest began to feel warm, a slight sensation at first, but it grew stronger every second. The feeling grew stronger, and he sat up, his heart racing.
Then, suddenly, a voice resounded in his head: clear, calm, and completely unnatural.
"Heavenly Ascent System activating."
Nathan's breath caught as he froze. "What the—"
"Initialization complete. Welcome, Nathan Caelum. Your path to ascension begins now."
Before him, a bright interface materialized, akin to a hologram floating in midair. He gazed at it, his thoughts racing as the screen was filled with figures and phrases.
[Heavenly Ascent System Interface]
Name: Nathan Caelum
Level: 1 (Beginner Tier)
Core Attributes:
Strength: 5
Agility: 5
Endurance: 5
Intelligence: 5
Mana: 5
Next Milestone: Unlock Infinite Training Space at Level 10.
Nathan blinked, his hands trembling. "What... the hell is this?"
The voice returned, calm and emotionless. "You have been granted access to the Heavenly Ascent System. Progress through training, combat, and quests to unlock your full potential."
Potential. That word was like a kick to the stomach. For the first time since he had awakened, he felt something other than frustration, even though he had no idea what this system was or why it had appeared.
He was hopeful.