Cove-craft high school is a privately owned academy and like any school there are rules that must be followed, however there is one student that walks around the campus with an air of dominion over it, the so called "queen of the Cove", Bethony Rockwall, the veritable bully of the academy with even the teachers giving her a wide birth in the halls and because of her high ranking in the martial arts club none of the other students dare stand up to her, that is until today when she picks on the wrong teacher at the wrong time, Shannon Alderman the schools History, Science, and Fitness couch, today has been a particularly rough day for him and it seems as though it might get just a bit worse.

Riwall went straight from the forge to the new woodworking room, which was conveniently built very close to Theoda's Forge.


As soon as he entered the new building, the pleasant smell of freshly cut wood made him feel relaxed and lower his guard.


[Snap out of it Riwall!]


Friday's outburst broke him from his trance, and he realized he had been standing in place for over a minute.


{What the hell?}


Tsk!


A feeble old man clicked his tongue when he noticed that Riwall escaped his spell. His posture was as straight as a soldier's, but his receding white hair, thin arms, wrinkles all over his face and crepey arms were a testament of his longevity. Since coming back into this world, Riwall had not seen anyone who seemed to be as old as the man in front of him.


"You must be the so-called prodigy that made my superiors order me to come here, right? Do you know how much garnecs I will lose by coming here every day?"


{Garnecs?}


[It's the currency used in the Azure Kingdom, the name is a homage to King Garnec the Brave.]


"Sorry, sir! I did not know that my request would be a hassle to the family. My name is Riwall Madec. I will work hard to compensate you in the future!"


The boy's readiness and enthusiasm made the old man regret his harsh words a little bit, but what he said was the truth.


"You will have the honor of being taught by the best woodworker in these lands! My name is Hobb Farsteel. Who is the drolling fool beside you? Is he the boy Gregory?"


Only now did Riwall notice his friend trapped in the same trance he found himself some moments ago, but Greg had droll running from his open mouth. He was about to slap the sh!t out of Greg, but Hobb intervened by holding Riwall by the wrist of his raised hand.


"What do you think you are doing to your friend?"


"I was... uhhh.. going to give him a weak slap to wake him up."


Hobb said in a disappointed tone.


"And you think slapping a hypnotized friend is something a friend should do?"


"No, sir." He answered downcasted.


"Now, let me teach you how to break a FRIEND from a hypnotic trance properly."


Hobb had a mischievous smile that sent shivers down Riwall's spine. He said a silent prayer for Greg and followed the excentric master with his eyes. The old man got some ink from his drawer and painted all Greg's face. Then, he cast some water magic to wet the poor boy's pants as if he had wet himself. To top it all off, he used wind magic to cut Greg's hair in a mohawk.


{Dam! That's too much overkill! Poor Greg.}


He ordered Riwall to stay in the room, looking over Greg while he went out to get some other things. As soon as he closed the door, Greg woke up confused.


The boy looked around confused, felt his the wetness on his pants, looked down, saw all his hair on the ground, felt his mohawk, touched his face in surprise, felt something on his hand and finally noticed he had paint all over his face. He saw Riwall there and threw him an accusatory glance. Before he could say anything, the door opened, and an old man with a gentle face walked in.


"Hello my new students, my name is Hobb Farsteel, and I will be your BY THE GODS! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU??" 


Greg got red all over his face, at least the parts that could be seen, before excusing himself and running to the baths to clean himself.


{We have been tricked, we have been backstabbed, and we have been quite possibly, bamboozled.} 


Riwall was not mad, just amazed.


[He is good, I will give him that.]


Hobb was laughing out loud by now. Riwall could not help but laugh too.


"You are good, Master Hobb." He said amidst his laughs. "But you know Greg will take at least an hour before coming back. IF he comes back."


After laughing for a few more seconds, he got a hold of himself.


"Worry not; this class was only for us to get to know each other. I needed to test each of you before starting our lessons. I specialize in the crafting of magic bows and arrows. You have no idea how much mind resilience is required to keep your focus in this craft. This statement holds true to all crafts, but is even more important when you are woodworking."


"And why is that?" Neither Theodas, the smithing master, nor Hector gave any warning to Riwall on this matter.


"Because the wood we work with was once part of a living being that developed small tricks to survive in the woods. Some trees develop hypnotizing charms, others a repulsive aura, and some create an illusion field around itself. Both lumberjacks and woodworkers need to be mentally resilient to resist these powers. The older the tree, the stronger their defense mechanism will be. The act of striking the wood is enough to activate these effects, regardless if the tree is alive or not."


"That is very impressive! I had never heard about it before."


"You only get to experience these things when you get to work on expensive wood, it takes a very skilled lumberjack to down an old tree, and even our family have just half a dozen in our ranks."


Hobb continued.


"Go do our things, you are dismissed for today. I will explain these things to Greg when he comes back. Have a nice day!" Before Riwall could even thank him for the lesson, Hobb was already working in a wood bracelet and ignoring his student.


{I still have a couple of hours before the next training, I will go back to the room and read Theoda's books.}


-------------------------


In just one hour, Riwall and Friday had already compiled new books on crafting pathways and ores. 


{So, do you think you can improve on these designs? They are excessively straightforward, in my opinion. Look at this one meant to make a blade sharper; it's literally only one patch running over the length of it!}


[I have been running simulations of each of them, and they are indeed too amateur. The mana efficiency is abysmal, and the desired effect is many times weaker than it should be.]


{So? Can you improve them or not?}


[Easy peasy. But to make use of my designs you really need to improve your finesse. The mana output relies too much on intent, and I can't influence your brain to help you because it's too invasive, my protocols won't allow me.]


{Nah, don't worry, you keep working on these designs and simulations to help me train my crafting skills. I will deal with the mana-maze.}


-------------------------


Just as he was getting ready for combat training, Greg came back to the room, and he was still sporting the mohawk Hobb gave him. He looked directly into Riwall's eyes and beamed him a mischievous smile. That, combined with his mohawk, scared him a little.


"Hey man, how are you? You know I was not the one that pranked you, right? That old man is shameless; he planned it all to put the blame on me."


"He told me you would say that. You got me well this time, but revenge is a dish best served cold. Keep your guard up, will you?" Greg winked and went on to change to his combat training attire.


{I should not have let him stay alone with the old imp. Greg can hold a grudge, and he is very patient. Whatever he is cooking up for me, I know for a fact it won't be funny.}


-------------------------


A few hours later, it was time for Riwall's enchanting class. The new building was placed close to the magic training court where Hector ministered his lessons and training.


The place was evenly divided into three rooms. One had two large drawing tables and was fully stocked with high-quality parchments, bottles of ink of different colors, and quill pens of various sizes.


The farthest room was full of racks meant for storing the drawings, while the last one was similar to a magic training court. Riwall theorized it was the place where they would test the final products.


There was a woman hunched over one of the drawing tables. Her hands were moving all over the place as she was making some kind of complex geometrical drawing. Every now and then she would change the quill pen or the ink bottle, but Riwall could not make any sense of why she was doing things this way.


He did not want to bother the focused woman, so he just waited by the door and watched her. After a few minutes, she stopped drawing, using one of her sleeves to wipe some sweat on her forehead. She looked over to the stranger by the door and locked eyes with Riwall. He froze.


{I will be dammed, she is one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen!}


The woman had a very fair triangular face, which reminded Riwall of his mother, a pitch-black long, wavy hair parted to the side, her nose was small and elegant, her skin was very fair, and her eyes were of a bright purple that he did not know humans could have.


"Nice to meet you! You must be my new student, Riwall Madec, right? My name is Lilacoris Farsteel, but you can call me Master Lila" She did a slight bow by the end of her introduction.


He remained with his mouth opened and with a dumb look staring at her. It took a few awkward seconds for him to control himself.


"So... Sorry! My name is Riwall Madec, nice to meet you, Master Lila! I promise you I will work hard. You will not regret taking me as your student!" He rushed through all his introduction, making Lila giggle before getting to her lessons.


"I checked your schedule and see that you have already met Theodas and Hobb. Theodas is a gentle but very demanding smith, if you are not up to his expectations, soon he will go back to the family land and send one of his apprentices to be your teacher. As for Hobb, trust him only on matters regarding woodworking, don't grow comfortable around him, he is a master of both woodworking and pranking."


"Yeah, Robb pulled a prank on a friend of mine and put the blame on me."


"That is him alright. You will all get over it in no time, and his pranks always seem to be designed to provoke a reaction to help the victim fixing a bad behavior or habit. He can read people like few."


She beckoned him over to one of the design tables where a parchment, some bottles of ink and a quill pen waited for him.


"I want to see the depth of your <Drawing> skill, draw anything you want, as long as it is not something simple like a fruit or a chair. I am not interested in your technique yet, only on the results you can achieve. I will be finishing my work right over there, call me when you are done."


"Will do!" He gave her a mocking salute making her chuckle all the way over to her table.


Riwall did not even have to think too much. He already knew what he wanted to draw. Friday did not share his opinion but helped him to the best of her capacity.


---------------------------

---CONGRATULATIONS!---

--Skill Branch Level Up--
-Arts Branch - Level 8-> 10

--Skill Levell Up--
<Drawing> - Level 42 -> 50

-------------------------


{It took me almost an hour, but I think this is my best work to date, I even capped my skill in one go!}


Friday thought something was wrong but could not detect anything different in the picture.


He called his master, and she came over to check her student's work.


-------------------------


Lila was almost done with her work when her student called.


'Done already? I asked him to show me the full extent of his skills, and he thinks only one hour is enough?'


'I may have been too trusting when reading Eleanor's reports. According to her, this boy has unbelievable potential, so much that she threatened to leave her post as a Commander of the Marsastor family if her father did not send their best crafters to teach him.'


She was getting closer to Riwall's table while the boy had a bright smile stamped on his face.


'I will have to make up an excuse to stop teaching him. Maybe I can try reasoning with Edward, although he is as fond of the kid as his sister. Hmm, maybe Hector will do som...'


Her train of thought derailed when her eyes landed upon his drawing.


-------------------------


Riwall was looking expectantly to his master. The truth is, he knew some things about her. Edward loved to tell stories about the Farsteel family, but it was always about the combat-oriented personnel. 


There was only one crafter who he ever shared a story about. An enchanter who received a title that all adventurers can only dream of getting: The Dragon-Slayer Lilacoris

The dawn of Emotion Based A.I.s is here, John is the fifth test subject to have an AI implemented in his brain, and so far the first one to survive.

Blinded by the dream of immortality, the researchers push the tests to inhumane standards. John is obligated to take part in sessions of torture designed to test the limits of the AI influence over the physical and mental health. What was supposed to be a new beginning in life turns into living hell.

An (un)lucky twist ends his life. John then reincarnates with his AI in a new world where a System influences the interaction between Magic and Matter. With seemingly limitless potential and a game-like system influencing the world, the hero sets on his journey.

--AUTHOR NOTE, PLEASE READ--

I will state here my promises to you, potential reader:

1. No harem! I don't trust myself to make a harem feel natural or healthy, I never met any person who has a personality that can adapt and live in a harem for reasons that are not monetary, so I can't draw inspiration from real life. Sorry!;

2. The enemies will not be bland and illogically mean. Some may feel like that at first, but I will take great care in fleshing them out, trust me. You may end up hating some, but you won't be able to deny that they had their reasons for what they did;

3. I am using a paid (and expensive) automated editor tool, and I take longer to write because I take my time in editing the stuff I write. I am aiming to improve and I will not shy away from constructive criticism, nor take offense for no reason;

4. Characters will die and will suffer, some will get over the tragedies and improve, others will not be as resilient.

5. This novel has a lot of ground to cover, it is neither a short story, a manual on crafting, or the script of some action scene. There will be both time skips and oversimplifications of some actions for the sake of moving the story forward. Time skips will be more prominent in the first 30 chapters. I will describe crafting processes and fights with more detail if they are essential for the chapter;

6. If I took my time describing something, it's because it is important. I hate novels that wastes time describing useless stuff. If you skim over something, the chances are that something in the future will not make sense. I am an adept of "Chekhov's gun" principle;

7. If in the future Webnovel comes to offer me a contract, I will first reach for the readers to know their opinion and see if they want to donate through other sites or not. It would be a dream come true to live of writing, but not if the cost is the alienation from the people that supported me along the way;

8. I already have 31k words on my auxiliary documents, I have a plan for the story, and I will not be making changes even if someone ends up noticing some foreshadowing and figures out what will happen. The story comes first.

9. I have a wife, a job that demands 9h every day and courses related to my job (lawyer) three days of the week, it's unlikely that I will be able to do mass releases at all. I will have a healthy amount of chapters to be able to post at least 1 chapter every day continually. Don't worry.

10. I will read all the comments. I will listen to all you have to say and will try my best to accommodate demands as long as they do not hamper the path I prepared.

11. There is an arc that spans the entire novel. Each volume will be an arc in itself while progressing a little bit of the main arc. Every arc will have one or more main antagonists.


I think that's it! Thank you for reading it all. Have an awesome time reading my first novel!! <3

wracking, but also systematic. Time continued to pass without Richard noticing it, the boy remaining unchanged. However, he continued to receive more and more unexpected income as the months went by, most of it under Sharon's Delight. Richard didn't understand why he was getting it, but he could practically feel the weight of all that gold at the end of every month. Even a grand mage would go bankrupt if they spent like that.

Though Sharon seemed to be appreciating him every month, Richard only managed to break even. His spending had only gone up to unimaginable heights, almost growing to be endless. This was partially due to the change in his timetable as of late, where formerly infrequent lessons had been extended in his schedule. Unlike philosophy, politics, or alchemy, sometimes he was the only one in these classes, definitely not a good sign.

A professor commanded a certain amount of remuneration for every class they held, and this fee was normally split across all the students attending the lesson. If one were the only student in a class, they would have to bear the full cost of that class, which was an ever-growing expense.

Richard noticed the attention he'd been getting ever since the first time he'd been given money under Sharon's Delight. There were often people pointing fingers and whispering about him as they passed by. His perception wasn't strong enough to know just what they were talking about, but the newfound attention made him feel increasingly uncomfortable.

Sharon couldn't keep the secret in for more than a week. She spilled the beans to her inner circle, and they in turn spread it out through theirs. The legendary mage's newest disciple was a runemaster in the making!

It took only two months for the entirety of the Deepblue to learn of the situation. Sharon's predictions always held true despite the future being ever-changing, and she'd predicted the birth of a new runemaster. People still doubted it, but they were smart enough to not say anything. Only the stupid were honest about such things, and other people would long since have eliminated those idiots for some of Sharon's Delight.

By this point, there was only one person who didn't know about the future runemaster, and that was clearly Richard himself. Of course he wasn't clueless to the changes— the increase of lessons related to spell formations like math, geometry, practical art, and art appreciation— and there was also the fact that he was the only student now in some classes that had started off with others beside him as well. However, the only thing that worried him was the ever-increasing lesson costs, and not what the actual reason for the changes was.

Richard's timetable had been changed again as of late. He'd experienced an exponential increase in drawing lessons, the foundational subject being sketching. This was a new domain for him, but still every piece of work he handed in only netted a dumbfounded lesson from the level 15 artist-mage that was teaching him. The robotic precision of the sketches surprised the once-renowned artist: Where was the charm?

Sketching was art, not just a simple recreation of reality. Was it still art if there was basically no difference from the actual object? It frustrated the man to see Richard's works, and they were like giant stones that smashed against his chest to crush his original beliefs and understanding of art itself. How could he possibly be so precise?

And yet he couldn't reprimand Richard even once. Although the sketches didn't fit with his conventional thinking, was not any extreme—in this case, the precision— an art unto itself? As a mage himself, the man knew well— even if Richard didn't have a flair for the arts, this unerring accuracy made him an unrivalled talent as a mage; especially as a runemaster.

There was no need for him to make any unnecessary comments despite his passion, because he too could not overlook Sharon's Delight. Coin was a foundational requirement for art as well. And if he ruined a future runemaster just because of his personal taste for the arts, what awaited him may instead be Sharon's Rage. The mysophobe shuddered at the thought; he'd rather just be killed by the dwarves.

Richard had less time to stress over his bills now. He had homework to complete in the evening— an average of a drawing, two to five magic formation breakdowns and a mountain's worth of planar geometry every night. And yet, even ignoring the difficulty of the homework, the stationery too was a considerable expense.

First, he needed a large number of magic papers to write on: constellation papers, moonscar papers, abyssal nightmare paper, and the like. He also needed all sorts of inks from regular dark ink to Lorskar Hell Ink. The one thing everything had in common was how expensive it all was, and the longer the name the more pricey it generally was.

And because planar geometry involved 3D compositions, he had to use a magical projector to finish his assignments. Richard had already lost count of the number of magic crystals that had used up; it was a common thing now for fully loaded boxes to be emptied by the time he was done.

Richard didn't know what he would've done without the continued joy of the legendary mage. His best case right now was maintaining a balance, and even then his time wasn't managed well. He still had meditation and magic practice outside of the lessons, and the time given to them had been compressed to an absolute minimum.

His growth would be affected if he cut down any further. Richard only paced himself to the average student instead of people like Minnie, but even then he had to rely on the 500 coin mana potions every day to maintain a basic rate of progress. That was another 15,000 coins down the drain.

The only thing he could do anymore was cut down on his sleep, but he was a growing boy. He was being provided with curated meals, the flesh and blood of various rare mythical beasts, and the blood essence that they condensed in his body only increased his growth when he was asleep. Thankfully there were tons of meditation techniques in the Deepblue that could be used in sleep, and although they had limited effects they were better than nothing.

And thus Richard's biggest problem right now: He had too many things to do, and too little time to do it. He faced the mathematical problem of how to allocate time and resources to maximise the effects of every part of his school life, and the complexity of this problem only increased as time went by. Richard ended up spending four days sorting this all out, categorising it and specifying some essentials.

This only spoke to the boy's intellect— he'd taken those few days to compute the best way to distribute resources and time, finally solving the question that had been hounding him. The four days were well spent, his gift of Precision told him that the new plan saved far more than the four days he'd lost in coming up with it.

At this point Richard realised he was living like a homunculus, but that didn't bother him. His world was already a digital one, so it didn't matter if he grew more robotic. And that was how he welcomed his first spring in the Deepblue, as a perfect robot with a jam-packed schedule.

On the morning of his eleventh birthday, Richard stood before his mirror to stare at his reflection; what looked back at him was a young man.

Kids from the mountains were normally a little larger than normal. With all the special meals he'd been eating lately, Richard was already half a head taller than others his age. He looked 13 or 14 years old, his childlike features fading into maturity. His eyes had already grown so deep that people could mistake him for an adult. Perhaps it was because of the many misfortunes he'd experienced, or maybe it was because of his Archeron bloodline.

He also already had defined muscles along his jaw, crescent eyes, thick luscious brows, and a straight tall nose. These were features of superior royal elves. Richard was never one who cared about looks, but all those art lessons made him aware of his good looks.

Oops, Precision corrected him, rare looks.

So what? Little Richard didn't care all that much. The six intensive months in the Deepblue had deeply influenced his mindset: beautiful things only served as accessories, decorations. Just like how accomplished men took beautiful women as trophies. Of course, he'd learnt by now that pretty men were even rarer than trophy wives.

Nonetheless, Richard had turned 11 years old now. Children from the mountains matured quickly, and 12-year-olds having families were not unheard of. Elena had summed up his year for every birthday so far, telling him what to take away from the year. But now?

The only thing Richard saw on his eleventh birthday was a reflection in a mirror. The only thing on his mind? The raging flames from his memories… 

Every drop of this family bloodline is stained with sin. They are the embodiment of contradiction; calm yet maniacal, with great memories yet often forgetful. They pledge themselves to their dreams yet often compromise, are angels that are also devils… It’s why I hate them. And also love them. The only hope of his family, a youth with the blood of elves and devils walks on a battleground of annihilation and rebirth. He wills his way through boiling lava and icy depths, killing on this field of despair to strike down the lofty figure in his sight. One day he’ll grasp his blade tightly and survey his surroundings, only to find no more enemies to kill.

btw, i own nothing

Life in the Deepblue was nerve-wracking, but also systematic. Time continued to pass without Richard noticing it, the boy remaining unchanged. However, he continued to receive more and more unexpected income as the months went by, most of it under Sharon's Delight. Richard didn't understand why he was getting it, but he could practically feel the weight of all that gold at the end of every month. Even a grand mage would go bankrupt if they spent like that.
Though Sharon seemed to be appreciating him every month, Richard only managed to break even. His spending had only gone up to unimaginable heights, almost growing to be endless. This was partially due to the change in his timetable as of late, where formerly infrequent lessons had been extended in his schedule. Unlike philosophy, politics, or alchemy, sometimes he was the only one in these classes, definitely not a good sign.
A professor commanded a certain amount of remuneration for every class they held, and this fee was normally split across all the students attending the lesson. If one were the only student in a class, they would have to bear the full cost of that class, which was an ever-growing expense.
Richard noticed the attention he'd been getting ever since the first time he'd been given money under Sharon's Delight. There were often people pointing fingers and whispering about him as they passed by. His perception wasn't strong enough to know just what they were talking about, but the newfound attention made him feel increasingly uncomfortable.
Sharon couldn't keep the secret in for more than a week. She spilled the beans to her inner circle, and they in turn spread it out through theirs. The legendary mage's newest disciple was a runemaster in the making!
It took only two months for the entirety of the Deepblue to learn of the situation. Sharon's predictions always held true despite the future being ever-changing, and she'd predicted the birth of a new runemaster. People still doubted it, but they were smart enough to not say anything. Only the stupid were honest about such things, and other people would long since have eliminated those idiots for some of Sharon's Delight.
By this point, there was only one person who didn't know about the future runemaster, and that was clearly Richard himself. Of course he wasn't clueless to the changes— the increase of lessons related to spell formations like math, geometry, practical art, and art appreciation— and there was also the fact that he was the only student now in some classes that had started off with others beside him as well. However, the only thing that worried him was the ever-increasing lesson costs, and not what the actual reason for the changes was.
Richard's timetable had been changed again as of late. He'd experienced an exponential increase in drawing lessons, the foundational subject being sketching. This was a new domain for him, but still every piece of work he handed in only netted a dumbfounded lesson from the level 15 artist-mage that was teaching him. The robotic precision of the sketches surprised the once-renowned artist: Where was the charm?
Sketching was art, not just a simple recreation of reality. Was it still art if there was basically no difference from the actual object? It frustrated the man to see Richard's works, and they were like giant stones that smashed against his chest to crush his original beliefs and understanding of art itself. How could he possibly be so precise?
And yet he couldn't reprimand Richard even once. Although the sketches didn't fit with his conventional thinking, was not any extreme—in this case, the precision— an art unto itself? As a mage himself, the man knew well— even if Richard didn't have a flair for the arts, this unerring accuracy made him an unrivalled talent as a mage; especially as a runemaster.
There was no need for him to make any unnecessary comments despite his passion, because he too could not overlook Sharon's Delight. Coin was a foundational requirement for art as well. And if he ruined a future runemaster just because of his personal taste for the arts, what awaited him may instead be Sharon's Rage. The mysophobe shuddered at the thought; he'd rather just be killed by the dwarves.
Richard had less time to stress over his bills now. He had homework to complete in the evening— an average of a drawing, two to five magic formation breakdowns and a mountain's worth of planar geometry every night. And yet, even ignoring the difficulty of the homework, the stationery too was a considerable expense. First, he needed a large number of magic papers to write on: constellation papers, moonscar papers, abyssal nightmare paper, and the like. He also needed all sorts of inks from regular dark ink to Lorskar Hell Ink. The one thing everything had in common was how expensive it all was, and the longer the name the more pricey it generally was.
And because planar geometry involved 3D compositions, he had to use a magical projector to finish his assignments. Richard had already lost count of the number of magic crystals that had used up; it was a common thing now for fully loaded boxes to be emptied by the time he was done.
Richard didn't know what he would've done without the continued joy of the legendary mage. His best case right now was maintaining a balance, and even then his time wasn't managed well. He still had meditation and magic practice outside of the lessons, and the time given to them had been compressed to an absolute minimum. His growth would be affected if he cut down any further. Richard only paced himself to the average student instead of people like Minnie, but even then he had to rely on the 500 coin mana potions every day to maintain a basic rate of progress. That was another 15,000 coins down the drain.
The only thing he could do anymore was cut down on his sleep, but he was a growing boy. He was being provided with curated meals, the flesh and blood of various rare mythical beasts, and the blood essence that they condensed in his body only increased his growth when he was asleep. Thankfully there were tons of meditation techniques in the Deepblue that could be used in sleep, and although they had limited effects they were better than nothing.
And thus Richard's biggest problem right now: He had too many things to do, and too little time to do it. He faced the mathematical problem of how to allocate time and resources to maximise the effects of every part of his school life, and the complexity of this problem only increased as time went by. Richard ended up spending four days sorting this all out, categorising it and specifying some essentials. This only spoke to the boy's intellect— he'd taken those few days to compute the best way to distribute resources and time, finally solving the question that had been hounding him. The four days were well spent, his gift of Precision told him that the new plan saved far more than the four days he'd lost in coming up with it.
At this point Richard realised he was living like a homunculus, but that didn't bother him. His world was already a digital one, so it didn't matter if he grew more robotic. And that was how he welcomed his first spring in the Deepblue, as a perfect robot with a jam-packed schedule.
On the morning of his eleventh birthday, Richard stood before his mirror to stare at his reflection; what looked back at him was a young man.
Kids from the mountains were normally a little larger than normal. With all the special meals he'd been eating lately, Richard was already half a head taller than others his age. He looked 13 or 14 years old, his childlike features fading into maturity. His eyes had already grown so deep that people could mistake him for an a.d.u.l.t. Perhaps it was because of the many misfortunes he'd experienced, or maybe it was because of his Archeron bloodline.
He also already had defined muscles along his jaw, crescent eyes, thick luscious brows, and a straight tall nose. These were features of superior royal elves. Richard was never one who cared about looks, but all those art lessons made him aware of his good looks.
Oops, Precision corrected him, rare looks.
So what? Little Richard didn't care all that much. The six intensive months in the Deepblue had deeply influenced his mindset: beautiful things only served as accessories, decorations. Just like how accomplished men took beautiful women as trophies. Of course, he'd learnt by now that pretty men were even rarer than trophy wives.
Nonetheless, Richard had turned 11 years old now. Children from the mountains matured quickly, and 12-year-olds having families were not unheard of. Elena had summed up his year for every birthday so far, telling him what to take away from the year. But now?
The only thing Richard saw on his eleventh birthday was a reflection in a mirror. The only thing on his mind? The raging flames from his memories…

Updates Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

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Every drop of this family bloodline is stained with sin. They are the embodiment of contradiction; calm yet maniacal, with great memories yet often forgetful. They pledge themselves to their dreams yet often compromise, are angels that are also devils… It’s why I hate them. And also love them.

The only hope of his family, a youth with the blood of elves and devils walks on a battleground of annihilation and rebirth. He wills his way through boiling lava and icy depths, killing on this field of despair to strike down the lofty figure in his sight. One day he’ll grasp his blade tightly and survey his surroundings, only to find no more enemies to kill.

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https://www.moteng.net/novel/100/

(Note: I didn't own 罪恶之城, I just translate it from Chinese To English)

"I said 'don't go' and he said he wasn't going to. I said 'don't leave me behind' and he said he wouldn't… And, and what else? Hm… I can't remember…"
An Xiaxia scratched her head, looking vexed.
Sheng Yize: … Interesting.
Talk about traumatising an idol… 
An Xiaxia blinked. "I had another dream before that one."
"Which was?"
"It's a secret."
An Xiaxia grinned, overwhelmed by a warm, sweet feeling.
That "Courage" had been for her.
It was really, really beautiful.
-
It was deep into the night.
Unexpectedly, Su Xiaomo couldn't sleep. She swallowed two sleeping pills and tried to will herself back to sleep.
She was home alone and the room felt so empty.
She regretted it already. Had she known, she wouldn't have fought with He Jiayu that capriciously.
She feared nothing more than being alone.
The early autumn air was cool on the skin. Su Xiaomo huddled under her blanket, shivering involuntarily.
In the silence of the night, it felt awful to be all by herself after switching off the lights.
It hadn't felt so unbearable during these last few years with He Jiayu by her side. Now that she was alone again, the pain that no one else would understand came back.
Meanwhile.
He Jiayu got his hands on information about Su Xiaomo's childhood.
The history which other people knew little about… 
Su Xiaomo won first prize in a drawing competition at her nursery school when she was three and her parents took it seriously when her teacher casually commented that she had "a knack for drawing."
They signed her up for a drawing class and the kid who knew little about everything was forced to learn.
Back then, they were just an ordinary working class family and her parents had invested a lot into her drawing lessons.
The more they invested, the higher they expected the returns to be.
Su Xiaomo was constantly registered for all kinds of competitions. Her parents would show off when she got an award, but when she came back empty-handed, instead of hitting her, which they feared would give her scars, they either kept her on her knees or starved her as punishment. They soon became experts in that sort of abuse.
Su Xiaomo lived in such an atmosphere until she was eight.
By then, she was as skillful as any art student at sketching landscapes and portraits.
Winter that year was exceptionally cold. Instead of drawing, she wanted to have fireworks. She would never forget the disappointed looks her parents gave her.
"We've invested everything in you, but you would rather play than draw? How can you let us down like this? Do you wish to see us die?"
Su Xiaomo cried and shook her head repeatedly and was thrown into the studio by her father. "From now on, you're not coming out until you finish six sketches of the plaster figures every day!"
Those who knew about drawing probably had an idea how time-consuming sketches were, not to mention portraits. Su Xiaomo was the perfectionist type. Once she started, she wouldn't slack off.
Hence, she worked for nearly 20 hours until she finished them all.
Seeing this, instead of pitying their daughter, her parents exchanged fervid looks.
Hence, Su Xiaomo's nightmare began.
Her parents set their minds to making her into an artist. They made her drop out of school, shut her up in the house, and forced her to draw for over 16 hours a day.
From eight to twelve, apart from the rare occasions that she got to hang out with An Xiaxia and Kang Jian, she never set foot outside that studio.
After midnight one day when the stars were twinkling overhead, Su Xiaomo picked up a utility knife and slit her wrist… 


As an anti-fan of the idol group, Starry Night, An Xiaxia is happy to spend her time online slandering lead singer Sheng Yize. 

But things take an unexpected turn when An Xiaxia starts high school - the Starry Night trio somehow becomes her classmates, and even end up moving into her house. 

Also, the nation’s idol Sheng Yize seems particularly interested in An Xiaxia for some reason...

Sheng Yize: Xiaxia, if I and a chicken wing fall into the water together, which one will you save?

An Xiaxia: Hm… I can't swim, so obviously you're going to save yourself and get my chicken wing out!

Sheng Yize: I thought I was the nation’s idol???

Their chairs got closer to each other. To make it easier for Ye Jian to draw, Xia Jinyuan left his seat and squatted beside Ye Jian. "He cut his hair after he came to the Southern Province. Draw two drawings of the man. One with his hair reaching his ears while the other with a bob hairstyle."
"Okay." Ye Jian agreed with what he said. The first image on the screen was a man with slightly longer hair while on the fifth screen, the man had bob hair.
She sat in the middle with many policemen watching her as she drew. As she described the man, a thin man with skinny features appeared on the paper.
Xia Jinyuan took the drawing and said in a low voice, "This is not 100% similar but it's more than 90% accurate. The suspect might not admit to his crimes but we have to catch him first."
He gave the picture to the policemen. Ye Jian started drawing a full-body image of the suspect. She showed his height and body structure.
A policeman left with the drawing of the suspect's face. The other people held their breaths as they looked at the high school student who's drawing skill was on par with the professional police.
From the moment she started drawing, she never stopped. It was as though she had seen the person before.
The drawing of the face was sent to the respective departments to see if there were any similar looking people. After Ye Jian finished drawing the full-body image of the man, the policeman that was waiting for the results of the matching results dashed into the room like a gust of wind. "They found it!"
This meant that Ye Jian and Xia Jinyuan's work was done.
They were only required to provide some evidence for the police. Many people appeared in the cameras. It was hard to find a suspect among so many images from the surveillance cameras in the provincial city.
The two of them took slightly more than four hours to find the suspect. This was a great help to the police. Leader Chang heaved a sigh of relief.
"Little Xia, call your brother over for a meal." Leader Chang knew Commander Xia and he met Xia Jinyuan a few times too. Since he helped him with such a huge matter, it was reasonable for him to treat him to a meal to express his thanks.
As the secretary of the leader, she had to deal with many things. Even a small matter like a meal needed careful planning. However, this time, there was no need for it.
"You're too kind. He brought a friend over so he's probably sending his friend home."
Leader Chang thought that it was some friend from the Xia family so he smiled and replied, "Fine. Ask the police to hurry with the case. They must solve it within 48 hours. We can't let another crime happen in my province!"
Can they solve the case in 48 hours? Ye Jian hoped that the police can catch the suspect as soon as possible.
After leaving the police station, the lights on the streets had lit up. It was almost 10 pm now. Ye Jian looked at the man who seemed to be in a hurry. "Captain Xia, it's still early. There's no need to go to the hotel."
"Yes." The moonlight shone on Xia Jinyuan. Xia Jinyuan smiled. The reflection of the moon could be seen in his eyes. It glittered when he smiled. He seemed more mesmerizing that he was in the day." Why are you stepping back? Will the hotel follow you when you step back?"
Ye Jian rubbed her head as though it was hurting. She said helplessly, "Captain Xia, I don't have the time to joke with you. It's 10 pm now. I need to go back to the dormitory. I still have lessons tomorrow. Did you forget that I'm a student? The pressure in high school is great. I can't lose my focus."


Through years of abuse and death threats, Ye Jian is not so ready to bid adieu to this world just yet! Fortunately, destiny has granted her another shot at life. Only this time, she is determined to become the master of her own fate and retaliate her oppressors from her previous life. It's payback time.
 
Although reborn with beauty and youth, Ye Jian obviously holds higher pursuits. In this life, she is determined to become an extraordinary commando. No, she does not need love, family, or any affection! 
 
He is born in a powerful family; and step-by-step, he becomes the youngest Major General through his own merits. He is drawn to her every move, despite her repeatedly shunning him.
 
"What you need is love, my little fox," he whispers.
"Get lost! I need bullets!" She steps away.
 
Behold. Let this novel take you through the warm, happy, loyal, and passionate story of the aggressive military couple.

On a giant ornamental eave in the shape of a downward facing lotus, situated on one of the tallest walls of the palace, the Little Prince Vajradandaka was seated carefreely, his legs flapping about in the strong winds. If any of the guards knew he was there or even if they thought about how he got there, they would've had successive heart attacks. But little did they know that the little prince routinely went there. It was his secret place that only his personal servant (a boy about the same age as him) and one other person knew.  

While using a scratch-type pencil to practice on a metal drawing board, Vajradandaka heard the swishing sounds of a skirt. 

"Hmm," he hummed, but didn't turn around, quietly anticipating the other person's arrival. 

Soon, a small butt planted itself next to him and a pair of scrawny fair, hands wrapped themselves around his neck from behind. All was quiet, and only the wind conveyed greetings. 

The pair of girl and boy remained that way for a small while, hearts entrusted to meaningful silence.
 
"Vaju, look what I made for you," the little girl chirped and produced a flower garland made of wild flowers from the arid mountains. In peak summer, wearing flower garlands as accessories was a luxury even for the princes. The flowers produced in the palace greenhouse were only enough to cater to the various temples within the royal enclosure, the ancestral shrines and to the queens and mistresses of the king. The remaining were either given to the use of the court for ornamental purposes. A few were sent to the princesses, but priority was given to those who were past adolescence, or at least reaching puberty. 

"Oh Varu, these are supposed to be herbs that the monks harvest from the mountains every morning!" the prince giggled happily, "Where did you smuggle them from?" 

"Just wear it already!" his fourth sister hmphed and expressed her displeasure at getting too few flowers in her share. They were enough to put in her hair, but hardly enough to make garlands for her two brothers. 

"Uh, the mala (garland) is crooked. Now I have proof that it is indeed my fourth sister's hands that made it." 

Varunapriya pinched her little brother on the arm evoking a shrill scream from him. "That's what you get for being a smartass." 

After the boy put the garland on though, the round shaped face of the little girl beamed and her cute big eyes twinkled. "Hmm…" she nodded in satisfaction. 

Looking at her brother's drawing board, the little princess asked, "Is this what you learnt this week at the wind palace? You forgot to teach me the forms last week, and now I'm behind you by another session." 

"Uh…last week was very hectic with the foreign delegation, you know that! These people chose just the time to distract us when we were having problems at the border. All hands were needed on deck, even mine…Besides, the previous lesson was quite complex…and…Varu, you are always using freestyle to interpret the lessons. I don't even know how to teach you!" 

"I told you, you don't need to worry about it. Just show me the forms and I'll pick it up myself." 

The little prince made a weird face. "Eh, fourth sister, for you to scribble, do you really to rely it upon grandpa's sacred art forms? I'm supposed to be his successor, you know? I really feel like I'm being disrespectful here." 

The little girl's red face scrunched up as she jumped to her feet, her tender form swayed by the wind on the lotus petal. "Smart-aleck! Dare to say some more?" she kicked the prince's head with her soft little foot. 

"Aaah! What if I fall down! Crazy!" 

"Hmmph!" she sat down, "Isn't it because grandfather doesn't put girls in his eyes that I have to learn from you? What you call scribbles is an artistic interpretation. You think you're so great just by copying whatever is given to you? Art is to reproduce your own themes based on how you interpret reality. What do you know. Pig!" 

The little prince was about to refute when he remembered what grandfather said. 'When you create your own themes using the forms I taught you one day, that would count as accomplishment. This is nothing.' 

He sighed. "Fine, I'm sorry." Looking at her seriously, he added, "Elder sister, grandfather is old and just doesn't have the energy to look after everyone. He only spends so much time with me because his art needs a successor. It has nothing to do with whether I'm a boy or girl." 
The sharp chin on that round face stood proud and aloft against the arid mountain background. The little girl didn't reply. She only thought, everyone thinks I have no talent in any craft. But I have shown great talent in drawing in my childhood. Yet grandfather didn't pick me, he picked Vajra whose talent was only generic. Those teachers the palace assigned to me were unimpressive. They couldn't inspire me. If a thousand bulls chanted all day and all night that grandfather is impartial to gender, I would still not believe it. 

Though clever, Varunapriya missed one detail though. Shwetasura was also grooming Vajradandaka for the future when he met the little prince for lessons every week. Choosing the boy was also a matter of efficiency, which the little girl was unable to see because of being too fixated on one thing. 
"Anyway," little prince said excitedly to change the subject, "Guess what all grandfather spoke to me about last night!" 

The little girl's eyes sparkled. She excitedly turned her whole body towards him, asking, "All the world's cultures?" 

Little prince nodded his head a dozen times enthusiastically. "That's right, all nine types. But grandfather told me about at least a dozen of them." 

When little children are sharing new things with each other, their body language is very vivid. They put their entire soul into telling stories. The little prince too got on his knees and spread his hands wide while staring his big eyes into his pretty sister's. "Elder sister, I just found out that the world is so, so big…" he stretched entirely, "that we are but small specks in it. Our entire Rthandra is but a small speck in comparison if you put all the lands grandpa went to together. You have to be as high as the sun and moon to see them all with the naked eye, and maybe not even then!"

In this age progression novel, witness Prince Vajradandaka (Little Cactus) and his adventures with his friend and rival Chandra Kush (Little Grass). 
Cactus is the inheritor of the ancient throne of Rtadhara which belongs to the gods. Grass is a conqueror who set out to take over the Aryan world at as little as age ten! 
But as Cactus always said to his best friend: No matter how numerous grass is, it is easy to cut down! 

Enter the ancient Vedic world of the Aryans which is the progenitor of most modern philosophies. Our protagonist Vajra is the dweller of Rta, otherwise known as natural order...Tao, for the modern reader. Back in those days, the throne of Rta is reserved for the gods, while the Asuras believed in their own power which they earned through the pursuit of martial arts. 

One friend is lord of the Devas, one will subdue the Asuras. Come with us on this epic journey till the two boys take separate routes in life and eventually confront each other. What will happen in the end when man confronts god, who is also his best friend? And why does he do it? 

Learn all the answers in this book which is a tale of two children set against the backdrop of the myriad ancient myths of India! 


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Author's comment: I would love to hear your reviews and comments. Don't forget to vote if you like the story!

NOTICE: Cover art is for illustration only. Author does not hold the rights. Attribution: Shanmugavel.V

Liu Jin woke up at half past seven in the morning the next day. He freshened up before heading down to get some breakfast.
The breakfast lounge was inside a glass dome with an open view of the flower garden outside. The room was located in the west side of the mansion which only experiences direct sunlight in the afternoons.
"Good morning, Grandfather Wang." He greeted.
"Mmm." Wang Jing nodded as he continued reading the morning paper.
Liu Jin sat down and began helping himself to some breakfast.
"Gooooooood morning grandpaw!" Daiyu greeted heartily from the door. Today, she wore a white blouse paired with a navy-blue skirt. Her hair was tied up in two pigtails and she wore knee-high socks and doll shoes.
Wang Jing chuckled at her energetic greeting.
"Good morning, Xiao Yu. Come have breakfast." He beckoned her.
Today, they were having a hefty western breakfast spread. There were eggs and bacon, toast with cheese, and pancakes with fruit toppings drizzled in syrup and cream. Aside from that, there was also coffee, hot chocolate, juice, and milk, as well as boxes of cereals in different flavors.
Liu Jin watched as Daiyu ate enthusiastically.
'So cute.' He smiled.
Daiyu noticed Liu Jin's stare and blushed.
"J-Jin-gege should eat lots too. Grandpaw said that children should eat more to grow taller."
Wang Jing chuckled.
"Your Jin-gege is already very tall for his age. Our little princess, on the other hand, should drink more milk." Wang Jing then poured her a glass.
Because of years of malnutrition, Daiyu was quite thin and much smaller in height than other girls her age. As such, Wang Jing had instructed the maids to feed her only healthy food and lots of milk.
"Grandfather Wang, will Daiyu be attending primary school this coming school year?" Liu Jin asked.
Wang Jing stroked his chin.
"… You're right. She'll be turning six in a month and a half, it's about time she enters primary school."
"Then maybe it's best to get her a private tutor as early as now. A private tutor will help prepare her for the academy." He suggested.
Wang Jing nodded.
"Should I ask my private tutor to help her?"
Wang Jing paused in thought before agreeing.
"Then I shall be counting on you, Ah Jin."
Liu Jin smiled. That way, even after his one month stay at the mansion, he'd have excuses to come visit her often. Maybe he can even suggest that they both have their tutorial lessons together.
---
After that day, Liu Jin had set a deadline for himself. He had to gain Daiyu's trust and attention in just one week. He only had a month before he had to leave the Wang Mansion. Before then, he had to make sure that his relationship with Daiyu would be one where visiting her often would arouse no suspicion from the adults. And the first step to that was to gain Daiyu's trust!
He did his best to start conversations with her. At first, she was quite shy and could only say a few words to him. However, soon, she started opening up to him. He would go to school in the mornings and when he returned home in the afternoons, he would play with Daiyu or watch her draw.
He would often bring home snacks for her, mostly sweets that he remembered she loved eating in her past life. In only a week, he managed to capture little Daiyu's heart. His ultimate weapon: desserts.
---
One day, after class had ended, Liu Jin wandered around the mansion looking for Daiyu. He found her inside the living room, lying on the floor while she drew.
"Hello, Daiyu." Liu Jin greeted.
" Jin-gege!" She beamed. She liked this big brother! He was very kind to her.
"May I join you?"
Daiyu nodded and continued drawing.
"What are you drawing?" Liu Jin asked.
"This is grandpaw. And this is Uncle Tang."
"Then where is your Jin-gege?"
Daiyu paused.
"I will draw Jin-gege next then." She replied.
"Okay. Can you show me your drawing after?"
Daiyu nodded obediently. Liu Jin then sat down on the sofa to do his homework. After a while, Daiyu stood up and rushed to him.
"Jin-gege! Jin-gege! Look!" She proudly showed him her drawing.
"That's very pretty Daiyu." He smiled.
The drawing had a large house in the background, presumably the Wang Mansion. In front of the house were two people, one had a triangle skirt and the other had rectangle shorts.
"Oh, is that you beside me?" He asked and Daiyu nodded.
'Should I push my luck?' He thought.
"… Daiyu, do you like your Jin-gege?"
Daiyu paused before nodding her head.
"Then Daiyu, do you want to become my wife?" He grinned naughtily.
"Wife?"
"Mmm! When you grow up, Daiyu will become my wife. And then, your Jin-gege will be your husband."
Daiyu paused.
"Owkay."
"Promise?"
"Pwomise!" She held out her tiny pinky and he hooked his onto hers.
"Then – then Jin-gege needs to get Daiyu a ring."
"You're right." He rubbed his chin in thought.
He then made a paper ring using Daiyu's drawing papers and slipped it onto her finger.
"When we grow older, I'll get you a better ring."
"How much older?"
"When your boobs grow bigger."
"Boobs? What are boobs?"
"They are something only your Jin-gege can touch." He grinned naughtily.


The female lead who died miserably under the hands of her scheming half-sister is reincarnated but does not choose revenge. Instead, she chooses to live for herself, to chase after her dreams, and to fall in love again. Author's Note: A slice of life, sweet and fluffy romance novel. Recommended for those who like light reading. Not recommended for those who want to dive into the action at once.

"Are you able to understand the concept?" Teacher Lee asked.
"Yes," the students replied in unison.
Lu Ming exclaimed out of amazement. These were students of The First Academy indeed. Look, if it was students from the school at the crossroad, most likely they would not be able to understand. These people actually grasped the concept after hearing it once! 
They were only second to him. Bravo.
"That's good," said Teacher Lee smilingly. "Next, I will draw the lines. Everyone, please take a good look… When I draw, you can try to get a feel for it."
Shush!
Shush!
Teacher Lee began to draw.
One could not deny that Teacher Lee's foundation was really very good.
When she was drawing, the lines were very solid. At one glance, one could tell that it was very stable. Very soon, lines akin to a circular ecology structure emerged from her hands.
"This is a structure that can withstand three standard lines.
The lines here are like that…
The lines over here are like this…"
Teacher Lee explained every line. "Come, everyone, please try it."
Shush!
Shush!
The students began to draw.
One could not deny the wonder of such a learning method.
A profound concept such as the rotary island coupled with the teacher's explanation and guidance of the technique, and personally witnessing her drawing…
Shush!
Shush!
Lu Ming also started to draw.
"You have to be steady.
Right, slow down.
Sometimes, we pursue speed for the sake of achieving greater efficiency but other times, we pursue stability for the sake of a stronger effect!" Teacher Lee explained.
"What are the basics?
It's the effect created by drawing one line.
I know everyone may have heard too many metaphors for this, including tall buildings and so on. But this time, I want to tell you that one basic line is actually a road!
The same road!
Some people will draw and create a dirt road!
Some people will draw and create a concrete road!
Some people will draw and create an asphalt road!
If I put it this way, can you understand?
All these roads can be open to traffic. However, there are great differences in speed, stability, and flow. With an increase in traffic, differences will become increasingly apparent!
And this…
is the cultivation of the foundation of a Card Creator!
Beginner Card Creator, Intermediate Card Creator, Advanced Card Creator…
The professional certifications not only test one's knowledge and reserves of the Card Creator profession but are also an assessment of one's foundation. Only the qualified pass the certification process!
Why is this structure a high-level Card Creator technique?
This is because the intermediate Card Creators are unable to pick this up at all!
Even if they learn the technique and create the architecture, it can only withstand one or two lines. Almost no one can succeed!
Think about it.
Energy needs to pass through this road once!
At this moment, won't the impact be weaker if the road is unstable and the speed is not fast?
Therefore…
Being a high-level Card Creator is the minimum prerequisite.
Of course, ordinary high-level Card Creators typically create three basic lines. It took me quite a while to achieve four basic lines…"
The concept was clear!
Lu Ming was stunned and amazed. He was very attentive because the teacher was teaching something very important.
He had benefited a lot.
The knowledge that he picked up from the teaching methods of the training institutions where he was from was less useful than what he could learn from self-study. In contrast, the teachers of The First Academy obviously had a deeper understanding of the subject.
Foundation…
Lines…
Roads…
Lu Ming's hands did not stop. He continued to draw while digesting these concepts as part of his comprehensive study from various sources. 
He drew very slowly.
His speed was really very slow.
Precisely, just as some youngsters had said, at times, we pursue efficiency and at other times, we pursue only the effect.
But now…
What he wanted to do was to utilize all the strengths of his foundation and conscientiously draw this rotary line and make it stronger and sturdier!
To enforce the stability of the structure!
After a long time…
Lu Ming completed his drawing.
A complete energy structure card emerged.
At this very moment…
Most of the students had also finished drawing.
Most of the students in the class were two-star or three-star Card Creators and they were rather talented. Hence, they did not have a problem creating a similar line following to the teacher's explanation.
It was just that the effect…
"It seems that everyone has finished drawing."
Teacher Lee was very satisfied. "I will pick a student and test it."
Cough.
One by one, the students lowered their heads.
They were new to this and theirs were certainly failed products. No one wanted to go onto the podium and embarrass themselves.
"You!
Yes, you!"
Teacher Lee suddenly smiled and said, "That good looking young guy at the back."
Fine.
He knew that he could not escape.
Among a group of fat homebody Card Creators who did not fancy exercising, the handsome face of Lu Ming was that eye-catching.
"Come here. I will help you to test it."
After taking Lu Ming's card, Teacher Lee took a closer look at it. "Not bad. Judging from the card face, it is quite stable. Next, let's check out the effect."
Shush!
Teacher Lee input energy to test the stability of this circular line.
One standard line, stable.
Two standard lines, very stable.
Well…
Three standard lines, still stable.
Eh?
Teacher Lee was a little astonished. He actually succeeded just like that?
"Students, did you see that?" Teacher Lee said emotionally. "This student picked up a high-level technique successfully in his first try. Moreover, he is only a two-star Card Creator!"
Those new students' eyes widened.
He had really learned it?
That outstanding?
"Not bad."
Teacher Lee was very satisfied.
It was rare to encounter such a positive example.
However…
She instinctively continued to input more energy… Eh? It was also stable for four standard lines?
Wait a minute…
She continued to input more energy.
The energy flow for five standard lines was also smooth. The circular ecology structure was still very intact with no signs of collapsing. It was extremely stable.
Teacher Lee was dumbstruck.
F-five lines?
It was stable?
T-this…
Try again?
Teacher Lee continued to test numbly. She only stopped when the card showed vague signs of collapsing.
Oh.
It could not withstand six lines!
That was still alright, alright… Alright? To hell with it! This was already very scary, okay?
What did it mean?
Even high-level Card Creators typically created three lines for a start.
Five lines?
What the hell was five lines?
"Student…"
Teacher Lee was at a loss for words.
She looked up. Every student had a dumbstruck expression on their face. They had witnessed teacher's earlier action and knew that the technical structure created by this classmate could actually withstand five standard lines!
"Are you sure that this is the first time you're learning this?"
Teacher Lee's expression was perplexed.
"Yes."
Lu Ming nodded earnestly.
It was really his first time!
That was right. After all, he was only a two-star Card Creator.
Wait a minute?
He was only a two-star Card Creator?
After pondering, Teacher Lee's heart ached even more.
She turned back to take a look. The most scary thing was… These two-star or three-star students were staring blankly at the card in Lu Ming's hands and then at their own card.
Boom!
Boom!
One by one, everyone tested their card, which collapsed in moments.
One line, two lines…
None of the cards could withstand three lines!
She had no choice.
In fact, this was very normal.
After all, those who created cards that could withstand three lines were considered to have mastered this technique and very formidable. However, why did a two-star Card Creator manage to learn it?
Everyone was breaking down a little emotionally.
"Self-study."
Teacher Lee sighed.
The lesson ended gloomily.
The novices who were initially in good moods looked downhearted and even doubted life slightly.
Two-star…
Were two-star nowadays already so powerful?
Had they become useless even before they attained three-star?
Weren't they supposed to be geniuses?
…
The second lesson.
The high-level technique class was a major subject with successive lessons.
The students were still learning hard. However, they were unable to successfully draw the lines and looked visibly more hot-tempered and emotionally unstable.
"This won't do," Teacher Lee muttered to herself.
By the afternoon, these kids would suffer a full emotional meltdown!
To these gifted students, the appearance of a super-genius was too much of an impact! Furthermore, this was the first high-level technique class that these novices came into contact with!
If this were to continue, what would happen in the future?
She had to think of a solution.
He looked at Lu Ming's profile. Oh, visiting student?
Well…
An idea came to her mind very quickly.
"Hey, you!
Right, it's you. You did quite well during the last lesson. This time, come and personally draw the lines for everyone to see."
Teacher Lee asked Lu Ming to come forward without further ado.
"Huh?"
Lu Ming was puzzled.
Even though I am good looking, you can't keep asking me!
However, the teacher had already spoken. As a visiting student, obviously, he was not qualified to object. Hence, he could only go onto the podium obediently and draw on the blank card.
This time…
All the students focused their attention on him.
Well…
Teacher Lee took a glance. The card created by this child was very stable.
Not bad!
However…
Sorry, I can't let you succeed this time!
Teacher Lee felt a little apologetic. She had no choice. Who told you to be a visiting student? She could not let a visiting student destroy the morale of the students! Although she felt a little guilty, she had to make Lu Ming fail once! This was the only way that those affected students would regain some confidence. 
Well…
The Interference Card in her hands dissipated quietly.
At this very moment, Lu Ming, who was drawing the card, could obviously sense that something was not right. His eyesight turned a little blur and his mind was suddenly in a poor state.
Did he stay up late too frequently recently?
Or perhaps a student did something to him?
This would not do!
He could not embarrass Teacher Lee!
Teacher Lee requested him to give a demonstration, how could he embarrass himself? Hence, he entered the familiar Sea of Consciousness, faced the black cat and gave it a stroke.
The black cat woke up, looking dumbstruck.
Again?!
Bam!
It hit Lu Ming with its tail.
Lu Ming returned to reality and his state of mind recovered very quickly.
Shush!
Shush!
A card was successfully created.
"Very good."
Teacher Lee had a smile on her face. She had disturbed him. This time, the lines that he had drawn should not be that stable anymore? 
Hence…
Feeling at ease, she started to input the energy.
Shush!
Three lines standard energy input, stable.
Four lines standard energy input, stable.
Five lines standard energy input, stable
Six lines standard energy input, stable.
???
Everyone was dumbstruck.
Even Teacher Lee did not regain her senses after a long time. T-this… He actually improved!
How could that be possible?!
"You…"
Teacher Lee looked at Lu Ming in disbelief.
"I practiced during the last lesson. Hence, I am more familiar with it now," Lu Ming explained.
The teacher was speechless.
Those new students stared blankly at the card, which was still struggling between one standard line and two standard lines, in their hands. Suddenly, they felt their heart turning cold. 
Look, other people had five standard lines the first time he learned this and six standard lines after just one lesson!
What about them?
Two lessons and they had not learned it!!!
Good-for-nothing!
They were really useless!
So, this was the super genius?
So, so-called geniuses like them were all trash?!
So, two-star Card Creators could be amazing to such an extent?!
These novices suffered a total emotional breakdown.
Hence…
The second lesson ended with an even gloomier atmosphere.
Teacher Lee's face was black. What happened?
Clearly, she had asked Lu Ming to come on stage to make him fail. He unknowingly succeeded and even improved?! The Interference Card was a fake one, right!
This was merely a two-star Card Creator!
Two-star!
However, looking at Lu Ming's puzzled expression, what else could she say?
It was already very embarrassing to use an Interference Card on a student. Furthermore, the other party had not done anything wrong. She could not bring herself to chide Lu Ming now…
Alright, she would do that!
This group of kids who had suffered a blow could recover, right?
She was very doubtful.
After all, this was The First Academy!
In theory, they were the top geniuses!
But now?
They had been thoroughly defeated by a visiting student.
Ring—
It was dismissal time.
The novices left silently as if they had just participated in a memorial service.


The Card Creator is a very ordinary profession. Simply put, the incumbent seals various kinds of abilities, illusions, images and so on in blank cards for convenience of use.
Lu Ming, who initially planned to lead an idle life, had a not-so-boring dream now — He hopes to seal the entire world in the cards.
One still needed to have dreams. What if you could realize them?

The next four days were spent on training the body and understanding the world which also made me train my mind in coping up with all of these sudden changes as Zane started to lessen the effectiveness of her Calming Spell, and then eventually denying me of it on the fourth day.


That is why, the fourth day became a nightmare as the Calming Spell was removed, leaving me alone to deal with all of those repressed feelings.


With the help of Zane's unusual method of coping, I was able to overcome these accumulated mental traumas in just over a day. If this was back on Earth, it wouldn't be possible to recover for a very short time. 


I can still see the annoying "You can do it!" expression she made before she started as they have to put me into a deep sleep and try to influence my subconscious.


That is why it bugs me, how I could not bring myself to get angry at her after the rehab. She must've done a great deal of effort on easing all of those "repressed" feelings while I was going through it.


"Good Morning, how are you feeling?" Zane asked once she saw me get out of my room. 


"My head hurts a little." I replied as I touched my head. I approached the table where they are eating and took a seat.


"Hmm, that's good progress." She said as she downed a glass of water, "You didn't get a nightmare, have you?"


"I haven't. Thanks for using that Calming Spell, I think it helped me cope up." I said as I grabbed a spoon and fork and took a portion from the foods served on the table that looked delicious to me.


"Calming Spell?" In a confused tone, Zane asked and then took a big gulp to clear the food in her mouth. "Oh, is that how you call it?" 


"Uh, isn't it what it's called?" I said as I began stuffing my mouth with food.


Zane released a hearty laugh and said,


"You're not too good at naming." She said. "Did you hear him, Gohen?" She asked Gohen, who's sitting nearby.


Gohen acted like he didn't hear her. He sighed and said,


"It's a Charm, as well as many others that are achieved through similar processes." 


"Similar process?" Intrigued, I asked.


"I can't give you a clear description of it," Drops his eating utensils and started to think of how he should explain it,


"It should be like when..."


"Hey!" Zane yelled and interrupted whatever Gohen was about to say, " I'm the one who should teach these things."


Gohen raised his hand and revealed a rare playful expression, 


"Fine." He said, dropped his hand, and looked at me. "It's better if Zane tells you how, she's much of a Magus than I am."  He then grabbed his eating utensils and continued eating.


"Is there any news from Doshium?" I asked as I took a bite out of the food on my plate.


"There's none yet, but we should have news from there in three days at maximum." Gohen replied.


I nodded as I chewed on my food.


"So, what will I do today?" I asked.


Gohen taught for a moment, before saying, 


"You took my lessons last, so Zane will teach you today."


"Is it mine already?" Zane said with a shocked expression to which Gohen just ignored.


"You skipped 2 morning jogs too, we'll add two more lapses to our jog tomorrow." Gohen added. I grimaced after hearing what he said.


I suddenly felt tired just by thinking of it. The route that we jog in the territory of the Engleits is already tiring enough as it spans about 5km, 2 more would make it 15km, and I have to finish it in an hour while doing Internalization too. 


That should be barely acceptable for me, I thought.


The anatomy of this world's human body were the same with Earth's. Except that, there's an energy that nourishes everything in this world, including this world's humans. 


This energy would be passively absorbed by everything on this planet, and in turn it makes them stronger each day.


That is why even though people are stronger here than that of earth, all of what exists here is made in proportion to their strength.


Now that I think of it, I am very lucky that only my spirit is the only thing that is transported to this world. If my body was included during my transportation to this world, the overwhelming pressure alone would turn my body into a meat paste in a blink of an eye.


I resumed eating my food and ignored Gohen's small talks of places where people won't be able to see us when we jog.


"We'll start your training after your meal." Zane informed me as she finished her meal and fixed herself up.


"Can't we go around Engleits this afternoon?" I asked.


"No!"


"Absolutely not!"


The both of them instantly replied which startled me for a moment.


"Why?" I asked.


"We are in hiding, remember? We can't possibly risk people knowing that you're here." Gohen reminded me.


"Oh yeah, I almost forgot that."


I remembered that there was still tension going on in Doshium. Although it's far from Engleits, the enemies of my supposed father would do anything to reach me.


Zane must've seen the disappointment that registered briefly on my face and said,


"After we receive some news, we can probably visit around the territory before leaving." She suggested.


"Really?" It brightens up my mood instantly. I would never pass an opportunity to learn more of this place, this world.


"Of course, right Gohen?" A warm smile formed on her face as she turned to get an affirmation from Gohen.


Gohen just nodded his head in reply.


"Great!" I said when I saw that he agreed.


Zane stood up from her seat and turned to look at me,


"Head to the study room after you're done, we'll do today's lessons there." She informs and excuses herself.


She headed straight into the study room and left me and Gohen on the table, still eating breakfast. 


I tried to hasten the speed at which I ate so that I could get to her faster.


Above everything that I have encountered in this world, the existence of magic interests me most as there's nothing much of a difference between here and on Earth, except that their technology is not as advanced and their way of living is a bit backwards as their law is dependent on how strong its enforcers are.


I could already feel the energy that they were talking about after Gohen taught me how to internalize.


However, there is still a big difference between feeling and using the energy flowing around your body.


I was able to finish eating my breakfast in no time and was just preparing to stand up and excuse myself from the table.


"Kael." Gohen called,


Gohen must've noticed that something is missing on me as he ask, 


"Where's the pendant?"


I was startled for a moment and touched the area between my chest and felt the missing pendant.


"I must've forgotten it in my room." I replied. 


I remember that I wore it off after taking a bath last night. 


Gohen paused for a moment and just nodded. 


"Just make sure that you don't lose it." He said and stood up from the table.


The next thing that happened boosted my excitement to see Zane.


Gohen swiped his hand across the table, and the food, the plate and the various mess on the table disappeared, leaving it clean and fixed.


"I'll be going to check up on things with the Lord of Engleits and see if there's news from Doshium. I should be back in the afternoon." He informed me with a smile and headed out of our residence.


I can only reply with an "Okay." and was still left amazed even after I heard the door that Gohen just used close. 


The moment I recovered, I immediately dashed towards the direction of the study room and found Zane in the midst of finishing a complicated drawing she drew on the floor.


"Stand on that circle and be careful not to erase the lines. It's made of crude materials." Zane instructed and pointed to one of the circles inside the drawing.


I did what I was told and stepped on the spaces between the lines of the drawings, careful not to step on anything.


The moment that I stepped inside the circle that she mentions, the circle glowed just like how the one she's in.


"Amazing, isn't it" Zane asked when she saw the awe in my expression. 


I smiled and began to expect something more from this drawing.


"What is this?" I asked.


"This is what we call an Array." Zane began to say, "We use an Array when we want to combine multiple spells at the same time."


I studied how the drawing is made and was drawn to the intricate runes written at the perimeter of this circular drawing.


Somehow, those runes felt familiar, like I've seen them somewhere but I just can't remember where.


"Notice how many triangles there are?" Zane asked once more when she saw my interest in the Array.


I nodded in reply.


From the perimeter of the Array, the runes encircle two intersecting triangles which formed a hexagram that reminds me of the Star of David.


"There are two." I replied.


"That means that this Array can only hold Spells up to two second order of Magic or lower. You'll learn more of that once we get back on Doshium, but first..." She paused then stamped her foot against the floor.


The Array was instantly activated. The drawings began to glow, the runes began to rotate on its axis, and the triangles rotated against the rotation of the other.


I felt my heart race as I was taken aback from the sudden change. I almost lost my balance as the next changes caught me off guard. 


In a blink of an eye, the study room fades and is replaced by a dark and starry sky. We were floating amidst the vast void and saw comets pass by.


"You wouldn't see this at schools everyday so listen carefully. Try and absorb as much information as you can." Zane informed me before she controlled the scene and focused it on a planet that almost looks like Earth, only much bigger.


It turns out that this particular Array works like a 360 degrees projector, only that you won't be able to see the room you're in before as it will be replaced by a completely different environment.


If this was before, I would have been utterly shocked and, for a long time, would remain like that as I wouldn't know how to react to such an unexplainable event.


However, as I spend more time in this world, I have gathered knowledge that made me process these things in a much logical and systematic way, making me able to slowly adapt to these sudden changes.


"You must've already known that I can do this because I can control Mana, correct?" She asked once the scene is focused on that planet.


I nodded.


"However, your understanding of Mana is too shallow and could only be described as something primitive. That is why I'll show you a story that happened thousands of years ago."

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