The assistant opened the door for Alen to enter. Behind her, Kailas gave him a thumbs-up, looking as if Alen were heading to an execution field rather than a principal’s office.

Alen stepped inside. As soon as he crossed the threshold, a sudden winter chill washed over him in the otherwise silent room.

The spacious office was illuminated by warm mana lamps. It wasn’t overly luxurious like the dormitory room; instead, it was decorated in a simple, elegant style preferred by those seeking peace and quiet.

Alen subtly circulated his mana to warm his body. Suddenly, a voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned his gaze to a middle-aged woman wearing a warm smile.

"So, you are the boy Kailas asked me to meet... Judging by your face, you’re certainly not a student of this academy."

"I just personally inspected everyone’s identities."

"Come in. Sit here."

She gestured to the seat across from her desk.

"I am Clara Estera, the Principal of the Asterion Academy."

Alen walked over and sat on the couch silently.

’She looks somewhat strange. My intuition is screaming at me to stay away from her... She’s looking at me like she can read my mind.’

"So... what is your name, child?"

Alen sighed, feeling extremely tired of being called a child.

"It’s Alen."

"I heard from Emily that you lost your memories. Is that true?"

Alen nodded. It was a lie, but he had no choice if he wanted to gather as much information about this world as possible without raising suspicion.

"Okay... then let me feed your curiosity," Clara said gently.

"The world you are living in is called ’Asterion’. It has several empires, divided based on the races that live in them to maintain global peace."

"The Asterion Academy stands as a central pillar of this world. We help both Awakeners and Non-Awakeners to rise in power and become pillars of their nations. The Academy’s goal is to pass down magical and practical knowledge. We teach our students the discipline and attitude required to protect our world. It also prepares them to face the unpredictable and bizarre trials of the Ascension Realm."

She looked at Alen, who was absorbing her every word with deep concentration. She continued.

"But the Academy isn’t the only pillar protecting the nations. There are currently four major Churches across the different nations that hold immense influence over the world."

"Once someone passes Stage 1 of the Ascension Realm, they receive a Star. A Star is nothing but a ’rune’ or a ’blessing’ given by the gods, which grants them the qualification to join the Church’s ranks. The Church has its own hierarchy: Priests, Paladins, Bishops, and Archbishops."

"Every Church has a Saint or Saintess. They are either born with the blessing of a God, or they acquire it through different methods in life. The Saint or Saintess is the foundation of the Church; without them, the Church would lose its power, and the people would lose their belief."

"...And if the people’s belief declines, the God that everyone’s pray to that Church will stop bestowing blessings, and the Church will cease to exist."

"As for the Ascension Realm... well, it seems you have already completed your first trial, so there isn’t much specific advice I can give you," Clara said softly.

"The Ascension Realm is a dimension that produces bizarre trials to force the Awakeners to surpass their limits and achieve absolute immortality."

"As the name ’Ascension’ suggests, it means ’to climb’. You have to complete the trials and stages to reach the very top, walking your own unique Path."

"Awakeners are people who have established their own ’Path’. There is no Awakeners in this world without one. Everyone has their own ’path’ to walk on. The Ascension Realm was made for people to reach the absolute end of their Path. However, up to this date... no one has ever been able to achieve the absolute limit."

*Sigh...*

"Is there anything else you want to ask me?" Principal Clara asked.

Alen nodded. He had comprehended the overall information. He had tons of other things he wanted to know, but asking too much would only cause more trouble and expose the fact that he was completely foreign to this world.

"Is there a specific time limit for participating in the next trial?"

She shook her head.

"No... there is no specific timeline for climbing the Ascension Realm. It entirely depends on which ’Path’ you choose to walk on. If you wanted to, you could spend a whole year without completing a trial."

"However, that is not preferred. If you don’t perform trials, it means you are getting too comfortable in the real world. This leads the World to assume that you are walking away from your Path. And know this: if you delay climbing for more than a year, the ’Ascension Realm’ itself will forcefully summon you. It is useless to refuse the Ascension Realm."

"The only choice left is to do or die."

Alen looked at her. She had just given him the essential information he needed for his future in the Ascension Realm.

’Sigh... I thought I could avoid climbing the realm, but it seems there is no way back.’

’But if I have to climb, then I will reach the very end.’

’I wasted my entire past life helping others and proving myself to everyone. But now, I will be a selfish person who only thinks of himself. I’m not going to leave myself behind for anyone.’

’I will carve my own way through the Ascension Realm, and one day, I will reach the very end.’

[Ding! Your recognition of your own ’Path’ has solidified to a large extent!]

Alen looked at the Principal. She had told him everything he needed to know. He was done here. He would gradually uncover the other mysteries of the world on his own.

"Thank you for giving me this basic information... I will leave now."

Alen bowed slightly, performing a basic courtesy, and turned to leave.

"Wait... Did I ever say you could leave?"

A sudden, terrifying chill ran down Alen’s spine. Frost rapidly spread across the floor and up the walls around her. Alen looked back. Clara’s expression was the complete opposite of before. Her eyes were deadly cold, piercing right through him.

But just as Alen thought she was going to attack him, her expression changed like the weather. The frost vanished, and she smiled warmly with gentle eyes.

"Well... would you like to enroll in the Academy? Judging by your looks and the fact that you were able to survive the first trial alone, I would welcome you with open arms."

"We have various students, geniuses, and prodigies your age here. You will be able to grow much stronger if you stay."

Alen looked at her calmly.

"I refuse."

Silence filled the room.

Clara blinked in surprise at his flat refusal. She didn’t expect him to reject the offer without even thinking about it. She thought he might be excited to enter the Academy, especially since he lacked basic knowledge about the world. Getting an opportunity like this was incredibly rare; Asterion Academy was the most prestigious institution in the world, gathering prodigies from everywhere.

But seeing his calm, unwavering face, she felt conflicted about the boy.

"Are you sure you don’t want to join? An opportunity like this will not come again."

"I have no interest in joining the Academy," Alen replied.

"I only came here because I wanted to know more about this world, and you are perhaps the most knowledgeable person here. So again, thank you for your help."

As Clara watched Alen leave the room, closing the door behind him, she felt an unknown sense of ’hope’ bloom in her heart.

A hope meant for those who would reach the absolute end of the Ascension Realm and put an end to this constant cycle of chaotic trials.

’Well... what am I even thinking?’ she chastised herself.

’How can a child his age reach the end of the Ascension Realm, when even beings close to Godhood haven’t been able to climb it?’

She looked out the window at the setting sun. The room was filled with the warm orange light of the evening. As she watched the sunset, her eyes began to moisten. She quickly wiped the tears away and focused back on her paperwork.

"Sigh... This work has no end... I also have to go to my next Trial soon. Let’s hope I can finish this paperwork before then."

"When is my tired old life going to end... I’m tired of living in this world for centuries." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

​She stared out the window, her voice barely a whisper.

"I just want to see the world live in peace before the day I die. I hope the sun of peace will finally rise over this world in the coming future..."

​Suddenly, the door of the room opened, and Emily entered. She looked at Clara, who sat there quietly working.

​"My lady, what do you think of the boy who came earlier?"

​Emily looked at Clara with intense, curious eyes. Usually, the Principal didn’t let any Academy students—or even high-ranking nobles—meet her personally. But today, she had agreed to see this unknown boy immediately.

​Clara continued working, a small, knowing smile appearing on her face.

​"Well... the world is changing, and the stars are rising. Let’s see how brightly the new stars of this world will shine."