Rook lowered his gaze to the open pages, carefully studying the notes written by Elementalists who had lived decades before him. The handwriting changed from page to page, reflecting the different people who had contributed to the collection over the years. Some wrote with remarkable precision, documenting every detail of their training and every breakthrough they had achieved. Others filled the margins with rough sketches of spells, diagrams showing the flow of mana through the body, and observations that were little more than personal reminders.
He flipped through several pages in silence before noticing something unusual.
None of them followed the same path.
One Elementalist had devoted his entire life to mastering fire, believing absolute specialization was the quickest route to power. Another had abandoned offense altogether, using water solely for healing and support. One record spoke of an Elementalist who combined earth and wind to create storms of razor-sharp stone fragments, while another insisted that true strength came from perfecting mana control before pursuing destructive spells.
Every one of them had reached a different conclusion.
"There isn’t a correct answer," Rook muttered.
Eldric smiled faintly.
"There never was."
He slowly walked around the table and folded his hands behind his back.
"Every awakened person interprets mana differently. A Trait merely determines where your journey begins.
It does not decide where it ends."
Rook nodded thoughtfully.
That was reassuring.
He had been worried that possessing four elements from the start might eventually expose him, but after seeing how differently previous Elementalists had developed, he realized there was no universal standard against which he would be judged.
He turned another page and paused.
Unlike the previous entries, this one contained only a few short paragraphs.
"What happened to this Elementalist?"
Eldric glanced at the page before answering.
"He died."
"So suddenly?"
"He was killed during an assault on one of the Demon Generals nearly sixty years ago. His journal was recovered afterward, but he hadn’t documented much before his death."
Rook silently closed the page.
It was a sobering reminder that not everyone lived long enough to leave behind years of accumulated knowledge.
"Did any of them ever reach the highest level of mastery?" he asked.
Eldric shook his head.
"We don’t know."
"You don’t?"
"The strongest among them disappeared during the early years of the rebellion. Whether he died, was captured, or accomplished something beyond our understanding remains unknown."
Rook leaned back slightly.
"So even Ashline doesn’t know everything."
Eldric chuckled.
"If we knew everything, humanity wouldn’t have spent the last century hiding beneath mountains."
The old man gently closed the book before sliding it toward the center of the table.
"I won’t allow you to borrow it. It is one of Ashline’s oldest records, and only members of the Council may remove it from this room."
"I wasn’t planning to."
"Good."
Eldric’s expression softened.
"However, you are free to return whenever your schedule permits. Knowledge is only useful to those willing to seek it."
"I’ll remember that."
Cain, who had remained silent near the doorway the entire time, finally spoke.
"We’re finished."
Rook gave Eldric a respectful bow.
"Thank you for showing me this."
"Focus on surviving your remaining evaluations first," the old man replied with a warm smile. "You’ll have plenty of opportunities to read afterward."
Rook nodded before following Cain out of the archives.
The walk back through headquarters was much quieter than before. The afternoon had gradually given way to evening, and the lively training grounds had emptied as most trainees returned to their assigned quarters.
A cool breeze drifted through the mountain paths, carrying with it the smell of burning firewood from the kitchens.
Neither of them spoke until they reached the intersection leading toward the squad dormitories.
"The remaining evaluations begin tomorrow at sunrise," Cain said.
"I’ll be there."
"I know."
Without another word, Cain turned and disappeared down another corridor, leaving Rook standing alone.
After watching him leave, Rook headed toward his squad’s quarters. As soon as he stepped into the common room, the conversation inside stopped, and everyone looked in his direction.
"There he is," Baram said. "I was wondering if Cain had decided to train you until midnight."
Seryn stood up from her chair and looked him over carefully.
"You look fine."
"I am."
"And?"
Rook smiled.
"I passed."
Relief spread across the room almost immediately.
"I knew it," Baram declared proudly.
"You absolutely did not," Lina replied. "You said he’d come back unconscious."
"I was testing his luck."
Dren gave a satisfied nod.
"Well done."
Even Rex, who rarely spoke, offered a quiet congratulations before returning to sharpening one of his daggers.
Seryn folded her arms.
"Don’t celebrate too early. You’ve only cleared the first evaluation."
"I know," Rook replied. "The remaining four begin tomorrow."
The room fell silent again.
"Then get some sleep," Seryn said. "Tomorrow won’t be any easier."
Rook agreed, excused himself, and headed toward his room. After closing and locking the door behind him, he sat on the edge of his bed and allowed the events of the day to replay in his mind.
He had survived his first real battle, learned more about Ashline, and gained access to knowledge left behind by generations of Elementalists.
Now it was time to see what else his greatest secret could do.
He took a slow breath.
"System."
The familiar blue window appeared before him, bathing the quiet room in a soft glow.
The status page unfolded in front of him, familiar now after last night’s testing, though he still hadn’t gotten used to how quietly it hummed against the dark.
He skipped past the numbers he already knew and went straight to the one line that mattered.
Experience: 0/100.
Untouched. Exactly where it had been before Fang ever opened his eyes.
Rook exhaled slowly.
"Right. Points don’t rank me up. Fighting does."
He flexed his fingers, watching the Upgrade Points symbol sit there, patient and infinite, useless for the one thing he actually needed tomorrow.
"So what can you do for me tonight?"