Eversun City was founded over 1000 years ago.

It is the primary colony of the Robels Empire in the south and boasts a population of over 100 million people, including a significant number of non-humans.

The city's massive population can be attributed to its advanced technology. It's not uncommon to see buildings with more than 100 stories.

The poorer inhabitants typically reside in these high-rise buildings, while the affluent live in large houses.

Daniel, who wasn't wealthy, opened the door to his apartment on the 61st floor and entered.

"I'm finally back!" he sighed with relief.

"Why are there so many tall buildings?" Rachel asked, her confusion evident.

"What do you mean?" he replied.

"What year is it?" she inquired, a question she hadn't asked until now.

"It's the year 999905," he answered.

"Oh, dear!" Rachel was stunned.

"Dan, you should get me some history books covering the last 13,000 years!" she urgently requested.

"Why is that? Do you like history too?" Daniel asked.

"Tell me everything you know about the history of the past 13,000 years! Start with King Owen," she insisted.

Daniel rolled his eyes and said, "I don't understand why people care so much about history!"

"King Owen took the throne, and from then on, the Robels Kingdom ushered in a new prosperous era."

"After reforming the kingdom and stabilizing it, he handed the throne to his beloved daughter, Doris, and left the kingdom to explore the world."

"According to King Doris, he was promoted to a very high level and is now living on another continent," he explained.

"Wait, he lives where? Why did they lie about it?" she asked.

"What are you saying? You mean King Doris lied?" he replied angrily.

"It seems like they brainwashed children in schools. Hey, tell me, are the schools government-run?" she inquired.

"Every child must attend public school from age 5 to 15. There are no exceptions, even for nobles! In one of her speeches, King Doris said, 'For the light of justice to reach everyone, children must be well-educated,'" Daniel explained.

Rachel sighed and said, "So that's why you're so brainwashed. Please continue. What happened next?"

Daniel felt uncomfortable with Rachel's condescending tone. Still, he pushed past it and continued, "After King Doris took the throne, she appointed officials who cared about the people and removed those who didn't. The prime minister at that time was chosen through a barbaric method, so she changed it, and from then on, she personally selected the best person for the job."

"Wait, you call elections barbaric?" Rachel exclaimed.

"I don't know what it was, but they say it corrupted people," Daniel replied.

"Look who's talking about being corrupt! Didn't you kill your friend for some pills?" Rachel retorted.

"It was me, and I'd do it again! I'd do it for the Empire and King Doris!" Daniel stated firmly.

"What a hypocrite," Rachel muttered.

"Don't talk to me like that," Daniel warned. "Let's just continue."

Daniel took a deep breath and continued, "King Doris appointed several prime ministers, but they were unsatisfactory. Ultimately, she appointed her trusted aide, Alivia, as the permanent prime minister."

Rachel remembered Alivia and was surprised.

To survive this long, it meant that Alivia must have reached rank four.

"What happened next?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know that much. I just know that some war happened, and Orange Light Academy's dean was killed, and King Doris spread her Light of Justice until now that we are here," he said.

"How do you know about Orange Light Academy?" Rachel inquired.

"They teach us about it in the Knight Academy," he replied.

Rachel decided to force Daniel to get a history book later.

"Now, sit down and meditate until you reach rank 1," she said.

"I will meditate, but in addition to that, I have other plans too," he said.

"I told the last person, and I'm telling you too. Just go to some cave and meditate until you reach rank 9; otherwise, you'll likely die!" Rachel said.

"What are you talking about? I'm hired by the army and have duties. I can't just abandon them!"

She gave up on convincing this brainwashed boy.

He sat down, took a rank 1 'vigor' pill, and absorbed it.

Then, he took a rank 0 root mana pill and absorbed it, too.

After that, he slept.

He had plans for the next day, so he went to sleep early.

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...

The Robels Empire believed in a free market.

It wasn't always like this.

At the beginning of King Doris's reign, she advocated for more government control.

But as time passed, she leaned more toward the capitalist side.

Today, even many parts of the army are controlled by private institutions.

It's just that these 'private institutions' are all controlled by loyalists to her.

Whether this can be called a free market is debatable, but private companies indeed fund them.

These companies include mining companies, exploration companies, agriculture, and many others.

Some protesters have accused her of privatizing everything to evade being held responsible for those companies' actions and to keep a show of justice by occasionally 'punishing' them for the harm they are causing.

Those people have been 'persuaded' to attend 'universities' to be 'educated' appropriately.

...

Daniel was in an office.

This is the office of 'Army privatization.'

Anyone can register and create a private group.

Private groups are considered a contractor with the army and can undertake missions.

Private groups wear different uniforms, and their actions are independent.

The army only gives them missions; as for how they do it, it's on them.

If they do anything wrong, they may be found and punished by judges that King Doris has appointed.

The judges act as both prosecutors and judges and always hold trials in a massive arena in the middle of Eversun City.

Daniel is a member of the army; however, there are laws that allow army members to suspend their employment temporarily if they form a private group.

He has many plans.

His parents were poor, but they did leave some money.

He will use that money to create a private group and perform some missions with them.

He can sell some pills if he doesn't have enough money, though it would be extremely risky.

"This is a mistake," Rachel couldn't keep her mouth shut.

"I have wishes and dreams! Who can live in a cave for thousands of years and just meditate?" he told her.

"What are your dreams?" Rachel asked with curiosity.

"Being strong enough to meet with King Doris, and maybe..." his face turned red.

"You are joking?" Rachel laughed.

Daniel looked determined.

"You aren't joking!" she said.

Then she stated seriously, "It's not impossible because you have me. But you must listen. These plans of yours are childish. I can help you reach your dreams if you let me," she said.

"Do you guarantee it?" Daniel asked earnestly.

"I do," Rachel said with confidence.

"Hey, Dan, how are you?" a man with white hair came in.

"I have to go," Daniel stood up and went out.

The man was stunned.

...

"What should I do?" Daniel asked firmly.

"First, go out of the city and into the jungle. Look for a remote cave," she said.

Daniel nodded with resolve and left the city.

The surroundings of the city of Eversun were all farmland used for feeding the city.

It was very efficient, with them even exporting food.

Daniel was forced to rent a horse and look for a jungle much further ahead.

Some jungles were preserved, so after a few hours, he found one.

The preserved jungles were all cleared of dangerous monsters, so he wasn't worried.

He found a remote cave in the jungle. "Is this good?" he asked.

"It's good. Now, go in and just meditate. Don't worry about food and water; I have 'food' and 'water' pills ready," Rachel said.

Daniel nodded and went in.

...

After meditating for three months, his mental condition was on the verge of collapse!

"I'm not made for this! I want to be a knight!" he said while crying.

"Maybe I misjudged you!" Rachel sighed with disappointment.

"Then your dreams of being with King Doris are just delusions!" she said.

Rachel had no idea why this boy loved Doris so much, but she wasn't afraid to use it for his motivation.

Daniel's face changed, and with difficulty, he sat on a chair he had made.

He closed his eyes and took another 'root mana' pill.

The pure energy entered his aperture, and after a few moments, he finally broke through.

"Congratulations! You are now a second-grade apprentice mage!" she said.

Daniel took a deep breath and smiled.

After this breakthrough, he felt much better.

"I want to continue!" Daniel said.

Rachel was taken aback. "Is the effect of pure energy so obvious?" she thought.

Pure energy would wipe the emotions of mages unless they actively resisted it with pills.

She had given the necessary pills to Owen, and that had caused him always to be overwhelmed by emotions.

With Daniel, she planned to let his emotions be wiped out by pure energy.

In Rachel's point of view, emotions are nothing but obstacles.

Being bored is an emotion that severely impacts meditation time each day.

Loving someone or something can impact rationality, often forcing people to do unreasonable things.

The same goes for hating someone, envying someone, and every other emotion.

As long as the brain and the will to live remain, that's enough, in Rachel's opinion.

Daniel closed his eyes and meditated.

...

Two years later!

Daniel took another 'consolidation' pill and opened his eyes after twenty minutes.

"Now, I'm a first-grade apprentice mage!" he said.

"What do you feel?" Rachel asked.

"I feel... fine? Maybe more powerful!" he said.

"No, I mean feel! Sadness, happiness, boredom, that kind of feeling!" she asked.

"Maybe happy?" he said.

"Are you guessing how you feel?" she thought.

"No, I'm definitely happy!" he said with a smile.

Rachel shook her head.

Maybe pure energy affects different people differently.

"Now, continue the meditation!" she said.

Daniel took out another pill and continued.

...

One year later

Daniel took another 'concentration' pill and directed all of the pure energy to his aperture.

"Take 'more root' mana pills! Those aren't enough," Rachel said.

Daniel complied and took 10 more 'root mana' pills.

"No, the concentration is not enough! At this rate, your promotion will fail! Take a rank 1 'Root mana' pill!" she said.

Daniel did as told.

The rank 1 mana entered his meridians and caused great pain, but with the help of the rank 1 concentration pill, he managed to direct all of it to his aperture.

With its help, the concentration increased greatly.

After a few minutes, all the mana transformed into a mana core.

"Congratulations! You are now an official mage!" Rachel said with a smile.

"Thank you!" Daniel said.

"Now, tell me, are you happy?" she asked.

Daniel started thinking and said, "I should be happy."

"But are you?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know," he replied.

Rachel sighed and said, "Now, continue to rank 2!"

Daniel didn't protest at all and started again.

...

13 years later

Daniel's eyes were closed, and his attention was entirely on his mana core.

"Take 10 more rank 1 mana pills," Rachel said.

Daniel took them and closed his eyes.

After a while, the mana in his aperture fused and became rank 2.

"Congratulations, you are now a rank 2 mage! Continue concentrating. Take a rank 2 consolidation pill!" she said.

With the help of Rachel, Daniel consolidated his realm and smiled.

As usual, Rachel asked, "How do you feel?"

Daniel scratched his head and said, "I... don't know?"

"Look deep inside and tell me your passion," she said.

"My passion is to be with King Doris," he said.

"That's what you remember. Now tell me, do you desire it with your heart? Do you love her?" she asked.

He thought and said, "I don't know."

"Why do I not know? Weirdly, I feel nothing, but who cares? let's continue!" he said with a smile.

Rachel shook her head and thought, "Yep, his emotions are now officially gone!"

Then she thought, "Maybe my emotions are also gone? But I do feel some emotions while not feeling others, like boredom. What is going on?" She wondered about herself.

"What pill should I use next?" Daniel asked.

"Take a 'root mana' pill after using..."

...

The twenty-ninth day of the twelfth month in the year 999999

Daniel was in the process of breaking through rank 3!

"Quick, take one more rank 3 'concentration' pill!"

Daniel, who was used to her, obeyed.

After a while, rank 3 mana appeared, and he was officially promoted to rank 3!

"Finally!" Rachel looked at her new skill with interest.

She literally waited for more than ten thousand years to get it!

"What is this? It looks good!" she said.

It was named 'Dive in Time,' and its function was...

The system would not explain each skill's functions, so she had to test them to find out.

"It sounds good. Let's use it to find out what it is!"

She used the skill, and the fundamental law of time trembled!