We decided to avoid telling my sister for as long as we could, knowing how excitable and impulsive she could be. If she found out, there was a good chance she might accidentally let it slip to someone else or try to prove herself by doing something reckless. Keeping her in the dark felt like the safest option for now, even if it wasn’t entirely fair to her. If she asked every day, though, we decided to tell her that my talent was just my Panoptic Sense since it was already a strong skill. This would also give me an excuse for doing dungeons solo—if you can see everything around you, even in pitch dark, you can probably manage an easier dungeon by yourself. This would buy me some extra time to develop and grow stronger, unless I was able to get a strong skill for my class that we could use as my talent.
Another surprise for me was that my parents had decided I should attend school. At first, I wasn’t sure how to process this decision. The idea of stepping into a new environment filled me with a mix of excitement and apprehension. Was this an opportunity to grow stronger and make valuable connections, or a daunting challenge that would force me to confront past experiences I wasn’t eager to relive? For a moment, the thought of sitting through lessons alongside children felt surreal—an odd juxtaposition for someone carrying decades of memories in a young body.
The school I will go to is for those with strong talents—or nobles—that helps train them to become stronger. The idea is to forge bonds with future powerhouses: nobles might recruit a commoner or lower ranking noble to work for their house, while commoners would at least gain access to resources otherwise out of reach.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about going to school again, to be entirely honest. On the one hand, it was a good opportunity to gain experience and grow stronger. On the other, I’d never enjoyed school much before, and now I was a 30-year-old man in a child’s body, about to attend school with other children. I could only hope that, given the presence of talents, children in this world might mature a little faster. And deep down—desperately, though I didn’t want to jinx it—I hoped there wouldn’t be the stereotypical stuck-up noble picking on those “beneath” them.
The school I was to attend was called The School of Ascension. A bit on the nose to include "school" in the name, if you ask me, but who am I to choose? It’s the most prestigious school in our country.
Before diving into more details, let me explain a bit about the world I live in. It’s called Ambitus. According to most people, there’s only one continent here. I’m skeptical about that, though—Earth supposedly had only one continent at some point though, so who knows? From the map my father had, this continent is massive—about the size of Asia and North America combined. Our country, Magnalon, was founded by someone named Magnon.
Magnon left his homeland, Heirarchon, in disgust at how it treated commoners. No one knows where he went or how he did it, but when he returned, he marched into Heirarchon's castle and announced that he was claiming his home and several hundred miles in every direction as his own. Predictably, the king didn’t take him seriously and ordered the guards to kill him. Magnon killed all the guards in the room, broke the king’s neck, and then turned to the crown prince. He calmly told him he was taking the land and asked if the prince objected—hinting he’d ask the next in line if necessary.
Magnalon shares its eastern border with Heirarchon, while the ocean lies to the south and west. To the north is a vast forest called The Elven Forest—humans aren’t creative with names, apparently. Supposedly, the elves had their own name for it, though, so maybe that’s why humans just called it The Elven Forest. With elves to the north and no one wanting to antagonize them, Magnalon’s primary concern comes from Heirarchon. My father believes something will happen with them soon, as border skirmishes are becoming more frequent.
We live in (I bet you would never guess the name) Magnon, the capital of Magnalon. My mother, a commoner, came from a family of tailors, while my father, a commoner at birth, followed in his father’s footsteps as a guard. Sadly, both sets of my grandparents passed away before I was born due to a sickness that affected the elderly more than the young and healthy.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
The School of Ascension, or simply Ascension, is located in the capital. Renowned for its rigorous curriculum and unparalleled resources, it attracts the most talented and ambitious individuals in the country. Unlike other schools, Ascension emphasizes an equality among everyone approach, fostering an environment where students of all backgrounds can excel. Its dormitory system ensures that students, whether commoners or nobles, are treated equally, promoting bonds that transcend social hierarchies. However, all students are required to live in the dorms. The goal is to foster camaraderie and create an equal footing among students, whether they’re commoners or princes. Though the nobles in Magnalon do tend to treat commoners well, a tradition rooted in the country’s founding principles.
Even though students are expected to live on campus, they can leave the school on weekends. Time here works almost identically to Earth—or close enough that I can’t tell the difference—so the weekend is still days six and seven of the week. My mother wasn’t thrilled about me leaving home so young, but she made it clear I’d better come home every weekend I could. I didn’t have a choice in the matter.
My father, however, was delighted. He had always believed in my potential and saw this as a chance for me to step into a brighter future. His pride in my abilities and recent accomplishments was evident, and he often reminded me that this was an opportunity to rise above our humble beginnings. To him, attending Ascension wasn’t just about education—it was about seizing every chance to grow, connect, and prepare for the challenges ahead. He takes pride in his role as a captain of the guard but wants more for me, especially now that he’s earned a noble title. He also wants me to keep an eye out at school. Several high-profile children are expected to attend this year, and he wants me to watch for anything suspicious since guards are not allowed on campus.
After our discussion, we had lunch, and my father and I went out to spar. We learned a lot about skill levels. My father, who has had Sword Mastery, Shield Mastery, Dodge, and Block for years, was only able to get Shield Mastery to level 6, while Dodge remains at level 2. Magic shields helped his Block and Shield Mastery, as they can be moved and controlled at will. My own Shield Mastery, however, didn’t budge—nor did any of my other skills. That said, Panoptic Sense and Mental Reverie felt a bit more real now that they’d been formalized as system skills, so I suspect that is why they did not improve.
After sparring, we called it a night, agreeing to discuss Ascension—and my sister Ayla’s talent—the next day. Both of my parents believe her talent, based on its name alone, is a fate-bending one. While rare, fate-bending talents are highly sought after. Nobles would pay more for a single Fate Bender than for ten combat-related talents. My father had never heard of anyone outside royal retainers who could actually control the way fate would bend.
After a good night’s sleep and breakfast the next morning, my father asked me what I wanted to do before school started in the fall. I suggested going out to hunt monsters and reaching level 10 to gain a class, as that would give me a solid advantage, allowing me to get stronger than the average child attending Ascension. My father approved, but my mother was horrified.
“Absolutely not! What do you mean, go out and kill monsters? You’re ten years old, Jace!” Ever since my mother had become part of the system, she seemed to let her emotions show more. I don’t know if it was intentional or accidental, but I was happy that she felt she could show her emotions more.
I tried explaining that defeating monsters would be the quickest way to gain experience, as sparring with my father hadn’t granted any. I even suggested starting small, like hunting rabbits or boars—not charging into a goblin tribe. As I said that, I was half expecting to get a quest to kill ten rats or something.
My father, on the other hand, supported the idea and suggested asking John, a family friend and hunter, to help keep me safe. He also offered to take me himself the next day, as he was off duty. This way my father could tell my mom about how I acted, allowing her to feel better about me doing something so dangerous.
My mother was reluctant but finally agreed after my father offered to take me the next day. I felt that if it wasn’t for Ayla, my mom would be coming with us.