1-8

Chapter 1 - Prelude

[ A/N: This chap shows how and why MC died, The story starts in the next chapter and MC's char will develop into a fine one as the story progresses while he experiences many ups and downs. ]

My name is Athan, My parents passed away when I was small, and since then, I've been living with my uncle and aunt, who took care of me like I was their real child.

When I took 1st rank in the exam for the first time, Uncle and aunt were very happy, so I worked hard and got 1st rank every time after that. It brought me joy to see them being happy.

When I turned 16, my uncle and aunt moved to a different city, so I transferred to my new school.

There was a girl in my class, very beautiful; her name was Lily; I think I fell in love with her, but I was not one to express my inner feelings, so I just kept them to myself and studied hard just like I did in my previous school.

But When I achieved rank 1 in my new school and that by a large margin compared to 2nd, I got a pleasant surprise; the most beautiful girl in my class Lily approached me for study-related help; I was so happy I was on cloud nine. She approached me for study-related help and I was more than happy to help her.

We talked every day and I just got more and more attracted to her cheerful personality and was going to ask her out. but just after a week of my interactions with Lily, three boys from my class suddenly approached me after school, They threatened me to stop having interactions with Lily, or they will break my limbs. Of course, I did not take them seriously at that time and continued my interaction with Lily.

But after two days, when I was walking home from school, a van suddenly stopped beside me when I passed through a hollow alley, and I was kidnapped. They took me to some abandoned place, and there, They beat me up. They did not break my limbs, but They hurt me bluntly in places that can not be seen after wearing clothes.

The ones who beat me up were those 3 boys in my class and 2 adult man who drove the van. They once again threatened me, saying that if I continued to interact with Lily, they would also trouble my uncle and aunt on top of breaking my limbs.

Amidst the pain and their threats, I realized that I have to forget Lily. Even if I like Lily, She is not as important as My uncle and aunt who never let me feel the absence of my parents. If they get troubled because of my matters, I can't forgive myself. If interacting with Lily means inviting trouble to my uncle and aunt, then I'll stop talking to her.

So I told Lily to stay away from me and that we shouldn't interact with each other from now.

I definitely don't want to cause trouble to my uncle and aunt because of my matters. They are already sharing the love of their two children with me and I absolutely don't want to trouble them because of my matters.

I also did not say anything to my uncle and aunt about my injuries because I did not want them to worry for me as they also have their own little son and daughter to care for.

But after a week, Lily suddenly showed up at my house.

...

...

In A Big Mansion, The so-called Boss Lanry, who looked around the age of 18, was having fun with a woman who was around 30 years old on a king-sized bed.

Beside the bed was a small table and on it was a telephone which started ringing.

*trrrrink trrrrink*

Lanry stopped and moved towards the table's direction before he stretched his hand to pick up the phone.

" Whatever is it, It better be important!! now speak. " Lanry spoke in a foul mood as he was interrupted during his fun hours.

A rough sound of a man came from the other side of the phone, " Boss Lanry, Madam Lily visited that boy's house with a small bag; we don't know her purpose for visiting him. What should we do? "

" That fucker, I'm tired of hearing about him. Kidnap that bastard tomorrow and kill him; I'll handle the police work and media...wait, don't just kill him directly. Torture him first before killing him. "

" Ok, Boss. "

Somewhere near Athan's house, A buff body man muttered while shaking his head, " Boss directly skipped to killing this time....that unfortunate boy would get torture before dying tomorrow sigh, such is the society. " [ A/N: such is the society in Earth-619 in multiverse which is my planet ]

...

...

" Hello, My name is Rosy Fox, I'm here with the latest news; today morning, A dead body of a 16-year-old boy was found in the abandoned storehouse behind National High-School; from the signs on his body, He was tortured pretty badly before his death; currently The police is doing its best to find the perpetrators. "

...

...

5 hours ago, In the abandoned warehouse behind the National High school.

A badly tortured boy was lying on the floor with blood all over his body; his nails were dug out, hair pulled out, and many slash marks over his face and body, and in front of him were 3 other boys of similar age while the ones responsible for this torture were standing behind Athan, They were two adult men.

Athan opened his mouth and said in a weak voice, " Wh-why, are you doing this to me? I did as you told me and stopped talking to her, so why? "

One of the boys among the group spoke with a shout, " WE TOLD YOU MANY TIMES TO STAY AWAY FROM HER. YOU KNOW HER IDENTITY? SHE IS ENGAGED TO BOSS LANRY, although she doesn't know that, it was decided by their parents long ago. "

Another boy spoke with a sneer, " But What drove Boss Lanry to kill you was the thing that happened yesterday; Boss Lanry found out that Lily came to your house after school yesterday, and who knows what you two did in your house, hehe."

Athan's tears rolled out as he spoke while enduring the pain all over his body and face, " We did nothing, I didn't even invite her; I also told her to stop talking to me at school last week, that's why she never talked to me since last week, and the reason she came to my house was that she wanted to return the book I lent to her a few weeks ago. "

" So what? Your fate is sealed now."

" Boss Lanry decided to kill you, and that is final. "

" Just consider yourself unfortunate and move on, hahaha."

Athan's eyes had pain, despair, unwillingness, and anger as he passed away.

But Fate has something different in store for Athan.

Edit:- [ Author Note: [ minor spoiler ]- Many of you are wondering whether MC will have his revenge or not...Well, he will have his revenge in a way, but I can't spoil it. Another thing...Sorry, it's not trunk-Kun, car-Kun, Scooter-uncle, or scooty-chan isekai and meeting some god or goddess before getting transported to another world. Because there is a reason, a plot on why he was even transmigrated to another world after dying...and why he had that black whirlpool inside him. ( which will be revealed in just a few chapters ) All story behind the black whirlpool had already been revealed in 2nd volume. One more thing...If you want to assume something, then keep it in your mind and don't write in comments, please. Like " this will happen, and that will happen, Oh I know this will happen, It will be cliche for sure, bla bla...etc." :( I feel bad when people write as if they have already read my novel by traveling to the future, One such example is in this chapter's comment section by a person with username: [ Daniel_Choritz ], You can look at his comment and you will know what I mean by writing " assuming comments " Just don't comment like that please. BUT...Any advice, critiques, and such things welcome so don't hesitate on that. :) Lastly...Have a good day every day, and I hope you like this book. ]

Chapter 2 - Trash Or Genius ?

[ (A/N): The Story is in 3rd POV after chapter 3. ]

Darkness.....

Where is this place? I can't see anything.

Oh, I remembered, I was killed by....by those bastards...Cruel, They were so cruel.

...

...

So this is the place people go after death? Why is it so dark?

Wait...I seem to hear something.

...

...

" Athan, Hey dude, what are you doing, man? Why are you sleeping at such an important event? "

" Dude, WAKE UP, it's going to be your turn soon; damn, what's wrong with you? "

*Whake*

' I am feeling pain? Wake up ? ' amidst the confusing thoughts, my eyes opened.

" Damn, bro, you finally woke up; pay attention, will you? Your turn will come soon. "

I turned in the direction of the voice which came from my right side. A boy with...blue hair was waving his hand in front of me.

" Hey bro, are you okay? you look sick. " The blue-haired boy spoke, " Look, Your turn will come right after that guy, so pay attention and don't be nervous. "

I rubbed my eyes and looked around. Many boys and girls were surrounding the platform in the middle of the hall, and in the middle of the platform, There was a small pond; inside the pond, colorful fishes were swimming, Red, Blue, Black, Yellow, etc. Many colorful fishes were swimming.

A middle-aged man stood beside the pond who wore a weird gown with weird inscribed patterns; taking a look at the paper in his hand, he spoke in a loud voice, " Ellias Meth. "

Not even a second later, A boy around 16-year-old came out from a side and walked to the platform excitedly.

The Middle-aged man gestures to Ellias to stand in the middle of the pond. The pond's water level barely reaching the knees of the boy.

After a minute of standing in the middle of the pond, Two fishes, One red and one green, started to swim around the boy.

Gradually the red fish started to glow while the green fish stayed the same; after 10 seconds, The red fish stopped glowing, which prompted the middle-aged man to speak once again in a loud voice, "Ellias Meth, Middle-Grade Fire affinity and Low-Grade Wood affinity. "

The surrounding people started to whisper, hearing the result, But that did not affect the middle-aged man as he gestured Ellias to leave the pond.

What happened in front of me was so unbelievable that I thought I was dreaming, but it was not a dream.

It looks like I was transmigrated into this body, But that means that the previous owner of this body died.

I suddenly felt afraid, I got one more chance to be alive, but it seems that someone is after me in this world too.

Hearing the middle-aged man's words and those shining fishes, This world is definitely not earth that I knew.

It looks like people can control elements in this world, judging by what the middle-aged man said.

If...I can become very powerful someday and return to Earth, and I will...have my revenge. I also have to investigate who is after me in this world.

" Athan "

Hearing my name being called out by the middle-aged man, I snapped out of my thoughts and walked up to the platform, a bit nervous, but I know that I have to maintain my shit together.

After arriving at the platform, I walked to the middle of the pond and closed my eyes while thinking, ' If a being was responsible for my transmigration, then I might also get some advantage or gold finger like those people described in fantasy novels. Still, if it was just a twist of fate.... never mind, I just hope I am not too miserable here; if there is one thing I can do, then it's to work hard. I don't want peerless talent, and even if I'm average, I will make it up with hard work, and.....there should be shortcuts here too. Even if I have to endure unimaginable pain, I will endure it to become powerful and have my revenge...'

" Athan, No affinity."

As those cruel words cut off my thoughts, I opened my eyes and looked down.

Zero...There was not a single fish swimming around me, and instead, the fishes seemed to even distance themselves from me. WTF.

I blankly returned to my place, and the blue-haired boy spoke in a sad voice, " Sigh, Looks like we both have to walk on the hard path of Elemental Warrior. No chance of becoming an Elemental sorcerer, it seems. "

Hearing those words, I felt like returning from the abyss; it looks like there was still a chance, But one thing was confusing. Generally, I should have inherited the memories from this body's brain, but I can't remember anything new besides my previous life memories. Anyway, I must ask about this so-called Elemental Warrior to this blue-haired guy first.

' But I don't know his name....I'll just go with Bro since he also called me that way, ' Collecting my thoughts, I asked, " Hey bro, can you tell me more about elemental warriors? "

The blue-haired boy looked weirdly at me before putting his hand on my forehead and said, " Do you have a fever or something? We already learned that in our class. "

I awkwardly laughed before saying, " Sorry, I kinda forgot. "

The Blue-haired boy rolled his eyes before speaking, " Elemental Warriors are those who refine their body using elemental energy and become stronger, They can't use Elemental Spells or Arts which needs Elemental Energy because they don't have an affinity with them and so they can't control them, But they can use they refined bodies to clash against the power of Elemental Sorcerer, But the path of becoming a powerful elemental warrior is a harsh one. They have to cultivate Elemental Tactics to strengthen their bodies which is really painful and hard. "

I nodded, hearing it, and said, " Let's go then. Tell me where can I refine my body using elemental energies. "

" Dude, hold your horses. We can go after our town's beauty checks her affinity; we definitely can't miss it. Even though everyone knows she is a genius and is already recruited by Cloud Fantasy Palace, Her Father Still told her to Check her affinity here, humph. Even tho it definitely for show-off, we still can't miss it. "

The middle-aged man read the next name, " Tiera Kim."

Hearing the name, uproar started among the people as a beautiful girl with long blond hair gracefully walked towards the platform.

And just as the girl stepped into the pond, Turmoil started.

Blue fish, Gold fish, and Cyan fish hurriedly swam towards the girl and started glowing. They glowed for 1 whole minute before stopping.

As shocked as the middle-aged man was, he still spoke with some composure to hold his face, " Tiera Kim, High-Grade Water affinity, High-Grade Light Affinity, and High-Grade Air Affinity. "

The uproar among the crowd increased after hearing such mind-boggling results.

Although I don't know the power difference between an Elemental Sorcerer and an Elemental Warrior, It shouldn't be that big, right?

" Damn, bro, she's got such a perfect figure on top of her monstrous talent...But she's way out of our league. Let's go; We first have to return to the orphanage before deciding on which place to join for our future training on the path of Elemental Warrior. " The blue-haired boy spoke as he pulled me towards the exit of the hall.

It seems to be afternoon currently.

The town didn't look that advanced, I didn't even see any cars or bike, so it means this world didn't develop much on science, huh who needs cars and bikes when you can literally fly in the sky, Though I did see horses and some weird animals pulling carriages.

We arrived at the orphanage after walking for 15 minutes, And as soon as we arrived, the other kids who were around 9-10 years old came running towards us and started asking.

" Hey Mike, how was the result? "

" Athan, did you have an affinity with any element? "

...

...

Mike, The blue-haired boy, spoke rather helplessly, " Stop, stop everyone; we both didn't have an affinity with any elements; we are going to discuss with Mrs. Ralph which place to join for Elemental Warrior Training. "

How does it feel to be consoled by 9-10-years old kids? Today I found out.

The kids consoled us for a few minutes and gave us some sweets before they dispersed.

Athan and Mike then headed inside the office of Mrs. Ralph.

In the Office.

Mrs. Ralph, who was in her fifties, spoke in a gentle voice, " So you both failed? Sigh, such is fate. Have you decided on which place to register to start training as Elemental Warrior ?"

Mike spoke, " No, Mrs. Ralph, we were hoping to discuss this with you since you know more about such things than us. "

I thought that Cloud Fantasy Palace seems good considering how people of the town talked about them, so I asked, " Can't we join Cloud Fantasy Palace? "

Hearing my words, Both Mrs. Ralph and Mike looked at me weirdly, ' looks like I screwed up once again, maybe I should not talk carelessly lest the cat gets out of the bag. '

Mike spoke with helplessness, " Seriously, bro, what's wrong with you? Your brain seems to have a problem after you woke up. It's common sense that Cloud Fantasy Palace only recruits Elemental Sorcerers. "

I awkwardly smiled and said, " Sorry, it's just I'm not feeling well, and I keep forgetting about a few things. Anyway, don't mind the small details and tell me, is there any place on par with Cloud Fantasy Palace that also recruits and train Elemental Warriors? "

Mrs. Ralph spoke in all seriousness, " There are several factions that can be comparable to Cloud Fantasy Palace that recruits both elemental warriors and elemental sorcerers. Though they are a distance away."

Her face then looked troubled as she continued, "But, alas! We only have money to send one of you..."

I was delighted hearing the first part, but what Mrs. Ralph said later invoked a reaction in me.

I felt like I should give this chance to Mike, But that's not me, It seems to be the remnant thoughts of this body's previous owner, Either they are real blood brothers or Best of the best friends.

Before I could request Mike and Mrs. Ralph to give me this chance, Mike spoke with determination, " Mrs. Ralph, Please give this chance to Athan. He works harder than me in anything, and he also has a higher goal than me, so He should be given this chance. I will just join a faction which is near our town." Pausing here, Mike smiled and said, " If I join somewhere near, I can also visit the orphanage more often. "

Damn, This Mike is such a good guy. Thanks, Bro. Although I don't know what higher goal this body's previous owner had, My Goal is not small; I have to become a powerhouse and return to earth for revenge.

But I can't leave just yet; there is an enemy of mine here, considering how the previous owner of this body died; there was a very high chance that he was poisoned before we arrived at the affinity testing hall town.

We talked a bit more with Mrs. Ralph before we returned to our room.

After entering the room, I asked Mike, " Hey bro, did we go anywhere before arriving at The Affinity Testing Hall? I can't seem to remember some things. "

Mike sighed and said, " Looks like there's some problem with your memories. Do you want to see the witch doctor in our town? But it's going to cost some money. "

" No, no bro, I don't need to see any witch doctor. Who knows, I might get good after some sleep anyway. Can you first tell me what did we do before arriving at Affinity Testing hall? "

" After leaving our orphanage, we went to the Ryan's Inn near the orphanage for breakfast because we were saving our money to eat there today, hahaha, You were the one who proposed this plan to eat good things as that might help in the test, haha, looks like your stupid idea didn't work. " Mike laughed out loud after saying that.

Even I was embarrassed hearing this thing, but laughing matter aside, it Looks like there was a high chance that The previous owner of this body was poisoned at the Inn while eating there.

I once again asked a crucial question, " Mike, was there anyone in town whom I had enmity with? like was there any enemy who might want to kill me? "

Mike stopped laughing for a second before...He laughed even harder and spoke, " Bro. Everyone nearby knows your personality; you don't like trouble, Stays low-key, and silently works hard; I've never seen you fight with someone before, so I doubt anyone wants your life; what are you getting worked up for tho? "

I smiled at the Mike and replied, " Nothings, It's just I had a nightmare, and I also can't remember much, that's why, but no need to worry, I'll be okay. Anyway, you're going to take an afternoon nap, right? I'm gonna go out for a bit; I'll be back in half an hour. "

I was prepared to go to the inn incognito to check things out because...

' The previous owner had no enemies, and he didn't fight with anyone too...hmm, how did he die then? Don't tell me he died because of some stupid shit? A girl visits me, and I was dead the next day. Just remembering what happened to me is making me want to swear at god if there was one. But....how did he die then? If his death were also as stupid and infuriating as mine, it would be a truly unfortunate and disgusting coincidence. '

...

...

I went out after asking for a gown and a hood from Mrs. Ralph, The inn was not that far, so I arrived there in 5 minutes.

Ryan's Inn.

Hmm, not that big, but there were a lot of customers going in and out. I went inside and was looking at the menu to find the cheapest things to order.

But after 2 minutes, before I could order something cheap, The waiter came to me and told me, " Can you please come with me to see the boss? We just want to clear some things. And Our boss promised that you would leave satisfied at the end. "

Are you kidding me? How was I even recognized when I didn't even show my face all this time? Damnnit.

' Sigh, it Looks like I have no choice but to head towards this deep shit. But the way the waiter spoke seemed weird. Normally he should be threatening me, but he spoke in a gentle and almost pleading way. I more and more feel that something is wrong with the way the previous owner died. ' Internally sighing, I stood up and started following the waiter. According to what I observed seeing this waiter, there should be a chance that the situation is somewhat different. If this is a chance present to me and I have to grasp it.

Walking shortly, we arrived at the office of the boss. The waiter opened the door and gestured with his hand for me to go inside.

I stepped into the office, which was not too big, One table, A chair behind the table on which the inn's boss sat, and two chairs on the other side of the table for guests.

The boss of the inn stood up and bowed, seeing me, " First, I would like to say I am extremely sorry. We totally didn't intend to poison you, But the dishes were swapped, and the poisoned food was delivered to you instead since our target also ordered the same food as you. Since you could dispel that deadly poison, it means you have someone behind your back. We don't want to offend such a person, We have just started this work recently and caused such a mishap, but you can state the price to suppress this matter since you are alright. I will try my best to satisfy your conditions. "

Wait; what? WHAT THE HECK IS THIS PLOT TWIST? FUCK...I hope the previous owner can also transmigrate to a good world and live a good life. Sigh, how miserable souls we are. But right now, I have to grasp this chance presented to me.

My Brain's gears started, and I immediately thought of a good plan, So after collecting my thoughts, I spoke in a confident voice and sneered, " Trash, When my Master dispelled the poison, he said it was just a low-level poison, But since you dared to poison me, My Master told me they would not live to see the sun next day. "

Sweats started to fall off from the boss's body as he spoke, trembling, "Please, It was a rookie mistake on our part. Can you please tell your master to forgive us? I am willing to pay any price except for my life. "

" I doubt you have anything that can help my Master, let's see...." I adopted a thoughtful expression for a few seconds before speaking, " Why don't you show me your most valuable possessions? I'll see if they can spark interest in my master. "

Hearing this, The boss stood up before rushing towards the left wall; he did some knocks here and there before a part of the wall slid off, revealing a Safe. Afterward, He removed a ring on his finger and put it on the hole that was on the safe.

The Safe opened, Revealing 2 scrolls and a pouch.

He put both of them on the table and spoke, " Please sit and check these things. They are my most valuable possession. One is a Middle-Grade Elemental Art Aqua Serpent, and another is a High-Grade Elemental Tactics Magma Fists. The pouch contains 2 Mid-Grade and 10 Low-Grade Water Crystals. "

My heart was racing, but I maintained my composure and spoke, " useless things, They probably won't catch my master's attention, but I'll try my best to convince my master, And how many Gold Taels you currently have? Give me half of them right now for ruining my day. "

" Yes, Yes. Please wait a moment " The boss hurriedly opened the drawer of the table, took out two pouches, and said, " This is half of my wealth; I just hope you convince your master to spare us, I beg you. "

" Okay, okay, stop begging now. My Master dotes on me very much, so he will most likely spare you. " Saying this, I took everything on the table and hide them under my gown.

" Now, bring me some good dishes; I'm starving right now. " Saying this, I left the office.

...

...

...

*burp*

Walking on the way to the Orphanage, I could not stop grinning under the hood, But...Sigh, I can't believe the previous owner of this body died because of a mistake, really sad; I hope you find peace and a good next life.

Soon, I arrived at the orphanage and directly went to Mrs. Ralph's Office.

I sat on the chair and took out one of the pouches, " Mrs. Ralph, Please use this money for the orphanage and, You can ask Mike if he wants to go with me to train at Thunder-Fire Valley. I will send him here in a minute. " saying my piece I left the office before Mrs. Ralph could say anything.

Arriving in my room, I woke up Mike, " Hey Mike, Wake up. Mrs. Ralph is calling you. "

Mike groggily woke up before saying, " What's up, man? I was having such a nice nap. "

I grinned and said, " Just go to Mrs. Ralph's office; there's a nice surprise for you there. " Saying this, I Yanked Mike off his bed and said, " Hurry up and go. "

Mike left the room confusedly.

I then laid on my bed, Took off my gown and wrapped the scrolls and both pouch in the gown, and put it beside my pillow while thinking, ' Now what should I do with this sudden windfall? '

' Let's first take a good nap. ' Thinking about napping is really making me sleepy.

Pulling over my Blanket and covering everything, including my loots, I fell asleep.

Chapter 3 - Thunder-Fire Valley

" Please stop. I did as you told me, so why...."

My eyes shot open, ' Damnit, I had a nightmare of those bastards torturing me... ' I couldn't help but grit my teeth thinking about what happened to me in my previous life, I swear to myself, I will have my revenge on them and that bastard Lanry who ordered them.

Just as I tried to get up, A terrible headache greeted me. Along with the headache came....memories. Memories that were not mine.

The headache lasted for 5 minutes before it subsided. Finally, I inherited the memories of the previous owner of this body but, ' Why did it take such a long time. ' And why I feel great? Like this body now feels like it really belongs to me.

Mike was still sleeping with a grin on his face.

I went outside of my room and arrived at the ground of the orphanage only to get a small shock, ' Looks like I slept for a long time. It's early morning now, around 4 AM, I guess, and if I remember correctly, I went to bed around 5 PM. ' Thinking up to here, I started stretching my limbs, and it felt really good.

Time to do Exercise: From the memories, I knew that the previous owner did exercise daily for the last 3 years means from Age13 to 16, he exercised daily without missing a day.

BUT I will do more exercise than him. 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours at night, and I will gradually increase the difficulty. Because Elemental Warriors need to have a Powerful body to practice Elemental Tactics, If their body can't bear the raw Elemental energy coursing through their body, they are either crippled or outright dead.

And so I started.

I did push-ups until I could not move a bit.

Then I did pull-ups by hanging on a branch of the tree until I fell down with a thud. Enduring the pain, I took a rest for a few minutes before drinking some water.

Then came the most painful part of the training. I went to a small storeroom of our orphanage, took out a blunt rod, and started hitting it all over my body. I hit the rod on my hands and legs first, then I took off my T-shirt to hit on the Chest and Abdomen but was surprised.

' Damn, Those are some good abs I got here. Let's see here.....My biceps and triceps also look good. ' i never really noticed my new body until just now. I look skinny but didn't know I had hidden muscles.

Time to continue.

After hitting every part of my body except for one place...I hit them again as the cycle continued.

Just like this, I trained until I was like a log of wood and could not move a single muscle, ' Looks like I overdid it. ' Smiling wryly to myself, I laid there.

After a while, I was able to move, and While enduring the pain, I went to the bathhouse to take a good bath.

Looking at the clock, it was already 15 minutes past 8 AM, ' Looks like I exercised for 4 hours instead of 3. '

Let's first take my things from the room and have some good breakfast at Ryan's inn.

Arriving at my room, I Put on the gown and hood before hiding the two scrolls and both pouches at a hidden place near the bushes, which I dug out behind a tree at the corner of the orphanage's ground.

With a grin on his face, Athan thought,' Anyway, I don't need to spend money to eat at Ryan's Inn. '

...

...

After entering the Inn, sitting at a corner spot, a waiter arrived to take orders, " What would you like to have, sir?

It was the same waiter as yesterday.

" Just bring me your best dishes and tell your boss that he doesn't need to worry about anything. I've convinced my master. "

...

...

After eating, I returned to the orphanage.

Inside Mrs Ralph's Office.

Mrs Ralph had a serious expression on her face as she asked, " Alright now, Athan, Would you mind telling me how did you get so many gold taels? "

I also adopted a serious expression and spoke, "Mrs Ralph, you can trust me that I did not get this wealth using backhanded methods like stealing or anything, you can say that it was compensation to me by a wealthy family; they Accidently injured me and gave me gold taels as compensation. "

Mrs. Ralph sighed and said, " I hope you are telling the truth. Anyway, Mike will be coming with you to the Thunder-Fire Valley, Their Examination will start in a week, and it will also probably take around 6-7 days for you two to get there; I've already prepared the carriage with the money you gave me yesterday, " Pausing here for a bit, Mrs. Ralph looked at the clock on the wall and continued, " It's 8:47 AM right now, and the carriage will come here at 11 AM, The sooner you go, the better, because you don't want to miss this Examination, as the next one will be held 6 months later. "

After talking a bit more, I left the office and headed towards my room.

Entering the room, I did not see mike, ' Looks like he went to the bathhouse. ' I then started to prepare my clothes and other things, hmmm I will also need another bag to store my loot.

...

...

Time passed as both Athan and Mike were ready and waiting for the carriage.

The little kids and Mrs Ralph were also here at the ground of the orphanage.

The kids were excited since Mrs Ralph bought some things for kids like toys and sweets using the gold taels I gave her yesterday.

The carriage arrived just at this moment.

Mrs Ralph spoke at this time, " Athan, Mike. Please be careful out there. The world is cruel, So you both have to tread carefully outside. Take care. "

After saying farewell to everyone, Both Athan and Mike entered the carriage with their bags.

Inside the Carriage.

Mike spoke rather sadly, " Now orphanage have no Big brothers. "

" Don't worry, bro. We will come here to see them. We just have to get strong fast. If we get strong, we can earn wealth easily and also come back here more often. "

And thus, Our journey to the Thunder-Fire Valley began. Let's hope we reach there soon.

...

...

...

Today marks the 6th day since we left our town.

Every day in the evening, we would stay in some small town before departing early morning, as the route towards The Thunder-Fire Valley was already planned by Uncle lee, who drives the carriage.

On the way, We saw many unique things.

We even saw people flying at rocket speed, which was truly mind-boggling. That person came and went like Whooosh.

And today, we entered the region where Thunder-Fire Valley was situated.

*Skreeee....*

Hearing the sound, both Athan and Mike looked at the sky from the Carriage and got a shock.

A big, giant bird covered in flames was rapidly flying towards the Thunder-Fire Valley.

I was gobsmacked by the sight that I let out a" HOLY CRAP. "

Mike's eyes had that longing emotion as he spoke, " That's famous Flaming Eagle of the Thunder-Fire valley. Every elder of the Valley has one such Beast as their personal mount. "

" I also want one, and It looks so freaking cool. " Athan couldn't hold back, expressing his desire to get one such beast for himself.

Mike shook his head, " We, Elemental Warriors, still have a long way before we can ride such a beast, Tho it's a different story for Elemental Sorcerers. "

After calming down my excitement, I said to mike, " Strength, As long as we are strong, we can get things to want; let's do our best at Thunder-Fire Valley. "

Suddenly, The carriage stopped.

" Alright, boys, Come out for a minute and take a peek at this part of Thunder-Fire Valley. Because after entering the Town below, you won't be able to see how actually big Thunder-Fire Valley is. "

Hearing Uncle Lee's voice, Me and Mike came out. Uncle Lee also told us about various things and gave us helpful advice on the way, so We were really thankful to him.

Looking at the front after coming out, Our Horizons were broadened.

Looking at the scenery in front of me, I thought, 'This is no Valley, It's a Freaking Grand Canyon, It's so big and long, It's practically a City with Mountain ranges on both sides, I can't even see it ends, and The deeper part of the Valley's sky had black clouds filled with lightning strikes, It looks so dangerous even from so far, I wonder how would it feel to be standing in that place.'

Mike's mouth was wide open, seeing the view, " Damn Bro, This place is so big. Just look at all those people and buildings.

Then came uncle lee's voice.

" Alright, boys, It's time to move on. "

...

...

After traveling for 1 more hour, we finally arrived at the gate of Thunder-Fire valley.

The Carriage stopped at the gate as We both came out.

Seeing both of them coming out, Uncle lee spoke with a smile, " Our journey ends here boys, and I will not be coming inside because I will have to pay some money if I want to drive the carriage inside. Of course, you two don't need to pay anything, only those who bring things like a carriage or other transport vehicle have to pay. Work hard and become stronger, or you will have to drive a carriage like me, hahaha."

After saying farewell to Uncle Lee, Both Athan and Mike headed towards the gate But were stopped by the guards.

" Purpose? " One of the guards spoke.

Before I could speak, Mike said, " We are here for the Examination that will start tomorrow. "

" 1 silver tael per head."

Mike asked confusedly, " uh, We are going inside with our legs, not on the carriage. Why are you asking for money? "

" If you were to drive carriage inside, we would have to ask for 10 silver taels instead of just 1, Now hurry up and pay if you want to go inside. "

I took out two silver taels from my pocket and threw them at the guard who skillfully caught them.

" Alright, you can enter now. "

Before Mike could speak more, I grabbed his hand and entered. After entering, Mike said, " Bro, Uncle lee said that they only ask for money if we drive the carriage inside. "

After giving a flick on his forehead, I said, " Idiot, those guards clearly know we are just country bumpkins, and that's why he extorted money from us. Do you think we can forcefully pass the gate without paying silver taels? but...." Pausing here, Athan's eyes had a cold look as he spoke, " But after you get strong, you can teach that guard a lesson; remember, Strength is the basis of reasoning. "

Seeing Mike nodding his head, I said, " Now let's go and find an Inn to stay in; it's almost evening now. We have to find a place to take a good rest. We have to stay in our best conditions as the Examination will start tomorrow early in the morning."

Chapter 4 - Examination

Roaming for an hour, We finally found a good Inn that was not too costly and not too cheap and bad.

It was almost 6 PM, so I started doing my daily exercise right after setting our room in the Inn.

Since The Examination was going to start early at 6 AM, I only did the exercise for 2 hours before having dinner and sleeping, though mike already slept as he only did exercise for 1 hour.

...

...

Athan and Mike both woke up at 5:30 AM and departed towards the Examination avenue, which was a bit deeper into this Thunder-Fire Town. This town was just the periphery of the real Thunder-Fire Valley. The Core of this behemoth faction was deeper.

After Walking for Half an hour in the same direction, We finally arrived at Examination Avenue. The requirement to participate in this examination was very simple. One had to be under 20 years old, and looking around at the avenue, There are around 500 people, all under 20.

In front of us was a big mountain which had 1000 steps stairs and on top of the mountain was a big palace.

We asked around and found out that this was the outer palace of Thunder-Fire Valley.

It was already 6 AM so Examination should start anytime soon and indeed someone descended the mountain, That person calmy floated down from the Palace on top of the mountain.

That person did not completely descend the mountain but kept floating in the air 10 meters above ground level while looking down on everyone.

Looking at the face of the person, He looked like a 30-year-old male.

" My name is Lafurge Tellas, and I will be supervising this examination. The first round is straightforward. You have to reach the top of the mountain by walking on these stairs, simple, right? " Lafurge spoke to the people with a smile as everyone, including I, nodded because it indeed seems simple.

But I also know that simple does not mean easy.

" Alright then, Start climbing now. Those who can not reach the top after 2 hours will be eliminated. " Saying this, Lafurge flew back to the top of the mountain.

Everyone then rushed towards the stairs and started climbing.

Mike and I also made a dash towards the stairs and started climbing.

The mountain was humongous, and the stairs were wide, so there wasn't much friction between the contestants.

But problems started to appear after we climbed 300 steps, Many people were already lagging behind as Mike and I overtook many people.

Though slowly but surely, The stamina we needed to climb each step was increasing, and after climbing every step, It felt like someone was putting a bit of weight upon us, and that weight gets higher and higher as we climb each step.

After passing the 600th step, even though I was starting to feel tired and heavier, Mike was faring worse than me, but we kept climbing after adjusting our pace.

From the initial 500 some people, Only around 100 were moving steadily like us.

After passing the 800th step, only 80 people moved steadily, and mike was having a hard time.

One and a half hours already passed by when we reached the 900th step, Only 50 people were currently moving steadily. With closed mouth and gritted teeth, everyone moved without wasting even a bit of energy.

I was feeling pain all over my body because to climb a step; I needed to muster strength from every single muscle of my body; still, I was fairly confident of passing the 1000th step, but mike...his situation didn't seem that optimistic.

Another thing to notice was that other than Me and Mike, who were 16 years olds; Others were near the age of 20. The others who were around our age had already given up on climbing to the top.

After 25 minutes, 13 participants already reached the top of the mountain, while I was at the 997th step, and Mike was at 993rd, and the other remaining participants were between me and mike.

Surprisingly, none of the 48 people gave up and kept moving at a steady pace, I will be able to reach the top because there are still 5 minutes left before the time is up, but Mike will have to bring out his potential as with his current pace, if he screwed up even a bit, he wouldn't be able to reach the top in 5 minutes.

After 4 minutes, everyone except for mike reached the top, and after passing the 1000th step, I felt light like a feather, but then exhaustion hit me, and I slumped to the floor just like everyone else.

Now only 1 minute's left, and Mike is at the 998th step. Looking at him, I shouted, " Don't Give up, Mike, You can do it, Keep the pace steady, climb the 999th step in 20 sec so you can take more rest to climb the last step. "

Mike's face was red, and his body was trembling. He looked at me and took a step forward while gritting his teeth. He climbed before 20 seconds, so he still has the chance. It's just the 1000th step's pressure is more, so he has to adjust to it before taking the last step upward.

In the Last 10 seconds, Lafurge, who was standing behind us, started to countdown while looking at Mike, " 10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

...

Lafurge stopped the countdown, Because...

" Damn, bro, you did it. I almost thought that I had to train here alone, hahaha " I was really happy, Although it's been just a few days since I've personally known Mike. From the memories, I know that Mike always prioritized Athan on every good thing they came across. Such a true friend is rare.

" Alright, The 50 of you passed the first round, but it's not enough to enter the Thunder-Fire valley, There are still 2 more rounds, But of course, you only need to pass the 2nd round to join the Thunder-Fire valley. 3rd round is not necessary, But..." Pausing here for a bit, Lafurge spoke with a grin, " But don't think that since it's not necessary, then it's not important. It's actually essential if you want to progress fast. The result of the 3rd round will decide your treatment and work allocation in Thunder-Fire Valley. "

I always had one question gnawing on my mind, which seems to be a good chance, so I raised my hand.

Lafurge noticed and said, while looking at me, " Do you have any questions ?"

Nodding my head, I asked, " Can an Elemental Warrior defeat an Elemental Sorcerer? "

Hearing my question, Larufge smiled and said, " I'll make it simple, An Elemental Warrior can not practice and Master Elemental spells because they don't have Affinity with elements, So they have to refine their body using the external elemental energies, BUT...An elemental Sorcerer has an affinity with elements to practice and master Elemental spells which means their bodies can house elemental energies and cultivate Elemental Energies inside their body, allowing them to create an Elemental Sea, which naturally allows them to use Magical Abilities like this... " Pausing here, Lafurge waved his hand, and suddenly, a dense fire started to materialized beside him, taking the shape of a Lion.

*Rawr*

" There are many types of Elemental Arts and spells. Some can conjure such lifelike Monsters. Some can simply be offensive, like Fire rain, Fireball, Lightning Dome. Some can be supportive, like Wings of Fire... " Lafurge once again waved his hands, making The Lion disappear, and a pair of wings appeared behind him.

After a few seconds, Lafurge dissolved the wings of fire and said with a smiling face, " All these things I spoke and I just showed you, can-not-be-done-by elemental warriors. "

Hearing the last part, I felt like banging my head on the wall. The difference between an Elemental Warrior and an Elemental Sorcerer seems so damn big.

" But..."

Returning my attention towards Larfurge who spoke, I thought, ' My butt!!, Why you stopped ? "

Larfurge laughed and said, " But...It's not like you can not become an Elemental sorcerer just because you don't have an Affinity with any element. It's actually straightforward if you want to become an Elemental Sorcerer.."

Damn, this guy once again stopped. I could not my self back and asked, " How? How to acquire an Elemental Affinity? "

" There are two ways to acquire an Elemental Affinity, First way which is also safest way is to eat an Affinity Pill, There are many wonders in the world, and one of them is Elemental Source, For Example, our Thunder-Fire Valley has Fire Elemental Sources and Thunder Elemental Sources, our Alchemists uses these sources to create Affinity pills of Thunder element and Fire Element which can grant Elemental Affinity of Thunder and Fire to anyone who eats them, but sources are scarce, and so the price of a single pill is something that even a veteran Elemental Sorcerer can't afford it, There are only demand and no market for such pills. "

It sounds like even if I spent my whole life gathering money, I wouldn't be able to afford it. Let's hear what's the 2nd way.

" The 2nd way is very dangerous, which is what all of you are going through, The Path of an Elemental Warrior.." Smiling mysteriously, Lafurge continued, " You know, We don't have a Single Elemental Warrior in our Thunder-Fire Valley because there are only two outcomes for those who walk on this path of Elemental Warrior. 1. You die, and 2. You Become an Elemental Specialist who is a more powerful Existence than a general Elemental Sorcerer."

Woahh...

Instantly, Uproar started among all 50 people, and I was also gobsmacked hearing these words, which, besides giving me a shock, also made me excited.

" But..."

Everyone thought, ' Now what's this ' But ' for? '

Seeing everyone turning silent, Lafurge continued, " But, In the last 100 years only 11 people became Elemental Specialist in our Thunder-Fire Valley, They are called Elemental Specialist because, on top of now able master Elemental Arts, Their bodies are also Refined, so it's not that grand thing, Every Elemental Sorcerer can become an Elemental Specialist if they want to while Elemental Warriors either die or become Elemental Specialist. "

The mood of everyone dampened hearing these cruel words, but I was not affected. As long as there is a chance, I will grasp it.

Chapter 5 - Silver Eyes, Mike Awakened ?

" Alright, everyone, The 2nd round will start in 5 hours. You all can take rest in those cottages," Lafurge spoke while pointing at an area on the left side, " After 5 hours, we will enter the palace for the 2nd round."

Everyone then headed towards the cottages to take a rest because, after such an intense struggle of climbing to the top of the mountain, everyone was spent.

It didn't take long for 5 hours to pass as Lafurge's voice boomed while they were taking rest inside their cottages.

Soon everyone came out after hearing the voice.

Seeing that everyone was ready, lafurge led all participants into the palace for the 2nd round.

" The 2nd round is also very simple: you all have to stay in two zones for 5 minutes. " Lafurge spoke after leading everyone inside the big palace.

The palace was very big as it covered the whole mountain top.

The Palace hall had 3 doors. One at the front, One at the right, and one at the left.

First, Lafurge led everyone towards the Right side door. As soon as everyone entered, intense heat greeted everyone's face.

In the middle of the room was a pool of lava.

" All you have to do is to stay inside that pool of lava for 5 minutes..." Pausing here, Lafurge looked at everyone with a small smile as all participant's faces turned White after hearing about the test.

" but don't worry, That pool of lava is not real lava, It just Fire Elemental Energy turned into the appearance of real lava. But the pain you feel after entering this pool of lava will be the same as the real lava, The only difference will be that you all will not die but endure the pain of your skin, bone, and organs burning. It's just 5 minutes, not that hard, right? "

Everyone wanted to beat up this guy after hearing, " not that hard, right? "

Lafurge smiled, seeing everyone's expression, " The 2nd round starts now, Your 5 minutes will start as soon as you enter the pool, Everyone will have to enter the pool in 10 minutes until then, you can take your sweet time. "

Nobody moved, Because they wanted to see someone else go first.

First or last, The experience will be the same, and so I jumped into the pool of lava.

Lafurge's eyes shone as he nodded, ' This type of resolve is not found in many people. '

After jumping into the pool of lava, I did not feel anything for the first second, But then came hell.

" Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...." I could not help but let out a scream.

But as soon as I remembered what happened to me in my previous life, I gritted my teeth as I stopped shouting.

The pain was even was spreading inside my body as my organ started to feel the pain that could make someone insane.

But I steeled my resolve and fortified my mind as I endured through this whole ordeal, ' This is nothing, what I will have to endure in the future could be more painful than this, THIS IS JUST A GODDAMN FIRST STEP. "

Strangely, I could feel the pain lessening.....NO. The pain is not lessening, but My tolerance of pain just went up a notch. I could also feel my body strengthening, Wait...could this be one of the ways to refine my body using Elemental energy?

Seeing what was happening in the pool, Larfurge nodded his head, ' This lad is good. '

Soon 5 minutes passed as I came out of the pool.

After that, Participants started to jump into the pool, Some people just fainted after staying in the pool for 1 minute, and few others fainted after coming out of the pool.

After 7 minutes, Mike said, " Bro, how did it feel? "

I said with a serious face, " I can only say it was the most painful thing I experienced, but as long as you keep your mind firm and don't give in to the pain, you will succeed, I think that this pool of Lava condensed from Fire elemental energy is not that simple, Just don't give in to the pain and Keep your mind firm and you will pass, that's all I can say. "

" I see. " Nodding his head, Mike gritted his teeth and jumped into the pool.

As soon as she dived in. He started screaming, well screaming can alleviate the pain, as it serves as a good outlet, many participants screamed for 5 minutes before coming out of the pool.

Mike also adopted that method as he started screaming.

Mike started to show signs of giving in after 3 minutes as his expression gave away his inner thoughts.

And I didn't want to let that happen, " MIKE, WE ARE GOING TO TRAIN TOGETHER, I WILL NOT ACCEPT IF YOU LOSE, SO YOU BETTER GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER AND PASS THIS ROUND. "

' Keep the mind firm and don't give in to the pain, I came together with Athon, and I will not return alone, DEFINITELY NOT. '

Mike stopped screaming and gritted his teeth as he seemed to have found the key to endure through this trial.

5 minutes passed as mike came out with a smile that was uglier than crying.

I went ahead and gave a hard pat on his back, " There you go, It really wasn't that hard right? "

Mike, " Not hard, my a-s. "

Lafurge laughed, hearing our exchange. " Yep, It really isn't that hard, You just need sufficient resolve and tolerance of pain, After all, Walking on the path of Elemental warrior is not child's play, If you can't even endure through this, then you will 100% face death in the future while training. "

Everyone who was left nodded, hearing those words. Out of 50 people, only 23 passed this round, More than half were eliminated just like this.

Seeing everyone ready, Lafurge spoke, " Now let's head towards the 2nd zone. "

One of the participants raised his hand and spoke, " Will we not be given some time to rest this time? "

" Nope, The 2nd Zone is part of the 2nd round, No rest. " saying, he led everyone to the left side door of the palace hall.

Entering the 2nd door, we were shocked, Literally shocked.

Have you ever seen lightning within your arm's reach? Like if you so much as to want, you can touch it.

This place is exactly like that. The lightning sparks occasionally come near us, giving us a mild shock.

" This place is filled with Lightning Elemental Energies, as you can see, The platform in the middle has much more fierce lightning, and it will become even more fierce when you stand there. To pass this round, You all have to stand on that platform for 5 minutes, Just as simple as the previous round. "

Everyone had the same thought, ' screw your simple. '

" Alright, similar to Fire Zone, You all have to stand in that platform in 10 minutes and stay there for 5 minutes, Time starts...Now. "

As soon as Lafurge finished speaking, I dashed towards the platform in the middle of the room.

As soon as I stepped on the platform, clouds started to gather over my head, and after a second, lightning started to strike me like whips.

With not even a second to take a break, Lighting struck me continuously, After a few strikes, I lost the ability to move my body as intense pain even more than what I felt in the previous round assaulted me, It felt even more dreadfully because I was unable to move my body as numbness and intense pain ravaged my body inside out.

If it was not controlled by some sort of powers as if it was real lightning, I would've already turned into Ash.

BUT as long as my resolve is unwavering, My endurance will also keep increases enabling me to get through this hellish situation where you can't control your own body while suffering intense stinging pain constantly.

After 5 minutes, the lightning strike stopped as the cloud dispersed. Still, I felt like I stayed inside for not just 5 minutes but 5 days, that's how it felt, staying paralyzed while feeling intense pain inside the body, This lightning bolts dealt more pain inside the body while paralyzing the outside body.....it was 100% worse experience than staying in Lava Pool.

Even though lightning stopped striking me, I could not move a bit due to my body being paralyzed.

At this time, Lafurge waved his hands towards me, and something magical happened, I felt like countless insets started crawling all over my body for 1 second. Then everything disappeared, The Numbing sensation disappeared, Paralysation disappeared and even the intense pain I was feeling inside my body disappeared.

I ran back towards where everyone was staying as Larfurge spoke, " I will cleanse everyone's body of intense pain as long as you can pass this test, If you fail, then you will be carried off and will be taken care of by normal method which will take a few days to get rid of pain from your bodies. "

Soon, Participants started to enter the lightning Platform one by one.

After me, 2 people went at the time, where both of them failed, they respectively lasted 3 and 4 minutes.

You can't even scream in this test as your whole body will be paralyzed.

Participants only had 5 minutes left because they wasted 5 minutes watching me, so the remaining 17 participants, including Mike, arrived at the platform. It was definitely big enough to hold more than 100 people, so there was no worry about the crossfire from their respective lightning clouds over their heads.

3 minutes passed, and 11 participants fainted and were carried over through telekinesis by Lafurge.

7 participants, including mike, were left on the platform, Mike seemed like he was going to faint anytime soon, But this time I did not say anything.

The reason being that, looking in his eyes, I could feel that he was already beyond his limits, but he was still pushing and enduring through this hell to pass this test.

Time passed, After 30 seconds, one of the remaining participants fainted, who then got carried over by lafurge.

' Hmm...is it my imagination? or.... ' Larfurge, who was looking at participants, suddenly thought

To Clear his doubts, he flew on top of the platform, And as he looked below at one of the participants, his body trembled.

' No way....am I dreaming? NO, DEFINITELY NOT...It looks like we obtained a hidden gem. ' The look on Lafurge's face one that was of extreme excitement.

At this moment, Athan also noticed something on the platform.

Mike's eyes started to change colour, it kept getting a hue of silver with each passing seconds.

After just a few seconds, His eyes turned silver as Lighting bolts could not hit Mike anymore.

I saw clearly as one lightning bolt that was going to hit mike somehow did not hit him as it landed on his right side instead, But from the actions of Larfurge, I could feel that this was definitely a very good thing.

And there was only one good thing I could think of right now, and It was that Mike, somehow, By a twist of fate or Divine intervention or whatever. Mike somehow awakened means he somehow gained an affinity with an element, though from the silver colour in his eyes, I don't know what Element is that.

After that last participant who failed, the remaining 5 participants, including mike, passed the taste, but Mike's eye suddenly closed as he started floating, Seeing this scene, Lafurge sent everyone except Mike away from the platform as he looked intently at Mike.

Chapter 6 - Shock, Joy & Sadness

Mike kept his eyes closed for 10 minutes before he opened them, But this time there was no silver hue in his eyes.

Lafurge appeared beside Mike and spoke with a smile, " Congratulations lad, you just hit a jackpot. "

Mike had no idea what happened, " What? what happened? how did I hit a jackpot? "

Looks like Mike had no idea about his own feat and what happened in the past 15 minutes.

" Mr.Lafurge, Do you know which Element Mike awakened? I don't know what silver color represent. " I could not hold back as I asked Lafurge.

Hearing them talk, Mike was first confused and then shocked, " Wait, you are saying I awakened Affinity for an Element? you are not pulling my leg right ? "

Larfurge grinned and said, " Of course we are not pulling your legs, you indeed awakened affinity for an element and the element you awakened is so rare that not a single person of the said element can be found in Thunder-Fire Valley. "

' Hurry up and tell us what that goddamn element is. '

Lafurge laughed and said to mike ignoring everyone's stares, " Come on Mike, I'll drop you to the Head-Quarters of Thunder-Fire Valley. "

After that, he just grabbed mike's shoulder and flew out of the Palace through the Window in the room.

' We can see that you are in a hurry from your expression but at least use the door. ' was what everyone participant was thinking.

I was also tongue-tied by the swiftness of Lafurge, He didn't even tell us what that silver color element was, damn...

' But that aside, I am really happy for mike, Maybe I can also awaken an element like that if I go through a few more hells like Lava pool and Thunder Platform? ' I couldn't help but fantasize about awakening an element just like mike, hahaha.

One of the participants asked, " anyone know what that silver color represent? "

" I've never heard of an element with silver color. "

" Me too, I've read records of Mayron in our tower but there was no mention of the silver color element. "

" But That Lafurge guy certainly knew about that element...."

Participants started to talk with each other while I just stood where I was, Maybe they didn't bother asking me cuz I was smaller than them, tsk, whatever.

10 minutes passed by this as we heard someone's footsteps behind us, where the door to the room was.

Everyone turned back and thought seeing the person, ' So you came back through the door this time huh? '

" Alright, you 5 passed the 2nd round and are now officially the disciples of Thunder-Fire Valley. But we still need to conduct the 3rd round to assess you, which then will decide where you will be sent to work and how much resources you will get. "

Seeing everyone nodding, Lafurge led everyone out of the room and entered the door that was in the north of the Palace Hall, the one which we saw right after entering the palace.

I badly wanted to ask things about Mike but I kept my patience in check and decided to finish the 3rd round before asking.

Soon, We entered the 3rd door, But this time there was nothing special in it, this room led us out of the palace because there was a waterfall, a pond, and greenery.

After everyone entered, Lafurge spoke, " This round is even more simple than previous ones, All you have to do is just to sit inside that pond while closing your eyes, No time limit, You can come out when you can't stay in it anymore, Just that the longer you stay in the pond, the more rewards you will get, The better working location and better resources. "

Hearing the details, Everyone arrived at the pond and sat down in it, The pond's water level only reached our neck even after we sat down.

Seeing everyone sitting down inside the pond, Lafurge spoke, " Once again, you can come out if you can't bear to stay anymore, and I will also drag you out if you are close to death. "

Hearing the last part, Sweat started to form on the participates face as they thought, ' close to death? your saying we have a chance of dying in this normal-looking pond? '

I was also surprised hearing that part because in the previous round which contains a dangerous-looking Lava pool and Lightning platform Lafurge clearly said that there is no chance of dying in them BUT we have a chance of dying in this normal looking pond?

Anyway, I closed my eyes after that.

After a few minutes, I was thinking about random things when I realized that the water was getting cold, but it didn't bother me.

...

...

Thunder-Fire Valley Head-Quarters.

Currently, Mike was sitting alone in a very Grand Hall, which had Inscribed patterns all over the hall's interior with a mixture of Red, Blue, and gold color designs.

Everyone who looked at him could say that he was a bundle of nervousness and excitement.

Suddenly winds ruffled and a Man in his sixties appeared, who wore a golden robe in which red and blue snaked danced around, His face had a faint smile, as his bearing oozed Sharpness and Ferocity despite his aged appearance.

He appeared in front of Mike and spoke, " Little guy, don't be nervous, Your life is going to change as fate has smiled upon you. "

Mike was shocked seeing someone appear in front of him and also scared as this person's Aura was too powerful.

" um..I...m-my....name is Athan...no my mistake, my name is mike...' Mike was sweating as he stuttered and screwed up while speaking.

The man chuckled and spoke, " Don't be nervous little guy, My name is Taifang and I am going to be your master, I'm sure you have many questions but hear me out first. "

" First thing is about your new life, You are going to be the holy son of Thunder-Fire Valley and will also inherit my position as Valley Master in the future. "

Mike was dumbfounded, it's like a bomb exploded in his head as his chin hit the ground.

Valley Master Taifang continued, " Second thing is that The element you awakened is none other then Extremely Rare Space Element, at least in my years of life experience, I have never seen a person with this element, But we have records that Space element excludes Faint silver lights in a person's eyes, I especially went to borrow this one and only space elemental fish from Pavilion Master of the Sky Lark Pavilion"

Speaking up to here, Valley Master grabbed the shoulder of Mike as both of them flew out of the Big palace and appeared towards a Pond. He waved his hand and a silver-colored fish appeared which he threw into the pond.

" Now go, stand inside the pond. "

Mike nodded as he walked towards the pond, Just as he stepped his feet into the pond, The Silver Fish came running towards him and started glowing.

It glowed for 30 seconds before it stopped.

Seeing the result Valley Master appeared excited despite his age, " It almost reached high-Grade, hahaha. "

Mike then came out as Valley Master retrieved the fish.

" Valley Master is it possible to enhance the Affinity Grade of an element? " Mike asked.

Valley Master had this grin on his face as he nodded, " It is indeed possible to increase the affinity grade of the element. "

" I see, By the way, Valley master...." seeing Mike's hesitance, Valley master said, " What do you want? You can state your wishes, after all, we will be an official master and disciple after the ceremony tomorrow. "

" This...I have a friend who is like my brother, he doesn't have an elemental affinity, But I heard that an Affinity Pill can awaken an Affinity inside a person..." Mike's words were cut short by Valley Master Taifang who spoke.

" So you want to ask for an Affinity Pill for your friend? "

Seeing Mike nodding his head, Valley Master sighed, " It's not that I don't want to give you an Affinity Pill but we simply can't produce it anymore, The sources of Thunder and Fire has weakened a lot since the previous Valley Master used them to create a lot of pills 300 years ago, Thus the source weakened, and Now we need to wait for 200 years more before creating another batch of Affinity pills, "

" I see..." Mike was depressed as he very much wanted to help Athan.

Seeing his expression Valley Master Spoke, " I know he is your best friend, But you and he are now people of different worlds, Normal Elemental Warriors only have a Life Span of 100-150 years while Elemental Sorcerers can live longer as they continued to become stronger, Of course not all elemental warriors can open their Psychic Realm so they may only live for 100 years at most. "

Hearing this truth, Mike was even more saddened as he murmured, " he works way harder than me, and he deserves to get an elemental affinity more than me. "

Valley master shook his head, " Such is fate mike, you can only accept it. "

Meanwhile...

The pond was entirely frozen along with participants who were sitting inside it.

Chapter 7 - Psychic Energy ? Mountain Palaces.

Lafurge stood beside the pond as he looked at the participants, suddenly he waved his hands and pulled a participant out of the pond, after coming out, The participant was unfrozen and soon regained his consciousness.

" This...What happened ?! "

Lafurge looked at him and said with a plain face, " Your heart was about to stop beating, so I pulled you out that's all. "

The Participant opened his mouth, but closed it after a few seconds and did not say anything but turned his attention towards other frozen participants.

Another minute passed before Lafurge took out two more participants, now only Athan and another participant were left inside the pond.

After 30 seconds, He pulled out the other participant, Now the only one left in the pond was Athan.

Lafurge thought about the previous round performance of Athan as he thought, ' This lad got terrifying will power, He will most certainly become an Elemental Sorcerer if he doesn't lose his fighting spirit after a decade or two. '

Athan's thinking was currently slowed to the extreme, he could not think of anything now, and he only had one wish right now, and that was to sleep. but he knows that if he falls asleep, then it would be over and so, He kept trying to not fall asleep even when his brain's dexterity was almost zero right now.

Outside, Lafurge had a weird expression on his face as he thought, ' What kind of beast are you? Hurry up and give in so that I can pull you out. '

5 minutes later...

One of the participants raised his hand and spoke as he saw Lafurge glancing at him, " He is not dead right? " he spoke while pointing at the frozen Athan.

Lafurge sneered and said, " Don't lump trash like you and him together, I have a feeling that This kid has a beast hidden within him, its just a matter of time when it awakens, His body and brain are in strange synergy right now, He will not die even if he stays here for days, but it will also not benefit him now that he has already adapted to this state, guess the 3rd round is also over now. "

Finishing speaking, he waved his hand and pulled out frozen Athan from the pond.

After coming out, Athan soon snapped out of his strange state as his brain regained its normal functions.

Seeing this, Lafurge spoke, " Now that 3rd round is over, I'll bring you all to the place where you'll be staying and working. "

Saying this Lafurge took out a chariot from thin air, which dumbfounded everyone.

After sitting in the front, He looked at all participants and said, " What are you all daydreaming for? hurry up if you want to enter the Thunder-Fire Valley. "

Everyone then snapped out of their thoughts and hopped into the chariot which had enough space to hold 10 people at back and two people at the front.

Seeing that everyone got into the chariot, Lafurge Pressed his hand against a square slate that was in front of him which prompted the chariot to float and move forward in the air.

While moving Athan asked, " Can Elemental Warriors fly? "

Lafurge looked at him and said with a faint smile, " Elemental Warriors...can not fly. "

Everyone showed a disappointed expression but then came...

" But..."

' Here we go again....' Everyone wanted to show their middle fingers at Lafurge but they restrained themselves as they wouldn't want to be thrown out from the chariot by this guy.

" But it's not impossible to achieve a power to fly as an Elemental Warrior because the things you saw me doing like, Flying in the sky, pulling you out from the pond, etc is not related to Elemental Energies, But Another Power called Psychic Energy When An Elemental Sorcerer wants to become an Elemental Mage, They first have to Unlock the Psychic Realm and Produce Psychic Energy, This Energy is crucial if one wants to practice further on the path of Elemental Sorcerer. "

Seeing the expression on everyone's faces, The corner of Lafurge's mouth turned upward as he continues, " Elemental Warriors can similarly unlock the Psychic Realm, And It's even easier than gaining an Affinity of an element while practicing, Your resolve and Will just need to be sufficiently powerful as Psychic Energy is related to our Brain. "

Everyone revealed longing expression hearing what Lafurge said and swore to never give up on the path of Elemental Warriors. Well, Time will tell if their resolve is sufficient or not.

After flying for about 10 more minutes, They arrived on a Mountain range, Each Mountain on this range was more than twice the size of Outer Thunder-Fire Palace where the Examination was conducted...And There were so many Palaces and buildings on this whole mountain range.

Athan was gobsmacked by this sight as he thought, ' Damn, Each Mountain on this range is either the same size as Mount Everest or bigger. '

( note: If you want to imagine how big they are, then u can look up mount Everest which is equivalent to the size of 20 Empire State Buildings stacked on top of each other, And The wideness is even more as It's the whole Mountain range. )

Lafurge spoke as they landed on one of the mountains on the left side of the mountain range, " This whole Mountain range is Inner Thunder-Fire Valley, Each of these Mountain have palaces built upon them after adjusting their peaks, So they are called Mountain Palaces. "

Athan wanted to inquire about mike so he raised his hand and spoke after getting a signal from Lafurge, " Is Mike here? When can I meet him? "

Lafurge's gaze turned strange as he answered, " Mike is not here, He is at Core-Part of Thunder-Fire Valley which is even deeper, The Head-Quarter of Thunder-Fire Valley is also located there. " Pausing here, His gaze showed pity as he looked at Athan and said, " Your Friend Mike's situation is very special, You and he are people of different worlds now, It will be very difficult for you to meet with him in the future. I won't say anything anymore, You will find out everything tomorrow. "

After that, He led everyone inside the palace. This Palace was bigger than Outer Thunder-Fire Valley Palace.

There were a lot of people going in and out of pathways and doors, The pathway leading to another side of the mountain, where other buildings were situated.

Lafurge led everyone on a pathway as they arrived at a place where a lot of houses were built, The environment was very good with greenery everywhere and a small river that went downstream.

" One house per person, After picking your house, Write your Name on that Tag outside, There is a common knowledge book on the table inside your house, read it carefully before sleeping, The food will arrive after an hour meanwhile you can change your attire and wash your clothes at the river. "

Everyone nodded as Lafurge continued with a serious expression, " Tomorrow at 8 AM, I want everyone to be standing here. If your supervisor sees someone absent then that person will be DIRECTLY kicked out of the Thunder-Fire Valley, And your working place has already determined according to your performance so I will not allow any complaints, understood? "

" YES!! " Everyone shouted in response.

Lafurge nodded with satisfaction as he said, " Good, Now if you want to eat better food, then you can either Hunt Monsters or go to the Cafeteria which you will be able to find after asking someone here, Every mountain is connected in this mountain range, so u can go to another mountain through the road on this mountain, No need to descend this mountain in order to go to another mountain. Alright Farewell, I will not be coming after today, I wish you all become Elemental Sorcerers in your life. " Saying this he flew up.

But before flying away, He looked back as if he remembered something and threw a wooden plate towards Athan while speaking, " Tomorrow After you come back from work, Show this wooden plate at the desk in this mountain palace if you want to meet Mike. " After that Lafurge flew away.

All Participants then scattered and went to choose their house, Tho there were only 8 houses and each one looked exactly the same.

Athan entered 8th House which was also one that was near the River and went inside after writing his name on the tag. The house was not that big, One floor, One room, One small hall, one table in the hall and a cupboard in the room.

After putting his bag on the bed in the room, He picked up the book that was on the table.

Stages of Elemental Sorcerers ( From Stage 1 to Stage 5 )

Stage 1: Elemental Guider

- In this stage, The Elemental Sorcerer can only guide Elemental energies into their body to form the Elemental Sea. ( Each element needs its own unique Elemental Sea, Two elements can't co-exist in one elemental sea. ) ) After one successfully forms an Elemental Sea, They enter the 2nd Stage.

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Stage 2: Elemental Apprentice

- In this stage, Practitioners learn how to proficiently borrow & control the energy inside their Elemental Sea...When They can successfully cast the lowest-tier Ability of their respective element like Fire Ball, Earth Shards, Water Gun, etc. They are considered to have solidified their status as Elemental Apprentice.

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Stage 3: Elemental Journeyman

- In this stage, Practitioners have to expand their Elemental Sea to increase their reservoir of Elemental Energy, And it generally takes a long time to do so...They can be considered to have solidified their status as Elemental Journeyman if they can cast High-Level Abilities That do not require complex control Like Fire Rain, Water Cannon, ThunderBolts, Earth Wall, etc.

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Stage 4: Elemental Master

- In This stage, Practitioners have to hone their control over a big reservoir of elemental Energy in the Elemental Sea to cast complex and high-level Abilities Like Fire Wings, Healing Rain, Water Mirage, Earth Maze. In short, When they can fully control their Elemental Energies then they are considered Elemental Master. Another example would be: A peak journeyman can cast 5 fireballs speedily and attack, But an Elemental master can Cast 15 fireballs even faster and attack.

But here comes the hard part, Stage 5.

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Stage 5: Elemental Mage

-To reach this stage, Elemental Masters needs to unlock the Psychic Realm which produces Psychic Energy, After that, They have to use this Psychic Energy to refine the Elemental Energy inside their Elemental Sea, Which will make the respective energy inside their body more powerful. For Example, An Elemental Master and An Elemental Mage consume the same amount of Fire Energy to cast a Fireball into a Pond AND the effect they would have on the pond would-be SIGNIFICANTLY different. Elemental Master's Fire will evaporate some Water and make sizzling sounds for some time BUT Elemental Mage's Fireball can evaporate the entire pond.

- Elemental Mages can start using Elemental Arts which needs refined energy and psychic energy.

- You can say that The Elemental Master's Fire Energy is Level 1 and the Elemental Mage's Fire Energy is Level 2, One is a Paper Chariot while the other is a Metal Chariot.

Chapter 8 - A Meeting Of Two Friends

Athan then turns to the next page, which had information about Elemental Warriors.

Stages of Elemental Warriors ( From Stage 1 to Stage 8 )

Elemental Warrior Stage 1:

- When one can resist the Ability power of Elemental Apprentice with their body and not die after 2 attacks are considered to be on Elemental Warrior Stage 1.

Elemental Warrior Stage 2:

- When one can completely ignore the Ability Power of Elemental Apprentice with their body and hit back the Elemental Apprentice are considered to be on Elemental Warrior Stage 2.

Elemental Warrior Stage 3:

- When one can resist the Ability power of Elemental Journeyman with their body and not die after 2 attacks are considered to be on the Elemental Warrior Stage 3.

Elemental Warrior Stage 4

- When one can completely ignore the Ability Power of Elemental Journeyman with their body and hit back the Elemental Journeyman are considered to be on Elemental Warrior Stage 4.

...

The list goes on like this until it stops at Elemental Warrior Stage 8.

Elemental Warrior Stage 8:

- To reach Elemental Warrior Stage 8, One needs to unlock the Psychic Realm and produce Psychic Energy, By using this psychic Energy in combination with their Powerful Refined Bodies, They can fight back against Elemental Mages.

There was some other information in the next few pages regarding rules and regulations of Inner Thunder-Fire Valley.

After reading everything, Athan laid on his bed while thinking, ' So Elemental warriors also need to unlock the Psychic Realm if they want to continue their path...'

Soon he fell asleep while thinking about things, completely forgetting to wash clothes and arrange things.

After all the ordeals the participants went through today, it's reasonable that they would be exhausted even tho it's just 4 PM.

...

...

After who knows how long, Athan opened his eyes.

" Shit, I fell asleep accidentally..." Swearing, Athan dashed out of his room and looked at the clock in the hall.

heaving a sigh of relief Athan thought, ' so it's just 3 AM, now that I woke, its time to do exercise and arrange things. '

...

...

At 6 AM, Athan finished doing exercise.

AT 7 AM, Athan arranged things, Washed his clothes, and took a bath.

and AT 7:45 He was already standing outside, waiting for the supervisor to arrive.

Other people came out of their house one by one and everyone was standing outside when before 8 AM.

Soon, we saw 2 people arriving in our direction, Both were in their forties, but they had this powerful Aura around them, and looked robust.

After arriving, They started sizing up Athan and others, they did this for 1 minute before one of them spoke, " You kid, Stay here, Others follow me."

Everyone left except Athan and another man in his forties, He smiled at Athan and spoke, " My name is Ginzo Tarfa, You can call me Uncle Tarfa, You will not be going with them because your workplace is different than theirs, Follow me I'll show you the place. "

Both of them then started walking, Athan just followed the man as he didn't know any paths here.

They walked a fairly long distance, took many paths, and even descended the mountain at a point before finally arriving at a gloomy place, gloomy because there were dark clouds in the sky.

After arriving here, They entered a Cave door that led to another mountain, After walking inside the darkness for a few minutes, Athan started to hear some sounds.

*clungk*

*clungk*

*clungk*

An area with gleam crystals appeared which illuminated the surroundings, where people were mining black colored crystals.

Arriving here, Ginzo Tarfa said to Athan, " These Black Crystals have very mystical uses, If People stay near them for a long time, Their Muscles and organs will be strengthened gradually. Another use of them is that these Crystals can be used to increase the durability of equipments. "

He then picked up a Pickaxe which had a black crystal embedded on it.

" This Pickaxe is more effective when used to mine the crystals here, " Saying this, he handed over the Pickaxe to Athan and said, " Go and start mining, You have mine daily for 7 hours, From 8 AM to 3 PM, Afterward You can train at training zones of Elemental Warriors. "

Athan nodded and started to mine at a relatively distant spot where the number of Black Crystals was more.

Seeing this, Tarfa nodded and went back.

...

...

Athan returned to his home after working for 7 hours and after taking a good bath, he directly went to the main desk in the mountain palace with the wooden plate that was given to him by Lafurge.

Arriving at the desk, where a woman in her forties was sitting, he handed over the wooden plate.

Looking at the wooden plate and then looking at me she took out a paper with patterns inscribe on it and after a second, it started to burn and turned into ash.

" Wait for a few minutes, Lafurge will arrive here soon. " The woman said to Athan.

Athan simply nodded and stood aside waiting for Lafurge.

After 10 minutes, Lafurge could be seen walking towards Athan from the entrance of the Mountain Palace.

Lafurge looked like he was just walking, But his every step crossed more than 2 meters of distance and he arrived in front of Athan in just a few seconds.

" Yo kiddo, Come on, Let's meet go meet your friend Mike. " Saying this, He directly grabbed Athan's shoulder and sped up as both of them flew outside of the Palace.

A voice laced with anger spread outside, " LAFURGEEEE, FLYING IS NOT ALLOWED IN MOUNTAIN PALACE...."

Lafurge just chuckled as he said to Athan who was looking at him, " Don't look at me like that, I'll pay the penalty later, But we have to hurry right now. "

Both of them flew deeper into the Canyon and Arrived at the Region where there were a lot of Thunder Clouds and Volcanos in which Lava was flowing down freely.

Looking at Athan's amazed expression, Lafurge spoke, " These Volcanos and Clouds are not naturally made but arranged by Elemental Archmages. "

Athan's expression turned even more amazed as confident words without basis in it flowed out of his mouth involuntarily, " I will definitely be able to do things like this in the future, It's just a matter of time. "

Lafurge laughed out hearing this and said, " didn't know you had this much confidence in yourself. "

Athan's face turned embarrassed he didn't mean to speak his thoughts out loud like this.

Soon, They passed the thunder clouds and volcano area and arrived at a completely different place.

' What the...' Athan's world view completely shattered looking at the sight in front of him.

A humongous Mountain Palace was suspended in the Air, It was so big that Athan actually could not see its peak as clouds were blocking the view.

" This is the Headquarters of the Thunder-Fire Valley, and also a place where core members of our faction stay. " Pausing a bit here Lafurge said, " Your friend mike is going to live here from now on, his status is even higher than me now. "

" What!! really? "

Lafurge looked at Athan's face which only showed pure happiness for his friend and was surprised but then he sighed, " This pair of friends...sigh, unfortunately, fate has stored something different for them. "

Indeed, Fate has stored VASTLY different things for them.

" Yep, his status is higher than most of the core members, Now let's go, He is also waiting for you. "

Both of them flew upwards and entered the Humongous Floating Mountain which had not one but three big palaces and other big buildings.

After entering the floating mass of wonder, They directly went towards the middle Palace which was also the biggest.

As soon as we entered an old man in his forties approached us and said in a reprimanding tone, " Where are you going lafurge? We still have a lot of work to do for today's ceremony, many big figures will start arriving in an hour. " Pausing a bit he looked at Athan and asked, " Who is this kid? "

Lafurge smiled coldly and spoke, " Elder Onuk, I am just following orders of Valley Master, now if you please excuses us, oh and instead of wasting time chatting with us, you should start working because...We still have a lot of work to do for today's ceremony. " Saying this, he went past Elder Onuk and went into one of the pathways leading deeper into the Palace.

Looking at their receding figures Elder Onuk snorted coldly and muttered under his breath, " I will definitely take revenge for my disciple, just you wait. "

Meanwhile...

Athan and Lafurge arrived in front of a very big gate.

Stopping in front of the gate Lafurge said to Athan, " Your friend is inside and you only have an hour to talk. " after that he just walked back to the path they came from.

Athan stood in front of the gate and before he could push it, The Gate opened itself, seeing this he went inside.

The room was very luxurious with lots of decorative things, But the most eye-catching thing was a boy walking to and fro with nervousness on his face. He wore the most luxurious clothes that Athan had never seen before.

" Hey bro, Nice get-up. You look like a Royal Prince hahaha. " Athan laughed seeing Mike who came running towards Athan.

" Y-yo bro, I didn't know something like this would happen, it seems like I became a Holy Son of Thunder-Fire valley. " Said Mike while smiling awkwardly.

" Woah, That's such a cool thing man, looks like I have to hurry up and awaken an affinity otherwise I will be left behind hahaha. By the way, What is your affinity? I've been dying to know about it. "

" It's Space Element, apparently it's a very rare affinity to have. " Mike then looked down as he said, " Athan, I asked the master to give me an Affinity Pill for you but he said that, The sources are weakened right now, and they need 500 years to recover before they can be used to make more Affinity Pill. Although 300 years have passed, they still need 200 years more to make pills again...I'm sorry bro, "

Athan shook his and said with a confident smile, " What the hell are you saying, bro? I don't need an affinity pill or whatever, Just focus on your training and cultivation, and don't look down on me hahaha, Because if you don't work hard, I'll soon catch up to you and even surpass you. "

Afterward, Both of them talked to each other for an hour before a loud voice came inside along with the sound of the door opening.

"Holy Son Mike, It's time to meet Valley Master and some of his esteemed friends. "

Athan looked towards the door as a familiar figure came inside with a flattering smile.

That person was none other than Elder Onuk.

.

.

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( AUTHOR'S NOTE )

IMPORTANT: This chapter and the previous chapter were completely in 3rd person POV writing, BUT chapter 1 to 6 were in POV of Athan and occasionally 3rd person POV. SO here is the QUESTION. Which one do you prefer? Should I stick to a completely 3rd Person POV or a mixture of Athan's POV and 3rd person POV? please let me know in the comment section.