Path to Transcendence

Instead of aura training, Julius decided to do work on his mana for now. He knew that he still hadn't chosen an evolved path for it, but he hadn't had the skill for years and wasn't worried about not being able to receive levels on it.

He went back to his roots. He remembered some of the fun little exercises he came up with in the past and tried to replicate them. He carefully created a dozen little orbs of fire mana and gently shaped them into human-like figurines. He recalled how they used to look like demented stick figures, but this was a different Julius. This Julius had improved a lot.

He wasn't quite able to make them life-like. He had better control, but that still didn't turn him into an artist overnight. There were big improvements though. The faces and limbs were all the right proportions and they actually looked like people now. Then he tried to create a "dragon". He had a feeling that was going to be much more difficult even with his improvements.

He created another orb of mana, this one a little bit larger to accommodate the larger construct, and began to mold it. He was able to get the proportions down but the hardest bit was the wings and scales. For some reason, it was annoyingly difficult to create multiple layers of texture.

It was then that an epiphany hit him. Layers. Just like how [Mana Layering] worked, he could apply the same concept to his figurines. The scales were like layers, each one didn't need to cover the entire body, but he could create many smaller ones that he could intertwine together, leaving just enough space to link them together.

Renewed with excitement he began his testing. It was very delicate work, each scale had to be crafted individually, and on something around the size of his hand, it was a lot of scales. However, he learned a lot, he learned that he could use mana layering much like how the scales interacted with each other. He had been trying to create layers with the same shapes, but that wasn't how it worked. Each scale might look the same, but they differed minutely depending on where on the body they were placed.

Each layer had a purpose and he had to create each layer with that in mind. It was wonderful once he realized that. He almost chose [Mana Layering] the second he realized it. The dragon construct may not have looked the prettiest, but the scales gave it a substance and stability that his construct have been missing. It wasn't even created with compressed mana, but it was one of the tougher constructs he had built so far.

He got so into it that several hours passed by without him realizing it. He was so focused on improving his layering techniques, making each one better than the last.

He even got a notification for his discovery.

[Arcane Construct lvl 11 -> lvl 13]

[Arcane Construct] had managed to level up twice because of his revelation. He created one of his spikes using the method he used for creating the scales. Layering many small plates of mana, each one feeding off another, using each other for support. It took a long time, much too long for combat, even with [Mana Manipulation] making things faster.

What made this method particularly effective was that if one scale was to collapse then the others would equally take on a larger load to compensate. Before, a single crack in a construct destabilized and collapsed the entire thing. Now, it felt like a spike made out of real steel, swirling with red iridescent colors, he was curious how much more powerful this would be.

There were so many more possibilities but he felt like he was on the right track now. Who knows, he might create himself a set of scale armor in the future.

The next couple of days went like that. He had integrated [Pure Compression] along with this layering technique. It made it significantly more challenging but it also had much more amazing results.

[Arcane Construct lvl 13 -> lvl 14]

[Pure Compression lvl 12 -> lvl 13]

[Swordsmanship lvl 7 -> lvl 8]

He mainly focused on his mana exercises but he also changed things frequently, sometimes sparring with Orus and Declan, or taking some time to train his aura.

However, today was the day when he would find out if he was accepted or not. He wouldn't lie and say that he wasn't anxious, because he was. Declan tried to assure him that he was almost certain to get in, but doubt has a funny way of working its way into you.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Declan walked through the door holding an envelope in his hands. It was unopened, but had a gold "G" embossed on the seal. It didn't take a genius to guess what might be in that letter. Julius rushed over to Declan and snatched the thing out of his hands before he could even say anything.

Declan laughed at Julius's actions, understanding his impatience. Orus and Rae took a break from their work to see the result and laughed along with Declan. Julius carefully removed the seal from the envelope and took out the sheet of paper from it. He diligently read the text printed onto its surface, before dropping it to the floor.

The other three spotted the sad look on Julius's face and immediately began consoling him. Telling him that it was okay. That there was always another school and other things that would cheer him up.

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It wasn't until Orus picked up the dropped letter and read it for himself that he wrestled Julius to the ground and gave him a good smack for good measure.

"Orus! Stop that this instant! You should be comforting Julius at this time, not beating him up." Rae admonished Orus.

Orus let Julius go but didn't say anything and handed the letter over to Declan who was looking on confused. Declan read the letter and looked at Julius before also giving him a quick smack on the head.

"Declan! Not you too!" Rae scolded the vice-captain.

Declan passed over the letter to Rae as well, giving her the chance to read it. Julius observed Rae's face turn from angry, to happy, back to angry within seconds. Then she turned around and also gave Julius a smack to the back of his head. Calling him an idiot multiple times.

If it wasn't clear, Julius got in, he just couldn't help but play a little prank on them. He happily took the scolding Rae gave him about worrying them for no reason. He did it, he made it into Goldencrest Academy.

Lukas and Edwin would have been proud.

The semester's start date wasn't for another several days but he was given time to move in and settle in beforehand. He didn't have much to pack, so he decided he might as well get acclimated before classes started. He would like to explore campus so that he had an idea of where things are. The letter had instructions on what to do when he arrived, making sure he checked in and got his room number for his dormitory.

Declan told him that when he went there, they would use the interview portion to help determine which roommates might get along with each other and which ones might be good for one another's development.

He was curious about what kind of roommate he might get, but honestly, he didn't care that much. He didn't expect to be in his room all that often.

He grabbed his small pack and put the clothes Declan had given him into it, as well as, carefully packing the plants in as well. They didn't really fit and overflowed the pack a bit, but he thought that the little seed would enjoy them so he brought them anyway.

He said goodbye to all three of them, it was a nice farewell, Rae even gave him some cookies he could enjoy until she next saw him. Julius would see all of them next week so he didn't feel that sad, he would miss the guardhouse though. It was noisy, busy, and sometimes smelled like sweaty men, but it was comfortable.

It had also quickly become a second home to Julius, and would always have a place in his heart.

Julius picked up little Drasil. That was what he had been calling the spirit seed lately. He believed that the seed was progressing fast and he wanted a name ready for when it was born.

Drasil was short for Yggdrasil, the World Tree. It was an arrogant name for something so tiny to be named after the tree that supported the realms of the universe. But he wanted Drasil to have a grand name, one that they could be proud of, so he went with Drasil.

Drasil appeared to like it too. When Julius asked if it liked that name, he could have sworn the tree swayed a bit in response.

Julius arrived at the gates again, there weren't that many students here, mainly older classmen who had gotten back from the break. Julius was guessing most of the first years would be trickling in for the next few days. That wasn't to say he was the only first-year. There were others as well. However, Julius was surprised at how much luggage some of them were bringing.

They had whole carriages full of their belongings. Julius knew, that most of the students would be of noble status, but he didn't think they would still show up with half of their house on their backs.

Julius walked to the building where the instructions had told him to go. Sitting at a desk was a handful of staff helping the occasional student out. He approached a lady who wasn't helping anyone at the moment and introduced himself.

"Hi, my name is Julius Snow and I am a first year. It said to come here to find out my dorm and to sign up for classes."

"Yep, you are in the right place. Please give me a second… Okay, you will be staying in the Crescent Dormitory, I have marked it on this map. Also, here is a list of available classes, please make sure to submit them before the semester starts. Also, some of them do fill up fast, so if there are certain classes you are hoping to join, I would make sure you get it in sooner rather than later," the lady carefully explained to Julius.

After getting the map, his student badge, and the list of courses, he didn't head exactly to his dorm, but walked around for a bit, exploring the campus. It was a wonderful place, the gold buildings were not as overbearing as he thought they would be, and they actually came off as more warm and cozy than anything else. There also were carefully maintained gardens sprawled all across campus.

The map showed Julius where most of the first years would be spending their time. There were other parts of the campus, but most of them were restricted to older students. The first years were mainly kept separated from the others, except for a few facilities that everyone shared such as the library, cafeteria, and the main arena.

Once he felt he explored enough, he headed to his dorm to drop off his things. The Crescent Dorm was an all-boys dorm, located right next to the underclassmen cafeteria and the first-year training area. First-years were given their own training area, but they had the choice to go to the main one, where there were more options and more abundant resources.

There was a small common room in the entranceway, where kids would be able to hang out after class. Julius's room was located on the first floor, and he used his key to open his door.

The room was portioned into two halves, each a mirror image of the other. A bed, a small desk, a chair, a side table, and a closet where you could put your clothes. It was just like a college dorm. There was even a shared bathroom down the hall. Everything was nice at least, there were even polished brass finishings on the furniture.

Julius set up Drasil, nestling it within the plants he had packed. Once, he finished that, he checked out the bathroom. It was really clean, the porcelain and stone were practically shining. There were also many stalls where showers were placed. It was a very nice bathroom, he just hoped that the other boys his age wouldn't create too much chaos in it.

Julius walked around the dormitory but didn't see anything else of note, he didn't see anyone else who had moved in yet. But with a quick look around he thought it would be a suitable place to live for the next year. He made sure he had his key and then he left to explore more of the campus.