The whisper escaped Nn''s lips as he took an intensely deep inhale before exhaling loudly, both of his hands ced on the edge of the bridge.


    The air gently blew across the ce, causing his white hair to flutter softly behind him, as if gravity had lost its effect in the area.


    A small smile of peace bloomed on Nn''s lips.


    It wasn''t just because he had finallypleted the Ascendant test, but also because he had managed to finish first.


    All his efforts in the test, all the pain and hard work—it had all been worth it in the end.


    Only now did Nn feel the sensation of being on top of the world.


    For the first time, he felt pride, and it lifted the corner of his lips.


    [Why, though?]


    The system suddenly asked him, drawing his attention to the golden-colored notification panel.


    "Why what?" he asked.


    [Why did you participate in this test in the first ce?]


    [You''ve always said all you want is freedom. It seems to me that if you had stayed in the Neer''s area and failed this test, you would''ve achieved that freedom you always desired.]


    [You would''ve essentially been the strongest neer and at least attained some level of freedom for yourself.]


    [You''d get all the chances in the world to be the new untouchable bully in the Neer''s area of the academy.]


    [So much freedom and power.]


    [Yet, you gave that all up and fought so hard in the test, doing literally everything you could just to get into the Ascendant hierarchy of the academy.]


    [You left behind all the peace and security, Nn, to move on to a higher level where you''re not necessarily the best, even among the average students.]


    [That doesn''t seem like a reasonable choice for a person with your aims.]


    The system exined at length, and a small grin appeared at the corner of Nn''s lips.


    The system''s question was reasonable, without a doubt.


    But Nn''s thoughts now differed from the ones he had when he first arrived at the academy.


    "I might really be the strongest here in the Neer''s area."


    "And as you say, I could have be the next most powerful bully, getting myself the freedom and everything thates with being the strongest."


    "The aim I''ve chosen, the aim for freedom—taking the Ascension test, where I wouldnd in another hierarchy and most likely be a bottom feeder—seems like a truly stupid decision."


    "But my reasoning is simple."


    "It''s what you told me."


    "Unless I am the absolute strongest, I''ll never achieve true freedom."


    "Staying in the Neer''s area and refusing to move up, just because I wanted to keep my freedom in this lower area, would only give me a temporary feeling of freedom."


    "It''s fake and delusional because I would always know that right here, just a few buildings away, there are people who could kill me with a single finger."


    "Any day, a battle between them could break out, and I could lose my life."


    "Nothing but a Neer student who got unlucky enough to be in the wrong ce at the wrong time."


    "The academy wouldn''t care whether I lived or died, and I wouldn''t be able to protect myself."


    "In the end, death would still be a possibility."


    "Every day, I would live in fear of that reality, watching the skies to make sure no danger was nearby, being careful with the type of people I interacted with."


    "Is that really freedom?" Nn asked in return, and the system hummed.


    "Besides, I have enemies."


    "Enemies that are strong."


    "The second I stop growing, they''ll catch up to me, and it will only be a matter of time before I''m killed."


    "Or even worst, ved!"


    "Look at Quinn. I might have defeated him, but that doesn''t mean I''m not wary of him."


    "What would have happened if Quinn had moved on to the Ascendant hierarchy and I had stayed in the Neer hierarchy?"


    "He would continue to grow stronger while I remained stagnant."


    "How difficult would it be for an Ascendant to kill a Neer?"


    "They''re more than three times stronger than any neer, and not just are they strong."


    "They are also assigned better value by the Academy than any Neer is assigned."


    "The only reason why we Neers are safe from their wrath is most likely because we don''t rte to them at all nor do we anger them."


    "We give them no reason to attack us..."


    "If Quinn was allowed to grow to that level, it would only be a matter of time before he came back for a rematch."


    "And that day, I would be the one losing my life."


    "Every day, I would live in fear of my enemiesing back to find me."


    "I still don''t know all the enemies from my past—how strong they are, who they are, or where they are."


    "Stopping my growth will only lead to my eventual death."


    "So, there''s no freedom for me."


    "And there will never be for me unless I keep growing stronger and stronger, until eventually, I reach the peak."


    "I won''t just stop at being an Ascendant."


    "Soon, I''ll be the strongest Ascendant, and then I''ll cross to the next stage and be the strongest in that too, and I''ll keep going, never stopping until I reach the stage of the Celestial Ones."


    "When I reach their stage, I''ll continue until I be the strongest Celestial One."


    "And when I''ve achieved that, I''ll ascend to the god stage, until I be the strongest god in this ne of existence."


    "By then, the number of people who could eliminate me could be counted on a single hand."


    "Perhaps then, I would have achieved true freedom."


    [The journey is still far. Very far…]


    The system replied to Nn, who nodded calmly, looking at the distant flowing water, watching it m against the rocks that protruded in certain areas.


    "But one day, I''ll reach that journey. I''ll stand at the peak, and then, I''ll smile and embrace the sky."