"You all have one year to become Elementary Apprentices. Of course, that's the deadline. The sooner you reach this stage, the higher your mental strength aptitude is judged to be. Naturally, your treatment within the School will improve accordingly."
Ron felt as though the memories in his brain had been tossed into a washing machine—spun, churned, scrambled—fragments flying about and slowly reassembling themselves.
This confusion had lasted for several days, only now finally concluding with the complete fusion of his twin souls.
On one side was an ordinary university student from Earth, who died suddenly after staying up late gaming.
On the other side was the fifth son of Count Ralph—without rights to inheritance, a noble who spent his days immersed in indulgence, frequently dreaming of seducing beautiful maids in the castle.
But of course, those blissful, carefree days only lasted until his fifteenth birthday.
Ron rubbed his temples. His memories slowly unfurled like a scroll stained with ancient ink:
In a dimly lit hall, candlelight flickered, surrounded by an unnatural silence.
Black candles formed a circle. Their flames danced, casting twisted shadows across the room. From behind their eerie white masks, the White Robe Wizards spoke with voices that scraped like metal—cold, emotionless:
"Your mental strength aptitude has just reached the minimum standard."
Ron touched the surface of a crystal ball with his slender fingers. Inside, a dark red mist slowly condensed into a barely visible symbol, its glow extremely dim.
The moment that verdict was delivered, his father's face froze. His usually proud posture hunched, making him seem ten years older in an instant.
To possess mental strength aptitude was a joyous thing—if it was outstanding. Otherwise, one became just another experimental consumable, regularly offered to the Wizards.
"According to the contract, your kingdom is still short a few 'seeds' to be delivered to the Black Mist Forest. I will take this one as well."
The White Robe Wizard hadn't asked for permission. He simply informed the room, then turned to Ron and waved his staff.
...
From there, the memories blurred together. He had been brought to the Black Mist Forest, along with other "seeds" from different kingdoms. Their only gift was a book—Basic Meditation Method.
Ron studied it diligently, day after day, but with minimal progress.
Now, he opened the tattered meditation manual in front of him with a bitter smile. Beside it were worn-out copies of Abyss Travels and Stargate Chronicles. Aside from one Fundamentals of Potions text, they were all useless junk.
The rules of the Black Mist Forest were simple. The School provided free lodging, food, and public resources, and offered various paid courses. But all new recruits faced a one-year evaluation period.
Fail to become an Elementary Apprentice within that year, and you'd either be used as experimental material—or worse, expelled into the wilderness crawling with mutated beasts.
Only three months remained until Ron's deadline.
"Meditate, condense the will rune…" Ron closed his eyes and tried guiding his mental strength as described in the book.
Since his soul had fully merged with the soul from Earth, he noticed his mind had become sharper—more precise.
Suddenly, a strange sensation welled up inside him. Before his eyes, a translucent information panel appeared:
[Ron Ralph]
[Age: 15]
[Current Main Profession: None]
[Current Sub-Profession: None]
[Attributes: Constitution 0.4, Spirit 1.1, Mana 0.1]
[Skills: Basic Meditation (Beginner), Zero-Ring Slime Splash (Beginner), Basic Potioneering (Beginner)]
[Special Talent: Twin Souls (Comprehension ↑; Can perform Twin Casting when mental strength reaches a certain threshold)]
[Strength Level: Ordinary Person]
"Is this… my golden finger?" Ron murmured.
He was thrilled, but not entirely surprised. After all, transmigrating into another world was already bizarre enough. Having a cheat-like system panel, similar to games back on Earth, felt almost expected.
"It's just like the character panel from the game I used to play... I wonder if it works the same way?"
He examined the panel. Everything looked familiar. He focused on the skill tab:
[Skills Mastered]
Basic Meditation (Beginner 22/100)
Zero-Ring Slime Splash (Beginner 9/30)
Basic Potioneering (Beginner 5/50)
Since there was an experience bar, the panel likely worked just like in the game.
He decided to try meditating again, to test the effect.
Following the method etched deep into his memory, Ron calmed his breath and slowly entered a meditative state.
In the dark realm of his consciousness, the goal was to form a basic rune—three arcs overlapping like crescent moons. This rune would condense scattered mental strength into something tangible.
"Deep breath… empty the mind… visualize the rune…"
His consciousness became like an invisible pen, trying to trace the rune in darkness.
The first arc twisted and collapsed, forcing him to restart.
Again and again, he tried—over a dozen attempts—until finally, the three arcs held their form, although they still trembled like candle flames in wind.
Suddenly, Ron felt a faint response—mental strength gathering slowly around the rune, forming a center.
It was like discovering a tiny spark in endless night—warm and precious.
"So this is what it feels like... for mental strength to grow..."
Beads of sweat formed on his brow. Holding the rune together required intense focus. A single distraction, and everything would fall apart.
Eventually, his mind reached its limit. Just then, a prompt appeared:
[Basic Meditation experience +1]
[Current Progress: Basic Meditation (Beginner 23/100)]
[Today's cultivation time limit reached. Rest recommended.]
Ron exhaled and wiped the sweat from his face.
Even though he gained just 1 experience point, he could clearly feel his control over mental strength had improved.
"This panel's biggest benefit is showing clear progress. No more aimless guessing."
But even with that advantage, his progress felt slow. His brow furrowed.
"At this rate… I won't make it before the deadline. And since meditation is limited to once per day…"
Time was running out. He had only three months left, and his meditation progress had barely reached one-fifth of the goal.
Failure would mean only two outcomes: become a lab rat—or get tossed into a wilderness teeming with monsters.
Taking a deep breath, Ron focused on the most valuable item he owned—Fundamentals of Potions.
Apart from Basic Meditation Method, this was his most prized possession, obtained at the cost of several magic stone shards.
[Basic Potioneering (Beginner 5/50)]
[Sub-Profession – Potion Apprentice ★]
After Job Change:
Attribute Growth:
Mana ★
Constitution ☆
Spirit ★☆
Unlock Professional Skills:
Magical Potion Brewing
Herbal Medicine Identification
Special Bonuses:
Increased Potion Studies experience gain
Faster mental strength accumulation
Higher mana affinity
[Job Change Conditions]
Basic Potioneering: Proficient level
Complete at least one brewing session
Advancement Paths:
α — Potion Master ★★
β — Toxin Master ★★
…
Ron exhaled with relief. Among all the panels, the Profession Panel was the one he remembered most vividly from the game.
He recalled hundreds, even thousands, of profession trees—complex, evolving like a Digimon evolution web.
Back when he played the game, he even spent real money to "unlock" hidden classes using a backdoor.
Nervous but excited, Ron focused on the panel, gently swiping the profession bar with his consciousness.
"Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, activate!"
In an instant—
[Current Main Profession Slots: 0 / ∞]
[Current Sub-Profession Slots: 0 / ∞]
"WOOHOO!! I really did hit the jackpot this time!"
He couldn't suppress his grin. If this were a shooter game, his expression now would be even harder to hold back than firing an AK.
In the game, players were restricted to 1 main profession and 3 sub-professions—unchangeable once selected.
But now?
He had unlimited slots for both.
To be continued...