Yet, he felt stuck. He had learned everything those books could teach him. He had mastered the basics of his sword. He was ready, but he had no purpose. Where should he go? How should he begin?
His thoughts drifted to the one unpredictable ability in his arsenal, the wild card in his arsenal. [Arcana Shift].
"I need guidance," he murmured to himself, his intent clear and focused.
"I don't want to fight enemies. I don't want to run away. I want a path. Show me my first step into the outside world."
He took a deep breath. "ARCANA SHIFT! ACTIVATE!"
There was no flash of light or dramatic sound. There was only the familiar *click* sensation in his mind. On the obsidian floor in front of him, a drop of water appeared out of nowhere. The drop grew and swelled rapidly, forming a water ball the size of a fist that floated in the air.
Inside the water ball was an object. A small glass bottle plugged with cork.
The water ball then burst with a soft *splash*, dropping the bottle onto the floor with a loud *clink*. The bottle rolled and stopped right at the tip of Ars's boot.
Ars stared at it with raised eyebrows. Of all things, a message in a bottle. It was very fitting for The Fool. Absurd, poetic, and completely indirect.
He picked up the bottle. Inside was a small parchment scroll tied with blue thread. Carefully, he removed the cork and took out the scroll.
As he unfolded it, his eyes widened in surprise and amusement. It wasn't a treasure map or an ancient prophecy.
It was a form. An application form for the Zenith Academy.
At the top, written in elegant ink, were the words: *Zenith Academy: Shaping the Future, One Genius at a Time.* Most of it was blank—Name, Age, Affiliation, Outstanding Talent.
Ars chuckled softly, a laugh filled with relief and wonder at the strange workings of fate. Of course. The answer had been in his mind all along, and his Arcana had merely given him the physical push to make it happen.
He focused [Observer's Insight] on the form.
> [The Unwritten Destiny Form]
> Quality: Epic
> Description: An invitation to a stage where many destinies will intersect
> Purpose: [Seeking Unfound Potential], [Becoming a Meeting Point of Destiny], [Beginning the Wanderer's Journey]
"The Meeting Point of Destinies," whispered Ars. That was it. That was the place. A school filled with the most talented individuals in the world.
Some of them might even be holders of other Arcana. It was a dangerous place, but also the best place to gather information, build strength, and understand the game he was playing, while remaining anonymous. Who would suspect an ordinary student as the legendary Arcana Zero?
He knew what he had to do. His time in this shell was over.
---
Ars stood in the middle of the White Void Room on the first floor, where it all began. Yuki sat alertly on his shoulder.
"I'm ready," said Ars, his voice echoing in the silent room. "I'm ready to go."
"You have chosen your path," replied the voice of the tower, its tone sounding like a proud teacher.
"A wise choice. Among the crowd, even the faintest light can hide."
The white wall in front of Ars began to ripple and become transparent, revealing the forest in Dawn Park, where he had first arrived.
"The world is your canvas, choice is your brush. Paint your journey, Wanderer. But beware of the shadows you create. They may be longer than you think."
That was his final warning.
"Thank you... for everything," Ars said sincerely.
"I am merely the gatekeeper. Your journey is your own. I will take you to your first destination. Close your eyes. Do not resist."
Ars closed his eyes. He felt a strange sensation, as if his entire being was dissolving into particles of light. There was no painful pull like when he first arrived.
This time, it felt like being enveloped by a calm river current. He felt the world around him fade away, replaced by a momentary journey through warm nothingness.
Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the sensation stopped.
The first thing that greeted him was a sensory explosion. The clamor of hundreds of people talking and shouting, the creaking of wagon wheels on stones, the neighing of horses, and the clanging of hammers from distant workshops.
The aroma of freshly baked bread mingled with the smell of manure and wood smoke. The air felt alive and full of chaotic energy.
Ars opened his eyes.
He was standing on a busy dirt road, under the shade of a large oak tree. About a hundred meters in front of him towered a giant stone wall so high it made him feel small.
The wall stretched as far as the eye could see, interspersed with imposing watchtowers. In the middle of the wall was a colossal iron and wooden gate that stood open, through which a constant stream of people, carts, and livestock flowed in and out.
Above the gate, a large banner fluttered in the wind, displaying the emblem of a golden lion standing tall.
It was the main gate of the capital city of the Kingdom of Selesterra.
People passed through it, merchants shouted out their wares, children ran around, and guards in gleaming armor watched the crowd with sharp eyes. No one paid him any attention; he was just another face among thousands.
Ars saw his own reflection in a puddle at the side of the road. The one staring back at him was no longer Nael, the exhausted gamer. It was Ars, a tall young man with blue-black hair and sharp sapphire eyes.
He wore a simple but sturdy set of traveler's clothes he had found in the tower, and at his waist hung the Muga Katana, its handle wrapped in dark blue silk, striking yet not excessive.
On his shoulder, Yuki the white fox gazed at this bustling new world with her large, curious black eyes.
He was a stranger in a strange land, an anomaly bearing the fate of the world on his shoulders.
He was Zero, a blank canvas ready to receive its first stroke. And in his pocket, the Zenith Academy registration form felt real and heavy, a key to the next chapter.
Taking a deep breath, inhaling the air of his new world, Ars steps forward. He walks out from under the shade of the tree, joining the flow of the crowd heading toward the city gates.
The Fool has arrived on the stage, and the first act is about to begin.