Path to Transcendence

Upon closer inspection, the building was in quite good shape. The stone wasn't brand new, but there weren't any large signs of damage and the glass windows were quite clean. Even the hedges were maintained properly.

However, as they walked toward the front door they were intercepted by two unknown assailants.

"Hey, Elder Han, who's the kid?" A brat with red hair and dirt all over his face asked.

"Shut up, Landon. Ever since you turned ten you have been calling everyone kid, as if you aren't a kid yourself," another kid that was following behind who was similarly covered in dirt but had black hair.

"Yeah, so what?"

"Then stop calling people older than you 'kid', it's weird," the black-haired boy told Landon.

"You're weird!"

"Yeah, but you're more weird!"

An argument quickly started and the old man, who was supposedly named Elder Han just sighed and massaged his forehead.

"Landon, Abel, stop yelling at each other. You guys better go get cleaned up before Sister Cathy gets mad at you two for being late."

That seemed to scare the boys into compliance. The moment the name Cathy came out, the two of them stopped immediately and ran off to get cleaned. As they were sprinting, the red-haired boy tripped the other boy and ran away with a giggle.

Julius observed Elder Han smile as the old man watched the two boys run away.

"Kids will be kids," the old man finally said.

Julius just grunted in agreement as the two of them calmly walked toward the building.

"Who are you really?" Julius asked curiously.

Unlike the last time, the old man actually gave him a serious glance. "Just an old man trying to find some purpose in these old bones before I kick the bucket."

"And before that?"

The old man shook his head. "Not important anymore."

Julius was about to press more but withheld his curiosity. The man obviously didn't want to talk about it, and Julius could respect that.

"Do you run this orphanage?" Julius asked, changing the subject.

Elder Han nodded. "Partly. I have plenty of help and each one is as vital to the upkeep of the orphanage as I am."

They paused as a group of small little girls ran by in a hurry. Probably scared of Sister Cathy like those two boys were.

Once they were out of earshot, he asked the old, "How did you know about the guards?"

"In a town like this, it's more difficult not to notice anything out of the ordinary," the old man said cryptically.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that you don't often see two Tier 2 kids exuding the aura you and your friend do in a town this size. Most of the kids who even come close either end up going to an academy to study or end up joining a sect."

"Sects?" He asked.

"You never heard of sects?" The old man asked, surprised.

"No, I do, but information was pretty limited about them," he explained.

It was true. Even with the extensive library, he hadn't really found much about sects. Then again, he wasn't that interested in them and hadn't looked that hard. He was more interested in fun stories and interesting historical accounts that might give him some inspiration for his skills.

As far as he understood it, sects were like private communities. Those who were a part of them rarely interacted with the outside world.

There was supposedly a pretty large sect near Heston. It was called the Stormbreaker Sect and from what Julius had heard about it, its members were quite powerful fighters. However, from what Julius had heard they stayed out of the Empire's politics and focused on fighting monsters.

"Well, there are a few local sects around here that every so often have an exam to scout out talent. Most of the children who have it, end up going with them or choose to go to an academy."

"Is there a large difference between academies and sects?" Julius asked, taking advantage of an opportunity to learn more about this world.

"Of course."

"Like what?" He asked.

"Well, some people choose academies because there is less of a commitment. Whereas, if you joined a sect, it is kind of a lifetime commitment. You can't share what you learn from them with others and you owe your allegiance to them," the old man explained as he opened the door for Julius.

Julius had to wait to enter as one last group of children ran past him, eager to get some food.

"So why would people even consider a sect?"

"Power," Elder Han explained simply. "Because of your commitment, you are able to learn much more powerful skills and techniques."

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"You make it sound like academies don't provide that."

The two of them were walking down a long hallway that was warmly lit. It felt distinctly homey and cozy.

Elder Han turned to look at him with a meaningful look. "Do they? You should know better than anyone else."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It's pretty obvious. If you were from a sect you would know more about them and from the way your defending academies make it seem like you go to one," Elder Han stated, but then sighed. "Look, I'm not trying to say that academies are useless. But there is a reason why most students are nobles. They already have backing from their families, they have skills and legacies with long histories. Not every commoner has that."

"There are commoners at the academy I go to," he pointed out to the old man.

"Those are the outliers. Most commoners, especially the ones out here choose to enter a sect or some sort of association. Not only will they get access to more help with their skills but also they gain the backing of an established power. The allegiance goes both ways. Just as you have to be loyal to your sect, your sect will have your back when you need it."

Julius paused as he thought about that.

It made sense. Most of the students he met at Goldencrest already had an idea of what kind of skillset they were pursuing. Their families most likely picked many of them out for them when they were young.

He couldn't expect that all commoners were like himself and were able to acquire powerful skills on their own. Some would need some guidance to do so, and he hasn't seen that from Goldencrest. Even Gabriel was limited in what he could show Julius, the big baldy said so himself.

But if you were to swear a magical oath to keep how one learned a skill a secret and to swear loyalty, then it wouldn't be unfair to say that someone would be more willing to teach a person said skills.

Goldencrest didn't have anything like that in place. They had opportunities to get stronger, but it was very much a find-your-own-way type of school. However, you also didn't tie yourself to a single power.

Regardless, for a commoner with nothing to support them except for their families, he could see how the sects were a superior offer.

Elder Han waved his hand. "I don't know how I ended up lecturing you on my dated opinions, but I apologize. You are free to make your own opinion later in your life. But for the moment let's just go eat. Sister Cathy doesn't like it when anybody is late, that goes for me as well," he chuckled.

***

Dinner was surprisingly nice. He met with some very interesting young children and had the pleasure of meeting the infamous Sister Cathy.

Unexpectedly, Sister Cathy wasn't some scary old nun. No, shockingly, Sister Cathy was a gorgeous young woman in her early twenties.

But he quickly saw why the children feared her. She gave commands like a drill sergeant and her voice was like a thorny whip. Not even the cutest girl was safe from her tongue lashings. It was equal tyranny.

As Elder Han was walking him around the complex, Julius passed over the money he took from the guards.

"Oh, changed your mind again, have we?"

"That's a lot of children. I don't think it's going to get you very far," Julius said.

"Every copper matters. Who knows? Maybe I will end up treating the kids to some sweets," the old man commented with a chuckle.

"I'm sure Sister Cathy wouldn't appreciate that."

"Oh ho, you would be surprised. As long as I get her a couple of things it will be alright," Elder stated confidently.

"Whatever you say," Julius said with a shake of his head, already preparing for Elder Han's funeral.

Julius didn't know where Elder Han was taking him. But they were heading toward the back of the orphanage. The old man had said he wanted to show him something, but he couldn't help but wonder what was back here.

It didn't take very long to find out.

He heard the familiar sound before he saw it. There were a few children who were out back already training some of the skills. It was mainly boys, but there were a couple of girls who were also participating.

"What is this?" He asked the old man.

"One of the best ways to support oneself and their family in a rural place like Stonewall is to learn how to hunt monsters. We try our best to teach the children who are interested."

"I thought you said many of the children end up going to sects or other established powers," he commented as he observed the group of children.

"Not everyone is considered to be talented enough to be recruited. Those who don't have an exceptional affinity often have to prove themselves before any power accepts them within their ranks. A lot of the time, the unchosen end up as adventurers. Before that, they have to learn skills somehow right?"

"And you're the one who teaches them?"

The old man laughed softly. "Not really, after all, I am just a simple old man. What kind of child would listen to my advice?"

"I would," he easily replied.

The old failed to hide the grin as he heard Julius's comment.

"So what am I doing here? I suspect you have a reason for this. I doubt you brought me out here to show me your talented students," Julius stated.

"That's exactly what I was doing. But you're right. That's not the only reason," Elder Han told him with a pat on the shoulder.

"Can you just come out and say it?" Julius asked exasperatedly.

The old man chuckled at his behavior. "I want you to help them."

"You really think I can offer more than you could?"

The old man didn't even try to hide his amusement. "Of course not, you're not exactly an experienced teacher even I can tell that much. But you do have something that I don't."

Julius had to rein in his urge to argue with the old man, instead he played along. "And what's that?"

"Youth."

"Youth?" He asked skeptically.

"Yep. Like I said earlier, these children only think of me as a simple old man. They don't really have faith in what I tell them."

"I bet that would change if you just showed them a fraction of your power," Julius said with a deadpan expression.

"Perhaps. But I am not looking to do that. It would defeat the whole purpose after all," the old man replied with a shrug.

Julius gave the old man a blank stare. "And why would I do it?"

"Because you have a good heart," the old man chuckled.

"No, I don't"

"Yes, you do. Otherwise, you would have just kept that money. Rather than do that, you decided to give it to some normal orphanage."

Normal orphanage my ass.

Julius shook his head. "I am not exactly a teacher like you so helpfully pointed out," he made another excuse.

"I don't need you to give them a formal education. I just want you to beat them up a little bit," the old man said like it was a completely normal thing to say.

"Beat them up?"

"Just a little."

He didn't have a reply to that. Instead, he looked over at the children who were training. At first glance, it was obvious to see the effort they were putting in. Every one of them was putting their heart into it.

It was kind of inspiring. Just from an initial glance at their auras, they weren't anything special at least compared to some of the students at Goldencrest. Still, their dedication touched him.

He suspected that was what Elder Han was hoping for.

"I am starting to see that you are quite the meddlesome old man," Julius told the old man as he walked toward the group of children.