Zero Fate Against the World (New Version)

Only about 5K, that's because this chapter was half of chapter 30, but I cut it to add the next Class. Now we're here to continue from where we stopped.

Peace!

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/Time passed…/

Philip grew used to his renewed Skill interface and options, and while he didn't yet understand the full extent of the changes, after training for a few days, he decided it was time to leave this space for good.

He knew it was best to stay longer, but he stuck with his decision, not hesitating once he made up his mind.

He'd have plenty of extra opportunities to train. 

 "..."

With a final look, he bid this world farewell. Ending its simulation for good.

[Exiting Simulation Room]

The world around him bent as he was pulled forward, losing consciousness soon after.

…

/Gasp!/

Philip hurriedly opened his eyes as he gasped for air, his vision slowly focusing as he looked around warily.

Upon confirming his safety, his first action was to check the time, and with a sigh of relief, he realized only a few hours had passed.

The sun had already set, and the streets now shone under the bright lamps scattered throughout, some of their light peering inside his room from the cracks of his closed window.

Inside them were strange yellow marbles releasing a strong glister to its surroundings. 

The yellow light gave the city a strange, otherworldly feel. Under it, the city's strange architecture reminiscent of the Victorian era seemed almost magical. 

"Not too long has passed… That's one less worry taken off my shoulders."

'Seeing is believing, now I'm certain that time distorts whenever Gamerverse activates.'

'That said, there's always a chance I've been lucky with the way things have been, but I'd rather not worry about that, I have enough things to think about already.'

[DING]

[Your basic abilities have returned to their normal state, recalculating…]

Philip focused, this was what he'd been waiting for.

All of his actions within the Simulation Room, even if it all counted as mental training, were still founded in logic and hence, it was time for his System to reflect what he could actually do.

He did not anticipate a change in his Stats, but he wouldn't be surprised if his Mind and Spiritual Stats changed.

What he expected to receive were Titles, even if just one, and the Abilities to reflect everything he'd absorbed over the year he spent inside.

Probably new ones, and if he was lucky, a Skill may pop out as well.

With everything on the table, he'd march inside the Academy and find his target before moving on…

Or at least, that was the plan…

[...]

[Calculation failed! Recalculating…]

[Recalculation Error! Parameters have not been set… Missing directives…]

[Error! Cannot quantify! Contacting *****]

[E##OR! The process has been forcibly interrupted, waiting for further instructions…]

[Entering ***** mode]

"..."

'What?'

He was stunned, processing what had just happened…

'Did the System finally shut down? Come on! Not now!'

Philip tensed, unsure how to take this situation.

No matter how long he waited, nothing happened. The System had broken just as Dae had warned him it would, and now, he was alone.

Well, it was to be seen how much the System had been handicapped.

'I feel like I've been robbed again…'

He got up from the ground, reaching his head as he moved to the door.

"Whatever. It's not like I needed those anyway."

'Dae made a plan based on my expected growth and strength the moment I left the Palace, and while it's up to me to follow his ideas, it's a fact I've far outgrown it.'

'I'll solve things with or without the System's assistance. But it does feel like ass to lose my rewards. Especially since I lack some of the uniqueness of the System granted to the Heroes.'

"Also…"

'Why isn't Gamerverse activating? Haven't I already achieved my "Fate"? Is there something left to be discovered within the Skill?'

"Hm…"

'I'll think about that once I'm inside the Academy.'

'In the situation I'm dragged somewhere again, I'll at least take my time to gather a few more books so I don't grow bored to whatever corner of the Multiverse Gamerverse decides to throw me towards.'

Dusting his shoulders, Philip went downstairs to eat dinner before moving on to the City's North.

…

It hadn't been long since the sunset, as such, many shops were still open, serving customers. 

"... I guess this is the place." Said Philip as he gazed forward

Philip stood before a large skyscraper-looking building, built using the tall walls of the city as a foundation, like a large vertical brick laid alongside it.

Before the building was a large open plaza filled to the brim with people, it reminded him of an open-air shopping center, but rather than civilians going about their day, the area was filled with military personnel, mages, and other unique-looking individuals.

This was the city center, after all—the place where multiple influential powers had their branches located.

The Magic City was built like a disc around the Academy's walls, and this tower was built exactly at the center of its radius, acting as the entrance to the world of magic beyond…

But for as impressive as it was, from his perspective… 

"... It looks like a cock…" 

'A rectangular base and a tall rectangular tower… It may be an incredible feet of engineering, but I just can't help it...'

Purging his childish thoughts from his head, Philip entered the building. 

…

/Chatter…/

"... Fancy." 

Inside, the tower looked quite modern with sharp architecture and large open spaces with minimalistic designs.

Dozens of floating banners hang in the air above them, some moving, displaying daily news, others displaying faces, the people who moved the academy and left behind great legacies…

High above them, the ceiling stood with a holographic clock displaying multiple times. It seemed the Academy had a need for those, maybe that was why there were so many people moving around, even at this time.

'It's been over a year since I read Dae's journal… I should've spent some time reading it, but it wasn't my priority, not after what happened…'

'Rather than think of the future, I had the present to worry about.'

Philip glanced around for a little while longer before moving on, going for a large gate past the central area of the tower.

There were multiple entrances leading to different areas of the tower, but Philip walked forward, ignoring them all.

Movement was rather low past the gate, but he still saw a few dozen people come and go, mostly young people clad in uniform.

They were the students who were returning to school after spending their afternoon outside… Albeit late, better than never.

There was also some moving due to the start of the Academic period.

'The Heroes were summoned on the first day of the year, and from what I read, the Academy opens its gates for new students a month or so after. That's why the fairy told me it'd be difficult to get a job now. It's far too late to apply.'

'That said, they'll never have enough Wardens.'

He looked around, but aside from a few janitors, Philip saw no one who he could attest was a Warden. But he did notice one thing about the kids–They all had one or two servants following after them.

'As expected, the students from this place are primarily affluent kids, be they descendants of nobles, influential people… Or just filthy rich.'

And while he didn't see any wardens, he did see janitors… Everywhere he looked, he could see what seemed to be robots maintaining the tower.

But he knew those were most likely golems—precisely engineered constructs given life by magic or some other complex mechanism. 

/Step…/

Without spending any extra time appreciating the scenery, Philip followed the crowd and signs to the Job application area.

From magical escalators to strange elevators, he continued to traverse this strange and complicated area that would make someone with bad directions meet a certain green haired swordsman... 

At the end of it all, even he felt a little nausea.

"Is this it?" 

Philip took a step forward, stepping out of the silvery disc which acted as an elevator, leading down to the second floor.

/Personnel Application/ 

He read the intricately crafted metal sign woven with golden leaves glued to the entrance, muttering:

"This is it."

As he looked around, he was surprised at the sheer number of people flickering around the area. After all, he knew well that these people were either here for one of these two jobs… 

They were here to either become a Jailer or a Warden. Anything else was likely an impossibility at this point.

'Being a Jailor was a straightforward job requiring only a minimum degree of aptitude and experience. It's essentially being a janitor, but you weren't there to clean the floor, but to clean the superficial mechanisms and spell formations in the academy, where professionals handled everything else.'

'You are required to be good enough at Magic engineering so you can fix something when it breaks and maintain most of the systems on the school and its affluent facilities.'

'A simple job for simple pay… Even so, compared to everything outside, the pay was quite substantial.'

'If I can't become a Warden, applying to become a Jailor, but that would make my work harder.'

Philip looked at the waiting lines until he found the one he was looking for… It was twice larger than the Jailor one… As for the others, they were mostly, if not empty.

He stepped in line, thinking with his hands in his pockets as he waited for his turn.

"Next!"

'... Meanwhile, being a Warden is different because you have zero responsibilities.'

'So what do you do? Well… You are a living punching bag. Being generous… You are an all-rounder worker. The reality? You're a paid slave.'

'A Warden's main goal is to serve as a sparring partner for the students and to be an assistant for a teacher in case the already assigned assistant is not present or unavailable.'

'You also act in accordance with any miscellaneous requests regardless of how dangerous they may be. That's why the requirements state that you need to be at least a 1 Circle magician or have the capabilities of one.'

'Some may see it as being a Mercenary since you're technically being paid to do a bunch of odd tasks, and from a certain perspective, they're right. But that's only the case if you're given the appropriate tasks…'

'However, the problem is that this is an academy of Nobles… Arrogant nobles and teens in puberty where it's nigh impossible to predict their behavior.'

'Then, you have all of the conflicts between hierarchy, species, politics, and the economy of a dozen different nations all in one place. And if you're unlucky enough to be caught in their crossfire, if its necessary, the first one to go will be you.'

'Be it as a target so they may vent up their pent-up emotions, or a scapegoat for whatever trouble they've caused.'

'All of this has been institutionalized in their rules, leading to the survival rate of a Warden being less than 10%. And from that 10%, nine in ten individuals will retire just after their yearly contract ends, either due to a debilitating injury or fear.'

'On the other hand, being Warden has several benefits… An incredible pay of around a silver coin daily and free access to many areas within the school campus depending on your rank.'

'This means that with a high enough rank and some free time, even a commoner with little magic knowledge could technically pursue a formation.'

'Wardens have several ranks, from one to five, each correlated with the ranks of a Wizard. This means that a Rank 5 Warden would be equal if not higher in authority to a teacher, who, in this academy, is a 5th Circle wizard at their lowest.'

'And if you can reach that point, your contract also changes… An insane pay of one Big Gold Coin per day plus access to pretty much all areas of the academy. But few ever reached such a steemed position, and those that have to know what it takes to survive and even if their blood were to be drained, they wouldn't share those secrets with anyone.'

'While it's true that if you can reach such a great position, you'd possess a degree of immunity, never underestimate the pettiness of people.'

'As a Warden, the best way to survive is to stay low. That way, those arrogant people won't try to pull you down. After all, if you piss off a student, he can do everything possible to make your life miserable while you can't do anything to them…'

'Piss off the wrong person, and your entire bloodline may bear the weight of your actions.'

"Next!"

'... A Warden also has no responsibilities, which means no one will come after you to give you any. So if you somehow manage to stay low, it is possible to stay weeks in the Academy doing nothing while being paid without doing a single thing.'

'But it is also possible to spend every single moment from 5Am to 10Pm working and fighting… At that rate, one day, you would fall and… Die.'

'Thankfully, even wardens have work hours, else, I wouldn t be surprised if some were to work full 24H.'

'Of course, one day you'd have to work to at least keep your name off the wrong section of their database, but it doesn't take much to do that if you wish to just live on as a low-rank worker.'

"Next!" 

"..."

'My turn.'

Philip stepped closer to the balcony where he saw a middle-aged woman in a long robe.

Without even looking at him, she gave him a small piece of paper with several things in it.

Stamps, long pieces of paper with strange runes written on them, images… 

It was a contract. 

"That's a contract example. Memorize it and see if you are apt for the conditions stated in it."

She adjusted her glasses, pointing upward.

"You will see a number on the top right section of the room. Now, please, go to the waiting area on the side and wait for your number to be called so we can do a personal interview." 

/234… 235/

"Hm… I am… 248." Philip muttered to himself before nodding to the girl, taking a seat nearby

/Sit…/

'Well, for a Human butchery, this place is quite formal… I do understand people are coming here of their own volition, but the common people are ignorant to the extent of the violence and humiliation they'll experience once they cross onto the other side.'

'But for these people who have a family to support or a goal to achieve… The pay could solve all of those issues.'

'At the very least, most of them will be rejected for not meeting the requirements, which is still quite depressing.'

'What makes a 1st Circle wizard desperate enough to do this? What made them downgrade their noble art to this extent?'

"..."

Philip closed his eyes and relaxed as he waited for his turn. But not everyone was like him.

Most were tense, shaking in their boots. And with reason…

Their lives very much hang on the hands of whoever hid beneath the door to the interviewing room. 

…

/Around half an hour later…/

"Number 248." Someone in the reception called 

"Finally." 

As he made his way to the counter, the female attendant pointed towards a door on the right. Even now, Philip believed she never even looked at him…

Her emotions, however, said something else… He felt guilt and tension within her.

He wondered why such exotic emotions were within her, but after putting in some thought, it made some sense.

What was she doing with these people but sentencing them all to death? It took quite a bit of mental fortituted to remain working in this place.

As he moved to the side, he saw a massive guard standing by the door:

[Lv???]

'As expected…'

/Creak…/

The guard barely moved, only pushing the door open, gesturing him to get inside.

There, Philip saw a rather young man sitting by a wooden table, a stack of papers next to him.

He had sunken eyes and his office was quite decorated with strange devices, but Philip paid little attention to it all, focusing on the man before him.

"So… Number 248, a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"I will be your interviewer this time, you may call me Mr.Dolish." 

The man had long dark-red hair tied to a ponytail and a chubby beard. 

He seemed quite easygoing since his shirt was half-opened, and his posture was quite relaxed as if his job bore no weight on him at all.

From his emotions, he knew this man cared little about it all, but it was hard to say if he cared little about his actions or if he did not let his emotions get the better of him.

Philip had also seen many atrocities and felt little empathy about them all, but this did not mean he had forgotten them all.

They were all experiences, shaping who he was today.

"I could say the same. I'm Philip Polter." He replied as he shook Dolish's hand

"Hm… You don't seem nervous, Mr. Philip. May I ask why?" 

"Because I came here with a purpose." 

The man frowned a bit, but he smiled as he asked: 

"I usually see people come here without the right determination. I cast away half of those who hold doubt for usually, that doubt stems from leaving behind those they hold dear."

"And if they have someone waiting for them, they're better off taking their changes elsewhere than here… Now…"

"May I have your documents?" 

"Of course." 

/Click!/

Philip opened his briefcase, took out his essential documents, and presented them to the interviewer. And for the next few minutes, Dolish went over the papers as he checked them all, asking some questions as he went through them.

Philip had already prepared himself for these, all possible questions related to his documents had been written on a small parchment when they were delivered to him.

If there was something to be known about them, he knew.

"Everything seems to be in order. Here you go."

Dolish organized the documents, pushing them back to Philip…

/SWUSH!/

"!!"

But when he was about to grab them, the wooden pencil in Dolish's hand turned into an afterimage as it was flung directly toward Philip's head!

"..."

However, despite that, Philip easily caught the pencil, putting it back on the table as he asked:

"What's the meaning of this?" 

But deep down, he already knew the truth.

Dolish's emotions said it all. He may not yet be at the level of mind reading, but sensing such superficial thoughts was quite easy. 

"A small 'mandatory' test."

"If you can't do as much as evade this pencil, then it's better for you to leave this place with only a bleeding forehead rather than losing your life in there." He said as he wrote something else on a piece of paper with another pen

"..."

'As if. This pencil would dig a hole through the wall at that speed. An ordinary person wouldn't come out of this room with just a wound in their forehead…'

'This guy knows something. It seems the Academy takes its security more seriously than I thought. This guy is no mere interviewer.' 

/Scribble…/

This was where the interview really started.

"Tell me, Mr. Philip, what is your motive for entering our academy as a Warden when you already have these capabilities?" 

"... I need to improve myself, and I can't do that as easily as inside the academy."

It wasn't a lie.

"So it's a question of resources… Very well."

"It is true we can provide you with what you seek. However, I am sure there are other institutions out there that can provide you with similar results in a much safer environment. Why not seek those instead?"

"I could potentially recommend you to some of them even." 

"Humph… What other options do you speak of? All of those institutions would deprive me of my freedom for many years in exchange for the very thing you can all provide."

"My blood and soul isn't worth so little." 

"Hm… And in what way is our academy different from them?" 

"Because here, as long as I put in the effort and stick to the rules, I can achieve a freedom much higher than in those organizations."

"That would be a dangerous path." The man added with a dry laugh as he clutch his pen 

/FWUSH!/

The man suddenly disappeared as he reappeared behind Philip and struck his neck with the sharp end of the pen. 

"..."

/Clang!/

But Philip pulled out a small knife from inside his briefcase and deflected the strike. 

"You blocked that… Looks like a reevaluation is needed."

"It seems your ability is slightly higher than the documents say. Care to explain?"

"They are a bit outdated, but it's not like the Guild enforces us to maintain them."

'Once I have the chance, I'll update those documents with the Rings. Otherwise, this kind of issue will keep on repeating.'

"..."

The man returned to the table, taking out a small parchment from underneath it before presenting it to him.

"This is?"

"The contract, of course, read it thoroughly since it will be binding on you for the next year."

"I imagine you already know the terms and conditions, so I won't repeat them here."

After reading the contract and analyzing it from top to bottom, Philip signed his name with his blood. 

[The Contract has been signed]

Ignoring the system notification, Philip locked his gaze on a small circular badge on the hand of the examiner. 1

"I already passed most of your information into this, but the rest will be done at most until tomorrow night."

"This is your identity badge, and it will be what the students will use to identify you, so try to wear it at all times within the academy grounds, else, you will receive a penalty."

"Some things will not be counted if the badge is not on your either… And we won't accept appeals in that case."

"It's your full responsibility to take care of it. But it's true that accidents still happen, still, avoid not wearing it."

After that, he caressed the badge, and it started to shine before releasing a light into the air. 

The light took the form of several words and information… Just like the System interface. 

"This is your… Curriculum. Here, you can monitor your academics in real-time."

"While Wardens have no direct responsibilities, you must maintain your credit score within acceptable parameters; otherwise, you may be called for an evaluation."

"See that number below your name? Those are your credits, and if they ever reach zero, you will be expelled after one week from the academy unless you finish a certain task within that time or if the Academy deems you necessary and postpones this action."

"No matter how much time is left until the one-year end, that will count as a violation of the contract and you will be forced to pay for breaking it."

"..."

'They're ruthless.'

"As you can see, every Warden starts with fifty credits, but I gave you a hundred more since you're capable enough. Unfortunately, I can't give you more, nor can I promote you directly to the next rank despite your credentials."

With two hundred credits, Philip could request a promotion.

If Rank 1 Wardens aren't treated as people… Rank 2 can seen as ordinary, bottom-feeding workers…

"Work hard so you can gather those remaining points as fast as possible. Trust me, that's the way to go." He added as he passed the badge to him

"Moving on, below that are your achievements. Pretty much, they are special accomplishments that can be given by both students and teachers alike and are vital in some scenarios."

"And below those are your penalties, which are contrary to the Achievements, but they work in the same way. In short, that's where both your positive and negative evaluations will be left, so keep a good look at them because if you accumulate too many negative achievements, you may be called for an evaluation." 

"The rest is self-explanatory. You will learn them with time." He said as he gazed at a strange object on the ceiling

It looked like a large balloon, a blue balloon…

"Time's up, it seems." 

"One last question."

"Ask away."

"How do I enter the academy?"

"Eager to work, are we?" 

He opened a small box next to his stack of papers, taking what seemed to be a small card.

"Here's your entrance ticket, normally, you would receive one within a few days after everything had been processed, but I always have a few in case the situation arises."

"Just go to the main area on the first floor and follow the students; that will lead you to the Sky elevator that goes over the wall."

"Thank you." 

"My pleasure… Oh, and one last thing before you go."

"Hm?"

/Smile…/

"Try to update those documents. People take higher-ranking individuals far more seriously around here."

"With a high enough authority, you could even transition from a Warden to something else. It's what most do… If they can last that long." 

"..."

"I've said enough now; thank you for your time."

"... I could say the same."

…

/Clack!/

The door closed with a clicking sound, sounding the end of his interview. 

"Phew…" 

'For a moment there, I thought he was going to press for more…'

'I wouldn't mind showing myself a little more, since there's nothing about it that's illegal, but if there's far too great of a disparity between the documents and my actual abilities, I may have some of my licenses revoked.'

'That said, I did it. Next stop… This accursed academy.'

'Sigh… I miss the days when all I did was play games in my room… Although studying magic is also pretty interesting.'

Philip moved on, soon finding a few students making their way to the station. 

There were only a few students at this time, so it took a minute or two until he spotted one. Had he taken any longer in the interview, he might've missed them completely. 

In any case, he followed them until he arrived at a large open area within the building.

In the middle of the area, a tall, cylindrical glass tower lay in wait, several people waiting around it

He soon saw one of the students giving something to one of the guards before being allowed to pass. And just like in the library, the person phased straight through the glass before levitating, defying gravity.,

 In no time at all, they went out of his vision as they ascended into the sky…

"... Pretty cool, I wonder how it feels."

Philip joined the line, waiting for his turn.

Some chatted away without a care, some seemed nervous, others gave orders to their servants…

It was quite hectic, but their words were very informative, so he listened to them all, slowly building a picture of this world.

He'd been doing this ever since he entered the city. Soon enough, he'd be just as good as everyone else. But until then, he'd likely commit many mistakes, especially those considered to be common sense.

That way, his turn soon arrived.

"Here." 

The guard inspected the ticket and made way so he could pass.

Philip took a step forward, passing through the glass…

/Glup!/

It was a different sensation from last time, this time, he felt as if he was walking through one of those thin curtains of water, and that his body was being washed by it…

/Fuom…/

Once he entered the glass tower, under the gazes of dozens of people, Philip started ascending towards the top of the Wall…

Only a step away from the Academy. 

…

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Notes

Enough background, start the adventure! The Mc has entered the academy... Sort of, there is still the train...

Bye!

PS: If you've read this far, you likely enjoy this story quite a bit, and if you are interested, I do have a server where I leave pings whenever a chapter drops. So, if you're interested in being here the moment the chapter drops, feel free to stop by. 

I also drop images there from time to time. (Rare)

https://discord.gg/zpAgtPBAMK

I would put it in a comment, but Webnovel shadowbans links, so you're on your own, sorry. 

Still, thank you for considering, have a nice day and until next time!