The Testing Pillar loomed over the square, its ancient stone surface etched with glowing runes that pulsed faintly in the morning light. For most, standing before it marked the beginning of their journey as cultivators. For Zeus, it was a reminder of everything he was not.
This was his twenty-first time.
The square was packed with young cultivators, elders, and spectators who had come to witness talent—or laugh at its absence. They stood in clusters, some bored, some curious, most openly amused. To them, Zeus was no longer a person. He was a routine. A joke that never got old.
The moment he stepped forward, the crowd reacted as if on cue. Whispers rose, sharp and amused, followed by open laughter that carried easily across the square. Many of the onlookers recognized him instantly. After all, there was only one person foolish—or shameless—enough to return to the Testing Pillar so many times without results.
"Isn't that the useless one again?"
"Twenty-one tests and still can't break Level 1."
"Twenty-one times… shameless."
"Why do they even allow him to participate anymore?"
At sixteen, most youths had already broken past Level 1. Some had reached Level 2. A rare few were already being scouted by sects and noble houses.
Zeus had never even stabilized at Level 1.
Twenty attempts. Twenty public confirmations of failure.
Today was the twenty-first.
"Why do they even let him test anymore?" someone scoffed.
"Probably pity," another replied. "Or entertainment."
Inside, however, his heart pounded. He had felt something different this time. A faint, inexplicable sensation that had followed him since morning—like a pressure beneath his skin, waiting to be released. He didn't know what it meant, but he clung to it desperately.
Just once, he thought. Let me prove them wrong.
An official beside the pillar glanced at his records and sighed. "Name."
"Zeus."
The name drew another ripple of laughter. It sounded far too grand for someone with no talent.
"Attempt number?"
"Twenty-one."
The official paused, then nodded and gestured toward the pillar. "Begin."
Achilles stepped forward and placed his palm against the cold stone. The runes reacted immediately, glowing brighter as energy surged into the Testing Pillar. Beside it, the metal gong used to measure cultivation levels began to hum, its surface lighting up as the indicator rose.
Level 1.
No one was impressed. That was where Zeus always began.
Then the indicator moved.
Slowly at first, but undeniably upward.
1.1.
A few voices fell silent.
1.2.
Several heads turned.
The gong's hum deepened, resonating through the square as the number continued to climb. Zeus felt heat bloom in his chest, spreading through his limbs. His breath quickened. This had never happened before.
1.3.
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
1.4.
The laughter stopped.
By the time the indicator reached 1.5, the entire square had fallen quiet. More people pushed closer, eyes fixed on the gong as if afraid to blink. Even the official straightened, surprise flickering across his face.
Zeus' heart raced. His fingers pressed harder against the pillar as the energy inside him surged. He could feel it—something vast, something restrained, straining against an unseen barrier.
The indicator crept upward, inching closer to Level 2.
And then it halted.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened. The runes flickered erratically, and the gong vibrated as though resisting some internal force. Hope flared in Zeus' chest, sharp and blinding.
Then the number dropped.
1.4.
1.2.
1.0.
The descent accelerated, plunging past the starting point.
0.8.
0.6.
0.5.
The runes dimmed. The gong fell silent.
For a moment, the square was stunned into silence. Then the laughter erupted, louder than before. The earlier tension twisted into mockery, the disappointment of the spectators turning vicious.
"Below Level 1 again!"
"Did you see his face? He really thought he'd make it this time!"
"Useless trash will always be useless trash!"
Zeus pulled his hand away from the pillar. His fingers felt numb, his chest hollow. The warmth he had felt moments ago vanished completely, leaving only a deep, aching emptiness.
The official cleared his throat. "Result recorded."
Someone in the crowd shouted, "Just give up already!"
Another voice followed, "You're embarrassing yourself!"
Another yelled, "You'll never be a cultivator! Go farm dirt or something!"
Zeus turned and walked away without responding. Each step carried him farther from the Testing Pillar, but the echoes of laughter followed him long after he left the square. His face remained expressionless, but inside, something burned quietly, refusing to die.
He walked the familiar streets toward the house of his fiancée, hoping to find some solace in a familiar face. She was someone he could share this with, had always encouraged him and have been there for him since the death of his parents. She was also the sole reason he was pushing to raise to his peers level, atlest he will be able to provide and protect her and then marry her.
The thought of marrying her made him smile a bit,but when he arrived, the sound that met his ears shattered him more completely than any mockery could. He could hear the sounds of moans coming out of from her room. No it can't be, he thought to his self but when he peeked through the key hole he could see Aeloria taking it from the back from his best friend, Thalior. His ass clenching and unclenching as he take her through pound town, making her moaned like a whore.
The betrayal hit him like a lightening bolt. He had a mind to rush into there and stop what was happening but seeing how she was arching her back for his best friend while he was always preserving her innocence, refusing to touch her before marriage. He was suddenly filled with disgust.
He walked away, the betrayal weighing heavier than the mockery ever had.
His feet carried him to a tavern. He drank without thinking, cup after cup, until the noise blurred and the pain dulled. By the night time he was staggering back to his house.
The moon hung low when he passed his old ancestral wishing well. He stopped, gripping the cold stone rim, and stared into the dark water below.
"Why does everything end like this?" he muttered bitterly.
His reflection stared back at him—weak, broken, unwanted.
"I wish I were the master of all knowledge," he said. "If I could understand everything… none of this would matter anymore."
His footing slipped. The world tilted violently, and before he could react, he fell into the well. Stone met his head with crushing force, and his consciousness shattered into darkness.
From the depths of the well, an ancient book surged upward, bursting through the water and vanishing into his lifeless body.
A single voice echoed in the void of his mind.
"Omniscient System Activated."