Free Web NovelChapter 7: Plan Ahead
In this world, knowledge and power were inseparable. Without sufficient knowledge, it was impossible to walk either of humanity’s two paths.
The foundation of these two paths had been laid through many years of hard work and experiments performed by the two saints. Even now, any major faction hoping to stay in power had to do so through research.
Within the Saint Family itself, one of the most important centers of power, just below the military, was the laboratory, wielding tremendous influence and headed by the vice head of the Saint Family.
With these things in mind, a gigantic library stood just beside the training ground.
The central library of the Saint Family was a gigantic three-story building filled with tens of thousands of books, ranging from detailed information on human anatomy to the behavior of abyssal monsters.
Cole raised his head and looked at the gigantic entrance, flanked by two ancient statues of Saint Family ancestors facing the entrance from both sides. The expressions of the two ancients were gentle and filled with grace, silently confirming the fact that in the day and age they lived in, human life was no less than that of an ant.
He saw no fear or hopelessness in their eyes, only iron will backed by the resilience and confidence they had in themselves.
For a moment, Cole felt incredibly inspired. His heartbeat unconsciously accelerated, beating like a war drum.
It took him a breath of time just to come out of this frenzied state of emotion.
After taking a deep breath, Cole shifted his focus away from the two statues to the steady streams of Saint Family members coming in and out of the library, their expressions filled with solemn and hidden arrogance.
Most were dressed in either white or black robes. White robes were for normal members of the family, while those dressed in black robes were core members of the family, receiving direct support to be groomed into future pillars. Other than this, the blue robe was reserved for the elders of the family, while direct heirs like Cole could wear anything they wanted.
However, when they noticed Cole sitting just outside, a frown would appear on their faces, followed by the usual chatter filled with mockery.
Is it Young Master Cole? What is he doing here so late into the night?
Damn, if only I were the son of the family head and enjoyed all these resources for free, I would have already reached the second sequence of the body refining path.
All these precious resources are wasted on this trash...
The words were sharp and ruthless, not even showing a single bit of respect for the future leader of the Saint Family.
This behavior was completely normal. In this world, it was not position that was respected, but a person’s power.
Cole did not react to the students’ words, which sounded like the buzzing of an annoying fly. Moreover, if he started arguing with them, he would only be embarrassing himself. Only cold, hard facts could silence the crowd; anything else would be seen as him making excuses.
He was very aware of this, so he wisely chose to remain silent and make his way inside.
The soldiers standing guard just outside the library gate scanned him once and did not bother stopping him. As the family heir, Cole had unrestricted access to the library.
Just one step inside, Cole noticed something strange. No matter where he looked, there were no signs of anyone inside. This should not have been possible. As one of the most important structures in the family, it was always filled with people.
Looking around, he quickly found that everyone had gathered in the small dining center in the middle of the library.
The sight was puzzling, but he had come here with a goal and had no intention of waiting any longer.
With that thought in mind, he directly asked Saint AI to start working.
[Command accepted. Starting scan of raw data present in the library.]
[Scan started. Progress: 0.19%. Time remaining: thirty days and three hours.]
One month...?
Cole’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. Saint AI was state-of-the-art, capable of easily processing data as if it were nothing. Normally, this process should have finished in an hour at most, but now it was taking a full month.
It appeared there was more to this library than just simple books.
However, the next moment, he shook his head.
One month is too much. I can’t wait that long. The people who attacked the original will definitely not relax until they get what they want. I need at least enough strength to save myself from such attacks.
For now, the focus should be on getting stronger as fast as possible.
The only sure way to get strong quickly was to accelerate the bloodline fusion without dying.
This was the most appealing method, but it was also the one over which he had the least control.
So for now, he could only put this matter to the back of his head.
Then his thoughts shifted again.
Since the two paths created by humanity are available, now that my body no longer rejects mana, I can try using the available resources to strengthen myself.
Among the two paths, during the early phase of a warrior, the body refining path gave quick and direct strength. On the other hand, the mage path, or the path of a wizard, was slow, but in the later stages the payoff was worth it.
Cole did a small analysis of the two paths in his head. Some might ask why not follow both paths at the same time. Of course, it was possible. Some rare geniuses even practiced both paths at the same time, specializing in one path in the later part of their journey.
The only reason Cole could not do that was because of lack of time.
Thinking of all these things, he had an idea.
Saint, move my first command to the second task. I have something else that I want you to do. Ignore all the raw data and focus only on the data that is pertinent to the body refining path.
[Command accepted. Making adjustments.]
[Progress: 1%. Time remaining: 23 hours...]
A smile immediately appeared on Cole’s face.
This is it. I am now on the right track.
Mind you, twenty hours was still a lot of time, but it was a thousand times better than waiting a whole month.
Time continued to pass. Cole was not completely sure what Saint AI used to scan the data, but he was clear about one thing: its range was no greater than ten meters. As such, after the AI was done scanning an area, he had to move.
Just like that, time continued to pass. Without even realizing it, it was already morning, with the sun slowly starting to rise.
The number of young warriors coming in and going out of the library tripled. Naturally, the attention he received also spiked. His clothes, which were completely different from the rest, did nothing to help him.
Brother...?
Just as Cole was starting to get annoyed by all the gazes that he was receiving, a cheerful voice echoed from behind him.
Who...?
Caught off guard, Cole turned to see a young man roughly the same age as him, looking in his direction with a wide smile on his face. Dressed in a pristine cream-colored robe, the charming smile on the young man’s face widened when he noticed Cole looking in his direction.
However, Cole’s expression immediately turned frosty. For a very brief moment, a trace of naked hatred flashed through his eyes.
