Morning light crept through the cracks in the shutters.
Jasper Cole sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes closed, breathing slow and deliberate.
Last night, Garrick Forge had passed on a cultivation method to him—the path of a Berserker.
Even Tomas Trell—Bronze Tier, Rank 7—only held a slight advantage over Garrick, who was Bronze Tier, Rank 5. According to Garrick, if Tomas hadn't possessed an Arcane-tier weapon, that earlier clash wouldn't have ended the way it did. Garrick's Qi Slash wouldn't have been split so easily.
That sword was the reason Tomas ruled the village.
Truth be told, either of them could have become an excellent village head elsewhere. Unfortunately, fate had planted them both in this poor, struggling settlement. If Garrick hadn't maintained a strong relationship with Elder Rowan, the village might have already fallen completely into Tomas's hands.
The Berserker cultivation method Garrick taught him was called Raging War Method.
The name was plain—almost crude—but the method itself was anything but. Though incomplete, Garrick claimed it rivaled Arcane Tier cultivation methods in effectiveness.
Its core principle was simple.
Battle.
Not sparring. Not training drills.
Real combat—especially fights that hovered on the edge between life and death.
A fitting method for Berserkers… and a terrifying one. A single misstep meant dying for real.
Jasper had woken before dawn to cultivate. He'd followed the breathing rhythm, circulated qi through his meridians, focused on his core—
And gotten almost nothing.
Aside from feeling a bit more alert, there was no obvious change.
"Figures," Jasper muttered quietly.
The weakest Zombies were only Bronze Tier, Rank 1. With enough combat experience and a decent weapon, he could probably kill one even without cultivation.
A knock came at the door.
"Jasper, come out," Garrick called.
Jasper hopped off the bed and opened it. "Uncle Garrick? What's up?"
"Come with me. Elder Rowan wants to test your aptitude."
"Aptitude?"
Before Jasper could think too much about it, Garrick grabbed his sleeve and hurried him toward the village head's home.
Aptitude… Jasper's thoughts ran wild. In novels, this is always where the transmigrated protagonist turns out to be a peerless genius.
By the time he finished daydreaming about dominating the world, they were already at Elder Rowan's door.
"Come in," Elder Rowan's voice called from inside.
Jasper paused, puzzled. "Uncle Garrick… how did Elder Rowan know we were outside?"
Garrick straightened, pride flashing across his face. "That's willpower. With enough willpower, you can perceive things through obstacles."
Jasper's eyes widened.
"Of course," Garrick continued, "it's not perfect. Some people can conceal their aura, which makes willpower-based detection useless. And when willpower becomes strong enough…"
He leaned closer and lowered his voice. "You can kill with a look."
Jasper stared. "That's… terrifying. Uncle Garrick, do you have willpower?"
Garrick puffed out his chest. "I'm a blacksmith. Forging requires willpower—to control the finer details. Willpower aptitude is ranked A, B, C, and D, each with upper, middle, and lower grades."
"Then… what rank are you?" Jasper asked curiously.
Garrick coughed, his expression stiffening. "Willpower is hard to cultivate. Your uncle has worked very hard, but aptitude is aptitude…"
The door creaked open.
"Are you two done chatting?" Elder Rowan said dryly. "Come in already."
Garrick shot Elder Rowan a grateful look and hurried Jasper inside.
"Oh, right," Elder Rowan added casually. "Garrick's willpower is Grade D, Lower."
He closed the door.
Garrick froze in place.
"…Elder Rowan," he said weakly.
Inside the room stood a massive blue crystal, taller than Jasper himself.
Elder Rowan gestured to it. "This crystal tests cultivation aptitude. Place your hand on it."
Jasper nodded and did as told.
The moment his palm touched the surface, a cool current flowed up his arm, swept through his body, circulated once around his core, then returned to the crystal.
His heart raced.
The crystal began to glow.
Silver light, mixed with golden-yellow, and—hidden deep within—an almost imperceptible trace of red.
Silver dominated.
Yellow followed.
The red was swallowed by the gold, so faint that even Elder Rowan failed to notice it.
Jasper stared, barely containing his excitement.
Looks powerful already. As expected—transmigration buff activated. Am I a once-in-a-millennium genius? No… once-in-ten-thousand-years!
Elder Rowan sighed.
Jasper's excitement faltered. "Elder Rowan… is my aptitude bad?"
Elder Rowan stroked his beard. "Cultivation aptitude is ranked, from highest to lowest: Violet-Gold, Obsidian Black, Azure Green, Sea Blue, Sky Blue, Pure Gold, Silver White, Iron Gray, Black Ash."
Jasper swallowed. "Then… mine?"
"I once read," Elder Rowan said slowly, "that when aptitude displays multiple colors, each corresponds to a grade. Yellow represents Pure Gold. Silver represents Silver White."
He tapped the crystal lightly. "Since silver dominates, your aptitude sits between Silver White and Pure Gold. With diligence, there's a chance you can advance fully into Pure Gold."
Jasper listened, holding his breath.
"Aptitude is innate," Elder Rowan continued. "It cannot be changed after birth. This chance you have—do not waste it. The golden portion is substantial. If you cultivate well, breaking into the Arcane Tier will not be difficult."
He smiled and patted Jasper's shoulder. "You may become this village's first Arcane Tier cultivator."
Next came the willpower test.
Jasper placed his hand on a second crystal—this one green.
The room exploded with light.
A blinding violet-gold glow flooded every corner of the house.
Elder Rowan froze.
Garrick collapsed straight onto the floor.
"V–Violet-Gold…" Garrick stammered. "Violet-Gold willpower… This isn't talent anymore. This is a monster."
Jasper's breath caught.
After the cultivation aptitude test, he'd forced himself to calm down. But this—
This was beyond expectation.
Elder Rowan's expression hardened. "This must never be spoken of. If word spreads, Jasper's life will be in danger."
He turned to Jasper. "From now on, come here every morning. I will personally teach you magic."
Jasper blinked. "Magic? Like… fireballs? Does learning magic require willpower?"
Elder Rowan chuckled. "Willpower isn't always used for magic—but magic always requires willpower."
Outside the house, a black-clad figure lurked in the shadows, listening intently.
Suddenly, a powerful wave of willpower swept across the area.
The figure stiffened—and fled.
Inside, Elder Rowan's expression darkened.
"…Damn. Someone was spying. They got away."
He looked at Jasper gravely.
"Let's hope they didn't notice your willpower aptitude."