It took all his strength to even stand straight.
"Wear these gravity gears all the time; they have an automatic function of increasing their weight as the user grows stronger. They will greatly help you in your physical growth."
"Okay, but I wouldn't become a muscle freak, right?"
Ethan does not want to ruin his naturally gifted handsomeness.
The old man just gave him a side glance but didn't comment on it.
"Come with me. Saying that, Spencer began to walk away.
Ethan followed him with heavy steps; even though it was very hard for him to walk with the gravity gear, he still tried his best to follow him.
They reached a small room filled with books, and Spencer turned to Ethan. "There will be multiple levels of testing in the entrance exam, and one of them will be a test for your knowledge."
Hearing that, Ethan's face instantly changed.
Spencer waved his hand lazily, and five books flew off the shelves and slammed onto a nearby table with heavy thuds.
The sound alone made Ethan wince. Each book was thick enough to be used as a weapon to knock someone unconscious.
"What are these?" Ethan asked.
"Books," Spencer replied plainly."
"I know that much enough."
Spencer pointed at them one by one.
"You have two days."
Silence.
"…Two days," Ethan repeated. "To read them?"
"To read and memorize them," Spencer corrected.
"Hahaha..." Ethan laughed. He couldn't help it.
"These are basically five Oxford dictionaries glued together. You want me to memorize thousands of pages in two days?"
Spencer's expression didn't change. "I have never heard about Oxford dictionaries, and I don't care about it. If you can't even do this, then just return back to where you came from."
He said coldly and left, just like that.
Ethan stood there, staring at the closed door, before finally muttering.
"I hope you stub your toe on every corner of this ship."
It's not that Ethan doesn't like reading; he was actually eager to learn more about this universe, but memorizing all these in just two days—that's impossible for a human being.
But what other options does he have? So he relaxed his mind and opened the first book.
Structure of the Universe
The first page has a picture of a huge star named the origin star; it is the life source of the entire origin universe.
Yes, the name of the universe comes from the star, and not only that, a huge planet is shown on the next page that orbits around the origin star, called the origin planet.
"Just how lazy can a person be to name all three with the same name?"
The reason that the origin planet is the only one that can orbit the star is because it is the only one that can withstand its gravity.
The origin planet has the highest mana because of its natural proximity to the origin star.
Because of that, all the top clans, families, sects, and headquarters of big organizations were present on it.
"So basically, it's the capital for the entire universe," he muttered.
From that center, the universe expanded outward like a fractured wheel with eight massive sections, ruled by eight different factions.
The planets that are closest to the origin star in this section are called elite planets; they enjoy rich mana from the origin star.
There are more than 3000+ elite planets. A simplified map was drawn in the book.
Ethan memorized every detail by heart; next come the races.
Humans
They were not strong or special in any way, yet, somehow, they ruled. Their true strength lay in one thing: adaptability.
They know they can't become the greatest in anything because in every field there is already a race before them who has a natural advantage over them.
So they became the jack of all trades.
And more importantly, humans were the only race capable of changing their own bloodline through evolution.
"What, is that even possible? Well, considering all the things that I have been seeing, it does seem possible."
Elves
Elves were naturally born with elemental affinity.
There were various types like High Elves, Natural Elves, Ice Elves, and Dark Elves, but one thing was common among all of them—they were extremely proud of their elemental gifts.
Beastmen
They were divided by bloodlines such as lions, tigers, and many others, with the lion tribe acting as the leading force.
They weren't great with elemental energy, but their physical strength and ancestral abilities made them terrifying front liners.
Vampires
They were ruled by a royal family and were known for their crimson eyes and powerful regeneration.
The deeper the red in their eyes, the greater their potential. And unlike the myths, Ethan knew… They walked freely under the sun or star in this universe.
Werewolves
Towering beings, standing 12 to 13 feet in true form, muscles packed beneath thick fur, claws that could slice metal like butter. Their faction was ruled by an Alpha.
Dwarves
They are short, muscular, and loud beings. There are only two important things for a dwarf. One is alcohol, and the other is forging.
The dwarves don't have a leading family. Instead, they all come under one single organization called the Universal Refinery, and the leader of the organization will be their king.
Demons
They looked similar to humans but had horns, tails, and green blood. Those who surpassed Tier 5 were reborn into arch-demons.
The demon lord is the ruler of the demons, and his family will be the royal family of that generation.
Dragons and Phoenixes
They are the most prideful beings in the entire universe; both the dragons and phoenixes have very low populations. because of their low reproduction rate.
The dragons possess natural gifts in both physique and mana affinity.
Phoenix shares their faction ruling on the opposite side. Every phoenix awakens a fire affinity, and some will even evolve their flame into a rebirth flame.
Angels
A race that lives outside of all the factions, they are a little rare and mysterious too.
They are the only beings that were able to wield the holy energy, which possesses high healing ability, and they come from a secret realm unknown to the world.
The final pages of the books detailed ancient rivalries between vampires and werewolves, dragons and phoenixes, and how elves despise dwarven drunkenness and how they distrusted humans because of their schemes, and about the demon lord and his war against all the other races.
But these are all events that happened before the awakening of the system.
Reading till now, there was one huge question in Ethan's mind.
"What does it mean by 'before the awakening of the system'?" Is there a reason why the system got awakened?"
[Yes, there is.]
"Oh, you are answering." Ethan saw the system panel appearing and said, "So why don't you tell me why you were created?"
But he didn't get any answer.
"If you're not going to answer me, why involve yourself in the first place?"
This is also the first time Ethan got to know just how big the universe truly is. By the time Ethan closed the first book, he felt strangely calm.
There was no mental fatigue, and all the information that he learned was like imprinted in his memory.
He saw the time that he spent reading the book: two and a half hours.
He then blinked. "That's it? I just read and memorized an entire book that describes the whole universe in just two and a half hours."
"That's the time that it takes to watch a movie."
Only then did he realize something and opened the system window.
Increased Comprehension: Learning becomes easy, not only memorizing but also being able to analyze everything that you see and learn. Increase your quick thinking too.
Ethan stared at the words for a long time. Then he laughed a soft, relieved laugh that came from deep within his chest.
"So that's it…now I'm confident I can finish reading all five books in two days."
He gently closed the first book and slid it aside and took the second, Flora and Fauna of the Universe.
The first half of the book contains information about plants and spirit medicine, their uses, how to identify them, and how to safely cultivate and harvest them.
The second half talks about spirit animals, their habitat, behavior, strength, and weakness.
It took almost five hours for Ethan to learn everything in it; next, he took a half-hour break to fill his stomach and once again resumed his studying.
"This book is about energy and intent."
"Energy" is a common term used for mana and its other forms; the book said all energies originate from mana, like holy energy, demonic energy, spiritual energy, and so on.
Different races in the universe use different energies; for example, the angels use holy energy, whereas the demons use demonic energy.
They all have different characters; some are calm, and some are destructive.
If one wishes to use a particular energy other than mana, then he has to have the right physique; if not, he could not use the said energy.
Intent is a manifestation of will, experience, and emotion. There was no formula to create an intent; the only way is to live it.
Conscious intent formed from emotional extremes.
Killing intent comes from the number of lives taken. Slaughter Intent was born from war and battlefields soaked in blood.
Sorrowful Intent comes from unbearable loss. Murderous intent from obsession and hatred.
Weapon intents were even harder. They are in various types and forms: sword, spear, axe, and all the other weapons.
They required not just practice but understanding too; the user has to become one with the weapon.
When Ethan read about Sword Intent, his lips curled upward unconsciously.
"...I really needed to learn that."
The simplest way to form it? Endless repetition and refinement. The sword had to become an extension of the user's soul.
He closed the book slowly and said, "3 down, 2 to go."
Just a few hours ago, this universe had been completely unknown to him, but now its secrets were slowly unfolding page by page.
He picked up the fourth book. "Alright then," he said quietly.
"Let's continue."