Chapter 15: CHAPTER 14

[I have devoted my entire life to the study of various texts and tomes, and I have tried to ignore the inconsistencies in the records of history for a long time, but I can't anymore. I've been digging, and I finally found someone who was able to get me one of the secret records of the Pain Federation.

When I read it, I was shocked by what I found there. Apparently, unlike what the legend of the First Emperor says, the system we use for classification was not given to us by him. If so, then who created the legend? Was it just fabricated, or just tweaked by someone?

The discrepancy only gets worse. According to what's said in the record, the system was created when it was discovered Hani couldn't only be used for combat and could also be used for professions such as Blacksmithing and Runesmithing. If so, then how long had Hani been in use? Is our history a lie? How much have the top echelon lied to us?.......Excerpt from: THE PERSONAL JOURNAL OF ARCHIS PEHARON]

[George's POV]

It's been two days since Alistair saved me, but I'm still not sure about him. When I think about how I met him, it now seems fishy. When I fought Alex, where was he? He said we were friends, right? Friends don't abandon each other when the other is in trouble.

But, I'm probably wrong. When I saw him for the first time, there was friendliness in his eyes. He genuinely wanted to help me. There's no way someone like that would betray his friends.

I seriously hope I'm wrong.

It's time for the second test. We've already had our brief lesson for the day and now Professor A  is leading us to that horrible place again. I don't want to go there. The first time was bad enough, who knows what they'll do this time, but it's not as if I can voice out any of these thoughts. If I do, I don't think I'll be able to withstand the consequences.

"George."

Why'd I end up here again?

"George."

I held my head.

What's this? I can't remember? That's not possible. How could I forget what put me in here?

"GEORGE!"

Isn't someone calling me?

I turned to see Alistair looking at me with concerned eyes.

"I'm fine. I just was spacing out for a second."

Alistair doesn't look convinced.

"Are you sure you're okay? Have you even recovered from the injuries you got from Alex two days ago?"

"I'm fine. It's not the first time Alex has hurt me. I know how to deal with it."

Alistair still doesn't look convinced.

"If you say so."

I looked ahead to see Professor A talking about Hani again.

"The amount of Hani one has is predetermined from birth. In other words, if you're trash, it's because of your own trash potential. You cannot possess more Hani than you already have at any point in your life."

"Let's use an image for better understanding. Visualize ten bowls. There are ten children each with a bowl in front of them. The size of each bowl is different. One child's bowl is as small as my palm. The next's is the size of a bathtub. Just like that, the size varies from person to person. Someone might think, 'It's impossible to beat someone who has Hani like that', but I beg to differ."

You are reading story Freedom Path at novel35.com

"It is true that some people have a better starting point than others, but that can be overcome by training one's Hani. Let's go back to the bowls I mentioned earlier."

"Looking at the bowl again, let's imagine its contents now. In the small bowl, it contains ninety percent water and ten percent acid, while the other has ninety-nine water and one percent acid. One is better in quality but smaller and the other is bigger but worse in quality."

"This image perfectly captures the reality of Hani users. Those with great potential are born with huge Hani capacity while the less fortunate have lower Hani capacity."

"The gap between those with potential is clear from birth. However, the gap can be overcome. Increasing the concentration of one's Hani is a way to bridge the gap. The test some of you will undergo today is going to attempt to forcibly increase the concentration of your Hani."

Forcibly increase the concentration of our Hani? What does that mean? Moreover, what does he mean by some of us?

Professor A turned to look at us.

"Not everyone would have been able to awaken through that method on the first try. That's why we'll be testing who's awakened and who hasn't before we start the tests."

As he finished his words, we arrived at the at the horrid place again. It looked the same but there was now an orb by the door and many beds in the room.

"Everyone, line up by the orbs. After you've done so, put your hand on the orb one at a time."

Put our hand on the orb? Why is he asking us to do that?

I couldn't help but to start to feel uneasy. They've never told us to do anything harmless, so how will be this be dangerous?

I walked behind the line, with Alistair behind me. We all did as he instructed. After someone put their hand on the orb, he told them to go to one side.  After everyone was done, most of the people were on the left side, with a few on the other side. I ended up in the group with a small amount of people.

Professor swung his head from side to side gazing at both of the groups.

"That's good. Those of you on the left side, approach the capsules."

His words sparked fear in me.

The capsules? I looked towards the other group and spotted Alistair.

Wait, was Alistair there? How come I didn't notice? He can't handle that thing again. Not with his weak body!

I couldn't help but speak up.

"Professor, why are some of us doing that thing again? Some of us might not be able to handle it."

Professor A slowly turned in my direction. As his gaze met mine, it felt like a mountain was suddenly dropped on my shoulders. He slowly walked towards me, and with every step he took, it felt like my death was one step closer.

The whole room had fallen silent. I could feel the ridiculing gazes of those who probably thought I was very stupid for speaking out against him and questioning him.

When he reached me, he looked down at me, scrutinizing my expression.

"Did you just question my judgment?"

[Don't forget to support me at my patreon account. The link is in the synopsis of the novel.]

You can find story with these keywords: Freedom Path, Read Freedom Path, Freedom Path novel, Freedom Path book, Freedom Path story, Freedom Path full, Freedom Path Latest Chapter