When the plot-skips players into the game world

"I..."

Seeing that Mr. Alistair didn't mock him or tempt him, but instead earnestly advised him, the Knight couldn't help but feel warmth in his heart.

But when he opened his mouth, he couldn't say anything.

Because he indeed had no plan at all.

That was also something he blurted out on impulse.

—If Mr. Dark Cloud could impulsively speak even more taboo words, why couldn't he?

He was only in his teens this year, protected by his family, never considering those complicated matters.

"You're right, Mr. Alistair. I actually don't know what I'm supposed to do."

Barton fell silent for a moment, then still admitted:

"...My father told me to obey orders, maintain my composure, and be willing to sacrifice. To be brave, to fight for honor, for Avalon, for the queen.

"And my mother told me to be a good person... to learn to protect the weak, to be honest and fair, and to have reverence for life."

Facing a stranger who didn't know his true identity and didn't recognize himself in reality, but still cared for him in a situation where they might even stand on opposing sides, Barton couldn't help but want to pour out his troubles: "They say, this is what a true Knight should do. I'm also trying hard in that direction.

"But sometimes I wonder...why do these words conflict with each other? Have those big shots on the Path of Authority really become such model Knights? The stories 'Mr. Dark Cloud' told me are only an answer... and the real question had long existed in my heart.

"I just wanted an answer. And I thought I had found my answer just now. But as it turns out, I'm still on the road."

"You're just trying to escape,"

Aiwass shook his head: "You asked me how to embark on the Path of Transcendence... You know what profession I am. Do you think my stepping onto the Path of Transcendence was voluntary? If I had another chance, I might not choose this path."

"Indeed, a Demon..."

The Knight suddenly realized.

To become a Demon, one must be possessed by a demon—those who are possessed by demons and fail to expel them or become Demons would only face death.

For families who couldn't find a bishop to exorcise the demon, and small villages that couldn't identify a demon possession, their becoming Demons was not a choice.

Barton shrank his head, remained silent for a moment, and then obediently bowed his head to apologize: "I'm sorry."

"It's all right."

Aiwass sighed: "I also have my plans."

Although he was not a Demon, his emotions were real.

Because Aiwass was indeed forced onto the Path of Transcendence.

Before awakening his past life memories, it was the impulses of the Path in his bloodline that drove him fervently in pursuit of knowledge in Demonology; after awakening his past life memories, only by making a contract with the Shadow Demon could he survive—and by then his status as a Demon Scholar had already reached the first Energy Level, and there was no turning back.

From this perspective, he was in fact no different from a Demon. Both born with impulses, both would die without transformation.

Meanwhile, Aiwass' public identity was still a Priest. He really didn't have a choice, his initial character build had to be established on the Paths of Transcendence and Devotion... fortunately, he did indeed have knowledge of both Paths.

Therefore, for those young people who were single-path but desperately wanted to open a second path, Aiwass would still advise if he could: "In a sense, Avalon letting you choose your Path after coming of age is to prevent rapid changes in worldview during adolescence, which could lead to the mismatch of the Path.

"It's very possible that you have one idea at twelve or thirteen, and another at eighteen or nineteen. When you're settled with a family at thirty or forty, your ideas will change again. As long as the Path you're on now is still viable, it's better not to switch paths and leave some room for change in the future.

"When you, someday, clearly realize that your Path has deviated, that's the time to choose a second Path. This is a safer idea. You don't have a chance for regrets."

"Alistair" advised thus.

Watching the Knight deep in thought, he smiled, saying with a sigh: "You have very good parents."

"You too,"

The Knight reflexively praised.

Alistair stated bluntly: "But your head is not very smart."

"...Ah, sorry," Barton hurriedly apologized, "I was distracted just now, I didn't mean to attack you..."

"It's okay, I'm used to it. The Path of Authority is full of blockheads like this, you're actually one of the smarter ones."

Alistair shook his head.

And after a moment of thought, the Knight still couldn't help asking: "Mr. Alistair, if I want to find you in reality, how should I contact you?"

"How come?"

Alistair smiled darkly and bluntly said: "You want to capture me?"

"No, I just want to express my gratitude. You're right, I'm not mature yet... I want to embark on the Path of Transcendence, but I'm not yet prepared. But if I hadn't met you, perhaps I would have taken that step," the Knight said earnestly.

"It's fine, it's very good that you can heed advice,"

Aiwass said from the heart: "The ability to admit wrong and be willing to correct oneself is a very rare and valuable talent."

He had seen countless teammates who were clearly inadequate, yet wouldn't listen to advice and remained stubborn. The Knight might look a bit naive, but was willing to accept criticism and seriously self-criticize. Such a person had more potential than those with some skill but unwilling to take advice.

"So I want to take you home and introduce you to my parents. To tell them that I have such a benefactor,"
Your next journey awaits at empire

Sir Knight said earnestly: "My parents have some status in Avalon. You don't have to worry about being arrested... even if you're caught, you can be directly released."

"... How can this kind of thing involve parents? How old are you exactly this year?"

Aiwass teased in a peculiar tone, "I feel like you're only in your early twenties. Did I overestimate you?"

"I'm fifteen this year."

Barton answered honestly, "I actually didn't attend military school... In fact, I haven't even graduated from middle school yet."

Oh, that explains it.

"Then it's fine," Aiwass sincerely said, "I take back what I said earlier. You are pretty smart."

...Wait a minute?

Aiwass suddenly realized, "You became a Light Cavalry at fifteen? And you have your own Gryphon?"

"I got my Gryphon when I was six, it was the child of my parents' Gryphon... It was a birthday present for my sixth year."

Barton considered "Alistair" a close friend he met in his dreams, and the more they talked, the more open he became, "They hope I can become a Sky Cavalry in the future, serve the country, and take over my father's position after retiring, so I became a Transcendent before I even came of age. This is only my first month on the Path of Transcendence...

"I haven't told my parents that I've already touched the wall of the second Energy Level. I came to attend the promotion ceremony in secret because they are often not home, and I wanted to give them a surprise."

Although it's the end of the month, Aiwass knew... "Knight" had participated in the New Moon Ritual half a month ago.

Does that mean he managed to advance in just half a month at the age of fifteen?

This is genius!

Aiwass realized at once.

No wonder the Knight, even when entering the Dream Realm, didn't know that they couldn't see each other's faces and even purposely wore a knight's helmet to cover his face.

This kind of common knowledge would definitely be taught in class. But he never took any Transcendent-related courses, so it's normal for him not to know.

His goal might not have been to hide his identity, but rather to conceal his overly youthful appearance. The more precocious a person is, the more concerned they are about their age. He was ashamed and nervous about his young age, so he pretended to be a student from the airforce academy, yet he seemed so naive, as if he didn't understand anything...

No wonder he kept saying things like "my mom and dad said". For a child who worships his parents, that's indeed reasonable.

If judged by the standards of an adult in their twenties, the Knight is somewhat slow.

—But if considered as a fifteen-year-old boy, "Knight" could even be said to be astonishingly mature.

Realizing that he may have found a rare wild teammate, Aiwass suddenly became energized and much friendlier in attitude.

"You can tell your parents about the Dream Realm. Just don't talk so much when you meet other people... Even though I'm only a Demon, if I wanted to, I could have found out your real identity already."

"I wouldn't say so much to just anyone."

The Knight earnestly said, "I thought Mr. Alistair was a good person, that's why I said so much."

"Heh, I, Alistair, am certainly not a good person."

But "Aiwass" was a different matter.

"...In that case, let me give you a lesson."

Alistair, wound in shadows, extended a finger, "Why I say, you're far from ready on The Path of Transcendence. And let me show you my understanding of the Path of Transcendence.

"Question one, do you have the courage to rise from death?"

He raised a second finger, "Question two, do you have the determination to challenge an unbeatable enemy?"

As Alistair spoke, footsteps started to come from outside.

—The Giants who went out to scout are coming back!

The Knight immediately panicked, "Mr. Alistair, hide quickly!"

And Aiwass just said to himself, "Shadow Demon, kill me and send me into the cauldron."

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

The Shadow Demon complained in Miss Assassin's sweet voice, "You've killed the most people, now hiding is a sure win. But if you try to win with the Holy Lance, you might fail. We don't know the resurrection mechanism of the Magic Cauldron, what if that counts as you've already died and your score resets to zero?"

"Conversely, if I can resurrect in the Magic Cauldron, seize the Holy Lance, and inflict damage on the Giants... I can achieve multiple victory conditions."

Aiwass replied to the Shadow Demon, "That way I'll get the best Path traits."

"—But you've already won through slaughter, the traits given by Serpent Father will surely not be bad either."

"I chose the New Moon Ritual, didn't I? Why settle for safety? Of course, I'll be greedy if I can."

Aiwass's lips curled into a slight smile, "This is for you, isn't it? Of course, I want to get the best traits for you, to be able to adapt to your power as quickly as possible, so I can cultivate you into a Superior Phantom to rival the Celestial Marshal as soon as we can..."

"What a hassle..."

The Shadow Demon fell silent for a moment and then said helplessly, "With you putting it that way, how can I persuade you otherwise?"

The next moment, Aiwass was hung by the Shadow Demon and lifted off the ground.

Under the shocked gaze of the young Knight, the Shadow Demon transformed into a thin, painless blade and stabbed through the heart of Aiwass, who was hanging above the bubbling, steaming Magic Cauldron.

As Aiwass lost his life and fell into the Magic Cauldron, he gave the Knight a wild and carefree smile, raising a third finger high.

—Question three, do you dare to give up the victory already within your grasp to seek a greater one?

Yes, I dare.