His Villainous Path: When Gods Break Silence

A moment later, the door to the second floor opened, and Chloe Johnson descended the stairs with Mr. Robert. The wide, triumphant smile plastered across her button-nosed face was all the confirmation anyone needed: she had made it into the Apex Guardian.

"Congratulations! You guys are the newest members of our soon-to-be-reputable organization". Mr. Robert announced, his voice beaming. "So, as the leader of the Apex Doctrine, I welcome you to our family".

The new members all sported smiles. Chloe's was genuine and wide, Jillian's was tight but relieved. Even Levi forced a subtle, polite smile, careful not to look out of place.

"Now that you are all members of our family, it's time to fatten you all up". Mr. Robert said with a cheerful wink, gesturing for them to follow him.

He led them through a back door tucked away behind the main counter. They walked down a short, dark hallway before emerging into a large, brightly lit, gym-like area.

The room was vast and open, clearly designed for serious physical activity. It was immediately recognizable as a gym, but with significant additions. The floor was covered with durable, dark rubber matting.

Along one side were rows of major gym equipment: heavy-duty treadmills, power racks for weightlifting, and cable machines for resistance training.

However, the opposite wall was dedicated entirely to combat training. Long, sturdy racks held an intimidating variety of weapons. There were thick, unsharpened wooden swords and dull, blunt metal maces used for safe sparring.

But mixed among them were terrifyingly sharp bladed weapons— long, gleaming practice katanas and heavy battle axes.

Separating these two areas was a specialized, sunken area marked off by low concrete walls. This was the Technique Training Pit.

The air above this section subtly shimmered, indicating that the room's energy dampeners were focused here. Within the pit were several worn, cylindrical stone targets marked with arcane symbols, and a series of flexible, floor-mounted mannequins designed to withstand focused energy blasts.

This section was clearly meant for testing, developing, and perfecting their magical skills without blowing up the rest of the gym.

This was a place to build both the body of a warrior and the deadly skill of a sorcerer.

"This is where you'll train". Robert stated, gesturing proudly. "Everything you need to become the best is here".

"Now, before you begin your training, we need to unlock your Elemental channels." Mr. Robert announced.

Just then, Jake entered the training hall, grumbling audibly about why his sister, Hazel, couldn't handle this task instead.

Just then Jake handed his father a scroll, which Robert immediately unfurled. The scroll wasn't blank; it was covered in complex, incomprehensible writings, centered around the clear drawing of a closed gourd.

Levi knew that in this world, storage scrolls were far more common and cheaper than space rings.

Robert placed his hand on the drawing of the gourd. When he removed his hand, the gourd on the scroll appeared to open, and with a slight distortion in space, items began to materialize above the parchment.

Four small vial bottles, each containing a starry green liquid, appeared.

'The potion for opening elemental channels'. Levi immediately recognized it, he didn't know the exact name, but he knew its function from the story's timeline, and its distinctive color confirmed his guess.

"Go on, distribute it". Robert instructed, giving Jake a playful slap on the shoulder. Jake quickly distributed the vials while still ranting about the unfair treatment between him and Hazel.

Holding the potion in his hand, Levi heard the reassuring voice of Robert. "Go on, drink."

Levi took a deep breath and drank the starry green liquid in one go.

'Here goes'. He thought. The potion barely touched his tongue, leaving only a brief, sweet cherry aftertaste. Moments later, he felt intense strings of burning sensation spread rapidly through his body.

The potion was forcefully burning open his elemental channels, which were currently blocked.

He had already established a primary channel— a link connecting his soul's Star to a specific node in his body. This channel only allowed the basic flow of origin energy.

Which refer to the node in his bellybutton, his reservoir gate, this was the node that was connected to his Root Star. In other words his first star.

This first node is the foundation of all sorcery, it stores and stabilizes Origin Energy.

Now this elemental potion's job was to open the secondary channels, the specialized pathways required for elemental energy to pass through.

If the potent elemental energy were forced to pass through the same basic origin channel he had already built, death was guaranteed. The potion was a necessary, slightly painful gamble to prepare his body for true sorcery.

Levi understood that the pain from the elemental channel potion was just the first step. Even with his elements active, he still had major work ahead to actually use his full potential.

Before he could use his Wind element, he needed to unlock the Breath Gate, a specific energy node located in his lungs. Similarly, to fully utilize his Illusion element, he needed to unlock the Axis Gate in his head.

However, all of that had to wait. The entire process was systematic: he first needed to form a new Star in his soul, and then use the unique origin energy from that Star to open its corresponding body Node.

The energy from each Star is fundamentally different. For instance, to open the Breath Gate in his lungs, he specifically needed the energy generated by the Wind Star.

For sorcerers, the creation of Stars and Nodes is systematic and follows a set sequence. As each Star is created and each Node is opened, the gap between normal humans and sorcerers widens dramatically.

To become a basic G1, the sorcerer has to unlock the three basic Star.

First Star, the Root Star, this is connected to the Reservoir Node, which is located at the bellybutton. This is the initial anchor for basic origin energy.

This is where origin energy is stored.

Second Star, the Life Star, this is connected to the Pulse Node, which is located on the heart. This is responsible for aligning blood and energy circulation, giving sorcerers massive benefits. It significantly boosts vitality, endurance, and regeneration.

Third Star, Wind Star, which is connected to the Breath Node, located in the lungs. This acts as the stamina anchor, drastically increasing the exchange rate between oxygen and energy.

Opening this three basic nodes the sorcerer was considered a basic sorcerers, and where the opening of nodes become different.

By the time a sorcerer opens all the basic Nodes, they become formidable. At the point of opening every Node, standard G1 (Grade 1) sorcerers become virtually immune to common threats; guns may not be enough to threaten them anymore, unless they are caught completely off guard by a surprise attack.

"Now then, I will leave you guys to talk amongst yourselves. Collect your copy of the contract, and you can leave or stay behind, but we will start training tomorrow." With that, Mr. Robert left the training hall.

The newly accepted members— Chloe, Judith, Jillian, and Levi— barely knew one another, except for the mother and son duo.

They simply exchanged nods of acknowledgment; a basic courtesy now that they were officially teammates.

One by one, they collected their signed copies of the contract from the counter and departed, leaving only Levi behind in the building.

"Although I like your enthusiasm, rest is still a basic need". Robert said, returning to the reception hall and addressing Levi. "And besides, your parents need to know the news about your success."

"About that...". Levi said quietly. He reached into his pocket and produced a sealed letter. Back at the hospital, he had convinced them to write an official letter for him.

It detailed his current, supposedly devastating condition— the death of his parents in the crash— a crucial part of his fake background.

Levi had originally planned to find a place to stay, but he was new in this Domain, with no family, no friends, and not even a phone. He knew in his heart he would be duped senseless and taken advantage of. Staying with the Apex Doctrine was his safest bet.

Levi handed the letter to Robert. Robert quickly skimmed the contents, and his expression instantly became serious.

Looking at Levi, Robert said. "My condolences."

"It's okay... well, not exactly okay, but at least I am better now". Levi replied in a quiet voice, ensuring his tone invoked maximum sympathy.

It worked.

"Why don't you take a seat? I will be back". Robert said, his voice softer now.

Levi gave a short nod, then sat back down in his previous spot. After a few minutes of waiting, where Levi had to meditate between Hazel and Jake, Robert returned.

"Good news". Robert said. "We discussed it and concluded that instead of you looking for a place to stay, you can stay right here in the building."

'Success'. Levi thought inwardly. His gamble had paid off.