He Became A Monstrous Genius After Obtaining A Time Dilation Artifact

"I need to start taking some classes," Kailen muttered to himself as he stared at the ceiling of the room.

"According to the academy rules, a student needs to take at least three courses and progress through them during their stay in the academy. At the end of the year, they will be examined in these areas before they are promoted to the next year. These courses are mandatory, as failing to take them will lead to the expulsion of the student."

Kailen mused to himself with his hands flexed and interlocked at the back of his head, laying on the bed.

He sighed. "What a hustle. Had I not heard Everlong and Ashton talking about it earlier, I would have literally forgotten about it."

"What course should I pick?" Kailen contemplated as he scrolled through the courses.

"Some knowledge about runes and blacksmithing won't be bad. For now, I technically have all the knowledge I need for a rank 1 alchemist thanks to the comprehensive knowledge of alchemy level 1. There's therefore no need to—"

"Mm, what's this? Music? Zither weaponry arts? Interesting. I overheard Uncle Bloodfallen mention that Mum used to dabble in zither weaponry arts and also paintings, huh. Perhaps I could also try it out.

I'm also curious about her profound level of mastery in these areas. Also, why throw away these opportunities to increase my strength? Pursuing these paths also means pursuing various forms of strength. If I aim to stand at the peak of the universe, I should see if I have potential in these areas of strength as well. After all, no one knows how far they will go to help me in the foreseeable future."

Kailen quickly made his decision.

He registered for the courses—Music, choosing the Zither Weaponry Arts—then Runesmith class, the Blacksmithing class, and Artwork.

Having paid the student credits involved for registering himself for these courses, Kailen decided to visit the lecture halls he had registered these classes in.

"Hopefully, my poor sense of direction does not make things difficult for me," the young man muttered to himself, preparing to attend the classes.

Kailen headed towards the teleportation gate, heading towards the Runesmith Society.

The moment he stepped through the teleportation gate, he appeared at a completely different region of the academy.

The region stretched infinitely as far as the eyes could see.

The sound of bustling city life did not evade him, as individuals could be seen moving around, going about their own businesses, heading towards different locations.

Towering skyscrapers peered through the skies as ads were displayed on various ginormous holographic screens.

Kailen noticed moving vehicles whizz past him, travelling at an extremely fast speed.

Somewhere far away from him, in a distant part of this region, atop a blue sea that loomed with magnificence, there was an extremely large and domineering statue, one that reminded him of the statues in the All Nations Conference Centre on Earth.

It was a statue of a female Runesmith wearing gloves. She also had an extremely domineering and heroic expression on her almost lifelike face, bouts of universe energy constantly pouring out of her almost lifelike figure.

"Incredible, isn't it?" A familiar voice resounded in his ears.

With his insane perception, Kailen didn't have to turn to notice who it was.

It was Anaya.

Not bothering herself with asking about what the unpredictable society president was doing in the Runesmith Department , she continued staring at the statue with obvious reverence lazed in her eyes.

"She's a motivation for all of us, Runesmith Alita. One of the few universe-level lifeforms who rose from this low-tier civilisation, left a legend in the Astral Empire, and graduated with high honors and terrifying records from the Runesmith Department . She's my role model and motivation. Perhaps one day, inasmuch as it's far too presumptuous to think it, I could reach her level."

Kailen did not mind listening to the monologue, or whatever it was that Anaya was spouting.

"Presumptuous?" Kailen couldn't help but mutter, listening to her.

He added, "Daring to become a powerhouse standing at the peak of the universe is not presumptuous. Who knows? You might just achieve what you desire one day. Never underestimate your own aspirations. Even if you don't manage to achieve what you want, you have to try."

Kailen was not trying to encourage her or give her a pep talk or something. He simply stated his mind concerning how he felt about her words.

In a way, he resonated with her aspirations.

He too wanted to stand at the peak of the universe, desiring to venture the various possibilities that could grant him unprecedented power. He knew many would deem his pursuit incredulous and laughable, yet he didn't doubt his ability to achieve what he desired.

Others may frown on his dreams, but he wouldn't care about what they thought, as long as he believed in himself and focused on what he wanted to achieve.

Doubting his abilities and ambitions would only hamper his will to pursue them, affecting his mindset, drowning his potential in the end.

So for him, doubting himself or considering his goals insensible was as dangerous and demeaning as becoming a cripple!

He remembered what Arrie told him at Zanpala University, that fateful day when their conversation changed his life. One of the many things she said that stuck with him was that life was full of uncertainties and that everything we did in life was a risk we take.

To him, taking a risk towards what one wanted to achieve was simply following the natural course of life—risk-taking.

This was one of the reasons why Kailen was so daring in various ways, always doing things others would question themselves a million times before they proceeded with—such as offending almost every society on campus, being on the most hated adversary list of the Harkers and Darkhavens.

Anaya's eyes burnt with newfound enlightenment at his words.

He was right. Why would she doubt herself, limiting herself solely to what others thought of her?

None ventured, none gained.

It seemed she had to stop thinking needlessly. The words of those family fellows in Atlantis had gotten to her more than she anticipated, huh.

"Thank you, Kailen."

Kailen nodded simply at her words.

"Just spoke my mind."

"Mmm, but I suppose your words have drawn my attention to a flawed mindset I developed growing up."

Kailen could see that her eyes revealed a weight of unspoken memories, one better left undiscussed.

"Glad I could help." He simply smiled.

Anaya stared at him for a moment, realising he was somehow different—warmer to those in his circle, or at least those he deemed trustable—unlike his usually cold demeanour.

You really couldn't judge a book by its cover, huh. She mused to herself.

"Now that she's here, might as well let her help me with the directions to the lecture. After all, I can't trust my poor sense of direction," Kailen mused inwardly.