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Paths of Extinction Chapter 1 Paths of Extinction
The sun rays pierced through the worn-out window curtains, signaling the beginning of another monotonous day. A boy, seventeen years of age, groaned in annoyance and reluctantly got off the bed. Apart from the usual lack of sleep and absence of enthusiasm, the teenager felt frustrated over the fact that he had to go to school and, as always, be subjected to unwarranted bullying. Zeke absent-mindedly stared at the wall for a good minute or two before changing his clothes and going downstairs. His parents, as was their wont, were at work and his big sister was living in the school’s dormitory, thus he had to eat breakfast alone. The unwillingness to head to school was almost overwhelming, nevertheless, Zeke purged any thoughts of skipping due to how ludicrously expensive it was to get admitted in the first place. To begin with, only a selected few individuals were accepted into Erys, his school. All thanks to their ability to manipulate Aether. However, Zeke was one of a handful of s
Paths of Extinction Chapter 2 Daily Tasks
Alas, this peculiar occurrence was abruptly interrupted by Julia, who waved her hand right in front of his eyes. As he snapped out of it, he realized that the light vanished and the sky returned to normal. “I asked you a question.” “What?” He stared at her with visible confusion, his mind still wondering about what he had just witnessed. He wasn’t crazy enough to see such a realistic hallucination, nor was he on drugs or any substances, therefore, he was certain that it wasn’t just a simple trick. “I said; Why don’t you grow a pair of balls?” “...” Still not understanding, Zeke contented with silence, which only irritated the girl. She pushed her long auburn hair to the back and leaned her face closer to his. “You’re a man, aren’t you? How can you let Azmer boss you around?” He swept his eyes across Julia and her four friends then calmly responded, “I don’t see how it is any different than what you are doing.” “What? You think I’m bullying you? You should be glad Azmer is an
Paths of Extinction Chapter 3 Fists of Furry
“Thank you for helping me. Your name is Zeke, right? I’m Amelia from class B.”“...”Even after she introduced herself, Zeke was still confused about her slightly odd behavior. He was certain that she did not follow him just to express her gratitude. However, as a defect, he always felt disinclined to socialise with people as that could make life worse, for himself and his friends.It wasn’t that he preferred solitude, but that his circumstances led him to be alone. He was a Defect, a student incapable of manipulating Aether, therefore, it was better and safer to be alone rather than implicate other people.When he first enrolled into Erys, Zeke did try to talk to people and make a friend or two, but w
Paths of Extinction Chapter 4 Urgent Mission
The fact that he, even for a moment, Zeke was able to manipulate Aether and even shoot a literal bolt of lightning should be a celebratory cause. However, as someone knowledgeable about Aether, Zeke knew that the dizziness he was experiencing was due to the lack of Aether within his body. Ever since arriving on this planet, the human bodies saw a dramatic change and an irreversible change. One generation after the other, the humans adapted to this different environment and their bodies necessitated Aether as much as oxygen, meaning that, without Aether, one’s body would cease to function. In essence, Aether has become a fundamental necessity for survival and though the majority of the humans living on The Aether Planet cannot wield this form of energy, they still have it lingering in their body. This self-sustain
Paths of Extinction Chapter 5 Spark
As he anticipated, dumping PE into a main path was extremely beneficial and seemed to be right play, rather than unlocking multiple paths without focusing on just one. [You obtained the skill ‘Spark’] [You gained 3 Aether] [User: Zeke Orland] [Race: Human] [Level 2 (5/30 EXP)] [Strength: 26] [Agility: 25] [Aether: 13] [Paths: Martial Arts (1/12) inactive | Aether Voltage (4/22) active ] [Skills: Fists of Fury(Proficiency 100%) - Aether Control(Proficiency 2%) - Voltage Zap(Proficiency 20%) - Spark (Proficiency 0%)] [Available PE: 0] After activating the Aether Voltage Path, which was an easy
Paths of Extinction Chapter 6 Retaliation
With no distractions and ample time, Zeke spent Saturday and Sunday either researching comprehensive and informative books about Aether, or completing the Daily Tasks and going a step further to increase his stats by surpassing his physical limits. Unfortunately, obtaining stats through sheer effort was easier said than done. Within two days, he only managed to increase his Strength and Agility by 2 points respectively, which was a welcome but less than satisfactory result. His physique was slowly but surely becoming better, though there had been close to no change in terms of appearance. Excluding the regular exercises, Zeke focused on his Aether, specifically ‘Aether Control’, ‘Voltage Zap’, and ‘Spark’. After a relatively long meditation session, following the emptying of his Life Aether through the use of two consecutive ‘Voltage Zap’, Zeke tried to see if ‘Aether Control’ could be used as a regenerative alternative instead of simple rest. Alas, his experimentation was uns
Paths of Extinction Chapter 7 Groundbreaker
It took Zeke a lot of effort to return home as his body was beaten and battered. Previously, when he retaliated against Rodrick and helped Amelia, he felt slightly satisfied. However, those cheerful emotions were drowned out after Rodrick humiliated him.Never had Zeke felt so useless and angry, it was almost overwhelming.He looked at his reflection in the mirror: A bruised face filled with cuts from the violent slaps, stiff lips that had coagulated blood, and a still-bleeding nose.“Oh Rodrick… I will come for you first.”The teenager spoke to himself as he controlled his rising rage and walked away.With no one to tend to his wounds, and the adamance to seek his si
Paths of Extinction Chapter 8 The Challenge
“You two.” Saturday morning, as class E was preparing for Professor Nayro’s practical lesson, Julia approached Azmer and Rodrick. She first made sure no one was looking before giving both of them a piercing glare. Azmer frowned and kept his stand but Rodrick stepped back fearfully. “What did you do to the Defect? It has been four days. And don’t try to bullshit me.” Although he was inferior to her, Azmer didn’t obediently answer, he clicked his tongue and acted oblivious. Upon seeing his adamant silence, Julia raised her hand and oppressively poked his chest. “If you’re not going to speak then you better be prepared for later…” As she turned around, Rodrick couldn’t help himself and spoke up. “W-wait.” Azmer tried to warn him but it didn’t work. “The loser asked for it! I… I mean we had to rough him up a bit.” “We? There is no we, Rodrick.” The blonde-haired student snorted and opted to walk away rather than get involved. Thus, left alone facing the menacing Julia, Rodri
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- Paths of Extinction
Chapter 239 Sanctus Lucerna
“I and Hephradet personally studied it, but found nothing. Here you go.”Kleya handed back the strange item back to Zeke.“There’s no Aether or any other foreign energy inside. We couldn’t determine its purpose.”“I see. Thank you anyway.”“Don’t worry about it. You should rest more or else I’ll never hear the end of it from Jenny.”Zeke wryly smiled and nodded. His mother kept nagging him day and night, telling him to rest and not continuously wander around the castle checking on everyone and making sure there were no issues.His body was already healthy and he felt no odd disturbances or unexpected awakenings. Everything is as normal as it could be.Just as Kleya left the room, Jennifer came in. Behind her was a red-faced Celestia, which made Zeke frown.“Mom?”Surprisingly, Jennifer grabbed his ear and pulled him to the couch.“Did I not tell you to overdo it?”“W-what? I haven’t done anything!”“That’s not what she told me!”Celestia stood a distance away, her head lowered in emba
- Paths of Extinction
Chapter 238 Zeke and Azmer
“It’s still too early to assess everything, but… over 80% of the entire planet’s population died.” Kleya, whose eyes were a bit red and her face was filled with fatigue, sat across Zeke and Celestia. “And Her Majesty?” When she heard his question, Kleya lowered her head and held herself back from crying. “We… we think she died fighting the System. It’s no longer possible to return to the Unending Star, so we decided to acknowledge that Her Majesty was amongst those who had fallen there.” “I’m sorry.” “Don’t be. She… she died protecting what she believed in. Us. Not just the Witch Association but all of the Aether Planet.” Zeke sighed, feeling sorry when he saw Kleya like that. The Witch Queen was the pillar of the Witch Association, their respected leader. It was especially so for Kleya and the other 6-star Witches, excluding Jennifer. “A-anyway, the situation at the capital of the Nezulian Republic remains the same. We’re still looking for a way to cancel that Frost Spell cast
- Paths of Extinction
Chapter 237 The 5th User
“Huff… huff…” With a hand pressed against his hurting chest, Zeke dragged his tired feet toward the fallen copy. The copy’s head turned to look at him, its eyeballs, which looked as if they were to pop-out, were letting out the familiar yet incredibly dim crimson light. “We had completed our objective. There was nothing left for Us to do.” “That didn’t give you the right to wipe entire civilizations.” “You… wouldn’t understand, Zeke Orland.” Unlike earlier, the System spoke through the copy’s mouth. Its charred and cut lips moved in an unnatural way, but the voice was identical to Zeke’s. “We had succeeded. We had saved the world. Then, We understood that our creation, our existence was only for that purpose. That We were a tool destined to cease existing.” “...” “We could not tolerate that.” “So you manifested a will of your own?” In response to that, a self-deprecating laugh came from the copy. “After choosing our first User, we saw how the Races we were supposed to prote
- Paths of Extinction
Chapter 236 The Phoenix
While the Phoenix battled the System in the Cursed Plains of the Unending Star, Zeke’s fight against his copy continued.Things took a turn for the worst when the Crown was crushed and the System’s powers dramatically increased. Nevertheless, Zeke didn’t lose yet. His body was flung and then crashed into the ground, blood gushing out from his shoulder and back.Even then, he slowly stood up and grinned toward the System.“Still fighting the good fight.”The previously calm ‘copy’, or at least the System’s disembodied voice, grew agitated as Zeke refused to remain on the ground.“My will is not so easily broken.”[Voltage King]Zeke’s eyes shone with an azure light as his voltage grew silent and became white.[Divine Champion][Divine Sreyzhanian Arts]Just as he charged at the System again, its body suddenly turned stiff as if being immobilized by something.The item handed by Kayro Ol Zerg flashed from Zeke’s pocket.[Fist of Fury]Zeke’s fists, glowing orange and wrapped in condens
- Paths of Extinction
Chapter 235 The God's Spear
“What’s wrong? I thought you were invincible in your domain.”Zeke’s taunt had no effect, at least not at first. The System stood straight and looked down on its wounded body.“You know nothing of Us.”The copy raised its hand, and very soon, something familiar appeared.It was a tangible object of an odd-shape, but Zeke knew what it was. The Crown.“You will know what it is to be helpless and defeated, 5th user.”“You’re still talking?”Zeke let out a smile and charged forth, his fists wrapped by thick voltage.The System crushed the crown as the red voltage manifested and exploded in an uncontrollable manner.…“Is it done?”Julia Lopmore furrowed her brows as she looked at the enemy, whose body was crushed, burned, and almost unrecognisable. It wasn’t a body anymore, but a mass of flesh and poison.The silence lasted for a very short time as the Crown also appeared in reality.“Stop it!” Shouted Frederic as took out a blue bead, one with the same size and shape that Nicneven had pr
- Paths of Extinction
Chapter 234 All-out Fight
Xiao, with his spear in hand, actually deflected the Divine Thunder before safely landing on the ground.Several people appeared close to the Witch Queen. As she swept her eyes across the six people that unexpectedly showed up here.“Your Majesty, we’re here to lend a hand.” Frederic Whitefort smirked and looked at her as he muttered those words. He had brought along Azmer, Xiao, Celestia, Ava, and Julia Lopmore.“You… how ar-”“We can save that talk for later, eh?”Frederic motioned toward Zeke, who was standing there and staring back at them with a hollow expression.“As I’m the weakest of the bunch, I’ll just stay behind and offer assistance… as well as try to heal Her Majesty.”The Vagabond knelt next to Nicnteven and extended his hand towards her. He let out a warm and serene white light, which made her feel rejuvenated. It was Holy Magic, something which she didn’t know he could use.“Wouldn’t Zeke die if we tried to kill the System?” Asked Julia while furrowing her brows.“Not
- Paths of Extinction
Chapter 233 The Seat of Magic
Right after the destruction of the Heart of the Dead Ends, Zeke stood there, seemingly in a daze.The Witch Queen stared at him intensely, and when his eyes glowed with a crimson light, she immediately attacked.Jonathan roared and rushed as well, a creeping Darkness exploding from his hands.Nicneven struck out from afar, unleashing a blazing wave of flames, fused with a spinning thick beam of Ice-aspected energy.The Paths of Extinction System, which had taken control of Zeke’s body, retaliated with full-force as well.Dozens of thunderbolts erupted from Zeke’s raised hand, blasting Jonathan back and clashing with the Queen’s magic.“The Seat of Magic.” Muttered a voice that didn’t resemble Zeke albeit speaking from his mouth.It was emotionless and cold, one which no living being would be able to imitate.[Voltage Zap]Using such an elementary skill, the System shot innumerable bolts that arched in the air and concentrated on Nicneven.She jumped out of the way and performed a stra
- Paths of Extinction
Chapter 232 The End of the 2nd Cycle
“I know this is a lot to take in, Zeke Orland. But, I want you to trust me. Know that I have your best interest in heart and I wouldn’t have come unless necessary. I could’ve let you venture alone and complete your objective, after which you’ll be killed by your own System.”Zeke pointed his open hand toward the incoming shades.[Voltage King]A barrage of lightning bolts was unleashed, piercing through the shades and extinguishing them. They vaporised in an instant, leaving only a bit of red fog.The Dead Ends and the Paths of Extinction System, they both had that unique and ominous crimson light. However, Zeke thought it was just a coincidence.Now that the truth was revealed to him, he felt a bit lost. It wasn’t that much of a surprise that his System was dangerous or a threat as he had already suspected as much after learning about Edward Heart.Nevertheless, the fact that it was a tool from the very beginning did make him feel weak and clueless.An eerie silence flowed between Ze
- Paths of Extinction
Chapter 231 The Paths of Extinction System
Thanks to the thunderstorm Zeke had previously summoned, the three of them managed to reach and enter the Black Spike. Strangely enough, the entrance of the spire was fully-opened as if beckoning them inside. “This looks man-made.” “Because it is.” Answered Nicneven as she held the black katana with one hand and controlled five differently-colored elemental orb with the other. The interior of the black spike was empty but particularly eerie. Everything was black and except a spiralling staircase that led to the top, there was nothing else, not even the crimson fog. “Who made it?” “...” “Why do you refuse to tell me anything, Your Majesty? What is the Dead Ends? Who created it?” “You do not need to concern yourself with that. Just destroy the Hearts and everything will end.” Her immediate dismissal did irritate him, but he didn’t press her for answers he knew she wouldn’t give. “This is the final stretch. Jonathan, take the vanguard.” “Yes, Your Majesty.” Jonathan pushed bac
