Simon was suddenly reminded of legends in his past life amidst this revelation.

There were stories of unfathomably powerful mages, who abruptly rose to prominence out of nowhere. Some could control life and death, while others were unnaturally powerful with certain elements.

And these instances... suddenly all made sense with this revelation; the source of all of these mysteries were specialized star cores!

At this moment, Simon had a glow in his eyes. ‘This technique is too powerful! How did I not know of such a thing?’

With this technique, he would be sacrificing power temporarily for a greater return in the future. He was naturally more than happy with such an exchange.

Simon then calmed himself down and turned to the old man, who was patiently waiting for him. He was undoubtedly more interested in this place now...

“Sir, then may I ask, for what purpose was I brought here?” he asked solemnly.

The golem smiled gently. “You’ve finally asked. Naturally, you have qualified to become the great master’s fourth disciple.”

“...” Simon was speechless. So this was all a trial to become a disciple under this mysterious master?

Considering the massive array, this boundless world, the existence of the Arcane Void Dragon, and the difficulty of the trial… This master must have been extremely impressive.

In fact, Simon suspected that if he were perhaps a mage with only five star cores in the past, he wouldn’t even have been able to pass… After all, one of his biggest advantages stemmed from skill far above his magical accumulations, and even with such an advantage, he nearly didn’t make it!

However, he didn’t wish to be too hasty in his decision.

“I don’t mean to be disrespectful; your master must be a truly extraordinary personage. But isn’t this… perhaps too sudden? I don’t even know what is going on.” Simon said helplessly.

Even if he was likely willing to take such a figure for his master, he still needed to know what was going on.

“Eh?” the old man suddenly looked towards him with a confused expression. He then asked incredulously, ”Young one, you really don’t know of the master?”

Simon shook his head. “I don’t even know what this place is! I was just exploring some unexplored ruins with my disciple, and we were brought here.”

“Mm?” It displayed a hint of surprise at these words.

“You’re so clueless… this doesn’t add up. Tell me then, what is the current state of the outside world?” asked the golem solemnly.

Simon hurriedly nodded, saying, “The world as I know it is a world of the endless void, where floating islands are sparsely spread about. The crystalline formation is but one of these islands, where people are sent to explore the past.”

“Magic is also present, but I am not clear on the actual level of civilization nor of the level of magic that people in this world have. All I know is that they are quite substantial.” he finished solemnly.

The old man fell silent for a moment before nodding.

“It's finally happened. Very well. It seems that I have to explain from the start, then.” said the golem with a deep sigh.

“Actually, the only reason why you were allowed into the trial was because you were going down the path of the Stellar Suppression Technique. Even if you are extremely talented, unfathomable talents are not impossible to find, after all.” said the golem.

Hearing this, Simon was quite confused. Since it thought that he was incomparably talented - so talented to have gotten two sets of elemental stars already, why did it take in Jake as well, who was slower than him?

“Thank you for endowing me with this information. However, if I may ask, why did you bring my disciple to this place too? And how is he doing?” he asked with curiosity and worry.

The golem smiled mysteriously at this question.

“Well, the reasoning behind why he was chosen is quite complex and involves information which you don’t need to know yet. Suffice it to say that this disciple of yours… is a once in a millennium genius, which is capable of inciting bloody wars over!”

“As for how he is doing? You don’t have to worry about that. Oh look, he should be coming into sight right about now.” said the golem with a chuckle, pointing to a particular area of the void behind Simon’s back.

Simon turned to where the old man beckoned and indeed, he saw a solitary figure trudging upon a bridge made of darkness towards the Palace.

He did not hesitate to cast a spell to heighten his sight as he held his breath.

Simon could now see a handsome, fierce looking man, with a determined gaze which seemed as if it could cut through the endless darkness. Every step of his was filled with vigor and purpose, and it seemed as if nothing could possibly deter him.

“...”

He was speechless when he saw Jake in such a state, and he felt his mouth go dry.

‘Crap, how impressive is my disciple? He actually navigated the void with brute force?’

Simon did not know whether to laugh or cry. However, he was ultimately relieved; it seemed as if he had underestimated his disciple’s capabilities.

The golem, sensing their connection, smiled and waved an arm.

Woosh!

Suddenly, Jake found himself next to Simon.

For a moment, the two stared at each other wordlessly, feeling a variety of emotions.

It had truly felt like an eternity since they last met, and their meeting was just too abrupt.

Eventually, Simon laughed and patted Jake in the back, saying shamelessly, “Not bad, disciple! I knew you would make it too!”

“Haha, I knew you would be here, master.” said Jake with a joyous chuckle.

…

Soon enough…

Simon and Jake stood next to each other, having exchanged stories of their experiences. Meanwhile, the golem stood silently and patiently to the side with a smile.

After wrapping up their discussion, they then turned to the golem, who finally spoke up seeing that they were done.

“From the very fact that you two didn’t know of the Stellar Suppression Technique, it can be concluded that the level of magic in the outside world… is currently quite low. And as you two may have suspected, this void world is actually an ancient artifact, which was once the old master’s personal residence. However, he has... long since passed.” he golem said with a reminiscent look on his face.

Simon nodded solemnly. This information was all information that he expected, but it still was surprising to hear it out loud. Meanwhile, Jake was not too surprised either as Simon had told him about this palace previously.

The golem then paced about, saying, “The master laid down a trial before his death. Along with the trial, he ordered his remaining underlings to watch over the land and to serve the new master of this artifact-world. And you, young men, are candidates to become the new artifact holders.”

Simon’s mouth suddenly ran dry once again.

He or Jake could… one day own this entire world of boundless void, and even the underlings and legacy of this great master? This was quite a substantial piece of information.

The golem continued solemnly, “However, it is not nearly that simple. Ever since the master spread the news that he would be accepting a disciple after his death, thousands of the most talented of mages went to attempt the trial. And of them, only five have ever succeeded in the many millions of years between his death and now. They are the second disciple, the third disciple, and you two, the fourth and fifth disciples.”

He then gazed at them sharply. “Now, take a guess. How many of them would you say managed to gain ownership of even a portion of the master’s artifact?”

Simon scratched his head before saying, “Perhaps one of them?”

“One?” Jake also guessed that only one disciple managed to gain a partial ownership of the artifact.

The golem laughed out loud and shook his head. “Believe it or not, even amongst the most talented of brilliant stars in eons, none of them managed to gain even a portion of the ownership. Why?”

“Because the minimum strength required to bind even a portion of the artifact is beyond that of a Mage God! Moreover, the underlings of the great master likely won’t heed your calls until you surpass the strength of a Mage God.” said the golem seriously.

Both Simon and Jake suddenly felt their mouths parting slightly.

‘What? A mage god?! That’s a mage with ten star cores!’ Simon thought incredulously.

“And the master himself,” said the golem amusedly, “Naturally far surpasses a mage with merely ten star cores. Did I say enough, or do you two wish to hear more before accepting him as your master?”

Simon and Jake exchanged glances, and they simultaneously said, “We accept, we accept his tutelage!”

The golem smiled, satisfied. “Good. I welcome my new masters, the Fourth and Fifth Disciples of the Fourth Void Acolyte!”

Chapter 58: The Origins of Island Ascension Online

Following Simon and Jake’s acceptance to becoming disciples, the golem then explained to them a rough history of the world, and subsequently, of the great master himself.

According to the golem’s words, this world of despair-inducing void was called the Extinguishing Void World, and the artifact which housed it the Celestial Extinguishing Fan.

This Celestial Extinguishing Fan was without question, a treasure with an incalculable value. In fact, it was the most prized possession of the great master himself, who went by the Fourth Void Acolyte.

And this great master... was said to be one of nine acolytes in an ancient age, where void magic reigned supreme!

During this time, the world was still a celestial body - a planet - which seemed endless in size... The world in this period was said to be prosperous, and teeming with activity! Kingdoms and empires rose and fell endlessly, while other settlements were too many to count. Magic was also quite widespread in this time, and the progress that the civilization made into magic was extremely deep.

This ancient age spanned many millions of years, with the influence of these nine acolytes were known to all. To say that they had power would be an understatement.

In particular, the Fourth Void Acolyte was known for his supremely powerful suppressive abilities. Even mages with ten star cores were like ants stuck in honey when faced with his void domain, and he was considered to be one of the strongest among the apostles.

Meanwhile, the leader of the nine acolytes of this age was, of course, much more powerful than any of his followers; he was a void mage, whose strength was enough to shock and unite the entire vast world!

However, nothing was ultimately eternal...

During the inevitable fall of this lengthy and prosperous age of hegemony, all of the nine apostles fell amidst the flames of war, leaving only their legacies behind. Not soon after, the overlord - the leader of the nine apostles himself - swore with his final breath that his void would once again return.

Following the dusk of this age, time quickly passed, and knowledge regarding the age of the apostles slowly faded away. And though many talents of the strongest and most ancient powers still occasionally attempted their trials, the past remained relatively hidden.

However, those who once knew of the unfathomable leader himself knew that things would not be so simple!

After all, they knew better than anyone else precisely how powerful the Overlord was. After countless eons, no other power was able to unite the world like he did; there was obviously a reason for such a fact to hold true.

Thus, if he proclaimed that his void would once again return to the world, it surely would… It was just not known how.

But who would have known that the return of his void would be so pronounced?

…

After the golem finished narrating the tale of the world, Simon and Jake nodded in deep contemplation.

What they learned was indeed groundbreaking. But somehow, they were left with more questions than answers after the explanation.

‘It seems that I will forever be plagued with mysteries!’ Simon complained inwardly.

However, in the end, he could only nod. Jake seemed to have come to terms with such a situation as well.

Seeing that the two were done taking this information in, the old man nodded.

“Now that the past is out of the way, allow me to discuss the benefits of the Void Palace.” said the golem, gesturing to the space around them.

The main hallway of the Void Palace led into nine separate halls: a smaller coridder further up, and eight more hallways from the sides, each several hundred meters wide and tall. However, in front of each of these 9 corridors, one feature remained constant: towering walls of energy resided in front of each of them, obstructing the way inside.

From just the sight of them alone, Simon and Jake could tell that they would be difficult to cross.

“For now, you will be unable to access any of the nine halls, and nor are you allowed to harvest the resources outside of the palace.” the golem said sternly.

Simon and Jake nodded, even if they felt somewhat wronged. It made sense that some things were not meant to be accessed, as they were still rather weak in the grand scheme of things.

The golem continued, “Upon reaching the fifth star core or gaining 35 elemental stars, the first and second hallways will be accessible. Upon reaching the sixth star core, the third and fourth hallways will be unlocked, and the pattern continues until the tenth star core, where you two will be able to access the final hall.”

The two then nodded again.

“Here, take these talismans. If you ever need to communicate, merely insert mana into them, and the artifact spirit will know.” said the golem solemnly, waving a hand.

Suddenly, two talismans made of a dark metal appeared in front of Simon and Jake, who both promptly caught their respective amulets.

“Alright then, I’ll be seeing you off,” the golem said with a nod.

“Wait!” Simon exclaimed. They had just become disciples, undergoing a grueling trial in doing so. Were they really supposed to leave, just like that?

“Eh? What do you want?” the golem asked curiously.

“Well actually,” Simon grinned and put his arm around Jake’s shoulder, pulling him towards him. “We were actually wondering if we could perhaps get something to show for becoming the master’s disciple!”

“???” Jake was startled by Simon’s sudden action.

But he played along, saying, “My master, err, apprentice brother and I are now disciples of the legendary Fourth Void Acolyte! Would it not be embarrassing if we were without any treasures or techniques?

Simon laughed, saying, “Indeed! What my disciple, err, apprentice brother said is true. Is there really nothing that can be done about this situation?”

“...”

The golem was speechless at Simon’s shamelessness, but he eventually sighed and nodded.

“I suppose it would indeed be improper for you two to not receive parting gifts. However, as of now, the Master’s official treasuries and technique collections are unfortunately locked up. You two must reach the fifth star core in order to access those.” Said the golem seriously.

At these words, Simon seemed to deflate by a little.

“But, I seem to recall that a simplified version of one of the Overlord’s techniques was left behind for the Apostles’ disciples.” then said the golem with a smile.

Upon hearing these words, Simon perked up.

“Wait, an Overlord’s technique… Could you possibly be talking about a technique which… the Overlord of the age of void hegemony used?” he asked hesitatingly.

“Indeed, I am talking about a technique which the leader of the nine acolytes used.” the golem affirmed with a nod.

The old man continued with a smile, “So do you two want it or not? The choice is yours.”

“Of course, of course!” Simon immediately said, unhesitatingly making an executive decision for both Jake and himself.

The golem nodded before yelling out loud, “Old dragon, they requested the Overlord’s manual!”

For a moment, nothing happened. But suddenly, a glowing outline of a thick tome gradually appeared in front of the two, seemingly formed from thousands of shards of void.

The old man smiled and gestured to the floating mass of energy, saying, “You merely have to touch it, and accept the oath once you are inside. Then, the technique will be transferred to your mind.”

Simon and Jake nodded at these words. And after exchanging glances, Simon took the initiative to touch the book first.

Woosh!

When Simon’s land touched the blurry apparition of the tome, he immediately felt as if he was transported into yet another endless void.

This void… seemed similar to the one in the outside world of Island Ascension Online - infinite, and pure; consisting of nothingness. It was neither overbearing, nor modest, as it simply lacked any distinction whatsoever.

He looked around, somewhat confused. What had he been transported here for?

Boom!

Suddenly, with a streak of violet thunder, a phantom appeared in front of him within this boundless void. This figure was seemingly hidden within a dark cloak, with glowing red eyes, and purple flames behind its back.

Wielding two dark longswords, it stared at Simon silently, causing him to freeze in place.

The aura of this phantom was incredibly overbearing. Simon found himself unable to form coherent thoughts in the face of the overwhelming pressure emitting from the figure, and if he was standing, his knees would surely collapse beneath him.

Simon’s mind was in turmoil, and he couldn’t move an inch. At this point of time, not even dreams of riches could wake him from his stupor.

After gazing at Simon for a moment, the phantom nodded as if it had found what it seeked, before fading away, its aura retracting along with it.

As soon as it left, Simon regained his faculties and immediately shuddered.

‘Crap! Who the hell was that? Was he the Overlord guy?’ Simon thought, bewildered and horrified.

He was only able to remember the instant where the phantom materialized.

However, that instant was forever etched into his mind.

After all, in the short while where Simon was able to maintain lucidity, he could detect that the phantom in front of him was capable of reducing him to nothing with its gaze alone! Such a premonition was not one of logical thought; rather, it came from his instincts, which were incredibly refined after surviving many tribulations.

However, if that phantom was the Overlord it did make sense. After all, mages of the tenth star core - which were already unreachable to Simon - would be insignificant flecks of dust to such a figure; killing him wouldn’t even count as an elephant crushing an ant.

Suddenly, a stream of information began entering Simon's mind…

Within this influx of information, Simon could detect an oath, which he instinctually sensed was for swearing secrecy. Moreover, he could tell that this oath would take residence in his mind, making it so that the memories which came with it were impossible to be stolen.

Other than the oath, there was only one other thing: The secret technique hidden behind the oath, named the Stationary Butterfly!

‘I suppose this is fair. There’s no reason not to accept it.’ he thought with a nod.

Then, with only a sliver of hesitation, Simon then accepted the transmission of the technique, along with the oath that came with it.