On the outskirts of the Djage Empire, far from the Djage Imperial Capital, there was a huge mountain that rose into the sky. It was tall enough to pierce the clouds, but today the sky was a borderless blue gem without a sign of white in the sky.

The mountain seemed to be quite old and tattered, as if countless battles took place on it, and it was dry and burnt with no vegetation on its slopes. The mountain looked as though it had been scorched by flames or by countless bolts of lightning, and the smell of smoke hung in the air. This desolate mountain seemed so out of place in this rich land.

On the highest point of the desolate mountain, a youth stood motionless, looking out on the land without a word. Despite the oppressive heat that a.s.saulted his face, the young man was unfazed as if it didn't affect him at all. He looked to be seventeen or eighteen, with broad shoulders and a strong look. He had beautiful black eyes with dark purple hair, and was dressed in training clothes with the sleeves of his s.h.i.+rt rolled up, showing his muscular arms. His skin was white as snow, and his features were devilishly handsome and gave off an air of maturity despite his age.

Currently, the young man was in a daze. If anyone saw him, they would be flabbergasted by the look in his eyes, which was not fitting for a man of his age. It was a look that no ordinary young man should be able to emulate.

"It's been fifteen years... Why did I appear in this world? It's so different from Earth."

This young man was originally from Earth. He was trying to get something to eat from the dumpster of the fast food restaurant near the bridge he usually slept under, when he was struck by multiple bolts of lightning. Rather than dying, he was reborn in this world as the Fourth prince of the Djage Imperial family. He wasn't sure why he was reborn, but he felt that his reincarnation wasn't quite as simple as it seemed.

Even when he was on Earth, his existence was a mystery. He did not know who his parents were, or why they abandoned him at the front door of an orphanage. He had never had a peaceful family or a caring mother. He had never had a house to shelter him from the cold and harsh weather.

When he was five, the orphanage that took him in as an infant was burned to the ground. The cause of the fire was still a mystery. He managed to survive, along with some other lucky souls, but ever since then he was completely alone. One can imagine what kind of life he was forced to lead as a child. He couldn't even remember how many times he dug through the trash looking for sc.r.a.ps, or how many times he was beaten or chased away from other people because of his smell. It was like he had been marked by bad fortune from the time he was born until the time he had died.

Despite his terrible luck, he had never killed or stolen anything from other people to survive. He never complained about how life treated him so poorly; he had never cursed the heavens for marking him with bad luck. He used his own methods to survive until he met his end at the age of twenty four. Even though he never had the chance for a normal life, he did not have any regrets. He never blamed destiny for abandoning him, but all the hards.h.i.+ps he had suffered in the past were engraved in his heart and soul, never to be forgotten.

"Fourth Prince." Upon hearing a woman calling him, Shad gradually recovered from his melancholy and regained his bearings.

"Is it time?" asked Shad without looking at the woman.

"Yes, tomorrow is the day of the students' a.s.sessment for graduation. The emperor has instructed me to take you back to the Imperial Capital to take the a.s.sessment before it's too late," answered the woman in a respectful tone.

"I will meet you down the mountain then, I'm going to bathe in the nearby river before we go" said Shad as he walked to the east side of the mountain.

After he left, the woman stood on top of the mountain and looked around with a contemplative gaze. This huge mountain, which was once green with gra.s.s and vegetation, was now dark with ash and charcoal. The mountain used to be so full of life, and the mana was rich in the air, but now it stood like a barren wasteland, devoid of both.

All of this happened after the Fourth Prince used it as his training base for two years. He never set foot in the Imperial Palace during this time, and had refused the help of his family for food or daily necessities.

"No wonder they call him the Imperial Freak. In just two years, he turned this mountain into a wasteland with his lightning magic. Maybe he's already broken through to a 4th cla.s.s mage," said the woman.

As soon as she heard herself utter these words, she was stunned. If the Fourth Prince really did break through to the 4th cla.s.s mage by the age of fifteen, he would have exceeded the confinements of reality. Everyone knew how difficult it was to break through to a 4th cla.s.s mage, or to cast a 4th cla.s.s magical spell.

"It's impossible, I can't believe those words just came out of my mouth," mumbled the woman before descending the mountain.