When Endymion Lin awoke, pain coursed through his entire body. He tried to rise from the damp ground but found himself too weak to move.
"Meng He, Bet, Bonner, and you, Murong Yan'er... wait. One day, I will personally wash away the humiliation of today!" Endymion swore silently in his heart.
The Meng, Angel, Roll, and Murong families were the four prominent new families of Shuimeng Star. While Shuimeng Star was not the capital of the Galactic Alliance, it was undoubtedly one of the most prosperous planets within it. The four families wielded immense influence, and no one dared cross them—except the Endymion family.
In fact, the Endymion family was the most prestigious family of Shuimeng Star. The reason there were only four great families, not five, was simple: none of the other families were worthy to be compared to the Endymions.
With the establishment of the Galactic Alliance, the Endymion family had remained one of its most prominent lineages for millennia. Not only did they possess vast financial wealth, but they also held unparalleled standing in the military. Most significantly, every member of the Endymion family was expected to become a mecha knight before the age of twenty-five.
To put this in perspective: out of ten thousand mecha warriors, only a handful ever rose to the level of mecha knight, and most of them reached that status after the age of thirty. Yet, for the past thousand years, the Endymion family maintained an unbroken record of having their descendants achieve the rank before twenty-five.
This prestigious history earned the family the title of the "Millennial Knight Family," a legacy that overshadowed all others.
However, today, Endymion Lin, a member of the Millennial Knight Family, was humiliated and beaten by the offspring of the four great families. This was a personal tragedy for Endymion Lin and a disgrace to the Endymion family.
At eighteen, Endymion Lin was burdened with many titles— the "waste" of the Endymion family, the "shame" of the Millennial Knight Family, the "mockery" of Nodding Academy, and even the "embarrassment" of the Galactic Alliance.
This was all because, as the second son of the current family head, Endymion Qingming, he still could not pilot a mecha. Despite spending four years in Nodding Academy's mecha department, he had yet to pass the final exams and was forced to repeat the first year.
Endymion Qingming was one of the nineteen Seven-Star Mecha Knights in the Galactic Alliance, and Endymion Lin's elder brother, Endymion Ping, was already a Two-Star Mecha Knight at twenty. Even his younger brother, Endymion Ming, just fourteen, was a highly gifted psionic mecha knight— an ability that surpassed both his older brothers.
Before becoming a mecha knight, one must first be a mecha warrior. Mecha warriors are ranked from Level 1 to Level 10, and only those who reach Level 10 have a chance of becoming a mecha knight. The knights themselves are divided into seven ranks, from One-Star to Seven-Star, with One-Star being the lowest and Seven-Star the highest.
Psionic mecha knights, however, were a different category. Each possessed unique psionic powers that, when merged with a specially crafted mecha, granted them tremendous combat capabilities.
His father was a Seven-Star Mecha Knight, his brother was a Two-Star, and his younger brother was a psionic mecha knight. Yet Endymion Lin could not even become a basic mecha warrior, let alone a knight. The Endymion family, filled with disappointment and concern, feared that the family's glory would come to an end with him.
Although only eighteen, Endymion Lin was unlikely to become a mecha knight before the age of twenty-five. Once he was sent to Nodding Academy, the Endymion family essentially severed ties with him, leaving him vulnerable to the mockery of the four great families. The only benefit of his family's neglect was that they did not allow him to be killed outright— because if he were to die at the hands of another, the Endymion family would unleash a catastrophic vengeance that the four families could never withstand.
As the sky darkened, Endymion Lin forced a bitter smile. He never wanted to be the disgrace of the Millennial Knight Family. He never wanted to be called a "waste." But his body was frail, incapable of training in the Endymion family's Star-Moon Heart Technique like his elder brother, nor did he possess the psionic abilities of his younger brother. His body was weaker than an ordinary person's— despite his immense efforts, he couldn't pilot a single mecha.
Before joining Nodding Academy, the Endymion family had tried every method to enhance his physique, but nothing worked. After years of self-effort at the academy, his situation had not improved.
"Am I destined to live like this for the rest of my life?" Endymion clenched his fists, unwilling to accept his fate. "I will find a way!"
Suddenly, a sharp pain erupted in his head, causing him to scream out in agony. He clutched his head as his body writhed uncontrollably.
A flood of memories surged through his mind. As the pain subsided, everything calmed to a stillness.
Endymion Lin lay on the ground, staring blankly at the darkened sky. The strange memories in his mind prevented him from calming down.
Grant, the greatest magician of the Oro continent, had dedicated his life to studying space magic. Not long ago, while experimenting with his latest research, his body was sucked into a spatial rift. The immense force tore his body apart, but his soul was transported through time and space to this world.
When Grant's soul found Endymion Lin lying unconscious, he mistakenly thought he had died and tried to merge with Lin's body to be reborn. But Lin was still alive, and the two souls struggled for control of the body. Their powers were evenly matched, and neither could dominate. In the end, they compromised, merging into one unified soul.
Now, in a sense, Endymion Lin was no longer just Endymion Lin. His memories remained intact, but he now carried Grant's memories as well.
"Let's treat Grant's memories as my other experience... or as my past life's recollection," Endymion Lin pondered. After some thought, he made his decision. He didn't want the two sets of memories to clash. If that happened, he might suffer from a split personality. Once he thought about it this way, he felt much more at ease.
He was still Endymion Lin, and he would continue to live as him. But now, unlike before, he possessed the full memories of a great magician— including Grant's knowledge, experiences, and everything he had ever been through.
Though Grant was a magician, his expertise wasn't limited to magic. Space magic had once been lost on the Oro continent, and to revive it, Grant had mastered a variety of disciplines, from alchemy to combat qi. These diverse skills had helped him develop space magic, which would prove invaluable to Endymion's future.
Endymion sat up, still aching, but feeling a bit more energized. The night had deepened, but he wasn't ready to return to his dormitory yet. He wanted to see if this world could allow him to learn magic.
Cross-legged on the ground, he began to meditate.
A familiar sensation of magic filled the air around him. To his delight, he quickly sensed the presence of magical elements, meaning that Shuimeng Star did indeed have magic. Even better, his body seemed suited to practice it!
However, he quickly realized that the magical elements here were far less concentrated than those on the Oro continent. This would mean learning magic would be slower here than on his homeworld.
Endymion felt a pang of frustration. With his current body, even if he mastered magic, it wouldn't help him pilot a mecha. Magic couldn't enhance his physique, and with the low concentration of magic here, it would be impossible to master high-level spells in the short term.
After comparing the power of magic to that of mecha warriors, he understood that without mastering advanced magic, it would be nearly impossible to defeat a mecha knight without a mecha. Thus, relying solely on magic wouldn't change his situation— he needed another way.
"The final exam is only a month away. If I can't pilot a mecha by then, I'll remain in my first year. Four years of repeating would get me expelled from Nodding Academy. If that happens, where will I go?" Endymion thought miserably. He didn't want to return to the Endymion family, even though he was mocked and belittled at the academy. Here, at least, he felt a sense of belonging, unlike at home.
"To think that I was once the most respected magician on the Oro continent... How did I end up like this?" Endymion murmured. Unconsciously, he found himself adopting Grant's pride as a magician. Now, in his mind, he was both Endymion Lin and Grant, and Grant's pride was seeping into him.
How could he change his fate? Endymion thought hard. Since magic alone wouldn't work, he needed to return to square one: he had to learn to pilot a mecha. To do that, he needed to strengthen his body— but how?
The Endymion family's secret technique, the Star-Moon Heart Method, was key to their legacy. This profound martial art had made them exceptional mecha knights. If Endymion could learn it, he might become a better mecha knight.
But Endymion's body was uniquely frail—his meridians blocked, preventing him from cultivating the Star-Moon Heart Method.
While martial arts were popular across the Galactic Alliance, Endymion Lin couldn't train in any martial arts, nor did he have any psionic abilities. Magic couldn't enhance his physical strength.
"What else can I do to improve my body?" Endymion muttered. Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind. "Of course—combat qi!"
On the Oro continent, most people couldn't train in magic, so they turned to combat qi instead. Though Grant had never practiced qi, he was familiar with it. Endymion realized that, while he couldn't practice martial arts, he might be able to cultivate combat qi.
With newfound resolve, he immediately began practicing the Starry Combat Qi technique, one of many methods Grant had learned.
Unlike the Star-Moon Heart Method, the Starry Combat Qi had a completely different cultivation style. Endymion sat cross-legged, attempting to cultivate the qi.
In the Oro continent, it was rare for someone to train in both magic and combat qi—doing so usually led to a compromise in mastery. But Endymion couldn't afford to care about that. He needed to know if he could cultivate combat qi. If so, he would pursue it without hesitation.
A faint, elusive sensation of qi began to stir within his body, and Endymion couldn't help but feel overjoyed. This meant he could indeed cultivate combat qi!
"Ahh!" Endymion howled toward the heavens, releasing years of pent-up frustration and emotion. In that instant, everything felt possible again.
...