Ascension: Rune Evolution System

The Illusion of Happiness...

The vast majority of people in this world live in constant fear of not knowing what their future looks like.

From the day we are born, expectations are silently placed on our shoulders. They seem light at first, especially when we are still reveling in the thrill of youth and discovering a whole world of experiences and possibilities, but sooner or later, we begin to realize something terrifying.

’I have to up my game. I have to focus. Otherwise, I will forever be stuck in this endless loop of expectations and the need to fit in with the rest of the world.’

However, this is where you get trapped.

This is what I call the illusion of happiness.

In the pursuit of chasing achievements and excellence, to be better than everyone else, to rise above the rest, we forget to live. It is no surprise that this trap is cast primarily in schools. While most might argue that it begins even earlier than that, at home, the true shape and scale of the trap only begin to reveal themselves within the walls of schools.

Through different metrics measuring intelligence and physical capability, in the name of academics and sports, the divide between the excellent and the ordinary begins to slowly take root. And using this method, society slowly grooms the youth, encouraging them and feeding their young minds an idea of what the ideal life and the ideal person should look like.

Unfortunately, it works...

Every single time.

By this point, you are already trapped within the endless loop that most like to call the rat race. The more you live, trapped in this helpless loop, the more you realize that no matter what you achieve, and no matter what you want, once you get it, you want something else.

Frost stared at the final line for a few seconds before his expression twisted.

”Tch...”

He clicked his tongue and snapped the book shut, his annoyance written plainly across his face.

Reading this particular article while sitting at his desk in the middle of a loud classroom was not a pleasant experience, especially when he himself could easily be called an overachiever, one of those people who had spent most of his life chasing after this so-called ideal.

”I feel personally attacked,” he muttered under his breath, sighing as he looked around at his peers.

He didn’t particularly agree or disagree with the statements written in this book, but if he had to say, they did make a fair argument.

But who could he fault for his supposed ignorance... his mother?

Certainly not.

Being not only an outcast and somewhat of a nerd at such a prestigious college for privileged young adults, but also a scholarship student, the sight of him sitting alone during lunch break while the rest of his peers gossiped and bragged was a common occurrence.

So he was briefly at a loss for words when he heard and noticed the resident clique of populars throwing a bout of mocking laughter in his direction.

However, it also took him a moment to realize why they could be doing such a thing.

He hadn’t looked in their direction when he heard the laughs, but rather, he had already been looking there after closing his book, meaning he had been staring in that direction for a while now.

Not only that, his line of sight was directly toward a particularly gorgeous blonde-haired young lady that could easily be mistaken for a front page model, which she actually was.

”Hey, Frosty, find something else to gawk at. It’s bad enough that you usually stare at Jenny’s boobs when you think no one’s looking, but that look right there is just plain terrifying.”

The one who had spoken was Jason, also known as the most handsome guy in school.

It seemed Frost had been looking in their direction with an unsavory scowl on his face, which, in his defense, he hadn’t meant to.

That didn’t really matter anymore, since he had been caught doing just that.

He quickly looked away with an embarrassed expression, lest he bring down the ire of these bastards upon himself, even though it wouldn’t be the first time.

As magnanimous as Jason and his group of jocks liked to act in front of the ladies, Frost knew a beating was not far off on his walk home, and as much as he would have liked to defend himself, it was less painful not to.

”Hey, Jason, how about we ask him?” Jenny suddenly chimed in.

”What, are you serious? You want to ask this nerd?”

”Well, you have just proven my point. He is a nerd, so he should know a lot of random stuff, no?” Jenny asked.

Jason gave Frost a reluctant look when he realized that she was right. Besides, he didn’t want to say an outright no to her.

That would mess with his chances of getting into her pants, and he had put in a considerable amount of effort trying to get her attention.

As the daughter of a very influential politician, Jennifer might as well have been every young man in this college’s wet dream, especially since she was so racked.

Jason let out a dramatic sigh and ruffled his dark, tousled hair.

”Fine... Frosty, come here.”