The Mecha Outcast and the Arcane Prodigy

When Endymion Lin awoke, his entire body throbbed with pain. Attempting to rise from the damp ground, he found himself utterly powerless.

"Meng He, Bet, Bonner... and Murong Yan'er, mark my words—one day, I will personally avenge the humiliation I suffer today!" Endymion silently vowed.

The Meng, Angel, Roll, and Murong clans were the four rising powers of Shuimeng Star. Although Shuimeng Star was not the capital of the Galactic Alliance, it ranked among its most prosperous residential worlds. These four clans wielded immense influence there, so formidable that few dared to cross them—except the Lin family.

In truth, the Lin family was the premier clan of Shuimeng Star. The reason Shuimeng Star only boasted four great clans—and not five—was simply because none besides those four were worthy of standing alongside the Lin family.

Since the Galactic Alliance's founding, the Lin family had remained one of its most illustrious lineages. Their vast wealth was rivaled only by their unparalleled military prestige. Most notably, for over a millennium, every Lin scion had ascended to Mech Knight rank before the age of twenty-five.

Consider this: among ten thousand mech warriors, only three to five might ever achieve Mech Knight status—and usually only after turning thirty. Yet for a thousand years, the Lin family had maintained this extraordinary legacy.

Thus, they earned the revered title of the Millennium Knight Clan—a glory so radiant it dimmed the splendor of all other families.

Yet today, Endymion Lin—the scion of this ancient lineage—suffered humiliation and brutal assault at the hands of the four great clans' heirs. This was a tragedy for him and a stain upon the Lin family.

At eighteen, Endymion carried many epithets: the Lin family's failure, the Millennium Knight Clan's disgrace, Noding Academy's laughingstock—even, some claimed, a shame to the entire Galactic Alliance.

All because, as the second son of the current Lin patriarch, Endymion Qingming, he had yet to master mech piloting. Four years into his mech studies at Noding Academy, he still remained a freshman, having failed every final assessment and been held back repeatedly.

Endymion Qingming himself was one of only nineteen Seven-Star Mech Knights in the Alliance. Endymion's elder brother, Lin Ping, was a Two-Star Mech Knight at twenty, while his younger brother, Lin Ming, merely fourteen, had already distinguished himself as a gifted Psychic Mech Knight.

To become a Mech Knight, one must first advance through ten ranks of mech warriors. Only upon reaching the tenth rank can a warrior hope for promotion. Mech Knights themselves rank from One-Star to Seven-Star. Psychic Mech Knights formed a separate class, each endowed with unique supernatural abilities that, when harmonized with specialized psychic mechs, granted formidable power.

With a Seven-Star patriarch, a Two-Star elder brother, and a prodigious psychic younger brother, Endymion Lin—who could not even qualify as a basic mech warrior—was a profound disappointment. The Lin family's hopes for their millennium-old honor seemed on the verge of extinction.

Though only eighteen, Endymion's circumstances made it impossible for him to become a Mech Knight before twenty-five.

After sending him to Noding Academy, the Lin family effectively severed ties. This estrangement emboldened the four clans' scions to torment him mercilessly. The only favor the Lin family granted was sparing him from death at their hands—any fatal injury inflicted on Endymion by others would inevitably provoke a tempestuous retaliation no one dared challenge.

As twilight deepened, Endymion smiled bitterly. He despised being the clan's disgrace, loathed being a failure. Yet his constitution was weak: unlike Lin Ping, he could not cultivate the Lin family's Star-Moon Heart Technique, nor did he possess psychic abilities like Lin Ming. His physical condition was inferior even to ordinary people. No matter how much he studied mech combat theory or labored, he could not pilot a single mech.

Before enrolling, the Lin clan had exhausted every method to enhance his physique—without success. At Noding Academy, Endymion's own efforts also yielded no progress.

"Is this my fate? Am I doomed to live like this forever?" He clenched his fists in frustration, refusing to accept defeat.

Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced his head, and a scream tore from his lips. Clutching his head, his body writhed involuntarily.

A torrent of memories surged through his mind, and as the pain waned, calmness returned.

Endymion lay spread-eagle on the ground, staring blankly at the obsidian sky. The additional memories left his heart restless.

Grant—the greatest mage of the Auro Continent—had dedicated his life to the study of spatial magic. Recently, while experimenting with his latest research, a spatial rift violently tore his body apart. His soul, however, traversed space-time and arrived here.

Seeing the unconscious Endymion, Grant's spirit mistakenly assumed him dead and entered his body, seeking rebirth. But the living Endymion resisted, sparking a soul struggle of equal strength. To avoid mutual destruction, they compromised and merged into a singular consciousness.

In a sense, Endymion Lin was no longer just Endymion Lin. Though his original memories and body remained intact, his mind now contained Grant's memories as well.

"Let me consider Grant's memories as an alternate experience—perhaps a past life," Endymion pondered, deciding to avoid mental conflict that might cause fragmentation. This resolution brought him much-needed peace.

He remained Endymion Lin, living as himself. Yet now he bore the entire knowledge and life experience of a great mage—Grant's knowledge extended far beyond magic.

Spatial magic had long been lost in Auro Continent's history. To rediscover it, Grant mastered numerous disciplines, excelling not only in various magical schools but also in alchemy and even combat energy. These skills had been essential to his breakthroughs.

Endymion pushed himself up, pain still present but strength partially restored. Though late, he did not return to the dormitory. Instead, he resolved to test whether magic could be cultivated here.

Seated cross-legged, he began the most fundamental practice of magic—meditation.

A familiar, comforting sensation from the air greeted him. To his joy, he quickly sensed the presence of magical elements, confirming that Shuimeng Star harbored magic energies and that his body was compatible with magic cultivation.

However, he soon realized the ambient magical concentration here was far weaker than on Auro Continent. Progress in magic would be much slower here.

This discovery dampened his spirits. With his frail constitution, even mastering magic wouldn't enable him to pilot mechs—magic would not strengthen his body. Given the local magical density, achieving advanced magic would be difficult in the short term.

After comparing the destructive power of magic to the combat strength of mechs, he concluded that without mastering high-level magic, he could not hope to defeat Mech Knights without piloting a mech himself.

In other words, relying solely on magic to change his fate was impossible. He needed to find another solution.

"One month until the final assessment. If I fail to pilot a mech again, I'll remain a freshman. Four consecutive years held back means expulsion from Noding Academy. If I'm expelled, where else can I go?" Endymion's heart ached. He did not wish to return to the Lin family. Despite the scorn and torment here, this place was far better than home.

"I was the greatest mage of Auro Continent, respected and exalted—how did I fall so far?" he muttered, slipping into Grant's perspective. In his consciousness, he was both Endymion and Grant, with the mage's pride subtly influencing him.

How to escape this predicament? Endymion pondered deeply. Since magic alone was insufficient, he had to return to basics: pilot the mech. To do so, he must strengthen his body. How? That was the pressing question.

The Lin family's millennium of glory owed much to a secret martial art—the Star-Moon Heart Technique. Mastery of this profound discipline often distinguished superior Mech Knights, as proven within the family.

Sadly, Endymion's constitution was unique—several vital meridians were blocked and could not be cleared, meridians crucial for cultivating the Star-Moon Heart Technique.

Of course, the Galactic Alliance had more than just this technique. Martial arts were popular; mech warriors and knights usually knew some forms.

Yet even other martial arts eluded Endymion's grasp.

"No martial arts, no psychic abilities, and mage physiques are weak; magic won't strengthen my body... What else can enhance my physique?" he muttered, then a sudden insight struck him.

"Ah, there's also combat energy!"

On Auro Continent, mages were rare; most people cultivated combat energy instead. Grant never practiced it but knew it well.

Endymion realized that although martial arts were closed to him, combat energy cultivation might be possible.

Without hesitation, he began practicing the Stellar Combat Energy method from memory.

Though its name resembled the Star-Moon Heart Technique, its cultivation methods were entirely different.

Sitting cross-legged, Endymion attempted to cultivate Stellar Combat Energy.

Few on Auro Continent practiced both magic and combat energy, as dual cultivation often prevented mastery of either, resulting in weaker strength than specializing. Yet Endymion cared little; he just wanted to see if he could cultivate combat energy.

A faint sensation of energy flickered within him—he rejoiced, for this meant he truly could cultivate combat energy!

"Ahh!" Endymion roared to the heavens, releasing years of pent-up frustration in an instant.

...