"Set a point, or a marker, that your fate will inevitably reach within the next ten years..."
"This... this requirement is far too abstract. What does 'a point you will inevitably reach' even mean?"
"Does it mean I should set myself a goal that I believe I can definitely achieve?"
"No, that doesn't feel right. It shouldn't be that simple. This so-called 'point' must have some deeper mystical significance..."
"For example... finding a way back? Or... becoming Loen's biggest arms dealer and richest man?"
"This is a Sequence 3 ritual, which means I can't simply use advancement itself as the marker..." Lorne rubbed his chin, sinking into thought.
"No, wait. Both the Society's records and the Captain's lessons said that advancement rituals essentially served to anchor a Beyonder's sense of self, preventing them from immediately losing control."
"In other words, once I drink the potion, I theoretically already count as Sequence 3. Whether I then lose control and turn into a monster, or just die outright, is another matter..."
"And setting a point I'll inevitably reach... does that mean I don't actually have to reach it?"
"The key is those ten years..." Lorne pondered for a moment, then the corners of his mouth involuntarily lifted.
"From the time I transmigrated into this world until now, it's only been a little over a year, all told..."
"And I've already become a demigod. Given another ten years... advancing to Angel might not even be a problem..."
"Sigh..."
"That's a little arrogant of me..." Lorne chuckled self-deprecatingly.
*"Come to think of it, the Fate pathway's rituals are already pretty esoteric. And now that I'm at Sequence 3, there's this incredibly abstract requirement on top of that... If it were something definite, like killing a particular monster or carrying out a specific task, it'd