I guess running was an option and I really thought about it, but the mont I heard the sharp hiss of polished tal sliding from its sheath, I reconsidered.
“Who are you?” The knight leveled his blade at . And while I’d never had a sword pointed at before, I was pretty sure any distance was too close.
“P—P—Peter?” My voice shook, turning my na into a question, like I wasn’t sure if it was mine or his.
I feel like if you asked what one plus one was right now, my answer would be two?
“Why are you here, recruit?”
Recruit? “I’m not in the military, but thanks for your service!”
“Wha?” He looked at oddly, sword still pointed at , “Yo—you’re welco?”
“I—” My eyes stayed locked on the glinting steel, which definitely wasn't a prop. I raised my hands in surrender. “Can you, uh… put that down?”
The knight studied through the slits of his leather helm, then thankfully, lowered his sword. “Answer. Why are you here?”
“I just, uhhh…” My heartbeat pounded in my ears like a war drum. “I just got here.”
“Just?” His shoulders relaxed slightly. “Did you get lost? Why’d you co this way?”
Maybe wearing this outfit wasn’t such a bad idea. If he thought I was so sort of recruit, not an intruder, I’d take it. Running wasn’t exactly off the table, but I wasn’t betting on my odds against a guy with a sword. So, I followed, not knowing what I was walking into.
“I know you’re new,” he called over his shoulder, his tone suddenly more casual. “But try not to goof around too much. Trust , getting in trouble with the serge is a terrible idea.”
I nodded like I knew exactly what that ant.
Recruit… Serge? Yeah, this was sounding less and less like sothing I wanted to be a part of, but at least his tone shift took the edge off my panic, if only slightly.
Still… I wasn’t entirely convinced I wasn’t losing my mind. “Ow!”
The guard turned as I rubbed the spot on my arm where I’d pinched myself. “What’s wrong?”
“N—Nothing, sorry.”
He gave a weird look but kept walking. “Keep up.”
Eventually, we reached a narrow spiral staircase where he stopped. “Head up. It's the first room on the left. Don’t wander.”
“Got it.”
Without another word, he turned and disappeared down the corridor.
Up it is.
I started climbing, step after step, higher and higher until... BOOM!
I jumped as an explosion rattled the stone, shaking loose dust and bits of rubble, which rained into my hair.
I ran a shaky hand through it, brushing off the debris as I reached the top, still rattled from whatever that was. My hands were clammy with nervousness, but my curiosity battled my caution.
Another corridor, narrow, leading to an open archway on the left.
I crept forward and peeked inside.
“That,” a booming voice declared, reverberating through the small chamber, “is what you can hope to accomplish in the future.”
A group of teenagers stood in stiff attention; eyes locked on a massive scorch mark seared into the wall.
Their expressions ranged from awe to outright terror.
I froze; eyes locked on the authority figure.
The man at the front of the room wasn’t dressed in plate like the knight from before. Full leathers instead of the plate armor. But the way he carried himself? The air of command? Yeah, definitely the 'serge'.
Go in? Wait? Escape?
My brain scrambled for a plan, any plan, but in the end my feet decided for .
Straightening my posture, I strolled past with an attitude that scread I belong here. I prayed no one would notice , but of course, they did.
“You!”
Nope. No way he ant . Definitely not .
“STOP!” Hurried footsteps and a firm grip on my shoulder.
The man turned around, eyes scanning like a misplaced puzzle piece. Sizing up. “Na?”
“Peter, uhhh, sir.” Panicking again.
“Are you a new recruit?”
My mind flailed between my options for lies. Yes, I’m new! or Nope, I belong here!
Think… Think… Forget it.
“Yes, sir.”
He nodded, motioning toward the group. “Good. You’re just in ti.”
Well okay then. Resisting felt unwise, so I shuffled forward, eyes darting between the assembled teens. They all looked like they had a purpose, a direction. Like they actually knew what they were doing.
anwhile, I was just trying not to hyperventilate.
“Stand there.”
He pointed to an empty spot next to a girl, and I moved quickly, mimicking the stiff posture of the others. Act like you belong. Act like you belong.
The sergeant stepped forward, his presence filling the room.
“Apologies. Let’s continue.” His voice carried the weight of a hamr. “Now that you know what your future can hold, let’s get to asuring.”
asuring? asuring what?
“Almost all of you should be old enough to have gained a blessing.”
He pulled out a large white sphere, sothing green swirling inside. I couldn’t make out the details from this distance. “Open your status when I call you forward.”
Status? Status of what?
Then, with his other hand, he drew a sharp dagger.
“I will cut your hand,” he stated, as if that was the most normal thing in the world. “Afterward, place your palm on the orb.”
He gestured with the sphere, completely unbothered by the fact that he was about to slice a bunch of teenagers.
He approached the first boy stepping forward, and the kid extended his hand without hesitation. I admired the bravery.
I also paled as the blade slashed cleanly across his palm.
“Sy—”
I couldn’t quite make out what he was saying since he spoke so quietly.
Ti slowed as the sergeant moved from one recruit to the next, getting closer and closer to .
I strained to hear what they were saying.
“System.”
That word hit like a jolt of electricity.
System? What kind of system? Is that what he ant by opening our Status?
My palms grew clammy all over again. What happens when he gets to ? Am I different? Do I have a blessing? I don’t know anything about a system.
The girl in next to stepped forward, visibly shivering.
“Status,” she murmured, voice light and unwilling.
A pause.
“I see. No system yet.” The tester’s tone was dismissive. “Stand over there, Late Bloor.”
Her head lowered in sha, brown hair bouncing lightly as she walked to the side, alone.
But ? My spirits soared. If that orb did nothing when I touched it maybe I’d just be a Late Bloor… whatever that ant. Though, I guess it was obvious enough from the na.
The next mont, I was face to face with the tall man before I knew it. My hands refused to move. Turns out, it’s really hard to voluntarily offer up your palm when you know soone’s about to cut it open.
“Hand.”
I swallowed hard and shakily lifted my right palm.
The blade slashed across my skin, and with a sharp sting. A brief flash of pain ran through , causing my eyes stinging from the pain. Only stinging... nothing else.
I pressed my hand against the white orb.
The sergeant watched.
“Well?” he asked, expectant.
Oh. Right. I have to say it. I whispered, “System.”
Nothing.
Okay. No big deal. Just say it louder with more confidence. Maybe it’s like voice recognition?
I straightened slightly, puffed out my chest, and cleared my throat. “Status!”
Still. Absolutely nothing.
And now… now everyone was staring. A few whispered, but most just watched.
My cheeks burned and all I could think of was my desire to lt into the floor.
The sergeant paused mid-step already moving away, glanced at , then sighed and rubbed his temples.
“Another one,” he muttered under his breath. “Stand over there.”
He pointed next to the girl from before, and I obeyed. She spared a quick glance with what I could only imagine was pity but nothing more.
Since I was last, the man walked back to the front and clapped his hands sharply, the sound cracking through the room.
“Please co in!”
From the archway, four figures stepped inside.
“These will be your instructors,” the sergeant barked, gesturing to each in turn.
The atmosphere shifted the mont they entered. Sothing about them felt… heavy. Their presence alone commanded attention.
He pointed to a gentle-looking older woman, her eyes sharp enough to cut glass. “For blessings in the healing category, go with her.”
Next was a woman bent with age, clutching a staff, her expression brimming with wisdom. “For magic-related blessings, follow her.”
The third was a middle-aged man, a thin scabbard at his side. “Warriors, with him.”
And finally, the one who towered over everyone else. Broad and built like a fortress, his sheer size making even the sergeant look small. “For defensive blessings, follow him.”
He passed a glance between and the girl. “You two go with the defenders. Dismissed!”
The second he spoke, the room erupted. The others rushed to their respective instructors, forming into sothing loosely resembling organized lines.
The girl and I moved together, taking our place at the very back of the defender group.
One by one, each line disappeared into the corridors ahead. The defenders went last, filing through a maze of stone hallways until we reached a massive room.
A… gym?
Well, a dieval version of one. Weights, training dummies, and a huge matted section in the center, set up like a sparring arena. No machines, obviously.
The tank of an instructor turned to face us. “We will be training here today. Find a partner. I’ll be showing so drills. We should be able to raise your stats. Wait in the center.”
Stats? Systems? Blessings?
No. No way. That's impo—but… then again, my entire day had been one impossible event after another.
He turned to us as the others scrambled into pairs, reaching into a satchel at his side. “Here. Read this. I’ll give you so ti to cover the basics, then you’ll both join the others.”
He handed us each a book. Which… yeah. I couldn’t read a single word of it. I blinked at the pages, my brain refusing to process the unfamiliar script. At least they spoke my language, but reading? That was apparently a different problem.
The girl beside flipped through the pages quickly, then let out a sigh. “Nothing new,” she muttered.
Trying to ignore my slowly rising panic, I tapped her shoulder lightly. “Hey, I’m Peter. Do you—can you tell what this says?”
She turned slightly, giving a sidelong glance that was equal parts confusion and mild disbelief before her expression shifted into sothing else.
Excitent.
“Fundantals of World Force: Cultivation and the Nexus.”
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