The new recruits entered their candlelit room one after the other and collapsed into their beds. Their faces were pale, and their bodies unbearably exhausted.
"Ugh..."
"My back..."
"My joints..."
Their groans filled the room. So of them fell asleep the instant their heads touched the pillows.
Just like them, Willard collapsed into his bed, eyes weary as he stared at the ceiling. "This is hell, not training." After a short while, his labored breathing cald, ’If it weren’t for the refreshing bath they force us to take after training, I probably would’ve died a long ti ago.’
Despite the intensity and harshness of the training, most of the recruits didn’t want to leave. In so ways, it was even enjoyable. More importantly, they were receiving resources they’d never dread of.
They ate the fatty, nutritious at of magical beasts daily, and their hygiene resembled that of nobles. They slled pleasant, their skin was clean, and most importantly these changes caught the attention of the town girls, boosting their enthusiasm. Not to ntion the deep respect they’d earned from most of the villagers.
After a brief rest, Willard’s breathing slowed. He quietly turned and glanced at Carlos beside him with faint irritation, sighing, "You bastard... how the hell did you reach Level E on your first day here? You’re a cheater."
Unlike the others, Carlos was in surprisingly good shape. Though tired, he wasn’t nearly as drained. He sat comfortably on his bed, wore a strange expression, and said honestly, "Well, I just needed a little push. And besides, even if my level went up, my training got harsher too."
Willard didn’t accept that and scolded him again like an old friend. "Stop showing off. You’re only sixteen! Watching you level up so fast makes feel like a damn grandpa. Co on, tell the truth who taught you all this? You know everything about training... and even hygiene tools!"
Carlos shook his head. "You’re strong too. You’ll hit Level E in just a few more days. As for who taught ... well, I didn’t want to say, but my father is a soldier serving the lord."
Snore!
Carlos furrowed his brow and stopped talking. He slowly turned to see Willard, already asleep and snoring.
He sighed in annoyance. "If you’re going to fall asleep mid-conversation, why bother waking up with your questions?"
With that, he stopped caring, blew out the candle near him, and lay down, wanting to sleep. He closed his eyes as his consciousness began to fade.
Awooooo!
Suddenly, a loud howl echoed through the stone halls of the fortress. Carlos snapped his eyes open and shot up from his bed. The first thing he did was check his surroundings. In the dim candlelight, he scanned his companions and saw that they were all still asleep.
Awwooooo!
The howling ca again. His face hardened, and his expression sharpened. He reached out and gently nudged Willard.
"Wake up."
But Willard didn’t stir—he slept like a corpse. Carlos, now more irritated, shook him forcefully.
"Ow!"
Willard groaned and barely opened his eyes, staring at Carlos through the fog of sleep. "What do you want, you bastard? Let sleep... Damn, if I wasn’t this tired, I’d kick your E-level ass... I swear I envy you..." His drowsy voice was a ss of half-coherent thoughts.
Carlos had no sympathy. He slapped him hard. "Get up. Sothing’s going on in the fortress."
Willard grabbed his stinging cheek and blinked as awareness returned. He frowned cautiously. "What do you an?"
"Follow . Let’s go see."
Willard didn’t fully shake off his caution, but he kept quiet, forced himself up, and followed Carlos out of the room. As soon as they reached the corridor, they spotted a familiar figure standing there in confusion.
They stared at the beautiful, clean-skinned girl in admiration before quickly walking over and asking, "Aveline? What are you doing here?" It was the sa girl they’d t on their first day.
But thanks to the strict hygiene regin, she’d changed dramatically no longer a dirty, frizzy-haired girl, but now a pale-skinned, soft brown-haired young woman with warm brown eyes and blushing cheeks.
"For the sa reason you’re here. Obviously, you heard the howling too."
Carlos nodded to confirm.
But Willard wore a puzzled look. "Howling? What do you an—"
Awooo!
The howl echoed a third ti, making Willard flinch in fear.
Carlos and Aveline responded simultaneously, "That howling."
Aveline’s eyes lit up. "Let’s go see where it’s coming from!"
Willard, now excited, agreed.
Carlos, however, shook his head. "We can’t do that. If a guard catches us away from our quarters, we’ll be punished."
"Coward," Aveline teased. "And besides, where are the guards? I don’t see a single one."
"Co on, don’t ruin this!" Willard grabbed Carlos’s arm and pulled. Aveline added, "You’re the strongest among us. We’ll need you for protection."
Under the pressure from both friends, Carlos gave in and joined them.
Slowly and cautiously, the trio wandered the fortress halls, which were darker than usual. Only a few torches and candles lit their way. Most of the wooden doors were shut, and they didn’t see a single guard.
"Where is everyone?" one asked.
"This place is empty and silent," Willard whispered, shivering. "I know the fortress gets creepy at night, but this is over the top..."
Carlos observed their surroundings with extre caution. He was certain sothing was wrong.
Scurry!
"AHH!"
Willard suddenly scread in terror. Carlos whipped around, tense and ready to fight, while Aveline stepped back in fear.
"What is it?" they both asked.
"Sothing touched my foot!" Willard answered with a clear disgust.
"AHH!" Aveline yelped too, pointing to the ground. "Sothing touched too!"
Scurry!
Carlos narrowed his eyes and looked down. He spotted a massive rat spinning in circles in a panic, bumping into things like a lunatic.
"This? This is what touched you two? You’re such cowards."
Aveline cald down. Willard looked embarrassed. But then they both focused on the rat again.
Aveline showed her concern: "What’s wrong with it? And where did it co from? Unexpectedly, this is the first ti I’ve seen a rat in the fortress."
"No idea. But it’s clearly terrified." Without hesitation, Carlos picked up a wooden stick nearby and killed the rat. It was necessary, because rats were dangerous.
"Let’s keep searching"
They continued their search, descending deeper into the fortress until they reached the first basent level. Again, they found no guards.
After several minutes of walking, the three of them suddenly stopped. All three stared down the corridor in horror and stepped back.
"What... what happened here?" Aveline murmured.
Before them, the corridor was filled with guards collapsed on the ground in strange positions. It was a terrifying sight. They had no idea what kind of being could have done sothing like this.
After a brief mont of stillness, Carlos ran towards the guards and began examining them in panic. In contrast, his two companions stayed frozen, too scared to advance.
Carlos turned around and stared at them with sharp eyes. In an uncompromising voice, he shouted, "Co here. They are alive. We must help them."
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