Euris' eyes snapped open.
For a moment, he didn't move.
That same feeling wrapped around him again—soft, quiet, almost comforting. It seeped into his bones, dulling the panic that should have been there.
"…Not again…"
He slowly sat up.
The void stretched endlessly around him. It was so dark, empty, and silent. The same place as before.
Floating in front of him. The system window. his eyes focused on the most important info only
[STATUS WINDOW]
Time: 2:03 PM
HP: 5 / 10
ENG: 1 / 5 (CRITICAL)
Euris stared at it, his calm cracking just slightly.
"…Five…"
His stomach dropped.
"That's not good…"
A faint unease crept in, pushing against the unnatural calm of the void.
"If I don't wake up soon…"
He didn't finish the thought. He didn't need to.
Then, suddenly The world shifted.
Light slammed into his eyes.
"-!"
Euris flinched, raising an arm to shield his face as sensation rushed back into his body all at once. Sound, heat, and light blasted his senses all at once
"…Ugh…"
He groaned, rubbing his eyes as his vision slowly adjusted.
The first thing he noticed the bus was far away from where he was before.
They were outside.
A massive courtyard stretched out in every direction—easily a square mile of open space, surrounded by towering buildings that looked more like fortified structures than anything else.
Students were everywhere. Some still groggy. Some already moving.
Then suddenly, a voice boomed across the courtyard.
"ALL CADETS ARE TO EXIT THE BUS AND REPORT TO THE MAIN COURTYARD IMMEDIATELY!"
It was deep. Gruff. Unmistakably authoritative.
"MOVE TO WHERE THE REST OF THE CADETS ARE, NOW!"
The bus doors hissed open.
Students began to shuffle out, grabbing their belongings and stumbling toward the crowd.
Euris took a second longer than most. He steadied himself, taking a breath before standing.
"…Right…"
He stepped off the bus last. "Thanks," he muttered quietly to the driver as he passed. No response.
The sunlight hit him hard.
"Ah…"
He squinted, raising a hand to block it as his eyes struggled to adjust.
Everything felt too bright. Too loud. Too real.
After a moment, he lowered his hand and began walking toward the main group. There were… a lot of people. More than he expected.
And they were all different. Some wore sleek, expensive clothing—clearly from wealthier backgrounds. Others had weapons strapped to their backs or hips, like they'd been preparing for this their entire lives. And then there were a few who looked like they hadn't slept… or showered… in weeks.
"…Interesting crowd…"
Euris muttered under his breath.
He stood on his toes, trying to see what everyone was gathered around. At first, he couldn't make it out. Then he saw it.
A raised platform. And on it
A portal.
"…You've gotta be kidding me…"
A swirling distortion of light and energy hovered above the platform, pulsing steadily.
Groups of six to eight cadets were being called forward.
One by one They stepped through.
And disappeared.
Euris' eyes flicked to the system window again.
HP: 5 / 10
He swallowed.
"…I don't have time to mess around…"
At this rate… Five hours. Maybe less.
He needed food.
Something.
Anything would do.
"That's the goal…"
he muttered.
"Survive the day."
The line moved slowly. Too slowly.
Euris shifted his weight, glancing at the crowd.
There were too many people.
If this took too long-
"Warning: HP at 4 / 10"
"…Damn it."
That was faster than he expected.
Without thinking too much about it, Euris began pushing forward. Not aggressively Just weaving through gaps.
His thin frame made it easy to slip past people without drawing too much attention.
"Hey—!"
"Watch it—!"
A few complaints followed, but he ignored them.
He didn't have the luxury of being polite right now.
Eventually He made it to the front.
A group of eight was called. Including him.
They stepped onto the platform together.
A woman stood there—around forty, sharp eyes, and an expression that made it clear she wasn't here to waste time.
"Names. Ages."
Quickly, one by one, they answered.
"Euris Gear. Sixteen."
She nodded once.
"Proceed."
They stepped through the portal.
The world shifted instantly.
Euris blinked.
They were inside.
A massive training facility stretched out before them: steel floors, reinforced walls, and rows of strange machines that hummed faintly with energy.
At the center stood a man.
Old.
Really old.
Sixty? Seventy?
Maybe more.
His posture was slightly hunched, but there was something about him, something heavy.
His voice, when he spoke, was deep and rough, like gravel.
"We will now be assessing your attributes." "Talents." "And elements."
He looked over the group.
"Who wants to go first?"
A hand went up immediately.
A tall guy stepped forward—easily 6'3", broad shoulders, built like he'd been training his whole life.
"…Wow," Euris muttered. "Confident."
"Y-yeah…"
A voice beside him answered.
"He's probably from one of the big four…"
Euris glanced over.
Standing next to him was a shorter, overweight kid with messy hair and taped-up glasses.
"…And you are?"
"Oh—uh—Harry… Harry Vacil…"
He fidgeted slightly.
"What's your name?"
Euris gave a small nod.
"Euris. Euris Gear."
A slight pause.
"…Nice to meet you, Harry."
Harry lit up a little at that.
"Y-yeah! You too!"
A loud impact cut the moment short.
"—!"
Euris turned just in time to see the tall guy pull a massive warhammer straight out of the ground.
"…What the hell—?"
It was enormous.
Easily bigger than anything a normal person should be able to lift.
The guy stepped up to a machine and swung.
BOOM.
The impact shook the entire facility.
Euris lost his footing, landing hard on the ground.
"…Damn!"
A screen lit up.
Strength: 220
"…That guy's a monster…"
Harry swallowed hard, clearly shaken.
"Y-you okay?"
Euris stood up, brushing himself off.
"Yeah. You?"
"Y-yeah… I'm fine…"
His voice cracked slightly.
The test continued.
The man moved to the speed test.
He crouched.
A whistle blew—
And he vanished.
A shockwave ripped through the air.
A split second later—
He was back.
Speed: 175
Euris just stared.
"…What…?"
That wasn't human. It couldn't be.
The rest of the tests followed. Each one is just as insane.
Eventually, the man returned.
A screen rose from the ground, displaying rankings.
Only one name had filled stats.
Konner Gryff
"…Gryff…"
Euris exhaled slowly.
"…That explains it."
Harry nodded quickly.
"The big four… they're all monsters…"
"…Yeah…"
Euris looked back at the screen.
"…He's on another level…"
Then—
A thought hit him.
Could I… get that strong?
His eyes flicked to his system window.
"…No…"
He shook his head.
"…That's ridiculous…"
"Huh?" Harry blinked.
"Oh...nothing. Thinking out loud."
"Oh… sorry…"
One by one, the rest of the group was tested.
None of them came close.
Not even remotely.
"…Guess I'm up…"
Euris stepped forward.
His test was…
Simple. No talents. No elements.
Just basic stats.
When he finished, the screen updated.
His numbers matched his system almost exactly.
"…Huh…"
That was convenient.
"…Alright…"
He stepped back.
"…Your turn."
Harry hesitated.
Then stepped forward.
Something strange happened.
A white, bone-like material began to spread over his fist, taking ages.
Euris leaned forward slightly.
"…That's new…"
After a few seconds, Harry punched.
Strength: 10
"…Not bad," Euris said.
Harry looked hopeful until the rest of the tests.
Speed.
talent.
Everything else. Low. Really low.
Harry's shoulders dropped.
"…Yeah… figures…"
Euris patted his back.
"Hey, you've got something. That's more than most."
"…Don't lie…"
Harry muttered.
"…It makes it worse…"
Before Euris could respond
The instructor's voice cut through the room.
"All of you. Return through the portal."
A pause.
"Proceed to dorm assignment."
No one argued.
They stepped back through.
This time—
They arrived in a massive, polished cafeteria. Bright lights. Clean floors. Rows of seating.
"…Wow…"
Euris looked around.
"…This place is… nice…"
He spotted a booth labeled:
Orientation
"Over there."
He pointed.
Harry followed.
A woman handed them both watches and dorm numbers.
Euris glanced down.
Then blinked.
"…No way…"
He held it up.
"Same dorm?"
Harry checked.
"…Yeah…"
A small smile formed.
"…At least I know someone…"
They wandered a bit before finding it.
The dorm was nice. Really nice.
"…Okay… I wasn't expecting this…"
"Same…"
Harry laughed a little.
But Euris didn't.
"Warning: HP at 3 / 10"
His smile dropped instantly.
"…Damn it…"
Frustrated, he tossed his bag onto the bed, knocking the watch off in the process.
"Ah, crap."
He bent down to grab it. His hand brushed the wall outlet. And suddenly a surge of energy shot through his body.
"!"
Euris froze.
His eyes widened as warmth flooded through him, spreading from his hand to the rest of his body.
It felt...Good. Too good.
"Energy source detected."
"Charging initiated."
"…Oh my god…"
He exhaled, almost laughing in relief.
"…Thank god…"
The tension drained from his body as the system stabilized.
For the first time since waking up—
He felt okay.
"…So that's it…"
He looked at the outlet.
"…Electricity works…"
A small grin formed.
"…Guess I'm not dying today."
After a few minutes, the charge stabilized.
Euris pulled away, feeling steady again.
"…I need sleep…"
He collapsed onto the bed.
The mattress sank beneath him. Soft. Comfortable.
Within seconds He was out.
Tomorrow Everything would really begin.