The academy was situated a few miles from the city. Originally, the academy served as a barrier, with the courtyard housing three highly active portals at the time of its construction. Nowadays, the portals were mostly cleared out and were used for combat training against monsters. Upon our arrival, the view was impressive; the buildings in this complex were much more advanced than typical structures. They shared a similar design and style, with the only variation being their size. There were two large buildings and several smaller ones. Outside, students were reading on the grass, some were practicing fighting techniques, and a few were using their abilities on training dummies.
We stopped at the front of the large building. I opened the car door and stepped out, standing there and staring at the structure before me when I felt a push at my back. I took it as a signal that it was time to move. The building welcomed me with long corridors extending to both the left and right. Each corridor was identical, lined with rooms on either side, and a staircase positioned in the center. We ascended the stairs to the third floor and halted behind a door labeled "Captain Brooke."
Before the soldiers escorting me could knock, a voice from behind the door called out, "Come in already." As we opened the door, I sensed a powerful presence inside, and a message flashed in my vision:
"A-tier, tread with caution, do not initiate a fight."
I paused for a moment, wondering what was happening, but when the soldiers shoved me into the room, the text vanished. "So you are the one who almost got away, I see. We get a few of them every year." I glanced at the man I had been warned about. He was an older man in his fifties, with a tanned face, a bald head, and a short beard. His eyes held a look that suggested he might leap from his chair at any moment. "I reviewed the Andrews report on you; around here, we don't tolerate people who keep secrets," he said, fixing his gaze on me. "Follow the rules, do what you're told, and keep your mouth shut. It's better for you to keep your opinions to yourself unless asked," he continued. "Take him to the testing area and give him the bracelet. Let's see what the cat dragged in," he instructed, waving at the soldiers to escort me away.
I remained silent during my encounter with the captain; my mind was too occupied with trying to decipher the text I had seen. Was it part of the power that the madman from the stone temple promised me, or was I simply hallucinating? As I pondered this, we arrived at the testing area. An old man stood there, wearing robes and a hood that obscured most of his face.
"Come here, don't be afraid; I'm not going to hurt you, soldier," he said, waving his hand toward me. I walked slowly forward and halted in front of him. "Your hand," he said, lifting his hand up, waiting for me to take it. As I grasped his hand, nothing appeared to happen until new text materialized.
"Someone is trying to access the system, activating countermeasures."
Countermeasures? That didn't sound good, but the man in front of me seemed unfazed, as if nothing were amiss. It seemed everything was fine; no need to worry. I steadied myself. The man opened his eyes, looked at me, and muttered something to himself.
"Rank E, I guess we got the new weakest soldier in our ranks." He released my hand and began to walk away. I then noticed a slim bracelet in my hand; in the middle was the letter E. I could see my rank displayed there. I hadn't expected to receive a high rank, as healing powers are usually considered weak, especially when one can only heal oneself. But maybe this was part of the countermeasures the system mentioned; perhaps it was hiding my true rank. Suddenly, I felt a slap on the back of my head. I hated that. The last time I had been slapped there was when Sam got killed. I turned around slowly. "You daydream a lot; time to stop it," said the soldier behind me. "The bracelet you got works as your rank indicator and also as a way to pay around the campus," he explained. So basically, it's just like a smartwatch but more useless, I thought.
"Time to take you to your room; stop daydreaming and follow me," the soldier said, starting to walk away, and I followed him closely.
When I arrived at my room, it was empty. There were three beds, each with a small closet beside it. At the far end of the room, there was a chair and a table. It seemed I would be sharing this space with two other students. I walked over to a bed where neatly folded blankets rested on top. I figured that must be mine. As I approached, I tossed my bag onto the bed and began to unpack. I managed to make my bed, trying to mirror the arrangement of the other beds in the room. Just as I was in the middle of unpacking, the door to my room opened.
"Hello, you must be the new guy." I turned around to see a boy standing there. He had dark blond hair, cut short on the sides, with a bun at the back. His curious expression suggested he was friendly. "Yes, wonderful to meet you. I'm Simon," I replied, shaking his hand. "I'm Edward. They asked me to show you around and explain how things work here. Since we're roommates, we'll be spending a lot of time together," he said, glancing at my wristband. Noticing his gaze, I raised my hand. "Yeah, I'm only E tier, and according to that old creep, I'm one of the weakest ones here," I admitted, disappointment creeping into my voice. "Don't worry," he said confidently. "I'm B tier. It's always good to have someone stronger next to you, and you can always improve. There are stories of E ranks climbing up to D ranks," he explained, glancing at my belongings scattered across the bed. "You can put them away later. Let me show you around. It's a tight schedule here," he said before stepping out of the room.
We walked around the academy, and he showed me all the buildings in the area. The most fascinating part for me was the giant park behind the academy; it looked beautiful. Just standing there made you forget where you were. The park was well-groomed, with trails winding through it and occasional benches scattered about. Trees with bright red leaves danced in the wind, providing a refreshing contrast to the dull, one-dimensional style of the academy's buildings.
When we returned inside, we paused in front of a room with a sign on the door that read "Educational Coordinator." "Now you need to go in there. You have to pick your study focus or specialty; your learning here will be guided by your choice. Let's say you choose a management specialty; you will learn how to make food, set up a base, and maintain that base in working order," he explained, staring at the door.
"What's your specialty?" I asked.
"Well, I am a combat engineer. My job is to find weaknesses in stronger monsters to save fellow soldiers' lives and, of course, to fight them," he said proudly.
"Any tips on what I should pick?" I inquired next.
"I would rather not give you bad advice and get you killed, but since you are E rank, they will likely try to make you management . It's not the best option, but it's also the safest. If you enjoy fighting, just choose something that involves facing monsters," he explained briefly. Then he knocked on the door, opened it, and pushed me inside. "Good luck," he whispered as he closed the door behind me.
It wasn't a normal office room; the room was huge. There were weapons on the table: swords, staffs, daggers, and even an actual mace. I walked closer to the table, staring at all the weapons in front of me. This all seems unreal, how I have gotten here. "The weapon you pick will be the weapon you will learn in your basic training in here, but pick wisely. At your rank, I would pick something ranged." When I looked behind, I saw a soldier standing there. "You can pick them up to help you to figure out what you like." As I proceeded to pick up different weapons, I started with a staff. It felt wrong. The staff was already an unusual weapon. I can beat up some people on the streets with it, but to fight a monster with it, you must be a lunatic to pick it in my mind. I took the soldier's word seriously; maybe it is better to pick something safe. I don't have good powers; I can only heal. It seemed that the madman from rock bottom had scammed me. I think the bow is the best option here. I walked toward a bow to get the feeling of the weapon. I picked it up and pulled the string a few times, and when I heard Soldier chuckling at me, I stopped. I guess I take the bow, I thought, and started to walk towards the soldier to tell him about my choice, and then it happened again.
"Weapon not acceptable; pick a compatible weapon to start."
This time, I wasn't jumpscared or frozen in place; instead, I felt a sense of satisfaction. It seemed I was making progress with that system. But what did it mean by "pick a weapon to start"? To start, what? I walked back toward the table and began examining the weapons again. My search came to an end when I found a dull-looking short sword that appeared as if it had been unearthed from beneath a old castle; it looked ancient. When I picked it up, new text appeared.
"Weapon is acceptable, do you want to start bonding?"
I had no idea what it meant to bond with a weapon. I wanted to say yes, but the last time I had picked up a dagger and agreed to something, I collapsed. Maybe it would be better to wait until I was alone. I waved my sword to the soldier and said, "This is the one I want." He gave me a puzzled look, glancing between me and the sword. "I guess you're not the smartest one here, but okay, it's your choice," he replied, handing me a small book and a white piece of paper with a pen. "This book contains all the specialties and their responsibilities. Weaker students usually learn about management, but you can choose," he explained.
"What makes me so special then?" I asked.
"Well, you're the weakest one here; nobody sees any potential in you, so nobody cares. It would be a miracle if you survive your first portal raid. Let me give you some advice: if you join management, you might survive your year here; if you go to the front lines, you will surely die," he said, pointing at my rank.
I took the book and sat down. There were many specialties: healing, fighting, and planning. There was something for everyone. I barely looked at the book because, in my mind, I had already made a choice about where I wanted to go. "I have made my decision; I want to be a combat engineer."