In the sunny day, under the scorching brilliance of the sun, blood trickled from Raven’s nose and mouth. His body was bloodied, his breath fast and shallow, and he stood barely able to remain upright.
Are you kidding me? How can I be overwhelmed like this?
His gaze never left the furious brown stickman whose pupils shimmered red. In the blink of an eye, the stickman vanished in a blur and reappeared right in front of Raven, fist drawn back to strike.
Raven froze, bloodied eyes widening. Is this real?
…Earlier that day,
“Rise and suffer, you fantastically disappointing organisms!” Lupin’s voice thundered from the dormitory lobby, echoing through all four floors.
“On your feet! I’ve seen dirt with more ambition. I want bodies vertical, brains optional. Gravity’s tired of doing all the work!”
His voice was so loud no one could ignore it even if they wanted to. One after another, the trainees shuffled down, about ten of them, most with dark eye bags.
“Is it too early to be a slouch, you vermins? Straighten up!”
The ten snapped to attention.
How I missed the early morning drills of those days… but it seems this body isn’t ready for it yet, Raven thought, standing rigid, eye bags matching the rest.
“We are running around the academy twenty laps. Brace your pathetic selves and let adrenaline do the work! Do you understand, you gremlins?!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Move it! Move it! Your scrunchy little bodies are useless for your scrub lives!”
...
Hours later
In an open field, all the trainees collapsed in exhaustion, all except a brown stickman in a mysterious black trench coat and a grey-colored female stickman, slightly darker, with bangs covering the right side of her face as she read a book. Neither looked tired in the slightest.
“Haha, who would’ve thought that hellish exercise would boost my stats this much… but—” Raven’s eyes darted to the two.
“If not for the others, I’d think I was weak. Those two are beasts.”
“I couldn’t agree more. This academy is about 200 km2 wide and we ran half of it twenty times.” A cyan-colored stickman panted. “Those two barely broke a sweat. They’re in a league of their own.”
“The name’s Edric Heights. You must be the new champion Sergeant Major Lupin brought in.”
Raven studied him before replying, “Raven Stoneheart.”
Edric nodded. “The lady is Saeyeon Park. She doesn’t talk much and loves novels, but if you say something that interests her, she won’t stop talking. You’ll regret opening your mouth.”
“The guy is James Elizondo. Quiet, aloof, cold, uninterested in everything, but don’t let that fool you. He’s the strongest here.”
Raven observed James and Saeyeon. Something had bothered him since he first saw them. Every trainee here was supposed to be a god’s champion, confirmed by the System.
But those two… the System showed some info, yet never confirmed them as champions. The only explanation is that they were not champions, yet strong enough for the System to acknowledge.
Raven had learned not to rely on the System fully. It failed to detect the cloaked man who appeared earlier— someone undeniably powerful — yet it reacted to Captain Dunn, who wasn't a champion but strong enough to be acknowledged.
Are others really just following blindly? When I met Wolfton, I felt the tether before the System confirmed it… These two are different.
“Are those two really champions?” he blurted.
“They’re anomalies,” Edric replied. “Saeyeon has shadow-related powers. James is a mystery, no one except the sergeant major knows his abilities. He wins every match with pure skill and brute strength.”
Raven’s eyes widened slightly. Another shadow user? Whether she was a rival heritage champion or not, sharing similar abilities meant she would notice him eventually.
“One piece of advice, newbie, don’t trust anyone here,” Edric smirked. “We were all dragged here, but no one will hesitate to fight you and take your core shard.”
Raven didn’t respond. He wasn’t foolish, Wolfton already warned him, even if Wolfton himself had been dumb enough to trust Raven at first.
...
“I believe you slimy worms have rested enough!” Lupin boomed. “As you blind lots can see, we have two greenhorns. Time for a welcome party.”
“Cinder Twig! Mangled Lilac! Step forward. James, give them a treat.”
Snub.
Everyone jolted. They expected Lupin to explode, but instead he smirked.
'James? He’s strong enough to have his real name called and snub General Lupin to his face… and Lupin doesn’t even care?! Raven struggled to believe it.
“You gremlins, hold out your hands.” Lupin dropped a tiny chick into each of theirs. “Prevent James from taking the chicks.”
“And you, James, you know what to do.”
James, who had remained emotionless even when snubbing Lupin, scowled. His sharp gaze locked onto Wolfton and Raven, sending a shiver through Raven.
The two placed the chicks into small pouches at their waists, blades drawn.
A prompt appeared:
In a flash, James moved in a blur, reappearing at Raven’s flank, foot swinging toward Raven’s face...
