Ahrie lounged in the corner, killing time.
Then came that voice—an annoying voice.
"YOOOOO!"
Daiki's hand shot up, waving like an idiot across the training grounds.
He jogged over, grinning ear to ear.
"Let's spar."
Ahrie smirked. " Looks like you got yourself a decent skill, huh?"
"Of course. Not some healing shit like yours, Mr. Support. Kekeke."
Ahrie's lips curled. "I'll beat the shit out of you."
They stepped onto the duel platform.
Daiki swung his massive greatsword free, the blade glinting.
Ahrie drew his rapier.
"Here I go!" Daiki charged. His swing came from the left—wide, heavy.
Ahrie slipped past, smooth as water, the greatsword whistling past.
Midair, he lashed out with a kick, directly targeting Daiki's head.
Daiki ducked just enough—too smug.
Only for Ahrie's rapier to graze his shoulder. A shallow cut.
"Tch…" Daiki didn't flinch. Using the momentum of the sword, he spun, throwing another slash.
Ahrie angled his rapier down, catching and sliding the heavy sword toward the slabs. The clash rang out, sharp.
Both of them smiled.
Daiki ripped the sword free, snapping a kick at Ahrie's legs.
Ahrie lifted his knee and blocked the kick.
Daiki roared, spinning the greatsword again.
[QuadBreaker!]
The impact shook the platform, air pressure slamming across the crowd.
Ahrie crouched low, spiderlike, weathering it.
When the dust cleared, Daiki stood trembling, panting, unable to lift the sword anymore.
"Wait… one sec…" Daiki huffed, tugging pathetically at the hilt.
Ahrie's laughter spilled out.
After a few useless pulls, Daiki dropped onto his ass, chest heaving.
"I give up…"
He touched the scratch on his shoulder, winching.
"Tch… it stings."
"I'll fix that for you," Ahrie said, a smile too kind to trust.
"Yeah right… you have a healing sk—"
Ahrie was already moving, hands glowing.
His fist cracked into Daiki's face, the punch launched him clean off the platform.
The crowd murmured.
"Yep… 100% lunatic."
"That confirms it."
Day one inside the World Tree finally came.
Ahrie lay on his back, eyes locked on the ceiling.
Slowly, he raised his left hand, staring at it.
Something hit him.
A blurry memory—someone's hand, reaching.
At the moment Ahrie's eye's got emotional.
Though seconds later his head throbbed.
"Arg… damn headache."
He slammed his skull into the pillow, once, twice, over and over.
The muffled thuds carried through the wall, making the neighbors mutter, confused about the noise.
The night dragged on.
BwuuKAAAAA [I swear that's how chicken sounds like from where i came from…]
A loud voice tore Ahrie out of sleep.
Daiki lazily looked at the window… "a chicken… wheeeaaaraa?" he let out a yawn.
Chief Lyra stood in the middle of the open space, her tone was sharp and loud… far too cheerful for morning.
"Rise and shine, fledglings!"
Groans answered her. Ahrie rubbed his temples, still half-dreaming.
Daiki, holding his swollen face, can't remember where he got that from.
"Today you'll learn how to hunt your own food. Once you step out of the fog village… it's nothing but forest in every direction… adapt, or you'll starve long before you reach where you're headed."
Murmurs rolled through the group. She went on, casual, like a teacher explaining basic math.
"Check your Glyphs. You'll see levels, stats."
People blinked, fumbling, until one shouted, "Oh, there it is!"
Another muttered under his breath, "Feels more and more like a damn game…"
Lyra smirked. "Exactly. Every action earns you experience. You can dump points into stats or…advance in ways I'm not supposed to spoil. Heh." she winked.
Then, with a sharp clap.
"If you've ever touched a game before, don't be an idiot. Same rules… I heard that in the last batch.." she said.
"Grab your gear. We're heading to the farm."
The farm smelled of soil. Farmers lined the entrance, grins stretched wide.
"Welcome, welcome," one greeted.
"They look strong," another said, eyeing the group.
"New ones this time, Chief?"
"Yes," Lyra replied.
A third farmer chuckled, eyes gleaming.
"Fit, just like the last ten batches. Perfect nutrients for our—"
A hand shot out, silencing him. The other farmers stiffened.
Lyra's smile dropped. Her gaze turned sharp enough to cut.
"Enough."
The farmer froze. She leaned in, voice low, dangerous…
"Know when not to cross the line."
"O-of course, Chief…w-we wouldn't dare"
Tch
Several of the farmers clicked their tongues, frustration poorly hidden.
Daiki whistled low. "Chief's pissed… remind me never to piss her off, bud. She's terrifying."
Lyra's voice cut through the crowd.
"Group yourselves. Seven or more."
Someone muttered, nervous, "Seven? Isn't that overkill for hunting food?"
Daiki snorted. "What are we hunting, a ten-foot chicken?"
"Ding Ding Ding Ding…" Lyra chimed. "You are correct."
The air froze. Faces drained white.
"Look—over there."
Every head turned. Eyes widened. Dead inside.
Except for Ahrie and Daiki.
"I wonder how tasty they are," Ahrie grinned.
"Pair up," Lyra ordered.
People scrambled, clumping into groups of eight or more.
Ahrie and Daiki slid into one.
At the edge of the farm, a farmer whispered.
"Is that thing ready yet?"
"Yes… just use it without the Chief noticing," another muttered.
"Good. Then we proceed as planned."
One farmer leaves the scene.
Lyra didn't glance at them… she already caught what they were up to.
The whispering, the shuffle, the way one broke off like they thought they were invisible…Pathetic.
Her eyes shut for a moment, a small shake of her head.
When she opened them again, she stared at a tree on the edge of the field.
The leaves shifted. Like something had just moved there.
Meanwhile, Ahrie's group sat in a rough circle, nerves cracking through the silence.
"I don't… I don't have a skill," one admitted.
"Me neither."
"I don't want to die—please don't kick me out."
Out of thirteen members, only four had skills.
"I can, uh… control where my target looks," a girl stammered.
Daiki's smile spread. "Ohhh, that's actually pretty useful."
Ahrie clapped.
"But… the target is random."
"...Eh?"
The group froze.
Daiki's smile died. Ahrie's clapping stopped.
All eyes turned to the next guy.
"I can create a barrier."
"Yes!" Daiki's grin snapped back. "We can use that as—"
"...as thin as a single sheet of pape—"
Daiki's eyes twitched. "This motherfu—"
He stood, rolling up his sleeves, ready to throw hands.
Ahrie yanked him back down by the shirt.