The exit of the Trial grounds was marked by a massive stone archway, draped in the white-and-gold banners of the Church. A dozen high-ranking Shepherds stood there, looking bored. They were leaning on their spears, checking their pocket watches, and occasionally glancing at the list of "Casualty Reports" being scribbled down by a nervous scribe.
"Total survivors from District 12 so far?" a Shepherd Captain asked, yawning.
"Only six, sir. Most of them ran out within the first twenty minutes. Total cowards," the scribe replied. "Oh, wait. Here comes someone else."
The mist parted.
Si-woo walked out first, the Wraith's Shroud fluttering behind him like a tattered wing. Behind him, In-ho carried the massive iron mace over one shoulder, and Liora followed, her eyes glowing with a faint, orange heat that made the air shimmer. They were covered in soot, dried black blood, and the stench of burnt timber.
The Captain's eyes widened. "What the hell? You three... you shouldn't be back yet."
Si-woo didn't say a word. He walked right up to the stone pedestal where candidates were supposed to deposit their "proof of kill." He reached into his belt pouch and slammed the Cursed Wood-Ent Core onto the table.
The heavy, pulsating green gem cracked the wooden surface of the desk.
The silence that followed was absolute. The scribe's quill snapped in his hand. The Captain froze, his hand halfway to his sword hilt.
"A Wood-Ent core?" the Captain whispered, leaning in. "That's a Rank-E Boss. In a recruitment trial for slum-rats? That's impossible."
"Is it?" Si-woo rasped, leaning over the desk. "Because it felt pretty fucking real when it was trying to stomp us into the mud. Now, are you going to record the score, or should I take this to the next district and tell them you're too incompetent to read a mana-reading?"
The Captain's face flushed red, but he couldn't argue with the stone. He signaled to a priest standing nearby. The priest ran a scanning crystal over the core.
[Mana Density: 890]
[Target Confirmed: Cursed Wood-Ent]
[Contribution: Distributed (Lead: Han Si-woo)]
"It's... it's legitimate," the priest stammered. "Highest score in the history of District 12's recruitment."
Suddenly, a commotion broke out behind them. Ezra Valerius stumbled out of the mist, his pristine white robes now gray with ash, his face bruised and swollen.
"Captain!" Ezra shrieked, pointing a shaking finger at Si-woo. "That... that animal! He attacked me! He stole my family's gold! He interfered with a Valerius!"
The Shepherds shifted uncomfortably. A noble being robbed was a serious crime, but a candidate bringing back a Boss core was a miracle.
Si-woo turned slowly, looking Ezra dead in the eye. He didn't look scared; he looked hungry.
"I didn't steal anything," Si-woo said, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "I took a 'protection fee' from a coward who was hiding in the bushes while my team did the work. If the Valerius family wants their gold back, tell them to come and take it from a Shepherd."
"A Shepherd?" the Captain barked. "You haven't been sworn in yet, boy!"
"Then stop wasting my time and do it," Si-woo replied.
He stepped toward the Captain, his presence so suffocating that the older man actually took a half-step back. The Heart of the Slaughterer was pulsing in Si-woo's chest, a cold rhythm that demanded more than just a passing grade.
"Rank me," Si-woo commanded. "And rank my team. We're not here to be attendants. We're here to be the wolves that hunt the ones you're too afraid to face."
The Captain looked at the core, then at the bruised noble, and finally at the dead-eyed youth in front of him. He realized then that the "Shepherd" system was about to be turned upside down.
"Fine," the Captain growled, grabbing a branding iron from the nearby brazier. "Step forward, Han Si-woo. Let's see if your soul can handle the Mark."
The Captain didn't hesitate. He pulled the heavy iron from the coals, the tip glowing with a concentrated, white-hot mana that made the air around it hum.
"Kneel," the Captain ordered.
Si-woo didn't kneel. He stood straight, pulling the collar of his shirt aside to expose the skin above his collarbone. "Just do it. I don't have all day."
The Captain's eyes flickered with a brief flash of annoyance, but he slammed the brand against Si-woo's skin. There was a sharp hiss, and a cloud of white steam rose into the air.
Liora winced, shielding her eyes, while In-ho looked like he was about to vomit. But Si-woo didn't make a sound. He didn't even blink. To a man who had felt his soul being shredded by the Void-Wolves in the future, a bit of enchanted metal felt like a mosquito bite.
[System Synchronization Complete.]
[Official Class Assigned: Shepherd (Provisional)]
[New Skill Unlocked: 'Eye of the Watcher' (Rank F)]
[New Skill Unlocked: 'Cull the Weak' (Rank F)]
As the iron pulled away, a black mark remained—a stylized shepherd's crook intertwined with a crown of thorns. It pulsed once, then settled into the skin like a permanent ink tattoo.
"Next," Si-woo muttered, stepping aside.
Liora and In-ho were branded in turn. Liora swore a blue streak that made the Priest cross himself, and In-ho let out a muffled yelp that sounded like a wounded bear, but they both stood their ground.
"You're official now," the Captain said, his voice stripped of its earlier boredom. He looked at the three of them—a soot-covered mage, a giant with a stolen mace, and a leader who looked like he'd already seen the end of the world. "You've been assigned to the 13th Vanguard Unit. It's a trash unit for the 'problem children.' You'll be stationed in the Upper City barracks by nightfall."
"The 13th?" Liora snapped, rubbing her new mark. "That's the suicide squad! Everyone knows the 13th gets sent to the mana-leaks first!"
"Then you better start praying," the Captain sneered. He turned to the cowering Ezra. "As for you, Valerius... you passed. Barely. You'll be in the 1st Unit. Try not to cry on your silk sheets."
Ezra stood up, dusting off his ruined robes. He looked at Si-woo, his eyes burning with a hatred that was far more dangerous than his rapier. "The 13th Unit, huh? I'll make sure your first mission is your last, you gutter-trash. My father owns the Quartermaster. You won't even have a blunt knife to defend yourselves with."
Si-woo walked right up to Ezra, leaning in until their noses were inches apart. The smell of ash and blood rolled off him.
"Ezra," Si-woo whispered. "In the 13th, we learn how to survive on nothing. But in the 1st? You'll be surrounded by sycophants who will run the second things get ugly. When the wolves come—and they will come—don't look for me to save you."
He turned to his team. "In-ho, grab the mace. Liora, stop whining. We're going to the Upper City."
As they walked away from the Trial grounds, leaving the slums behind for the first time in their lives, the System chimed one last time.
[Main Quest Updated: 'The Collapse of Aethelgard']
[Objective: Survive the first week in the 13th Vanguard.]
[Reward: Access to the 'Hidden Shop' of the Abyss.]
Si-woo looked up at the towering spires of the Upper City, shimmering with stolen mana while the rest of the world rotted.
"First, we get some real food," Si-woo said, his voice cracking with a rare, dark humor. "Then, we start breaking things."