Name: Henry Sinclair
Rank: F-
Rank Progress: [ 0 / 100 ]
Strength: 38
Speed: 42
Agility: 40
Stamina: 50
Vitality: 25
Henry stared at the glowing blue interface, his eyes lingering on the empty visual bar in the top-right corner that tracked his rank progress.
The numbers themselves didn't mean much to him yet; without knowing the baseline stats of an average human or a Foundation Establishment Level 10, he had absolutely nothing to compare them to.
He also noticed that the text only occupied the top half of the panel. The bottom half was completely blank, leaving an empty space that gave Henry the distinct impression that other attributes or skills were hidden from him, waiting for some unknown requirement to be unlocked.
Before he could study the interface any further, a new, massive countdown appeared in the center of his vision.
As the numbers ticked down, the sunlit grassy clearing around him began to dissolve, breaking apart into motes of blue light. The warm air faded, replaced by a creeping, familiar chill.
3... 2... 1... 0.
The light vanished. Henry was plunged back into the darkness of Hope Forest.
His boots hit the uneven dirt, and he instantly dropped into a defensive stance, his arming sword raised and ready to deflect the snapping jaws of the red wolves. His eyes adjusted to the pitch-black night at a speed that was barely comparable to before.
But the attack never came.
He blinked, scanning the area. The pack of wolves was completely gone. There were no eyes glowing around him, no low growls making him wonder how long his system trial had actually been.
Checking along the foothill wall, Henry saw Recruit 1, but there was no sign of Recruit 7.
Henry slowly lowered his blade. He could tell just by looking at her that she had also passed her trial, and given how settled she looked, she had clearly finished it much faster than he had.
She was sitting on the ground, her back casually resting against the rock wall, her sword loosely in her lap. Her shoulders, usually held in a state of rigid, hyper-alert tension, were completely relaxed.
There was a radiant, almost palpable aura of power humming just beneath her skin. The silent, arrogant edge she usually carried had evolved into something entirely different: a deep, overbearing confidence.
"Good to see you passed your trial, 1," Henry said, walking closer to her.
"Right back at you," Recruit 1 replied. She tilted her head slightly. "Although you could've explained what you meant when you yelled, Follow me. One of those red wolves you were supposed to be handling almost took a bite out of me before I managed to get the activation words out."
"My bad," Henry admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I kind of panicked trying to balance a way to get us out of that situation without officially disqualifying ourselves."
She didn't seem mad. In fact, hearing his reasoning, her sharp eyes softened just a fraction. "Yeah. I figured that out once I had a second to think on it."
"Was 7 alright?" Henry asked, scanning the dark clearing.
"He should be fine. He actually managed to start his trial before I even did," Recruit 1 said smoothly. "So, unless he got insta-killed in his arena, he should be back any second."
Henry's eyes widened. He stared at her, doing the mental math. "Wait... does that mean you insta-killed your trial opponent?"
Hearing his absolute shock, a faint, genuine smile played on her lips. "What do you think?"
Henry just stared at her in disbelief. Even though he had managed to avoid any serious injuries against the Wind-Mana Wolf, he had nearly emptied his entire stamina reserve just to end the fight. It had felt like at least ten minutes of high-intensity combat. And she was implying she had ended hers the second it started.
Seeing Henry stunned into silence, she let out a quiet laugh. "I'm just kidding. It took me around five minutes."
Five minutes was still terrifyingly fast, but it at least made physical sense. Henry let out an awkward, relieved laugh. "I'm not sure what's crazier: the fact that I genuinely believed you insta-killed your trial opponent, or the fact that you just made a joke."
She kept laughing, but then a sudden, embarrassed seriousness crossed her features. She looked away, staring into the dark trees. "I've only ever joked with you and my—"
Before she could finish the sentence, a brilliant flash of blue light illuminated the rock face behind them.
Recruit 7 materialized. He had a wide, arrogant smile plastered on his face, but underneath it, his posture sagged, and his eyes looked completely, utterly drained. He turned, his smile dimming immediately as his gaze found Henry standing casually next to a seated, relaxed Recruit 1.
"Did you guys pass?" Recruit 7 asked, panting lightly.
The question made Henry question Recruit 7's awareness.
Henry had been able to instantly tell Recruit 1 had passed just by looking at her and sensing the energy she now radiated. But ignoring 7's lack of perception, Henry just nodded.
"Yeah, we passed. Congrats on your own successful trial."
The congratulations seemed to hit 7's bruised ego the wrong way. The rest of his genuine smile was wiped away, quickly replaced by a rigid, dishonest smirk.
"Why didn't you guys take your time and enjoy it, though? You only get one Rank F trial, and you guys clearly rushed through yours just to finish fast. I stayed in and enjoyed it for as long as possible."
Recruit 1, who hadn't spoken a single word since Recruit 7, reappeared, let out a loud, undisguised scoff at the obvious lie.
But her scoff was drowned out instantly by the sounds of multiple wolves who had returned.
This time, they weren't toying with their prey. There was no slow, calculated stalking. No spreading out to cut off their escape routes. The pack burst from the dark underbrush in an all-out rushing attack; the smaller wolves charged them first. Only the two larger beasts hovered menacingly in the shadows just behind the frontline, watching for any weaknesses to exploit.
Seeing them approach, Recruit 1 didn't even flinch. She slowly pushed herself up from the rock face, her sword sliding from its sheath with a metallic ring.
"You guys ready?" she asked, her voice calm, laced with a quiet anticipation.
Henry tightened his grip on his arming sword. The fear from the first encounter was completely gone. In its place was the explosive power of his new F-Rank status.
"Time to see exactly how big a difference F-Rank really makes," Henry replied, stepping forward to meet the charge.
Even Recruit 7, despite his earlier mental exhaustion, seemed to feed off the newfound energy surging through his own muscles. He raised his blade, a fierce, arrogant grin cutting through the darkness.
There was no thought of retreat this time. No frantic panic. All three of them stood shoulder-to-shoulder, as the first three wolves of the vanguard leaped through the air, their jaws snapping directly for their throats.