Arqus walked up to the house and knocked on the door. "Hello?" Nobody answered. He knocked one more time and still didn't receive an answer. Then, he just turned the doorknob and entered the house.
When he came close to the house, he already knew that nobody was home. One would think that this was intuition, but when he saw the house for the first time, all it took was a little bit of concentration. That was when his senses expanded over the entire house, and he could see everything inside. He wasn't sure if what he saw was real or just a hallucination, so he knocked, just to be sure.
This was his spiritual sense, and he could currently scan up to 10-12 meters. When he tried to scan beyond the house into the backyard, he felt a bit mentally drained, and that was when he stopped. Inside the house, there were only two rooms: a bedroom and a bathroom. The rest of the space was open, with a small kitchen and lounge area.
Taking a look around the house, he tried to find something that would tell him about the owner of the house but one thing for sure that this house was very dust. It was when he came to the bedroom that he found a desk with a small book on top, layered in dust.
He approached the desk, his fingers hovering over the dusty book. He reached out and picked up the book to read its contents…
Back on Wellington Island
The three tallest buildings sighted on this island were namely the Headquarters, the Technology Research Institution, and lastly the Wellington Tower, which was the tallest building on the island.
The Wellington Technology Research Institution (WTRI) had thirty-two floors. Additionally, there was the Wellington Tower which was located in the capital city on the island, which had 245 floors. Lastly, the headquarters building, which was the tallest building inside the academy, had thirty-two floors, with different facilities surrounding it to accommodate students.
Within the academy, there was a ten story martial arts center, a hospital, research facilities, science labs, technology facility, and many other major departments. This was only region open to the public, the Academy only admitted students at the age of 15 and you were only allowed to stay at the academy until the age of 25, regardless of whether you graduated or not. However, if you wanted to stay, you had to be employed.
Many first-years who joined the academy weren't interested in the martial arts center, even though it was mandatory to join the gym located in the center and attend at least twice a week. You needed to spend at least one hour in the gym, and your time was calculated on the access card. Those who didn't attend would receive a penalty, and after receiving three penalties, they would be dismissed from the academy. The penalty resets every 60 days.
There was a punching machine used to demonstrate your strength. It was said that if you hit with a force of 500kg, you would receive an invitation from the martial arts center. Those that received the invitation didn't talk about it to other students, the contents was concealed that even Kazuno Kage didn't have information about it. Although the benefits were not publicly displayed to the students, some of them remained curious.
At the top floor of the headquarters building, inside a conference room, there was a round table with ten seats. At present, only four seats were occupied by individuals radiating a strong aura. This was the most secure floor in the headquarters; the floor below it was entirely empty, and the 30th floor was protected by personal bodyguards, it was like this for every meeting.
"So how will we handle this situation" Pasi Stroud asked, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked through the documents displayed on the table.
Hector Gibbons sat in his seat, busy on his laptop, he spoke, "We need to know how the beast entered our world. There hasn't been any security breach at the TRI, and the gate remains stable to this day."
"Additionally, four students have died. One was a first-year with no notable background, which isn't a significant issue. However, the other three were third-year students with a middle martial rank; they also came from well-known families," Vardon Askew stated while tapping his fingers on the desk. This was a huge loss when Vardon thought about it and they still had to compensate their families.
Nikodemus Norman was the only person who had yet to say something. He put down the documents and sighed, "The world beyond the gate is still unknown to us. Exploring further into the new world can only bring benefits for mankind. Since the alliance was formed, we have been idling too much." There was a strong desire burning within him when talking about exploring further into the new world. At that moment, the conference room door opened. A lady wearing a white coat with red hair walked in, possessing a devilishly enticing body and appearance. Her movements were like a temptation that could influence a person's heart. This beauty named Maila Crailey was the second deputy director of the TRI, her eyes locked onto Nikodemus completely ignoring the others and she said " We running out of nutrient elixir, if you guys do not take care of that new creature, you can forget about bringing in new recruits." Despite her beauty, everyone in the room, except for Nikodemus, wore grim expressions as she walked in. Even their hairs stood on end from the aura she exuded. After her statement, she took a flash drive from her coat and handed it to Nikodemus after that she left immediately.
Only after she left did Hector Gibbons break the silence. "She's so powerful. Why doesn't she ever assist us in dealing with these beasts?"
Nikodemus could only shake his head with a wry smile. "If she did, you guys wouldn't even have a seat at this table." What was use of have people in power if they didn't even use the power to benefit mankind, this was what Nikodemus thought. After saying that, he passed the flash drive to Hector. As Hector inserted it into his laptop, he connected the laptop to the nearby TV for a larger display. The contents of the flash drive then appeared for everyone to see.
This was research for a new recovery elixir! The previous elixir that Alice took only healed minor cuts and bruises slowly with but had to be taken 3 to 4 times depending on the person plus it gave them a drowsy effect. However, the new recovery elixir could even repair broken bones. Though it was still a slow process and the drowsy effect was still there, it could accomplish the task within 36 hours, and minor cuts and wounds could be healed within hour! This was a major breakthrough. This new elixir was currently being tested on Alice if successful it will be sent to the new world.
Everyone wore excited expressions. This meant that even if they suffered casualties they could still recover within a short period if it was nothing major. "Considering the resources needed to create this, is it truly feasible?" Vardon Askew asked.The main ingredient was the blood of the creature Maila asked them to dispose of!
This creature was a four arm troll, when the scout team spotted this creature they scarred to their wits and immediately reported it to the commander. This creature stepped into their territory and occupied the land where they were required to harvest the nutrient elixir main ingredient called purple plum. nutrient elixir was used to boost the body physic. Without this elixir, the human body wouldn't survive the gravity of the new world, which was ten times that of Earth!
The commander dispatched a squad to handle the creature, but they lost over 20 people in the attempt. It wasn't until the commander himself arrived with five colleagues that they managed to injure the troll. However, its recovery speed is terrifying. They could only retreat in despair.
"We need a plan to deal with that beast. I'll meet you guys on the train," Nikodemus said after looking at his watch. This was the first step to take back their territory. The gains were too tempting; this was for the future for mankind.
"I'll bring in the new recruits," Pasi Stroud said. With the meeting concluded, they all left to meet at the designated location.
Pasi went to fetch the new recruits first. He was the director of the martial arts center, and his manager, Luke Envo, ran the day-to-day operations. Inside the martial arts center, a group of 50 students lined up neatly in rows on the 8th floor. Standing in front of them was Luke Envo.
Luke Envo scanned the crowd and nodded before speaking. "It's been a month since you all attained martial rank. Today, we will entering the new world filled with dangerous beasts, creatures, and monsters. Your life will constantly be at stake. If you joined the academy for glory, wealth, knowledge, or strength, this is just the beginning. Today, you will decide if you want to take the first step into the unknown and strive for the peak." Excited expressions could be seen on their faces when he mentioned the new world. They were eager to take a look. With that being said Luke Envo took the group to meet Pasi Stroud they boarded trucks and on they went.
Behind the headquarters was an open field with an airplane hangar. Inside the hangar was a tunnel leading down into the earth. Pasi was waiting just before the tunnel entrance to meet the new recruits. When the trucks arrived and they got off, he could only sigh. "Even fewer than last year", but he was still hopeful. "Once you past this point you will enter a three year contract with the military. "Below is a train you will board, and in your compartment, you will find your contract on the desk. It's best you write down your will as well." After he said his piece, he released his aura of a mutant rank. "This is your only chance to turn back because you might not return at all." There was a line between him and the students; crossing it meant they were fully committed to what was to come. Pasi's aura intimidated them, and their backs were drenched with sweat.
It takes courage to take the first step, even if the outcome is uncertain. What matters is the journey—this is an opportunity for personal growth, experience is most important.
About three seconds passed before one student started to move forward, followed by another and another. Unfortunately, not everyone moved. Eight students remained stationary. Pasi had anticipated this. Luke felt a bit disheartened because he felt this situation reflected upon him. Some might blame the teacher if a student can't cope, but in reality, the student should put in more effort than the teacher. The teacher can only spend a limited amount of time with the student, guiding them. If the student cannot adapt and learn on their own, they can't blame the teacher, only themselves. Luke wished for all of them to take the next step, but unfortunately, not everyone could, their journey ended here.
The students that were left behind could only watch as the others move into the tunnel. Those that went into the tunnel never looked back, this was their opportunity to move forward, from here on out they couldn't be compared to those students that stayed behind.
Before they boarded the train they were amazed at how big it was. It was enough to accommodate 500 people but that wasn't what the train was built for. The train was used to transport resources from the gate to the headquarters. Every student had their own compartment on the train.
There was five underground levels at the TRI and the gate was situated on the third level. The first level was solely used for storing resources from the new world, while the second level housed both the train station and a secure warehouse. The fourth and fifth levels were dedicated to containment and research. The entire building was under heavy security and surveillance at all times.
After the train stopped on the second level, the students went with Pasi third level, they all went through security checks while walking towards a massive door. An entire airplane could fit through this door without any issue. The main door was closed, but there was a smaller door on the side that they had to use. When they entered, they saw 'the gate'—a portal leading to the new world. It was a swirling mix of blue, purple, and black. Meanwhile Nikodemus and the others went straight to the fifth level after they got off the train.
On the right side of the portal, a few people in white coats were busy with computers, appearing to monitor the portal. Leading them was a man in a white coat smoking a cigarette, unbothered by their sudden appearance. On the left side was a small warehouse, a few soldiers were loading crates onto trucks . Facing the gate stood a man in a black military uniform with three white stripes woven on the left side of his shirt. He turned to meet them and greeted, "Hello, you guys are the new recruits?"
"Yes, sir," they replied in unison.
Pasi smiled lightly when he saw their faces. They were all curious and excited about the new world, just as he had been when he first saw the gate.
"Collect your new uniforms at the reception in the warehouse, then go meet your squad leader. He's waiting in the new world at the garrison."
After receiving their uniforms and using the dressing rooms inside the warehouse to change, they lined up and walked into the portal.
As they traveled through the portal, a wave of disorientation washed over them. Emerging on the other side, they found themselves standing on a platform in a small town. However, they were confused by what they saw. This place was a bit rundown. The buildings, constructed using materials similar to those found on Earth, were in various states of disrepair. Some were broken down, others still under construction, and many appeared to have been completely given up on. It was clear that maintenance was not a priority.
A path led directly to the main town building, the garrison. Their only option was to find their squad leader there and inquire about the situation.