The sun had been up for a while in Ahartohaim when Eden suddenly appeared, as if out of thin air. Today was a big day: the new recruits were arriving, and it was his job to welcome them.
Following the schedule set the previous day, North and Mason had been practicing their target shooting since early morning. Their main goal was to increase their [Weapon Mastery] to become more effective in combat.
When Eden arrived in Ahartohaim, he saw Cole already there, waiting for the recruits.
"You're late, Eden," Cole said with a smirk.
"Not everyone's here yet, so technically, I'm not late," Eden replied with a grin. He then turned to face the new recruits. "Hello, everyone. My name is Eden, and I'm a Level 3 sword user. Nice to meet you all."
"Karas, Level 1 shield user," said the first recruit.
"Maras, Level 1 shield user. We're brothers," the second recruit added, placing a hand on Karas' shoulder.
The two did look like brothers. Both had short, black hair and similar complexions, with brown eyes that occasionally gave off a warm, puppy-like gaze.
"And you're the older one, I assume?" Eden asked.
"That's right," Maras confirmed.
Eden then shifted his attention to the last player.
"Aurin, Level 0 dagger user," the young man introduced himself confidently, despite his low level.
"No need to be disappointed—your level is the last thing you need to worry about here," Eden teased. Then, turning to Cole, he asked, "So, how long until the last one arrives?"
"I think you're waiting for me," came a voice from behind them. The newcomer walked up with a smile, a staff in one hand, and his long blond hair, almost the same shade as Cole's, tied in a man bun. "Sorry for being a little late."
"No worries. I'm Cole, Level 3 sword user."
"And I'm Eden, also a Level 3 sword user."
"Damian, Level 2 staff user," the newcomer said with a confident smile.
Hearing his level, the group exchanged surprised glances. To them, it was impressive enough that the Beta Testers were at Level 3, but for a new recruit to be at Level 2 was quite something.
"Nice to meet you, Damian," Eden said. "Did you reach Level 2 with the help of a party, or did you complete some lucky quests?"
"I was part of a party supported by a workshop in the real world," Damian explained. "It wasn’t a big one, and we didn’t have any Beta Testers. So, when I heard two Beta Testers were recruiting, I decided to try my luck."
Eden nodded, satisfied with the answer. "That’s great, Damian. You did well to come. Now, for all of you, I have a few things to say. Your level doesn’t matter, and neither does your current knowledge of Ahartohaim. Our assessment will test more than just your current abilities, and you’ll find out if you had passed only at the end. Any questions?"
The recruits remained silent.
"Alright, then let’s get started," Eden said, gesturing for them to follow.
They walked quietly for some time, everyone following Eden to a large, open field of green grass, empty of other players.
Eden turned to Cole. "You take the shield users; I'll take Aurin and Damian. Does that work for you?"
"No problem," Cole agreed.
"Great," Eden said, addressing the group. "Maras, Karas, you’re with Cole. Aurin, Damian, you're with me."
As Cole led the brothers away, Aurin moved closer to Eden, while Damian hung back a few meters, ready to provide support.
"Military?" Eden asked Aurin, though he already knew the answer.
"I’ll keep my secrets for now," Aurin replied, drawing his dagger.
"I respect that," Eden said, drawing his sword. "But don’t underestimate me, alright?"
"Never," Aurin replied, poised and ready.
“When you’re ready,” Eden said calmly.
Without hesitation, Aurin closed the distance between them, but Eden’s sword was already there to intercept his advance. Aurin parried Eden’s blade and tried to close in further, but Eden’s footwork was steady, and his attacks were difficult to counter.
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Meanwhile, Damian was moving around, trying to find a good position to shoot from. However, his aim was shaky, and he struggled to put any real pressure on Eden.
"I'm stronger and faster than you because of my level. You need to be mindful of that," Eden advised Aurin after a few exchanges.
"Your sword skills aren’t bad either," Aurin noted. "But you still won’t stop me," he added, blocking Eden’s attack with his dagger.
He then grabbed Eden’s sword blade with his bare hand, taking [ -7 ] damage. Aurin quickly moved in closer, ready to strike with his dagger. But, against his expectations, Eden didn’t hesitate or retreat. Instead, he released his sword and stepped forward to block Aurin's momentum.
Aurin abandoned his plan to thrust the dagger at Eden’s throat and aimed for his body instead. Eden defended with his forearm, grabbing Aurin's wrist in the process. Aurin dropped Eden's sword and tried to grab Eden with his free hand while attempting to knee him. Eden took the hit, taking [ -4 ] damage, but stepped forward, disrupting Aurin’s balance and causing him to fall.
Aurin refused to let go of Eden, trying to drag him down as well. However, his leg was awkwardly positioned, and as they fell, Aurin landed on his side. This allowed Eden to gain a better grip on Aurin's wrist, forcing him to drop his dagger. At that moment, Damian, who had finally lined up a good shot, hit Eden with a projectile, causing [ -18 ] damage.
Using his leg to trap and twist Aurin's arm, Eden sat on his shoulder. Aurin growled in pain as he took continuous damage of [-10] per second. Eden then grabbed the dagger resting on the grass and threw it at Damian. The dagger hit its target, stabbing Damian in the abdomen and causing him to take [-22] damage and pain.
"Do you surrender?" Eden asked, maintaining pressure on Aurin's arm.
Feeling his limb on the verge of breaking, Aurin tapped the ground in submission. Eden released him and quickly picked up his sword, dodging another projectile from Damian as he advanced toward his target.
Damian started running, firing projectiles at Eden intermittently as he chased after him.
On the other battlefield, Cole kicked Maras' shield, creating some distance between them. He then dodged Karas' slash, quickly countered with a cut to Karas' leg, and slammed into his shield, knocking the boy to the ground.
Maras lowered his stance, his shield covering his head and upper torso. He managed to strike Cole's leg with his sword, resulting in [-10] damage appearing above Cole's head.
"Haha, brother, I got him!" Maras shouted just as Cole grabbed his shield and forced an opening for a stab, dealing [-34] damage.
"I'm out! I surrender!" Maras yelled under the impending threat of Cole's attack. "One more hit and I'll be sent back to spawn."
"Let's end it here," Eden called out, pulling his sword back from Damian's chest. "Gather up!"
He sat down, waiting for everyone to assemble. Once they were all together, he asked, "What have you learned?"
"It’s hard to deal with experienced players," Maras said.
"I don’t do well under pressure," Karas admitted.
"I didn’t expect that we could actually break limbs in this game," Aurin commented. His remark drew everyone’s attention.
"I want you all to understand something," Eden said. "This world is very similar to our own. You’re mistaken if you think of it as just a game. You will slowly but surely understand what I mean." He stood up. "Cole, please call North and Mason. Gentlemen, you will enter a probation period. If everything goes smoothly, this team will become permanent."
"This is your equipment," Eden said, taking out the remaining gear from his inventory. " Aurin, you can’t equip anything until you’re Level 1, but hold onto it for now."
"As I mentioned to the previous recruits, there are no free meals here," Cole added. "Everything is earned. We expect you to train hard and work for what you receive, including your place on the team."
* * *
After everything was settled and the party was complete, Eden led the team to a new leveling area. Unlike the previous location, this one wasn’t empty. Elite players were scattered around, battling red, reptilian monsters.
Without interacting with any of them, Eden directed his party to a more secluded spot. This time, the goal wasn’t to level up quickly but to help the team improve their skills.
"Everyone, take out your [Character Cards] and aim them at a monster to see its stats."
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[Spitfire Gladiator (Level 4)]
HP: 600
Defense: 12
Attack Power: 26
Movement Speed: 14
Description: Tameable monster. Omnivore diet. Lives in groups. Strong on its feet. All fire attack skill damage is reduced by 50%.
Skill 1: Fire Spit
- Medium-range attack, deals 30 damage and inflicts a burning effect lasting 3 seconds, causing 5 damage per second.
Skill 2: Charge
- The Gladiator runs in a straight line, slamming everything in its path and dealing 30 damage. Targets may receive a [Broken Bone] status effect or be trampled, resulting in loss of life.
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"Wouldn't it be better to go back and kill Wooden Golems?" Cole suggested.
"Listen up!" Eden raised his voice. "We’re not just here to level up. At Level 5, we’ll be able to use skills, and until then, it’s crucial that we can fight effectively. For those who don’t know, Ahartohaim has progressive stages. You can observe this on your own. If you reach a higher stage without learning what you need from the lower one, you’ll face setbacks that will hinder your progress. That’s why I want all of you to focus more on training than on leveling up until you reach Level 5. Am I clear?"
"Yes," Karas responded. "But won’t we fall behind if our leveling speed is too slow?"
"Don’t worry about that. These are Level 4 monsters, which only elite players typically face. The EXP will be significant," Eden explained. "For now, you can’t handle a group of them with your current abilities, so we’ll start with just one monster. Cole will organize and give you instructions, but be mindful of the monster's two skills."
"The Fire Spit can be blocked with a shield or dodged—pay attention when the monster pauses and channels its power. The Charge cannot be stopped, but it’s a straight-line attack. If you move in the right direction when you see the monster gathering momentum, you’ll be fine. You don’t need to worry about dying at this stage, so some mistakes are acceptable. However, for every death, you’ll have to do twenty-five pushups at the end of the day, so try to avoid unnecessary mistakes."
Having finished his explanation, Eden approached a group of three oversized reptiles. "Time to show off," he said as he entered the monsters’ sensing zone. Instantly, the three Spitfire Gladiators noticed him and charged after him.
Eden took off, sprinting straight toward his team. "Ready?" he shouted.
Maras and Karas stood at the front, with almost every Attribute Point allocated to strength. The monsters were stronger by only six points, so with their combined efforts, the brothers could face a Spitfire Gladiator, despite their lack of experience.
"Here I come!" Eden shouted, suddenly changing direction and causing the rightmost monster to collide with the one in the middle. While the collision didn’t cause much damage, it was enough for the monsters to lose sight of Eden and redirect their focus to the players in front of them.