Sia and Lyra both returned soon after. Lyra looked a bit worse for wear, her first fight leaving some visible marks, while Sia appeared untouched—just a little drained.

One of the girls turned to Lyra, her tone bright. “You were right. It was amazing to watch. Thank you for telling us he was asking for people to come.”

Lyra gave her a motherly smile. “Of course. Did you join our little group?” Her tone was as warm as her expression.

Thea leaned in to whisper to me, “Do you think she’s in charge of the fan club?”

“Has to be,” I murmured back.

Raising my voice, I addressed the new recruits. “Alright, Thea here—” I gestured toward her “—will prepare the contracts. We’ll take a portion of the points you earn daily…after you finish the first step, in exchange for training, support, and, of course, protection.”

“If the Healers’ Guild gives you trouble for practicing your skills or offering treatments, let us know,” Elric added, her tone steady but inviting.

Considering that healing services were often monopolized by the guilds, our offer was bound to ruffle feathers. But we had a point to prove. “We’ll make sure you don’t have to rely solely on your blessing to get by. You’ll be able to use your own abilities, and before long, you’ll be strong enough to fight warriors toe to toe. Elric, as you saw, is proof of that.”

I turned to Lyra. “Judging by your new battle scars, I take it you chose to fight?”

She nodded, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. “They were just a mage, but I managed to force them to surrender.” Her pride was evident, further validating our methods.

An idea struck me. “For training, we have a room in the Town of the Fallen.”

One girl, probably newer than the rest, tilted her head in confusion. I clarified, “It’s a small town a bit out from here. If you don’t know where it is, just ask. The place is called Great’s Training. We’ll show you all how to get there later.”

After a pause, I outlined the details. “The room fits six people and has two areas—one for sparring, one for quiet study. Battles are only allowed in the sparring room, and staying overnight isn’t permitted.” I let that sink in before continuing. “Because of the space limits and the fact that we all have to share, we’ll make a schedule for you to sign up. For just…” I did a quick mental calculation. “Five points. No price changes based on time of day, and you can train for three hours per session.”

Sia stepped in, her expression serious. “I strongly suggest you don’t go into town alone. It can be—dangerous. I’ll show you where we stay, in case you need to find us or leave a message.”

The recruits exchanged glances, their initial hesitation slowly giving way to cautious interest. The foundation of our guild was solidifying, one step at a time.

“For now,” Elric said, gesturing to Thea. “Stay here with her. We all have an extra match today. I’m so happy to have new teammates.”

They smiled back and nodded, turning to Thea next. She looked a bit overwhelmed, so I leaned closer and murmured, “Good luck, Grandmaster. I’ll be out soon, then you can finish your match.”

She nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. “Don’t beat anyone too badly.”

We went to sign up for our matches, and I chose another recruit fight. Sia and Lyra both informed us they’d surrender their matches this round, citing exhaustion. I didn’t blame them—fighting back-to-back was no joke.

Our names were called almost immediately, and I stepped into the teleporter, ready for my next battle. When the door opened, I found myself standing in a grassland arena, tall blades of grass swaying gently in a nonexistent breeze.

Before long, my opponent appeared on the opposite side. Something about him caught my attention right away. As our statuses were announced, the same title rang out for both of us: “Late Bloomer.”

I looked closer. Blond hair, brown eyes, and an exhausted expression that spoke of countless struggles. His shoulders were slumped, his movements sluggish, as though every step was a battle. No… it couldn’t be. “Trev?” I called softly.

He didn’t respond, his fear-filled gaze darting around as if searching for an escape. “Trevor!” I called louder, my voice slicing through his haze. His eyes finally cleared, and recognition dawned on his face as I jogged toward him.

“Peter. Holy—Peter!” He sprinted toward me, throwing his arms around me in a tight embrace. “How—why? I can’t believe you’re here, man!”

I pulled back slightly, taking in his appearance. He was in bad shape, his body littered with scabbed wounds and fresh scars. None of the injuries seemed infected, but they told a story of relentless suffering. Scars on his arms and face that hadn’t been there before now stood out starkly.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“What happened, Trev?” I asked, my voice low and steady.

He looked down, his expression heavy. “I just showed up one day in this horrible place,” he said, his voice cracking. “They won’t let me rest, man. Every day, I have to step in here. At least I’ve got somewhere to sleep, but—I’m running out of points. Soon, I won’t even be able to surrender. I can’t heal, and no one’s going to loan me anything. I’m stuck.”

Hearing his words felt like looking at a darker version of myself. If I hadn’t met Thea and the others, is this how I would’ve ended up? Or worse?

I pushed the thought aside, knowing we didn’t have much time before the announcement would demand action. “I don’t think we have long,” I said quickly, urgency lacing my tone. “They’ll ask us to fight any moment now.”

“One of us can just surr—” Trevor started.

“No,” I interrupted, shaking my head firmly. “Don’t worry about that. Do you know where you are? The name of this place?”

He hesitated, then said, “Some coliseum-looking thing. They called it the Hall of Victors.”

A different name. Good. I only hoped each of these places had unique identifiers. If I could find a way to him, I needed to remember every detail.

“Okay, sit,” I urged, my words coming out rushed. I had to get this out before we were interrupted. “Focus on this feeling. I’ll try to show you more if I can, but you need to be very careful when practicing this. I mean it—one mistake here could kill you.”

Channeling a fraction of my energy, I reached out and transferred it to him, just as Thea had done for me back when I first arrived. The glow spread faintly across his body, and he tensed briefly before relaxing with a deep exhale.

“W-wow,” he stammered, his voice tinged with awe. “That’s amazing.”

“Cultivation,” I explained quickly. “You can absorb energy from the world. You just need quiet and physical activity. I’ll teach you the rest, but—”

The announcement interrupted, sharp and final: “Begin fighting or be severely punished.”

We were out of time. “Give me your orb,” I said, my voice firm.

Trevor hesitated, fear flickering in his eyes. “Trevor, I’m not stealing it. Give it to me. Now!”

His hand trembled as he reached into his worn pocket and produced the orb. I pressed mine to it, transferring 400 points into his. The glowing numbers on mine dropped to 210. I wanted to give him more, but I’d need points if I had any chance of finding a way to contact him later.

Before I could step back, a knight appeared, materializing from one of the doors with. His polished armor caught the light, a stark contrast to the shadows that seemed to cling to him. He exuded authority, every inch of him radiating control.

“Return the points to each other. Now.” His voice was a command, cold and absolute, with no room for negotiation.

Trevor glanced at me, panic flickering across his face. “Peter, it’s fine. I’ll—”

I didn’t let him finish. The decision had already been made the moment I saw Trevor. The energy I’d been gathering in my hand thrummed with readiness, my path clear. This knight wasn’t expecting resistance—no one disobeyed orders.

I darted forward, closing the distance in a blur. The knight’s helmeted head snapped toward me, his body shifting as though to intercept, but it was too late. For a fraction of a second, disbelief flickered in his stance—a crack in his impenetrable facade. He hadn’t anticipated this. He couldn’t.

My hand shot up, energy humming at its peak. I didn’t hesitate. I slammed my palm directly against the side of his helmet and unleashed the force shotgun.

I didn’t know how much stronger these knights were compared to the recruits I’d fought before, but remembering the speed of the first one, I knew they weren’t pushovers. Still, this was a point-blank release of the most powerful—and only—skill I had.

The force hit with a resounding crack, and his helmet caved inward, hugging his face rather than breaking bone or muscle. He staggered backward before collapsing to the ground. Without wasting a second, I climbed on top of him and pressed my other hand to the opposite side of his helmet. I released the same technique again.

The second blast sent a jolt through my arm, nearly depleting my internal strength. My chest heaved as exhaustion set in, and I struggled to gather more energy. I didn’t know the state of the man beneath me—if he was unconscious or worse—but one thing was certain: no one would be focused on Trevor anymore.

Another door opened and I turned just in time to see another knight charging toward me. His speed was blinding, his hand extended as though to grab me. I dove to the side, just barely dodging as his hand grazed my hair.

We both came to a stop, facing each other. He glanced briefly at the downed knight before turning his gaze to Trevor. “Return to your door,” he commanded.

Trevor hesitated, looking at me as if to say something. I nodded quickly, urging him to leave. His shoulders slumped, defeat written across his face, but he stood and made his way to the elevator. The doors closed behind him, and his figure disappeared.

The knight and I were now alone. His piercing gaze fixed on me. “You are a mage? Why did you appear as a late bloomer?” he asked. His tone was calm, authoritative, but not angry. There was a tinge of curiosity, as though he found me more intriguing than threatening.

Adrenaline pumped through me, clouding my thoughts. I struggled to process his question, my mind racing for an answer. Before I could speak, he vanished—and then reappeared right in front of me. I tried to run, but his hand clamped firmly onto my shoulder, holding me in place. He didn’t hurt me, but his grip was unyielding.

“I asked you a question, recruit. Answer,” he said again, his voice sharper this time.

I didn’t want to tell him anything about cultivation. The commander’s words and implications were clear.

He must have sensed my resistance because his next words struck like a dagger. “Answer, or I will kill the man you just helped.”

My heart thumped so loudly it drowned out all other sounds. These people—every single one of them—were insane. How could they be this cruel, this callous?

Panic clawed at my mind as I searched desperately for something to say. I could claim I was bound by a contract not to speak, but that might make them target Thea or the commander. I could lie and say it was an error in their system, that I had a unique blessing, but that could unravel just as quickly.

He released me, his cold eyes boring into mine. “It seems you’ve made your decision,” he said flatly. He glanced upward. “Bring back the—”

“It’s cultivation!” I shouted, my voice trembling. The words escaped before I could stop them. I’d relented.