Alwin awoke, staring at the ceiling. A part of him hoped that the events that had transpired yesterday were nothing but a dream, an even more hopeful part of him wished that he had gone back in time to before any of it happened. Too bad for him everything that happened was very real. He had gotten his first real taste of battle. So did Uchronia and Gus, but they didn't just get a nibble, they devoured the whole thing. He looked to his side to see Uchronia staring at the ceiling as well, while Gus was nowhere to be seen—probably at the cafeteria, shoveling down food like nothing happened.

Yesterday was exhausting, but last night really took the cake. After the pointless medical examination where he wasted an hour of his life only to be told that he was okay. Then came the wait—endless pacing outside the medical tree, hoping for news about Uchronia and Gus. Every time a Goblin in white robes stepped out, he’d lock eyes with them, desperation oozing out of his gelatinous form. And every time, nothing.

Finally after what felt like hours—because hours did pass—one of the medic Goblin’s gave him the news. They were fine. Awake, even. The news was like music to his ear and he rushed into the tree hoping to see them. He barged into the room, looking forward to seeing the smiling faces of his friends, but what he saw made his stomach drop. This wasn't his friends' room, it was Lin's room.

She lay motionless amidst a forest of bizarre machinery, tubes snaking around her body. Red and blue fluids pulsed through here—it was creepy. Her arm had been reattached, bandages covering the stitches that were probably there. The tubes were anchored to her skin with small, metal clamps, one inserted into the crook of her elbow, another near her collarbone, and a few more disappearing beneath the bandages around her arm.

"Hey! Get out of there, your friends are in the opposite room," said the medic Goblin who had chased after the bounding Alwin.

He closed the door behind him, the sight of Lin scarring his fragile mind—he was just a kid! The view of Uchronia and Gus atop their beds washed away some of the horror, if only he could permanently erase that scene from his mind. Gus was stuffing himself with food, his face smeared with scraps of whatever passed for food in a medical tree, while Uchronia leaned against her bedpost, staring at the ceiling like it held all the answers to the universe.

Alwin couldn't help but run up to them and give them the biggest hug that a slime with zero hands could—it was pretty much a tackle. Gus the ever indulgent fellow said a simple "hey" as Alwin 'hugged' him, his eyes and mouth never leaving the tray of food. Uchronia on the other hand was less welcoming and more... how do you put it nicely, uncomfortable? She pushed the 'tackler' away, forcing the gelatinous body to slip down the side of her bed.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"I'm glad you're okay and I'm glad that Gus is okay, but I'm not in the mood right now. I just need...just need some time to think," she said.

Alarm bells were ringing in his head. She didn't shout, she didn't have the same snarky attitude, she didn't even roll her eyes or let out a sigh. Something was wrong with her!

"Medic Goblin, sir. I think she's still sick," Alwin said.

"No, I'm not!" she shouted.

"Never mind, she's all good."

After the medics gave them the all-clear, they were finally allowed to head home. The Warp Station was still buzzing, even in the dead of night. Monsters still queued up at the ticketing stations and giant rock golems patrolled the area keeping an eye out for anything suspicious.

Milvus was waiting for them at the school gates—a massive pair of doors that made him look even smaller than he was. He had been pacing, gnawing on one of his tentacles. When he saw the dim shadows of Alwin and his friends, he let out a sigh of relief. A warm smile replaced the nervous look on his face.

"I'm glad you're safe. Tonight, you'll be sleeping in the infirmary."

After a quick shower, they all crashed. Hard.

Alwin snapped back to the present, staring at the ceiling of the infirmary. Today was a new day and yet his mind was still in the past—Maple, the young masters, Gary Stew, Goblin Force Five, and most importantly, Lin.

“Alwin, Uchronia. How are you feeling?” Milvus asked, appearing at the doorway with Gus passed out in his tentacles, drool oozing from the corner of the Furball’s mouth.

"Just... processing," Uchronia muttered.

"Same here," Alwin added with a sigh.

"I'm glad that all three of you are alright," said Milvus. "But, I need to know what happened out there."

So, Alwin told him. Everything. From their first encounter with a human, to Maple, to the young masters—Lei Mao, Gu Jia—and Gary Stew. From how they overcame the trials and tribulations, how Gus was charmed by food, to how Lin was critically injured. No secrets, no lies. He laid it all out, his thoughts, his feelings, his jealousy. No holding back. By the end of it, he was drained, but he needed to know about Lin.

Uchronia stared slack-jawed. Who knows why she did that? Was it because she never expected Alwin to be so honest? To be so forthcoming about everything? No jokes, no laughs, no cheeky ideas, just pure honest feelings about everything and anything that happened. How he felt, how weak he felt, how useless he felt.

"I understand how you're feeling, Alwin. I don't know what happened to the Goblin named Lin, but I'll get an update for you. And what about you Uchronia? How are you handling things?"

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"Mr. Milvus. I've been thinking a lot these past few hours and I just feel confused. I know we lost and I know we lost because we were weak and because my plan failed, but that isn't why I'm confused. After being hit on the head with that frying pan, I feel like some... blocks have been removed."

"What do you mean, Uchronia?"

"It's just that after meeting Maple and hearing her mother's, how do I say this, concerns? Things started to click in my head. Like why are we the only kids in the academy, why do we know how to talk already, why were we immediately enrolled without having to go through any entrance exams, why are we training to fight against humans, and who are our parents? But whenever I tried to think about it, it's like someone was pushing away those thoughts, everything related to it was muddy and I couldn't think straight. Then I got hit on the head and after I woke up, those thoughts were... clearer. I still don't understand anything, but I know enough to notice that we're weird, Mr. Milvus."

"Well, thank you for sharing Uchronia. Alwin what about you? Do you share similar feelings with Uchronia?"

"I mean I've always noticed those things, but I never really cared about it that much. Maybe it was because of that block thing."

"I see..." Milvus looked down at the snoring, drooling Furball in his tentacles. "And what about Gus? Does he share similar sentiments?"

"I think he only cares about food," said Alwin.

"In time I'll tell you all more about your origins, but just know that those mental inhibitors were put in place to protect you children. You, kids, are special, you'll be the hope of Monsteria. Just remember what we're fighting for."

"Those blasted humans..." muttered Alwin.

"Exactly, Alwin. We fight to protect our kind. Imagine all of those monsters out there being exploited by humans, unable to defend themselves."

"But we had to be protected! And Lin... We couldn't do anything!" shouted Alwin.

"Alwin, your squad managed to take down almost twenty humans. And from what I've heard, you even managed to take down a seasoned cultivator who shouldn't have been there. That's no small feat. It's unfortunate about what happened to the Goblins... that man, Gary Stew, is no ordinary human. Just count yourselves lucky that you made it out alive."

"Cultivators?" asked Uchronia.

"Yes, Uchronia, cultivators. They're similar to adventurers, the main difference is the way they utilize the system. They were going to be the next type of humans you would face after you all had gone through an evolution."

"Supposed to?" asked Alwin.

"After the debacle yesterday, we teachers are unsure how to proceed. Cultivators in the Forest of Beginnings and a suspected isekind showing up is a cause for concern."

"Isekind?" asked Uchronia again.

"Yes, they're humans who have been transported to our world. Sometimes from other worlds but most of the time from a past version of Earth. They're normally blessed with extraordinary abilities that make them much stronger than the average human. Like that Monster Chef class that Gary Stew received."

"Like our Core Skills?" asked Uchronia.

"Similar, but not exactly."

"Then explain!"

"Like I said before, in time I'll tell you all more about your origins."

"Okay then, why are we only learning about cultivators, isekinds, and whatever now!" shouted Uchronia. "It could've been useful information!"

"Because none of us expected it to be relevant. You were only supposed to meet adventurers, not cultivators and definitely not isekinds."

"Then what's so special about cultivators!" Uchronia shouted back.

"Please don't be rude and stop shouting," Milvus said.

"Sorry, Mr. Milvus."

"Good. Adventurers grow stronger by battling. They take on quests, kill monsters, gain experience, and level up. They have stats that they can increase, which is what I suspected Gary Stew did during your battle. Cultivators grow stronger through meditation. They still fight monsters, but they mainly grow stronger through absorbing and refining the Qi or Mana around them, once they hit a breakthrough they'll go through a tribulation and ascend to the next stage."

"I don't get the difference," said Alwin.

"The important part is that cultivators from a sect or adventurers from a guild tend to be stronger than lone adventurers, which is normally the type of humans you'll find in the Forest of Beginnings. You guys did good yesterday considering the circumstances."

"Thank you, Mr. Milvus," said Uchronia. "But we didn't even complete our task. Well, Gus managed to complete it, but not me or Alwin."

"That was the other reason I came here." Milvus looked down at the person he was carrying. "So this little Furball managed to absorb enough essence? That's good."

"It is?" asked Alwin.

"It just means we're not as behind schedule as I thought. I've already briefed the class this morning about evolution. They've been given the morning to prepare themselves, and in the afternoon is when they'll get to evolve."

"But we can't evolve," said Uchronia.

"I know, that's why we'll have to make some special arrangements for you two."

"And what does that mean?" asked Alwin.

Why be so ambiguous, just lay it to him straight. Sheesh.

"Going back out to fight more humans."

"What!" Uchronia shouted. "We literally almost died yesterday and now you're asking us to go back to that damn forest to hunt down more humans? Do you even care about us?"

Milvus sighed, "No shouting, Uchronia. And remember our purpose?"

"To rid the world of humans," said Alwin.

"Exactly, Alwin. To do that you'll need to grow stronger and to grow stronger you'll need to evolve. The fastest way to do that is by killing humans. So the fastest you go back out there the fastest you'll get to evolve like the rest of the class."

Uchronia was seething. She ground her teeth back and forth, staring daggers—that was normally only reserved for him—at Milvus. If she didn't calm down, her face would morph into a permanent scowl.

"Fine," Uchronia spat.

"Thank you, Uchronia. You might not realize it, but I really do have your best intentions at heart. In time, you'll all understand," he said with a small smile. "You know what, take the rest of the day off. Go out and have some fun. I'll just bring Gus with me and prep him for his tribulation so that he can evolve."

"Gus should get a break too, why are you so adamant about making us evolve so fast?" shouted Uchronia.

"Because the faster we evolve, the stronger we get, the faster we can get rid of humans," said Milvus.

"You know what, fine!" Uchronia spat. "But we're coming along to watch, right Alwin?"

"Sure." Alwin shrugged. He had nothing better to do today, anyway.