Welcome to First Wave here at Primordial Plaza, famous for hosting concerts, outdoor conferences, carnivals, and so on. The last example was most similar. Instead of shoddily-installed amusement rides and scammy games, every square inch was filled with exams of varying lethality. You couldn’t walk more than a few meters before finding an information booth or a provisions tent, making sure everyone knew where they were going and had water in their system.
Off in the center was the reason why it was named “Primordial Plaza”: there was a monument to the most historically significant Slayer. They’d immortalized his signature spear, [Leventis], in thick stone, capturing every detail from the ribbon-like tassels to the intricate engravings of a battle along the shaft. At the very top was the shiny spearhead.
(For First Wave, [Leventis] was actually the location of a classic exam: the Leventis Climb. Slayers had to climb to the top of [Leventis] and descend as quickly and efficiently as possible.)
Although exams hadn’t begun yet, the Plaza was already populated and most of the applicants hadn’t gotten past the gates yet. It took an army to keep First Wave operational and on-track to finish in five days.
Let’s hope they can handle the traffic. According to the news, there were a little over six thousand accepted applicants. However, since I was in the middle of the pack, it felt like ten thousand. We had swords of all nationalities and specialities here, dressed in their [Loadouts] with their gawky armor and robes and terrible fashion and outfits one step away from a public indecency charge. They brandished their sigs out in the open. I passed a dude with a massive sword on his back speaking with a girl with two familiars buzzing around her head. Some genius had a massive fucking spear that was twice the height of himself. Others came strapped with iron like this was a gun show.
They passively listened to employees standing on soapboxes, giving directions through a megaphone. Above them, mounted TVs displayed the same info but in a dozen different languages.
You had to admire the chaos of First Wave. You were surrounded by swords of various disciplines, personalities, and philosophies—but they all had the same pearly ambition: a ticket into the Big Four and an opportunity to make it big. Somewhere, my friends were in line as three nameless faces in the crowd.
Meanwhile, I was at the guest line.
“Can I see your card, sir?” asked the attendant, and I gave my lanyard over. She scanned the barcode and it came back positive. “Good! Here.”
She gave me a small bag containing free merch and informational documents. “You’ll find a packet containing the schedule and locations of all exams over the next five days. If you have any questions, please approach an employee wearing a bright orange vest. You’re free to leave and re-enter First Wave as many times as you want as long as you have your card.”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
“Have a good day!”
I was let inside without any hiccups. First thing I did was to pull my phone out.
> Alexander
>
> Made it inside
>
> Victor Squared
>
> let’s goooooooo
>
> Cultivator
>
> Wonderful, we’re still in line.
>
> kansai
>
> i wanna die
I checked the lines. Yeah, at this angle, they were impossibly long. I’d tell the trio to keep their chin up, but I was feeling demoralized on their behalf.
Eh, they’ll live.
According to the schedule, the first exams started in an hour. Tentatively. Given it was the first day, we could expect a delay of at least thirty minutes, probably more. That left me some time to roam around and use my tongue for something productive. Golden opportunity to do so, because all the important people would be waiting just like me.
For now, let’s just walk.
I strolled through Primordial Plaza and rudely poked my head into everything. They’d divided the Plaza into different sections to group similar exams. I was currently in the General Section, which tested broad ability and looked at the totality of your character. One example was the General Aptitude Examination, taking the form of an enclosed arena. I saw technicians making last minute adjustments to the barrier projectors.
Going deeper into the Plaza, I entered other sections—Survival, Utility, Support—and saw more of the same: workers making adjustments, proctors chatting it up, and me? I was wandering around like a kid who had lost his mom. I didn’t know who to talk to; the recruiters didn’t make their allegiance obvious.
I explored and explored, even getting a light breakfast in.
I checked my phone. It’d been forty-five minutes and no business cards. Great—
“Gomen-gomen-gomen-gomen—!” From out of left-field, a high-speed chase was taking place. Several swords and security guards ran after an androgynous kid who looked no older than eighteen. From their voice, I think the little trespasser was a boy. He was Japanese, obviously, and was somehow more goofy than Kotone. Tears welled at the corner of his eyes, the wind flapped at his whitish-blue hair, and his cosmic-navy eyes danced all over the Plaza for an escape route.
It was clear he didn’t belong here. He wasn’t a Slayer, at least I think so. His [Loadout] was a Demonic Cult t-shirt and jeans, not exactly abiding by the dress-code. He probably snuck in to meet his favorite idols.
He had guts, I’ll give him that…
For a brief moment, by the smallest divisible fraction of a second, our eyes met. Whatever Shinto god or goddess compelled him, he decided to book it straight towards me.
He immediately ran behind my back. (“What the hell—?!”) “I apologize, sir, but you seem like a man of righteous character—!” (“In what way?!”) “Please don’t let me get caught—!”
“Hey, hey, hey!” The first Slayer on-scene rolled in, boots skidding across the pavement. “C’mon, kid, you know you can’t be here! Leave the poor guy be!”
The kid hopped to look over my shoulder. “I apologize for the chaos, but I absolutely have to stay! That’s a hill I’m willing to die on!”
More reinforcements arrived. The Slayer resumed negotiations: “Let’s not get too hasty, okay? Look, if you want an autograph from Archknell or Seraph, we can—!”
“No!” the kid exclaimed, still hopping over my shoulder. “I’m not here for an autograph! I’m here for a meeting, for something much greater!”
“And what’s that?”
The kid inhaled and puffed his chest out. Stars sparkled inside his eyes like the multiverse itself was reflected. “On my name, Amamizu Rei (雨水霊), I have ventured all the way from the treacherous mountains of Japan to rescue Ordo from the throes of catastrophe!”
We stared at him. Everyone here did. Silently. Judging.
This kid watched too much anime.
Amamizu Rei cluelessly looked at everyone. “Hmm?”
I picked him up by the collar like a momma cat with her kittens. “Huh?”
The kid got hoisted onto one of the sword’s shoulders like a sack of potatoes. “Ehh?!”
Then, he was carried toward the gate. “NOOOOOO! RESCUE ME, KIND SIR—!”
And he was gone.
I think I got my unfortunate encounter out of the way. This would be a funny story to tell—
“My oh my, I was wondering what caused the commotion but it seems I came much too late. How pitiful. I wanted an appetizer before the main course.” A five-foot, ashen-haired woman stood next to me with the smuggest smile on her face. “Though, you’ll perform nicely in that boy’s stead, Alexander Shen.”
Should I feel shock or disappointment that the Guild Master of Wisdom Guild knew my name? Meet Sophos, the Genius of Stars, who was the textbook definition of a haughty, full-of-herself mage. She earned that right. She was the mage of Ordo; No.3 in the [Fabel Rankings] in this region, only because Kosmos and Seraph took the next two spots. Otherwise, she’d dominate. Don’t let her youthful looks deceive you, though. She resembled a young woman in her mid-twenties but she was actually in her sixties thanks to some magic mumbo-jumbo.
Just another achievement for the second-most talented magician to grace the Phenomena Society. From its founder, she learned his SSS-Rank [Skill], [Original Magic].
To explain how rare an SSS-Rank [Skill] was… You could win the lottery a hundred times in a row and those odds would still be better. Nobody knew the numbers, but estimates said that around a dozen had SSS-Rank [Skills]—and that was out of ten billion in the world and counting.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
And one of the unlucky dozen was staring right at me. Or up at me considering her height.
Sophos’s smile lengthened considerably, and she adjusted her round-rimmed glasses. “Why, cat got your tongue? I know I’m quite mesmerizing in-person—more than that elf certainly—but don’t stare at a woman for too long. I may be a genius, but even I get self-conscious when I’m the eye-piece of a man.” She betrayed a slight blush.
I cleared my throat and found a random direction to look at. She was old enough to be my mom. Grandmother, even. “You heard about me from Silverhonor?”
“And Empress. Naturally, anyone who manages to irritate Silverhonor has their name passed around like a curse. To irritate her and the murim-in princess?” Sophos put a hand over her mouth and snickered at my expense. “I almost can’t believe it! For a man as ridiculously handsome as yourself, you have the conversational skills as an ape! A Neanderthal! A hopeless, scrambling rogue!”
Sophos continued to laugh at me. I was getting bullied by a little girl. Yeah, that shock and disappointment went straight into irritation instead. If I could legally kick this little brat and get away with it, I would. For now, I had to endure it.
My restraint was tested, though, as she pointed at my eyes. “My, what terrifying eyes. Your silver gaze on mine, it looks like you want to beat me black-and-blue. I’m afraid not, unless you want to be atomically obliterated. I am a True Mythos, after all, but you don’t seem frightened by my presence.”
I took my “silver gaze” elsewhere. “You already know who I am, you’re insulting me, so I might as well drop the formalities and talk to you casually.”
“No, that fearlessness is the reason why you moved against Glory so brazenly.” Sophos stepped toward me, a mad glint of curiosity in her white eyes. “You had your fair share of exceptional experiences, which is why you’re talking to me as if we’re acquaintances. How fascinating. If I could, I’d bind your wrists and ankles to a table and dissect you personally.”
I shimmied away from her.
Sophos enjoyed another laugh. “A harmless joke, obviously. I dissect only breachers, not humans. Color me interested nonetheless. You’ve come here to network, haven’t you?”
Earning the attention of Sophos herself was, well, that came with a lot of implications. I gulped. “How could you tell?”
Sophos raised a couple fingers and rubbed the corner of her imaginary mustache. “An easy deduction, Watson. You’re in a precarious situation in terms of financial stability. Currently, you slave away as a part-time instructor at Ordo University. Despite your distaste of castles, you’re here. Why? It’s child’s play.”
She pressed a finger against my chest. “You’re killing your pride for a good salary.”
That was probably the worst way she could have phrased it, but not like I did myself any favors. Silverhonor had spread that rumor around; or, it was as what Sophos said: an easy deduction. Anyone who loved castles wouldn’t threaten Glory Guild. Hell, most sane people wouldn’t do that regardless of opinion. Truth be told, my opinion about castles was more than a blanket hate-love, but this wasn’t the time nor the place for semantics.
Gently, I brushed her finger aside. “And what does that mean for us—? Eh?”
Something changed after she touched me. All the arrogance inside her eyes were replaced—I didn’t know what or why—and her pupils had been rendered into quivering pinpoints. When she noticed my change of expression, Sophos disengaged and had her back toward me.
“Sophos?” I asked. “What’s going on—?”
“W-Whether or not I am interested, Wisdom will contact you,” she said with a slight tremble in her words. “And don’t worry about a business card or anything outdated such as that. I have my methods, mhm!”
“Okay…?”
“That’s all!” She waved faster than appropriate. “Toodle-loo!”
And there she went, leaving as fast as she arrived. That was…interesting to say the least. I’d never seen Sophos look shaken before. What the hell did she see? Was it me or…? Ugh, there was no use thinking about it. Let’s focus on the facts. I had her attention. Yeah, getting the Sophos interested in you was like finding a unicorn in the woods but that wasn’t the point. If she knew about me, then everyone knew—the higher-circles, I mean. They had my name on a list. Of what? Blacklist, persons of interest, possible superstars? I didn’t know, nor did I want to know.
But the Big Four knew about me. Angels, Glory, Wisdom, and… Martials.
Martials Guild most likely knew my name. If Empress had shared the details about getting threatened with a pressure-point technique, then…
Fuck, this wasn’t good.
Like I said, going to First Wave would either be the best or worst decision in my life. Jokes on me, that decision was made from the moment I met with Silverhonor and Empress. Talk about consequences.
I got my phone out.
> Alexander
>
> Thea needs me for smth
>
> I have to bow out
>
> Victor Squared
>
> aw man
>
> you coming back later?
>
> Alexander
>
> Depends
>
> Cultivator
>
> If you need help, we’re here.
>
> Alexander
>
> Nah, I think we’ll be good but thx
Let’s get out of here.
***
This was a mistake. I shouldn’t have made contact—no, what am I thinking? Not even Master could predict a situation like this. It was so profoundly absurd that you’d be laughed out of the room for even considering such a thing! Yet for it to happen…!
“You scared him away.”
“Geh?!” Sophos jumped several meters in the air. She landed, cleared her throat, and stood professionally as any good Guild Master would. Speaking of terrifying men, here’s one.
The creepy man behind the corner remained unfazed by her circus act. These cultivators knew nothing of manners or basic decency, even for an urban prince like him. She would’ve preferred the company of the ironically-honorable Demonic Cult than the “sect” belonging to the Coward of Red Tears. Though, the Coward and his son were two very different men. In fact, they seemed related not at all.
The only thing that proved their relations was their [Ancestral Qi], the famed [Skill] of the Jin Family.
The cultivator stood face-to-face with her genius self. Yes, he was quite different from his father. If that old man was a decaying relic, then this boy was the crown prince in a historical C-drama. He had the posture, beauty, and dress of one, able to charm any fair maiden with a wink alone. Though, he was far from an ideal partner. While he possessed the required elegance, he had the lethality of a hand caressing the hilt of a sheathed blade. Each time he smiled, his lips would curl so slightly to barely reveal a thin white line of teeth—and yet, his eyes would smile not at all.
Sophos bit the inside of her cheek. He is the last man I want to have a conversation with. “Vice Guild Master Jin Tianyou (金天佑)—ugh, what a mouthful.” I meant to say that last part in my head, dammit!
Jin Tianyou ignored her offense and continued, “Guild Master Sophos. Forgive me for eavesdropping on your conversation.”
Sophos turned her head and scoffed. “I will not, unless you kowtow and lick the underside of my shoe. You ‘orthodox’ cultivators of the Heavenly Xia Court are often without tact and sophistication. Like father, like son, I suppose.”
Her insults were pellets deflecting off of hard armor. His father would’ve snapped back, yet all his son did was smile that meaningless smile.
He held his hands behind his back as though he was addressing a retainer. “I was merely curious about why you approached a ren. The Sophos I’m familiar with, she pays no second thought to any…” He paused to think. “Unqualified individuals. That man, Alexander Shen, must have something appealing. Other than his notorious wit as I heard.”
Dammit. We brought Shen further troubles than we intended. More importantly, I’m in trouble! Any conversation with Jin Tianyou was toxic. Toxic to her guild, and toxic to her sanity most of all.
She said, “It’s quite frankly none of your concern, cultivator.”
“Is that so—?”
“Shoo.” She motioned. “Shoo, shoo. I’m brushing you away like a stray cat. Come on, leave, little boy. Listen to your jiejie, she has better things to do.”
Jin Tianyou stood next to her, yet he faced the vastness of Primordial Plaza, staring at the spot where the poor corpo had been standing minutes earlier. He maintained his perfect posture and expression like a doll. Yes, that was the best way to describe him. His entire existence, his reason for living, his character; it was just that: a doll.
“I believe Alexander Shen is my concern,” he said like he was talking about the weather. “I’ve watched him for not even five minutes, yet I could tell something festers inside him. A flame burns within his bosom, brighter and hotter than any aspirants outside these very gates. He’s the most abnormal man in the entire Plaza—no, in the entire city.”
That… That very well may be true, which is more of a reason why you should never meet him. Shen left exactly at the right time. I’m not sure if I could pull Jin Tianyou away once his mind is set on something. Sophos clicked her tongue. “Well, that’s quite a high praise from you, but I very well have to be going.”
She started walking and expected a polite farewell from Junjie’s boy. He said nothing. He didn’t move from his place. Jin Tianyou kept staring at where Shen had been as if he would come walking back.
For a corpo who strayed from castles, Alexander Shen gained the attention of the Big Four in a single month through no fault of his own.
Sophos fled and found a quiet corner in the Plaza where she wouldn’t be disturbed. She snapped her fingers and formed a small isolation bubble around her. A powerful kind, one that would stop nearly all attempts of penetration from outside actors. Whatever she said here would be secure despite being in public.
[CALLING: Rector]
He immediately answered, “Sophos. Have you made contact with Shen?”
“That…” Sophos gulped, shakily taking off her glasses to clean them using her shirt. She applied enough pressure that they could break.
Rector moved closer to the call-screen. “Sophos?”
“I-I had to remove myself from the conversation for my own safety,” she spat, sounding harsher than she intended. “Thinking about it now, when Empress had been caught by that devil, she was lucky to escape with her life.”
“What—? You’re not making sense. Shen is a ren. What could’ve prompted this reaction—?”
“I used my appraisal [Skill] on him,” Sophos answered shortly. “Rector, we have to re-evaluate everything we know. Because that man… That man has an SSS-Rank [Skill] and an undeveloped SS-Rank.”
He was dead silent.
Sophos continued, “We cannot let this information spread; for now, we’ll keep this intel between us and restart our observations. Expand them, even. Everything and everyone connected to Alexander Shen, not a morsel wasted.”