The scene returned to a depressed and distraught Amber lying in her bed, with Ariel gazing in concern from her bed. Amber's red, puffy eyes indicated that she had just finished a long crying session.

Silence filled the room as neither woman traded any words, or rather, the mood in the air disallowed any conversation.

What should I even say? I'm unsure what she went through, so I can't find the words to help her. Ariel thought.

"I'm sorry, Ariel. I know I'm...bringing down the mood," Amber suddenly said.

"O-Oh, it's fine! I-I can tell you're struggling inside..." Ariel stuttered. "You don't need to push yourself...just rest."

"...Thank you..." Amber expressed her gratitude.

"...Whenever you're ready, you can talk to me..." Ariel added. "I'm here for you..."

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Ryzen was conversing with Barry in his office.

"So, how is Kreuger?" Barry inquired. "How strong is he?"

"To be honest, I never expected a person like him to be as strong and skilled as he is," Ryzen said. "He might be the top ten strongest humans I've met."

Well, in this era. Ryzen thought.

"What? That's impressive..." Barry said as he rubbed his chin.

"I see you're doing deals with mafia now," Ryzen continued. Hearing this, Barry jumped in shock.

"How did you...it's not like I wanted to--"

"Don't worry, I don't care," Ryzen interjected. "It'll be better this way."

Better this way? Barry thought with a raised eyebrow. Tsk, this is why I have a problem working with this guy. He's always so weird.

"Anyways, you and Kreuger will start tomorrow," Barry said as he changed the topic.

"Do we have to teach kids in the Enlightenment Program...or whatever it's called?" Ryzen asked.

"Kids? Aren't you thirty, and isn't Kreuger twenty-five?" Barry asked. "The soldiers are also in their twenties. You aren't that far in age from them."

"Everyone's kids to me, mate,"

"Sigh, you know your skills will be useful to the soldiers, Ryzen," Barry explained. "And I was planning on putting Kreuger in the program as well, but if he's as good as you say he is, then he can also help in the soldiers' growths,"

"Uhm, not too sure if that guy would help them, but whatever, man."

"Also, there's a special individual you should look out for," Barry advised.

"Who?"

"Her name is Amber Hoss. Her family got attacked by Jack the Ripper, but she was the sole survivor, to which she attributes the reason to be her god's blessing," Barry explained.

Hearing this, Ryzen began to rub his chin. Strangely, a smile began to form, but Ryzen quickly covered it with his hand, which sparked Barry's confusion.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Ahem, I see," Ryzen said as he removed his hand from his mouth, revealing his usual facial expression. "Guess I'll watch her then."

"Good. Amber was a normal girl before her traumatic experience, so treat her well."

God's blessing, huh? Ryzen thought.

* * *

Thus concludes the day and another day begins with the blaring sounds of horn sirens on the outskirts of the dormitory. The sirens were so loud that everyone was roused from their sleep, including Amber and Ariel.

"Ugh...what's that sound...?" Amber asked as she groggily rubbed her eyes.

Ariel silently yawned as she woke up.

"Good morning, soldiers," A voice on the sirens said amid the sirens. "As per the program's rules, you are to start the day by running seven laps around the compound. In other words, you must run sixteen thousand meters."

"Huh!?" Amber uttered. "I...It's four in the morning!" She said as she checked her phone.

"You have ten minutes to accomplish this. Failure to do so will result in termination from the program. Time starts in one minute." The voice concluded.

"What!? Termination!?" Amber exclaimed with visible concern.

"C'mon, we can't waste any time, Amber," Ariel said as she quickly hopped out of bed. "You can use your blessing at will now, right?"

Seeing Ariel's initiative, Amber became calmer. Suddenly, Amber's irises glowed yellow.

"...Yeah, let's go," Amber stated.

Although they had bed hair, the duo ventured outside and began their mandatory task.

Ariel glanced at her friend as they ran together. It seems she's back to her usual self now. Ariel thought. That's good.

"I thought my body would have been super sore, but it feels better than I thought!" Amber remarked.

"Yeah, you recovered nicely!" Ariel commended.

As they ran, they met up with the other students, including their newly made friend, Sariel.

"Hey, Sariel!" Amber greeted them as they caught up to her. Ariel simultaneously waved at her. "What's up?"

"Hello, guys," Sariel responded. Her Roman numeral-shaped iris was occasionally changing as usual.

"Did you share a dorm with anyone yesterday?" Amber asked.

"Hmm? No, I didn't," Sariel replied. "I don't think anyone shared rooms."

"Really? That's strange?" Ariel said. "Amber and I shared rooms."

"Hmm, maybe they ran out of space?" Sariel speculated.

"Oh well, let's just focus on completing this task!" Ariel said. "We only have ten minutes, after all!"

"Right!" Amber said with determination when they suddenly sped up.

Ten minutes flew by, and so did their laps around the complex. They completed their compulsory exercise. Amber had to catch her breath after running the laps, but she was not nearly as winded as her performance yesterday.

"Huff* Huff* We did it!" Amber excitedly said after catching her breath.

"Yep!" Ariel responded. Apart from breaking a bit of sweat, Ariel seemed composed, similar to Sariel.

* * *

Aiden, Baran, and Ivory also completed at around the same time. Strangely, Aiden gazed at Amber and the trio with curiosity.

Yeah, I was wrong about her after all. She's strong. Aiden thought. She probably hid her true power at the start.

"Tch, how the hell did that woman complete this one?" Baran questioned. "There aren't any obstacles, but still...She must be cheating or something,"

"Hmm, you think so?" Aiden muttered.

"Congratulations to the successful individuals...you may now return to prepare for the day," The voice on the intercom said.

"C'mon, we gotta get ready! Class starts at 4:30," Ariel advised. In response, Amber's eyes bulged with surprise.

"4: 30!?"

"Yeah, from 4:30 - 7:00 is weapons training," Sariel said. "we didn't do it yesterday because we did that obstacle course."

"Weapons training...I see," Amber said as she held her chin. "Well, let's go, then!"

Happily, Amber followed as they led her to class.

* * *

They arrived at the yard and were greeted by only one person: Ryzen Cain. He watched as everyone stepped into the yard, with a mixture of expressions ranging from confusion to admiration.

"Wait, isn't that...the Ryzen!?" Aiden said.

"Who's that?" Baran asked.

"Did you live under a rock?" Aiden retorted, which provoked Baran's ire. "He's one of the greatest soldiers!"

"Why does he have...glowing moles on his face?" Ivory asked.

"Don't worry about that," Ryzen said as he listened to their conversation. "Just a part of my......blessing,"

One of the greatest heroes, huh? Amber thought.

"I'll be your weapons and intelligence training instructor," Ryzen said. Strangely, he gazed at Amber, who noticed. "I hope we'll have a great time."

Huh? Is he looking at me? Amber asked herself.

So that's the one, huh? Ryzen pondered. To think she got blessed by that god. How lucky.