Tavian sized up the boy who had attacked him. He was massive, clearly taller and built like a tank, easily twice Tavian's weight. The boy stood up again, getting into a fighting stance.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Tavian shouted.

“Anyone who joins this room has to fight me first,” the boy bellowed.

What for, exactly? Tavian thought, baffled.

“Come on, fatty, show him who’s boss!” one of the others jeered, egging him on.

The fat boy continued, “If you beat me, you get to be the boss of this room,” he growled before launching himself forward, his heavy steps shaking the floor.

Damn, this kid’s built like a boulder. A hit from him would definitely be dangerous. But it was clear they weren’t going to back down from this ridiculous initiation ritual.

Tavian’s mind raced. How do I fight someone this big? He needed a plan—brute force wouldn’t work against a guy with this kind of build.

Tavian quickly planted his feet, preparing to use their weight difference to his advantage. The fat boy lunged, throwing several punches. Tavian leaped back, dodging as best he could, looking for an opening. When the moment was right, he grabbed the boy’s arm—but the boy grinned.

“Not for the second time, skinny boy,” he said, yanking his arm to the side. Tavian nearly lost his balance from the sheer force.

Regaining his footing, Tavian jumped back again, narrowly dodging a combo of punches aimed at him.

Damn, this is tough!

He kept circling, searching for an opportunity, but despite his size, the fat boy was fast. Each punch came with surprising speed. But as the fight dragged on, Tavian noticed the boy’s movements beginning to slow. He was tired from the relentless attacks.

Now’s my chance!

Tavian spun and delivered a precise kick straight to the boy’s head. The impact was solid, and the fat boy crashed to the floor with a thunderous thud that shook the room.

After the fight, Tavian stood victorious, and the other boys around him looked on in amazement.

“Whoa… he actually won! Hahaha!”

“Oh yeah, the last guy won, hooray!”

The four boys surrounded Tavian, laughing in disbelief.

“Man, I thought you were weak. Where did all that power come from, huh?”

A couple of them grabbed his arm, feeling his muscles.

“Whoa, these arms—do you hit the gym every day or something? Haha!”

The fat boy, still looking dazed, stood up, wiping blood from his mouth. Then, without hesitation, he bowed at a sharp 90-degree angle and shouted, “You’ve won. You’re the boss of this room now. Accept our respect!”

The other four boys immediately lined up next to him, bowing to Tavian in unison.

What the hell are they doing? Tavian thought, bewildered.

Ignoring them, he walked past, heading to the last untouched bed in the room—the one closest to the door. Clearly mine now, he thought, tossing his bag down next to it before sitting on the bed, still shaking his head at the ridiculousness of the situation.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Tavian had never formally studied martial arts, but his work demanded physical strength, and surviving in a harsh environment with minimal light had sharpened his instincts. As for how he knew how to dodge and strike effectively? Well, that came from hunting wild animals in the forest for food. He used tools like guns, bows and daggers—skills that miners in his town, which bordered a dangerous forest, often developed.

The area was prone to monster attacks, so survival meant being prepared.

The five boys gathered around him, two sitting on the empty spots beside him.

"Hey boss, tell me, what's your name?"

"Tavian," he replied.

"You’re so cool! What’s your rank, and what’s your Signature Card rarity?" one of them asked excitedly.

Before Tavian could respond, another boy from across the room—a short kid with glasses—spoke up. "He’s Rank D with a Common rarity card."

Tavian turned, surprised the glasses boy knew that.

Seems like he recognized me.

"Oh, really? Common rarity? Hahaha... what a shame someone as strong as you ended up with a Common Signature Card," one of the others teased.

The fat boy, now standing proudly in front of them, pulled out his own card. The back cover was green, and the front was blue. "See, boss? I’ve got an Uncommon rarity Defensive Card!" He flexed his arm muscles. "Isn't it perfect for my build? Hahaha!"

"Yeah, fatty, but you’ll end up as a support worker, gathering resources while the vanguards do all the real work, hahaha."

The fat boy sighed and puffed out his chest. "I’ll transfer to Vanguard Division one day and get my Legendary card. I’ll become the greatest Card Hunter our Union has ever seen!"

"Keep dreaming, fatty! Hahaha!"

"Have any of you heard about Special rarity cards?" Tavian asked, tossing the question into the group.

"What’s that? I’ve never heard of it, boss," the fat boy replied, looking puzzled.

"It’s just as it sounds—Special rarity. The rarest kind of Signature Card," the boy with glasses answered, his voice confident.

"How do you know something like that?" the fat boy asked.

"I study, unlike you, with all muscles and no brain," the glasses boy shot back.

"Sigh, fine, tell me what this Special rarity is. I’ve never heard of it."

Tavian perked up, now even more interested. This glasses boy seemed to know more than the others.

"Special rarity is the rarest type of Signature Card. There are probably only a handful in an entire Union," the glasses boy continued.

"What? Are Special cards only Signature Cards? What about regular cards?" the fat boy asked.

"Yes, Special rarity only applies to Signature Cards," the glasses boy confirmed.

"What about the back cover, huh?" the fat boy cut in. "What color is it?"

"The colors vary," the boy with glasses answered calmly. "It could be white, green, blue, or any of the usual colors."

The fat boy scoffed, "All this Special rarity talk sounds like nonsense, especially if only a handful of people supposedly have it. Hahaha."

The glasses boy sighed in frustration at the conversation.

"What would the Union do if they found someone with a Special rarity Signature Card?" Tavian asked, curious.

"They’d treat them like VIPs, obviously. But since Special rarity is so incredibly rare, I’m not sure how they’d handle someone with it. Maybe they’d even take the card and analyze it, trying to figure out how to duplicate something like that," the glasses boy explained with a tired sigh. "And what’s the point of even talking about Special rarity Signature Cards when we’re all stuck in the Forge Division, the lowest tier?"

"Hey, glasses," the fat boy walked over and slapped the boy's shoulder. "You’ve got brains, but you’re way too pessimistic, haha."

"I’m being realistic!" The glasses boy shot back, clearly annoyed.

Tavian nodded slowly, absorbing the explanation. He understood that he needed to grow first—break through to Card Apprentice as quickly as possible.

On the bright side, being in the Forge Division was designed to help them train their bodies and break through faster, even if it lacked the broader, deeper training given to those destined for the Card Hunter path. Maybe that was just an excuse for the academy to avoid spending more money on those they deemed the lowest in their class.

Well, time to sleep. Tomorrow would be the opening ceremony, and Tavian planned to make the most of his time at the academy, starting from the bottom in the Forge Division. For now, he was just a Rank D, with a Common-rarity Signature Card in their eyes, but he knew he was more than that.