"After Naomi calmed down, she just got up and left and didn't talk to me again when I wanted to talk to her. I also didn't see Marcus and his friends again for the rest of the day. Others also didn't talk to me either, even the guy who warned me!" I vented to Alaric in frustration as he drove us home, his nod acknowledging my distress.

"And how does being rich affect anything? Does having more money really change anything?" I continued, Alaric's knowledge about wealth only fueling my anger.

"And my name! What is so funny about it? I know you said not to care, but every time someone chuckled, it felt horrible."

"Looks like it was a bad day," Alaric said softly. I nodded. "The worst!"

He chuckled. I looked at him while frowning.

"Is it funny?"

"No," Alaric replied with a smile on his face. "I was just surprised that nothing changed for 21 years."

"You went to school, too?" I asked, surprised by this sudden knowledge.

"Of course. All grown-ups did."

"Then why didn't you tell me it is a horrible place!" I asked again.

"I did mention the bullying, but remember, everyone's school experience is unique. For example, your father was also bullied, but not me and your mother."

"Did they?" I whispered. I felt a bit sad when Alaric talked about them. I looked down.

"How were they? In the school, I mean."

"Well, your mother was an exceptional hunter—strong, fast, and capable of defeating enemies in just minutes," he said with a warm smile. His gaze held a deep emotion—part melancholy, part nostalgia—that I couldn't quite grasp. He continued after taking a deep breath.

"In your school system, you can think that your mother was in rank A. Your father was probably in rank B or C. He was a good technician, nevertheless. Some people were surprised at how they were always stuck together. Your mother always went into trouble because of your father."

"Really?"

"Yes. Your mother beat the bullies up all the time. If she weren't a good student, she would have been kicked out years ago. Everything changed when they started dating, though."

"So my mother could beat up other students, but I can't."

"Well, in our time, the First Loss didn't happen, and people didn't hate outsiders," Alaric said harshly. I sighed.

"I wish I could be in your time. I'm sure your school system didn't have a stupid ranking system either."

"It didn't, but that didn't make things any better."

"How so?" I asked, turning my gaze to him.

"The weak students, in your case, class E, didn't get any chance to improve or prove themselves. In any event, the strongest students are selected, making weak students cannot be improved. In your system, weak students have a chance to prove themselves or to improve themselves."

"But Nova said the weak students are cast out."

"Well," Alaric shrugged, "it wasn't much different. If you are not a successful student, the outcome would be the same as your school described. In your school, let us say they made it more systematic and obvious."

"But that's not fair!" I said sadly.

"Life is not fair, Bumble. You have to be strong enough to make judgments on your side. Your friend Marcus, for example-"

"He is not my friend!" I interrupted.

"Doesn't matter. Marcus is outside of the judgment system because his family is wealthy. Or your mother, I told you she beat up a lot of people but didn't get expelled because of her success. If you look at that, your mother and Marcus are the same."

"How so? Marcus bullies, my mother protects."

"Your mother beat students up. It is not the right way to solve a problem, and she also actually didn't help your father."

"But, she protected him."

"She took away the opportunity from your father by protecting him. She thought she did a good thing; everyone else thought she did a good thing, but it didn't turn out to be good in the end. Your mother acted too early to protect him!" He stopped suddenly and took a deep breath to calm himself.

"In the end, your father became a weak person. Sometimes, helping someone causes unwanted consequences. It might seem a good thing to everyone, even to that person. But before you can help them, they should take the first step to help themselves. They should fight for themselves. I didn't mean that you shouldn't help someone in any other way; this thought is wrong. But you should help them when they finally start to help themselves if needed or ask for your help."

Alaric continued, softening his tone, "While it's true that helping can sometimes have unintended consequences, it's also important to remember the good it can do. There are times when timely help has lifted someone out of a tough spot or even changed their path for the better. For example, when a simple act of kindness from a stranger makes a profound difference in someone's life, These moments matter, Bumble. They show us the power of reaching out."

He glanced over thoughtfully, "Helping isn't just about intervening in big ways; sometimes, it's those small gestures of support that empower others to stand up for themselves. It's about finding the right balance, knowing when to step in and when to stand back and let others find their strength."

I thought his words.

"It is about Naomi, right?" I asked.

"No, it is something you should know. I actually prefer that you do not help anyone because humans are not kind. They will use you in every possible way you might and might not think. And helping someone will make you look like a weak person in their eyes. But if you really want to help them, wait. Wait until they do the first step. Of course, if it worsens, if that person gets worse and worse every passing day, then do something if necessary."

I nodded to him. As we reached home, I asked Alaric another question.

"They told me something about the job. What is it?"

"It's how you get money."

"Money again," I sighed. "It is strange that humans still use money even after all this."

"Well, they need something to exchange. Money let us do that."

"And how did you get money?" I asked. "We lived in the forest for around 14 years, and you were always by my side."

"I saved a lot of money before coming here. That is why I was able to buy many things."

"And what about the job?" I asked. He smiled.

"If you are worrying about starving, don't worry. I found a job."

"Really!" I asked, curious about his job.

"What is your job?"

"I've taken a job at a restaurant washing dishes. It's nothing glamorous, but it's something."

"Wow!" I said. I felt excited for Alaric. "So you can earn money by just washing other's dishes? Awesome!"

Alaric chuckled and patted my head.

"Let's get in," Alaric said as he entered the house.

"Oh, wait, I still have some questions!" I yelled as I ran behind him. As Alaric prepared dinner, I asked him about my questions.

"Nova told me about some events called "flag race" and "voidspawn simulation," but I don't know what they are. Do you?"

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

"I'm somehow familiar with the events you told me, but I am unsure if they are still the same. I believe the flag race involves two teams, each defending their own flag while attempting to capture the others. The first team to capture another team flag is probably the winner. For voidspawn simulation, I believe you will fight voidspawns as a team, but I am not sure."

"What about the brochure?" I asked without giving him a break.

"What brochure?" Alaric asked.

"Well, Hanna told me something about a brochure. She told me something about school in it, but-"

Alaric sighed, causing me to stop talking. He seemed a bit sad.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. The brochure is some paper. I am surprised it is still used. It contains information about, in your case, the school."

"Oh," I said excitedly. "And where is the brochure?"

"We-" He stopped before continuing. He was thinking carefully about his following words. "I think I accidentally put it in the trash," he said with a smile. "I didn't think it was something important."

"Oh," I said again, this time a bit sad. "Okay. Then what about the voice?"

"What voice?"

"The voice when I tried to talk to you. I think I said something like 'I want to talk, Alaric,' and a mysterious voice inside my headphones answered it!"

Alaric laughed at the end of my sentence. It was not a mocking laugh like the others.

"It's the AI," he replied.

"AI? In these devices, too?" I said slowly.

"Yes. But on our devices, you can think of it as a helper for everyday work. It will listen, learn, and even talk back, helping you with whatever you need."

"Wait, it will listen to everything?"

"As long as you wear your headphones," Alaric said. That made me relaxed.

"Didn't they give you any homework, by the way?" Alaric asked this time.

"Oh yeah, I did!" I said excitedly. "Will I get any money from that since it's work?"

Alaric smiled warmly.

"No."

The smile on my face faded slowly. I felt disappointed.

"Oh," I said. "Well, must I do it?"

"Yes."

"How is that fair?" I said sadly. All this knowledge made me feel sadder.

"Well, they give you homework so you can practice what you learned from school."

"But we never done that at the forest!"

"Well, we knew everything would change when we moved here. Now go to your room and finish your homework."

I sighed and, feeling frustrated, followed Alaric's instructions. I went to my room, mumbling to myself.

"I thought it was all going to be survival and friendship. All I saw was bullying and power and money and... and friendlessness!" I said, not knowing that friendlessness was even a word! I entered my room, sat down, took my homework from my bag, and started doing it.

"X square plus y square... I am going to show you what a square is!" I kept mumbling and continued to mumble like that until Alaric called me for dinner.

When I entered the room, there was strange food on my table.

"This happened at the cafeteria too. I ate a strange orange whitish thing that was hard to chew but tasty, with rice and something brown and sweet. Now, this potato is next to the brown thing. What is this?"

Alaric smiled, but his smile contained shame. I didn't understand why.

"Well, these are meat. Hunting was forbidden, so you never eat meat in the forest."

"Meat?" I asked. "What is that?"

"It's meat—animal flesh that's high in protein."

"Did I eat the birds in the forest?" I asked, shocked by this sudden realization.

"No, the birds you saw in the forest don't have enough meat on them. You probably ate some bigger bird like chicken or turkey."

"Oh, okay, okay," I nodded. "And what is protein?"

Alaric sighed at my questions.

"Let me explain it to you as we eat," Alaric said as he sat. He explained what animals, protein, carbohydrates, and fat are as we eat.

"So, am I eating a corpse?" I asked. He stopped and thought about it for a while.

"Well, I never thought about it, but probably."

"Eww," I said. He laughed.

"Well, it is good for your health. It is also very tasty," he said as he took a big bite of the meat. I chuckled at his gesture.

"Finally," he said. I looked at him, confused. "I never thought I could see your smile today."

"Oh, come on," I said, I felt my cheeks got warmer. Alaric laughed this time at my reaction, and we continued to eat it.

The morning came quickly. Different than usual, Alaric woke me up today.

"Bumble," he said confused. "Why are you still in bed?"

I moaned as I slowly got up.

"I don't know." I yawned. "I will get ready quickly," I said and went to the bathroom quickly. After I got ready, we ran to the forest as a warm-up exercise. Alaric brought his hologram creator with him.

"Today, we will train with voidspawn hologram."

This brighten me up. Fighting against holograms was easier than Alaric.

"Okay!"

"Get ready." He said as he put the device on the ground. I got into my position as he gave me the black plastic knife.

After a little bip sound, a random type of void spawn emerged and lunged at me.

"You know what to do: decide it's typed, find it's a weak spot and attack."

I nodded Alaric as the voidspawn made another attack. As I evaded that attack, I started to analyze the creature before me and think about the checklist Alaric had made me memorize.

Does it have wings? No.

Does any part of his body longer? No.

Is it slow? No.

Does it have the ability to stretch itself?

As I thought of the answer, the hologram arm stretched and attacked. Yes!

It hit me, causing me to hit the tree.

"Concentrate!" Alaric said with a harsh tone. I nodded and evaded its next attack.

What else, what else? Does it spill anything? No. Then... Its core must be in its chest!

I looked at the chest, but the only thing I saw was black.

"Alaric, are you sure the hologram is right?" As I asked, the hologram hit me again.

"Don't ask! Find the weak spot!" Alaric said harshly again.

It should be in the chest! I thought with worry. I started to panic. Where is it?

As it attacked again, I rolled to evade the hit, and then I saw it.

Tail, it had a tail! Then, the weak spot is in its tail!

I sprang up to strike its tail but was knocked back again, my spine slamming against the tree. I moaned with the pain. As the voidspawn slowly approached me, I took a deep breath. When it used its hand to attack me again, I rolled and cut its tail, causing it to disappear.

I gasped for breath as I looked at Alaric. He looked unhappy, as always, in every training session.

"I forgot to check for other body parts," I admitted before Alaric could tell me anything.

"I didn't ask," he said coldly. I nodded.

"If it were a real voidspawn, it would have eaten you already, or worse, turned you into one of them.

I sighed and nodded.

"Again," Alaric said as he activated the device.

"Already?" I asked with shock, but before I could say anything, another type of voidspawn emerged and attacked me.

🐝🐝🐝

As I entered the classroom, I did my best not to moan from pain. I slowly walked to my desk and sat. Today's training went very badly. I took my notebook from my backpack and put it on the table. Since it was early and no one was in the school, I put my head on the desk and closed my eyes to relax. I thought about the training and wondered where I had gone wrong.

Maybe AI could help me, I thought, and put the headphones on.

"Are you there?" I asked, but it didn't respond. Maybe I should have been more specific.

"Artificial Intelligence, are you there."

"You can call me MAI or any other name you would like to give," I jumped from my seat. I didn't think it would actually work. I tried not to show my surprise, even though I knew it couldn't see me.

"Mai?" I asked.

"MAI, a short version of "My Artificial Intelligence", found by the company called 'Drayton'. I will help you with your daily routines as best as I can!"

I nodded.

"So, what do you think about today's training?" I asked.

"I am sorry, I don't have any record that shows your training data. Can I assist you in another way? If you have questions or need information, feel free to ask!"

I sighed at its response. Of course, I wasn't wearing any of my gadgets.

"No, thank you," I said, taking out the headphones. I put my head back and closed my eyes.

I didn't know how much time passed. I did hear some noises, but I only paid attention when someone's voice directly addressed me.

"Are you okay?"

I raised my head from the desk and looked at the voice. It was Naomi.

"Yeah, I am fine. I just... fell from the stairs." I lied.

"Oh, are you okay?" she asked. Her voice sounded concerned.

"I am fine. The pain will probably be gone tomorrow. How about you? Are you okay?" I asked, thinking about her and Marcus's encounter. She understood what I meant and gave me a warm smile.

"I am okay. Luckily, my uncle was waiting for me outside yesterday. They couldn't do anything to me. Oh, and sorry for not talking to you yesterday. I just didn't feel like it."

"It's okay," I reassured her with a smile. "What did they want from you anyway?" I asked. Naomi took her gaze away.

"I helped someone. One of Marcus' bullies. Now, I am the black goat."

"What about that person?" I asked. She shrugged.

"I don't know. Some say he and his family went missing, some say they were killed, and others say they simply moved away."

"I am sorry," I said. She smiled again.

"Don't be. But this should be a lesson to you. Please don't do anything for me. I don't want you to go through the same path as I did."

I was eager to help Naomi, but I respected her wishes and held back. We talked until the black-haired guy, my deskmate, came and took his seat. Naomi got back to her seat as well.

"Hey," I said to him, but he only nodded as he took out his books.

"So, I wanted to say thank you for yesterday. For your warning."

"Don't mention it," he mumbled. It was clear that he didn't want to talk to me, so I stopped trying to talk to him. When the bell rang, the bald teacher came as well.

"Hello, students," he said with the same tone as yesterday.

"Before we begin our class, I have to make an announcement," he said as a projectile showed the name list.

"Our first event this year, the flag race, is coming closer. Within a month, the event will be held. As you know, six students, three males, and three females, must join the games. Let me tell you the rules since it will be your first game. The game will happen between the classes at your level. In this case, you will be against all 9th grades. You will try to get other teams flag and bring it to your area. The winning group's students will get the chance to rank up according to their success. Failures will lose their class or remain the same. Some students have already applied, but some are still missing." He said, then looked at the projectile.

"So far, the applicants are Rhys, Silas, Naomi, and Nolan. We are missing two female applicants. Who wants to enter?"

"I want to enter," a female said from my backseat.

"Okay, can you tell me your name?"

"Freya."

He nodded as he typed the name on the screen.

"Alright, anyone else?" he asked as he looked around. I wanted to enter, but it seemed fun. Some female students looked fearful, and some were indifferent; Naomi's face showed that she was in shock. Her eyes showed pain as she glanced at my way. Something was wrong. I gulped and raised my hand.

"I want to join!" I exclaimed, feeling a surge of excitement mixed with a tinge of fear. The room fell silent, every eye on me reflecting a mixture of shock and curiosity.

"Are you sure?" the teacher asked. "Because of your special circumstances, let me say that this is not a family-friendly game. You will fight with your opponent to win. Of course, many started to learn to fight this year, but you applied here almost at the mid-semester; you don't have any experience or practice. Are you sure you still want to join?"

"Yes," I said, my heart pounding. I wasn't afraid of fighting, but something in me was tingling with excitement, and my body was trembling with expectation.

"If you say so," he said, entering my name as well.

"You have one month to prepare yourselves. My suggestion is to prepare together. Good luck to you all." He said and started the lesson.