Around an hour elapses and the six of us have essentially run out of conversational topics. It doesn’t help that Alex is not very vocal and that Ivana refuses to talk to me. The discussion had been mostly carried by Adam and Sylvia who are both extremely competent at socializing, but even they cannot make it last indefinitely. Thankfully, the floor has gotten crowded since we’ve arrived, indicating that we won’t have to entertain each other for much longer. As expected, our watches light up and a holographic figure emerges from them. The one on the other side of the hologram is a man, probably nearing 60 years old, with a long black beard covered in streaks of gray which he gently strokes. His bushy eyebrows nearly cover his eyes. He possesses a full head of short, dark hair which, in contrast to his beard, shows no sign of graying.
The man clears his throat and begins his announcement.
“Ahem, good morning to all new 2nd quarter students, I am truly glad to see so many aspiring [enlightened] gathered here today. For those who are not aware, my name is Trevor Mistveil, I am DaiKar’s dean. I’m afraid I can’t be here in person today, hence, this hologram will have to do.”
‘I wonder how strong one has to be to be the dean here…’
He pursues, adopting an intense expression.
“You’ve all gone through arduous training to make it here today. Under the guidance of your personal instructors, you have bloomed from the level of fledglings to a level where you can at least truly refer to yourselves as [enlightened]. That, however, was only the beginning of your journey. Here, you will learn much more about the secrets of your powers and the ways in which to use them. You will compete with peers from different academies and different sectors, you’ll test the limit of your capabilities, and most importantly; you will grow!”
His speech continues. He introduces the professors in charge of second quarter students and motivates us to excel in our time here at DaiKar. Most of it is what you would expect from an entrance speech, my mind wanders as the dean speaks. However, something sparks my interest and compels me to turn my attention towards the speech once more.
“Starting now, each of you will be ranked according to your performance. Ranks will range from the very best, the first seat, to the bottom of the barrel, the 546th seat. You’ll soon find out all of the details for the implications of the rankings during your stay, but rewards will be given to those who excel once the quarter ends. Here’s something to motivate you: The first 100 seats will be given the right to choose where they will spend the third quarter; the First 50 seats will be given a DaiKar token which grants many privileges in the outside world; The first 20 seats will be given a very special training session with a 3rd stage [enlightened]; and the first 10 seats, the elite of the elite, will be permitted to place on order for a personalized instrument! That will be all from me, work hard young ones and become the backbone of this country!”
As the hologram disappears, my profile appears on my watch.
Name: Alden Thorne
Rank: Unranked
VIctories: 0
Losses: 0
‘Wins and losses…?’
The fact that these are the only two stats that show up in my identification profile indicate that my stay here will be anything but peaceful. Most likely, battles will be a big part of what determines our rankings. I don’t especially dislike that, but chances are that a hostile atmosphere will exist within these walls during the next six months. Upon the end of the speech and the appearance of the strange profile, murmurs ripple through the crowd.
“Did you hear the rewards they’re giving…?”
“A personalized instrument? That’s insane..”
“Are we gonna have to fight people…?”
Zora hardly contains her excitement.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“I dun’ think I’ll get in the first twenty seats but that DaiKar token sounds like somethin’ I can totally get!”
She looks at Alex who offers her a nod in agreement without speaking a word. As for me, my gaze shifts towards Sylvia. She pensively places her hand on her chin while observing her surroundings.
“Are you analyzing your competition?” I say.
She shrugs.
“I suppose yes.”
“What seat are you aiming for?”
She turns her blue eyes towards me and raises an eyebrow.
“Why first seat, of course.”
I let out an awkward laugh.
“Yeah, I don’t know why I asked…”
Ivana seems disinterested by the prospect of obtaining a high ranking, she fiddles with her watch, attempting to discover its different functions. Adam sits, deep in thought. I do not know what goes through his mind but the announcement appears to be weighing on his it heavily. I can’t help but be apprehensive at the idea of being ranked. While competition does breed progress, it also sprouts malice and desperation. Who knows how far some are willing to go to obtain the seat they want. This is especially true when such considerable rewards are offered. I intend to try my best to reach the top, but not at the cost of my morals.
Interrupting everyone’s contemplation of the second quarter, a message appears on our watches with a loud beep.
[Your first assessment will soon begin, in an orderly fashion, please make your way towards the large door on your right.]
We all follow the instructions and set foot into the room behind the large door. Upon entering, what I see leaves me rather shocked.
“That’s…”
Zora finishes my sentence.
“No way! Those are immersion pods, I heard ‘bout ‘em, but ain’t ever seen one in real life before! And they got so many of ‘em too!!”
Immersion pods are, as the name suggests, the latest advancement in immersive technology. Their purpose is to connect the user to a virtual world which feels the same as the real world. The company that produces them has recently started expanding their usage into the area of video games, with the creators of Sonarise announcing that they will soon launch a version of the game that is supported by the pods. I remember seeing Asher stalking the forums in search of any hint on the date of release. Another message flashes on our watches.
[Please select a pod and install yourself comfortably.]
The six of us bid each other farewell and head towards a pod of our choice. I select a random one towards one of the edges of the room. When I’ve settled inside, the lid closes and I sense a few cables connecting themselves to me. The world turns black, and then a flash of bright light blinds me. The place I find myself in is a room of blue with a screen where a set of instructions are written. They go as such:
[Hello, and welcome to DaiKar’s initial assessment course. This will determine your seat for the next month. Every month, depending on your academic and martial performance, that ranking will be re-assessed. This trial is simple, you will be given a set of challenges which will evaluate your capabilities, then, you will then be pitted against one of your peers to evaluate your combat aptitude.]
A faceless, white dummy sprouts form the ground.
[For your first challenge, please strike this training dummy as hard as you can, only using pureflow]
‘Easy enough’
I direct pureflow to my arm and hit the dummy. A number appears above its head and a new message pops up on the screen.
[1432 - Rating: Satisfactory.]
I feel like that rating is not great but my strength does not lie in my physical abilities so I pay it no mind.
‘I wonder what Sylvia got… Probably a freakish number…’
[Now repeat that same action, but by using your [melody]. If it does not enhance your physical aptitudes, please strike the dummy again using pure flow. Note that the displayed value is linearly proportional to the strength you input.]
I hesitate for a moment, but in the end I bring out my aegis. I strike it as hard as I can and activate crescendo to the maximum level that I can without suffering from severe injuries.
‘Crescendo: triple amplitude.’
The pureflow heading towards my arm is amplified, granting me much more strength, and I strike the dummy again. My arm wails in pain as a number appears above the dummy’s head once more.
[2148 - Rating: Excellent!]
‘Well… That’s not exactly triple the strength… weird…’
The next few trials evaluate my other aptitudes; my speed, reflexes, logical thinking, accuracy, and defense. They are all performed in a similar fashion, one test using only pureflow and another using your [melody]. From my results, I realize that the ratings have six classes, in order, they go as such: Satisfactory, Great, Excellent, Splendid, Outstanding, and Sublime. Unsurprisingly, sublime is what I obtained for my defensive capabilities.
[Thank you for performing to the best of your abilities. Now, you will be redirected to a battle arena, where you will face one of your peers. Please have a look at your opponent's chart before the battle begins. The chart only displays the best of both results.]
Name
Peregrine Goldleaf
Strength
Satisfactory
Speed
Satisfactory
Reflexes
Outstanding
Logical thinking
Excellent
Accuracy
Great
Defense
Unsatisfactory
‘I didn’t even know you could get something below satisfactory. But outstanding reflexes huh.. Interesting.’