Maybe it was because she grew stronger, encountered Jack and survived an acid of darkness, that Sun-young was able to feel her strength. Like Marshal Lucas, Margaret was on a whole other level. Her energy seemed rigid like the White Abyss itself.

A prickly sensation went down her spine. First the Wendigo, then Marshal Lucas, now Marshal Margaret. As a result…

[ New skill learned : Magic Sensitivity ]

She could feel it. She could taste the magic. Such a sensation occurred during her injury. It felt like she was intertwined with the magic of the world and now she grasped that skill all for herself.

Sun-young wasn't able to do a deep dive because Marshal Margaret approached her, put a hand on her shoulder, and exclaimed without a care in the world, "Woah, you're so thin!"

Sun-young did not enjoy being touched. A frown tugged on her lips. "I've always been thin." Chalk it up to Korean beauty standards and her life of solitude and sweets.

"Okay…yeah, but last time I saw you, you were racking up some muscle." The female Marshal paused. "Emphasis on some, by the way."

...she really didn't have a filter. The type of person Sun-young disliked most. Please, for the love of god, understand basic social cues.

"But muscle does not always equal might! Trust me, I can tell you're strong." Marshal Margaret's hand finally left and Sun-young was able to relax. "Let's start the tour. Emma and Samuel, you can come too."

The pair gave each other high-fives. Seriously, what was up with them? Why so giddy?

Through the entrance, she stepped into the halls of the Knights Templar Academy. The Marshal was quick in showing her around. There was the East Wing, dedicated to classrooms, lecture halls, and study rooms. The West Wing which housed the library, laboratories for practical magic and sciences, and cafeteria. That was it. It was straight-forward and to the point.

"I bet you must be wondering why so many students are wandering the halls? Actually, they just finished class an hour ago. They like to do their downtime here," Marshal Margaret explained. "A castle is much better than a bazaar."

'Agree to disagree. There are no cafes here.'

Regardless of her own criticism, the place was massive and breath-taking. Its architecture was very European and fantastical, with floating candles and lamps lighting up the shadows. A red carpet encompassed the floors and would never end. Specks of dirt refused to take root. Truly, it felt like a castle from a fantasy world. A dream that should not exist.

'Magic, I guess?'

Then there was the Marshal, explaining away factoids that was mildly interested in. For example, the castle's construction began in the very first Heavenly Games as the Templar Order's headquarters. It didn't turn into an academy until the Heavenly Games of 1782, the Enlightenment Era. Schools and education were running rampant on Earth; therefore, the Templars matched that enthusiasm and created a place of study, the Knights Templar Academy.

"There are over three hundred students, so twenty students for each class. Sixteen classes total, all divided evenly across the three programs" Marshal Margaret explained. "Lots and lots of people to keep an eye out on."

"Mm."

"The Return Program students are so strong," said Emma. "I remember sparring with them. They are, like, sooo amazing!"

Samuel nodded eagerly. Sun-young wished she could match their enthusiasm. Alas, all she was able to do was nod.

"Here we are: the cafeteria! Let's grab something to eat!" The Marshal didn't wait for a response and jogged over to the front. Emma and Samuel were two steps behind her, and Sun-young was two steps behind them.

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Long wooden tables played host to animated conversations, laughter, and the occasional clash of words. Typical student life. The students all wore the Templar Knight uniform, though with modifications. One girl had sewed in a hoodie. Another with an alternate pink colour scheme.

"Hey, Agnes!" Marshal Marget greeted the cafeteria lady. "What's on the menu?"

The cafeteria lady was blonde and surprisingly pretty. 'Must be American,' Sun-young thought.

"We have French Onion Soup," the cafeteria lady replied. "Oh, an outsider? That's a sight to see."

'Outsider sounds so weird.' Sun-young kept her thoughts to herself and her face unreadable.

"Anything on the go? I just showed this one around," the Marshal explained.

The cafeteria lady puckered up her lips, thinking. "To go…to go…"

At that precise moment, her stomach had the strongest desire to growl. If not for her iron will, it would have let out a terrible roar and shamed her. "Ice cream, please," Sun-young said quickly.

The cafeteria lady smiled. "No ice cream but I do have a fresh batch of cookies coming up."

A nod. "That will do."

Cookies in hand, Sun-young savoured the sugary rush and walked through the halls of the academy. Among all the things the Marshal showed her, the cafeteria was the best.

"I pegged you as the studious type. Guess I should have just gone with cookies on a stick instead of an elaborate tour." Marshal Margaret laughed. "Oh well. Life works out in mysterious ways, don't it?"

Sun-young didn't respond. She eyed Samuel and Emma to see if they had finished their cookies. They had. 'Dammit.'

"I haven't had cookies in a looong time," Emma commented. "That was delicious."

"Me neither. I've been on a sugarless diet for so long."

"Oh my gosh, me too!"

They got along too well. What were they, clones of the opposite gender?

Sun-young nibbled on the last of the chocolate cookie before feeling a shift in the air. It was Marshal Margaret, who was suddenly smiling widely.

"Here he is," the Marshal said, smiling. "Cillian! Over here!"

A blond male fitted in the Templar uniform jogged over. He had been in the halls, wandering aimlessly almost. The first thing Sun-young observed was the shield and sweat on him. He must have been training.

In the Nebulous Bazaar and every other dimension, levels and classes were hidden. It wasn't until a player entered the Heavenly Tower that the info could be seen. Just off of vibes though, he didn't seem much weaker than Sun-young herself.

"Marshal, you wanted to see me?" Cillian asked.

"I have." Then, without warning, Marshal Margaret directed a hand at Sun-young. "I want you to fight her."

"Huh?"

"Uh?"

More than Sun-young, Emma and Samuel were surprised. They didn't know about this.

'This woman…she only did the stupid tour because she wanted to test me.' Sun-young met her gaze and the glint in the Marshal's eye said everything. Behind that lucky-go-happy demeanor was a cunning woman.

"Oh, sure!" Cillian nodded at the Marshal, then Sun-young. He blinked after realizing he was a couple inches shorter than her. In fact, she was the tallest here. "I haven't seen you before," Cillian noted.

"She's an outsider, don't worry about it," the Marshal said. She leaned in and added in a loud hush, "She will be joining us soon."

'Yeah, right.'

"Why should I participate?" Sun-young asked.

"That's right! She just got off of an injury!" Emma proclaimed. "Marshal, I respect you, but—"

"No buts, no ifs, no signs of disobedience. You joined this guild because you trust my judgement—our judgement. I expect you to commit to that." Marshal Margaret cleared her throat and proceeded to raise her voice. "Do you understand!?"

Samuel tried to protest. "B-but—"

"No buts!"

"Y-yes, ma'am!"

So now it was just Sun-young. Great.

"That doesn't answer my question. Why should I fight?"

Marshal Margaret's smile grew an inch. "Because I know you. You're like me, you want to know how you stack up compared to the other talents of the world. This guy, Cillian, I warn you not to underestimate him. He's probably our strongest player from the Recruitment Program."

"Oh?" Okay, she was right, she was curious. "Hm. What about you then? What do you get out of this?"

Marshal Margaret chuckled and laughed. "I get to see two blooming rookies duke it out."

Sun-young stared at her. That was a bold-faced lie and the two of them knew it.

"Okay, okay, fine." Margaret adjusted her cloak's collar. "There was this…incident between one of our students and a thug by the name of Nash. His understanding of magic was quite low yet he managed a win. Why? Because in real life, he was a fighter. That stuff transfers heavily here. The difference between a lawyer and a fencer, from the body conditioning to the instincts, might seem trivial but they are not. A real fighter knows. A real fighter can tell."

The Marshal's gaze turned razor sharp. Staring up at Sun-young, despite being a decent chunk shorter, she held all the power. "Yoon Sun-young, you are a real fighter. I can just tell. So tell me, do you accept this challenge from the Templar Order?"

Jack, Kazi, John, Marta, Noor—Sun-young wasn't the only special person here. Upon receiving Majin-ken, she thought maybe she had become someone special. She hadn't. She was still like everyone else. She was still the person that her mother hated the most. She was still the person that Sun-young herself hated: ordinary.

She was supposed to be extraordinary. She was supposed to be a smart and proud staple of her team, of the world.

She wasn't.

So what was she?

The only way to find out…

"I accept."

…was through battle with the extraordinary.