John sat in his bunk. Around him, eleven other bunks lied occupied, six on each side, seven boys and five girls. All were unloading their gear, including John, unpacking the things out of his backpack and the steel suitcase.

The thing that he brought was nothing except the old clothes, no book, no memento, nothing except a stack of well-treated rag clothes.

And when John opened the steel suitcase, his eyes were wide opened. Inside of it, he found a Telephone, or Telecasting Phonics, a device that would let him did long-range communication. Moreover, there were two of them, and all of it was a new model. The hand-sized Telephone, also known as Handphone or Handled Phonics was a portable Telephone. And the next model was PhoneBook, same function as the Telephone but it would project illusionary images and texts rather than using it for communication.

Another thing he found was Arcane Account book and card. Arcane Account was a virtual, personalized treasury service to replace the hassle of carrying coins. Moreover, it was written in his name with a starting deposit of fifteen silver coin. With this amount, the orphanage could survive for about two? no three months.

The next thing he found was a sheet of white paper, with only six words written on it.

Trade this on the Weaponry.

Raising his eyebrows, John only wondered in amazement. This was nothing like he heard from the drunkard Knight or the Garrison officer told him. Isn't they a little bit too generous this time? or those drunkards were just trying to scare us? or this has something to do with the new regulation?

Rummaging through the Steelcase, the last thing John found was a brown envelope. No sender, no name, and no instruction. Confused, he looked around and noticed only three others people in the barrack that had the same brown coloured envelope like his. They were Lilac and the black-haired twins, one with a long ponytail hair and one with a spiky short hair. They were thin with a skin as pale as a snow. From their androgynous face, it was hard to tell whether they were a boy or a girl.

John's eyes met Lilac when he scanned the room. Noticed John's gaze, Lilac stood and walked to John bunks, carrying the brown envelope with her. "You get this too?" Asked Lilac.

"I guess so." John answered, waving the brown envelope and showing it to her.

And at the moment John did this, he got another notification.

Follower has been increased by 7.

+1Strength, +2 Physical, +2 Spirit, +1 Influence, +1 Sense

Favourite has been increased by 3.

You have gained a new skill. Agility Up Level 1.

You have gained a new skill. Enchant Poison Level 1.

You have gained a new skill. Arcane Strike Level 1.

He stopped his waving and silently thought. Is this normal?

In a single day, he had a sudden outburst of ten Follower and four Favourite. As far as John knew, both of those Gift Value would only increase when someone did a heroic act or extraordinary feat. And John Lemon did nothing of those, but in some cases, someone indeed could get a follower or favourite from out of nowhere, like John and Lilac.

But isn't this a little bit too much? I hope this isn't gonna become a trouble.

"Hello~? Earth to John, what happens? did you just see a ghost?" Lilac asked, snapping John back into the reality.

"Oh, nope, I'll tell you later." Said John. "Anyway, I'll open the envelope."

Nonchalantly he tore the envelope to find a piece of paper. It was made from the parchment paper, it was written with a black ink with beautiful handwriting.

Dear Mr John Lemon, Trainee Number 6438. 118th squad.

We are pleased to invite you to dinner at the Mentor's lounge. The dinner begins at 7 PM. We await your attendance at the dinner.

Dress code: Standard Uniform.

"Huh." John responded. This was what something he didn't expect. Truthfully, John didn't want to attend to whatever the thing is. But watching Lilac's starry eyes as she read her own invitation, John could only take a deep breath, knowing she would force John to come with her.

***

John splashed water on his body. Cleaned off his sweat, numb and drowsiness away. His slim frame might not be showing any muscle if he was covered with a cloth, but with only a towel covered his little brother, John clearly had a muscle on his body, with several small scars across his whole body.

And the black ponytail haired twin entered the bathroom and started to undress. His build was taller than John but he didn't have a single muscle on his body. "If I wasn't wrong, are you going to the dinner?" He said. "Oh, sorry, where's my manner, I'm Min-Jae, you might already notice but I have a twin, her name is Min-Seo. And yes, I'm the guy and she is a she." 

John nodded. "John Lemon." There was an odd cheerful air coming out from Min-Jae that he found incomprehensible. 

"Then wanna to go there together? but it's weird, isn't it? I wonder why the others don't get the invitation." Min-Jae said.

From the bathroom mirror, John unwillingly stared at the reflection from his red eyes and Min-Jae naked body. "I don't mind, and yeah, that's weird." John replied as he changed back into his uniform.

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But their conversation got stopped when the other boys started to enter the room. Weirdly looking at John when they saw him wearing a Uniform. As far as they knew, they didn't need to put the uniform while they were eating at the cafeteria.

Permitted himself, John went out of the bathroom and went back into his bunk. On Lilac bunk, he could see her, sitting still with a wet hair and wet towel laying on her bunk.

Sighed, John walked to her bunk and grabbing her wet towel. "Lilac, your hair is still wet." Said John, wiping her hair off with the towel.

"What~? But it is already dry enough." She said.

"No, it's not. And, can you braid my hair after this?" Said John. "By the way, I get another Gift." John said this nonchalantly.

Turning around, now Lilac was facing John with a towel rest on top of her head. "Right! I forget to tell you about that! I got that too when we were doing the test." She shouted, loud enough to make few of the remaining Trainee to take a look at them.

Grabbing her shoulder and turning her back. John silently continued to wipe her hair. "Is that so? How much?" 

"How much? what do you think duh, it's one follower and one favourite." She said. Even though John couldn't see her face right now, he was able to imagine Lilac smug expression coming out from her face. "How about you?" 

"Today alone, somehow I manage to get ten followers and four favourites." Said John casually.

"Yup, seems like we always got it at the same time right?" She said, but suddenly stopped and slowly turning her body to John. "....How much did you say?" Said Lilac.

Holding her cheek, John turned it again. "Ten followers and four favourites." Said John.

With a long silence within their conversation. Suddenly Lilac turned her body with a cold sweat falling from her temple. "You're joking, right?!! Let me see that! Hey! Let me take a look!!" Lilac shouted as she used her body weight to push John on top of her bed. Grappling him and didn't even give John a chance to open his status screen.

And as they wrestling on the bed, they heard someone was clearing their throat. "-Ahem- So, should we wait?" It was Min-Jae, and standing next to him was his twin sister. If one looked carefully enough, one could notice another difference except from their hair. Min-Seo was an inch shorter than Min-Jae with two moles located on the bottom right of her chin. "By the way, just in case you two want to continue, I see a very good hiding spot to do that." Said Min-Jae.

Pushing Lilac's face away. "We're.. not doing.. anything." John grumbled, using most of his strength to try to push Lilac. "You can go first, I still haven't braid my hair." He continued.

But instead of going off, Min-Jae smirked and pointed himself. "Want me to do that?" He said cheerfully.

"No!!" A loud voice declining Min-Jae's offer. But instead of John's baritone voice, it was a high pitched one, coming directly from Lilac's mouth. Immediately she grabbed John's collar, turning his body and making a braid all happened less than twenty seconds.

"All done!" Said Lilac. Then she repaired her messy uniform, tightening her tie and buttoned all of her jacket's button. "Alright! Let's go!" She shouted, grabbing John's arm and leading the way.

When they walked down through the hall, they could see several other Trainees, walking out of their room, wearing the uniform and heading toward the same direction as them. "Anyway, want to hear a story?" Said Min-Jae.

On his side, the quiet Min-Seo suddenly spoke. "Oppa... Just don't." She said in a very cold serious voice, almost looked like she would kill Min-Jae if he did tell the story.

Hitting him repeatedly, trying to stop Min-Jae from telling the story but Min-Jae simply ignored her. 

Already smirking and holding his laughter. "You know, this might be a little surprise but both of us have a favourite. And you see, -Pfft- sorry." Covering his mouth with tears flowing down from the corner of his eyes, Min-Jae continued. "So back when we were a little kid, Min-Seo believed she was a bird. And whenever me and our parent wasn't keeping an eye on her, she would immediately climb the tree, or any higher place -- One day, when we were in vacation, somehow she managed to get passed off our guard and managed to jump out of the cliff, waving her hand like she wanted to fly. Though lucky for her, there was a water and she didn't hit any reef. But unlucky for her, forgot about flying she couldn't even swim. And then-"

Plak!!

Not even finishing his story, Min-Seo did a slap, hard enough to left a hand mark at his face. "So, she nearly drowned. No, in fact, she did drown, but thanks to this one lifeguard, she got saved. Though, by the time she awoke, she instantly jumped to the lifeguard's leg, shouting she didn't want to leave him and crying with her snot all stuck on his legs. At the end of the day, the lifeguard's girlfriend was calling him from the telephone, all with Min-Seo kept shouting 'Marry me' and 'I love you.' And somehow the lifeguard had a cheating history or something like that, the girlfriend got angry at him, breaking him up, all while Min-Seo running back to our parent when our pop buying her a bird modelled ice cream. And funny enough, when she ate the ice cream, suddenly her favourite was increased by one." Min-Jae said, in a single breath.

Sighing, with slightly reddened cheek Min-Seo said. "It's better than someone that got his favourite when he got broken heart after he heard his favourite idol was marrying."

"Guhak!" Holding his chest and wiping his tears. "And she got divorced up a month after her marriage, serves her right." Said Min-Jae.

Should I laugh? somehow I feel bad about the lifeguard. 

And while John was thinking about that, Lilac already raising her hand. "Oh! oh! I have one!" Clearing her throat. "John got his when it was Halloween a few years back and the kids managed to surprise him, like. It didn't even scary, just a white blanket with two holes as their eyes, but John-"

Pinching her cheek, and pulling it like a dough. "Wasn't that you? stop turning the fact around." Said John. "Oh, this is the place right?" He said when they arrived at the door, guarded by two muscular men, checking each Trainee and comparing it to the list on their PhoneBook before they let the Trainee entered the room.

Lining up again, waiting for about ten minutes, it was finally theirs.

With the twins went first, followed by John and Lilac, what welcomed them was an old looking servant, tall and thin, with a round thick glasses rested on his long nose, silvery hair neatly combed backwards and completed it with his black and white suit. "Mr John Lemon and Ms Lilac Sweet, right? Please let this one guide you to the banquet room."

Banquet?

Tilted his head, John thought it was a simple meet and greet with the mentor for Trainees that managed to pass the test, but seemed like that wasn't the case.

As the servant took them to a cold mechanical door, it slid open and from the inside. Numerous amount of aromas pierced his nose. Dishes neatly arranged on the long slender table. The right table was full of the main course: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries,  pudding, peas, carrots, gravy and dozen others. The left table was nothing except dessert and drink: blocks of ice cream in rainbow coloured flavour, different variety of pies, cakes and jam doughnuts, fruits, ales, juices. The number of foods alone was far exceeding the number of Trainees that attended this so-called dinner.

But, John only frowned when he realized where they spent the taxes they collected each year went.