Three days...
Disappeared like the wind.
No one wasted a single hour.
No one dared to.
The World Mission was coming.
Every Commander in System World knew it.
Whether they were prepared...
Was another matter entirely.
---
Base 101 never slept.
From sunrise until long after sunset...
The sounds of training echoed throughout the fortress.
Steel collided against steel.
Arrows split the air.
Magic illuminated the night.
Every soldier knew one truth.
The monsters outside the walls...
Would only grow stronger.
So they had to become stronger first.
---
Ben stood before the Human Infantry and Goblin Warriors.
His voice shook the Training Grounds.
"Formation!"
Hundreds of boots struck the earth.
"Shield Wall!"
Rows of shields locked together.
"Advance!"
The formation marched as one.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Until every movement became instinct.
Ben finally lowered his sword.
"Good."
"But good isn't enough."
"Tomorrow..."
"The enemy won't give you a second chance."
The soldiers nodded.
Not one of them complained.
---
Nearby...
Runa watched thirty archers line up along the firing range.
"The wind."
She closed her eyes.
"Feel it."
Not one recruit released their arrow.
Good.
They were learning patience.
Runa opened her eyes.
"Loose."
WHOOSH!
Thirty arrows flew into the distance.
Every target shook.
Several exploded apart.
A small smile crossed Runa's face.
"They're ready."
---
On another field...
Blue mana danced through the air.
Zora slowly walked between rows of Apprentice Mages.
"Power means nothing..."
"If you can't control it."
Mana surged.
One apprentice accidentally created an explosion.
BOOM!
Smoke covered the field.
The young mage coughed.
"...Sorry."
Zora sighed.
"Again."
Nearby...
Mira worked with the Medical Corps.
One by one...
Injured soldiers stepped forward.
Golden light surrounded their wounds.
Each spell became smoother.
Each healer consumed less mana than before.
Mira smiled.
"Excellent."
"Keep improving."
"The battlefield won't wait for you."
---
Inside the forge...
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
George slammed his hammer against glowing steel.
Sweat poured down his face.
Doran quietly inspected another finished sword.
"...Better."
George nearly dropped his hammer.
"Wait..."
"Was that a compliment?"
Doran looked at him.
"I said..."
"It's better."
George threw both fists into the air.
"I'll take it!"
Even Doran couldn't hide the faintest smile.
---
While everyone trained...
Leon disappeared.
One day passed.
Then another.
He returned just before sunset on the third day.
His cloak was torn.
His boots were covered in mud.
Without saying a word...
He spread a map across the command table.
Red markings covered nearly every forest surrounding Base 101.
"I found twelve Corruption Beast nests."
He pointed toward the eastern mountains.
"Three larger nests."
Then toward the south.
"One dungeon entrance."
Finally...
He paused.
"I also found something else."
Sam looked up.
"What?"
Leon pointed toward several footprints sketched onto the map.
"They're human."
"They move in military formations."
"They erase their tracks."
"But..."
"I couldn't catch them."
Silence filled the room.
Sam slowly folded his arms.
"So..."
"Another Commander."
Leon nodded.
"They're preparing."
"So are we."
---
Outside the walls...
The undead never rested.
Skeleton Warriors carried massive stone blocks.
Skeleton Archers guarded the towers.
Skeleton Hounds silently patrolled the forests surrounding Base 101.
Unlike living soldiers...
They never needed food.
Never needed sleep.
Never questioned orders.
Watching them...
Sam realized something.
He no longer commanded one army.
He commanded two.
---
By the evening of the third day...
Base 101 had changed.
Stone walls now surrounded the growing settlement.
Watchtowers overlooked every road.
New homes stood where empty fields once existed.
Children laughed in the streets.
Merchants traded supplies.
Blacksmiths worked from sunrise to sunset.
Farmers harvested their first successful crops.
Hope...
Had finally become stronger than fear.
---
As night fell...
Dennis's message arrived through the Alliance System.
Alliance Message Received
From: Commander Dennis
"We're ready."
"Good luck, Sam."
Sam smiled.
Then replied.
"Survive."
"We'll celebrate afterward."
A few seconds later...
Dennis answered.
"Deal."
---
Later that night...
Sam climbed to the highest watchtower alone.
The cool breeze carried the scent of pine from the endless forests beyond Base 101.
He stared toward the horizon.
Somewhere out there...
Twenty-six other Commanders were doing exactly what he was.
Thinking.
Planning.
Preparing.
"Rex."
"...Tomorrow."
"The World Mission begins."
"It does."
Sam remained quiet for a long moment.
Then asked the question weighing on his mind.
"Are we ready?"
For several seconds...
Rex said nothing.
Finally...
His calm voice echoed inside Sam's mind.
No Commander has ever been truly prepared for their first Trial.
Sam laughed quietly.
"I figured."
---
Midnight arrived.
Without warning...
System World fell silent.
Not just Base 101.
Everything.
The wind disappeared.
The trees stopped swaying.
Even the distant cries of monsters vanished.
It was as though...
The world itself had stopped breathing.
Every soldier slowly looked toward the sky.
Ben.
Leon.
Runa.
George.
Doran.
Mira.
Zora.
Even the refugees stepped from their homes.
The Skeleton Warriors raised their skulls toward the heavens.
Then—
DING!
The stars vanished.
Streams of brilliant blue light raced across the night sky.
They intertwined...
Expanded...
Until an enormous golden screen covered the heavens.
No matter where someone stood in System World...
They could see it.
Every Commander.
Every Base.
Every survivor.
A voice echoed across the world.
It wasn't human.
It wasn't mechanical.
It was ancient.
Powerful.
As though it had existed long before System World itself.
---
SYSTEM WORLD ANNOUNCEMENT
Initializing Humanity's First Trial...
Scanning Active Commanders...
Scanning Active Bases...
Scanning Population...
Scanning Military Strength...
Scanning Commander Classes...
Calculating Difficulty...
Difficulty Calculated.
---
The ground beneath Base 101 began to tremble.
A second notification appeared.
---
HUMANITY'S FIRST TRIAL
Status: Active
Participating Regional Commanders: 27
Regional Rankings: Unlocked
Global Rankings: Locked
Alliance Bonuses: Active
Mission Parameters...
Loading...
---
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Every eye remained fixed on the enormous screen hanging above System World.
The waiting...
Was finally over.
And for the first time since arriving in this strange world...
Sam realized one terrifying truth.
The tutorial...
Had ended.