Today was the day...
It had been around three days since Cyrus' sparring with his brother.
"Ow."
Though he had recovered quite quickly after being practically knocked out by Cian, the excess training still fatigued him.
He wasn't superhuman, not yet, at least.
He still wanted to get stronger; he knew, more than ever, that he needed power.
After losing so easily to Cian, and realising that he had a fatal weakness.
However, his yearning had died down; he had noticed his feelings becoming repetitive.
Although he couldn't control them by force, he could always influence them with logic.
Even so...
"Damn it."
Cyrus was frustrated with himself.
He really didn't like losing or being weak.
'More than that...'
He hated it when things didn't turn out as he expected.
He should've thought of the possibility that Cian would stop holding back, the possibility that he could lose his weapon during combat.
He should've expected those outcomes.
"Fuck."
Despite wallowing in self-pity, Cyrus knew the situation was absurd and that he had likely done better than most.
Sighing, he got up to get dressed.
The karambit knife...
Unlike the short sword, it was difficult to use effectively.
Luckily, Cyrus liked problem-solving and had pretty much spent all of his free time pondering different possibilities and uses for the karambit.
'Unless I'm in dire need, I'm going to focus on using the karambit effectively on its own.'
'Then, once I'm proficient, I can start using it in combination with the short sword.'
Before leaving the room, Cyrus glanced back, surveying the area one last time.
"BOO!"
Flinching, he spun around to check the
corridor.
"Wha-"
Calming down almost instantly, he saw a familiar green-eyed face.
"Elijah, don't sneak up on people like that."
Elijah frowned and didn't respond.
'Seems like my sour mood rubbed off on him.'
"Unless... you're practising for your first hunt?"
He gave him a warm smile.
Grinning from ear to ear, Elijah practically exploded with excitement.
"Yeah! I'm gonna be just like Cian and slay billions of beasts!"
'Billions, eh...?'
"I can't wait to see you do that."
"Don't skip practice."
Cyrus managed to respond and head downstairs without Elijah noticing his awkward smile.
'I wonder if there's even a billion beasts...'
'On second thought... Probably.'
The further Cyrus descended the stairs, the more he noticed, his equipment was laid out and his clothing was packed.
With a hefty amount of seel, this world's currency.
And lastly.
Cian, his mother, and his father waiting by the door.
Before he could ask what was happening, his father spoke, his tone heavy.
"Are you ready?"
Narrowing his eyes in confusion, Cyrus tried to respond.
"Ready for-"
But as if wanting to cut him off, his father continued.
"To head to the academy."
"Your enrollment test will be today."
-Sigh.
'I knew that.'
Part of him had hoped that, if he pretended to forget, he might somehow earn another day to train.
Still, Cyrus responded calmly.
"Yes."
"I am ready."
A heavy tension filled the air as his father simply stared at him.
Cyrus started to grow uncomfortable.
Just as the silence was about to become awkward, Cian stepped in.
"Of course he's ready!"
He wrapped an arm around Cyrus' shoulder before facing their father.
"I mean, you saw him, right?"
"He's special, far above my level!"
A weight seemed to lift from Cyrus' shoulders.
"Don't be ridiculous."
His stern response quickly opposed Cians encouraging comment.
"He has proven nothing."
Right after speaking, his father left the house.
His mother offered Cyrus a kind smile before following after him with several bags.
"Cyrus, don't feel pressured. He was the same with me, father just struggles to... well, show how much he cares and how high his hopes are."
Cyrus let out a deep breath before looking at Cian.
"Yeah..."
Before he could sink into his thoughts again, something crashed into his back, nearly knocking him forward.
A small sobbing sound followed.
He immediately recognised it.
'Elijah.'
"Brother..."
-sniff
"I'm gonna miss you."
"D-don't be gone for too long."
Cyrus didn't say anything.
He simply patted Elijah's head.
'I guess it's time to go.'
He hadn't known them for very long.
Yet somehow...
It felt like they were his real family, they truly cared for him.
Each step made Cyrus' chest feel heavier, grounding him in the reality he kept trying to outrun.
'I won't fail.'
'I can't...'
Once they had arrived at the train station his mother looked at him with a tinge of worry.
"Don't spend all your money, and don't let the higher nobles bully you! And-"
Before she could finish, Father placed a hand on her shoulder, silently telling her to stop.
Cyrus bid them farewell and boarded the train.
The low hum of the train filled the cabin, a steady vibration beneath his feet, sunlight flickered through the window in passing streaks, warming his shoulder as the world blurred by.
As he watched his family disappear from sight, Cyrus began to wonder.
'Is it really my place to feel these feelings for them?'
'Was I not just taking another person's place?'
'
Was I not just a...'
Poser?
That was how Cyrus had felt in both lives.
He felt emotions, but not the same way everyone else did… He felt empty, and though the world was full of colour, it all seemed trivial.
Even happiness.
Those moments felt trivial too.
He was stuck in a cycle of feeling and detachment, So he had always thought he truly had no place in the world.
His thoughts drifted back to something Cian had said.
"He's special..."
'Is that really a good thing?'
'Why does everyone make it sound good?'
'What if I'm just different, and not in a better way?'
'Maybe I'm worse than others.'
'Maybe I'm Defective…'
Exhaling, Cyrus forced himself to change the direction of his thoughts and began looking around.
The city was huge.
A map on his left read:
800,000 square kilometres.
'It's almost twice as large as China's largest city...'
It was a spectacle.
Tall buildings filled the western horizon.
Smaller ones filled the east.
The style was strange.
An odd mix of 1800s nobility and modern technology inspired by the System.
Cyrus was coming from the north, seemingly from a marketplace.
The southern end was the slums.
The academy stood in the middle of the city.
It was a tall, imposing yet impressive campus.
'Quite the academy.'
Unfortunately, he wasn't going there directly.
Instead, he was headed to a training area on the southern outskirts.
Apparently, the examination building was located there.
'I'm going to have to fight and kill a Prowler with other unranked Hunters...'
Most people would fail. Hell, Cian had said most would die if not for the examiners being able to intervene at any moment.
No matter how Cyrus thought about it, it was nigh impossible.
"Excuse me."
A cool, ethereal voice reached his ears.
Cyrus turned around slowly to face its source.
It was a girl with long, deep black hair. Eyes that seemed to sink to the depths of the ocean, yet sparkled like glaciers beneath the sunlight, Doll-like skin, Clothing clearly designed for combat rather than comfort And a reserved smile.
"Um, sir?"
Realising he had been gawking, Cyrus quickly adjusted his posture.
"Yes?"
Shifting her gaze toward the seat number, she spoke calmly.
"My apologies for being sudden, but you seem to be seated in my seat."
'Huh?'
'But I'm sure I triple-checked the seat number...'
Cyrus hastily checked his pocket, then realised Cian had "forgotten" to give him the ticket.
'Bastard...'
Letting out a small but uneasy chuckle, Cyrus realised his older brother had messed with him.
He hadn't only given him the wrong seat number… He hadn't given him the ticket at all.
'How the hell does he expect me to get away with this!?'
The girl seemed to notice him becoming flustered.
"Did you forget your ticket?"
Sighing, Cyrus responded.
"Not really, my older brother forgot to hand me it, and happened to give me the wrong seat number…"
A flash of surprise and amusement appeared on her face.
"I'm really sorry."
"I'll move."
A look of surprise washed across her face.
"No, no. It's fine."
"But... what's your surname, if I may ask?"
Cyrus paused, slightly sceptical and confused as to why she would ask something like that.
"It's Hawthorne."
Another flash of surprise crossed her face before disappearing just as quickly.
"Ah..."
"So your brother is the famous Cian Hawthorne."
'Oh right.'
'My brother's some kind of genius, apparently...'
Before Cyrus could respond, she continued.
"Cian Hawthorne was within the top five rankings of the third years at Marlen Academy."
"Anyway, that seat was reserved for my butler, You can keep it."
Cyrus looked beside her, where a towering six-foot-five behemoth of a man stood.
'This pressure...'
It was stronger than his father's. Far, far stronger.
"He's a mid-tier Guardian."
She spoke as though she had read his thoughts.
"Thank you."
"My name's Cyrus… Cyrus Hawthorne."
He extended his hand and she shook it before taking the seat beside him.
"I'm Amelia Valencourt."
A minor pain struck Cyrus' head again.
This time, it was weaker.
'Man... what is it with this?'
'How do I manually activate it...?'
Information flooded into his mind.
A high-end noble.
For comparison, Cyrus was a low-end noble, though one whose family was steadily rising.
Amelia smiled politely.
To Cyrus, her smile felt rehearsed, completely fake.
She radiated calm, but felt colder as though every word and gesture had been carefully weighed.
It unsettled him.
'I need to commit it to memory that these people aren't normal, they value class and politics far more than anyone I knew in my last life.'
To have a butler at the Guardian level...
It felt as though they lived in two completely different worlds.
The rest of the train ride was quiet, Cyrus did spot a few interesting things.
Nobles travelling in carriages outside and people training with what seemed to be Innate Abilities.
Luckily Cyrus didn't have to show his ticket to anyone since Amelia's guard and status deterred anyone from approaching
'Finally, I'm here.'
Cyrus did feel a little nervous, maybe because of his failure the previous night.
The examination hall was enormous with thousands of cadets crammed together.
A small stage stood at the front, visible from anywhere in the room.
Soon, the chatter died down and the curtains opened and a man walked out.
Something about him was… Unsettling.
A smile was plastered across his face.
"Greetings, weaklings."
Just two words, Yet many people already grunted in distaste.
"The reason I called you weaklings is because that's exactly what you are."
He performed a strange, cartoonish twirl before continuing.
"However, you're here today so you can take your first step toward becoming strong..."
"Toward becoming a Hunter."
He was weird. But somehow, his tone and simple words filled everyone with vigour and anticipation.
To Cyrus' left, a boy slightly shorter than him muttered beneath his breath.
"An Innate Ability..."
Cyrus blinked, Then it hit him.
'He's using some kind of Innate Ability in his speech...'
'That's why everyone feels empowered over such simple words.'
"Now, this test is far from easy."
"Of course, you all know you'll be facing a Prowler."
The atmosphere shifted instantly, anxiety spread throughout the crowd.
'He's messing with us...'
Cyrus slowed his breathing.
"This may seem scary. A Prowler could kill you in a single attack, but we're taking measures to weaken the beast."
"And if you're about to die, we have many examiners ready to save you."
He paused before scanning the crowd.
"We'll begin selecting teams of six, Manuals are allowed. You may bring your own weapons or armour."
The moment he left the stage, the room erupted into chatter.
It was an out roar, making Cyrus think back to what his brother had said about his year.
Many people cried out in dismay and disbelief.
"This has to be a prank!"
"It's the lowest in history, how do they expect us to pass?"
"Did they not learn their lesson since the last time they formed a team below 8?"
About thirty minutes passed and names were called.
Groups entered and then returned half-dead.
The hall felt suffocating unranked of all ages whispered nervously.
Some trembled so badly they could barely hold their weapons.
Injured students were carried past them, groaning with unnaturally bent limbs, bones stocked out of red raw skin and terror on the face of all.
The smell of sweat, fear, and blood clung to the air.
Cyrus' chest tightened.
And more screaming ensued
"I'm gonna die!"
"Arghhhh!"
"My leg!!"
Screams echoed throughout the hall.
Then silence swallowed everything once again.
Cyrus began scanning the room to clear his head, he saw a few people of interest.
The first was the girl from earlier, Amelia.
She seemed nervous but at the same time composed.
To his left stood the boy from before, he had messy black hair with straightforward brown eyes.
'He's shredded.'
His knuckles were wrapped in gauze.
'A hand-to-hand fighter...'
Cyrus thought back to his fight with Cian and bitterness stung his gut.
Noticing the stare, the boy turned to face him with a fierce gaze.
'Now I can't look away...'
It was petty, and Cyrus new that.
But right now, Cyrus needed anything to distract himself. So they stared at each other for a solid three minutes.
Until someone stepped into his line of sight.