I woke to the sound of rain pattering against the window. The bed was comfortable—soft enough to make me forget, for a moment, where I was.
Then the door slammed open.
Kora rushed in, already dressed in her green coat with steel shoulder plates, her witch hat firmly on her head. "Zain, let's go! The ship could depart!"
I sat up, my body humming with energy. Ready. The chest beside the bed held my equipment—scale vest, gauntlets, the nine knives I never used.
"I need privacy to change." I glanced at Kora.
Her face went deep red. "S-sure, no problem. But be quick."
She shut the door. I could hear her breathing on the other side.
Minutes later, we ran through the streets. Rain plastered my hair to my face. Civilians scattered around us, heading to their own destinations.
"You could've bought me a coat, you know!" I shouted over the rain.
"I forgot!" Kora yelled back, weaving through the crowd.
The docks emerged from the gray morning light.
And I stopped.
A crowd stretched across the entire waterfront—hundreds of people, maybe thousands. Different sizes. Different shapes. Different weapons. Each one unique. Each one here for the same reason.
But it was the ships that stole my breath.
Four of them.
Two were enormous—bigger than any cargo ship I'd seen on Earth. Black and red hulls, towers rising from their decks, and at the top of each mast, a black flag with a falling dragon at its center. The symbol of the Adventurer's Guild.
The other two were smaller but still massive by normal standards. Adventurer ships, Kora had called them.
The same woman from the ticket office stood on a platform, directing the chaos. Tall, muscular men carried luggage and supplies up the gangplanks.
The smell hit me next. Roasted meat. Somewhere nearby, someone was cooking.
I turned.
A man stood at a food stall, eating skewered meat. He was shorter than me—maybe 5'11—in a black trenchcoat over a white tunic. A fedora-like hat shaded his face. Two daggers hung at his hips, one on each side.
His face was sharp. A goatee. Eyes that didn't miss anything.
I recognized him. The sleeper from the couch in the ticket hall.
He finished his skewer, used the stick as a toothpick, and looked up. Straight at me.
"What are you? A giant-human hybrid?" He grinned. "Nah, giants live way far from here."
"I'm actually 6 foot 5."
"Six foot? Inches? What's that?"
A fish leaped from the water behind him. Without looking, he flicked the skewer. The fish impaled mid-air, flopped once, and went still.
He pulled it down, took a bite.
"I don't care how many feet you have or if you're a giant hybrid." He walked past me, shoulder brushing mine. "I'm still beating you."
His presence hit me like a wall.
Not hostile. Just... dense. Heavy. Like standing next to something that could kill you without effort.
He disappeared into the crowd.
Kora appeared beside me, holding two skewers of meat. She offered one. "Zain? You okay?"
"His presence..." I took the food but didn't eat. "It felt more dangerous than yours."
She followed my gaze, but the man was gone. "Be careful around people like that. If your instincts scream danger, listen. He's a threat."
I nodded. Ate. Watched.
The crowd shifted. A man stepped onto a raised platform near the ships. His skin was scaly. His face was a lizard's—elongated snout, yellow eyes, formal robes draped over his frame. He held a large scroll.
The crowd went silent.
"Who's that?" I whispered.
"An official of the Adventurer's Association." Kora's voice was barely audible. "They have a lot of power."
The lizardman unfurled the scroll. When he spoke, his voice carried—regal, assertive, cutting through the rain like it wasn't there.
"You have all arrived at Hoax Port for one reason. To become adventurers. To gain money. Fame. Glory."
He paused. Let the words settle.
"But even heroes must suffer before they reach their goals. Throughout the journey to the Highlands, you will face trials. Tribulations. Tests to determine if you are truly worthy of this profession."
Behind us, even the civilians had stopped. Listening. Watching. As if they too were being tested.
"Some of you will give up." His yellow eyes swept the crowd. "Some of you may die on the way. Know this: once you board those ships, there is no turning back. No second chances. No appeals."
He raised his hand, palm facing us.
"So make your choice now. But if you choose this path—if you acknowledge the risk and step forward anyway—then hear me."
His voice rose.
"Glory awaits! Wealth awaits! Power awaits! Chase your dreams! Climb the mountain others fear! Conquer the threats others flee from! Chase your ambition! For the world is vast, and it is waiting for ADVENTURE!"
The crowd erupted.
Weapons raised. Voices roared. Even the civilians joined in, caught in the moment. My muscles tensed. Goosebumps raced down my arms.
Kora grabbed my forearm. Hard.
I looked down. Her brows were furrowed, eyes locked on mine.
"Zain. This is harder than the Black Forest. Harder than anything you've faced." Her grip tightened. "So please..."
Her voice cracked.
"Live."
I held her gaze. "I will survive. I promise."
The clerk's voice cut through the noise. "Adventurers to the smaller ships! Rookies to the larger vessels!"
The crowd split. The bigger mass flowed toward the two massive black-and-red ships. My ship.
Kora looked at the crowd, then back at me. "That's you. You should go."
I nodded. Turned.
She grabbed my hand.
I faced her again. Her expression was a war—serious, eyebrows tight, but her eyes were wet, flickering between determination and fear.
"Please," she whispered. "Don't be like them."
I held her hand tight. Both hands. "I will survive. You're my anchor, Kora. I'm yours. We've been through too much for this voyage to end me."
Her eyes softened. She stepped forward and hugged me. Tight. Desperate.
I held her back. Just as tight.
"I believe you, Zain." Her voice was muffled against my chest. "But be careful. People like that man—they're everywhere here."
"I will. I'll be careful."
A few seconds. Then we let go.
I walked toward the ship.
The line moved slowly. Rookies around me talked, laughed, bragged. I didn't listen. I just walked. Boarded. Stepped into another world.
The inside was nicer than I expected. Wood-paneled halls. Lanterns flickering. A clerk at a small desk handing out room keys.
I bumped into someone.
Solid. Dense. I looked up.
She was taller than me. Grey skin. Four arms—each one thick with muscle. She wore a crop top, her abs hard. Spiky brass knuckles covered her hands. Horns like an antelope curved from her forehead. Short white hair, cut in a bob.
She looked down at me. "Sorry. I'm a little big."
"It's okay." I straightened.
Her eyes dropped to my claymore. "Mithral. Rare around here."
I pulled it out slightly. "Found it in an abandoned weaponry."
She crouched to inspect it—her face sharp, a scar running down her cheek. "Nice."
She stood. "I'm Rela."
"Zain."
She nodded, then walked away. Two battle axes hung on her back.
I stared after her. She had to be seven feet. At least.
I got my key from the clerk and found my room. Small. A bed facing a window that overlooked the gray sea. A chest. A table. A chair. The smell of salt.
I sat on the bed. Stared at the water.
The lizardman's words echoed.
No turning back.
Some of you may die.
I thought of Kora's face. Her wet eyes. Her grip on my hand.
Live, she'd said.
I would.
---
AN HOUR PASSED.
The ship creaked. The sea churned. Through the halls, I could hear voices—some excited, some nervous, some trying too hard to sound calm.
I grabbed my claymore and stepped out.
Rookies filled the corridors. Leaning against walls. Sitting in groups. Checking their weapons. Avoiding eye contact. Making too much eye contact.
The energy was wrong.
Not anticipation.
Waiting.
A short man with a scarred lip paced back and forth. "Why haven't they told us anything? We've been on this ship for an hour."
His companion shrugged. "Maybe they want us to settle in first."
"Settle in for WHAT?"
No one answered.
I kept walking.
Near the stairwell, a woman sat alone, sharpening a curved blade. Her eyes followed me as I passed. Didn't blink. Didn't stop sharpening.
Further down, a group laughed too loudly. Fake laughter. Covering nerves.
A voice behind me—young, confused:
"Why are all of us here? Like... all of us? On the same ship?"
Another voice, older, tired: "Because they're going to test us. Together."
"That doesn't sound good."
"It's not."
I reached the deck.
The rain had stopped. Gray clouds hung low, heavy with more to come. Rookies stood everywhere—leaning on rails, sitting on crates, clustered in groups. Some stared at the horizon. Some stared at each other.
No one knew what was coming.
But everyone felt it.
A man near me bounced on his heels, cracking his knuckles. "Finally. I've been waiting for this my whole life."
His friend looked less excited. "You don't even know what 'this' is."
"Doesn't matter. I'm ready."
I wasn't sure if he was brave or stupid.
Probably both.
Minutes passed. Ten. Twenty. The crowd grew restless.
"Why aren't they starting?"
"Maybe it's already started and we don't know it."
"Don't say that."
A woman near the mast suddenly gasped. She grabbed at her waist.
"What? What is it?"
She held up her hand. Between her fingers—a strip of silver fabric. A ribbon.
"I... I didn't have this before."
Others checked themselves. More gasps. More discoveries.
Ribbons appeared on belts. On wrists. Tied to weapons. Attached to armor.
A man with a thick beard held his ribbon up to the light. "Where did these come from?"
No one answered.
A young voice—barely more than a kid—cut through the murmuring:
"Why's there a ribbon on my waist?!"
He tugged at it. It didn't come off.
I looked down.
A silver ribbon was tied to my belt loop.
I hadn't put it there. I hadn't felt anyone near me. It was just... there.
The murmuring grew louder. Confusion. Fear. A few excited laughs.
Then silence.
A voice echoed in every head. Not mine. Not anyone on deck. Cold. Instructional. Everywhere.
"The first adventurer test has begun. All rules must be followed to pass."
The deck went utterly still.
"All rookies will engage in a battle royale. You have four hours to retrieve an enemy's silver ribbon."
I looked at the ribbon on my waist. Retrieve an enemy's ribbon. Meaning...
"You may use any means to obtain it. Murder is permitted."
The silence shattered.
Someone cursed. Someone laughed—hysterical, broken. A few people immediately stepped away from those nearest them.
"If you do not possess a ribbon by the end, you will be eliminated. You will fail."
The man who'd been bouncing on his heels earlier wasn't bouncing anymore. He was staring at the person next to him like they'd become a stranger.
"May the first exam... BEGIN."