Free Web NovelChapter 6: Forming A Team
"My name is Levi Thawnesman, and I am the lieutenant of the 1st Soul-Squad."
"The lieutenant of the 1st Soul-Squad?" Rentaro raised a brow.
"That’s right. You are unfamiliar with this world just like all new Awakeners, so I don’t expect you to know this yet. You have been unconscious for nearly 7 hours, so I don’t know if you might have been informed the moment you were transported into the sanctuary, the sanctuary is divided into fifty levels, with each resting above the others like steps in the heavens. And every sanctuary is a separate realm, with its own landscape, trials, and dangers."
"I’m aware of that, but what does the Sanctuaries have to do with the Soul-Squad?"
"Each level of the sanctuary has its own beasts and monsters, as well as its unique Soul Fragment required to enter into the next level. In the sanctuary where human life is disregarded, the Soul-Squad served as a guide and a beacon of hope to Awakeners. It also represents the levels of the Sanctuary humanity has conquered."
"Conquered?" He blinked.
He couldn’t exactly say humanity had conquered some levels of the sanctuary while the beasts of the Devil’s Playground still existed, after all it was one of the most feared places in the first sanctuary.
"Yes, the Soul-Squads were established on the levels that humanity had cleared and ascended."
"And how many levels is that?"
"Right now, in the sanctuary, humanity is shielded by the 14 Soul-Squads."
Rentaro’s eyes shot open in disbelief, Levi and Ethan could only stare. They understood his shock, and that just proved how ruthless the trials of the Sanctuaries were.
Out of the fifty levels, humanity has only been able to ascend to fourteen of those levels. It wasn’t even close to half of it, numerically speaking.
"Ahem, sir." Ethan cleared his throat and called out to Levi.
"Right." Levi approached Rentaro’s bed and carefully removed all wires and tubes connected to his body. "Alright then, your condition seems to have stabilized completely, let’s get going or we’ll be late... After we get you in some clean clothes that is."
"Late?" Rentaro rubbed his right wrist carefully. "Late for what?"
"The Debriefing."
A loud gong rang out across the building, and the deep sound echoed through the walls, spreading into every corner and making the air feel heavy.
"That was the signal for the debriefing, it’s about to start." Levi led him out of the room and after giving a bit of time to freshen and change into some clean clothes, led him into the large courtyard.
And there it was.
The fortified base of the 1st Soul-Squad guarded by a heavy, 50 foot tall, thick reinforced gate that kept out all unwanted beasts.
The courtyard of the fortified base of the 1st Soul-Squad buzzed with life, by a rough count, there were more than fifty Awakeners, all who were led here by various Soul Hunters that were stationed at the spawn points.
There were more than this, more than five hundred Awakeners to be exact, but just like Rentaro, many were unfortunate to spawn in places that weren’t safe, and they were all devoured by the beasts of the 1st sanctuary.
"Damn... Now that I’m actually here I’m a bit nervous, is the aura around here always like this?" One of the boys in the crowd said, feeling a bit tense.
"It’s probably coming from those guys."
They stared ahead, their eyes fixed on the ten individuals standing at the front. Even from their clothing alone, it was clear — these people were on a completely different level from the rest of the Awakeners present in the courtyard.
The gong sounded again, and the courtyard fell silent as a man, with two other men at his side, descended from the steps that rose high to the entrance of the base
"Hm." The man glanced around slowly at all the awakeners present, then sighed in disappointment.
"Your numbers are less than what I expected, well, I guess it couldn’t be helped. Now then..."
The man cleared his throat.
"My name is Alaric Stones, the two besides me are my associates, and I’m the vice captain of the 1st Soul-Squad. I’m sure many of you have long awaited this day, but before we can proceed. I’ll have to inform you on the truth behind the sanctuary."
"As you’ve been informed by the people who brought you here, powers and skills are gained from the Soul-Core you obtain. That Soul-Core is obtained by completing the first trial of the sanctuary." He paused, then continued. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
"We humans, we all possess a soul, however with that soul comes the energy to keep it alive. Some call it aura, some spiritual energy or chakra, but its true name is Soul-Energy."
Murmurs flew across the courtyard, they were all puzzled by his words, especially since they weren’t informed about something like this back on earth.
"Soul-Energy?"
"That’s right." His loud voice silenced the crowd.
"Soul-Energy is what sustains our souls, providing enough energy to replenish it as long as we are alive. Naturally, evolution points are the fundamental requirements for forming a Soul-Shard, think of a Soul-Shard as part of the Soul-Core. Once all shards have been assembled in the soul, it fuses and births the Soul-Core, creating the phenomenon we come to know as Soul-Hunters. Right now, some of you are all just awakeners, siphoning off the power of the little Soul-Shard in you."
’The Little Soul-Shard?’ Rentaro thought. Now that he mentioned it, in his status panel under the Soul-Core section, it never specified the type of Soul-Core he obtained, that was until the returns took effect.
But it was still in the crafting process, at the very least, only a portion of his Soul-Core was crafted after he survived the abyssal demon and obtained the Fragment of Origin.
"Your objectives are simple, in order to ascend to the second trial of the sanctuary, you need enough evolution points to form a Soul-Shard before you can even think about obtaining the Soul Fragment. Hence, your objective in the first trial is to become a Soul-Hunter. That means killing beasts and farming enough evolution points to create your Soul-Core. The purpose of the 1st Soul-Squad is to make that objective possible, hence, we have cleared out a specific region of the sanctuary of all Upper grade beasts. For the next one hour, you all will be permitted to use those training grounds before the first trial begins, good luck."
The briefing was swift and conclusive.
’I see, so that’s the purpose of the Soul-Squads, it’s not just to guard humanity. Like those bastards from before said, most of humanity that entered into the sanctuary never got the chance to evolve to Soul-Hunters, so the Soul-Squads exist to increase those odds.’
Rentaro looked around, trying to familiarize himself with his new surroundings, when a group of one girl and one boy approached him.
"Hey, you seem to be new to the sanctuary as well, would you like to join us and form a team?" The girl asked with an expectant gaze.
"A team?" He glanced at them for a second, forming a team was the most ideal and surefire way to survive in the sanctuary, but also one of the easiest ways to die.
Just like how Leon abandoned him to the Abyssal Demon, and left him to die.
But that didn’t seem to be the case with these two, at least for now.
One thing was obvious since he was transported here, power is the only necessity, it was the same reason that convinced Leon and his team to try and recruit him.
So the results would undoubtedly be the same for these three once they discovered he was talentless, but that was before he obtained a Soul-Shard.
"Alright I’ll consider it, but can you give me a moment?"
"Yes of course! Take the time you need!" She replied nervously. Anyone could see the rush of anxiety in her chest, unlike Rentaro, she knew what she was being transported into.
Rentaro turned around and exhaled sharply. ’Now that I know what I’m getting into, I need to evaluate my options. I received a Soul-Shard from surviving the Abyssal Demon, although it was merely just plain luck, so I should have at least an ability in my arsenal. Status.’
He pulled up his Status Panel, then selected the class ability slot.
[Class Ability -
• Passive Skill — Timeless (1%)
-Skill description: There can’t be an end without a beginning.]
’Huh? Timeless.’ His class ability gave only a short and vague description.
[There can’t be an end without a beginning.]
’There can’t be an end without a beginning? What kind of description is that?’
