Free Web NovelChapter 1: The Enhancement Day
The blue sun slowly climbed toward the centre of the faint brown sky as a group of forty youngsters stood in the orphanage’s large garden. They were the children who had reached the required age, all eligible for today’s test.
Today was Enhancement Day, the day every human, upon reaching the age of fifteen, underwent a trial that could change the course of their life forever.
In front of the youngsters stood a larger group of fierce-looking soldiers who eyed them like predators studying their prey. They looked intimidating enough, but the children knew they weren’t the most frightening people present.
That title belonged to the man sitting cross-legged before them.
The soldiers were merely soldiers. They had undergone rigorous military training and wielded powerful weapons, but they were nothing compared to that man. He was a true Enhancer, someone who had passed this very test years ago and risen to become one of humanity’s symbols of power in the new world.
A single glance at him was enough to send chills down the youngsters’ spines. With his broad frame, massive greatsword, and strange green thorns protruding from his right forearm, he embodied everything an Enhancer was meant to be.
Yet the sight of him inspired little hope. If anything, the children knew they were staring at a distant mirage—a dream so far beyond their reach that it might as well not exist at all.
The test itself was simple. Each child had to choose one of the many cores arranged on the large table ahead and attempt to consume it. The spheres were roughly the size of tennis balls. Their surfaces varied in texture, and each emitted a faint glow of a different colour.
They were Monster Cores, the only known way for humans in Eldrune to gain supernatural powers.
***
Humanity had fled Earth more than two centuries ago, migrating to Eldrune in successive waves. Earth had become heavily polluted and ravaged by countless wars before eventually turning into a world unfit for human life.
Yet the new world humanity discovered proved no less hostile. Eldrune possessed something Earth never had: Mana.
The first wave of migrants suffered greatly from its effects. Many died from Mana toxicity, while survivors experienced severe side effects that shortened their lifespans.
Yet even those problems paled in comparison to another; humans couldn’t absorb Mana. Eldrune wasn’t an empty world waiting to be claimed. It was already inhabited by countless races, Dragons, Elves, and many others. And then there were the monsters.
Humanity found itself trapped between two impossible choices. Behind them stood Earth, a dying world that would slowly kill them. Ahead lay Eldrune, a world that threatened to wipe out the entire human race far more quickly.
Then came the discovery of the Seven Havens. No one knew who found them first. Scattered across the vast world were seven enormous fortified regions that became sanctuaries for a desperate and cornered species. Within them existed mysterious runic formations that responded exclusively to humans.
For the first time since arriving in Eldrune, humanity found hope. Unfortunately, that hope was fragile.
The runes required a constant supply of Mana Crystals to remain active. Mana Crystals could be found throughout Eldrune, but most deposits were controlled by powerful races or overrun by monsters. Fortunately, each Haven contained several crystal mines within its borders.
As one problem was solved, another immediately appeared.
Monsters frequently emerged around those mines. Humanity suffered heavy losses before finally learning how to kill them. Conventional weapons brought from Earth proved largely ineffective, forcing people to adapt through bloodshed and sacrifice.
And it was during those battles that humanity discovered Monster Cores. That discovery became the first spark that would eventually give birth to Enhancers.
Driven by curiosity and desperation, people experimented with consuming the shimmering spheres. Human bodies lacked any natural affinity for Mana, but Monster Cores acted as a bridge. The cores transformed those who survived the process.
Some called it a blessing. Others saw it as a curse, believing the transformations pushed humans closer to becoming monsters themselves.
Regardless of opinion, the result was undeniable. Humanity had finally found a weapon capable of allowing them to survive.
The age of Enhancers had begun.
Unfortunately, it came with a terrible price: the Enhancer Cracks. Some claimed they were the work of Gaia, the mysterious force said to dwell at the heart of Eldrune and serve as the source of all Mana. Others called them Gaia’s Curse.
Whatever the truth, one fact remained certain. Every time a new Enhancer was created, a crack appeared somewhere within a Haven’s protective barrier. And through those cracks came monsters.
The stronger humanity became, the more attacks it invited. At first, veteran Enhancers were able to handle the outbreaks. Eventually, the numbers became overwhelming.
That was when the academy system was created. Newly awakened Enhancers would be gathered, trained, and sent to shoulder part of the burden. Unknown to most recruits, however, they were never told the full truth.
They would only learn their real role later, assuming they survived long enough to discover it.
***
"Do you need an invitation? Go pick a core and try to ingest it, if you aren’t a coward."
The thorn-covered Enhancer spoke in a bored tone despite his naturally intimidating appearance. His aggressive demeanour wasn’t unusual. It was a common trait among humans who had undergone multiple enhancements.
This particular man was a C-Rank Enhancer. Compared to him, the orphanage children looked like toddlers. They were thin, pale, and visibly underfed. Most looked exhausted, as though a good night’s sleep was a luxury they had never known.
Among them stood a slightly taller boy named Silas Ashborne.
His messy black hair constantly fell into his eyes, forcing him to brush it aside every few minutes. His sharp grey eyes seemed far more observant than someone of his background had any right to be. Like the others, he wore the pale complexion and dark circles of a life filled with hardship, yet there was something different about him.
His gaze was always moving, watching, analysing. As if he refused to take a single step before understanding everything around him. Silas hesitated as others moved, before he walked toward the table.
The Enhancer’s words weren’t entirely unfounded. There were generally three possible outcomes when taking the Enhancement Test.
The first was the dream outcome. Those blessed with exceptional Mana affinity would cause the core to dissolve the instant it touched their tongue. Such individuals were destined to become Enhancers.
The second outcome was far more common; the core wouldn’t react at all. That was the fate of nearly ninety-nine percent of humanity.
Some would force themselves to swallow the core anyway, hoping to gain minor physical improvements. But it was a gamble, as most would suffer a far worse fate; they would explode, not metaphorically, literally.
The violent rejection of the core could reduce a person to a gruesome shower of blood and flesh.
That possibility alone convinced many applicants to withdraw the moment a core remained intact in their mouths. Those were the cowards the Enhancer was referring to.
"There’s no hope for us anyway," one of the boys muttered. "Let’s get this over with and see what labour jobs are available afterwards."
The comment earned a few bitter nods. It perfectly summarised the future awaiting orphans like Silas. Children without family connections, wealth, or influential backers faced an additional obstacle that most people conveniently ignored: the quality of the cores.
The Enhancer sitting before them was proof of what success could look like. But Silas knew success wasn’t evenly distributed.
The cores provided to orphanages were all F-Rank. They were the lowest grade available, the weakest cores ever. They were the least likely to trigger a successful resonance.
Meanwhile, children from wealthy or influential families often took the test using D-Rank or even C-Rank cores. Higher-grade cores significantly increased the chances of becoming an Enhancer.
The game was rigged before it even began.
Failing the test meant abandoning any hope of a better future. Most would become miners, extracting Mana Crystals from dangerous tunnels infested with monsters. Others would spend their lives building roads, expanding settlements, or handling the countless unpleasant jobs required to keep humanity functioning.
"I withdraw."
The voice drew Silas’s attention. A boy beside him had picked up a core, stared at it for several seconds, then placed it back onto the table.
The Enhancer didn’t say a word. Everyone could feel the man’s stare hidden behind his dark sunglasses, a look full of disappointment.
One by one, several more children stepped back and withdrew. Silas watched them leave. Then he exhaled slowly. There was no point delaying the inevitable. He reached toward the table and selected a random core.
It was pitch-black, with a strange feather-like texture covering its surface. Thin streaks of silver shimmered beneath the darkness. He had no idea what monster it had come from. Neither did anyone else here. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
Not that it mattered.
Silas tossed the core into his mouth, expecting a cold and hard sensation before putting it back and withdrawing like others. Yet the moment it touched his tongue, his entire body ignited.
It felt as though he had swallowed molten lava. Heat exploded through his veins, spreading from his mouth into every corner of his body. His muscles locked, his nerves screamed. The heat intensified until it became impossible to tolerate, think, move, or even blink.
"Oh? Winner winner, chicken dinner."
The previously bored Enhancer suddenly shot to his feet. His tone had transformed completely; gone was the intimidating hostility. In its place was an almost childish excitement.
"We’ve got ourselves a winning ticket, boys. Tag him and bag him. Get him onto the aircraft with the others."
Silas heard every word loud and clear. He felt the soldiers lifting him. He felt himself being carried away, felt the wind brushing gently against his skin. Only then did he notice the massive shuttle parked nearby.
How had he missed something that large? His thoughts never found an answer, as darkness arrived too quickly.
One moment, he was conscious. The next, everything faded away.
***
"Welcome, future Enhancer!"
Silas’s eyes snapped open while a melodic female voice echoed through the room. For a split second, his heart nearly stopped.
"An AI assistant? You almost scared me to death."
Relief washed over him as he recognised the source. A beautiful holographic woman floated beside his bed. She was one of the standard AI assistant models used throughout Eldrune.
"Where am I? What happened to me? Wait..."
The memories returned, the heat, the paralysis, the Enhancer’s reaction, the words of the future Enhancer he had just heard. Realisation struck him like a bolt of lightning. And Silas immediately jumped to his feet.
"Did I actually make it?"
He hurriedly examined his body. Then examined it again. By the third inspection, he had stripped completely naked and was standing in front of a large mirror. There was nothing. There were no scales, no claws, no glowing eyes, no extra limbs, no strange markings.
"There is literally nothing different."
His excitement quickly turned into confusion. Most Enhancers developed some form of visible transformation. It was practically a universal rule.
"Let me contact a supervisor and obtain an answer for you."
The AI assistant smiled politely. And Silas knew exactly what that meant. A supervisor meant an actual Enhancer.
"Until then, would you like to begin the Enhancer Tutorial?"
Silas sighed.
He didn’t have anything better to do. After getting dressed, he lay back on the bed and nodded. The holographic woman stepped aside. And a massive screen materialised behind her.
"Congratulations on passing the Enhancement Test. Being here means you belong to the lucky one percent of humanity capable of becoming an Enhancer. It is a remarkable achievement, but only the first step of a much larger journey..."
A series of images filled the screen in succession. First, there was space. Then Earth appeared as a small blue sphere. A fleet of enormous colony ships came out of it, heading deeper into the dark space.
The images told the story of the migration to Eldrune. Then it showed what happened when the fleet arrived here. Then the screen showed scenes of the destruction of the early settlements, the monsters’ relentless and deadly attacks, the big first war, and the death of many.
"The early pioneers didn’t soar," the AI narrated. "They were shot out of the sky. Humanity paid for its foothold in blood before discovering the Seven Havens."
Silas already knew most of this. Every child in Eldrune grew up hearing those stories, even orphans like himself.
The tutorial continued. The Seven Havens appeared as enormous domes scattered across the colossal planet and connected through teleportation networks.
"To survive and expand, humanity needed powerful individuals. Thus, the age of Enhancers began."
The screen shifted once more, showing world-famous Enhancers who appeared one after another.
"Enhancers are generally divided into seven major classes: Hunters, Mages, Tamers, Buffers, Shifters, Elementalists, and Auxiliary Specialists."
Examples accompanied each category, yet Silas barely paid attention; his thoughts were elsewhere. Every image showed the same thing: the transformations, the mutations that accompanied any Enhancer image.
They were all visible changes. Each Enhancer had something distinctive about them, something that defined their powers and became a symbol for themselves. Yet he had none.
"No matter the class, every Enhancer undergoes some form of transformation..." Silas muttered.
’Then why don’t I have one?’
He looked down at himself, then back at the screen.
"If I don’t have any transformation whatsoever... does that mean my superpower is paying taxes and being disappointed?"
The joke earned no reaction, even from himself. The AI assistant wasn’t programmed for that kind of humour either.
"No. It’s too early to panic."
He had escaped the future waiting for most orphans. He had passed the test and became an Enhancer.
’There had to be an explanation.’
The tutorial ended moments later, and the AI assistant’s expression changed.
"I have received a response from a supervisor."
The voice that followed wasn’t hers; it was deeper, harsher. It was an Enhancer’s voice.
"In thirty minutes, report to the main assembly hall on the upper deck. All awakened recruits are required to attend an important briefing."
Silas stared at the map that appeared before him. The assembly hall was surprisingly far away from his current spot.
"Thirty minutes? At this point, I should leave now, set up a camp halfway there, and start a new life."
The AI remained silent. And he simply rolled his eyes.
"I should drop these half-baked jokes or else someone will die."
Silas memorised the route, rolled his shoulders, and headed toward the meeting hall.
