Dawn came too quickly.
I woke to the sound of someone pounding on my door with enough force to shake the hinges.
"EDWARD! GET UP!"
That voice... Garrick?
I stumbled out of bed, my body still aching from yesterday's events. When I opened the door, the massive figure of Garrick filled the entire doorway, blocking out the morning light.
"Training starts now. Headmaster's orders." He turned and started walking away.
"You have five minutes. Don't be late."
The door slammed shut before I could respond.
[ GOOD MORNING, HOST. ]
[ DETECTING ELEVATED CORTISOL LEVELS. ]
[ RECOMMENDATION: CONSUME BREAKFAST BEFORE PHYSICAL EXERTION. ]
"There's no time for breakfast, Edith..."
I threw on my training clothes, a simple black shirt and pants that I'd barely used since arriving at this world. My muscles protested every movement, reminding me that this body was still recovering from the arena incident.
[ WARNING: BODY CONDITION AT 67% OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE. ]
[ HEMORRHAGIA ARCANA RISK REMAINS HIGH IF MANA CIRCUITS ARE STRESSED. ]
"I know, I know..." I grabbed my water flask and rushed out the door.
_______________________________________________________________________
Training Ground Seven looked different in the morning light.
The stone walls that had seemed ominous last night now revealed intricate carvings—battles between humans and monsters, mages wielding incredible power, and at the center of it all, a dragon that looked suspiciously like Vespera.
Garrick was already in the middle of the field, lifting what appeared to be a boulder twice his size over his head. Morrigan sat on a bench nearby, humming a cheerful tune while Lisette the doll practiced stabbing motions with a small knife.
Kieran stood perfectly still in a meditation pose, his bandaged eyes facing the rising sun.
"You're late."
Garrick grunted, dropping the boulder with a earth-shaking thud.
I checked my pocket watch. "I'm three minutes early."
"I said five minutes. You took seven."
[ UNIT 'GARRICK' APPEARS TO HAVE STRICT TIME MANAGEMENT PREFERENCES. ]
[ ANALYSIS: POSSIBLE MILITARY BACKGROUND OR EXTREME DISCIPLINE TRAINING. ]
Before I could argue, a familiar golden light materialized in the center of the field. Vespera appeared, looking far too energetic for this early in the morning.
"Wonderful! Everyone's here!" She clapped her hands together.
"Now, let's begin your preparation with a simple exercise."
Nothing about her smile suggested this would be simple.
"You're going to fight each other."
"What?!" I blurted out.
"A team needs to understand each member's capabilities. The best way to do that is through combat." Vespera gestured to the field.
"You'll each face one opponent in a one-on-one match. No lethal blows, but everything else is permitted."
"Even magic?" Kieran asked calmly.
"Especially magic. I need to see what you're truly capable of."
She pulled out a small notebook.
"Now then, first match: Edward versus Garrick."
My heart sank.
[ ANALYZING MATCHUP... ]
[ UNIT 'GARRICK' ESTIMATED STRENGTH: 8.7/10 ]
[ HOST CURRENT STRENGTH: 2.3/10 ]
[ VICTORY PROBABILITY: 3.1% ]
'Only 3%?!'
[ THAT'S ASSUMING OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE AND SIGNIFICANT LUCK. ]
Garrick cracked his knuckles, a savage grin spreading across his scarred face.
"Try not to die."
"Fighters, take your positions!" Vespera called out.
I walked to one end of the field, my mind racing. Garrick was massive, experienced, and clearly built for pure combat.
I had no mana, a body that could barely handle physical exertion, and combat skills that extended to exactly one instructor fight, which I didn't even remember.
'Edith, I need options.'
[ ANALYZING COMBAT SCENARIO... ]
[ RECOMMENDATION: DEFENSIVE STRATEGY. FOCUS ON EVASION AND ENDURANCE. ]
[ WARNING: DIRECT CONFRONTATION WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE DEFEAT. ]
"BEGIN!" Vespera's voice rang out.
Garrick charged forward like a rampaging bull. The ground shook with each step, and I could see the killing intent in his eyes, not malicious, but the look of a predator who'd found prey.
I dove to the side just as his fist cratered the ground where I'd been standing.
'He's fast for someone so big!'
[ CORRECTION: HIS SIZE IS DECEPTIVE. MOVEMENT ANALYSIS SHOWS TRAINED FOOTWORK. ]
[ UNIT 'GARRICK' IS A SKILLED COMBATANT, NOT JUST A BRAWLER. ]
Garrick didn't give me time to recover. He pivoted and launched a kick that would have broken several ribs if it connected. I rolled backward, feeling the wind from his attack brush past my face.
"Stop running!" Garrick roared.
"I'm not running, I'm strategically repositioning!"
"He's going to get squished~" Morrigan giggled from the sidelines.
I needed to change tactics. Pure evasion wouldn't work, Garrick was too fast, and I was already getting tired. But what could I do? I had no offensive capabilities, no magic, nothing except...
Wait.
'Edith, during my fight with Instructor Alaric, you took control of my body, right?'
[ CORRECT. SECURITY PROTOCOL WAS ACTIVATED DUE TO CRITICAL THREAT. ]
'Can you do that again?'
[ NO. ]
[ SECURITY PROTOCOL REQUIRES LIFE-THREATENING DANGER.
[ CURRENT THREAT LEVEL: HIGH, BUT NOT FATAL. ]
[ ADDITIONALLY, YOUR BODY CANNOT HANDLE ANOTHER OVERDRIVE SESSION. MUSCLE DAMAGE PROBABILITY: 94.6% ]
Damn it.
Garrick came at me again, this time with a grappling attempt. If he got his hands on me, it was over. I ducked under his reach and tried to create distance, but my foot caught on an uneven patch of ground.
I stumbled.
Garrick's eyes lit up. He lunged forward, both arms spread wide to trap me.
Time seemed to slow down. In that split second, I remembered something from my old world, a documentary about small animals evading larger predators. They didn't try to overpower. They used the predator's momentum against them.
As Garrick's arms closed in, I dropped to the ground completely, flattening myself against the earth. His momentum carried him forward, his arms grasping nothing but air. He stumbled, thrown off balance by the unexpected lack of resistance.
I scrambled between his legs and popped up behind him.
[ CREATIVE SOLUTION DETECTED. ]
[ ANALYZING FOR FUTURE TACTICAL DATABASE. ]
"Clever." Garrick admitted, turning to face me.
But there was no anger in his voice, if anything, he sounded approving.
We circled each other. I was breathing hard, my muscles screaming in protest. Garrick looked like he could do this all day.
"You're not bad at running away." he said.
"But in a real fight, you can't just dodge forever. Eventually, you have to strike back."
He was right. But how? I had no strength, no skills, nothing to...
My hand brushed against something in my pocket. The silver badge Vespera had given me.
An idea formed. A stupid, desperate idea.
"You want me to fight back?" I called out.
"Fine."
I pulled out the badge and threw it at Garrick's face.
[ WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! ]
Garrick's hand shot up automatically to catch or deflect the projectile. It was pure instinct—but it created an opening.
I charged forward, using every ounce of speed my exhausted body could muster. Not at Garrick himself, but at his planted front leg.
I kicked at his knee from the side, not hard enough to injure, but enough to disrupt his balance while his attention was on the badge.
Garrick's eyes widened in surprise. His massive frame teetered for just a moment.
I grabbed his arm and used his own weight against him, pulling in the direction he was already falling. It was the same principle as judo, minimal force, maximum leverage.
Garrick crashed to the ground with a thunderous impact.
The training ground fell silent.
I stood there, panting, barely able to believe what just happened.
[ ANALYSIS COMPLETE. ]
[ VICTORY ACHIEVED THROUGH UNCONVENTIONAL TACTICS. ]
[ UPDATING COMBAT DATABASE. ]
Garrick lay on his back for a moment, then started laughing, a deep, booming sound that echoed across the field.
"I'll be damned! You actually got me!" He sat up, still chuckling.
"That was dirty, tricky, and completely effective. I like you, Edward."
He extended his hand. I helped pull him up, though it felt more like he pulled himself up and I just held on for dear life.
"Match concluded!" Vespera called out, scribbling in her notebook.
"Winner, Edward. Though I must say, that was the most unorthodox victory I've seen in decades."
I collapsed to my knees, completely drained.
[ HOST VITALS CRITICAL. ]
[ IMMEDIATE REST REQUIRED. ]
Morrigan skipped over, Lisette dangling from her hand.
"That was amazing! So creative! Lisette thinks you're very interesting~"
The doll's head turned toward me, and I could swear I saw approval in those cracked glass eyes.
"Thanks... I think..."
Kieran approached, his bandaged face tilted slightly as if observing me from a different angle.
"You fight like someone who's used to being weaker." he said quietly.
"Every movement was calculated to avoid direct confrontation. It's... familiar."
Before I could respond, Vespera clapped her hands.
"Excellent first match! Now, while Edward recovers, next up, Morrigan versus Kieran!"
Morrigan's cheerful expression turned predatory.
"Oh goody! I've been wanting to see what those pretty eyes of yours can do~"
Kieran simply nodded, taking his position on the field.
I dragged myself to the benches, every muscle in my body protesting. Garrick sat down next to me, offering his water flask.
"Here. You earned it."
"Thanks." I took a long drink, then asked
"How did you end up in the Special Program?"
His expression darkened slightly.
"Same way as you, probably. I'm too dangerous for normal classes, but too useful to expel."
He pulled up his sleeve, revealing scars that looked like they'd been carved with surgical precision.
"I was part of an experiment. Noble family trying to create the perfect soldier by magically enhancing their servants. Most subjects died. I survived, but..."
he flexed his hand, and I could see unnatural muscle density beneath the skin
"I'm stronger than I should be. Sometimes, I can't control it. Hurt people I didn't mean to."
[ CONFIRMING PREVIOUS ANALYSIS. ]
[ UNIT 'GARRICK' IS A FORCED ENHANCEMENT SUBJECT. ]
[ DETECTING UNSTABLE MANA SIGNATURES IN MUSCULAR SYSTEM. ]
"I'm sorry..." I said, not knowing what else to say.
"Don't be. It made me what I am." He watched as Morrigan and Kieran faced off.
"Besides, better to be a monster with a purpose than a dead experiment."
"BEGIN!" Vespera called out.
What happened next was nothing like my fight with Garrick.
Morrigan didn't move. Instead, Lisette the doll began to glow with a sickly green light. The doll floated up from her hands and grew, expanding from the size of a child's toy to the size of a full human.
[ WARNING: ABNORMAL MAGICAL PHENOMENON DETECTED! ]
[ OBJECT TRANSFORMATION BEYOND STANDARD PARAMETERS! ]
Lisette's cloth body split open, revealing something that definitely wasn't stuffing inside.
Blackened bones, spectral flesh, and eyes that glowed with malevolent intelligence.
"Meet Lisette's true form~" Morrigan sang out.
"She's very hungry today!"
The transformed doll lunged at Kieran with inhuman speed, claws extended.
Kieran stood perfectly still until the last possible moment. Then he moved.
His hand shot up, grabbing Lisette's wrist mid-strike. The bandages around his eyes began to glow with silver light.
"I see you..." he whispered.
Suddenly, Lisette screeched, a sound that made my skin crawl. The doll thrashed wildly, trying to escape Kieran's grip, but he held firm.
"You're not a doll..." Kieran continued in that same quiet voice.
"You're a vengeful spirit bound to an object. A soul that died in hatred and pain, forced to serve."
"How... how can you know that?!" Morrigan's cheerful expression cracked.
Kieran's bandages began to unravel, revealing his eyes for the first time.
They were beautiful and terrible, silver irises that seemed to contain entire galaxies, pupils that
shifted and moved like liquid mercury. But most striking was what I saw reflected in those eyes, everything, every detail, every truth, every hidden secret laid bare.
[ DANGER! SPECIAL ABILITY DETECTED! ]
[ THOSE EYES CAN SEE THROUGH ALL DECEPTIONS! ]
[ RECOMMENDATION: DO NOT MAKE EYE CONTACT! ]
"These are the Eyes of Truth..." Kieran explained calmly.
"They allow me to see the true nature of everything. The past, the present, and even fragments of possible futures. And what I see when I look at Lisette is..."
He tilted his head, his eyes focusing on something beyond physical sight.
"A girl who was murdered by her own family. Experimented on. Tortured. Until death became a mercy. But even in death, you found no peace. Someone bound you, forced you to serve, turned your pain into a weapon."
"Stop it..." Morrigan's hands trembled.
"You're not the villain here, Lisette. You're a victim. Just like Morrigan is a victim. Two broken souls clinging to each other because you have no one else."
"I SAID STOP!"
Morrigan's scream shook the training ground. Lisette exploded in a burst of dark energy, forcing Kieran to release his grip. The doll shrank back to normal size and retreated to Morrigan's arms.
The small girl stood there, tears streaming down her face, clutching Lisette like a lifeline.
"Match concluded." Vespera said softly.
"Winner, Kieran."
Kieran rewrapped his eyes carefully with the bandages.
"I apologize, Morrigan. I didn't mean to cause you pain."
"Liar..." she whispered.
"You wanted to see how far you could push us. To test what your eyes could really do."
"You're not wrong..." he admitted.
"But I also spoke the truth. And I hope, eventually, you'll understand that I don't judge you for what you are."
Morrigan didn't respond. She just turned and walked to the far corner of the training ground, whispering to Lisette.
I felt a chill run down my spine. Those eyes of his... they could see through everything. Which meant...
'Edith, if Kieran looks at me with those eyes, will he see you?'
[ PROBABILITY: 67.3% ]
[ MY EXISTENCE OPERATES OUTSIDE NORMAL MAGICAL PARAMETERS, BUT HIS EYES PERCEIVE FUNDAMENTAL TRUTHS. ]
[ HE WOULD NOT SEE ME DIRECTLY, BUT HE WOULD SEE THE INCONSISTENCY IN YOUR SOUL. ]
'Great. So we need to avoid letting him examine me too closely.'
[ AGREED. ]
Vespera clapped her hands, breaking the tense atmosphere.
"Wonderful displays, both matches! You're all showing exactly the qualities I hoped for." She smiled at each of us.
"Unconventional thinking, raw power, unique abilities, and..." her eyes lingered on Morrigan
"deep emotional bonds with forbidden entities."
She pulled out a larger notebook.
"Now, let's discuss your team roles for the expedition. Edward, based on your performance, you'll be our tactician and scout. Your ability to analyze and exploit weaknesses will be crucial."
'Wait, I'm what now?'
"Garrick, you're obviously our vanguard. When we need something smashed, you smash it. When we need to hold ground, you hold it."
Garrick nodded, seemingly satisfied with this role.
"Kieran, you'll be our sensor and information gatherer. Those eyes of yours can detect dangers we can't see and find paths we can't perceive."
"Understood..." Kieran said quietly.
"And Morrigan..." Vespera's expression softened slightly.
"You and Lisette will handle spiritual threats and provide magical support. Many monsters in the Grey Shadow Forest are ethereal or undead. Your expertise will be invaluable."
Morrigan just hugged Lisette tighter, not responding.
"You have six more days..." Vespera continued.
"Use them wisely. Train together, learn to coordinate, and most importantly, learn to trust each other. Because when you're in that forest, surrounded by monsters and hunted by things far worse..."
She let the sentence hang in the air.
"You'll be each other's only chance of survival."
With that, she disappeared in another flash of golden light.
The four of us stood in silence for a long moment.
Finally, Garrick spoke up.
"Well, this is awkward. Anyone want to grab breakfast?"
Despite everything, the tension, the fear, the uncertainty, I couldn't help but laugh. It was such a normal suggestion in such an abnormal situation.
"Sure." I said.
"I'm starving."
"That sounds pleasant." Kieran nodded.
Morrigan hesitated, then whispered something to Lisette. The doll's head nodded.
"Lisette says... she wants pancakes."
And just like that, the world's most dysfunctional team went to get breakfast together.