Rain awoke with a slight headache, the blinding lights of the hospital ward irritating his eyes. Confused about where he was, he perked his head up from the bed. In front of him were around a dozen beds, all equipped with state-of-the-art medical devices one might need. In truth, these devices were only used rarely; potions created by alchemists could heal most physical injuries. Miracle healers, Blessed whose sole Reflection allowed them to save others from the brink of death, were as rare as elemental users like Rain, and so, were not readily available for every training centre, or cheap for that matter.

  Glancing around the bright room, Lance lay next to him, still asleep.

  ‘We went a bit overboard…But still, I managed to defeat him first, didn’t I?’

  A mischievous smirk appeared on his face. Indeed, it was quite a feat. Lance was considered one of the best candidates in the entire camp. His martial skills were on par with the less experienced officers, after all. While all trainees began their sorcery training simultaneously, Lance, Naomi, as well as many others were already accustomed to such strict training regimens, thereby having a slight advantage.

  ‘In just two weeks, I grew this much…’

  Just two weeks ago, he was a scared boy, crying on Granny’s shoulder, facing an enormous hurdle ahead with the odds stacked wildly against him. Now, while the odds were still heavily against him, he could see a mote of possibility in the distance, but there was still work to be done.

  A couple of minutes went by, and after a nurse examined him, he was free to go. He still had combat training in an hour after all.

  Right as he exited the door, a chill ran down his back.

  ‘The Berserker.’

  Down the long hallway, Lieutenant Dawson walked in a confident pace, his hands behind his back, toward Rain’s direction.

  ‘This is the first time I’ve seen him since the assembly.’

  As he was getting closer, Rain grew more nervous.

  ‘Surely this is a coincidence…There’s no way he’s looking for me. Probably some other trainee…Lance! Since he has such a high standing here.’

  Rain began to move down the hallway as well, seeing as it might be weird standing still while stalking the Lieutenant. As he got nearer, Raim gave him an awkward salute before going on his merry way.

  “Are you the slum born who caused an explosion in my training hall?”

  Stopping in his tracks, Rain turned around slowly, his heart beating out of his chest.

  Standing this close to the man known as the Berserker, he could sense why he was in charge.

  He is the same height as Rain; however, his imposing figure, jet black hair parted down the middle, sharp eyes and handsome features, as well as a deep scar running sideways under his eyes, nearly filling his face, making him look like a villain in a movie. Adding to his presence, Rain almost didn’t need to focus to sense his deathly mana. A stench of blood spread from it.

  Rain couldn’t quite tell from the assembly, but this man was much more fearsome than he had anticipated. So he tried to be as cautious as possible with his words.

  “Y-Yes, Sir, that is me. I apologise for any inconvenience I have caused.”

  Even though Rain knew he wasn’t alone at fault, since Lance himself pushed him to it. In this moment, however, he wouldn’t dare correct the man in front of him.

  “You…can you sense my mana?”

  At this question, the sensation of his mana grew even stronger, the smell of blood now reaching the point of decaying corpses. Trying his hardest not to be overwhelmed by it. Raim took a few seconds to answer:

  “Y-Yes, Sir, very much so. It’s quite strong.”

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  “Strong, you say? I apologise, it seems you are quite sensitive in the manner of mana. It was simply a test.”

  Taken aback, Rain followed up:

  “A…test? Sir?”

  “Follow me.”

  Turning around, Lieutenant Dawson urged him to follow along.

  ‘What did I get myself into now…’

  Rain quietly followed behind. Once outside the hospital, the path to the main building was not a very long one. However, the timing was quite inadequate. The thousands of trainees were currently on their way to their significant lessons. Because of that, hundreds of them stared at Rain as he followed the intimidating Lieutenant. He wasn’t the type to care about whatever others thought of him, but the current scenario, without any context, was appalling for his image.

  ‘I somehow feel like a criminal.’

  Ushered whispers came through the crowd around him.

  “Damn, what did he do to get HIS attention?”

  “I bet he beat someone up.”

  “I saw them leaving the hospital; something bad must have happened.”

  Glancing over at them to somehow clear their perception of him. Most simply looked away and kept walking along, as if Rain might attack them.

  ‘God damn it, I didn’t do anything!’

  Arriving at the tall main building, it was quite a bit different from the other, more efficient designs. Most of the other buildings, aside from the massive training halls, were typical concrete complexes, similar to those Rain lived in himself in the slums.

  The main building, however, was quite a sight to behold, while it was still built of what seemed to be grey concrete. A large staircase brought one to the entrance, where columns held the oval ceiling. The outside walls were filled with intricate designs. Inside, the spacious foyer had two staircases, each going in a different direction. Even from the entrance hall, one could see the second story looming overhead, and the sounds of the popping wooden floors being used echoed throughout the building.

  After waving off one of the receptionists at hand, they went up the staircase into a different part of the building. There, at the end of a long hallway, was Lieutenant Dawson’s Office. It was the first time Rain had found himself in such a nice building; wooden decorations and flooring were extinct in the slums, so seeing the many offices and mahogany coloured hallways was quite a treat for him.

  “Sit down.”

  Showing him to a comfortable-looking chair, Rain sat down inside the spacious Office. Lieutenant Dawson’s office was…entirely like his personality so far. Clean, Organised, Efficient. No sentimental mementoes on top of the wide wooden table were visible. Only stacks of paper, notebooks, and books.

  Rain was still unsure of why he was here, presumably because of his incident with Lance, but that wouldn’t be enough of a ruckus for the highest-ranking officer to care, and so, gripping at the only bit of courage he had, he simply asked:

  “Uhm, Sir? Why exactly am I here?”

  Now sitting himself, Dawson leaned over the table and spoke:

  “I suppose you are curious. Makes sense. I’ll keep it short. You are a very talented young man, Rain. Not only do you possess a rare Reflection, but the speed at which you learn its intricacies is remarkable. However, you are deeply inexperienced. Your combat needs improvement, and your knowledge of the Mirror and basic survival skills is nonexistent. Hopefully, those will change starting tomorrow with your theory lessons. But to sum up: You are far behind.”

  “I do not blame you for it, bear in mind. What you’ve already achieved in such a short time is something to be proud of. Still, to survive in the Mirror, you’re going to need more.”

  Harsh words fell on Rain’s ears, but they still rang true.

  “I know…I’ve been training the whole time, but…I can’t catch up with the others.”

  Thinking about how far away he was from Lance was futile, since he was one of the best. However, even someone like Yuol, who had basic prior training, was still miles ahead of him in combat.

  “Life is a cruel thing…It takes from those who have already lost it all.”

  Burrowing his eyebrows, Lieutenant Dawson seemed deeply touched by his own words. A moment of silence passed before his words broke it:

  That’s why I want to offer you my guidance. Starting tomorrow, I’ll personally train you both in sorcery and combat. If you wish”

  ‘What?!’