Once every two years, the Imperial Army would send out various recruitment teams to the many worlds under their command. These teams recruited fresh blood from the different worlds to add personnel to the army. Most of these recruits could not awaken the talent of magic, but the few that could would be drafted into the army. They would then undergo a strict training period in one of the camps of the regiment that had jurisdiction over that area. This was known as the Selection Period.
A group of caravans were currently travelling through a dense forest. In this caravan, all the carriages and wagons are painted white and gold. A golden insignia was emblazoned on the sides of every transport. It was a golden eagle with against a plain white background. This caravan was part of the regiment stationed to watch over a cluster of worlds at a certain corner of the secondary dimension. It was a scout regiment known as the Golden Gazelles. A portion of their forces had been assigned to conduct the Selection in this region.
Every hour, a scout would return from the forward forces, reporting the situation to the major force to keep them alert.
"You didn't have to come all this way yourself, General Rudolf." One commander of the Selection group, Eren, had an exasperated look on his face as he spoke to this General Rudolf. General Rudolf was short and stocky. He was actually the official who had attended the meeting between the Three High Generals that were in charge of the affairs of the Garu Cluster.
Rudolf grunted, crossing his arms over his bloated belly, "The Selection Period this time around is of great importance to Their Excellences. It's so important that I have to supervise as well. I can't allow any slacking off!"
"What exactly is going on that the Three High Generals have to take charge themselves, all at once?" Eren asked, probing Rudolf.
Rudolf grunted again, as though he couldn't get the words out of his throat. "Do I look like a gossip? It's confidential!"
Eren stared at Rudolf like he had seen a shark taking a sunbath on the beach. Almost everyone in the scout regiment knew that Rudolf's mouth was like a rattan basket. Nothing was a secret when he was involved.
Rudolf kept his lips shut and continued to stare at the magical projection of the map. They had been making good progress, almost at the edge of this world, where they could jump to the next.
Roar!
A loud roar suddenly exploded at the back of the formation where Rudolf's carriage was stationed. The yells of men and clanging of armor and weapons could be heard from outside. Rudolf rolled his eyes as he yelled for the carriage to stop moving. With a few quick movements, he disembarked from the wagon and out into the slight drizzle on the outside.
A clearly oversized bear was standing on its hind feet, swiping at the forces of the caravan. With just a single glance, Rudolf could tell that it was a Sky class beast that was at its peak. It was clearly looking for some nutritious meals to supplement its growth into the next class of power.
He clicked his tongue and shook his head as he walked forward slowly. Suddenly, his muscles expanded and contracted in the blink of an eye, turning clumps of fat into highly condensed muscles filled with unbridled strength. He shot forward before anyone could blink, appearing before the mighty bear. He looked up at it one last time, irritation present in his eyes, before punching forward with all this might. His fist disappeared into the thick belly of the beast with a solid thump. Everyone thought his attack was ineffective until the face of the beast contorted in pain. Suddenly, a resounding boom echoed around the caravan and rings of shock waves pushed the water and rain away from Rudolf and the beast.
Blood poured out of all seven orifices of the bear as it fell onto its back, devoid of life. Rudolf released the body enhancing spell he used and the thick muscles he had all over returned to their normal fatty selves as he walked back to his carriage.
The spell he used was an advanced form of the body strengthening spell Kasuyi had once used on Kai's body. The only difference was that they had changed heavily this one to accommodate the different classes of power that it could be used at.
"As expected of a Lord class being." Eren smiled as Rudolf returned to the carriage.
Rudolf waved his hand and pushed his wet blond hair from his face. "It was nothing." Even though he kept a straight face, a slight note of pride could be heard within the undertones of his voice.
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Plop.
In a very different world, with a very different setting, several hooded figures could be seen exchanging blows with some strange-looking beasts. Most of them used ranged spells on the beasts, not letting them get within range, while others used body enhancing spells to fight the beasts head on. These beasts were covered in rock like patches. These patches acted like armor, serving as a sort of shield, and also a way of adapting to the harsh conditions of the desert.
When the final beast was slain, their outer shells were pulled off their bodies, collected to be used in potions and whatnot.
At the center of all this commotion, seven mages with grand enchanted robes stood. Each of them held a block of unknown material. Each block had a mystical carving that gave off mysterious vibes. The carvings on them were all different, too.
One spoke out loud, gesturing toward the horizon, "The teleportation runes are ready. We shall set off tomorrow."
The others nodded as their subordinate mages came back to form a wide ring around them.