(A/N: It may seem that the story is going at a rapid pace however do keep in mind that this is only the first of many return cycles Hitori will have.)
Over the next year, Hitori kept a low profile, working diligently while occasionally training his body.
As a person from the modern world it was obvious that his fitness was nowhere near the level of the people of this world so Hitori did his best to improve his body.
Although a year wasn't enough to make life altering changes, it was enough for him to drastically strengthen his untrained body while making some good money on the side.
Today recruitments of the samurai would be held. Waking up before sunrise, Hitori left under the cover of the night.
He hadn't informed anyone of his intentions to join the ranks of the samurai. After all what little reputation he had built while working in the farm would be ruined if he shouted about becoming a samurai only to come back with his tail between his legs after failing.
Although Hitori knew that such things were meaningless, he would hate to have others look down on him.
Arriving at the recruitment building once again he entered. The office had only a dozen people instead of the hundreds one would expect.
This wasn't due to people not wanting to become samurai, after all samurai had both high status and great fighting power and wealth.
The thing that stopped them from trying to become a samurai was the price. Not the metaphorical price of responsibility or hard training but the literal price of 100,000 ryo a person needed to pay to attempt to become a samurai.
This entrance fee was a way to stop any star eyed commoner from trying to become a samurai and wasting the recruitment office's time.
Once Hitori's turn arrived he silently handed over a bag full of cash to the recruiter behind the desk. That was almost all the money he had made while working in the fields for a whole year.
Hitori and the other recruits were led to the back yard where their aptitude would be tested.
"A samurai needs both a powerful body and a strong will." A man wearing red traditional samurai plated armour and carrying two swords at his sides spoke firmly.
"Testing that is simple." Grabbing two papers with some symbols scribbled on them, he showed them to us.
"By placing these seals on your stomach and forhead we will test your potential. The longer you can last before both your body and consciousness exhaust the higher your chance of becoming a Samurai."
"If you can stay on your feet for a minute you will pass."
Hitori and the other 10 recruits all received two seals each. At the samurai's mark the placed them on their foreheads and stomachs.
As soon as that happened Hitori felt dizzy momentarily before he felt strength rapidly drain from his limbs, he and the other contestants stumbled around for a bit but Hitori was the first to collapse.
10 seconds that's all it took for his to collapse.
The samurai examiner looked at Hitori distastefully upon seeing his collapse and the seal on his stomach crumble.
The seals place on their bodies drained their physical and mental energy. It was how samurai tested a person's potential, they could train anyone to wield a sword but only a person with high energy reserves could be turned into a samurai.
Although the seal that drained physical energy crumbled away meaning that Hitori's physical energy was spent the samurai noticed that the seal placed on his forehead that drained mental energy was still intact.
This slightly surprised the samurai as most people's physical energy was higher than their mental energy which resulted in them passing out first instead of just falling to the ground like Hitori.
10 seconds passed by
20 seconds passed by
30 seconds passed by
40 seconds passed by
50 seconds passed by
1 minute passed by
The samurai was dumbstruck as Hitori was still conscious even after a minute while the other contestants ran out of mental energy and collapsed before shortly running out of physical energy.
Hitori looked at the clouds while contemplating his next move. 'I shouldn't have expected to have the talent to become a samurai, I'll just become a bandit instead. Who knows, maybe I'll develop some skill after a few fights to the death.'
Hitori's vision blurred before the vision at the edge of his eyes started turning plank and slowly crept up before Hitori lost consciousness.
Two minutes after the start of the test the samurai breathed out after the seal on Hitori's forehead finally crumbled meaning he had finally passed out.
The samurai was truly dumbstruck at what he had seen. Although he had seen many people last far longer than Hitori, those people all tremendous physical energy. Never had he seen someone pass by completely relying on their mental energy.
He wondered just what kind of mutant Hitori.
••••••
Hitori suddenly woke up with a start and looked around he was on some bedding while 5 other recruits were still sleeping in their own respective beddings.
Wondering where the others were, he looked at familiar man who was sitting in the corner while reading a book.
He was the same one who took their money. Noticing that Hitori had woken up he closed his book and looked at Hitori and said "You woke up pretty quickly. You passed, congratulations. You will start your training tomorrow at sunrise, you can leave if you have any business to take care of."
'I passed?' Hitori was about to ask that before immediately shutting up, although he didn't fullfil the requirements to pass perhaps the examiner or the other recruiters made a mistake. If that was the case, Hitori would have to be a moron to shoot himself in the foot by snitching on himself.
Nodding silently, Hitori quickly left and the man went back to his book.
Hitori went back to the farm. He had passed out for 9 hours so it was already noon.
Once he came back he was scolded heavily by the overseer for skipping work after being informed that his pay would be cut and that he would be fired the next time he did it Hitori nodded before going back to the house shared by the farm hands and going asleep.
He would properly quit tomorrow since he didn't feel like paying for an inn for tonight.
Waking up even earlier than usual, at 2 hours before sunrise due to having spent most of the day before sleeping, Hitori wanted to inform the overseer that he would quit but he was still sleeping.
Remember that the overseer would would fire him if he skipped work again Hitori decided to do that instead waking up the man at such an inconvenient hour.
A peaceful sleep was a blessing. Hitori didn't want to disturb that.
Hitori went back to the city, arriving an hour before sunrise he bought some dumplings from a wondering street merchant and sat on a wall and watched the sunrise while eating.
Watching the orange light spread across the cold dark blue sky. Hitori saw no beauty in the scene.
It was definitely a beautiful sight, but Hitori was an old man, he had watched the sun rise and set thousands of times. He was used to it.
Finishing his breakfast he went to the recruitment office where was led to a room with the rest of the recruits.
Entering, they all gave him a strange stare but he ignored it while thinking 'Please don't snitch.'