"The man seated in an awkward position on a comfortable leather-bound chair is sleeping with no care for the world. When he is lost in his own dreamy world, he receives a heavy slap on the back of his head as another person in the same room passes by, waking him up from his dreams. He opens his eyes, holding the back of his head and cursing back, 'Why would you do that, Patrick? Can't you let a man relax? Can't you see I am having a nice sleep here?' Patrick replies in kind with another slap on the back, this time telling him that the boss is waiting for him in his cabin. This response wakes him up well. 'Fine,' he replies, telling Patrick that he is going now.
Still in a sleepy state, he walks up to the cabin, knocks on the door, and walks in to find a woman sitting at the desk working on some files. She indicates that he can sit down. After about 5 minutes, she looks up at him and speaks, 'Nathan, we have received a message from Admin Shuchi; the initiation for the new candidates is done. Kindly proceed with the test and training onboarding.' As soon as he heard this, his sleep vanished into thin air. He asks back, 'So, are we going for the usual test this time as well?' She nods at him, and he proceeds to get up and leave.
But before he leaves, she tells him to look out for talented ones. He replies back with a smile and leaves, closing the door. After he leaves, another man enters the cabin and sits at the same seat. 'Why did you send him?' he asked in an inquiring tone. 'You know he gives me creepy feeling looking at his record !! ' She nods and tells him that he is their best tester, and they always send him right after initiation as he sets the standard high for recruiting the best out there. 'You know all the best-performing ones are his recruits; after all, they need talented people to work for them or they will be taken away by other organizations. As he is a great negotiator and spotter, he usually gets things done faster. He builds a good image among the candidates by setting the expectations right even before they enter the train, so they can consider joining us once they start climbing till they ascend to upper realms.'
'Right now, those new candidates don't know the reality of challenges coming towards them and the world. A good introduction will allow us to recruit first, and it solves the problem of manpower. After all, they will need manpower to keep the CNC running in this realm. Many leave as they ascend, as they have the highest ratio of sending people to the upper realm for those who are working with them, and they join the other branches in the upper realm. This is one way of looking at it,' the man replied. 'we lack manpower, and we do need good talent as you said; they should understand the situation they are getting themselves into.
Climbing isn't something an average Joe can do; they will need their wits, power, and support to overcome the challenges,' she interjects him, saying that he is forgetting the most important factors of luck and talent. The man, although not convinced, doesn't refute her. 'So when is it scheduled to arrive?' he asks again. 'In about 12 hours, I believe. The location was somewhere in the red valley, I suppose, when we last checked. Well, CNC can only assist them with onboarding and providing them materials and knowledge; the rest is in their hands anyway. Let's hope we get some good seeds this time.'
Meanwhile, on the platform, people have started to come out of their chambers only to find no one present on the platform. This confuses many, as they thought Shuchi would be there to greet them after their session. Finding no one, they simply relax by sitting around the people that have already come out, discussing the various things they will be able to do once they start challenges and how they will become conquerors of this world.
As they observe more and more people crowding the platform, Nathan is already there as he arrives from the teleportation portal to the station. He arrives in one of the chambers and starts walking towards the main platform. His steps are confident, exuding an air of authority around him; he floats above, gathering the attention of all people present and starts to observe them.
He is a spotter, blessed by a lesser-known goddess, a rare trait that enables him to identify unique characteristics of people that are usually not visible. He looks at everyone present but doesn't say anything, waiting for everyone to come out of the chambers. After about 2 more hours, when everyone is on the platform, he starts by introducing himself. 'Hello, candidates. I am Nathan from the CNC; I will be the one responsible for your test and will help you onboard onto the train. Before the train arrives, I will give you some of the details about the world you are about to enter and what role CNC plays in it.' He goes on about the same, telling them about the advantages of joining and what they will miss out.
He mentions other organizations like the White Lotus Academy, Blue Rose Institute, Bone Emporium, and many more, which they will be recruited to if they qualify, but CNC gives them the most advantage and freedom when it comes to ascending, as they have the highest ascension ratios compared to all of them. 'This is actually valid only for the last 3 realms, but he doesn't need to tell them that.' After seeing the faces of many lighting up after hearing his pitch, he tells them that all of them will be given a halo watch, and he waves his hand as they can now see a watch floating in front of them.
Raghu collects the watch and wears it on his left wrist; he feels a prick of a needle, and the halo watch connects to him, lighting up. He is surprised that it is linked to individuals with their blood. There are various displays projected in front of him giving him information about many things. The most interesting one is about the server that Shuchi had mentioned, and he can see so much info with people discussing the upcoming events. There's also one more tab that interested him, that is the train timing. This time indicates where the train is and when it will arrive at the station. The announcement of Nathan gets his attention as he tells them that the train will arrive in the next 20 minutes. He also tells them that the test will start when the train arrives.
After a while, everyone on the platform is on high alert as they feel a chilling sensation run down their spines. A dark train, filled with a sense of doom, appears as a malevolent creature emerging from shadows. Its skeletal frame, made of twisted metals of unknown origin, gives the feeling that it's ready to consume those who step aboard. The exterior is draped in perpetual darkness, as if the essence of doom itself has taken the form of a train.
The windows don't show the outside but reflect disturbing images of tormented souls. The glass seems to weep an otherworldly substance, leaving a haunting residue. Sinister gargoyles on the exterior, with malevolent eyes, seem aware of the impending doom for those who dare to board. They release a mournful groan as the train stops, adding to the foreboding atmosphere. When the doors creak open, a suffocating aura of hopelessness fills the air. Everyone present at the platforms feels their soul shudder once as they look at this gothic horror in front of them."