As soon as Eldric climbed down the building, a small carriage was already waiting for him. The two bright red horses at the front, each twice the size of a normal horse, made him sigh in admiration. Their muscular forms glistened in the early morning light, and their fiery eyes seemed to glow brightly.
No matter how many times he saw the numerous beasts in this world, he couldn't help but be fascinated by them. In his previous life, he had always dreamt of things like these, and now that he was finally seeing them, words weren't enough to describe his mood.
He took a deep breath and approached the carriage. The driver, a stern-looking man with a scar running down his cheek, nodded at him without a word. Eldric climbed into the carriage, feeling the plush velvet seat cushions sink under his weight. The interior was decorated with intricate woodwork and luxurious fabrics, showing the luxuries of the City Lord.
After getting in the carriage, they took off to their destination. Throughout the journey, the other two people in front of him were silent. The young man sitting directly across from Eldric had a haughty expression, his nose slightly upturned as if he found the very air distasteful. The woman beside him had her eyes closed, seemingly lost in thought, with a constant frown upon her face. Not to mention having a friendly conversation, the two of them didn't even look at him properly.
Bored, Eldric could only watch the passing scenery outside the carriage. The cityscape gradually changed from modern glass-and-steel buildings to older, more ornate structures.
Half an hour later, they reached their destination. The first thing that greeted his sight was a luxurious mansion built in a medieval European style, forming a stark contrast to the modern city around it.
Other than Eldric, four others were already waiting there patiently. Though Eldric didn't know them, he recognized them as students from Atheria High School. Their uniforms, though slightly different in design, bore the same insignia of a knife that the people who escorted him here had on their uniforms. Compared to him, the four of them were filled with excitement, their curious eyes occasionally scanning everything around them. Upon noticing his arrival, they nodded to him in greeting
It was at this time when the five of them were looking around, marveling at the hand-crafted murals on the walls, that the door to the mansion opened and an old man in his seventies walked out. His back was slightly hunched, and his white hair was neatly combed back. He wore a long, flowing black robe that brushed the ground as he walked, its fabric embroidered with silver threads that shimmered in the light.
"Do they want us to work as servants?" This was the first question that popped into Eldric's mind after looking at his outfit. But soon, this question of his was answered too.
"Follow me. Your job is to take care of certain things. Any mistakes and you will have to pay dearly." After speaking these words, the old man took Eldric and the others further inside the castle and it wasn't until they made numerous twists and turns did they stopped in front of what seemed like an ancient copper door over five meters tall.
Taking out a small cube from his pocket, the old man put it in one of the holes in the door and the second he did it, the entire door opened with a creaking sound, revealing the hidden scenery behind it.
"Huh!?" Looking at the gigantic red crystal that was half-buried Eldric couldn't help but narrow his eyes. Just from one glance, he could already feel the immense energy inside it. Taking a deep breath, Eldric saw a red wisp entering and circulating inside his body before merging with his blood.
Though the changes were non-existent, Eldric could feel a weak burst of energy in his body.
Looking around, he wasn't the only one. The other boys felt it too... their faces filled with ecstasy and excitement. The effects of the red wisps on them seemed much more potent, their bodies visibly trembling with newfound strength.
"This is the place where you all will be working from now on," the old man continued. "See those stones lying in the corner?" He pointed at a pile of small red stones in the corner of the hall. "Someone will teach you to mark them and group them accordingly. If you work hard enough, you will be promoted from this position."
Without waiting for them to respond, he handed out five blue rectangular tokens carved from wood with numerous beasts drawn on them. "Since you all are working for the City Lord, there are some benefits for you too. These tokens are your identities and you can use them in the Firefly Restaurant for free meals. There is no limit, and you can eat whatever you want there."
The hands of those who received the tokens trembled with excitement. The Firefly Restaurant was the biggest in the city, with one meal often costing as much as a normal person's monthly salary.
And now that they were able to eat there without any worry, they couldn't help but clench their fists in excitement. If not for the fact that this was their first day, they would have run away to taste those meals that they had only dreamt about.
"The house of fragrance will be free for you all too." With this final sentence, the old man walked out of the room, not caring about their reactions.
"..."
"Holy shit. Is it true?"
As soon as the old man left, one of the boys couldn't help but shout with an expression of disbelief.
How couldn't they know about the famous House of Fragrance that had been a dream of theirs since they hit puberty?
The more they thought about it, the more they were unable to control themselves. They even wish they had wings so they could fly there as soon as possible.
Eldric on the other hand wore a confused expression on his face. He knew about the restaurant but what the hell was the House Of Fragrance?
Asking the overly excited fellow beside him, Eldric finally understood that it was the highest-class brothel in this city.
"....."
Looking at the four of them speechlessly, Eldric shook his head. And waited there patiently for someone to show up and teach them the basics of working here.
Even though he didn't want to work at this place, especially not after seeing so many benefits, he couldn't do anything about it for the time being.
The only thing he could do was to patiently wait and strengthen himself as fast as possible.
Making up his mind, he calmed his restless heart and took a deep breath, letting in the red wisp inside his body which soon disappeared in his blood.
.
.
.
.
Somewhere in the castle, the old butler who had just left the room was kneeling on the ground silently.
"It is done." Speaking to the person behind the curtains, he narrated everything briefly.
"Only five this year?" As soon as the voice echoed, the entire room seemed to tremble for a moment.
Noticing the dissatisfaction in the voice, the old butler just shook his head with helplessness.
"There were only four earlier. It was just pure luck that we found an additional person at the very last moment."
"...."
The room went silent for a long time before the voice echoed once again.
"Whatever. Just make sure everything happens on time."
"As you wish, my lord." With this final sentence, the old man took his leave, leaving behind the uncomforting silence of the shadows.
.
.
.
.
Two hours later, Eldric and the others were working inside the room, arranging the stones on the ground with blank expressions. Five minutes after the old man left, someone else had come to the room to teach them everything they needed to know.
Now, Eldric stared at the roof above with a dazed expression. After working tirelessly for two hours, he wasn't fatigued; he was just bored. No matter how many benefits they offered, he wasn't interested in this mind-numbing work. If not for the potential trouble, he would have run away from the city.
But now... "Heh." He just let out a helpless smile.
"I've never seen you before. Are you sure we were in the same school?"
It was at this time that a voice brought Eldric back to his senses.
"Umm..." Startled by the sudden question, Eldric looked at the young boy beside him and nodded in reply. Since there was nothing else to do besides this tedious work, he was more than happy to engage in a conversation.
"At what difficulty did you complete your trials?"
"Ordinary." Eldric lied with a straight face.
"Eh!" Furrowing his brows, the boy looked at Eldric for a while before shaking his head.
"How the hell did you even manage to work here then?" His voice was filled with surprise. He hadn't expected someone with such poor results to be working alongside them. But this surprise was fleeting; they were all acquaintances now, regardless of their results.
"No idea." Eldric just shrugged. He still had no clue why he was forced to work here. Initially, he thought it might be because his identity was revealed. But now, he was unsure.
"The name's Balor." While he was still thinking, the boy beside him gave him his introduction.
"Umm... Eldric." With a nod, Eldric chose to introduce himself.
"I am Thorne."
"Me Darius."
"And I am Lucius."
The moment the two of them introduced themselves, the remaining three in the room gave their introduction too.
Eldric observed them closely. Other than their faces and heights, they seemed strikingly similar. After going through the awakening process, everyone's body was strengthened automatically. There were no newly awakened people who were fat or thin; everyone had a physique that epitomized the pinnacle of human strength.
"By the way, did the four of you know each other before this?" Eldric asked, curious about their connection.
"Umm... not exactly." It was Balor who spoke with some hesitation.
"Huh!?"
Seeing Eldric's confusion, Balor explained "We weren't exactly friends or acquaintances. Other than knowing each other names, we were basically strangers."
"I see." Eldric just nodded in response.
"Enough about us. What about you?" This time it was Lucius who asked.
"What about me?"
"Why weren't you at the meetings?"
"Huh! What meetings?" Eldric couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
"The meeting we were called to after we were selected to work here."
"...."
Getting no response from Eldric, Lucius couldn't help but think of something before narrowing his eyes while the other three remained oblivious to it.
He looked at Eldric for a while before asking slowly.
"Can you tell us how you got here in the first place?"
Eldric who was about to throw a small rock beside the small pile, paused mid-air and thought for a moment before deciding to tell the truth.
If he wanted to know the reason why he was here, he needed to know why the others besides himself were here in the first place. And what better way to do this than to tell the truth?
With this in mind, he opened his mouth and slowly began to speak.....