The students filed out of the waiting room and into the subjugation training hall as the professor gave us permission to leave.
Most of the higher-ranked students had already left, while the "minority" still waited in line to exit.
Looking back, I could see at least a dozen other Rooms waiting in this queue. I might have felt sorry for them if I were in a better position, perhaps.
"Class D, Room 10, you may proceed!" The announcement came from a technological device embedded in the ceiling.
'Well, it's time to go.' With the system's cue, my class eagerly walked into the subjugation hall.
However, I wasn't sure if they should be this enthusiastic, given that one of our classmates from another room had just threatened a Class C student. But I kept that thought to myself and followed the crowd into the room.
Inside, the room was even whiter than the waiting area. But unlike that room, this one contained only us from Class D, Room 10.
The reason for this exclusivity was that the room was actually an artificial magical artifact.
I knew this from the game; in Lizzy's route, there was an NPC who always provided background information about the place.
I played Dorian's route multiple times, so I couldn't remember much of the game's exposition except for interesting facts like this.
From the floor in front of Dorian, colors began to materialize, outlining a square on the otherwise pristine white surface. The drawing process accelerated, forming what looked like a rich, polished wooden floor with intricate grain patterns. It was almost mesmerizing, the way the floor seemed to come to life under our feet.
Next, walls started to rise from the boundaries of the floor drawing. They emerged slowly at first, then more quickly, revealing textures of stone and wood, with subtle carvings and designs etched into the surface.
Several students were visibly impressed, their eyes wide with wonder. I, however, felt a bit bored. I had seen this unskippable cutscene countless times before in the game.
As the walls reached their full height, a ceiling began to form above it, complete with beams and chandeliers that cast a soft, ambient light.
The transformation continued with furniture appearing along the walls, a mix of cabinets, racks, paintings, mirrors and that kind of stuff. All seemingly carved from the same rich wood as the floor.
Before the door was formed, I noticed the floor opening in various places, revealing hidden compartments. Several iron bared displays rose from these openings, holding an array of swords, spears, and other weapons. Each tool was meticulously placed, ready for us to choose.
Finally, the last wall emerged at our front, completing the room. This wall had a set of double doors, large and imposing, made of heavy wood and bound with iron. Above the doors, an inscription glowed softly, reading: "Choose Your Magical Tool."
Dorian, the one closest to it, was the first to step forward. The rest of us soon followed, filing into the space where the tools were displayed.
Once inside, I took a moment to absorb the sight. The racks and displays were meticulously arranged, each tool showcased like a work of art.
Long swords gleamed with polished blades and intricate hilts, some adorned with jewels that hinted at their magical capacity. Short swords had a compact, lethal elegance, with handles wrapped in fine leather for a better grip.
The bows were sleek and taut, some with quivers of arrows that emitted a faint, otherworldly glow. Shields stood firm, emblazoned with various symbols of protection and power.
Spears and tridents stood tall, their points sharp and menacing, designed for both thrusting and throwing.
The knives and daggers were varied, some one edged and some double-edged, others curved. What makes them variance is their color and if they have and what type of magical stone.
Warhammers were hefty and imposing, their heads massive enough to crush anything in their path. The whips, coiled and ready, seemed to promise both precision and pain with every flick.
As I surveyed the variety of tools available, I pondered which one to choose. 'In the game, I'd definitely go for a warhammer. But can I even wield one of those?'
I wondered, drawing from Auka's memories. 'She doesn't seem strong enough for that.'
Moving through the rows, I felt a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of options. Each tool seemed to call out, its magical aura almost palpable. I passed by a long sword with a blade that shimmered like liquid silver, 'Long Swords might be too cliché for me.'
I moved to the next row, the spears. And then a spear that seemed to hum with barely contained energy. But I knew these weren't for me, I didn't even need to stop and think.
I found myself standing in front of the dagger section. 'They're good, short-range, and fast swing speed. But that's in the game. Are they even practical in reality?'
The daggers were displayed elegantly, their sleek forms lying against black velvet. Each one was unique; some had blades that were a pure, deep blue, while others had handles encrusted with small, sparkling gems.
One particular dagger caught my eye. It had a blade that seemed to be made of obsidian, dark and glossy, with a handle wrapped in midnight blue leather. Also displaying 4 stars at the sign below.
It looked both deadly and exquisite. I checked a little more about it even though it was a four grade magical tool. It had a very tough straight side and a curved inside side.
That scared me a little, but also made me wonder if that is good or not.
I then glanced again at the cabin. My options included long swords, short swords, daggers, bows, shields, spears, tridents, knives, long-range type daggers, warhammers, and whips.
So I looked back at the dagger in front of me and glanced at the four starts.
Magical tools, up to this point in the story, had a maximum of seven grades. Each grade indicated the tool's superiority in using mana. There were no Grade 0 tools. If you couldn't link with a Grade 1 tool, you could kiss your dreams of becoming a hunter or soldier goodbye.
Each section had tools up to Grade 5, which was overkill for students with above-average talent. Since the higher the grade, the higher are the requirements for the magical tool to deem you as worthy.
So, to test my luck, I approached the Grade 4 dagger that was getting my attention. That action attracted everyone's attention.
"Alright, let's try linking real quick, if both of us aren't compatible, I'll be on my way. You seem like the perfect choice for me." I said confidently to the tool.
Expecting rejection after a few seconds of silence, I was about to place the dagger back in its section when it flashed green, and I felt a slight but painful shock.
"Wait, what?!"
I was stunned. How had a Grade 4 tool accepted me so easily?
"What? A girl managed to link with a Grade 4?"
"You're kidding!"
"What happened?"
"We had someone incredible in our class, and we didn't even know?"
"Is she in reality a he?"
I looked at my classmates; many were commenting on my remarkable achievement.
"Confirmed. Student Auka Geevolaince is now linked with
Hearing the announcement confirming my link, I looked at the dagger, wondering what form it would take.
The dagger began to shine intensely. As the light faded, I was impressed by its new appearance.
A sleek, black, curved dagger with a smooth plastic texture. Among the darkness were tiny white spots resembling stars in a night sky. Near the hilt, a purple circle appeared, and where I gripped the dagger, white strips wrapped around it.
Both sizes are well sharpened. One is curved to the inside and the other one is almost straight. Almost since it has a deformation to the outside due to the other side curve to the inside. And the overall sharpest side of the dagger is the curved one, for some reason.
Simple yet giving a premium feel. I only wished it had a guard for a firmer grip.
Examining its size, I realized my old concepts about daggers were wrong. Between the white stripes and the sharp, dart-like point, I could fit a hand and a half. Was it larger than normal daggers or were short swords larger?
'Well, now I have a dagger. I hope I won't regret this decision.'
Having chosen my tool, I was obliged to leave the cabin.
I stepped outside to a beautiful sunny open field landscape. The transition from pure white to a lively field was seamless, but I expected it, unlike the students who got distracted from their magical tools.
To test my new dagger, I moved away from the cabin and gently requested the system to summon a goblin.
"Goblin being summoned randomly in 10… 9…" the system alerted me.
Waiting with some fear, I stood still in a badass pose.
When the countdown silenced at 3, a loud "Geek!" sounded.
But then, the world turned blue again.
'Again!?'
I couldn't be delayed by this. I looked back and saw the goblin charging at me. I gripped my dagger tightly, preparing to slash at it.
[A: Skill; Slash]
[B: Skill; Roll]
[Y: Skill; Throw]
[X: Skill; Stab]
Four screens, each in a different shade of blue than the world around me, appeared in a pattern of south, east, north, and west—counterclockwise.
Accepting the situation, as unlike a turn-based game, time hadn't stopped; I only managed to read the first screen that was materializing.
'"A" Skill Slash?'
The screen was entirely blue with a standout tone from the world around me, featuring letters and an image of a "A" symbol in a green circular background on the left side.
[A: Skill; ☓Cooldown☓]
I didn't let the four screens in front of me distract me and charged at the goblin.
"Geek!" The goblin lunged at me with its small sword, extending its arm thoughtlessly only doing a slight swing.
I blocked with my dagger on the curved side showing, held in a reverse grip in my right hand. The blades clashed, producing a grating screech that set my ear to scream at this decision.
My dagger's curved edge deflected the goblin's sword, pushing it out of the danger zone and the goblin instance became unstable. Seizing the moment, I tossed my dagger into the air and delivered a swift kick to the goblin's right leg.
Unbalanced, the goblin tumbled to the ground. In a fluid motion, I caught my dagger with my left hand, now gripping it in a standard hold. I crouched, executing a precise circular movement in my left arm to slash, aiming to decapitate the fallen goblin.
Blood had splattered everywhere in the field, but the blood in my uniform and dagger disappeared in seconds. The green field now had a blue blood stain and a goblin corpse, and a head disconnected from the body.
'I need a different weapon…' I was dissatisfied with the difficulty of delivering a killing blow with a curved blade.
The world returned to normal colors.
Putting aside recent thoughts about my first battle, I analyzed it.
The only problem I saw was the weapon's shape I decided for the final strike. But I also realized that thanks to the dagger and my reflexes, I created an opening on the monster's initial charge.
'Unless I find something better, I'll stick with this.'
I turned back to the cabin, where everyone was watching me frantically. Most of the boys had slightly flushed faces for some reason.
Among the students, I noticed Dorian smiling and nodding at me. Was he taking notes? I wasn't sure. Without a player controlling him, I didn't know much about his personality.
Leaving the goblin's corpse, I decided to focus on the four screens that appeared earlier. How and why did they appear? These questions puzzled me.
I gripped the dagger firmly to test it. The world turned blue again, but this time no screens appeared.
'I figured out why the world turns blue.' I thought, testing it eight more times by applying pressure to the dagger.
I concluded that the secret was simply being in action for something to happen.
Returning to the cabin, I asked the system to create a practice dummy. When it did, the goblin's corpse vanished.
I practiced front slashes with the dagger, continuing until everyone had chosen their magical tools.