Because the world discovered new races other than humans, the council called on a draft, selecting teens to be enlisted in the military to train. Not only was the world at war, but it seemed as though the entire universe was at war. Earth was training to fight the Gorilla race, which Earth called Simians.
People at school would talk about the Simians and how cool they looked when they powered up. It seems they have evolved from turning into apes and now just powered up, granting them tremendous strength. Their hair turned purple, and their eyes changed color as well; each one had different colors.
Alex and Erie materialized in front of the bus. Erie's stomach turned, and he immediately threw up all his food on the ground.
"Broo, that's sick," Alex said out loud.
"Get on the bus immediately, we now have to depart!" Officer Janet yelled. Erie covered up his throw-up and began to walk on the bus.
[new quest received, spend 30 minutes daily meditating and focusing on energy around you]
[daily quest rewards 25exp]
Erie was happy that the system was giving him simple quests, these almost seemed like a handout. "So I guess as I increase my level, my quests will get harder?"
Alex and Erie sat next to each other and began to chat. The bus drove for about 30 minutes, and then a bright light began to flash and cover the entire bus.
"What is happening?" a student called out from the back.
Officer Janet began to smile as she looked back at the panicking students, making eye contact with Erie and Alex, who looked unfazed.
[You are now being teleported. The system has built resistance to teleportation sickness. You will no longer be sick when teleporting.]
The electric hum grew louder, and the light flashed one last time. In an instant, the group of students were all teleported.
In the next moment, Erie and Alex lifted their eyes to see a grand view. The lands stretched for miles, and buildings reached high into the sky, seemingly without end. The trees were thick, and the fruits on them were giant, almost like they were mutated."Hey! Is that an apple?" Alex pointed out, "It's the size of a basketball!"
"Your whole lives are about to change. Those without abilities will now learn an ability of their choice. Please make your way to the center of the field and get familiar with the area."
Erie and Alex walked side by side, looking around the area. It was a large city mixed with a training facility. There were ability workers moving metal, rocks, and water, and creating fire to build the remaining parts of the city around them. The students pointed out the workers, intrigued by their use of abilities.
"We have built this military from the ground up. It took over 200 years to get to where we are now. Respect the builders because they are a very important part of our success," Officer Janet said while walking with the students.
When all of the students stopped, Erie noticed a tattoo on his arm, and so did Alex. Both tattoos displayed the number 1. They also had wristbands—Alex's was brown and red, while Erie's was clear. Additionally, they each had a digital wristwatch that displayed their name.
"The tattoos display your grade level. We currently have 6 years here that you have to complete to graduate from the military. The wristband shows the color of your energy signature. If it displays color, it signifies you have an ability; if it's clear, it means you don't have an ability. The wristwatch only shows your information and tells us if you are alive and your location. This way, we can track you if anything happens to you after class."
The moment Officer Janet mentioned showcasing their abilities, Erie shook his head. "Not again," he muttered under his breath.
Alex leaned over. "Hey, don't worry about it. Anyone that bothers you has to go through me first," he said, flexing his arm to show a muscle. "Plus, you seem pretty fit yourself, Erie, so you should be good too. All we need is a little training."
"Alright, everyone! Good luck to you all on your first day! I will take my leave now and be ready!"
Erie then paused and looked back at Alex. "Hey Alex, when did they put these markings on us?"
Alex looked at his band and Erie's tattoo, placing his hand on his chin. "I'm not sure. Maybe it happened when we landed from teleporting? After all, one moment it was 4:52, and now it's 7:52 and the next day. We could've been put in a time-stop ability or maybe we were just knocked out during the transfer."
"You got all of that from just this?" Erie said, scratching his head.
Alex, still staring at his watch, replied, "I mean, how else could we get these?" It was the only explanation.
"Hello everyone!" a loud voice boomed. "My name is General Ruthghart. I will be your new head general for the 1st and 2nd years! I want you all to step onto the platform! And those of you with a clear band, please step forward to the circle!"
General Ruthgart paused and then looked around while the students were moving. "Now, those of you with a clear band don't be afraid! It's okay to mingle for a bit! Get to know each other! After all, we are all important here!"
"Is it just me, or is this huge guy a little too friendly?" Alex whispered in Erie's ear.
"Yeah, it's a little weird for me. Something is off about him. He's huge as well. What is he, 7 feet? 400 pounds?" Erie looked at General Ruthgart, something about his smile putting him off. "Yeah, this guy is too friendly." He wasn't used to authority being nice to him, so everyone had a motive behind their niceness. He even felt the same about Alex. The sudden help he received from Alex and their conversation all just felt a little strange for Erie.