Dense fog circled the streets as soft raindrops continued to pour from the heavens.
Soaked in the rain, Max stood at the bus station. A bag was strapped to his back. He wore a hooded jacket and thick trousers that covered him from head to toe. Still, the cold bit through.
Max glanced at his phone—it was 7 AM, and the sun was nowhere to be seen. The stand was silent, though he could hear the rumble of vehicles in the far distance. Soon, he picked up the sound of tires approaching.
Yellow lights pierced through the fog as a vehicle rumbled down the street, becoming clearer as it drew near. It resembled a cross between a bus and an armored carrier, with multiple lights gleaming across its surface. A bold text painted on the body read—ICM.
"Intercontinental Conventional Military..." Max muttered, staring at the vehicle in awe. This was the standard military vehicle often used in urban streets.
With a screech of hard brakes, the vehicle came to a sudden stop just in front of Max. A thick gate opened from top to bottom, like the ramp of an aircraft.
"GET IN!!" a booming voice called, and Max didn't waste a second. He climbed into the vehicle, which felt far less spacious inside than it looked from the outside.
There were no windows. He had to duck slightly due to the low ceiling. Other students were already inside, all staring at him.
The door closed behind him, and the same voice echoed again. "Hand over your cell phone or any electronic gadgets you have."
Max turned toward the front—beside the driver's seat stood an instructor in a military uniform. Max's gaze quickly shifted to his wrist, where a small, metallic band glowed dimly green.
'Green level?' Max gulped. He'd rarely seen anyone wearing one. 'Must be a high-level instructor…'
"Are you deaf?"
The voice snapped Max back to reality. He quickly dropped his bag and handed over his cell phone, watch, and any other electronic items. The officer collected them in a bag and asked, "Name and registration?"
"Maximus Steel, CD1230," Max replied.
The officer scribbled his name on the bag and sealed it. Then he pulled out a wristband, connected it to a small computer, entered some data, and handed it to Max.
"X-band. You probably know what it's for. Wear it."
Max didn't hesitate. The band was black, metallic, and sleek. Above, a thin, thread-like strip, approximately a centimeter long, emitted a soft, white glow. These bands had multiple purposes, but their most important function was ranking.
Depending on the host's evolution stage, the band displayed colors—violet being the lowest and Red the highest. Max slipped it onto his left wrist, and with a small click, it locked in place.
"Here's the rest of your gear. Now go grab a seat," the officer said, just as the vehicle stopped again and another person stepped inside.
Blond hair, sharp features, and a cold expression. Max glanced at her for a moment before heading to the last row and taking a seat. He quietly examined the small instruction manual, a military-grade dagger, and the invitation card with his name and ID printed on it.
"All candidates have entered. We will head directly to HQ," the officer announced, handing the equipment to the last girl who entered.
Max had hoped Rayan would board the exact vehicle as him, but that wasn't the case.
The blonde girl headed toward the back, scanning the seats before taking a seat next to Max.
Max hesitated slightly but said nothing. Even though they were sitting together, only 500 candidates were selected nationwide—just one from every bus of 50. That meant intense competition.
"What's your stage?" the blonde asked quietly without looking at him.
Max nearly jumped out of his seat but held himself together. 'Wait... is a girl actually talking to me?'
Cold sweat trickled down his back.
"I… um… no idea. Didn't measure. Haha…" Max laughed awkwardly, momentarily forgetting where he was. The officer up front gave him a sharp side glance, and Max instantly zipped his mouth.
'Crap… I'm screwing this up. When was the last time I talked to a girl? A year? No—five? Why the hell am I nervous? Is she scarier than the dungeon monsters?'
"You look decently strong," the girl continued in a flat tone. Her voice was cold, nearly devoid of emotion. "I'm Violet stage."
"Oh!" Max reacted, sneaking a glance at her. She was tall for a girl, her face was… fairly average, and from her clothing, Max guessed she came from a decent background.
The vehicle rolled on for what felt like an hour. Max didn't check the time. The atmosphere inside was dead silent. Some candidates had already dozed off from boredom.
Until—a sudden jolt.
Max slammed into the seat in front of him.
"Ahh!" the guy ahead of him toppled over. The vehicle had come to a screeching halt.
"What the hell?" someone muttered.
The officer turned to face them—but instead of being angry, he was smiling.
"Alright, everyone… get off the bus."
"Tsk…" Max chuckled softly. So, it's finally time for the real test. The instructor stepped out first, and the candidates followed one by one.
"Do you want to team up?" the blonde asked as soon as the instructor left the bus.
"Why?" Max asked, still lounging in the back. He wasn't in a hurry to leave.
"Isn't it obvious?" she said, looking him directly in the eyes. "I'm not confident I'll make it through alone… and I'd rather not take that risk."
Max understood her logic. He'd have thought the same. There were no official rules here—it was a matter of survival of the fittest.
"Why me?" Max asked.
The girl stood and made her way toward the exit. "Your ability will align with mine…"
Max wasn't entirely sure what she meant, but he followed her out anyway. The fog outside was just as thick as it had been before. The moment he stepped down, his boot sank slightly into the wet soil.
He glanced around.
Before them lay a vast forest, fading into the fog beyond. Max turned back. The road ended right where the vehicle had come to a stop. The other candidates stood around, unsure of what to do.
They were entirely surrounded by dense woods.
"It seems the road to HQ hasn't been constructed yet…" the officer announced with a grin, "so we'll have to wait until it's built."
"Not constructed? What does that mean?" one of the students asked.
"It means," the officer said casually, "the vehicle won't be going any further. If you want to proceed, we'll just have to wait here until the road is built."
"And how long will that take?" another asked.
"Well… it hasn't been built in my last five years of service," the officer replied, striking a comically thoughtful pose.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS BULLSHIT?!" a candidate exploded. "The application says the deadline is tomorrow at 3 PM! How are we supposed to make it in time!?"
Max barely held back a laugh.
Due to previous protests over inequality, the government passed a bill allowing anyone to apply to the military, regardless of whether they'd awakened. Since most poor people couldn't afford to awaken, it was a reasonable adjustment.
But the military wasn't buying into that nonsense.
They found a loophole—rather than issuing direct tests, they created indirect survival challenges that filtered out the majority of participants.
'This is common knowledge if you even slightly research the ICM. Yet some dumbasses walk in blind,' Max thought with a grin. He wasn't exactly a fan of ICM's methods—but even he agreed that people like that didn't deserve a spot in the military.
"Officer, may I ask a question?" the blonde girl who had sat beside Max raised her hand. "Which direction is the HQ?"
Some candidates turned to her, others to the officer.
"Hm…" the officer rubbed his chin. "If memory serves… head straight until you reach a river. Then, follow it upstream. You'll find it eventually."
The girl didn't waste a second. She zipped up her jacket, pulled her hood over her head, and marched toward the forest.
Max wasn't dumb. He followed her lead.
Slowly, others began heading out in different directions, while a few stayed behind—still waiting for the road to be built.
[AN: Donate a power stone to build the road.]