Serve To Survive

'Huh? What?' Haruo thought, clearly dumbfounded as he watched Leo summon illusions, Tatiana hurl objects, Theodor stumble, Ena shout orders, and Isaac scramble for cover. Chaos erupted around him.

'These people are insane' Haruo thought.

***

"Alrighty, but before that, how about we see which division you guys were sent to?" Kilian said, his gaze shifting to the massive screen on the platform displaying a leaderboard.

The leaderboard displayed the teams and their total points. Each team was named after its leader's last name, and seeing Andreev at the top spot didn't come as a surprise to anyone.

Ena scanned the top 10 repeatedly, hoping to spot their name, but it was nowhere to be found. Her eyes drifted lower, landing on their team at rank 11. She stared blankly at the screen, a wave of disappointment washing over her, leaving her at a loss for words.

"Wait, how do we know which division we got?" Ena asked, her eyes narrowing at the screen in confusion.

"Look to the side of the leaderboard," Kilian replied, gesturing casually toward the screen.

Her eyes darted to the side of the leaderboard, landing on another board. Unlike the points display, this one listed the divisions each person had been assigned to.

"Wait, people can see which division we go to? Is that really necessary?" Ena asked, her voice laced with disbelief as her gaze lingered on the board.

"Well... I don't know. Like I said, I wasn't in charge of the test—only the branch leaders were," Kilian replied, his voice carrying a hint of uncertainty as he shrugged.

"That's stupid! Aren't you like the main branch executive! You should know what they did or something." Ena exclaimed.

Kilian shrugged, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"I helped with the important stuff, but only the important stuff. The rest was up to them. Think of it like a template," Kilian explained.

"How do you have a reference for everything? Seriously, you don't need to make an example, I already know what you mean," Ena said.

"Alright, aside from everything, you should check your division now," Kilian suggested.

Ena gently stood up and slowly walked toward the platform, leaving Kilian a little confused.

"Y'know you can just check your division by tapping your ring right?"

"Why didn't you tell me earlier jackass!?" Ena exclaimed before opening her window.

[Name: Ena Hyakagure]

[Performance evaluation]

Mock Fight test: 22,103

Team Test: 39,979

Free-for-all test: 11,820

Mental test: 14,908

Tower test: 1

Singularity test: 25,635

Overall Score: 114,446

Ranking: 5th place.

Second half:

Team points: 344,775

Points collected: 189,374

Overall score: 534,149

'Luckily a lot of people went to our checkpoint, so we were able to get a lot of points. I practically carried the team,' Ena thought, tapping her chin with her finger and thumb as she nodded.

After a while of indulging in her self-arrogance, Ena paused, her thoughts shifting. Where had she been placed? What division had she been sent to? Before the first half started, she could see her rank clearly, but now it was nowhere to be found.

"Hey, fuckface, how do I know where I got—" Ena cut herself off, her expression shifting as she realizes.

'Oh, I can scroll,' Ena realized, her hand already moving to the screen.

"Never mind, I got it. You're as useless as ever, you buck," Ena said, putting her attention only to the screen.

"Wow, you're more aggressive than usual today. Is it because I slapped you on the head during the first test?" Kilian said, his smug grin making it clear he was teasing her.

"Okay, first of all, we met yesterday. Why are you acting like we've known each other for years? Secondly, I'm pissed because you forced us into that contract AND made me wake up early just so you could beat me and Haru up. And lastly—that was you?! I thought it was the mannequin! I figured it had some other ability, which made me paranoid and cost me a lot of time!"

Ena bombarded him with a string of curses, frustration clear in her voice as she realized what Kilian had done during the first test. Kilian, however, only chuckled, his smile wide and proud. How could someone be that annoying, she wondered. But the smugness in his laugh only fueled her irritation further.

She stopped herself, deciding not to let his teasing bother her any longer. With a quick swipe, she scrolled down and found her placement for the second half. It wasn't a surprise—she had already seen it. But what caught her attention now was the assigned division.

"Ar-ti-facts res-to-ra-tion," Ena read aloud, carefully sounding out each word. Her eyes widened as she processed the information.

"Oh my god... What the hell is artifacts restoration," Ena asked Kilian.

Kilian chuckled at her confusion. "It's exactly what it sounds like. You'll be restoring artifacts, working with their magic and physical form. It's a division that's a bit more... hands-on, I guess."

"Mhm, okay, honestly, could've been worse," Ena muttered, her gaze still fixed on the screen.

"Haha... Yeah... Could've been worse," Kilian awkwardly laughed it off, glancing away.

"No... You're not trying to say that..." Ena's eyes dulled, knowing exactly what this meant.

"Yeah, you got the worst one. But hey, you shouldn't just focus on the cons without looking at the pros, yeah?" Kilian said, tapping her back in an attempt to shift her mood, though it was clear she was already far from pleased.

"Uhm, excuse me," Isaac said, catching both of their attention.

'Oh yeah, I forgot he was there,' Ena thought, dumbfounded.

"I don't know how to say this, but I also got sent to the artifacts restoration division," Isaac said, a bit nervously, though not as much as when he first met Ena and Haruo.

Kilian's eyes sparkled, and his smirk grew wider. "Well, aren't you lucky? At least you have someone you can trust," he said, clearly enjoying the situation.

"What division did Haru get?" Ena asked, her curiosity evident.

"Yeah, he's also in artifacts restoration," Kilian replied.

"That's the only good thing I've heard from you all day, but ill take it," Ena said shrugging.

***

While Ena and Kilian chatted, Theodor's eyes remained locked on Haruo, his expression unchanged from the first time they met. It was a quiet curiosity, a lingering question that seemed to grow as he observed.

'That guy... He's stronger than I initially predicted. Not only that, but was he holding back?' Theodor thought, his gaze still fixed on Haruo. His thoughts were interrupted when someone approached him.

It was Leo, still wearing that creepy smile "Hey Theo, congrats on the win," he said.

"Leo, you're here. What happened? I didn't expect you to fail any test," Theodor said, turning his attention fully to Leo.

"Didn't Tia tell you how I failed?" Leo said a little confused.

"She only told me that you failed the test, not how you failed. So, would you mind explaining what happened?" Theodor asked.

"Well, I actually failed on the second test, the team test. Tia was on the opposing team," Leo said, trying to summarize his experience as best he could.

"You lost to Tia?" Theodor said while raising his brow.

"Well not exactly, It was her teammate which made me lose," Leo clarified.

"Who was it?" Theodor was piqued with curiosity for this was the first time he saw him lose to someone other than himself.

"I can't recall his name but he had white hair, gray eyes and had a coat. He uses a gun and a sword to fight," Leo explaining the details.

"So it was him, im not surprised he is strong," Theodor said.

"Wait, you know him and fought him? Well, it's good to hear. I thought I was getting weaker or something," Leo said, relieved.

"But you know, the strangest and most powerful thing about him was his ability," Leo added, a hint of intrigue in his voice.

"What do you mean?"

"His ability revolves around ice powers, which fits him despite his name meaning 'spring.' He can create and manipulate ice at will, like most with ice abilities. But what makes him truly unique is that he can freeze things that don't even make sense to freeze," Leo explained, his tone shifting to something more serious.

This new information left Theodor a bit shocked and confused. He wasn't expecting something as peculiar as freezing "illogical things." It sounded more like something out of a legend than a real ability, but It wasn't impossible.

"When I fought him, he slowed down my abilities and even froze the amount of power I could use. It was honestly annoying to deal with, but I guess I did gain some experience from it," Leo said, shrugging with a smile.

"Ahem, ahem, Theodor Andreev will now select a disqualified participant and remove their disqualification and choose his division."

A voice, distinct from the council's, echoed through the speakers, leaving the participants confused. Despite their uncertainty, they focused their attention on the announcement.

"Oh right, I almost forgot about that," Theodor said to Leo. "But you already know I'm picking you." He then stepped forward onto the stage and began announcing his selection.

Theodor walked toward the mic, cleared his throat, and grabbed it confidently in his hand.

"I select participant: Leo Novikov to be removed from disqualification" Theodor said.

"And for the division… I choose the Artifact Restoration Division," Theodor announced before putting the mic back to its place and walking away.

Theodor glanced at Leo, who was smirking his usual creepy grin. With a nod, they both walked off the stage, leaving the crowd murmuring in confusion, unsure of what "artifacts restoration" entailed. The whispers grew as participants speculated about the division.

"Alright, with all this done, I now declare that the verification test is officially over," the branch leader announced, cutting off as a buzz followed.

***

"So yeah, that's what happened while you were unconscious," Kilian explained, as Haruo listened from his bed.

"Okay, so just to clarify. You moved my things into your mansion and this is now my room, right?" Haruo said.

"Wow, I haven't even told you that yet, but yeah," Kilian confirmed.

"Then why are you letting them destroy my room!?" Haruo shouted, pointing at Ena, Isaac, Tatiana, Leo, and Theodor, who were causing chaos inside. His frustration was clear as he watched them rearranging his things without a care.

"The first thing I see after a well-deserved nap is chaos and destruction in my new room!" Haruo exclaimed.

"It's fine," Kilian said exaggeratedly. "Besides, that isn't the thing you should be worried about right now." His tone shifted slightly, indicating that whatever was coming next might require Haruo's full attention.

"Your brother awakened his ability while you were doing the verification test. And right now, he's experiencing manifestation failure," Kilian said. The weight of his words sank in, and the room fell silent. Everyone's mood shifted to a serious tone as they processed the gravity of the situation.

"He's in the medical wing," Kilian replied calmly, though his tone was serious. "They've got him under observation, but his condition's not looking good right now."

"Uhm, I don't mean to ruin the mood, but... what's manifestation failure?" Isaac asked, his voice uncertain as he glanced at the others.

"Manifestation failure occurs when someone awakens their ability, but it doesn't stabilize properly," Kilian explained, his voice steady as he looked at Haruo.

"Instead of working as it should, it becomes erratic or uncontrollable. In the worst cases, it can cause dangerous side effects or even threaten the user's life." Kilian added.

"There is a cure, but it requires a specific ingredient, and unfortunately, we don't have access to it. The northern kingdom has been facing difficulties sending this ingredient to other kingdoms and villages." He said.

"That's why I'm sending you all to an expedition, go to the northern kingdom and retrieve the ingredient, this will be your first task as a division."