The heavy doors of the Beast Weapon Class training hall swung open with a loud creak. The students stepped inside, their eyes widening at the sheer size of the place. Lining the walls were rows of weapons—swords, daggers, spears, gauntlets, axes, staffs—all neatly arranged and glowing faintly with embedded beast cores.
Dave and Stive walked in together, both scanning the room. Despite having an ice ability, Stive chose to try this class. Dave, on the other hand, had no ability at all—this was his only option to become stronger.
A tall, broad-shouldered man stood at the center of the room. His arms were crossed, and a deep scar ran across his cheek. His uniform was simple but gave off a strict military vibe. He stepped forward and cleared his throat.
"I'm Instructor Daniel," he began, voice calm but sharp. "Welcome to the Beast Weapons Class."
The students quieted instantly.
"This class focuses on combat using beast-forged weapons. Each weapon contains a beast core that enhances your abilities—strength, speed, reaction time, endurance. Unlike regular weapons, beast weapons can grow stronger alongside you."
He paced slowly in front of them.
"Beast weapons don't reject. Anyone can wield them. But learning to master one? That's up to you."
He turned and gestured to the racks of weapons. "Your first lesson is simple. Choose a weapon that suits you."
The students immediately spread out across the room, some rushing toward swords, others inspecting spears and staffs. The air buzzed with excitement and curiosity.
Dave walked slowly, eyeing each weapon. His gaze landed on a pair of dark, sleek blades resting on a platform—short twin swords with a faint purple glow running along the edges.
Twin blades…
Something about them felt right. He stepped forward, picked them up, and gave them a light swing. They were light, balanced, and smooth—almost like they were meant for him.
[System Notification]
Weapon Equipped: Twin Void Blades
+2 Agility while equipped
He blinked at the system message. A faint smile formed on his face.
Stive, a few racks away, picked up a large halberd with a frozen blue edge. "Not bad," he said, spinning it around with ease. "Even without using my ability, this feels good."
Daniel stood back and observed as each student chose their weapon. Once they were done, he clapped loudly, drawing everyone's attention again.
"Good. You've all picked your tools. From now on, these weapons are your responsibility. Lose them, and you're out."
He pointed to the training area behind him. "Tomorrow, we begin live sparring. We'll see if you're just carrying weapons or if you can actually fight."
Dave looked down at his twin blades again. He didn't know how strong they were, or how far they could take him—but it was a start.
Daniel paced in front of the students once more, arms folded behind his back.
"Before we begin tomorrow's training," he said, voice echoing through the hall, "there's something important you all need to understand."
He turned and gestured to a glowing emblem on the wall behind him. A holographic projection flickered to life, showing a chart of beast ranks.
"There are seven known ranks of beast cores used to forge weapons," Daniel explained, pointing at the projection. "Rank F is the weakest, barely stronger than standard metal. Then it rises—Rank E, D, C, B, A… and finally, Rank AA."
A collective murmur ran through the students.
"The power difference between these ranks is massive," he continued. "A Rank F beast could be taken down by a skilled civilian. A Rank AA beast… well, let's just say, even elite soldiers struggle to survive an encounter."
Dave's eyes were fixed on the chart. So his twin void blades were at the bottom?
Daniel seemed to read their minds. "All the weapons you've chosen today are Rank F," he said firmly. "The lowest possible rank. You're not ready to wield anything stronger yet—and frankly, most of you wouldn't last ten seconds against a real beast."
One student raised a hand, a boy wielding a heavy axe. "Sir, does that mean these weapons won't be useful later?"
Daniel raised an eyebrow. "Wrong. Even a Rank F weapon can become deadly in the right hands. And some of you will have the chance to upgrade your weapons, if you survive long enough and prove yourselves worthy."
Dave looked down at his twin void blades again. The purple glow seemed dim now, compared to the thought of powerful AA-rank weapons. Still, it was something. A foundation.
"Dismissed," Daniel finally announced. "Rest well tonight. Tomorrow, the real training begins. If you think today was easy, think again."
As the students began filing out, Dave walked alongside Stive, both quiet for a moment and went back to their dorm.
Dave pushed open the door to Dorm, the metallic hiss of the automatic slide catching Tobin and Mike's attention.
"Yo, you guys are back," Tobin said, leaning against his bunk. His flame-shaped pendant swayed on his neck. "How was the... what did you two pick again? Beast Weapon class?"
"Yeah," Stive replied, flopping onto his bed with a groan. "It was… different."
Mike chuckled as he leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Different, huh? We got to throw fireballs and learn how to shape water in the elemental class. What did you guys do? Pet swords?"
Stive rolled his eyes. "We picked weapons forged from beast crystals. They're only Rank F now, but the instructor said they could be upgraded later when we use them they gets stronger with every kill, and can evolve to the next rank."
Tobin raised an eyebrow. "Rank F? Damn, that's barely stronger than a kitchen knife."
Dave sat on the edge of his bed, holding one of his twin void blades, its dim purple edge catching the dorm's ceiling light.
"They may be low rank," he said calmly, "but they feel right in my hands. That's all that matters."
Mike shrugged. "Well, guess we'll see whose class gets better results in the field. Personally, I'd rather drown a beast than stab it."
Stive gave a smirk. "You'll be too busy keeping your fire boy here from getting roasted."
"Say that again, ice cube," Tobin teased, a small ember lighting on his fingertip.
"Alright, alright," Dave said, half-laughing, "let's not turn the dorm into a battlefield."
The tension eased as the room settled into silence. Each of them, though joking on the surface, knew that the days ahead wouldn't be easy. And whether they had flashy abilities or not, they were all heading toward
the same future.
One of war. One of survival