Chain of Command

A broken white plate lies shattered on the floor, its fragments glinting in the dim light. A young, beautiful woman with long black hair sprawled on the ground, her blue gown a stark contrast against the chaos. Her head rests in the lap of a young boy beside her, crying softly, his tears mingling with the room's stillness. The weight of sorrow hangs in the air, echoing the moment's fragile beauty.

She looked at the young boy with a smile on her face, using her bloody hands to touch his chick gently.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer. Kenji, be good, leave on," she said gently.

Her hand gradually slipped away from his cheek, the brightness in her deep black eyes dimming with each passing moment. She felt life ebbing from her, and as the darkness closed in, bloody tears fell, tracing a path down her cheeks before her world faded into nothingness.

The young boy cried out, his voice piercing the silence, but no one was there to answer his desperate pleas.

When Kenji finally opened his eyes, the world was a blur, but gradually, it sharpened into focus. He realised he was in a hospital room, the oppressive darkness surrounding him broken only by the red LED lights lining the walls. Glancing at his right arm, he noticed a needle inserted into his vein. The placement looked slightly off—as if a novice had handled it.

Kenji struggled to lift his body slightly, the weight of exhaustion pressing down on him, but he summoned the strength to lean against the wall for support. With a shaky hand, he pulled the syringe from his arm and glanced at a student sleeping nearby. The quiet stillness of the room contrasted sharply with his turmoil.

Kenji's memory began to clear after studying the sleeping figure for a while. He recognised him—it was the companion he had saved by sacrificing another student.

The boy was quite chubby, dressed in a white uniform shirt, though his tie hung askew, betraying a lack of attention to detail. His skin had a slight yellowish tint, and he wore glasses that accentuated his nerdy appearance. Standing at about 5'11", with unkempt black hair, he embodied every trait of a devoted student.

The boy was sleeping beside him, keeping watch over Kenji. Kenji was surprised at the sight of someone by his side. It reminded him of the lonely nights in his childhood after losing his mother when he was sick and no one had been there to watch over him.

"Hey," Kenji said, breaking the silence.

"Immediately, the student woke up and seeing Kenji's eye, he panicked, screaming like a girl—as if he had just seen a monster.

"Oh, you're awake," he told Kenji, composing himself after his embarrassing reaction."

He kept blabbing about how he only had good intentions and couldn't leave Kenji alone and unwatched. Kenji's expression was plain; he couldn't understand what he was blabbing about.

"How long have I been unconscious?" Kenji asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh, let me check," the student replied, glancing at his wristwatch. "About eighteen hours, I think."

"Eighteen hours," Kenji said, shrugging slightly.

He remembered the girl with the fatal wound and felt a flicker of concern. "Did she make it?" he asked, trying to keep his tone casual.

The sad look on the student's face gave him his answer.

"What's the situation?" Kenji asked.

"The stars made it," he said, glancing up at the ceiling.

Kenji frowned, confused by the term "stars." No names came to mind. The student noticed his expression.

"I mean Akio, Jin, Amaya, Kato, and his sister."

"Oh, Ryu, too," the student said, looking at Kenji.

Kenji wasn't surprised Ryu had made it. Ryu was his stepbrother, and they had both undergone the same training—though Ryu had learned from their father.

"They formed a squad," the student continued. "It's made up of students who killed a goblin before getting to the sanctum. They run the entire place,"

Kenji noted, beginning to digest the information.

"Considering how many goblins you killed, it'd be easy for you to fit in," The student suggested.

"I don't do well with groups," Kenji said, glancing at him.

"Yeah, I forgot you're a loner," The student replied, giving him a teasing look.

Kenji shot him a pointed glance.

"Oh, right! My name is Kaga, Kaga Fujii," he said with a smile.

Kenji returned the smile. "Nice to meet you, Kaga. And thanks for carrying me in."

"How did you know—"

Kenji cut him off, pointing at the bloodstain on his clothes. Kaga glanced down, his expression shifting.

"Fair enough," he said, nodding in acknowledgement.

Kenji got up from the bed, using the little strength he had. Blood covered his uniform—a lot of blood—and Kenji glanced at Kaga, seeking an answer.

"I don't think all that is yours," Kaga said, causing Kenji to recoil as memories of the female student who died beside him.

"I think you should rest a bit more," Kaga suggested gently.

"I'm fine," Kenji replied, approaching the exit door. Kaga followed closely behind him.

Kenji moved slowly through the narrow passage while Kaga filled him in on their current situation and how things unfolded. Though Kato was considered the leader, Kenji sensed someone pulling the strings behind the scenes. The name that came to mind was Ryu.

Suddenly, a system alert popped up on his screen.

["You have a friend request from Kaga Fujii."]

Surprised, Kenji glanced back at Kaga, who seemed to be navigating his system effortlessly.

"It's just tech, plus I'm a bit of a nerd," Kaga said with a grin.

"What can you tell me about the system?" Kenji asked, curiosity evident in his voice.

Kaga began explaining what he knew. Kenji opened the system with a single thought as he spoke and checked his details.

Player Info 

Name: Kenji Mochizuki

 Level: 3 Class: Novice 

Yin: Locked 

Stats/Attributes: 

 Agility: 13/15 

 Strength: 7/15 

 Stamina: 7/15 

 Intelligence: 13/13 

Unique Skills: Adapt, Heightened Senses 

Kenji clicked on the details of the Adapt skill. He vividly remembered that skill activating just before he lost consciousness.

"This could be the reason I survived," he thought as he selected the Adapt skill.

Adapt (E-Rank)

Description: This skill enhances the user's physical attributes based on their pain tolerance during combat and poison resistance. 

Effects: 

Stat Increase: Temporarily boosts vital stats for each point of damage taken. 

Retention: Retains 10% of the total increase after the battle as a permanent boost.

Next, Kenji looked at his other skill.

Heightened Senses (E-Rank)

Description: This skill sharpens the user's senses and increases awareness of their surroundings. 

Effects: 

"Enhanced Perception: Improves the ability to detect nearby movements, sounds, and scents."

Combat Advantage: Enhances reaction time, allowing for better evasion of attacks.

"Wow, you have a unique skill. Most people don't have that," Kaga said from behind, looking at Kenji's details. Kenji closed the system. He wasn't surprised to have a unique skill, and his mind drifted as memories surfaced.

He remembered a snowy day deep in the forest when he was just ten years old. He sat in the back of a car driven by a muscular man in his thirties. The driver had a scar across his face, giving him a menacing look. Sitting beside him was an older man wearing a cap and a yellow cloth that looked like traditional Japanese attire.

The car drove deeper into the woods, the darkness pressing around it. After thirty minutes, it finally stopped.

"Get down," the old man commanded.

Without questioning it, Kenji complied. The driver also exited, heading to the trunk. He pulled out a crate of supplies and moved away from the car.

"Follow him," the old man instructed.

Kenji followed without hesitation. After they walked about thirty steps, the driver dropped the crate and told Kenji to check inside.

"Find," he said. As Kenji rummaged through the crate, he discovered food and other necessities. His hand brushed against something cold—a knife.

"What's this for?" he wondered.

Suddenly, he noticed the driver was gone. The car's headlights flashed, blinding him for a moment. He shielded his eyes with his hoodie as the vehicle sped away, leaving him in the snow. Panic set in as he ran after it, but his tiny legs struggled to keep up with the heavy snow.

He couldn't believe it. He kept looking at the car until it vanished from sight.

"Huh, he's gone," Kenji thought as he stood there for a minute, processing the event that had just unfolded. The moment's weight pressed down on him, a strange mix of disbelief swirling in his chest.

He remembered why he was there:

"Just because I drank his precious wine." Anger bubbled up within him as he thought of the driver's reaction. The memory of that moment still frustrated him, veins throbbing at the side of his head.

"Just because of a wine," he muttered again, feeling the weight of that childhood mistake. His expression conveyed both frustration and joy.

Kato led Kenji to his room, opening the door to find that no one else was in.

The underground sanctum was beneath Rose High School. Its spacious chambers were carved from excellent stone and illuminated by soft, flickering lanterns. The high ceilings arched overhead, giving a sense of openness despite the depths below. Each room is designed to comfortably accommodate twenty students, with pairs of plush beds arranged in cosy nooks, fostering a sense of community and warmth in the cool underground air. Additionally, each room had its bathroom.

"I think you should wash up and come to the dining hall. Kato had students who were skilled in cooking make the dishes," Kaga said.

Kenji headed straight to the bathroom to wash up. He took his time scrubbing the dried blood stains around his arm. After a while, he came out with a white towel around his waist. His formal wear didn't seem fitting to wear anymore. Working around with blood on his T-shirt wouldn't be good, but Kaga had him covered, dropping off some clothes for him along with a note. Kenji picked up the note.

"I'm starving, heading to the dining hall. We could meet there," the note said.

Kenji sat on the edge of the bed, the black cloth draped over his shoulders like a second skin. The fabric was rough yet oddly comforting, a reminder of Kaga's quiet support. He took a deep breath and focused, opening up his system interface to check his inventory.

His eyes scanned the list, taking stock of what he had.

56 Arrows: Well-crafted, each a potential lifeline in a tight spot.5 Crossbows: Reliable and deadly, though he preferred the swift accuracy of a bow.2 Broken Wooden Shields: Useless in their current state.3 Daggers: Close-quarters weapons that could turn the tide in a sudden confrontation.2 Worn-Out Blades: They'd seen better days, but their weight was familiar, like old friends in a fight.

Having a weapon he could still use to defend himself if things went wrong put Kenji at ease, but he knew he needed to get stronger; Kenji remembered the monster he saw on channel 9.

"I almost died fighting goblins. How would that monster be." Kenji thought.

"Zero chance in a million trials." he mused, shaking his head.

Kenji continued exploring the system; his curiosity piqued as he checked the details of the Monster Core Stones he had obtained from the goblins.

Monster core stones:

Description: Crystallized remnants of defeated monsters, each imbued with unique powers and uses.

Uses:

Trading: Valuable for bartering in shops for rare items and resources.

Yin Energy Replenishment: Restores a portion of your yin energy, crucially for abilities and spells.

Stat Point Upgrade is used to enhance specific attributes and improve combat effectiveness. Enchantment: a particular monster core can have a skill that could be used by embedding it in a weapon.

As Kenji absorbed the details of the Monster Core Stones, clarity washed over him. He knew what he needed to acquire to grow stronger. The realisation was invigorating, but it also prompted a moment of introspection.

Just weeks ago, he had lost reason to leave. Now, a fierce will to survive burned within him. This shift in perspective stirred emotions, and his heart tightened with the weight of his past.

His stomach rumbled, reminding him of his journey's physical toll. He needed to eat something. With a wry smile, he thought,

"Guess it's time to head to the dining hall."

Kenji stood up, determination solidifying in his chest. The path ahead was clear—strength and sustenance were both essential. He would face the challenges head-on, not just to survive but to thrive.

The sanctum central dining hall bustled with life, its long, sturdy tables inviting shared meals and spirited discussions; the scent of hearty dishes wafted from the adjoining kitchen, where skilled cooks worked tirelessly to provide nourishing fare, their laughter mingling with the clatter of pots and pans.

Nearby, the medical room was a healing sanctuary with everything necessary to tend the ailing. Soft colours adorned the walls, creating a calming atmosphere, while herbal remedies and tinctures lined the shelves, offering solace to needy people.

The sanctum boasted luxurious private chambers adorned with rich fabrics and exquisite decor for the wealthy seeking refuge from the chaos above. Plush seating areas invited relaxation, and thick carpets muffled footsteps, creating an oasis of comfort amidst the world's turmoil outside. Heavy stone doors sealed these chambers, ensuring security and seclusion.

This underground sanctum, nestled beneath Rose High School, was more than a shelter; it was a hidden haven where learning, healing, and refuge intertwined, offering safety and serenity, or so it should have been.

No one would have predicted this event. There was not much-spirited discussion; there was just fear and uneasiness. The cook was nowhere to be found, so the students who attended the cooking class were the ones making the dishes. None of the students were good at medical treatment, so it was a mess. But as Kenji heard, Kato was doing the best he could.