Pioneer

Hermes barely made it to his room before exhaustion consumed him. His body ached, his mind heavy with the weight of everything that had happened.

The battle. The Warlord leader. The way his body had moved on its own.

And the fear.

That overwhelming, paralyzing fear still clung to his chest like a sickness.

He collapsed onto his bed, not even bothering to remove his boots. His thoughts spiraled-until sleep took him before he even realized it.

---

Morning light filtered through his window, casting a golden glow across his room. For a moment, everything felt normal.

Then reality came crashing back.

Hermes sat up, rubbing his face. "Was it real?" he muttered. "Did that really happen?"

But there was no time to dwell on it. He still had school.

He forced himself to get up, get dressed, and step outside.

The town was already bustling. People gathered in small groups, murmuring among themselves. Some pointed toward a glowing leaderboard displayed on the stone wall at the street corner-the Essence Ranking Board, which tracked the town's strongest warriors.

Hermes wasn't interested. Not at first.

But then-

He stopped.

A new update flashed across the leaderboard.

The 7 Predators have ascended from Sentinel rank to Catalyst rank.

Hermes frowned.

"The 7 Predators...?"

He quickly realized-the Sentinels who had fought beside him during the Warlord battle.

He clenched his fists. They had risked their lives. Some had nearly died. And now, they had grown even stronger.

"They deserve it," he thought.

But then-

His breath hitched.

Further down the board, under a different section, he saw something that froze him in place.

Name: Hermes

Rank: Pioneer

The world seemed to tilt.

"Pioneer...?"

His hands felt cold, his heartbeat erratic.

Pioneer Rank.

A title given to individuals with the potential to become great warriors-those expected to face the Abyssals head-on.

Those expected to protect others.

His stomach twisted.

It wasn't just a meaningless title. It meant he would soon be thrown into real battles. It meant he was expected to fight the same monsters that had nearly killed him.

The same monsters that had killed so many.

His breathing quickened.

"I can't do this," he thought.

I had barely been able to handle bullies in school.

How could I possibly handle Abyssals?

Fear crawled up his spine, tightening around his chest like a vice. His body refused to move.

Then-

A tap on his shoulder.

Hermes flinched. His whole body tensed as he spun around-

Only to be met with a familiar smirk.

"Why do you look so frozen? No 'hello' for me?"

Hermes blinked in shock.

Standing in front of him was Rhea.

His childhood friend. The one who had always protected him from bullies.

The one he hadn't seen in months.

"Rhea...?"

She grinned. "Yep! Back from a mission."

Hermes exhaled, still processing. "You're back..."

"Obviously," she said, crossing her arms. "Did you think I wouldn't make it? I'm a Sentinel Healer, you know. I don't die that easily."

Despite everything, Hermes chuckled. Talking to her felt like a lifeline-something familiar in the chaos.

Then Rhea's gaze flickered toward the leaderboard. Her smirk widened.

"Oh? Pioneer rank, huh?" she teased. "Looks like I don't need to protect you from bullies anymore."

Hermes scratched the back of his head, laughing awkwardly. "Uh... yeah, I guess."

"We'll see about that," she said with a knowing look.

Then she turned. "Come on, we're gonna be late for school."

"You go ahead," Hermes muttered. "I'll catch up."

But as Rhea walked ahead, Hermes found himself staring after her, lost in thought.

"I hope I can protect myself now. But more than that-I'm just glad you're back, Rhea."

Taking a deep breath, he called out, "Wait! Let's walk together!"

She glanced back with an exasperated smile. "I've been telling you that from the start, idiot!"

Hermes laughed and jogged to catch up-

Only for his foot to catch on a loose stone.

He stumbled.

And fell.

Hard.

"Ack-!"

Rhea stopped. Blinked.

Then-

She burst into laughter.

"Oh my god, Hermes! You're a Pioneer, but you tripped over thin air?!"

Hermes groaned, pushing himself up. But when he touched his face, he winced. His forehead was bleeding, and blood dripped from his nose.

Rhea's laughter immediately stopped.

"Wait-" She rushed over, pulling out a small cloth and pressing it against his face. "You are such an idiot."

"Can't you just heal me?" Hermes muttered, holding the cloth in place.

Rhea sighed. "I would, but I can't right now. I used up too much of my Essence on my mission. I need time to recover."

Hermes frowned. He had never really thought about the cost of healing abilities before.

She nudged him. "Don't give me that look. You'll be fine. You just need to stop tripping over your own feet."

Hermes sighed in defeat.

And together, they walked to school-Hermes holding the cloth against his nose, while Rhea grumbled about how he was supposed to fight Abyssals when he couldn't even walk properly.