Chapter 1: Beginning

Dididi-! Dididi-!

The distinct screech of an electric alarm clock rang inside a dim, messy room. Against the wall was a small bed pressed against the wall, beneath it a lump of flesh shifted about, squirming slowly in annoyance.

A pale hand reached out of the sheets grasping a bedside table, slowly encroaching the object of its pain.

Didi-! click.

The pale hand retreated beneath the sheets once more. A moment of silence returns as the lump relaxes, only to slowly rise out of the covers, sitting up.

The figure, only illuminated by the small rays of light peeking through their curtains raised a clenched fist to their eye, rubbing the sleep out.

"…yawn~…" The figure let out a yawn to indicate their reluctance to stay awake, the dark rings under their eyes supporting this fact.

They rolled to the side to check the electric alarm clock and saw- 6:01 am Monday - displayed in chunky red text.

The figure let out a quiet groan before rolling further and dropping onto the hard wooden floor in an attempt to wake himself up.

They then got up and slinked their way into the bathroom. The bathroom was cold but the water was colder. They ran the tap and splashed their face.

After waking themselves they looked into the mirror and practiced a couple smiles before sighing.

This was Minori Nii, a gloomy boy who has messy black hair, soft tired gray eyes and a slim physique.

His eyes look into the mirror for a moment longer before trying one last smile. A bright yet obviously forced smile that looks like it's out of a show or an anime.

This smile only lasted for a mere two seconds as once again his expression became blank.

Exiting the bathroom he went to his closet and got dressed into a white uniform with a Cube logo on the shoulder.

After getting dressed Minori stood in silence before letting out a breath.

"Haa… I have to head to the portal gate and get to Korea before it's too late." Minori spoke his thoughts out loud.

As for why Minori was going to Korea was for the hero training facility known as Cube.

Cube is the final step before cadets become proper heroes in this world, and Minori Nii just so happened to have earned a scholarship to this very place.

It wasn't exactly difficult for him but then again the talent of Japan seemed to shift towards "creative" endeavours, lowering the bar for Cube Scholarships, slightly lower than it should be.

Now back to the present, where a tired Minori bikes to the portal gate with practically no luggage apart from his bag and the clothes on his back.

Minori weaves his way through traffic, making sure to keep his pace steady. He glances at the many tall buildings and the billboard for Japan's biggest heroes. 

They're more like celebrities than heroes… well, I guess looks really do matter huh. He mused as he hopped off his bike and locked it up.

He checked his watch to make sure he wasn't late before heading inside.

The interior of the portal gate was large and spacious. It had many stations that were clearly labeled in Korean and Japanese.

The floors were taken up by waves of people, bustling about like worker bees. An oppressive aura pressed down as everyone seemed to be concentrated on getting where they needed to go.

Minori shuffled at the entrance with a somewhat nervous expression, looking for a weak link in the chain of the crowd.

When he found a slight gap where he could make his way to the ticket desk he took it. He walked rather awkwardly as he brushed shoulders with someone and bumped into another.

After a somewhat embarrassing stiff stumble, Minori escaped the crowd and arrived at the desk labeled [CUBE] in big golden letters.

He let out a short breath and put on a 'practiced' smile which came out more awkward than anything.

"G-Good morning Miss." Minori almost cringed as he stuttered.

The receptionist smiled back professionally as she greeted him back.

"Ticket please." She sang in a smooth tone, clearly well practiced.

Minori reached into his pocket and produced a hard card before handing it to the lady. 

The woman took it and scanned it before her smile turned even brighter.

"Oh my, looks like we have a hero in our midst!" She said brightly and handed the card back.

"Your information is registered so next time just use your watch." She tapped her own watch, made by Essential Products.

"Ahaha, will do." Minori wanted to punch himself for laughing so stiffly.

He took the card and walked towards the portal without another word, trying to escape the receptionist's gaze.

Soon he arrived at the doorstep of a swirling blue gateway. This was a gate, something that Minori Nii had seen before, used as public transportation for long distances.

He looked up at it in awe before shaking it off and walking through it while holding his breath.

Eugh- it's dizzying. Minori thought as he felt himself get slightly light headed.

Fortunately it only lasted a second before disappearing as Minori found himself at the portal gate of what could only be described as 'the biggest, scariest and most domineering place Minori has ever seen.

And for the next three years, this would be the place he studies, lives and trains.

"Guh, I wanna throw up." He muttered gloomily before walking off to find a bench to sit down on.

…

[8:15]

After buying a bottle of water and wandering aimlessly for a bit Minori made his way to his designated class.

The hallways were emptier than I thought as only a few people were dawdling, probably waiting to meet up with friends or something.

He scanned the door plates along the corridor until he found the one he would belong in for the coming year.

[Novice - Veritas]

The door was large, it was smooth and felt like something you would see in a military base rather than a school.

He approached the door and reached for the knob absentmindedly. His mind having already formulated the way to attract the least attention.

But fate had other plans as his hand brushed with another one. A pale one with slender digits and fair skin.

Glancing at the other person in surprise, Minori took his hand back.

Minori cursed inwardly at his bad luck but took a step back and gestured at the door.

"Please go in first, sir." I blankly stared at the man with strong features and orange sunglasses.

He's definitely the teacher.

The man nodded and headed in, Minori following after him.

The room was sleek, white with no dust as expected of Cube. The long desks cascaded upwards as students were already seated and chatting.

The man who I suspected to be the teacher walked over to a side desk and sat down typing out something.

The room was silent for a tense second before reverting to its usual chatter.

He seems like a teacher who likes to stick to schedules.

Minori thought before taking his own seat and looking around. Observing silently.

A muscular white haired man, seems arrogant. He has a gang of servants hanging around him, so his arrogance might have a reason. 

Probably best not to mess with him… or the black haired girl next to him.

A blonde haired girl… wait, that's the princess of England… 

I'll try my best not to get on her bad side. 

Oh, another group over there. A slim looking young man with black hair. 

He seems nice enough.

I then cast my gaze to the girl with long brown hair and green eyes. She's chatting boisterously to the guys next to her, probably a tomboy.

The girl, as if noticing Minori's stare, paused her conversation and looked back at him.

Deciding not to linger on it too long Minori moved his gaze away naturally.

She's really sharp. Like an animal.

Finally Minori's eyes landed on a sleeping figure. He had average looks and a weak looking body.

Is he really sleeping before his first class? How did this guy make it through the cadet school? Not like I can talk since I'm a transfer.

His face is kinda hard to see… maybe I'm just tired.

Minori moved on and continued his observations until the Teacher began the class, startling everyone with his booming voice.

"Now!"

"Today's the first day, so there won't be any special training but I hope you all did your morning training. Training is never wrong, especially in the morning when mana density is high."

Man, I just got here! Don't expect me to head straight to the gym!

Minori stared ahead with a blank face.

"Now, let's start with self-introductions. I'm Kim Soohyuk, the instructor in charge of you all for the next year." 

Kim Soohyuk stood up straight and seemed proud to proclaim his next words.

"My ranking point is 3850. World rank 9737. By the Association's classification, I would be High-intermediate rank, grade 5."

The students lit up as if they were looking at their childhood hero.

Minori remained blankly staring, as if asking "So?"

Satisfied by the reaction, Kim Soohyuk folded his arms and grinned.

"I think that's enough for my introduction. The first day will feel special. You might not have slept due to excitement and worry, or maybe you're feeling great about being able to improve yourselves. Heh, maybe you're happy to see your crushes again." 

I don't know a single person here… except the famous ones.

It felt a little strange to Minori that the teacher greeted the class with such familiarity, like he wasn't supposed to be here. Especially when the other students laughed at his "joke".

"But Cube isn't the same as it was before. I promise you, there will be no time for relationships. In Cube, you will experience several real combat situations. Look forward to experiencing how fearful the real world is."

His grin widened.

It doesn't matter how different Cube is, I've never been here before. Minori lampooned.

"Next, Cube is objective. The only indicator of your success will be your grade. Guilds will only look at your grade. Thus, we will grade you accurately and strictly. If you underperform, you will be held back. Statistically, less than half of Cube's cadets graduate without repeating a semester. Even then, you can only be held back up to two years. Any more than that, you will be expelled. If you can't become a Hero, you will become an agent or a mercenary. I take it that that's not what you want."

Kim Soohyuk paused before scanning the students' faces.

"I can already see a few familiar faces."

Minori fiddled with the coin in his hand, thinking what he'd do if he got expelled.

Heh, I'd probably become a clerk in a Lawson or something.

"I repeat. At Cube, you will need to confirm the things you've learned until now and hone your skills to be used in battle. There will be no kind training here. Remember that."

With that final warning Kim Soohyuk took a step to the side of the podium.

"Now get ready. What's scheduled for today won't take long. The first task is 'main weapon selection'."