Captain ?

Seon finished packing early. There wasn't much to pack—he hadn't been able to afford new clothes, and until now, he hadn't needed them. He had tried on most of what he owned and realized that, like his uniform, nothing fit anymore. His training had changed his body too much.

Setting his uniform aside, minus the blazer, he carefully stored all his food in his inventory along with his journals.

A sharp knock echoed against the door.

[Celestial Insight activated]

Through the walls, he sensed the presence of soldiers patrolling the dorms. Nearly half the school was being taken—most were students in the top percentile of both intellectual and physical exams. The rest were just lucky enough to get pulled along with them. No one was stupid enough to run, not with this level of security.

Seon opened the door to Jin, who stood there with a bag slung over his shoulder and a wide grin.

"The buses just arrived," Jin announced.

Seon glanced outside. The dorms were alive with movement—students jogging toward the buses, some laughing with their friends, others giving quick goodbyes to those who hadn't passed the test.

A week ago, that would have been him—watching, silent, biting his tongue to distract himself from the bitter realization that there was no way out.

Seon nodded, slung his bag over his shoulder, and followed Jin out.

Three buses stood waiting, each with soldiers stationed in front of them.

"Quiet!"

[Foreign ability detected. Mental Fortress activated.]

The voice boomed across the dorms, a shockwave of sound that sent students collapsing, clutching their ears in pain. Those who remained standing, though fewer, still winced from the force of it.

Seon stood firm. Even with Mental Fortress activated, his ears rang from the impact.

"Those standing, head to Bus 1," the man commanded. His voice was still loud, but nowhere near as overwhelming as before.

Seon stepped forward, following the small group of students who had remained on their feet. These were the top thirty in the school—those with the strongest physical and mental fortitude. As he glanced back, he spotted Jin trailing behind, chatting with a friend.

A soldier addressed them next. "Each of you will hand over your current Crimson and collect a new one. The updated version will sync with your data."

No one argued. Seon removed his old Crimson, and the moment he did, a sleek new one locked onto his wrist. It looked entirely different from before.

[8,000,000 won added to your Crimson. Balance: 90,511,628 won.]

Gasps rippled through the recruits as they checked their watches. It seemed like everyone had received the same amount—but Seon's system had been the one to process the transaction.

[Celestial Nexus linking with XXXX Crimson…]

[25/100]

Seon found an empty seat. Jin slid in beside him, his friend following right after.

"Wait… did we just get eight million won just like that?" Jin's voice pitched slightly, barely able to contain his excitement.

Seon nodded, barely listening as he examined his new Crimson. It had way more features than before. Some were locked, but from their descriptions, it was clear they were designed to function only on military grounds.

"Attention."

Seon looked up. A man stood at the front of the bus—Grim. He wasn't in uniform this time, and only five soldiers stood at his side.

"My name is Grim, and I am the leader of Unit Z. You are Unit Z."

A heavy silence fell over the bus.

"The money you just received is for educational purposes. You will continue to receive four million won every month until you join a squad." His gaze swept over them. "You will do everything together. You will live together, eat together, and even bathe together. From now on, anyone that is not on this bus… you view as an enemy. Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir!" the bus replied in unison.

Their Crimsons glowed, displaying the letter Z.

Seon's system still displayed [31%], indicating the sync was still in progress. It seemed like the entire system was temporarily down due to the update.

Grim took his seat, as did the other soldiers, and the bus finally started moving.

Seon had never left the slums since he was five years old. He leaned his head against the window, letting his mind drift. His system was down. His watch was syncing. There was nothing to do but rest.

He needed to be ready for whatever came next.

A sharp tap on his shoulder jolted him awake.

Blinking, Seon turned to find a grinning Jin.

It was dark outside.

[Celestial Insight activated.]

Seon's gaze snapped toward the enormous gates ahead. They were constructed from the same foreign energy the soldiers had been using, reinforced by a shimmering barrier that enclosed the entire base like a dome.

The gates creaked open, revealing the military base. It looked exactly like the images he had seen—only now, he was here in the flesh.

The bus rolled forward, and Grim stood once again.

[Foreign ability detected. Mental Fortress activated.]

[Mental Fortress Level Increased: 5]

Seon stiffened.

Grim's eyes were locked onto him.

Seon turned his head slightly, scanning the bus, but nothing seemed out of place.

"You will receive your room numbers soon," Grim continued. "You have been assigned a section of the building with a common area and a shared bathroom per room. You will be placed in groups of four… except for the team captain."

A pause.

"The team captain will reside in the main building with the other captains."

A soft chime echoed from his Crimson.

[Notification: You have been selected as Team Captain. Follow the yellow line.]

Seon glanced at his Crimson—it was the only yellow one in the bus. Looking up, he realized half the bus was staring at him.

"Off the bus and follow your color… now," Grim barked.

The bus scrambled to their feet. Seon followed the yellow light as the others trailed behind their own paths.

"I don't know how they chose you," Felix sneered, stepping close. "But know that I will take that title."

Felix had always been second in both intellectual and physical exams. He never cared much for the physical rankings—but the intellectual ones? He lived for them. Which meant he had always been a thorn in Seon's side.

Without another word, Felix turned and followed his path. The others moved as if in a trance, their footsteps almost eerily synchronized.

"Move it, Cap," someone muttered as they passed him.

Seon followed the yellow light to a common room with a stage. Three others were already seated at a table.

[Foreign ability detected. Mental Fortress activated.]

[Foreign ability detected. Mental Fortress activated.]

[Foreign ability detected. Mental Fortress activated.]

[Foreign ability detected. Mental Fortress activated.]

[Mental fortress increased to lvl 6]

[Celestial Insight activated.]

[Quick Analysis activated.]

"You're good," a girl with white hair said, smirking. "I'm A, Captain of Squad A. Nice to meet you."

Seon scanned the others. The tall guy with tan skin and blue eyes had a C on his Crimson. The short one had a B.

Before anyone could speak, Grim sat down beside Seon, and the others followed, taking their seats next to their captains.

A man in glasses entered, holding a tablet. Tapping his Crimson, the room darkened. A holoV flickered to life behind him.

"I am X, as you all know. A brief explanation for Z." X's voice was calm but carried authority. "This is the common room you all share. However, that common room is the only thing you share. You are not allowed to enter another captain's domain."

He tapped his Crimson, and a holographic display of the facility flickered to life behind him. "The selection for the leadership position was based on two factors—70% from the written exam and 30% from the practical. You all stood out in both. This facility, known as Campus, is a military base designed to train a generation capable of eliminating any monster, no matter what planet it comes from."

Seon listened carefully, his expression neutral.

"I send missions to the leaders. Leaders send them to the captains. When the light shines in your room, it is your responsibility to wake your team and get them to the mission site. Your training schedules and missions will differ from the rest of your unit."

X's gaze swept over the group. "Your schedules will be sent to your Crimsons. Captains, you are dismissed."

With a sharp clap of his hands, the meeting was over.

Seon stood alongside the other captains and followed the blue guiding light to his assigned quarters. Each captain had their own elevator, ensuring complete separation from the others.

When Seon stepped inside, the doors shut, and within seconds, he arrived at his domain.

The sheer size of it made him pause. The living room alone was twice the size of his entire dorm back in the slums. He walked through each section, taking it all in. There was a fully equipped gym, a bedroom with two bathrooms, a kitchen, a study room lined with shelves, a closet, a data system room, a training room, and even a pool.

It was surreal.

He'd never had this much space to himself before. Never imagined he would.

But there was no time to dwell on it. He showered, ate a quick meal, and then headed straight to the library, determined to learn everything he could about this place before the real work began.