There were four options for Kaiser if he wanted to get stronger. The first was to hunt illegally, either by forging an ID or by sneaking into gates without one, which was risky. Not only because gates could be deadly, but also because the punishment for getting discovered would be severe, he'd be barred from ever acting as a hunter, not to mention the jail time he'd receive.
The second option would be to fight gate outbreaks; it was better, at least in comparison, but still not great. Even if he was able to arrive in time, gate outbreaks weren't so regular that he'd be able to kill monsters in any useful quantity.
The third option was to enter the arena, the underground fighting ring the Hounds ran. He had been planning to find more consistent work with them anyway, so why not have that work contribute to him getting stronger? The problem was the way he'd originally been introduced to the arena. While working for the bar that served as the front for the arena, Kaiser had been asked to help with a "clean-up job" down there. That was the last time he'd done any work for Sven.
On the face of it, the arena didn't seem like a terrible option; in fact, the idea that he could earn money and fight monsters consistently was tantalizing, but he knew firsthand what could happen to the fighters there. He was no stranger to death; the deaths of those around him seemed not to bother him in the way they did some people. That disregard wasn't even unique in the outskirts, where death was common, and lives were short. But if he were haunted by the dead, that would be one of them. So he wouldn't enter the arena, because he wouldn't, couldn't, allow himself to end up as a mess for some poor child to dispose of like that man had.
That only left his last option: to enter a Hunter academy, which, to Kaiser, was likely his best option for getting stronger. It might have been his only real option. It wouldn't let him fight real monsters, at least not for a while, but it would let him get stronger, have direction. And that was what he needed.
***
The train ride to the Brink wasn't long; after all, the outskirts were so undesirable because they were the closest part of the city to the walls of the territory.
'What was its actual name? East Central something?'
Kaiser's view of the world was not wide enough for him to remember that information. There was simply the city, the outskirts, the brink, and the wall that separated his world from the wilderness. He knew there were other cities in the Eastern territory, that there were other territories on the continent, and even other continents beyond that, but he could not have told someone what they were called. Maybe it was simply because he had never attempted to learn their names, or maybe because he believed the moment he did learn them, they might disappear off the face of the map.
That had been true of his hometown after all.
Now, however, he was going beyond his world, traveling across the abandoned stretch of land between the city he'd lived in for the last four years to a new one. Considering how precious space was, that stretch of land in and of itself was telling of how scared people were of living near the wall. Thinking about it that way, the Brink was a much more fitting name than any real title it might've held. Even so, Kaiser had willingly come to the city closest to the wilderness.
'Maybe that fever fried my brain.'
Lost brain cells or not, he'd still taken the bullet train there, and at this point, there was no turning back; he would be attending the military academy. It wasn't the only Hunter Academy; it wasn't even the best one, but it was free and took anyone who was awakened. So Kaiser was about to become a cadet at the Eastern Territory Military Hunter Academy.
'I really hope they have an abbreviation for that mouthful of a name.'
The building was imposing, and even for an Academy, it was massive. Composed of one main building and at least three similar smaller facilities, or at least that's what he'd seen as he approached. Unlike most academies, the buildings were simplistic and functional, which, combined with the concrete-esque material it was made from, made the buildings feel cold, nearly ominous, standing alone at the edge of the city.
Finally, Kaiser arrived at the entrance and paused. There was no reason for him to do so; he had not told them he was coming after all, but he still did. He was nervous; in the time it'd taken to arrive here from the train station, the doubts he had tried to suppress had begun to fill his mind.
'What if I'm not good enough?'
'What if I'm so weak it isn't even worth training me?'
'What if I mess up and they don't let me enroll?'
'What if I'm not even awakened?'
'What if… what if… what if…'
It felt like he might throw up from the growing pressure. Taking a deep breath, Kaiser focused on one thought.
'If I am not enough, I will become enough. I'll become the person I want to be, someone my brother can look up to. Everything else is just noise.'
It didn't make his doubt go away, really; it didn't even make him feel much better. But it was enough that he was able to take the next step, and that's all that mattered.
With that, Kaiser entered the academy. The building was as cold and impersonal on the inside as it was on the outside. The entire foundation seemed to be built from the same not-quite-concrete material he'd seen from the outside, which likely meant it had been created with an awakened ability.
"Are you here to visit someone?" The words had startled Kaiser a little, but he did his best to hide it as he turned towards the speaker.
"Oh, no, I'm here to enroll."
The man Kaiser assumed was the receptionist nodded at that, grabbing some paperwork from a cabinet in his desk. Despite the academy being a kind of school, midterm enrollment was not unusual here, which was one of the many reasons Kai chose this place.
"Are your parents outside? You're going to need them to sign some of this for you."
'There it is.'
Kaiser let his expression falter for a moment before sighing audibly. A display he'd rehearsed many times before for just such an occasion.
"My parents are dead. I came here because I think they would have wanted me to become a Hunter."
If Kai could see his face, it would have been hard not to think he was fighting back tears. Which of course was the point. It was not that Kai wasn't sad about his parents having died; it was simply that he never showed it unless a situation like this called for him to do so.
The receptionist winced a little at that, which made Kai slightly regret his little performance. Although not enough to let slip the part that he was trying to distract from. That his parents had died years ago, and that he had a guardian who was alive and well. If asked, he likely would have lied, but it was much more preferable to tell a truth that implied something that might not have been true.
"I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm an orphan, too. I joined the army for pretty similar reasons. Though I'm stuck at a desk from my injuries."
This time, it was Kaiser's turn to wince, though he did so internally.
'Well, now I feel terrible.'
"There are quite a few of us in the army, actually, so don't worry about feeling alone. Here, there's a different set of paperwork you can fill out. I'll help you with it if you'd like."
The uniformed man grabbed another set of paperwork as he spoke.
"Of course, you're not joining the army by attending here, but it will open that pathway for you."
What followed was a very kind, if uncomfortable, walk-through of the paperwork he needed to read and sign to enroll. Along with a couple of documents that accounted for the fact that he had no legal guardian. Ethical concerns that raised aside, Kaiser finished everything pretty quickly with the extra help.
Now all that was left was the assessment. Despite being government-run, ETMHA, as it was called, didn't require an awakened ID to enroll. As a bonus, since it was a part of the military, they kept all cadet information confidential. That was also meant to be true of the Bureau, but it was widely understood that the Bureau did share information with large guilds on certain occasions.
The receptionist had made a call to someone before leading Kaiser into the maze of hallways and rooms that was the interior of the academy. Eventually, they came to a stop outside a room, which brought their time together to an end.
"Thank you for your help, uh…" Kaiser had forgotten to learn the man's name.
"Corporal Jennings"
Kaiser had also forgotten to learn ranks, but he did know that he was much higher than a cadet and certainly higher than a civilian. So he gave the man his best imitation of a salute, which caused the Corporal to stifle a laugh before returning a perfectly rehearsed salute.
"We'll get you there. Good luck, Kaiser, they're waiting inside." The man gestured to the door before turning to leave.
'Was my salute really that bad?'
Kaiser watched the man go for a long moment before returning to the task at hand. From what he could see through the small, wired glass window in the doorway, the room looked to be some sort of training facility, but he couldn't tell much else.
'Ready'
He'd meant it as a statement, but his doubt made it feel more like a question. Either way, he was already pulling the door open.
Or not, since he would have needed to push to open it.
'...'
With that, he pushed the door open.
The room was indeed a training room, but instead of treadmills or weights, there was simply a mat with a ring on it in the center of the room. Inside stood a man in a black body suit who seemed to be midway through his stretch routine.
"Did your parents never teach you to knock? I swear, recruits these days would never have survived the basic training we used to have."
Kaiser sighed. It seems even the army could not escape this sort of adult. Still, Kaiser saluted the man before replying.
"No, sir, they're both dead, so they never taught me manners, sir."
"That's good, at least they're not around to be ashamed of you anymore."
Kaiser's eyes went wide at that. His comment had been petty, but that response was not something he expected from the man, despite how low of an opinion he had of him. It actually might have hurt. Just then, the sound of static crackled through the overhead speakers, followed by a female voice.
"Lieutenant Beckner, while discipline is a core tenet of our administration, abuse is not. I hope I don't have to remind you what will happen if you continue treating cadets like that."
"Yeah, yeah, but he's not a cadet, is he? So what does it matter?"
"..." the voice hesitated for a moment before responding. "While a civilian is being tested for enrollment, they are temporary cadets and should be treated as such."
Beckner waved his hand as if dismissing her words before turning to Kaiser.
"Let's get this over with."
"I'm sorry, I don't think I've been told what's going on."
The man sighed openly, exasperated now, but still explained. "I'll be testing you. Don't use any skills or weapons; we'll test your mana later. Just come at me."
"What standard am I being tested by?"
"Impress me. Now shut up, and come at me." With that, the man's presence in the room changed. While before, he simply seemed brazen if aloof, something changed at that moment. It felt as if his presence filled the room, and that presence was crushing.
"Ugh," Kaiser dropped to one knee and even then was struggling to stay upright. He had a feeling that if he hadn't already been wary of them, man, he might not have been able to even stay conscious.
'What kind of attack is that?'
No, looking at the man, it wasn't an attack; he'd simply released his aura. Some awakened were said to be so powerful that their mere presence could kill a regular person if they didn't contain it. Beckner, it seemed, was one of those Hunters.
'Is that the distance between me and a real Hunter?'
If it was, that distance was cavernous.
Still, Kaiser forced himself to maintain consciousness, even if it meant all he could do was kneel there and take one ragged breath after another. Beckner was smiling darkly, clearly enjoying how much Kaiser was struggling, but he hadn't made a move, which made Kaiser realise something.
'Either he expected that to take me out, or he doesn't even think I'm worth fighting.'
Kaiser's entire body shook, but still he fought against the immense pressure that threatened to crush him. With a grunt, Kaiser began to move. His opponent, if he could even call the Lieutenant that, considering the man hadn't laid a hand on him yet, laughed.
"This is a pretty pathetic show for someone who wants to become a hunter. Maybe I should just end things here."
Kaiser had been straining to return to a standing position, but after the man spoke, the weight he felt suddenly doubled. No, the pressure had remained the same, but now there was actual weight pushing down on him. It was as if a massive invisible hand were trying to smush him into the floor.
Kai's mind raced; he needed to believe that this was meant to crush him. That this wasn't some minor test that he was meant to easily pass, but was instead being crushed by. So instead of trying to fight back, he shifted his goal.
'I just need to endure for as long as I can.'
So he did. Instead of pushing against the weight, he simply used his arms to stop himself from being crushed any further.
But it quickly became clear even that would soon be too much for him. His arm muscles were screaming in pain.
'Maybe I could last another half a minute like this? How long had it been so far?'
He didn't know; it felt like forever, but it couldn't have been more than a couple of minutes. What made it worse was that he didn't know if there was a certain amount of time he needed to last to impress the man; he wasn't even sure if other trainees had been brought to their knees by this test or if he was just uniquely weak.
Kaiser buckled, and his head slammed into the ground with enough force to make his head spin. And then the weight stopped.
"Garbage body, below average mind, barely passable will. Get up unless you want to make me reevaluate that last part."
Without the immense weight and pressure on his body, Kaiser could have gotten up, but he was so exhausted from the strain he'd just endured that his body screamed even just pushing himself to a sitting position.
Still, he wanted to prove the man wrong, so he pushed himself off the ground, still resting his hands on his knees, but now he was technically standing, right?
The overhead speakers crackled with a familiar static, but before anyone could speak, Beckner cut her off.
"You asked me to test this recruit, don't interfere."
"... very well."
The man was moving towards him now, which gave Kaiser a good look at the man. Even through the body suit, Kaiser could tell the man was strong, not in the way every awakened was strong; either Beckner had likely been deadly before awakening, too. Contrary to Kaiser's initial assessment of the man, he didn't look that old, maybe in his late twenties, though with awakened it was hard to tell. He was clean-shaven like most military men seemed to be, but his hair was much longer than Kaiser suspected it was allowed to be. As he approached, it also became clear what his intent was.
Finally, Kaiser was fully standing up, even with how painful it was; he'd managed to get his hands up. Which was good since, in the next moment, his opponent's leg had kicked high into the air, a move Kaiser was only barely able to avoid. The axe kick that followed, however, he did not avoid; instead, he raised his arms to block.
The sound of his bones cracking under the weight of the man's kick was familiar.
As was his scream.
As was the level of pain that followed.
As was the black void that followed.
What wasn't familiar was the moment that followed that. Kaiser was standing again, even though he had sworn he'd crumpled the moment after his arms broke. Now they didn't even hurt.
Until they did.
Beckner had aimed a kick at his head, and Kaiser had used his arms to block again, but instead of them breaking, he was simply sent flying, crashing into the padded wall of the room with a sickening crunch.
He didn't even scream that time; he wasn't able to, his neck had snapped from the impact. Despite that, in the next moment, he was back on his feet, in the same spot he'd been the moment before Beckner's attack.
This time, it was a punch; Kaiser fell backwards, barely avoiding it.
"What is happening? No, stop, don't. What is–"
His opponent had missed his initial attack, but followed through by kicking Kaiser across the room, the strike breaking some of his ribs and the impact breaking his spine.
Only for Kaiser to once again return to the moment before Beckner chose his attack.
This time, he doubled over, but not because of an attack; just from the pain. Or the memory of it.
"Already?" The officer spat the word like he was more disgusted by how fast he'd thrown up and not that he had. "To answer your question, it's my skill; any damage I deal is undone."
Kaiser's head spun; he wasn't in pain anymore, but his mind was still racked with it. His neck breaking, his spine snapping, his body going limp. All to just return to the moment before. Shaking, Kaiser raised his hands once again, returning to a loose fighting stance.
He had thought he was dead; it was a terrifying feeling, death. But if the only thing in his way was pain and fear, then this test would be easier than the last. After all, pain and fear were just old friends.
At that, Beckner smiled, an actual smile this time instead of a comtious sneer. And then he returned to breaking Kaiser into pieces.
Jab, barely blocked, another, no, it was a feint for a right hook, Kaiser's neck snapped.
A kick, Kaiser remembered this one, he backed up to avoid the axe kick, none came, instead a lunge into a grapple that ended with him broken on the ground.
Right hook, Kaiser blocked, his arms and body were broken.
Jab, Kaiser deflected it and swung. His attack was avoided, and then his arm was broken.
Lunge, Kaiser retreated, not fast enough, death.
Kaiser swung first, missed, death.
Kick, deflected, then he fell for a feint, death.
Jab, jab, hook, death.
Beckner moved, Kaiser responded, and then Beckner killed him.
Again and again and again.
Beckner started with another kick, Kaiser ducked it, lunging forward, threatening an uppercut to the man's chin, but instead sent it lower. His teacher caught it and then twisted his arm, breaking it.
Jab this time, another, followed by a kick that landed with sickening finality, Kaiser hadn't even gotten close that time. But now he knew.
He died many more times, each time coming close to landing a blow, and each time dying or having his body battered and broken. Each time Kaiser was getting a little closer, responding a little better, and recovering from the pain a little faster.
And then he wasn't.
And all there was was death.
Kaiser had begun to lose track of how many times he had died. He'd begun to lose track of how many offenses his opponent had used. Then, Beckner stopped.
Kaiser lunged, aiming an overhead swing at his teacher, but the attack was dismantled, and he was shoved to the ground, not softly, but he hadn't broken anything like last, however many times. Kaiser backed up immediately, raising his arms in anticipation of the incoming attack, but none came.
"You stopped learning, we're done."
"Huh?"
"I just did the same attack three times in a row, and you fell for the same feint each time. You haven't been taking in anything new for the last five or six times."
"Wait, that can't be right."
"Oh, don't worry, that happens; human minds can only take so much pain, after that it's not very conducive to learning."
Kaiser sat, still guarded, half expecting his teacher to attack him, but he tried to think back on the spars. Could they be called spars if he had died at the end of most of them? And then…
'When did I start thinking of him as my teacher?'
That had been what they were doing; each time Kaiser died, he had learned a little more about the man's fighting style and preferred moves. He preferred kicks over everything, but his grappling technique was also quite good and was what he fell back on if he could. If he was able to kill Kaiser instantly, he did; if he couldn't, he would break something. Overall, it seemed like his style was built for one thing: pain. The man tried to inflict the much pain on his opponent as possible, which was strange.
"You can't turn it off, can you?"
Although the man's back was to him now, Kaiser could see the Beckner freeze up at that. Because Kaiser was right, the man's skill wasn't an active one, but a passive one. He could never do lasting damage, so instead, he dealt as much pain as possible with the intent to break his opponent.
"I like this one."
"I thought I asked you not to break the new cadets."
"I didn't see he's fine."
At that, Kaiser finally took stock of himself; his body ached from the strain of the test before the fight, but nothing was wrong with his body otherwise; every broken bone and death was erased. Despite that, it felt as though his entire body was suddenly shutting down. In the next moment, he was on the floor, and then everything went black.
"Mostly fine." Beckner scoffed.