On the other side of the veil was a spacious hall, filled with thousands of crammed people trying to walk through it. Even Drakis, who grew up with crowds of people everywhere he went, couldn't help but feel claustrophobic.
Steadying his gaze, Drakis did his best to put aside the overwhelming chatter and focus on the setting itself.
In the center of the hall was a market stand that had to be at least 50 feet long. Many people gathered around it, carrying all kinds of weapons and armor. Drakis focused on one girl in particular, who was busy selling armor thrice her size.
Despite the fact that armor made her look like an ant, she carried it with ease. Yet she didn't even need the armor and was simply selling it to one of the vendors.
"Oh, you're already interested in the victors, eh?" the woman called from the left of him. He turned to see a completely amused look on her face. "Getting ahead of yourself a bit though, eh?"
Drakis turned back to the stand for just a second and noticed that the girl's armor was gone. Apparently, she had sold it and grown stronger.
And she didn't get stronger by standing around.
'She's right. I can't get distracted just yet, not until I'm one of those victors,' Drakis thought to himself.
Turning back to the woman, Drakis said, "I'm ready for my first match."
"Not just yet," the woman said with a soft smile and shake of her head. "All initiates have to take a skill draw, which then determines their initial fighting class."
"Class?" Drakis asked, wondering how that would be different from his rank of 9th Star Bronze.
"Yep. It's basically a category we use to further separate certain ranks. Just take any squadron from your world. Even if they all have similar strength, there are still going to be those at the top and others at the bottom."
Drakis nodded his understanding. The basic idea was very simple: strength existed in many layers.
"Anyway, we should get going," the woman said, her voice suddenly raising an octave.
A moment later, some loud voice blared through the hall,
"LISTEN WARRIORS! IN 20 MINUTES, THE FIRST ROUND OF PRELIMINARIES WILL BEGIN. WE HAVE EXACTLY 32 NEW CONTESTANTS THIS TIME! AS USUAL, ONLY 4 WILL SURVIVE! THE REST AREN'T EVEN FIT TO HAVE THEIR BLOOD WASH OVER YGGDRASIL! ALL WHO WISH TO WATCH THESE CONTESTANTS FIGHT, HEAD OVER TO THE SOUTH DISTRICT AND CLAIM YOUR TICKETS NOW!!!"
'So fucking loud...' Drakis lamented before he realized something strange.
When that voice began speaking, everyone else had completely stopped. Not just out of respect, but it was like time itself had stopped to listen to that voice.
Yet in that split second before time returned, Drakis knew he had never felt that same effect.
"Yep, let's go!" the woman squeaked before grabbing Drakis's arm and sprinting.
The wind blasted against his face, causing his hair to flap wildly. For the first time in his life, Drakis cursed his shoulder-length hair.
In his kingdom, it was customary for the Emperor and his heir to have long hair. This was because their culture felt that longer hair equaled more power. People held onto this belief so strongly that, in some more tyrannical eras, it was said that those with hair longer than the Emperor were beheaded.
Of course, Drakis would never want something like that to happen under his watch. If someone died, it would never be for such a frivolous reason.
Still, he had always loved the weird sense of confidence his long hair brought.
It was being really annoying right now, though.
Raising his free hand to his head, Drakis did his best to pull his hair back. But the crazy lady kept running them into people, making it nearly impossible to keep a grip on his hair.
'This is useless,' Drakis lamented.
There were too many people in the hall, and the woman was simply a shitty driver. Luckily, as Drakis looked ahead, he saw that they were nearing a room.
"Let's go, slowpoke!" the woman yelled with a fierce, energetic glint in her eyes. "Early bird gets the worm! You ever hear of that?!"
"Yes, but..." Drakis shook his head as he remembered that booming voice. "Aren't we late?"
"Eh, shut up with your semantics!"
After a few more seconds of running, they finally reached the room. Like before, this one didn't have a doorway but was rather covered with some kind of red veil.
'Do the different colors mean something?' Drakis wondered. He would've asked the woman, but she was busy pulling his arm out of its socket.
Besides, there was something else on his mind now that he entered the room.
For starters, why was there a huge spider hanging from the ceiling in the center of it?
...
Welcome... to the Nexus of Royalty.
Even though the spider's mouth wasn't moving at all, Drakis heard its thoughts clearly.
Looking around the room, he saw that it was covered in webs. There were spider eggs sprawled around the perimeter, probably at least 50 in total.
No, 80.
No... 100?
Drakis soon realized that counting them was impossible. If he focused on just the room, there seemed to only be 50 or so eggs. However, the second he focused on the eggs, their number seemed to be endless.
Oh... You can see them? My Endless Children?
The spider suddenly descended from the ceiling, its mandibles shaking wildly in excitement. Its dark, marble eyes stared at Drakis. When the man returned this stare with ease, the spider was suddenly flooded with interest.
You... I sense no mana within you. And yet... your soul...
Suddenly Drakis was face to face with the spider. He was certain it had still been making its descent, and yet the spider was right in front of him.
'What's going on?' Drakis pondered. 'What about my soul?'
Your soul... it is like an endless well. A bottomless pit, where neither Light nor Dark dare to traverse. I see no end to its power, and yet I see no beginning.
"Do all spiders speak in riddles here?" Drakis asked the woman.
When she didn't say anything, he finally turned away from the spider. Although he had just met her, he knew better than to think she'd be silent here.
Yet when he turned to her, she was completely still. Just like before.
Sighing, Drakis turned back to the spider. "I'm supposed to be getting some kind of skill, I think."
Yes. The room before mine does give out skills.
'Before?'
Yes, before. Most of the Arena contestants are mere flies. It is rare that they can even survive my presence, let alone perceive me. Yet you, someone with no discernible talent, someone with not even a drop of mana, see me as nothing more than another entity. It is most interesting.
The spider looked into Drakis's eyes once again, peering past his physical shell. It was an entity that was used to towering over everyone. It was used to viewing souls the same way a scientist would a cell.
Yet when it looked at Drakis, the spider felt like an astronaut trying to see the floor of the ocean. Even it couldn't help but feel like an ant, and it didn't exactly know why.
That perplexed the spider, who for the first time in its existence had found something it didn't understand. Curiosity enveloped it as questions invaded its mind, questions that would have to be unanswered for now.
Alas, our time is short. For now, we can only share this gift.
Drakis looked down as an egg appeared out of nowhere. He already knew what it was: his first skill. His first step in his path of revenge.
Take your destiny in your hands, Drakis. Whatever is in this egg, I am sure it is the kindling you need. Light the fire within you that wishes to burn the entire tree of Yggdrasil itself!!!
Drakis nodded his head as he placed his hand on the egg. Even though this spider, this cosmic entity, was filled with complete excitement, Drakis only felt one thing: expectation.
Whatever skill waited for him here, he would find a way to use it to its fullest.
Closing his eyes, Drakis crushed the egg in his hand.
...
"Oh, what skill did you get!"
Drakis opened his eyes to find himself in a library. Looking down at his hand, he saw that the egg had been replaced with some kind of book.
Then there was the woman, staring at him like he had the universe's secrets in his hand.
"Come on!!!" she mumbled, clearly anxious to see the skill. "This is my favorite part!"
Ignoring her, he opened the book. Then he frowned.
The page was empty.
Turning to the woman, Drakis murmured, "Uh—"
Suddenly, a bright light shot out of the book. The entire room was instantly enveloped by the light.
Drakis raised his hand but before he could even cover his eyes the light was gone. In its place was a screen similar to his system screen that read: