THE SYSTEM IS NOT MINE

The lecture hall remained silent with her mere presence and no one dared to sit down.

General Hecta stepped forward slowly. Her armor moved with quiet precision as she walked toward the front of the room.

Making way for her, the instructor immediately stepped aside, he lowered his head slightly as he handed her the wooden rod.

For a moment she simply stood before the map, then her gaze moved across the room.

Dozens of soldiers stood still, waiting.

When she finally spoke, her voice was calm but carried easily through the hall, “You have all heard that the Kingdom of Shin declared war against us.”

A gust of wind flew out from her as she spoke. It brushed Yan and Chen Yu and was strong enough to lift their clothes and hair backward.

Then it subsided.

"That scared me" Chen Yu trembled.

Yan did not say anything and just looked towards Hecta.

She turned and tapped the eastern border of the map, “Their official claim is simple.”

The rod struck the map once.

“They accuse the Kingdom of Noir of smuggling a forbidden substance into their territory.”

A faint murmur spread across the hall.

Hecta continued, “They claim this substance turns people into berserkers.”

Her eyes moved across the soldiers again.

“According to them, we are poisoning their people.”

"How dare they?" Someone in the crowd shouted.

Chen Yu frowned slightly.

Yan remained quiet.

General Hecta lowered the rod, “The accusation is false.”

She looked up and paused for a second.

“Shin does not need truth to begin a war.”

She tapped the eastern territory again.

“They want our land.”

She tapped again., “They want our iron.”

“And they want access to our southern trade routes.”

The room fell quiet again.

“This war did not begin because of justice.”

She looked at the soldiers directly, “It began because Shin believes we are weak.”

General Hecta placed the rod back beside the map.

“They will soon learn otherwise.”

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"That we are not weak"

Her voice travelled through the entire room as a gust of wind swept across the room and lasted longer than before.

The silence that followed felt heavier than before.

Then she turned slightly toward the officers standing near the entrance, “Provide the new arrivals with military attire.”

“They will join the eastern divisions tomorrow.”

Several officers immediately stepped forward.

“Yes, General.”

Then she left through the door she had come from..

After she left, the soldiers in the hall finally began moving again.

Yan remained where he stood for a moment longer.

"Yan, aren't you coming? " Chen Yu snapped Yan back to reality from his thoughts.

Yan followed.

"Is something wrong? " On the way, Chen Yu questioned.

"No ", Yan replied.

Chen Yu sighed in relief.

The new recruits arrived out of the lecture hall one by one.

Outside, several soldiers waited beside long wooden tables stacked with folded military clothing .

Each recruit stepped forward to receive their set.

Dark tunics reinforced with thick stitching. Light armor plates, each in different colors unlike royal armor dark, meant for infantry. A short cloak bearing the leaf insignia of the Kingdom of Noir.

Yan accepted his quietly.

The same cavalryman who had guided them earlier stood nearby, giving instructions to the soldiers handling the distribution.

Once everyone had their equipment, he spoke again.

“Barracks have been prepared for your unit, Have a good rest”

He pointed across the compound.

“Follow the guard, he will guide you to them "

Yan and the others obeyed.

"Here, here, I will show the way".

A soldier shouted and they followed behind.

The barracks assigned to them was a long stone building with narrow windows. Inside were rows of simple wooden beds placed close together.

The soldiers entered quietly, some began unpacking their belongings while others immediately lay down to rest.

Chen Yu, however, kept glancing toward Yan.

Several times.

Ever since they had left the forest, he just kept on glancing at him.

“Stop it.” Yan arrived next to him.

Chen Yu took a step back and lowered his head.

Yan said nothing more and then he left and sat down on the ground beside one of the beds.

He closed his eyes, Spiritual qi slowly gathered around him.

For more than a year he had neglected his actual cultivation.

Now the war had begun, It was time to return to cultivation.

The flow of qi entered quietly through his breathing.

Time passed, night fell gradually over the garrison.

At the moment , the barracks door opened and a soldier stood outside.

“Dinner is ready" he announced.

The recruits rose, Yan opened his eyes and stood as well.

They followed the soldier toward the mess hall.

It had long rows of tables filled in the room, Soldiers lined up to receive their food.

Each man took a metal plate and stepped forward while cooks filled it with a simple ration including rice, bread, sauce and millet.

Yan lined up, and got his share on his plate and sat on the table with Chen Yu and a few others who arrived along with them from the Sunset city.

As they were eating in silence, someone spoke

“You cultivators are lucky.”

Yan looked up.

The voice came from the man who had protested earlier in the forest.

He looked down at his plate as he said, “People like us are nothing but dirt in this world.”

“We die because we’re born without spiritual roots.”

His eyes moved toward Yan and Chen Yu at the table "And you get everything.”

“Power.”

“Respect.”

“Prestige.”

“All because you were born with Spiritual roots”

He hit the table and said, "That’s not fair.”

Yan observed quietly and did not answer anything, but Chen Yu said, “It’s not like that.”

The protesting soldier looked at him.

“Everyone has their role to play", Chen Yu said.

“What role?” the man came forward and looked at Chen Yu in his eyes.

“A cannon fodder?” Then he backed out.

“Didn’t you see the forest?” The man asked.

" They sent us there to die"

“At least cultivators stand a chance if they meet a Cultivator enemy"

Then he gestured toward the rest of the soldiers, and said, “But what about us? We will just die if we meet any cultivator.”

The man slammed the table again, the plates raised to a small height, then settled.

Right then, “It’s reality.” a voice sounded, everyone looked towards the source, Yan was eating bread by dipping it in the sauce.

The protesting soldier stared at him for a moment. "Reality?"

Yan nodded.

Chen Yu stared at Yan as well.

For a moment no one knew what to answer.

Gladly, the meal finished and they stood up from the table and returned to the barracks.

Some exhausted soldiers immediately fell asleep.

The night passed.

Before sunrise, the barracks door burst open.

A soldier’s voice cut through the darkness.

“Wake up.”

“It’s time to march.”