Chapter 5: Crimson Trails
After thanking the officer for explaining the unknown terms to him, Azrael parted ways and found himself standing in some kind of training ground.
’How many people are here?’ he wondered. There were so many it looked like a sea of bodies, endless and chaotic.
’They’re testing thousands at once? There’s no way they’re evaluating each person individually,’ Azrael reasoned. Just like the officer had said, there were countless Chosen in the world. Testing them all fairly was a fantasy. It simply couldn’t be done.
He clenched his hand into a fist.
’In other words... I only get one chance to prove my worth.’ His black pupils darkened further, mirroring his rising determination.
Azrael wasn’t arrogant. Even if he possessed a Divine Inborn Trait, he was still alone in this world—with little knowledge and no experience. This place was the only chance he had to gain either.
Trying to join a clan was out of the question. He didn’t carry their blood, so they would ignore him or worse, laugh in his face. Sure, he could reveal the Rank of his Inborn Trait, but he wasn’t stupid enough to do that. All it would do was paint a target on his back.
The ones in power would see him as a future problem: someone potentially strong, unaffiliated and unpredictable. On top of being alone? That would only seal his fate.
In the end, he had only one path: join the government or be left with nothing.
Uncertain about what to do next, he began to wander, keeping a vigilant eye on the crowd. He studied every face, every movement. What struck him most were those already forming groups, chatting with one another.
’No one said this would be a team test. Making friends now would only be a distraction,’ he analyzed.
"I’m telling you, I’ve got this test in the bag! My Inborn Trait? Cleansed Rank!"