Kira wheezed as she laid on the training room floor, attempting to catch her breath after Ailsa's 'light training session'. Her entire body ached, and her lungs burned from being chased around an obstacle course for nearly an hour nonstop. "There's gentler ways to kill someone," Kira muttered, repeatedly smacking the palm of her hand against her ribs to try and chase away an odd, stiff ache in that area.

Ailsa, who never seemed to even break a sweat despite staying exactly two steps behind her disciple the entire session, sat down next to Kira and brought up a large System screen. "I want ye ta watch somethin'. Can ye see the screen alright?"

"Yeah."

Nodding, Ailsa gently tapped the end of Kira's nose, her expression surprisingly somber. Kira felt an ominous churning in her gut, and the woman's next words did nothing to help the feeling fade. "I be warnin' ye, it won't be pretty ta look at. But ye need ta see it. So don't look away, alright?"

The feeling of dread only magnified. Kira slowly propped herself up on her elbows, staring intently at the momentarily empty System screen.

Screams.

A chaotic symphony of screams, roars, growls, snarls, pleading, crying, shouting. Flashes of color as spells collided with the bodies of monsters the size of a small vehicle, only for something even bigger to step over its slain comrade as easily as an adult stepped over a child's toy. It roared, swinging its massive paw and effortlessly shredding through a meter-thick stone wall. Chunks of rubble rained down on fighters in dented bloody armor, crushing them beneath the weight of their own fallen defenses.

Color drained from Kira's face, the last of it fading just as a splash of crimson splattered the screen, and the video feed stopped.

"That be a village about a day's travel from Atmont," Ailsa said quietly. "Three months ago. A Stampede occurred, where various species of monsters get all riled up and be attackin' nearby settlements. Happens most when some adventuring party gets big fer their britches, picks a fight with a Boss-level wild mob, then be forced ta retreat through other monster's territories, but there can be other causes. One group drags and chains another group, again and again, creating a massive crowd frothing fer blood. They work themselves into a frenzy then throw themselves at barriers they come across with nae thought fer their own safety, until existing wards break from the strain and physical defenses crumble. Even strongly warded cities ain't entirely safe from a Stampede."

Kira nodded wordlessly, so pale she was almost green. Ailsa sighed, flicked her wrist, and another video started playing.

If the previous video was horrifying, the second video was nightmarish. From the perspective of someone who appeared to be in a watchtower, the video recorded an entire line of similar-looking monsters lining up on the hills outside a walled city. They didn't rush mindlessly, merely waited as ranks filled out and more similar monsters gathered.

Then a distant roar ripped through the tense silence, and the largest monsters charged forward as one. Someone on screen yelled about them targeting the Wardstones, as the large monsters hit very specific parts of the city walls over and over. Arrows filled the sky, and smaller monsters sacrificed their lives to protect their larger brethren.

Ailsa sped up the video and Kira watched in horror as the walls eventually fell, and the entire crowd of waiting monsters rushed into the city. "Most of the city was evacuated in time thanks ta defenders on the walls holdin' the monsters back," the Dwarf said, her voice soft. "That be a Wave, when similar types of monsters gather under one intelligent leader and attack a settlement."

"There's also somethin' called a Tide, which is several Waves combined. Different groupin's of similar monsters, teamin' up under several leaders. Tides be more rare than Waves or Stampedes, but they still happen every few years or so. Beneath the might of a Tide, even a tough city-state like Atmont would suffer heavy casualties.

"I know ye be raised in a world where this sort of thing didn't happen, so the very concept of it might be difficult fer ye ta grasp. That there's nowhere truly safe. It's one thing ta hear descriptions and warnin's from everyone, and it's another ta see fer yerself. This is what I'm tryin' to prepare ye fer, why I'm tryin' ta get ye ta understand it's important ta instill the habit of daily trainin'. If I seem tough on ye, it's cuz ye have a lot ta catch up on compared ta folks who be born into this sort of existence.

"Monsters have their own specialties and strengths, just as people do. And many have inborn talent fer magic. Anythin' we can do, they can do too. There are monsters that specialize in stealth and assassinations, tauntin' enemies, healin' allies, even some that manipulate the flow of mana in an area to prevent certain kinds of spells from bein' used. Ye hafta be prepared fer any situation if ye want ta survive, and that's what everyone in the world be tryin' ta do. Prepare themselves, and survive. I hope ye do yer best with this too, even if the training fer it be hard."

Kira swallowed, a lump forming in her throat, but she still managed to mumble a soft agreement. Part of her wondered if the lecture was because she'd tried to use her eyes to communicate a cry for help to Vanessa, and Ailsa was offended.

"It ain't all bad, ye know." Ailsa said, swapping the video out. The next one she put on was a series of clips, showing people fighting head-to-head with monsters many times their size, with no fear or hesitation. An archer who ran across rooftops, shooting arrows the size of short spears into the eye of something resembling a feathery T-Rex. A knight in heavy plate armor, creating a shining golden shield to block a gout of white-hot fire from a six-legged crocodile's gaping maw, protecting the retreat of several families without losing an inch of ground. A beautiful robed figure praying in the middle of several infirmary cots, a shimmering blue light descending to heal the wounds at a visible speed.

And a clip of Ailsa, leaping from a cliff to land on the back of an enormous ugly bird in flight, one with a beak large enough to swallow a few people whole, simultaneously. It screeched in anger, but before the bird could fight back, Ailsa brought her glowing fists down onto the back of its skull, and both she and the bird plummeted to the ground. She leaped to safety before impact, kicking off from its head to drive its face into the ground first. Off in the distance, some bystanders cheered enthusiastically as the Dwarf lifted her hands in a victorious pose.

"Who's recording these..." Kira mumbled, raising an eyebrow. "It looks, uh... Edited."

"Cuz it do be edited. Ye use yer System ta record video and take pictures, so people be recordin' just about everythin'. Their fights, trainin' regimens, adventurin' guides, even daily check-ins if yer famous enough already. Folks with better recordin's tend ta get more attention, get sponsors ta learn better skills and spells and whatnot. Some just like the attention, bein' celebrities and all. Fer example, I like folks watchin' me fight! Me main job's fightin' and it be televised, and I also be recordin' when I take contracts out in the field instead of in the Arena! I ain't after attention in me everyday life, but some folks be makin' it their whole identity. Me boss tends ta like those sort."

"Your boss?"

"Ah, right, ye wouldn't know... See, my day job be fightin' in a place called The Arena. And it be presided over by Kaiser, God of the Arena, as in arena combat in general. Glory, honor, sportsmanship, combat with rules. The Arena, proper noun, be His divine domain, a dimension all His own. In His domain, He sets up fights between real-life monsters and people lookin' fer honor, glory, money. There's Soul Gems to protect lives durin' a match, He's Aeironus' brother and be havin' similar abilities in that regard, but if ye die on the field of battle ye lose Arena Rank and whatever ye bet fer yer entry fee.

"He's an odd sort, more approachable and accessible than other Gods, but that be cuz He likes the attention. There be Arena streams 24/7, and He personally commentates on the most excitin' ones. Gettin' positive comments from Kaiser be how a lot of newbies rocket out of obscurity and straight into the spotlight, cuz they put on a good show even if their overall skill ain't up to snuff yet, and Kaiser cares most about the show rather than the base level of the fight. Ta Him, a child with a sword and a whole lot of guts be more entertainin' than a Rank A fighter with flashy moves who plays it safe. The Arena rewards the bold, which is why I love it so much."

Ailsa glanced at Kira from the corner of her eye and, seeing the girl's interested expression, started to grin. "Wanna watch some of me best fights before ye go?"

"Yes!"

"Kira?"

"..."

"Kira!"

Kira jerked to attention as Brigit snapped her fingers, glancing up at the Drakke who was carrying a full dinner plate in one hand and an expression of concern on her face. "Yeah?"

Seeing Kira respond properly, Brigit sighed in relief and set the dinner plate in front of her, returning to Kira's kitchen to make her own plate. Ribbon was already half through her dinner, but paused long enough to look up and ask: "Are you okay?"

"Mm." Kira nodded, spearing a vegetable on her fork. "Ailsa is cooler than I thought."

Clatta!

Brigit turned blue around the ears as she fumbled a plate into the sink. "Oh yeah?" She said after clearing her throat, trying to sound casual while completely oblivious to her voice being just a bit higher than usual. "How so?"

"She showed me some of her Arena fights. She's good."

"Oh, she told you!" Brigit suddenly looked very excited, throwing together a dinner plate and taking a seat in a flurry of motion. "I didn't say anything because I wasn't sure if she was keeping it low-key and not telling you or anything. Which fights did you see? Did you see the Marsh Hydra battle? Or the Grand Ice Wolf? Her most recent PvP bout against Jada the Impaler was so good, the terrain was totally leveled by that last 【 Wild Tempest 】!"

Both Kira and Ribbon blinked slowly, as Brigit spoke faster and faster, hardly taking a pause to breathe. Ribbon started to grin, waving a piece of bread in the Drakke's direction. "Looks like... S-someone's a fan?"

Brigit blushed again, shoving an enormous chunk of steak into her mouth to avoid responding. Kira and Ribbon exchanged grins, before the human leaned over to get Brigit's attention with a gentle arm poke. "She's coming to train us tomorrow."

Cough, cough!

Reaching for her water, Brigit chugged the entire glass and pounded her chest to dislodge a traitorous piece of steak before choking out a faint: "What!?"

"Mhm. She promised to give pointers, right? We finished the first floor ourselves, so she's taking us to the second floor of the Dungeon."

"Second?!" Ribbon squeaked, her fork dropping to the table with a clatter. "B-but we aren't even L-Level 10!"

"That... Might be my fault," Kira muttered, dropping her head, her shoulders drooping. One off-hand comment sealed her doom, and the memory of Ailsa's exuberance at her briefly expressed interest still made her cringe with regretful shame. If only she hadn't opened her mouth... "I... Said the Arena thing looked kinda neat? And she... Got excited. Like... Real excited. She wants us to try a match-"

COUGH, COUGH!

Brigit choked again, stumbling to the kitchen for a water refill to solve the issue. By the time she returned with a third water glass, Kira had almost sunk below the table. "Kira. Did Ailsa Reid give us an Invitation?"

Kira nodded.

"B-but we're... Not high enough Level at all! We'd have to-... Oh..." Ribbon paused as realization dawned on her. "T-that's why the second Dungeon floor? M-more experience, for bigger L-Level differences..."

"It... Shouldn't be impossible..." Brigit said thoughtfully, trying not to look like she was excited by the prospect, but the sparkle in her golden eyes gave her true feelings away. "Second floor... The Boss might be too much for us, but the floor mobs should be doable, if we're very careful and focus on farming experience rather than aiming for Dungeon rewards."

"W-we, um... We m-managed to beat a Variant B-Boss, at our Levels..." Ribbon whispered. Her ears drooped a little at the scary thought of a second floor challenge, but her expression turned thoughtful.

"The Arena has a minimum Level requirement of 5-E. Obviously that's not something we'll do incredibly soon, but it's not an unattainable goal either. Winning a match in The Arena gives rewards comparable to top-tier Dungeons! Since you can only be invited by someone with an Arena Rank, it's super hard to get in but absolutely worth it once you've got access! Not to mention all the sponsors you'd get access to, and various event prizes if you participate..."

"Nepotism, again?" Kira muttered, furrowing her brow as she focused an intense stare onto her dinner plate.

Because she spoke English she became valuable to Archmage Karl DuFeu, who was a Dragon with influence, power, wealth, and a Fixation on the language - a compulsive obsession as far as she understood the concept. His love for 'Enliss', the modern name for English, was the sort of love people in her day might have for things like Warhammer 40k, spending everything they had on figurines and merchandise to fill their homes. A niche interest, but a powerful one.

He was the reason she had a valuable scholarship to a prestigious school, Gold-quality Scan which gave her more information than most other people had access to, an allowance large enough to buy spell books for her classmates, as well as the promise of funding for their little research group to buy even more books as long as they properly studied magic and skills. As long as she kept giving him English lessons and tips, Karl would remain her generous benefactor.

Karl also called in a favor to get Ailsa as her mentor, another powerful and famous figure, who used her own connections to get Kira into an exclusive club with tons of benefits in addition to everything else. The scholarship was extended to Brigit, and the Arena invitation included her whole Team, so she wasn't the only person benefiting from the situation. But it still felt...

Odd.

None of it was through her own efforts. Not really. She just was in the right place at the right time, happened to have something someone else found valuable, and was coasting on the benefits ever since.

"So this is what privilege is like..."