Seeing the System’s text in front of him, Eight felt a deep emotion well up from within him. For over twenty years he had wished his core would form; hiding and escaping pursuers only to end up as a slave. The number of times he cursed his destiny was uncountable.

Yet he persisted, and through his good fortune and intelligence, ended up with not only a mana core, but a rumored primordial core!

Clenching his bony fist, Eight opened his mouth and whispered, “status.”

A rectangular, white panel appeared in front of him, laying horizontally to match Eight's position. It displayed his stats in an organized manner. After reading it, Eight closed it with a quick thought. In truth, his stats didn’t matter at the moment, but the action of viewing his status himself made him quite pleased.

All his life he had dreamed of this ability, one that was usually taken for granted by the world.

“But right now I need to escape,” Eight’s gaze sharpened, “The other batteries are dead, and I won’t last much longer either. The group that’s entering the portal should be coming soon. That will be my one chance.”

Just as he was thinking so, five youths entered the field. Every one of them carried a lofty attitude, their chests held out and heads raised arrogantly. Eight quietly watched as they strolled to the portal, displaying an expression of numbness.

Internally, he couldn’t be happier. The group appeared to be in their early teens, the three boys still lacking facial hair. A younger person had a weaker soul. Eight displayed his status again, reading the details of his mana core’s ability.

Soul Transfer – On use, causes the user’s soul to leave the physical body and forcefully enter the body of the target. The user’s and target’s souls will be forced into a “duel” state. The winner of said duel will occupy the target’s body whilst the loser will die a true death.

Regardless of the duel’s outcome, the user’s original body will be forfeited. Can only be used on targets within the user’s sight. On the user’s victory, the target’s mana core will be changed into the primordial-class “Soul Core”

Eight didn’t believe his soul, although heavily depleted, would lose to a kid’s. His experience with fighting and the surprise factor would also contribute to the fight, increasing his chances greatly.

Meanwhile, the group had arrived at the portal. Leading them was a crimson-haired boy, his shoulders broad and heavy. The moon elf looked at them and nodded, thinking that these kids certainly showed promise. It was only with a good general that a soldier’s full value be brought out.

“Is this everyone?” the moon elf asked the guards. He received a confirmational nod and therefore began his explanation, “We don’t have much time before the tutorial begins, so I’ll make this brief.”

“By entering this portal, you will be brought to a newly integrated world. This process is very risky as the System doesn’t fully allow it, however, considering all of your levels and classes have been reset, there shouldn’t be any problems.”

The moon elf checked his watch, “After entering the world, you’ll be brought to the tutorial. As for what the tutorial will be, nobody knows as every world has a different one upon integration.”

Saying so, the moon elf clapped his hands and smiled, “But this is no matter, you kids will breeze through any challenges. And as always, thank you for using Spear Invasion Services. In just a few minutes the portal will be ready, and I wish you good luck on your conquest of this primitive world.”

Besides the crimson-haired boy, all the youngster’s eyes lit up. A newly integrated world, while not having the resources or mana density of an established world, had other benefits that were much greater in value.

Eight, who was close enough to eavesdrop, thought to himself. “So the portal heads to a newly integrated world, this is good. If it were for a dungeon I would be dead, but since I’ll be heading to a new world I will be able to truly escape. Pioneering a new world is risky, but my identity won't be exposed as the group will be split randomly.”

Understanding his chance was coming up, Eight readied his mind in preparation for the duel. Although he didn’t fully understand what a “soul duel” indicated, he had some assumptions. Eight surveyed the group, his eyes hovering over every teen, attempting to determine who was the weakest.

He immediately passed over the crimson-haired teen, focusing on the other four. The one closest to the teen was a black-haired girl with a cold expression, Eight excluded her along with the next youth, a blonde-haired girl. He didn’t want a female body. The final two were both male and Eight decided to use soul transfer on the last boy.

With hunched shoulders and wearing a thick pair of glasses, the boy fit the image of a “timid mouse” perfectly. The other teen, while having a near-identical look as the timid boy, stood confidently next to the blonde girl.

Eight could only assume they were twins, given their matching curly brown hair and childish faces. Personality and willpower played a major role in a soul’s strength, the choice of who Eight should pick was obvious.

“It seems the portal is ready,” the moon elf stated, looking into the black, swirling abyss. “Be prepared to enter as soon as I tell you to. Timing is everything.”

The group tensed up, Eight included. The moon elf’s gaze continued to alternate between his watch and the portal, his foot tapping impatiently on the ground. Three minutes later, the portal fluctuated, releasing an invisible wave that passed through everyone present. Checking his watch one final time, the moon elf shouted, “Go now!”

Hearing this, the high-strung group quickly lined up in front of the portal and entered one by one. Orderly yet efficiently. The crimson-haired boy jumped in first, laughing. Following closely, the cold-looking girl entered.

It was then that Eight chose to activate his innate ability, targeting the timid boy. He took a deep breath and exhaled, whispering, “Soul Transfer.”

A feeling of weightlessness engulfed Eight. His vision blackened, unable to see with his eyes yet still felt his surroundings. The world seemed to spin around him as he drifted through the air towards the timid teen. Eight’s soul then collided with the boy’s, his conscience fading into a frenzied mess of surprise, fear, and pain.

Eight understood that the boy’s emotions were being transmitted to him, they were “sharing” the same body after all. He scoffed and increased the pressure radiating from his soul. Back and forth, the deadly duel continued as both souls eroded each other, vying for supremacy. However, the contest soon ended; a boy of sixteen never stood a chance against someone like Eight. The kid's soul was obliterated, dying an indignant death.

A moment later, Eight clenched his new fist, his soul perfectly adapted to the boy’s smaller body. Despite all that had happened, it had taken merely seconds in reality. He turned back, taking a final glance at his old body. The corpse lay soulless, its skeletal figure slumped and hollow. Eight had a new start, a body with a talent that was deserving of pioneering a new world.

“Hurry up, it’s about to close!” the moon elf yelled at him, noticing Eight staring off into space. Eight’s lips curled, his heart beating like drums. Not looking back, he stepped into the portal, expectant of what the future had in store for him.

* * *

Apollo Godefried landed square on his feet, finding himself within an empty pavilion. Slicking back his crimson hair, he glanced around warily. The tutorial often forced its participants into unexpected situations. Apollo didn't detect any danger.

The ground was composed of neatly-cut stone arranged in all sorts of circular patterns. It was neat, orderly, and devoid of life. Walls of fog enshrouded the pavilion’s edges. Instead of exploring, Apollo focused on the marble statue standing within the pavilion’s center. It was a statue of a beautiful woman, her long hair tied back behind her head, radiating an aura of valor. Matched with her longbow, she appeared quite heroic.

“Mother…” Apollo muttered. He shook his head, regaining his former confidence.

“You think I’ll fail a simple trial like this? It's a shame to be underestimated,” he laughed and began searching the pavilion. He soon found a mismatched tile, one with a slight indentation outward. Apollo didn’t hesitate to step on it, and with a flash of light, disappeared from the pavilion.

Trial One Completed – Time Taken: 2 minutes and 12 seconds

The system’s prompt informed him. Apollo nodded to himself and looked around. He found himself standing in a perfectly white room, rectangular and lack any light sources despite the clear visibility. A black table lay in the room's center with two chairs at its side.

A woman sat in one of those chairs, one with looks no less than Apollo’s mother. However, seeing her distant expression, he knew she was a representative. The empty chair slid soundlessly across the floor as Apollo pulled it away from the table.

He sat down dignified, his gaze not meeting the woman’s. Even so, Apollo’s excitement was poorly concealed, causing a smile to appear on the woman’s face.

She leaned on the table and chuckled, “Relax, I don’t bite. You have every reason to be proud. It’s not everyone that receives an offer before the tutorial even truly starts.”

Apollo lifted his gaze, meeting hers. The woman’s emerald eyes stared back at his grey ones, blinking once before continuing.

“My name is Ava, and I come representing the Golden Blade Guild, a tier-four guild standing at the peak of the Kalthur Empire. Although I can’t go into detail, I assure you that we treat our members better than any other guild in this part of the universe,” she declared, her hand resting on her chest. It was a standard recruitment offer, but with the prestige of the Guild, it appeared grand.

“May I look over the contract?” Apollo asked, his expression now indifferent but inwardly was tempted. His own planet and this new planet were all under the jurisdiction of the Kalthur Empire. Having lived here his whole life, he naturally had heard of the famous Golden Blade Guild.

Ava wasn’t surprised. From thin air, she produced a lengthy sheet of paper and passed it to Apollo. Reading the contract’s contents, his expression eased up. Like most pioneers, Apollo had studied contracts extensively in his preparation for the tutorial. It wasn’t rare for various forces to scout new members from those entering the new world or even talents from the world itself. The latter case was much rarer, however, as the vast majority were tier-one trash.

“This contract is good. Although it’s relatively restrictive, that is to be expected for a guild of this caliber. They can’t just let members do whatever they want,” Apollo thought to himself. The Golden Blade Guild was a righteous force, members couldn’t be allowed to ruin its reputation.

“I’ll join the Golden Blade Guild,” he decided, speaking his answer out loud.

“That’s great,” Ava clapped her hands happily, “You won’t regret it.”

Apollo nodded and bit his thumb. A drop of blood fell slowly before splashing on the white paper. The contract then lit up like a lantern, burning into ashes and signaling the agreement of both sides.

With this, Ava got up and offered her smooth hand, Apollo grasped it in thanks and with a flash of white light, disappeared from the room.

Sitting back down, Ava's pleasant demeanor fading away. Her expression once again grew blank, yet this time it wasn’t a show of maturity but coldness. Her finger tapped on the black table. Minutes later, she sighed. “Truly a troublesome situation, for the Life and Death Club to show an interest in a pioneer, just who could they be?”

* * *

Trial One Cleared – Time Taken: 55 Seconds

Eight looked indifferently at the score. The first trial served no real purpose for pioneers, only testing the new world’s natives on their adaptability and problem-solving skills. Those with poor scores were often ostracized, and with good reason. How could the system’s tricks cause him to hesitate?

Recognizing the white room around him, Eight wasn’t shocked. Pioneering was a famous activity that all-powerful forces participated in, common information regarding the tutorial was spread far and wide. Eight naturally knew that forces were given an opportunity to recruit talents after the tutorial’s first trial.

Eight walked to the black table and sat down. Opposing him was not a seated representative, but a single envelope. It was half black, half white, and opening it Eight found a similarly themed letter full of well-written script.

Albeit having already made his decision, Eight still read the invitation fully, carefully scrutinizing every line of the contract.

“To think the Life and Death Club would set its sights on me. It seems they don’t know about my core, otherwise a representative certainly would have been sent. This is good, my core is unknown.”

Eight didn’t know how much information forces received from the system on talented recruits. A man’s wealth was his downfall; if his core was exposed he would be ripped apart in the following storm. It was only by remaining hidden that Eight could grow stronger.

Since the club didn’t know of his core, he could assume the information given to them was along the lines of his cumulative talent, the average between his physical and soul talent. Such a number would still attract attention, but it was preferable to the alternative.

Biting his thumb, Eight dripped a drop of blood onto the letter. The clauses were extremely lenient, as was expected of an unorthodox group. The Life and Death Club was well known “hidden” organization that spanned multiple empires. It didn’t discriminate between virtuous or wicked, only inviting members based on personal ability.

Such a club had few restrictions, as members tended to be independent and powerful. They couldn’t be commanded and subjected to the rules of an orthodox organization. Eight appreciated this sentiment. The contract’s flame reflected in his eyes as he watched it burn smokelessly, the corners of his lips curling into a faint smile.

Just as the fire died, white light surrounded Eight, teleporting him to the first real trial.