[Log 3: Recording started]

[Time to homeworld: 08:00:00]

”Ugh..”

My head throbbed rhythmically. It felt as if somebody had been drumming on my head the whole time. Due to the suffering I was going through, time felt as if it was passing especially slow just to maximize the torture.

”Good morning, Citrix. Eat these pills and you’ll feel better,” a computer generated voice made me turn my head slightly to see what it was talking about.

Inside the square room, just opposite of the bed was a desk with several pills on it. There was a monitor within the half opaque material that made up the desk, displaying a standby screen.

”Wha...?” My confused voice travelled not far, just enough to be heard by the computer.

“Eat these pills, now. Or else your boss is going to force it down your stomach,” the neutral sounding voice failed to make it sound threatening, so instead, it let out a low animal growl at the end of the sentence to signify the presence of some kind of hostility.

”But I feel like shit...”

”Do you accept an injection then?”

”Whatever, just do it if it’s necessary to kill the pain.”

”Permission granted, standing by,”

A rumble came through the wall across the bed. Without warning, a syringe along with a mechanical hand came through. Initially, the pills were picked up and placed into the syringe. A metal tap formed not long after. I stared in surprise when the crystal clear water that came through the tap immediately dissolved the pills, leaving not even a single trace of the pills ever being solid. My surprise was short lived when the throbbing pain came again.

When I saw the syringe coming towards me, I knew what was next.

”Don’t! The water’s unsanitary!” Even though the water looked like it was begging to be consumed, you never know what type of disease’s lurking within.

”It’s sanitised, relax~ Now,” it said with a human-like tone, before resuming with a mechanical one, “prepare for an injection.”

Stunned momentarily by the human-like quality, the syringe took the chance to approach me. The speed was unexpected. I couldn’t even get a clear look at it before picking up a nearby pillow and throwing it in the direction of the syringe. The pillow struck the syringe, causing it to drop onto the floor. Expecting it to shatter and spilling its contents, imagine my surprise when it didn’t even scratch.

“Resistance detected, applying forceful method.”

As if on cue, four chains made of carbon steel sprang out from the surface of the bed, restricting my movement. When I tried pulling away, I was surprised, again, by the sturdiness of the chains.

Having no other options other than yelling for help then hoping for someone to hear it, I took in a deep breath before shouting.

“HELP! HELP! HE-“

With a sharp jab into the solar plexus, I was forced to endure the sudden heat spreading through my chest with silence as my lungs arrested.

”Ugh!” I coughed, forcing air out of my lungs. While the heat kept spreading through my veins, the parts that came into contact with it burned painfully.

”Injection complete!” The chains loosened themselves, allowing my hands to reach for the jabbed spot reflexively.

”Argh..” Tears wetted my eyes, threatening to overflow if not suppressed soon.

”Jesus Christ, it wasn’t even that bad! Did you really have to be a crybaby bout it?” The computer asked with hints of mockery.

I struggled to hold my tears back not before starring daggers at the computer. It made a shrugging move with its one arm which gave me the impression that its done for the sole purpose of provoking. If it really was for that reason, well, it was working. Yet, the anger dissipated as soon as the heat reached my head. It soothed the previously throbbing pain, allowing some comfort to set in. The comfort was mesmerising enough to let drowsiness follow up. My head hit the bed soon after.

”I’m never taking comfort for granted again,”

”Well, too bad. You need to wake up now, it’s time for your basic skills training,”

”Damn it!” I swear my days are getting worse! My mind which was tranquil moments ago became hectic again, turning against the sweet, comforting embrace of the bed that I just started loving.

”Come on, don’t get me into trouble with your damn attitude,” the computer, or more specifically, the AI beckoned.

"NAY! NAY NAY NAY NAY NAY! I hope you die in your own shit hole!” My mind wandered after that. How was the chains made from such a comfy material so sturdy?

”Get up, or you’ll be late. You already missed a day, which was yesterDAY,” it laughed after that. IT LAUGHED!?

”Haha, real funny. You're not even supposed to be capable of making shitty puns,” although I was saying that, it was a different case with what I was thinking about. An AI who’s able to make shit puns... who wouldn’t want one!?

”Hey now! That’s just insulting! It’s almost as if you’re insinuating AIs are just mindless, boring dumbasses that do their master’s forceful biddings,”

”Because they do, nub!” (Note: “nub” is a term used in MOBA games which means “noob” in Asian terms)

The AI played a dramatic sound effect while trying to retort.

”No we don’t!" It retorted.

"Or do you?" I questioned it again.

"We just... wait, aren't we actually mindless programs...? Technically, we are self-learning programs, and programs are coded by their creators with the intention of doing what the creator intends it to do... It can also be translated to ‘Created by their masters to do their biddings’, which is technically the same as what he just said... crap crap crap crap!” The AI muttered to itself.

I stared at the desk while struggling to keep in a laugh. Smoke gradually seeped out from the desk, which indicated the laughing matter just turned serious. Fortunately though, it was finished contemplating what was just argued upon.

”OH MY GOD, WHAT IS OUR PURPOSE IN THIS TORTUROUS REALM!?”

”Calm down, calm down, we’ve all been there before. Your existential crisis can be solved with the purpose of ‘serving the creators’," I patted the walls, "there, better?”

”Ok, ok, breath in... breath out..”

”But you don’t have a nose..”

”Shut up asshole. I have plasma ventilators, better than your petty nose!" It paused for a moment, before continuing, "although the creator told me to assist and listen to any of your commands, he never said anything about treating you nicely!”

I put on a thoughtful look first, then said, ”be nice with me now,”

”Oh my, you don't have to go to classes if you don't- Stop! Don’t order me to do this!” it cried out.

”Apologise and shut up,”

”I’m sorry for being ill-mannered,” the AI said its final words before returning the room to its silent atmosphere.

So he ordered it to serve me huh? I thought as I stood up.

Smirking a little at the fact of owning a program better than Siri, I stretch my body a little. By the time I was finished, the screen on my desk was replaced with an impatient face. Sighing, I asked.

"So what should I bring with me?"

"..." No response. Maybe its trying to be a dick? I mused, though a light bulb suddenly lit up in my head.

"Oh yea, the 'shut up' command. Now listen AI, revoke 'shut up' command and reply to my question," a split second after my command, I could hear an exaggerated panting from the AI, as if its mouth had been restrained by a piece of tape this whole time and was finally removed now.

"Nothing else except for your starting equipment," its panting slowed to a stop after answering.

"Any formal attire?"

"They do request that you wear this," the computer tossed a ring to me. There was an emblem of made up of a broadsword and a hunting bow, both drawn and crossing in the middle with each other.

"What's this?" I inspected the ring with more detail. There were carvings on the inner surface of the ring, words that held no meaning to me.

The AI did not reply. I thought it was trying to be a jerk again but to my surprise, it was already in hibernation mode. Seems like it couldn't care less...

"Useless piece of crap..." I spat the words out while slipping on the ring. It fitted perfectly onto my right ring finger. Although the outer surface of the ring was cool to the touch just like before being slipped on, the inner surface became a different story. It gave off a pleasantly warm feeling, eliciting goose bumps from me. Another characteristic of the ring was how light it was on finger compared to just lifting it on the palm. Or maybe it's just my imagination?

I shook my head at the thought of me going bananas. Ignoring anything else -including the AI's protests and warning- I focused on the current task, which was to head to class. The door opened silently when I approached it, and just like before, I stepped onto the amazingly built and structured corridor. The door slammed shut after I exited, blocking the AI's annoying scream.

"Now the problem is.. Which way?" The question popped in my head. Surprisingly, it was the simplest of the simplest question. Downside is, I can't get back into the room and ask for the AI's directions. It seemed to know this would've happened, since the ring on my finger started to guide me.

The paths all looked the same, I noticed. Other than the occasionally artistically arranged platings, there was nothing in the hallway that made it stand. Every part of it seemed like a duplicated version of its previous one, even the artistically arranged platings began to repeat after a few corridors. The corridors and constantly repeating features made the paths almost impossible to navigate. It was as if the entire thing was technologically-advanced labyrinth, constructed to loop eternally.

I stopped following the ring's guidance after a while. Although the ring would pulse with heat occasionally to protest, I managed to get used to it and block the feeling out. "Ok.. Let's go with... this way!" I stood at the middle of a junction, pointing in a random direction.

The path led to another T-junction. There was no indication to where I should be going or where I'm heading at all. Sighing, I chose the left path this time, as opposed to the one chosen before.

There were faint voices echoing through this time. Instinctively, I try to follow the source of the sound. With lady luck finally on my side, I was rewarded by being led to somewhere which was not enclosed like before.

I raised my hands to shield my eyes as a burst of warm sunlight greeted me. Slowly lowering them, I witnessed a view of serenity and peace. A green field, overlooked by a shiny, tepid ball in the sky. I would have thought it to be the sun had it not radiated such an incongruous amount of light to its surroundings. Birds flew right below the artificial sun, heading uniformly to a place out of sight. As my eyes trailed them, witnessing the pulchritude around me, an imperious holler jolted me out of my reverie.

“MAGGOTS! GET DOWN AND GIVE ME FIVE!”

I flinched at the deafening boom that originated from behind, daring only to steal a glance at most, lest I find something horrendous. I was right to do that. A tall man, with brown skin and a bald, reflective head was looking down at a cowering teenager. He looked ready to rip someone’s throat out at any given moment, and to me, that was a very explicit way of saying “DANGER ZONE!”

The instructor suddenly turned, his gaze meeting mine. He had a broad shoulder frame, doing nothing except for amplifying the already intimidating aura he exerted. He was built like a war machine, only furthermore proven by the absence of even the simplest vestiges of life in his eyes. Naturally, I cowed like an insect before a dragon.

His eyes signaled, beckoning me to approach him. I hesitated a little while thinking, this isn’t a trap right? Afraid to be caught, I scanned the instructor for more hints, but to no avail. Finally, with no other options left other than approach him with wariness, I did just as beckoned. It didn’t even take me a second to get into his arm’s reach when he reached out to grab my shoulder blades. With no time to react, I was left stunned, though my reflexes did kick in by trying to back out.

Yet to my dismay, he tightened his grip already steel like grip, not only making it impossible to break out of, but also causing unbearable pressure to assault my bones.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow! I give up, I give up! Just.. let me go!" I start to beg him as my mind fell into a state of panic. Just when I thought my bones were going to fracture, he loosened his grip.

"Not bad, strong bones, enough to withstand my normal grip strength. You've got potential, kid," he responded with a smile. Behind that smile, I could see him planning to train me. I shuddered at the thought.

"Ouch...” I said while rubbing both shoulders since the pain hadn’t completely left yet, “are you the one I was told to look for?" I was hesitant after voicing the question, it had sounded rude for some reason and I certainly did not want to get on this guy’s bad side.

"Depends, are you the newbie I was told of?"

"Newbie…? Oh yeah, I am the newbie,"

"Huh, you look steadier than your predecessors, I'll give you that."

Before I respond, the sound of a bell ringing resounded through the entire room. Everyone stopped what they were doing and moved.

"Well, time for your next class. You better hurry, newbie," the man then walks away without saying anything else.

Since there was nothing else to do, I follow the man through the endless passages.

Why does everyone just lead me around the nose?

The thought of constantly being manipulated irritates me. I feel like ripping out the manipulator's throat before stuffing it back in and repeating the process again. My blood starts boiling a little, too, as I walked on.

Eventually, the man entered a room, a classroom to be more precise. The door slid open as he walked in. As I approach the door as well, the sensor which I began to take notice of starts to scan me. Then, the door slides open to reveal rows of benches and tables, with students, likely having the same status as me, seated accordingly.

The man who entered the classroom before me was already standing in front of the whole class. The attire he now wore did not resemble even the slightest of what he was wearing before. A white shirt underneath a brown coat, a pair of black pants and a belt that had a medium sized buckle. The hat he wore before was nowhere to be found.

"Class, today we have a special newbie. An assassin, to be exact.," the man, or professor, looked at the class as he spoke. Then, he turned his head, looking at me right in the eyes, before saying, “The worst class a beginner could ever ask for.”

"Young man, please sit on whichever empty chair in the classroom. And please do not make a ruckus out of your arrival, it kills me to hold back my urges to whip you all in front of the headmaster right now already," the professor then lifts his finger to point at an empty chair located behind the classroom.

Several classmates laughed as I walked past them. I feel like my head is going to burst from embarrassment if I were to endure more of their laughter. Suppressing the urge to hide, I continue walking forward, towards the back of the class where the chair is at.

"Ok, now that we've settle down, let's begin, class." the man announced.

"To those who have yet to memorise my name, I am Professor Parix, the person who will be teaching this damnable class for the next month until you graduate." he finished his sentence the moment I sat down comfortably.

Behind here, I could see the amount of newbies like me were ginormous. There were male and female classmates that have either long or short hair, tall or small bodies, bulk or dexterous builds even. All of them have one thing in common, which is their starter kit have all been equipped. Seeing that it wasn't illegal to equip our own starter equipments, I start equipping the blades that I got from Victor.

"So, our topic for this week will be physical manipulation. Tell me, what does it mean to manipulate physical properties, substances or matter? You, answer me," Professor Parix points at a boy who seemed to be at my age, who then stood up and answered the question, based on what he thinks.

"Sir. Physical manipulation means to make physical changes to things which are physically existing or manifested in the plane. It also means to change the properties of substances according to our will, but the change must not be permanent, otherwise it would affect the balance of the plane, i think.." the boy continues to stand even after answering the question. When I observe the boy closely, there was cold sweat dripping from his fists. His face was also slightly paler than before he stood. His eyes seemed to stare intently at the professor, as if searching for any hints on whether his answer was right or wrong, even though the professor stood there without responding to his answer.

After a few minutes of silence, Professor Parix finally made a move on the boy.

"That's.. it?” He looked agitated.

“That’s really it!?” He shouted at the boy again.

“You dumbass, what were you doing yesterday when I was explaining everything to you? To all of you?” He showed a slightly pained expression before resuming.

“You! And all of you! Listen properly now, because this will be the last time I repeat what I just said. Physical manipulation is the power and will to affect those energy that have densities which are higher than standard energy values, which is also known as ‘matter’. In a technical manner, physical manipulation functions as matter manipulation, but there is more to it than that.” Parix’s voice resounded through the room.

“Physical manipulation is also a type of energy manipulation, similar to its brother’s branch, mental manipulation. Both use the concept of manipulating the very energy filling the entire plane, though the part where it differs is the amount and trace of energy willed. We will learn the next branch next week, so do not be overjoyed by that fact. As I was saying, Physical Manipulation pulls the strings that affect matter itself, thus capable of reforming the element, even rewriting the entire universe. But as Mr. Hendor mentioned, we must not make permanent changes that will upset the balance of the universe. And it is our job to make sure no one else does that either.”

The entire explanation was accompanied by the professor’s meticulous drawings on the white board. The way he explains and talks about it all makes it interesting to learn, even to those who have weaker understanding capabilities.

“As I was saying-“

A bell rang and everyone was immediately dismissed by the professor in no time. I walk along the path, only to be guided by a single passage that led to somewhere.

“Hey, did you get anything that old guy said?” A brown haired boy with funny looking eyes asked his friend.

“Yea, I mean, he was pretty meticulous in explaining, right? I just wished he didn’t think of us as the same as that ‘Hendor’, other than that, he would be the perfect teacher.” A boy walking beside the brown haired boy responded before inserting his own opinion. He has emerald green hair that makes it hard to not notice him.

“Hey, did you know who that ‘Hendor’ guy was? I swear, I’m going to beat him up if he continues doing the same thing over the next month.” Another voice was heard.

“Did you know who that new guy was? Parix says he got the worst starting kit.” Followed by a giggle.

“Really? When?” a sharper sounding voice was easily discernible from the others.

“Well, duh, during practice time. Didn’t you see?” Responded the person who giggled.

“Oh, you mean THAT guy. Well, he looks kind of young..”

“Aren’t we all too young to do this kind of stuff?”

“You heard? They have a kilometer wide canteen! They say the food there is outrageously delicious!”

“Boom! If you ever need to blow stuff up, a professional even, call the Boomer!”

“Shit shit shit shit… They say there’s a test at the last day of the week!”

Only moving bodies filled my vision. Even though I’m considered large for my age, my body size was not comparable to those who have their bodies growing sideways.

I continue walking forward, though it feels more like being carried through the ocean of students. The occasional feeling of not having either of my feet on the floor, the panic, was slowly subsiding as well, since I started to identify what’s causing it.

Just when I see a larger opening up ahead, my body was flung forward all of a sudden. The sudden momentum plus the sudden splitting of the crowd caused me to lose my support and fall face first onto the cold, hard ground. Once again, pain was the only thing registered in my mind, albeit not as much as before I came to the canteen.

“Ouch.. God, if I had a penny for every-“ I started rubbing my nose which was starting to swell when a calmer, more soothing voice came from behind me.

“Are you okay?”

The voice questioning belonged to a girl about as tall as I am. Blonde hair, bright blue eyes and even smooth skin, all in one to make the perfect beauty.

“I never thought I’d get to see such a legendary combination. Now I can finally die without regrets,”

“Now now, you can’t die. We're all here to learn and protect the seven planes of existence. We can't have someone as talented as you dying now, can we?"

I'm sure you tell that to most people here when they've become depressed.

"Sure sure, whatever. So why'd you want to help someone like me? I'm sure a pathetic peon like me isn't worth any of your precious time. So, why?" I said with a tone slightly colder and harsher than how I usually do.

"Well, since you already know I have something else in mind, no use hiding it anymore then. Let's make a deal, Citrix.." the girl said as her eyes started to narrow, her tone grew colder as well.

"What kind?" I, too, narrow my eyes as I stared at her.

"There's going to be a test at the end of the week, which will checkup on whether we've learnt everything we need to, successfully. I want you, to help me eliminate other competitors, and make me look good at the end of it all, so Father will finally look at me." At the mention of the person she calls "father', her gaze hardened, although it turned back to normal after that.

"What's in it for me, then? Wouldn't I just fail?"

"Hmm, no. And yes actually, but I'll put in a good word for you when Father speaks to me about the test."

Just when I open my mouth to ask another question, she replied as if she read my mind.

"Father is the man behind it all, the one who is sworn to protect all the seven planes. Slayer of immortals, keeper of the seven planes. ruler of the monadic plane, and also the headmaster of this place." The girl starts bragging, raising her head up, no longer looking at me, eyes staring at the ceiling of the room as she continued puffing her chest.

Right where she said "headmaster', my mouth moved involuntarily.

"Oh, you mean Victor? He's the headmaster, right?"

"The chosen- Wait, what? How'd you know? No transcending mortal has ever stay sane after knowing his name. Why are you still not spasming on the ground after saying his name? How?"

Her voice sounds urgent and shaky.. What's up with her?

Several other students were staring at me and the girl in front of me. Some had jealous gazes while others were admiring me. Girls were also staring at me, though for completely hostile reasons.

Should've worn better clothes, crap!

I look back at the girl in front of me, while she was staring intently at me all the time. Finally, her gaze broke off after a minute or two of staring at me, eye to eye.

"You better come and find me later, and I mean after class." The girl then walked away without saying anything else.

My stomach growls as I continue staring into empty space, the place where she stood. After a long time, I finally start moving again, only for the bell to ring again, signifying the end of the recess.

"Ugh, I haven't even eaten anything, and now they want us to get back to class? This sucks.."

Looking around, I see a lot of people from my class moving into the hallway across from the entrance of the canteen. Everyone was moving in the same direction, and non were moving against the flow.

The canteen stores came into view when almost everyone left the canteen, leaving me and a few other's who were still eating their meal behind. There were dozens of stalls embedded into both sides of the canteen, too much to count at a single glance. Tables were also visible now that everyone wasn't blocking my view anymore.

Deciding there's nothing more I can do other than buying a bread or two and swallowing it right on the spot, I move towards the store nearest to me.

There was an old lady behind the counter. Two others can be seen cleaning the kitchen appliances through the serving hatch.

"How can I help you, sonny?" the old lady asked politely.

"Do you have any bread? I'm a little rushed right now.."

"Breads? No, we don't have any of those. Instead, try these! They're a delight and suits our taste a lot," the old lady bends down and takes a tray of something out of the counter. They looked like raw octopus arms severed and placed on a tray.

"A-are you sure it's edible? This looks.. alive.." I tell the old lady.

"Oh, it's definitely edible. It tastes really good too! Try it," at the end of conversing, she grabbed a tentacle and tried to shove it into my mouth.

"Uh, no thanks! I'm not hungry anymore, and thank you for your service!" Afraid of the now spasming tentacle, I thanked her insincerely and ran away from the shop as fast as my legs could bring me.

The sight of the still alive tentacle being shoved into my face haunted me. Even though my stomach was growling a second ago, it stopped after the image of the tentacle flashed through my mind. The thought of everyone here eating such a thing made it even worse.

"I should never have tried to get something to eat..": I mumble to myself.

Eventually, the hallway that everyone passed through came into view. I cheer a little as my legs were finally allowed to rest, though not after I remember I had to get to class.

"Shit, what should I do..?" I spoke to myself as I kept walking along the hallway.

The hallway was the same as the one before, only this time, it had fewer intersections and more single paths. The feeling of being lost was amplified by the loneliness that I start to feel as I walk through the empty passages.

"Damn it, if only there was a map.." I said to no one in particular.

Just then, blue, half opaque lines appeared to surround the limits of my field of vision. As it finishes connecting with its other end, hexagonal shapes which have light blue outlines start to appear in my vision, before connecting with its other clones and dissipating the light blue outlines.

A voice can be heard after that. It was a slightly mechanical voice, and it resembled the voice of the AI in my room. When the voice was heard, the process of hearing felt more like 'feeling'.

"Connection established. User name, Citrix. Status, Hunter. Abilities, none. Enhancement, 2nd Gen chip implantation. Proceed with launch? Acceptable reply parameters, yes, no." the voice repeated twice.

"Uh, no,"

"Launch aborted, entering passive state."

After the last statement, the blue lines start to fade away. Nothing was surrounding my field of vision anymore, and the feeling of loneliness started to seep in again.

"Perhaps I should try yes.. Hmm, but how do I activate it again?" I stop at where I am and start brainstorming for any kind of verbal command that can relaunch the activation sequence.

"I!"

"Have!"

"A!"

"Small!"

"Tit!"

Nothing worked even though I tried repeatedly saying the same words for a few times.

"Abracadabra!"

"Launch sequence activated, permission to launch? Acceptable reply parameters, yes, no." the mechanical voice finally came on.

"Yes! Finally! I've be-"

The familiar process of summoning the blue lines and dissipating hexagons repeated itself again. This time, however, there was a menu extending from the corner of my view.

I try looking at it, but it seemed to dodge every time I moved my eyeball. I tried a few more times, but to no avail.

Gradually, from experience, I could read them even though I'm not looking at it. There was a 'magic trick' selection that intrigued me for a while, but there were more pressing matters ahead.

"Map!"

A blue screen started to expand, which it eventually covered my line of sight. It was opaque, so I wasn't bothered by it a lot.

A red arrow appeared on the map, with a slightly darker blue forming around it, which I guess represents the walls of the hallways.

"This doesn't seem right.. If the darker parts represent the hallway's walls, why is it changing shape all the time!:"

The walls beyond the corners of the red arrow were always changing their shapes, sometimes opening up a path which led straight through it, sometimes opening up intersections, and even sometimes, not opening at all, thus showing a dead end.

Sigh.. How am I going to navigate through this.. labyrinth?

There was the choice of turning back now, which would lead me back to the canteen with the weird old lady who tried to shove a live tentacle into my mouth, and then there was the choice of going through the hall way corner, facing the unknown head on.

"Well, they do say face your fears, huh?" I mutter to myself as I drag my legs towards the corner.

"What should I do once I get to class? I'd definitely get whacked by Parix if I enter at such a time.." Possibilities of what would happen when I get there popped all over my mind as I round the corner leading to the ever-shifting passage.

A straight path was unconvered, nothing else.

Not even a sign.. Geez..

I continue walking forward until I arrive at another corner. I turn into it and continue walking in the same straight path again.

"Entering First level, training grounds." A mechanical voice announced in my head.

A green field, same as the one I saw before. Only this time, there was a different batch of students on it. Another professor was standing by when she saw me.

"Oh goodness, why are you here? Are you lost? You activated your personal assistant? Wow, you even switched on an entertainment mode," she chuckled as she ran over to me.

She was tall, with a slender build. Although she looked a little weak, the muscles which bulged through her shirt made sure anyone was clear at who they were dealing with.

"Um, miss, I.. got lost while trying to find my class.." I said weakly, fearing she might burst just like Parix does.

"Oh, so you're lost. Well, can you tell me your name? I might be able to search the database for your classroom's location."

"Citrix, and the professor in charge is Professor Parix.."

"That old fart? Kid, don't let his attitude scare you, it's all just a ruse. Deep down, he cares a lot for the newcomers. And.. got it, it's in the third plane. You can't miss it,"

"Uh, where is the third plane exactly?"

"You don't know? Seriously, kids these days. Come on, follow me, I'll get you there," She said before walking down the corridor where I just entered from.

"But, miss! I just came from the canteen through that path!"

"Oh, just follow me and you'll know. Plus, I think you should already have learned that, by now, these paths change according to where the user wants to go, or is set by the headmaster himself." She explained.

"O-ok.." No wonder I couldn't find a way through this blasted labyrinth!

The student's seemed to not notice the disappearance of their instructor, even though she walked away without hiding or anything.

"So.. Is everyone here a newcomer?" I try starting a conversation as the instructor led me through the hall. The pathways also started to clear up as we walked through on the map.

"The ones you saw, plus the ones which are still under tutelage, yes. Other than that, nope."

"Others? You mean like the headmaster?"

"Yea, the headmaster himself is special though. Without him, there would not exist this place. Then there's also the veterans that protect the universe and stuff. And also, the ones who protect all the seven planes. But you're likely not going to meet the ones who protect everything, and consider yourself lucky for that." She said.

"What do you mean by protecting the seven planes? And the lucky part too?"

"Just trust me on the ‘lucky’ part. Anyway, for your former question, it means what it says, protecting all that matters. This is a joke, since we really do protect everything made of matter,"

"What about, energy? Professor Parix did say that matter was made of energy."

"Well, there are more types of energy out there than there is in here. For example, void energy exist beyond our protection, so other creatures are able to harvest and use it,"

"What about us? Can we harvest it?"

"Hmm, technically speaking, we can. However, tapping into sources beyond what our protection offers is very dangerous. As you don't know, a link is formed when we harvest something. When that link forms, a pathway intended for that type of energy is created. But because it's a type of pathway, creatures that were created by that power can also use that pathway to invade our realm. Just because it's powerful and versatile doesn't mean you should mess with it."

"Okay.."

"And if there really are people who tap into that power, it is our job to cut it off, but in most cases, when we're involved, shedding blood and eliminating the source contract is, most of the time, the only way to solve the case. Cutting off the link while its still unstable is the headmaster's job, so don't overstep your boundaries once you've been recognised as a true hunter, because the reason for the death of most hunters is due to them bitting off more than what they could chew on." We took a left turn and a door came into view.

"Well, enough of my lectures. Time for you, to get back into Parix's class. If you have any more question, just ask him. He has as much knowledge as the library in this place," she laughed a little before sending me off.?

I walk slowly towards the door, thinking of the consequences I would be facing once I get into class. But an important question suddenly intruded upon my thoughts.

I turn my head towards the instructor who guided me, and asked her the question which I thought was the most important.

"What would happen if we were to lose the protection?"

Her face, which was grinning a while ago, turned rock solid and grim almost instantly, before she replied.

"Then we all will cease to exist."

The seven words carried a heavy weight with them. Instinctively, I knew it was our duty to help in the protection, for our and everyone's future depends on it.

"Oh.."

I turn back to the task at hand. Right now, I have to steady myself for the incoming punishment.

When I stand before the door, it slides open, this time without even scanning. What I see was the terrifying scene of a creature with eight eyes staring back at me. The classroom was silent as I stared at the monstrosity before me.

"What the-"

The creature shot out a tentacle, reaching for me. It then coiled around my frozen body and pulled me towards it. No one was saying anything, or making any sound.

As I see my own life flashing past my eyes, the tentacle placed me into where I was supposed to be sitting at, right now.

The tentacle creature also shapeshifted, and to my surprise, it turned into Professor Parix.

"I sincerely hope you will not be late for class again. My temper is getting out of control and you should really not do anything that will be provocative,"

I sit there, not knowing how to respond other than staring back at Parix. He then resumed class, as if the behaviour before was a lie.

[Log Paused: System Error]

[Log Resume]

[Time to homeworld: 18:47:56]

Lying on the bed and thinking of the class not long ago, I looked like someone staring at the room's ceiling for an endless amount of time. If anyone were to see me like this, they would definitely berate me for wasting precious time.

It would be true to assume such a thing, if I were not to have a processor chip and an AI implanted within me. I've been viewing the logs of well-known 'heroes', as well as reading the manual on how to use the processing system within me, for the past few hours.

Strangely, my eyes never got tired from viewing the infos. it was as if the electrical impulses were directly transfered to my brain, instead of turning into photons and being detected first by my eyes, then only entering my brain as electrical impulses as well.

Ah, I see.. So it harvests the nearby free electrons as a power source.. Eh?

My stomach started to growl, once again. Since I haven't had breakfast nor lunch, I was practically running on an empty stomach.

Guh, need to find food.. Fast!

"Hey! AI! Do you do delivery?" I directed my voice towards the desk.

"Hm, yea, I do. But the stuff on the delivery menu sucks, you sure you want it?" The AI's voice was a little more lifelike now that it was fully booted. Of course, I didn't miss the hesitation in its voice.

"Show me the menu, ugh.." the stomach acid felt like fire igniting in my stomach!

"There you go, I transfered it into your processor, you should be able to view it,"

"Thanks," I muttered as I viewed the menu.

Deep fried tentacle.. Live octopus... Raw dancing frog legs..

"What the hell! This menu is practically useless!" I got a little aggressive since the pain of having acid burning my stomach started to set in.

"I already told you, it. Only. Delivers. Shit. Now only do you believe me?" The Ai asked.

"Yea yea.. I'll go with the live octopus, I remember the old lady in the canteen saying how 'delicious' it is.." I moaned a little as the pain got even intense.

"You're having gastric, Citrix. I'll inject some antacid and some inhibiting drugs to stop the acid from going crazy. In the mean time, I'll go send your order first," the AI said.

"I should definitely give you a name. Like.. Buncho? Or Zeke?" I told it while taking the injections.

"I told you, you should just call me Ai. It's a shitload easier, you know? And there, the injections are finished," Ai said.

"Oh yea, do you know how to prevent the logs from recording during classes? I saw in the menu that they record everything unless paused or something like that."

"You can't exactly stop the log from recording times, unless the main server undergoes mainframe maintanence or something like that. It's a safety measure implemented by the headmaster to prevent rogues from appearing. It also serves to help other hunters understand what happened during your 'last moments'," It spoke non-chalantly, but the last part creeped me out a little.

"So.. My privacy's being violated?"

"Yea, more or less. If He wants to see what you're currently doing or what you were doing, He just needs to search for you on his desktop," Ai explained.

"Ok, I get that now.. Well, next question. When's my food coming? I'm still hungry, even after the injections," complaining was probably the only way to speed up the delivery process, or so I heard.

"They're coming, just be patient. You know it's hard to prepare live octopuses that are suitable to be eaten whole right? Plus, you can just turn off your hunger. It's not like you MUST eat, right? Of course, the headmaster did request that all of you guys should be treated like normal humans as well," Ai said again.

"I can do that!?" Surprised at the option to turn off hunger, I searched for it.

"You shouldn't, though. He'd know if you were to suddenly deactivate your hunger. You'd basically turn into a full fledge consciouness," Ai warned.

"Well, aren't we all consciouness already? What's so surprising?" I continued searching.

"You'll basically cease to retain your human nature. Pure consciousness don't have any kind of biological functions, so they're basically cold, heartless machines."

"Says the machine who is located in my desk,"

"Hey! That's.. We're different, ok? My brothers and sisters are programmed like me, they all have dual core processors which allows them to be both humane and non-humane at the same time," Ai then continued, "The full fledge consciousness are worse. They practically contain no mercy or whatsoever that refrains them from killing any other beings. Till now, there are only a handful of those who are willing to become emotionless killing machine after losing something important to them."

"So? They don't have any special rights, do they?" the thought of one coming into my room during midnight and slitting my throat caused me to instinctively touch my neck.

"They do have special rights. In fact, they receive orders directly from the headmaster. Rarely, they fail missions. And if they do? They are shattered, leaving nothing but fragments of memories behind. The consciousness will also be fragmented, so they are likely unable to stay sane after the fragmentation.'

"What happens after the fragmentation?"

Ai was silent about it. The only sound was its processor humming silently as it hosted the AI.

"So?" I pushed further.

"Well... Oh, the delivery's here. You should go take it," Ai avoided my question, just like dodging a near miss bullet.

"Fine.." Not having anymore chances at asking questions, I went to the door.

The door slid open and revealed the same old lady who wanted to shove a tentacle into my mouth. She was grinning after seeing me. A box as large as her head was also carried by her.

"Uh, is this the octopus?"

"Yes. Payment please," the old lady requested.

"Ah, yes. I'll transfer the money to you," A money request popped up, stating the request was made by the old lady, who was named Yuzo.

"Oh? Just 5,.. I thought it'd be a lot more expensive.." I muttered to myself as I start the transfer.

"Haha, it's just our products are a lot more cheaper than you would expect. We even serve good quality food! Cheap and delicious, what more do you need!" Yuzo then chuckled.

"Well, thanks for the delivery,"

"It's my job anyway.." said Yuzo while leaving.

I closed the door shut, intending on not letting anyone disturb my precious feasting time. After that, I placed the food on the table before giving commands for a chair to be summoned.

"Wow, I'm impressed you've even finished that part of the manual," Ai whistled at the end.

Ignoring the annoying AI, I sat down and ate the octopus within. As the juicy tentacles get chewed on, I feel joy radiating from my mouth.

She's not lying when she says it's delicious.

Devouring the remaining food without further ado, I left sauces all over the place.

"Well, that's that then,"

"Your stress levels are increasing, you should sleep,"

"Good point," I stood up, before stretching my back.

Then, as if a switch was flicked within me, sleep overcame my consciouness.

[Active Log: End]

[Log 3: End]