Benedict Muller felt his heart pounding. Today was the day that would decide his fate. Today was Benedict's first day at The Veil military academy in Galdorien School's Babylon sector. He had to take a test to determine his level of power in The Veil, a dimension of another realm that transformed the world into one filled with power.
The Veil has seven levels: Essence, Vitality, Meridian, Nodes, Pranic, Vortex, and Divine. The higher a person's level, the greater their potential and abilities. There are only nine people in the world who have reached the Divine level, and they are called Markopoulos, the nine revered ones. They are the supreme rulers of the world, who divide the world into seven sectors or kingdoms.
Benedict lives in the Babylon sector, which includes the European region. This sector was known for being peaceful and harmonious despite having many Aetherians, people who possessed powers from The Veil. The Aetherians in this sector are mostly at levels five and six, namely Pranic and Vortex.
Benedict was not an Aetherian. The man did not even know whether he had the power of The Veil or not. Benedict knew for a fact that his parents died in an accident when he was six years old. His father was Mikkel Muller, a German-Irish descendant, and his mother was Jameela Hathor, an Egyptian of mixed Asian descent.
Benedict inherited sorrel hair from his father and dark brown eyes from his mother. Benedict had a handsome face and an athletic body, but that didn't help him in life. Benedict was always considered as trash by the people around him.
But today, Benedict hopes to change his life. He hopes to find his power in The Veil and become an Aetherian. Benedict hopes to have a better future.
Benedict now stood among thousands of other students gathered in the courtyard of the military academy. They were all high school graduates from all over Dublin, the city where Benedict lived. They all had to take a one-year conscription test to determine their level in The Veil. It is an absolute rule imposed by the Markopoulos government.
The first test is a levelling test by entering a special box machine to determine the level of The Veil. Students must hold the handle inside the machine with both hands and let their energy flow into it. The machine would light up with colours according to the student's level.
Benedict felt nervous and panicked when the test supervisor, Fred, first called his name.
"Benedict Muller! Please come forward!" Fred shouted loudly.
"G-good sir!" replied Benedict in a trembling voice.
Benedict walked with unsteady steps towards the machine in front of him. Benedict looked anxiously at the colourful rays coming out of the machine.
The white colour meant level one or Essence, the lowest level in The Veil. People at this level can only feel a little energy from The Veil but cannot use it.
The yellow colour means level two or Vitality, which is a slightly higher level than level one. People at this level can use the energy from The Veil to increase their health and stamina.
Green colour means level three or Meridian, a fairly high level in The Veil. People at this level can open and activate their body's meridians, the energy channels. They can flow energy from The Veil throughout their body, increasing their strength and speed.
The blue colour stands for level four or Nodes, which is a very high level within The Veil. People at this level can open and activate their nodes, which are energy points within their meridians. They can concentrate energy from The Veil into specific nodes and release special powers according to those nodes.
The colour purple stands for level five or Pranic, an extraordinary level within The Veil. People at this level can activate their pranic, the energy centres within their nodes. They can transform energy from The Veil into other forms according to their pranic, such as fire, water, wind, earth, etc.
The red colour means level six or Vortex, which is an amazing level in The Veil. People at this level can open and activate their vortexes, which are vortices of energy within their pranic. They can manipulate space and time according to their vortex, such as teleportation, acceleration, deceleration, etc.
The colour black means level seven or Divine, which is the highest level in The Veil. People at this level can unlock and activate their divine, the core energy within their vortex. They can create and destroy anything according to their divine, such as life, death, light, darkness, etc.
Benedict wished the bar would light up in any colour other than white. Benedict did not want to be an Essence, a trash with no power. Benedict wanted to be a powerful and respected Aetherian.
Benedict entered and stepped, holding inside, and closed his eyes. The man felt a strange vibration in his bag. Benedict did not know that the vibration came from a grey dice he had found in a trash bin a few days ago.
Benedict didn't realise that there was a ringing sound inside his head. Benedict thought it was just a stress-induced hallucination. Benedict didn't know that it was the sound of Horus, a superior system inside the dice he was carrying.
Horus is a system created by Professor Bernard, the scientist who opened the dimensional gate of The Veil. Horus can grant power to its users by transferring power from The Veil.
[New user detected. The system will give you power. The system will transfer power in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.]
[10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%]
[The initial synchronisation process was successful. My name is Horus, the superior system that will make you the strongest human. The first power you get is Earth. You can create earth from your body and can also manipulate the surrounding land. Each power can evolve to the next stage, and to evolve, you can collect experience points by training or using powers. Every time you use a power, it does not reduce your stamina. But as you practice more and more your stamina increases, and the effect of the power becomes much stronger."]
Benedict didn't listen to the voice message. Benedict was only focused on the level test he was undergoing. Benedict hoped to get a high level and become a respected Aetherian. But suddenly, the machine beeped loudly and sent out an emergency alarm.
[Warning!]
[Warning!]
[Warning!]
In addition to detecting levels, this machine could also detect a person's status, from name, age, date of birth and address, simply by placing the palm of the right hand on the scanner provided inside the machine box.
Everyone was shocked after hearing the machine's announcement. It is the second time in human history that an unknown level has been detected. The first time there was a malfunction was in 3004 when Mjief King tried it.
"Benedict, we will assume you passed level one because this machine is broken. But next time, we will test your level again, so prepare yourself. The next level test, you must be at least level five to qualify you to leave Galdorien School!" shouted another exam proctor.
"Ah, relief! I finally passed. Otherwise, my life would have been over. Only by becoming an Aetherian can I earn a lot of money!" thought Benedict with a beaming face.
However, the other participants mocked Benedict because he was only level one. Level one is the lowest in The Veil. People at this level can only feel a little energy from The Veil but can't use it.
Level one is a trash level that has no power whatsoever. Level one was rare in the Babylon sector. A young Aetherian in the Babylon sector was at most level three if a young genius was level five.
Of course, Benedict will get level one training, which is harder than the other levels. The lower the level, the higher the intensity of the training and the mentor must also be very disciplined. Benedict entered the dormitory for level one, with facilities such as rickety huts. The level also determines the living facilities; the higher the level, the more prestigious the 'Dormitory' residence you get. "Hahaha, that kind of stupid guy deserves a rubbish house like that!" sneered Vincent, hugging his girlfriend Raquel. "Right, dear?" Raquel, with a flat face, just nodded her head. "Good! You're my true love, baby!" said Vincent while stroking Raquel's hair, a woman who looked like Selena Gomez. Benedict ignored everyone's words and waltzed casually with a flat face towards the level one dormitory. In Benedict's heart, he was very happy because he could eat for free for the next year even though he only got French baguette bread for his meal. Benedict put his bag into the hut that
Jacob felt sad and disappointed with Benedict's behaviour. He didn't understand why Benedict hated him so much. Jacob just wanted to be friends with Benedict because he felt something was interesting and special about Benedict. "You're an interesting young man. I want to befriend you; I will visit your dormitories after this," Jacob murmured softly. Benedict was disgusted and annoyed by Jacob's words. Benedict considered Jacob to be a hypocrite. Benedict dismissed Jacob's hand and looked away. "Don't dream! I will never be friends with you! You're just an arrogant rich man! You just want to make fun of me! You just want to hurt me!" Benedict shouted angrily. Jacob was surprised and confused by Benedict's reaction. But Jacob did not give up on approaching Benedict. Jacob kept smiling and being friendly to Benedict. "Calm down, and I won't do anything to you. I just want to talk to you and tell you something important," Jacob said calmly. "What's important? What do you want to tell
Clara remained mute and unconcerned about them. Jennifer hurled a double dagger at Carly's head at the same moment, and Carly quickly deflected it with a gauntlet to block the double dagger strike. "That's fantastic, Jennifer; she can precisely throw the dagger. That dagger would have pierced my head one second too late," Carly whispered in her head, Jennifer's twin dagger buried into the hill wall. "A healer like you shouldn't be on the front lines; it could endanger your team!" said Clara, her gaze fixed on Carly. "Don't underestimate me, foolish girl. I'm not your typical healer," Jennifer said before employing the buff agility technique. A blue aura surrounded Jennifer's body, and her movements were quick. Jennifer pulled her dagger off the hill wall and dashed towards Carly, slashing her with the knife. TRANK! Carly just used her gauntlet to parry every slash and Jennifer's dagger thrusts. "I need to create distance, spear mode!" Carly somersaulted three times backwards to
"Okay, albeit I don't recognise that voice. I'm willing to do it, though, if it would help. They had made it to the lake, and Jacob, Clara, and Jennifer were all set to go for a swim. While Carly was preparing to become an officer, Benedict walked as fast as he could across the grassy field provided by the academy. Benedict, who was still attempting to walk, thought, "I have to think of a way to get through this exercise, but what about this huge weight?" "Benedict, Benedict, Benedict, relax. There's got to be a way," Benedict told himself. "Guys, have you completely forgotten about this drill? Don't we work together?" Instead, Clara remarked, "I'm worried about our teammate Benedict, so we're going to leave him behind." "Put your foot down so he doesn't become a liability for his squad." Jennifer responded with a wry grin, "People shouldn't be spoiled; the most fundamental thing as a team member is to be able to protect yourself when the enemy attacks, then think of others aroun
The next thing Benedict knew, Jennifer was racing to welcome him, and he jumped. The phrase "cherry blossom!" Jennifer launched a second assault, channelling the power of The Veil into her right leg before leaping into the air and aiming a powerful kick at Benedict's face. Jennifer has had enough of Benedict and finds him repulsive; she feels that people like him have no right to exist. Garbage, too, can be used for something useful. Jennifer's actions were not lost on Jacob. "Damn!" Jacob was about to make a stealthy exit after saying, "That chick wants to kill Benedict," when Carly stopped him. "Believe them! When one buddy has faith in another's potential, it may make all the difference in the world," Carly explains. "But masters," Jacob said abruptly. "Just put your faith in me!" Benedict didn't give up even though Jennifer's kick was too swift. Benedict, ready to unleash a punch, whispered, "If Jennifer kicks, then I'll throw a punch, a thousand earth fist!" Benedict had
"CPA (Certified Perfect Agent)?" Carly said, her eyes widening. The CPA is a covert army that reports directly to Markopoulos and is entrusted with killing monsters. The monsters may replicate the shape of the human body and are intelligent, but they cannot talk; each monster has several levels, including iron, bronze, silver, gold, diamond, platinum, and Mythril. The presence of these creatures is kept hidden by the Markopoulos administration; the Mali sector, which is on the African continent, is where many monsters appear. Because monsters murdered so many Aetherians, they are few and far between. The monsters first appeared in the Babylon sector after Professor Bernard successfully opened the link to Everest Month, and then spread to other sectors. Six sectors were able to seal the portal, however one portal that releases mythril level creatures remains, in the Mali sector, specifically the South African country. [Congratulations on completing Level 3 and earning 100 points]
"Small stone katana mode, dark blaze!" exclaimed Benedict, who turned the small stone into a black katana like Ichigo's bankai mode sword. "You're a genius, Benedict," Carly praised. "It took me a year to master this Small stone, but you only an hour. I didn't make a mistake in choosing you as my disciple." "What? One year?" said Benedict, rounding his eyes. Benedict couldn't believe that the dumbest junior high school student in the Tangerang area could be such a genius. Benedict, a Prime Soldier Agent, beat Carly regarding Small stone mastery. "You practice sparring with Clara to improve your swordsmanship in preparation for your graduation exams in the sector Mali," Carly ordered. "Yes, master," Benedict replied with a bow, then headed straight to where Clara was training in the dessert training field. Clara collapsed, the training with the increased weight of the sword draining her stamina and physical strength. "Clara! How many swings have you been able to swing at 1 tonne
"That's enough practice today," said Clara."Yes, thank you. You taught me the technique of your family's sword god. Even though this technique is very private, why did you want to teach it to me?" asked Benedict with a worn look on his face because it was not appropriate for the Gomez clan's very secret sword god technique to be taught to others. Clara even taught it to Benedict for free."It's okay." Clara shook her head lightly.Then continuing, Clara's lips smiled slightly, "You are my best friend, and I trust you. Besides, it's just one sword god technique, not the whole technique. So I don't think it's a problem.""Thank you again." Benedict bowed respectfully to Clara with the corners of his lips forming a satisfied smile as Clara let Benedict master his clan's divine sword technique."You're welcome." Clara also bowed respectfully to Benedict, with the corners of her lips forming a wide smile.The four of them had finished training today and gathered at the academy canteen to