White World (1)

The next morning, Glenn woke me up to get our breakfast.

Glenn also told me to watch them train, and if I wanted to join the training, he'll start training me tomorrow.

I didn't ask why because I had already concluded that Glenn must have been planning to recruit me all along.

After breakfast, our group went outside the school. Instead of asking questions, I only followed them.

As I saw yesterday, the whole place was enclosed in a white space, the walls from above and all directions were all white. The only thing that was not a white color wall was the land which looked like it was a desolate land

"I really don't like this place. I want to go outside."

"Sis, after we go out should we visit big brother?"

"We can't do that. I already decided to join Glenn. Let's just say that my brother is enough to handle family matters."

"But..."

"No buts. Glenn, you better be saying the truth or I'll chase you from the ends of earth."

"Sure."

When we reached the wall from the east side of the school, Glenn stopped, so did everyone else.

"Right, since we have a new recruit, why don't you all say your starting stats and your current overall stats."

"Tch, do we really have to?"

"Jasper, please behave. No matter what you say, our leader has already decided."

"Tch, dog."

"Aw, you're barking at the wrong tree."

"Stop. I'll start first. Starting stats 41, current 100."

"Wow, you already reached 100? Congrats. I'll be next then, starting 21, current, 86."

"Starting, 31, current 90."

"Starting 26, current 83."

"Starting 29, current 88."

"Starting 27, current 85."

After all of them were done, they all turned their heads towards me waiting for me.

'Fuck! I don't even know. All I know is my current stats, but I don't know my starting stats! If I remember correctly, the teacher said that my scores barely increase then!"

"Starting 34, current 37."

"Wow!"

"You're really lanky!"

"I see, I guess Glenn isn't as great as I thought he was."

"Tch, a weakling."

"Sis, Glenn isn't great, let's go back to big brother!"

"...I guess your stats are really."

I was depressed, too! I didn't even know where to start or who should I blame for how lousy my stats were!

"You know, in this school, the top 5 in the enrollment will be given a chance to choose what class they wanted to be in. Glenn was in the Top 1 and he chose class A, Danissa was the Top 3 and she chose class D, I was Top 4 and I chose class C, June was Top 5 and he chose class B. Now the question, who was the mysterious Top 2."

Elise, Dylan, Fran, and Jasper all turned their heads towards me.

"Sis, if he was the second on the enrollment, then how could his stats barely move?"

"Alex Velasco, roommate, classmate, top 2? Don't tell me, he is that person?!"

"Yes, I also thought it was strange. Alex Velasco was known to be the 'Future of Country Z', he got that title after earning a bound artifact. Now, if Alex was really the mysterious Top 2 on the enrollment, then what was he doing until now?"

"I..."

"Guys, I know you're curious but you're making Alex uncomfortable."

"I think I know what he's been doing since then."

All of us turned their heads toward Dylan who had his hand on his chin turning his gaze between Glenn and I.

"What do you know?"

"In fact, a certain guy has been telling me that someone was-"

Glenn shut him up by putting his hand on Dylan's mouth before warning him, "One more word coming from your mouth, and I'll be sure to rip your tongue."

Glenn removed his hand from Dylan's mouth when Glenn saw Dylan nodding furiously. Dylan made a zipping motion with his hand on his mouth.

"Now, don't dig too deeply, Alex is still undecided whether he wanted to join us or not."

"Fine, I'll ask him later after he joined us."

"Good, then is there any field you are having difficulty with?"

"Me! I can't raise my intelligence stats. I thought that after receiving my report card, my intelligence would rise but it didn't rise even once!"

"Aira, I told you to focus on raising other stats rather than intelligence. I've already told you that if you are having a hard time raising a stat through training, then that stat could only be raised through digesting a stone."

"I know that but..."

"Just think of it like this, Elise and Alex might be genius but they were lacking in strength, instead of wasting time and effort in raising their strength stats, they chose to abandon it because they trust you to do things that they could not do."

"Oh! I see. So, even if I am lacking in one department, my friend will help me with it?"

"Yes, you can put it that way."

"Okay, so Elise and Alex are geniuses, that's why they were both weak."

"That's right. Today, your training is running 3 laps near the wall then spar with Dylan and Jasper after running 3 laps."

"Okay! I'll start now, I want to spar with the two of them!"

Aira started running after receiving her task. I looked towards Glenn who was giving everyone a particular training.

Elise and Jasper were tasked to raise their perception and agility by dodging the balls that were thrown by Fran and Dylan while being blindfolded.

Fran and Dylan were tasked to raise their strength and recovery by throwing the ball to Elise and Jasper who were blindfolded.

"That simple?"

"It's not that simple. Fran and Dylan had their sights and they positioned themselves on the front and back of Elise and Jasper. While Elise and Jasper would have to avoid not only the balls but each other. You might not know it but the ball strength was depending on the thrower."

"I see. It was a great way of hitting two birds with one stone."

"Correct, also their stats were already exceptional so the training I gave them was useful for the incoming opening of Gate of Hell."

"How long has it been since we entered here."

"I guess you forgot, but since we entered this space, it was almost six months."

"Six months..."

"Yes, do you miss your sister?"

"Not really." was what I said, but in my mind I was asking 'I have a sister?'.

Which made me realize that there were a lot of things I have to find out. The outside, the Gates of Hell, and graduation.

Staying near Glenn was the right choice. He was giving me a lot of information.

"Do you want to train with me tomorrow?"

"Will you recruit me?"

"No. Like I told them, Dylan was the only one I officially recruited. Depending on the skills they were going to awaken before graduation then I'll decide whether to recruit them or not, excluding you."

"Why are you excluding me?"

"You don't want to go back with your sister? I thought after going outside you will go back to Country Z?"

"What if I found someone I wanted to stay with?"

"Are you confessing to me?"

"No! The fuck? It's not that. I want to-"

"I'm kidding, don't take it seriously. I understand, if your skill is useful for me I'll recruit you unless your sister decides to take you away."

"Why would she take me away?"

"You don't know? I guess your sister is keeping a lot of secrets from you. Alex, what will happen if someone awakens outside the White World?"

"White World?"

"Ha... is this my fault?" I heard Glenn whispered before explaining to me what the White World was.

The first discoverer of the White World, James Borbon and his students, were a group of people that were on a trip.

Forty years ago, the first passageway connecting the two worlds was found by one of James' students. As the student was still young at that time, it was said in the report that the student entered the passageway recklessly.

The student was then found missing for at least twelve hours before James decided to look for his student as the Guardian of the trip.

James asked his students about the whereabouts of the missing student. Fortunately a lead has been found because a classmate saw the student enter a suspicious looking cave.

James didn't want to call for help because it was already night time by the time he was done with questioning. With that in mind, James reminded his students that if he didn't come back for at least 3 hours, the students should report it to a police.

Then just like the student, James never went back, the students reported it to the police, thus a rescue team was formed.

But, unlike what the police thought that it would be over because they sent a professionals, the rescue team never came back.

Thus, the students who were curiously waiting for their teacher to come back became curious but they were stopped by the authorities as the cave was too dangerous.

Unfortunately, the police didn't understand how reckless teenagers were. Thus, the rescue team, whole class and its teacher disappeared from the world.

Until six months had passed, a miracle happened as the parents were holding their sixth month death anniversary near the cave, the missing people suddenly showed up.

In total, 40 students, 1 teacher, and 10 rescuers went missing but only 20 students, 1 teacher, and 3 rescuers remained.

James Borbon, the teacher, called it the White World and the passageway as Gate of Hell.

What they experienced was hell. With no food to eat nor water to drink, they somehow survived the White World.

It was unknown why but for James Borbon, he explained it as somewhat magical, not only that, all of them became superhumans.

The students whose ages were 18 became an even more amazing superhuman because they could wield abilities that the people who were older or younger than 18 didn't have.

Since then, James Borbon and his remaining students have become the center of attention. The students that came out alive trusted James more than anyone and the rescuers told in an interview that if James was not there, there would be no survivors.

They survived because James Borbon was there with them, because of his intelligence, wits, and leadership, humans could know the dangers they might go through starting that day.

Since then, passageways have appeared and sometimes there have been heavy casualties. Yet, humanity was still alive.

The humanity grew from these casualties finding how to survive the Hell they were given one day.

"Now, there are 19 available passages. The nine passages were held by different schools while the remaining ten were held by either a country or strong families. The danger that humans thought became an opportunity to gain power. Now, let's go back to your question now that you know the story behind the White World. Where do you and your sister stand?"

"Humanity?"

"Of course, dummy. What I was telling you to think was, what will happen if something unprecedented happened outside the White World, do you think the people working behind the scenes will let this opportunity go? No, unlike your life, your sister was chased by a lot of strong families that wanted to gain power. Alex, what I'm saying is that the lie about your bound artifact will soon be known to everyone. Not only was it one, but two people awakened outside the White World. The lie that your sister told everyone else would reach everyone's ear after we went outside."

"I still don't get it."

"Alex, your sister has a lot of enemies. Now, not only that but your sister that lied about you not awakening will be found out. Macbeth, your sister, was hella strong, now what if there was an easier target before but they let it go because they trusted Macbeth's lie? Then, not only your sister but your life will be in danger because of people trying to get rid of you. If they could not use you, they would rather erase you."

"You know, Glenn. I can't understand how you reached that conclusion, not only that, but you're talking as if it is a known fact. Are you one of those families?"

"No, I don't even have a family."

"Oh."

"I can't tell you how I know. So, if your sister didn't fetch you, I will recruit you if your skill is proven useful for me. The problem about your life bound artifact being fake will be handled by me. Only if you are useful to me."

"How cold."

"That's how life is."

"Is there a reason why Elise wanted to be in your team?"

"Yes, she wants to find an answer to her questions."

"Just that?"

"Yes, and I told her I can make her wish come true. Just so you know, Silva was one of the surnames of the 20 students remaining."

"How terrifying."

"Yes, so Elise can't help but gamble on me."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Let's just say, in my past life I owe you one."

"...Sure."