Earlier, I had wondered if today could get any worse. Now I realize I have jinxed myself. Sorely.

I stood, unarmed, staring down the merman opposite me. He was strong despite the obvious babyface, built like a fortress, and his muscles flexed taut beneath his armor–armor I didn’t have. As he took a step closer, finding his footing in the combat circle and fixing his hold on the weapon, I grimaced. That thing was sharp—painfully so. And the way that young man was wielding it, the way he clenched and unclenched his fists around its rock handle, made me quite certain he had been slaying low-rankers like me from birth. The smirk on his face was also unsettling.

Did he join the army just for the chance to kill his fellow merman without repercussion?

I looked around at the crowd, watching their equally fervent expressions.

Was I the only one who didn’t join for the license to kill?

Feeling as if the lieutenant, or maybe the System, would call to start the match any moment now, I quickly attempted to remember any of the random, miscellaneous fighting factoids my father taught me during the few times he encouraged me to spar, but I was coming up empty. Had I ever even thrown a punch in my entire life? Ever attacked someone outside of a game of Herbalist’s Haven?

…No, I have not.

I suppose that means I’m a defense fighter, then?

Suddenly, a bright, cheery chime and a blue glow greeted me.

[Combat Initiated]

[Opponent: Niall Byrne - Level 5]

[Current HP: 120/120]

Level FIVE? Level. Five. What in the world? How old was this kid? And why was he only joining just now?

It seemed I wasn’t too far off in my beliefs earlier---he truly had been primed since birth to be the perfect rebel slaughterer. Scary.

I opened my mouth to ask Niall where I went wrong in life, but I was interrupted. The top recruit wasted no time in attempting to seal his win and, with a powerful kick of his tail, he lunged forward, shooting toward me with his trident aimed directly at my chest. Quickly, I tried to copy his movements, shifting my tail and flipping up sand as I tried to dodge, but I wasn’t fast enough, not by far. The sheer velocity of his movement caused the water around me to surge, making it hard to balance but, somehow, I managed to twist away just in time. The trident’s prongs missed, slicing dangerously close to my sides.

[HP -10]

[Current HP: 90/100]

Finally, a semi-helpful pop-up. I still have no idea how to open my System Profile, so I’ll have to rely on these annoying flashes in my face to let me know how close to death I was.

Though… why did I lose health? I didn’t get hit, did I? Was this a special damage system just for our placement test, or is it always going to be so finicky with what does and doesn’t cause harm?

Also, how did it decide how much harm was caused? It clearly wasn’t bodily damage if I already lost some health. Perhaps a bit of mental and a bit of physical?

I don’t know.

Before any more introspection could occur, my screen pop-up fizzled out, and was replaced with the frightening sight of the recruit gaining on me again. He lunged forward, his tail whipping up a storm of sand and debris as he closed in, aiming to kill. Jeez! I threw my forearm up in a clumsy attempt to block his strike, but the sheer force of it sent me spiraling backward. My hips slammed into the jagged coral wall, and I felt the sharp edges poke my skin and tear into my scales.

[HP -15]

[Current HP: 75/100]

Ow.

That hurt. Really bad.

I pushed off the coral, gasping for breath, doing all I could to not to die right there on the spot from discomfort as I got my bearings. Niall, though relentless, seemed momentarily docile. Instead of dashing at me once more, he circled around my crumpled up figure like a shark that had caught the scent of some blood. My eyes tracked him, watching as he lifted his trident up, its rock surface flashing in the dim, murky light, preparing for another strike.

Oh, please.

I instinctively flinched, my eyes scrunching shut and my hands moving up in a protective motion.

Only… nothing happened.

After a few more seconds of unbridled fear, I opened my eyes, my vision graced with Niall’s smirk. He moved to strike once more and, of course, I repeated the process, only to reopen my eyes again and see his grin widen. Ugh. He was toying with me in front of everyone. This was humiliating.

How was this guy so good? We had only just unlocked our profiles, our ability to access the skills, to gather points, to see the tree… right?

Again, my questions would go unanswered. The trident came for me, suddenly moments away from my face. I flailed out of the way, my hammerhead tail giving me just enough momentum to avoid getting impaled. But, unfortunately, I did not evade this unscathed. The trident grazed the scales on my right cheek, ripping a few of them off and scratching a nice scar into the others.

Hmph.

I suppose I should just be gracious that I'm still in one piece.

[HP -10]

[Current HP: 65/100]

“How are you so good at this?” I wheezed, barely able to keep up with his attacks. Usually, I only averaged about one mile of movement per week, so these last five minutes were really doing a number on me.

Niall, clearly not seeing me as a threat, momentarily lowered both his guard and his weapon.

“Just because you didn’t have your profile set-up doesn’t mean you weren’t gaining XP. And I spent the downtime between the physical exam and the combat placement spending my skill points. Being level five meant I had a good few in my arsenal to divvy up.”

I knew that we were still gaining XP, obviously, I wasn’t stupid. I had honed my luck stat to a delicate one, thank you very much. I just wanted to know why and how he was so capable of throwing both me and the trident around—was that so bad to ask?

“Some of us have been preparing our entire lives. It’s the main reason anyone joins this thing. If you’re in this for the sign-up bonus, you’ve made a mistake,” he added, almost like he felt sorry for me. Was it that apparent that I didn’t want to be here?

Before I could think of a retort, he attacked again, this time eager to end the battle. He swung his trident with a vicious, upward strike that sent a minor shockwave through the current and directly at me. I threw my arms up to block it, and somewhat did, but that didn’t matter. The shockwave was followed by the blunt end of Niall’s weapon, and it slammed into my chest with the force of a kraken. My body was hurled backwards, tumbling through the water aimlessly and out of my control until I crashed into the sandy floor.

[HP -25]

[Current HP: 40/100]

Everything hurt. My breath was knocked out of me, and, for a moment, I couldn’t tell if I was right-side-up or upside down. But it didn’t matter—Niall was closing in on me for what was most certainly going to be his final, deadly blow. Was that allowed? Could he really kill me right here in front of everyone? Was this how it was going to end? What… what did 0 HP mean, anyways? A momentary game over and I reset after some recuperation and rest? Or… or did I die? Did I die and watch the System laugh in my face as I turned into dust?!

The trident glowed brighter as Niall lined up his shot, and for a split second, I considered just letting him finish me off. Perhaps my true adventure lay in discovering what happened to the poor souls that die while part of the system. Maybe it was one big party in the metaphysical realm, or maybe I would get reborn as something actually worthwhile. Then my father wouldn’t have to be so annoyed by his failure of a son.

Wait… what am I saying? I can’t just die, my story has hardly started!

With whatever strength I had left, I kicked off the sandy floor, my tail propelling me upward with a burst of speed both I and my Player Profile didn’t know I had. I shot toward the recruit, aiming right for his midsection. For a second, I thought I might actually land a hit!

But, of course, he was faster. Again. With a flick of his tail, he dodged out of the way perfectly, then spun around to deliver a punishing blow to my back. The trident struck hard, and a white hot feeling of pain exploded in my spine, followed by a dull, throbbing numbness in my kidney as I was sent crashing into the coral wall once more.

[HP -20]

[Current HP: 20/100]

My vision blurred and my skeleton slumped against the razor-sharp coral, every little breath causing the invertebrates to skewer me further. Just barely, I could make out Niall swimming up to me again. For a fleeting second, I wondered if it was to help me up and shake hands after a difficult battle—my surrender was clear from my position.

That wasn’t the case.

With the raise of his trident and the poise in his stance, I knew he was ready to finish me off. This was really it, huh? I was done for.

Or… maybe not.

“Enough!” A booming voice echoed through the arena, vibrating the water with the sheer force of the command. Niall froze, and I almost cried tears of joy.

[XP Gained: 100]

[Level Up!]

One hundred XP? All from getting my tail handed to me?

Lieutenant Tara swam over, clearly displeased with what I considered my most valiant effort. “So it wasn’t a glitch in the system then. You truly are a… well, someone that leaves much to be desired.”

Duh.

But I didn’t dare say that outloud—my HP was already low, and I really didn’t want to find out what happened when I hit zero. Not today, at least.

How do I get it back up to full health, anyways? Do I sleep it off like I used to for regular injuries? Or is there some special protocol now that I’m part of the System?

“Given your efforts,” Tara continued, “we’ve decided you won’t have to partake in the endurance and strategy portions of the proficiency test. You’ve been placed in Shea’s platoon. Report there immediately.”

Shea’s platoon? I had heard of that particular merman through whispers from my father and his colleagues when they came over to drink. Apparently he was soft. Kind. Math-obsessed. And led the weakest out of all the existing infantries, gladly taking in the bottom of the barrel and letting them lounge around and rot away.

[SubQuest: Parktake in the Wavebreaker Proficiency Test — COMPLETED!]

[Reward Gained: Military Contract]

[Sign once you arrive at your new Platoon.]

For some odd reason, instead of thanking Neptune for my placement, I was feeling a sting of unfamiliar shame. What was this new emotion?

Emasculation?