The Rise of the Black Plain

When Minos and Wana got up to enter the training room, the two people who had been using this place before saw them and stopped in front of them.

"Wana." Said a woman of a strange race to Minos, who looked more like a robot than a normal biological organism.

"Elupi." Wana stopped in front of this woman while Minos stayed a step behind her, keeping an eye on this woman called Elupi but also on the other creature that had come out of the training room, which must also be a female of her own race.

This other creature didn't look like an artificial being. It had large traces of fur all over its body, which looked like a ball. However, the most remarkable thing about this being was not its appearance but its cultivation. It was a level 102 individual.

"Do you have a mission to guide this Recruit?" Elupi asked while pointing at Minos, causing Wana to blush slightly.

"Not exactly." She said without going into details. "This is my friend, Minos."

"Oh? A friend?" Elupi looked curiously at that strange being.

"Minos, this is Elupi. She's a friend of mine who joined the guild almost simultaneously as I did. In a way, we're also competitors. She's also planning to try for promotion in the next few weeks." Wana said, briefly introducing this woman to Minos.

"Minos has recently joined the guild, Elupi." She said as she introduced the mysterious human behind her.

"Oh? Then, good luck on your journey here, Recruit Minos. If you need help from a future Rank-and-File Soldier, talk to me." She threw a small crystal to Minos while Wana looked at her strangely.

Elupi followed her mentor away from them, smiling.

Wana said nothing and just watched the woman go, looking at her with narrowed eyes. "That bitch..."

"I thought you were friends," Minos commented as he looked back.

"We are. But business and friendship don't mix with each other. We're friends until our positions clash in this place." She commented sincerely. "That goes for everyone here, Minos. Don't hesitate to bring down or hurt a person who might threaten your promotion. If you want to help them later and make amends for your actions, that's up to you. But don't trust anyone here, not even those you consider friends or subordinates.

It's not common for new guild members to turn their backs on old leaders or even friends in order to grow here.

Many who have sought out the Armhands are not beings with a lot of options in their path. Instead, they are individuals who have potential but few opportunities without the help of a great force like the guild.

By joining it, they can access things that will make them grow quickly and become more ambitious."

Actually, this wasn't such good advice for Minos. After all, it happened everywhere!

But Minos understood the alien's good intentions. "Why are you telling me this?" He asked as he entered the training room. "You know we can compete with each other in a very short time."

"Not as short as you think." She said, aware that he was quite strong but also aware of the difficulties of growing up in this highly competitive place. "The truth is, not all Recruits are equal. You and I are at very different points in our journey with Armhands. You have a lot to learn and do for the guild.

I already have a position, contacts, and an in-depth knowledge of this place that not every Recruit can have. In a month, six months at the most, my situation could change significantly, but you would hardly be able to change your situation here in this period.

You're not my competitor. Elupi is. But that could change in the future, hehe. So don't think that I won't turn against you."

"You're quite sincere." He commented as the two of them positioned themselves in the middle of the fighting area of this training room.

"I have to be. My race is not known for being able to hide the truth. Anyway, did you join this guild on your own, or did you come with a group? I joined with my mercenary partners. We traveled to Zocarro together for 20 years, but the group broke up after only one year here.

We're still friends, but we're each on our own now, and if we have to face each other, neither of us will make it easy for the other."

"I came with a group of over 20 teammates. Some fell out during the selection process, but most of us made it into the guild."

"Oh? That's impressive." She was surprised. "But watch out for them."

Minos laughed as he spread his wings and released his aura over the area. "There is a difference between my group and yours, Wana. I brought this group here from my world. We have a different history than you had with these people."

"That's what everyone says." She also released her aura as she got into position to fight.

"You wouldn't understand me," Minos said confidently. "I understand what you mean by your words, but that's not true for everyone. My group would not stand against me under any circumstances."

"Be careful with your confidence. It gets geniuses killed all the time." She moved with the start of their training.

'That's not blind trust.' Minos thought to himself, aware that Armhands' possibilities could indeed seduce his companions. But did any of them have his cultivation speed? The potential he had? Not only that, but they had families in the Spiritual World and extra motivation to stick together and eventually complete their plans there.

Only Maximilian didn't have as much motivation to follow Minos' lead. Still, even that person, Emperor Stuart was confident that he would stay by their side in this place.

But he didn't waste his time talking to Wana about it. As soon as he moved to force her to use her wings to attack, he gradually dropped the subject and began to focus on analyzing Wana's fighting skills.

She was strong and very agile. She was at level 98, but she might be able to fight, for some time, one of the level 100 Gods of the Spiritual World.

She certainly didn't have the power to kill one of those individuals, but her fighting ability was above her own level, which would allow her to fight someone with the strength of one of those individuals and even escape from a fight.

But Minos was stronger, faster, and more intelligent than her. He could easily see her movements and her weaknesses.

After only a few minutes of moving around and making her attack him with her wings, Minos realized that his devised training method could work with her.

"All right, let's stop. I have some guidelines for you."