Aqua
The loud electronic billboards above my head echo out across the street as everyone moves in a single direction. With only a few people actually paying attention to the billboards.
“The Bloody Berserker has finally arrived at the boss room of the Ancient Labyrinth! Do you think they can win this, Veltri?” the well-known commentator, Viran, asks as the man on the billboards looks at a large screen behind him, where one of the many Pioneer Broadcasts is currently showing.
“I’m not sure, Vi,” Veltri, Viran’s younger sister and co-commentator, answers while leaning forwards and gripping her mic with both hands. “The Bloody Berserker hasn’t been in very good form lately, and this dungeon hasn’t shown to be a good match for them so far. I’m a little worried.”
The Bloody Berserker in question is someone I’ve watched personally just to get more information on the Pioneer Broadcasts, so I know rather well that he isn’t going to make it. He’s just too reckless, and that’s shown very strongly throughout this dungeon dive.
And he’s not the only Pioneer that I’ve been watching. I’ve watched dozens upon dozens of them. All in preparation for today.
For the World Pioneer Selection of my home world, Equeter.
Where the next Pioneer of our world, the one who will be sent to a new world discovered by the Alliance and the System, will be chosen.
I feel my foot slipping on what I’m assuming is ice, almost making me stumble into the person in front of me. But I barely manage to catch myself as I stop focusing on the billboards we’re passing to instead focus on where I’m walking.
“Selection will begin in one hour! Anyone who is not present within the required age range will be placed on the wanted list and imprisoned for life!”The slightest bit of a frown spreads across my face at that announcement echoing across the snow-ridden street even as we continue marching on to the large stadium within sight of us. And I’m not the only one as others around me show their own displeasure as well.
But the ones who show too much while near a guard end up being shocked by a shock baton for ‘disrespect’.
I thankfully am either not caught or just manage to hide my reaction well enough. So I continue marching through the street along with everyone else until we enter the stadium.
All while the electric billboards continue playing the live broadcast of more than one Pioneer.
Right as I’m entering stadium though, something reaches my ear from one of the billboards I was listening to earlier.
“Aww, it looks like the Bloody Berserker really took on too much and couldn’t handle it,” Veltri says, sounding slightly disappointed. “That marks the end of the Pioneer phase of the world Exel! It’s a pity, but I think it was his own fault for rushing in like that. Right Vi?”
“You’re right about that, Veltri,” Viran answers with a nod of his head as I step inside of the stadium and sounds from outside of it begin to be blocked out. “Let’s move on to the analysis of Exel-”
I force back another frown as I continue walking into the stadium. Just at the sheer disregard those commentators have for the Pioneer they were just watching.
But I don’t have the time to think about it as I finally step out into the main area of the stadium. Where thousands upon thousands of people are all waiting.
Every single citizen of this city who is between twenty to thirty years of age, regardless of gender or financial status.
Or even how many times they’ve been here.
They’re all either at this stadium or other stadiums.
As I walk towards my assigned position, I can’t help but feel more and more bitter about my situation. About the fact that the Selection, which only occurs once every few years, happens to occur a mere month after I turned twenty.
Almost like it’s mocking me. Happening right after I become of age to be a part of it.
The bright side though is that those who have shown up at the Selection at least get a voucher for a yearlong discount at all Alliance run stores. So I won’t be stuck empty handed after this.
I pull my hands out of my hoodie’s pockets before raising them to my mouth and blowing warm air on them as my hair falls over my shoulder from my leaning forward. Meanwhile the rest of the eligible citizens continue to spill into the stadium.
After this Selection I just need to grab my voucher and head over to the convenience store to work my hours for the day. Then I can use the voucher at the store to get some mints.
Yeah. That’ll be my reward for dealing with this.
I can splurge for a single day just for some mints.
That thought keeps me going through the freezing cold even as I feel snow falling down on my head and shoulders.
As I keep thinking of those mints, the last of the eligible people trickle into the stadium and head towards their places. Without a single person saying a word in the process. Not amongst those already in place nor those entering their places.
This is just one of the many stadiums in the city meant for this, but despite that, it’s filled to the brim with people.
Which makes it even more abrupt when the screen high above us at the front of the stadium suddenly turns on, showing the Grand Chancellor of the Alliance standing behind a podium. All with several others around him, including the various Bloodline Family representatives.
But I ignore the representatives as I focus on the Grand Chancellor.
And more importantly, on what he is saying.
“Welcome, citizens of our beloved Alliance! Today you will all have a lucky chance to become someone great! To become a Pioneer!”
His words echo out across the stadium, but no one says a word in response. Everyone just stares.
“Pioneers are the breath and blood of our Alliance, as you all know! Which is why they get so many perks! So how about we go over those perks before making the selection? That sounds great!”
I try hard to control my facial expressions. And it seems to work as when a guard passes relatively close by, he doesn’t stop by me. He just continues moving.
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Then he shocks someone else several people over who was tightly clenching his fist and glaring at the Grand Chancellor.
Everyone either glances at the shocked man or continues staring at the screen. But no one shows any intention of helping him.
I continue staring at the screen myself as the Grand Chancellor spouts off one thing after another about the perks of becoming a Pioneer. Which, I’ll admit, are all incredible. Very much so.
Pioneers are instantly raised from any class of society, which for me would be the bottom Class, Class V Citizenship, all the way to the top class. Elite Class. They are also granted all of the privileges that come along with that position, along with access to the System upon becoming a Pioneer, the awakening of any bloodlines they may possess, and are even given a small cut of all royalties earned by their livestreams.
But that’s only if the Pioneer actually manages to survive.
If they die before even leaving their Pioneer Planet, none of those things will matter. They won’t be able to use their citizenship if they’re dead. And their royalties will instantly be reclaimed by the company without hesitation.
And only 0.01% of Pioneers survive.
After all, while officially a Pioneer is celebrated, their actual, unofficial job, is to showcase the new worlds to the universe without letting the new world know about the Alliance first. Because the new worlds are all initialized into the System upon their discovery, unlike us Class V, IV, and even III Citizens who have no chance at getting initialized unless we become a Pioneer.
The only Pioneers that actually are cared about by society are those who become famous across the entire Alliance. Those who break all expectations and soar to the top of their Pioneer World, conquering it on their own.
It’s those people who manage to claim everything they’ve ever wanted.
My thoughts come to an end when the Grand Chancellor finishes embellishing the benefits of becoming a Pioneer.
“And now it’s finally time for the Selection! Unlike last time, this Selection will be for a total of ten worlds! Which makes for ten new Pioneers!”
I lower my hands into my pockets before clenching them slightly, unable to hold myself back. But fortunately no guards notice.
Ten worlds means a higher chance of being chosen. Seeing as it’s usually only five or so worlds per World Selection.
“If your name appears on this very screen, raise your hand! One of our stadium monitors will teleport you straight to the stage! But don’t worry, even if you miss it, you will still be teleported to the stage! It’ll only take a bit!”
Right.
They have no need for us to raise our hands since they know where we all are. The only reason they have us do it is to make for a grand display for the audience, marking the first time the new Pioneers make their public debut.
It’s sickening.
But necessary if the Pioneer wants any chance at sponsors.
Music begins to play across the stadium as everyone stares up at the screen, hoping against hope that their names don’t appear on it. And after an entire five long seconds, the first of the ten names appears.
When another screen appears next to the large one, showing a man trembling while raising his hand and being teleported to a stage not within our stadium, everyone seems to breath out in relief within our stadium.
But that relief is crushed when the next name appears, and someone lets out a cry in our own stadium. Only for them to slowly raise their hand, letting the monitor assigned to this stadium teleport them straight to the stage. With another screen appearing to show this trembling person.
Then another name appears, with another person from a different stadium.
And another.
And another.
More names end up being revealed back to back before nine out of ten names are revealed, with me still being safe in the crowd.
Despite not having been selected yet though, I feel a strange sense of discomfort. Like something bad is about to happen.
And my instincts are usually right on the money.
As if proving that very thing, I see my name appearing on the screen.
Aqua Fallen.
And without hesitation, I raise my hand, keeping as straight a face as I can despite wanting to scream out loud. Following which I find myself teleporting to the stadium as the Grand Chancellor begins to speak again.
“We now have all ten of our brand new Pioneers! So let us send them all off with a bang! And a grand welcome to the Elite ranks of society!”
Fireworks begin to explode above the stadium, meant for celebration but instead marking a turning point in my life.
One I never expected to happen.
Then I feel a slight shock from the monitor’s finger touching my neck as he initializes me into the System. Making a single screen appear in front of me while the nausea from the shock begins to fade.
System Notification Welcome to the System, Aqua Fallen.
The road to power has now opened to you.
Take your first step and grow.
Or trip and fall into the Abyss. Looking out over the crowd within the stadium, I find thousands of gazes staring back at me. All with various degrees of pity in their eyes.
Meanwhile one of the other new Pioneers standing next to me on the stage straight up breaks down and begins crying.
But I ignore them as most of the people watching give a faint nod of their heads in respect.
Then I hear one last thing from the screen above. From the Grand Chancellor.
“Now go! Go to your new worlds, Pioneers! And bring glory to the Alliance!”
Another notification appears in my vision.
System Notification As you have been initialized near the time of ten other worlds initializations, you will now be sent to one of those worlds most fit for you.
Teleportation will begin in ten seconds.
Please make any preparations you may need. A tingling sensation begins to spread throughout my body. And before I can even process it, I find myself being handed a small backpack by the monitor. With the monitor being completely blank-faced the entire time, even as he hands the other new Pioneers the same back pack.
As for what’s within the backpack? That’s not hard to guess.
It should be the same backpack given to every Pioneer before they’re teleported.
One with a week’s worth of food, a single weapon core, and an armor core.
I grit my teeth before taking a deep breath.
Then I find reality around me beginning to blur as another notification appears.
System Notification Teleportation will now commence.
Welcome to the newly initialized world:
Oceana And just like that, the world around me changes, and I find myself struggling to breathe underwater for some reason.
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