Next...
"Dharmesh, have all your questions been answered?" Abhishek asks.
"You mentioned that after completing military school, some people join the military while others become travelers. What does that mean?" Dharmesh asks.
"Look, once someone finishes military school, they become capable enough to hunt beasts on their own. Then they travel to different places to hunt beasts and extract crystals from them. These crystals can be sold for a good amount of money. Most of the time, the military itself buys these crystals because they're used to make weapons. That's why the more crystals the military gets, the better. Every year, many new students arrive, and it's the military's responsibility to provide weapons for all of them — for that, crystals are essential," Abhishek explains.
Dharmesh was staring at Abhishek, wondering what more he could ask.
"No more questions now. It's your first day here, and you already want to know everything? That kind of curiosity isn't good. Go to your room and rest. You have your test tomorrow," Abhishek says.
Then Dharmesh starts heading toward his room with Isha, but she stops near a building.
"You'll have to go on your own from here. This is the boys' hostel, and girls aren't allowed here — at least not at this time. I didn't notice it was already 7 PM," Isha says, pointing Dharmesh in the right direction before heading to her own room.
"Why are the hostels separate? Why can't they be together? I wish Isha's room was near mine," Dharmesh thinks as he walks toward his room.
After walking a bit, Dharmesh sees a number: Room 108 — the same number written on his slip. He enters the room.
But there were already two people inside.
Dharmesh sees two boys around his age. He approaches them and says, "My name is Dharmesh. I just got admitted here and was assigned this room." He wanted to be upfront so there wouldn't be any confusion.
"My name is Sachin, and this is Vishal. We both arrived a few days ago and have already become friends. Looks like you'll be staying with us for the next three years. So now you're our friend too," Sachin says.
"By the way, are you from Earth too?" Dharmesh asks.
"Yes, we're from Earth. Our families have been coming here for a long time, so we had to come too," Vishal says.
"Which planet is this, by the way?" Dharmesh asks — a question he hadn't gotten around to yet. He could've asked Abhishek earlier, but he had too many other thoughts at the time.
"This is the planet *Aarkeniya*. It's very beautiful and vast — but just as dangerous. We haven't hunted any beasts yet, but after spending a year here, we'll definitely learn how," Sachin explains.
"That's good. The sooner we become stronger, the better," Dharmesh says.
"Do you guys have a system that helps you? Like something that gives you challenges or talks to you?" Dharmesh casually tries to find out whether anyone else has a super system like he does.
"Nothing like that, bro. But you never know what might happen in the future. This planet is developing rapidly — people are creating all sorts of things," Sachin replies.
From their response, Dharmesh realizes that neither of them has a system — and probably no one else does either. His system was made by his grandfather in collaboration with a professor, and according to a message in his grandfather's video, it's one of a kind.
"You both know a lot about this place," Dharmesh says.
"Of course. Many in our family live here. They're not in military school, but they are travelers. That's why we know so much," Sachin says.
"Then I've got a good room and good friends. With your knowledge, living here will be much easier," Dharmesh responds.
After talking for a while, he climbs into bed. The room had three beds — meaning it was a triple occupancy room, and with Dharmesh there, it was now full.
Lying on his bed, Dharmesh checks his system, which shows the challenge at 70% complete. He thinks he'll finish it tomorrow — and wonders what reward he might get.
"I just hope the system doesn't give me a level-up reward yet. I'm close to reaching Level 2. If I drink water for two more days, I'll complete it and reach Level 3. Then I can take a level-up reward," Dharmesh thinks, and slowly falls asleep.
Dharmesh wakes up and sees that Sachin and Vishal are already ready.
"You're up. Hurry and get ready — today is our test. We have to show our powers, and from that, everyone will know how strong we are. The stronger you are, the more respect you'll get," Vishal says.
"Powers? What kind of powers?" Dharmesh asks.
"Don't tell me you don't have any powers," Sachin says.
"I don't. I don't know anything about them either. Can you tell me?" Dharmesh asks.
"It's okay. If you don't have any powers, the military school will give you some. But after learning those powers, you'll have to work in the military school itself," Vishal explains.
"By the way, what's your ability?" Dharmesh asks in surprise.
"You'll find out during the test," Vishal says with a smile. Then the three of them leave the room.
Outside, Dharmesh looks around for Isha but can't find her. So he decides to go with Vishal and Sachin.
The testing ground is huge — like an open field.
In the center stand a man and a woman — likely the teachers conducting the test.
Soon, many students arrive, all doing different things.
Dharmesh, Vishal, and Sachin stand off to the side to observe how others perform the test.
The test begins. The lady announces, "Each of you will come up one by one and take the test. Based on this, we'll assess your strength."
A boy with blue hair steps forward. The male teacher points toward a row of large, strong-looking mud pillars.
The boy creates a spear made of ice and throws it with full force. It pierces through five pillars.
"Okay, next," the man says. The boy then enters a circular zone where he has to dodge attacks. The longer he survives, the higher his points. He lasts just over a minute.
The third and final test: "Hit this with your fist," the man says. As the boy punches, a number appears: 310.
The teacher inputs something into a computer, and a number appears on the boy's wristwatch — 30. The boy smiles proudly and shows it off to everyone.
Another boy goes next and scores 20. Others get 15, 10, etc. The highest score so far is 30.
Then a red-haired boy takes the test. He has fire powers. He easily destroys the pillars and dodges attacks well. His punch scores 405, earning him 35 points — the new highest. But he still doesn't seem satisfied.
"I'm going next. Watch and learn," Vishal says, walking up. On his way, he bumps into the red-haired boy.
"Can't you watch where you're going?" the boy says. Vishal ignores him and proceeds.
Vishal uses fire powers too, mimicking the red-haired boy's moves — and scores 35 points. He returns with a big smile.
"See?" Vishal says. But everyone's staring at him in surprise. The teacher calls the next student.
It's Sachin. He looks nervous. He knows all about powers, but hasn't chosen or learned any yet. He's still searching for one that suits him.
He attempts the test but fails badly. His score is just 1 — the lowest. Everyone laughs at him. Looking down, Sachin returns to his friends.
Next is Dharmesh — and he has no idea what he'll do.