A young man was walking down the street past a bunch of apartment buildings. They were all covered in lush greenery.
But the buildings themselves weren't that pretty. Even though he was in the capital, this place was far from the center. The capital was close to the border with Paralleta.
Just a month after the war started, it had already become normal.
"It's right on the corner of this building. On the next corner..."
He had already been discharged from the hospital. He was walking straight to the magic club. Passersby dressed in plant costumes walked past him, heading to the sunrise festival. He would have liked to go himself, but unfortunately, he hadn't been able to prepare for the festival because of the hospital.
"Here it is."
He stood in front of the Incatesimo club, which was on the corner of a large six-story building decorated with all kinds of flowers. The windows were tightly curtained, no light penetrated, and he couldn't see inside.
Upon entering, he saw a large, well-lit space. A young man was sitting in the center. Next to him, with her back to the door, stood a young red-haired girl. There were stools and a chest of drawers on either side. In the left wall was a doorway to another room, without a door. There was also such a doorway in the wall in front of the entrance door.
"Unfortunately, you're not right for us."
"What the fuck?"
After a consoling farewell from the girl, the man stood up abruptly and pushed her away.
"Fuck you, bitch, fuck all these years, fuck... Oh, fuck you, you fucking slut."
He aimed his fist at her. But the girl kicked him toward the door a split second before he struck, and he flew into the door. He almost hit the black-haired young man as he flew out and was hit by a car. The man in the hallway closed the door and looked fearfully at the girl who was already standing in front of him.
"Hello, would you like to join our club?"
Her face beamed with genuine friendliness. She had an expression on her face as if she wholeheartedly wanted the man in front of her to join.
"Well, sort of."
"Come into the center and sit on the mat."
He obediently sat down and waited. While the girl walked away... Apparently to the bathroom, since he heard the sound of running water.
A few moments later, she returned.
"So. Are you a newcomer?"
"What do you mean, a newcomer?"
"So you are a newcomer."
Standing behind him, she began to pull off his gray T-shirt.
"Are you crazy?"
"Be quiet, this is how it's done."
She pulled up his T-shirt and, with her right hand, pressed a special pistol-shaped device against the guy's back.
"Wow, not bad..."
She lowered his T-shirt and stood up.
"What's your name?"
"Viver."
"You're accepted. Welcome to the club. Hey, Heck, come down, I found you a new slave."
Footsteps were heard from the second floor.
"What do you mean, slave?"
"You're very lucky it's not sexual."
A few seconds later, a man in his forties appeared in the doorway. Some of his hair was already gray. He was dressed in a gray shirt and pants.
"What kind of weakling is this?"
"He may be a nobody, but he has as much reserve as Madness."
"Reserve is not a talent. Have you ever practiced martial arts, or at least fought in the yard?"
"No, I am a peace-loving person."
"Ugh. So you're that much of a loser."
"At least he has a better character than all the other candidates." You yourself said that obedience is the most important thing. Why would a ruler need a strong but headstrong soldier?
— That's true. But he's not even a speck, he's not even matter...
The door opened. A young man with blue hair and a very sad expression walked through it.
— I'm back.
"You're just in time. What do you think, should we take a man with a good supply of only, almost like you, but a complete zero in everything else?"
The man replied with a sneer.
"Personally, I think it's not the size that matters, but how you use it."
"What are you two talking about?"
The girl raised her voice.
"Stereo. It's two against one now. If you're so tired of selecting them that you're ready to take the first one that comes along, maybe you should at least wait for a decent candidate."
"You've figured me out. I don't want to select people for you anymore. Either take him or shut up."
While they were arguing, Madness put the groceries he had bought at the store on the nightstand and began to unpack them. After a moment, he said:
"Reo, leave Mr. Hexagon alone. You'll drive him to his grave soon."
"Let's not shift the blame here. Decide what to do with him. Personally, I've made up my mind."
A red-haired girl named Stereo left for another room, her boots clattering.
"Oh. I don't want to choose anyone anymore. This total degradation is as bad as it gets. Soon they'll forget their mother's name and search for it on the internet. Ness, do you want to replace her?"
"I still have to dress up in a sunflower costume."
"I see."
The man walked over and sat down opposite Weaver, looking very tired.
"Every year we recruit one person to our club. This is necessary for reporting to the higher-ups. If you can't handle it, we'll kick you out..."
"Sorry to interrupt, but can I still live here? I'm sorry for being such a burden, but all my relatives are dead, I have nowhere to live, and..."
"So you came here just for a place to sleep?"
"No, I really want to become a magician..."
"So you're an avenger. Did you come for power? That's the right attitude. I hope your hatred won't lead you astray. I used to think that all avengers were idiots who could only shout about how wronged they were. But I'm pleased with Madness's results. His growth is incredible."
"Feed them better, and they'll be even better,"
objected the blue-haired guy.
"Stability is better than results. *Ahem*. So, you're a vigilante. What's your name?"
"Viver."
"So, do you know the basics, or is everything that bad?"
"Everything is bad."
"On the contrary, everything is fine with you, but everything is worse with me, I'll have to teach you the basics. Stereo could do it, but she's such a lazybones.
"I can hear everything! You old bum.
A woman's voice came from somewhere. Apparently, she was right behind the wall.
"You'll live on the second floor. Wash the floors every day, morning and evening; also wash the dishes after us, take out the trash... In short, get ready, boy."
"Thank you very much. I'm very happy."
"For today, you can just wash the floor. We'll start our training tomorrow. By the way, what clan are you from?"
"I'm just an ordinary person, I don't belong to any clan."
"That's too bad. However, if you work hard, you might even become a genius..."
Before Hexagon could finish his sentence, someone threw open the door with all their might.
"Who's the strongest here, guys?"