To rank up, the individual was tasked to fight against a student of higher rank, selected by the teachers. After proving he was strong enough after winning the match, a quest was assigned to the member in question, and only if he completed it would he or she get a better rank.
Besides, there was an internal hierarchy between each rank. Basically, a number was assigned to each member of the dojo. The smaller the number and the stronger the individual was.
To increase the internal hierarchy, members had to challenge each other. If the high-ranked individual won against a lower leveled one, nothing happened, while if the lower-ranked one won against the higher-ranked, the two would swap places.
Once reaching level one, the member could ask his teachers to get promoted, and if he managed to win the match and complete the quest, he or she would take the position of the member of the higher rank he defeated, with him or her jumping down one rank.
Besides, each rank-up meant better resources or accommodations if one was going to stay at one of the many buildings owned by the institutions.
This meant that the competition inside the Dojo was going to be high since members could lose their position at any given time and could also lose their privileges. Hence, they were always on guard for possible challengers.
However, It seemed that such a system made people more eager than ever to train hard because there might come a day when they'd have no choice but to go up against someone who could possibly steal his or her rank.
Erik knew he was going to live that hellish life soon. The problem was that the challenges wouldn't end even when he went into the military.
Whenever a challenge was issued, he would be forced to participate, and clearly, at the same time, he could issue a challenge. However, he would still be able to gain rewards while inside the military.
That evening, Amber and Erik were going to meet since they decided to train together from that day onward. Since the following day, they were going to the Red Palace for the first time and needed to be evaluated, they were spending each day training.
Erik was still slightly mad about what Amber told him not even a week ago, but since they treated him well and proved to be good friends, he decided not to end their friendship.
After Erik trained, he decided to go to Amber's house, but before that, he washed quickly. After all, he couldn't go to her house smelling bad. So, the young man quickly left the house and went to the train station. Soon after, he entered the carriage and later arrived in the wealthy part of the eastern district, where Amber's house was located.
The place was massive, as usual. In addition, security personnel were posted at various points around the home's exterior, and once they spotted Erik, they started looking at him.
Then, one of the guards said something to his radio, and then, while he walked in front of the main gate. A car arrived in front of the gate from the massive driveway, and once it arrived, the gate opened.
Erik observed the well-maintained lawn and marveled at the topiary sculptures strewn across the property.
The vehicle drove Erik in front of the entrance door, and different butlers welcomed the young man. "The young miss is waiting for you, Mister Romano. There is a gym on the left wing; I will escort you there," one of the butlers said.
He then led the young man there, and once he arrived, he saw Amber already training. She just performed a high kick with extreme precision. It was a perfectly executed move that left Erik flabbergasted.
Amber smiled upon seeing the young man arrive. Then, she greeted him: "You took your time, eh?"
Erik replied back with a smile, too, "Yeah, sorry, I just finished training," he said.
At that moment, Erik noticed another person was in the gym training with Amber. He didn't notice her at the beginning since the door blocked his view, but he saw her once he stepped inside the room.
Long black hair energetically swayed whenever she threw a punch; her skin was as white as the first winter's snow and glistened to the sun rays from the gym's windows.
Her emerald green eyes reflected the sun as jewels. It was Emily. The young woman apparently was at Amber's house, and she, too, was training hard. Erik took a second to look at her figure; she had a slim waist and was well-proportionate. Still, judging from her physical appearance, she was no stranger to exercising.
Erik was mesmerized by the young woman. She exuded elegance, gracefulness, beauty, and charm with every single movement she made, even if that were movements used to kill.
The young woman was currently wearing a pair of black leggings that outlined her curves, a white sports bra, and a pair of white shoes with the logo of a famous brand.
Amber noticed how Erik looked at her friend, and conflicting emotions arose inside her. It was the first time she felt that way. She quickly approached the young man and then whispered to his ears. "Yeah, she does that effect..." perfectly knowing that Emily was a beauty.
The young man tried to recompose himself, but it was clear that Amber saw him gawking at Emily. Erik blushed but refrained from saying anything that could increase the embarrassment further.
"Hey Emily, we've got visits!" Amber shouted.
"What?"
The young woman turned to look behind her and saw Erik there. She was surprised by the young man's presence but being the polite lady of a wealthy family, she contained her reaction pretty well.
"Hey! You are the guy from the party!" She said, "Erik was your name, right?"
"Yes, it's me. You are Emily if I'm not mistaken..." Of course, the young man knew well who she was.
"Oh yeah." Emily answered, "I am glad you remember me... "
She looked at the young man with her sparkling green eyes.
It was then that Amber noticed Emily's weird reaction. She was never this friendly with other people, especially males her age. Usually, she ignored them without even glancing at them, but now she was trying to talk to him. She frowned a little bit but didn't say anything.
The two had a brief conversation interrupted only by Amber coughing after ten minutes. freew ebnov el
"Cough... Cough... Guys, shouldn't we be training?"
"Yeah, right..." Erik said.
After a few minutes, Emily resumed her training while Erik changed to more fitting clothes and started sparring with Amber. Clearly, the young man couldn't land a hit on her, yet, it was clear that he was improving a lot.
Emily observed the two sparrings. Based on what she knew, Erik started training not even a month ago, so reaching this level in such a short amount of time was impressive. Yet, she could see many flaws in the young man's fighting style.
As the young woman watched the two sparrings, a weird feeling started spreading inside her mind. It was attraction toward the young man. She didn't know why she felt that way nor understood what kind of feelings those were.
Something inside her knew she had to get on friendly terms with this young man. Later, Amber, Emily, and Erik trained for four hours until the sun began setting.
"Well, I guess that is all for today," Amber announced. "We can do this again another time if you want..."
"Yeah, why not?" Emily said. Even surprising Amber.
"That's ok for me..." Erik replied.
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