Utopian System

Ren and Brok stayed close, their pale faces reflecting the same concern that gripped Elio's heart. Even Varick, despite his usual disdain, seemed uncomfortable, shooting furtive glances at the book every few seconds.

Minutes dragged like hours. Elio could feel every heartbeat, every drop of cold sweat running down his back.

What if Kriz made a mistake? What if the strategy failed at the last moment?

"Come on, Kriz," Elio murmured, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles screamed in protest. "You've got this. Don't you dare prove me wrong now."

The air seemed to vibrate with pent-up tension. One of Varick's goons let out a nervous snort, earning a withering glare from his leader.

Suddenly, the book rose.

Elio held his breath, his heart pounding so hard he feared it might burst from his chest. The world seemed to stop as all eyes fixed on the floating book.

For one heart-stopping moment, nothing happened. Then, the pages burst open.

"Kriz!" The cry tore from Elio, Ren, and Brok's throats in perfect unison as they rushed forward.

Kriz was panting heavily, but his eyes shone with triumph.

"I... I did it," he wheezed, his voice hoarse but charged with emotion. "That icy beast almost got me at the end, but... the secondary strategy worked."

Elio felt his legs weaken with relief, a shaky smile spreading across his face.

"I knew you'd do it," he said, his voice cracking slightly. "I n-never doubted you."

Ren and Brok joined them, their faces reflecting joy and relief. Even Varick seemed happy, though he tried to hide it with a disdainful snort.

"Well, well," he said, crossing his arms. "Looks like the peasant's strategy isn't complete garbage after all."

Elio turned to Varick, a spark of challenge in his eyes. "Is that your roundabout way of admitting I was right?"

Varick frowned, but before he could respond, one of his goons stepped forward.

One by one, the remaining goons entered the book. The tension grew again with each challenge, but this time it was different. It was no longer a competition between social classes, but a test of their strategy's effectiveness, a matter of life and death.

♢♢♢♢

To everyone's relief… and Varick's poorly concealed smugness, the three goons emerged victorious, albeit looking like they'd gone ten rounds with a particularly angry monster.

As the last of the goons was helped to his feet, a figure emerged from the shadows. Von Lucien approached the group, his face impassive but his eyes shining with barely contained interest.

"Impressive," he said, his voice resonating in the sudden silence. "Eight participants, seven victories. A success rate of 87.5%. Much better than we expected."

Elio felt a shiver run down his spine. Despite Von Lucien's neutral tone, he could feel the weight of his words. This wasn't just a victory; it was a potential game-changer.

"Sir," Elio began, stepping forward. "Does this mean...?"

Von Lucien nodded, a slight smile curving his lips. "It means, young Elio, that it's time to move on to the next phase. You've proven the strategy works. Now, we need you to disseminate it firsthand."

Von Lucien stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the group. "Time is of the essence. We have less than twenty days before mandatory conscription. We need to prepare as many soldiers as possible."

The weight of responsibility fell upon them. Elio exchanged glances with his friends, seeing the same determination and apprehension mirrored in their eyes.

"But how?" Ren voiced the question on everyone's mind, his brow furrowed with concern. "We're just eight people. How can we possibly teach so many in such a short time?"

Von Lucien smiled, an expression that didn't reach his eyes. "Ah, but that's the beauty of knowledge, young man. It multiplies. You'll each teach a small group, and they, in turn, will teach others. Like a chain reaction."

Elio nodded slowly, understanding the idea. "Ten days for the first group and the rest for the second, larger one."

"Precisely," Von Lucien confirmed. "Each of you will take charge of fifty soldiers. Train them, prepare them, then oversee their attempts at the challenge. Those who succeed will become instructors for the next group."

"We'll do it," Elio said. "Let's not waste time."

Von Lucien's eyes glinted with approval. "Excellent. Follow me, and we'll begin immediately."

♢♢♢♢

The next twenty days passed in a whirlwind of frantic activity. Elio, his friends, and Varick's group, immersed themselves fully in their task of training the selected soldiers.

Each took charge of a group of fifty soldiers, meticulously teaching them the improved strategy to face the third level monster.

The first round of training was a challenge in itself. Many soldiers were skeptical at first, doubting that a bunch of kids could hold the key to their survival.

However, as Elio and the others demonstrated the effectiveness of the strategy, the initial resistance began to fade.

"R-remember," Elio insisted to his group, "e-every movement counts. Don't underestimate the importance of the heat blanket and the air stone. They may seem insignificant, but they could mean the difference between life and death."

Varick, to everyone's shock, proved to be a surprisingly effective instructor. His usual arrogance transformed into a fierce determination to see his group succeed.

"Come on, you lazy excuses for soldiers!" he shouted, pacing among his soldiers. "You think the monster's going to wait for you to get your act together? Again, and this time, try not to embarrass yourselves!"

As the days passed, the results began to become evident.

Soldiers who followed the strategy to the letter had remarkable success rates. Those who triumphed in the first round quickly joined the training effort, multiplying their reach exponentially.

However, not everything was perfect. Despite repeated warnings, many soldiers chose not to buy the heat blanket or air stone, preferring to save their scarce mana points for other purposes.

"I can't force them to spend their points," Elio said with frustration to Ren after another training session. "But I fear they're underestimating how crucial that equipment can be."

Ren nodded, his face reflecting the same concern. "I know. I've done my best to explain it to them, but in the end, the decision is theirs."

As the day of conscription approached, the tension in the air was palpable. Elio could barely sleep the night before, his mind going over every detail of the strategy, wondering if they had done enough.

Finally, the day arrived. Thousands of soldiers gathered, their faces a patchwork of determination, resignation and fear. Elio and the others watched from the sidelines, unable to do more than wait and trust that their work would bear fruit.

The hours passed slowly as group after group of soldiers entered their respective System books. Elio's heart leapt with each victorious emergence and plummeted with every book that vanished, taking another life with it.

♢♢♢♢

At the end of the conscription, Von Lucien approached them with the final results. His face, normally impassive, showed signs of fatigue, but also a glimmer of satisfaction.

"76% survival," he announced. "7,615 soldiers overcame the challenge."

Elio felt a whirlwind of emotions… relief, pride, but also a gnawing disappointment. It was a vast improvement, yes, but...

"We could have done more," he murmured, more to himself than to the others. "If we'd had more time, maybe..."

Von Lucien's hand on his shoulder startled him.

"You did what you could, boy," he said firmly. "You practically saved 3,600 lives. Yes, it's a shame we couldn't do more for the other 2,400, but you must understand that this percentage is very similar to that of the second level when you entered the wall.

Dozens of men die daily upon reaching maturity, that's the natural law of our city, a necessity to keep the towers active. The power that the book gives us is a blessing difficult to obtain, the test, the punishment, and the mercy of our God."

Elio blinked, remembering. Wasn't it even better? He recalled that the victory percentage at level two was even lower than 76% the month he entered.

"Maybe we are generating change, i-it's not our fault that so many had to die, it's true..."

Von Lucien nodded. "In fact, the small tips you released to the general population a month ago for the second level, especially the one about tricking the frog into believing you're slower, have increased the victory percentage at the second level to over 90%. They have also drastically reduced the time it takes to overcome that level."

This information lifted some of the weight from Elio's shoulders, though a pang of regret still nagged at him. He should have shared that knowledge sooner.

Information, he was learning, could be as powerful a weapon as any magical sword.