The Last Legendary System

’Olien?’

Benign felt for the revolver on his thighs.

"Don’t be alarmed. We are a neutral party," the old man added as he could see the questioning marks above Benign’s head. "Neither realms nor Kings command us. We exist to protect the realms."

Benign’s brows furrowed. "How does someone become a Protector?"

"If they’re offered an invitation, and pass the trials."

That differed from what the original book explained. Being a Protector was a volunteer program, but a recruitment bought with connections.

"Aren’t there requirements to work towards?" The soldier asked. "It can’t be based on the leisurely invitation of a top-ranked Protector."

The old man frowned slightly. Even the deaf would hear the disdain in the soldier’s tone.

Benign preferred clear requirements. Something to work toward. Better than hoping some superior decided you were worthy.

"If it wasn’t invitation-based, lots of people would be Protectors, wouldn’t they?" The old man’s voice dropped an octave. "That will be a problem."

"Why would it? There’ll always be loyal, willing people to help. You need all the hands you can get to solve a worldwide threat like a glitch."

The old man looked away. "You cannot understand it."

He continued inside the cave. On entry, his body vanished with a shimmering finish.

"Because it’s bull." Benign said under his breath. He jumped down the Firewing. "Follow close."

He stepped into the cave. His body remained. He still felt the heat of the desert.

CAW?

"Yeah, I don’t know why nothing happened..." The ground around his feet shifted.

Benign looked down as a portion of the earth lowered slowly. He turned to his side, just in time to see the shimmering remains of his firewing vanishing to nothing. "Huh?"

He pulled his sword from his side and held it in his hands. The revolver remained in the other hand. His head went under the earth.

"What is this? Has the trials started already?"

[It’s good that you have insight.]

Benign scoffed. He deserved a heads-up.

"My superiors gave us new weapons to try when there was a pending war. I didn’t think you’d be shitty like that and bring this snappy man to me after I gained the blade."

[I never brought the man to you.]

"If you never brought him to me," Benign watched the ground finally merge with the one under. "Then how did he know I received the blade?"

No reply came forth. The soldier stared ahead at a darkness that held no life.

Within the darkness, there was a glow. It came from the blade in his hands. Glowing characters were etched on the hilt that he couldn’t decipher. If only his Language Comprehension level were any higher.

The only source of light in the place was the hole he had descended from. He clicked his tongue and walked anyway. If he hit anything, that would be his cue to stop.

"Thrust into my first trial with only a revolver and a blade. Thankfully, I use them fairly well. I wouldn’t die." He consoled himself. "Hopefully..."

Silence.

"Hopefully..."

Nothing moved. No cave illuminating itself like he half expected it to. Within the space he stood, he alone existed there.

"Wouldn’t I have a breakdown on what’s expected of me at least?"

Not even the power-hungry superiors he had in his past life would thrust him to a dangerous place without explicit orders.

Even if the goal was obvious, orders were necessary to make sure everyone agreed. Being asked to improvise a situation was also an order.

[Maybe you should stop relying on orders, soldier.]

[Take everything in stride.]

"Go with the flow? That’s a first from you." Benign hummed. "But I just got here. This culture is foreign to me."

[...]

[Then listen carefully.]

Stone rubbed against stone behind Benign. A cave opening formed behind him, leading to more darkness.

"I’m listening..." he touched the walls as he moved towards it.

[You will undergo three trials. Any more depends on how well you handle the first three.]

[It can span 4 to 7 trials.]

Benign touched an enormous wall. "What?"

The opening had led nowhere. His position was far from the overhead light, and apart from his sense of smell, no other senses caught anything.

"Apart from my pending, what else do I have as an advantage?"

[During these trials, you will use skills and weapons with no mana points deduction. It’s training for you.]

[Passive skills would always be activated.]

"Alright. That’s fair."

[Last, good luck.]

Benign froze. "W-Where are you going?"

[You can call ’status’ to see your skills. The system will still be active, but without me.]

"Why?"

He wanted to ask more questions, but a creeping emptiness filled his head. Lego’s presence was gone.

The feeling was particularly discomforting because he woke in this strange world with the system speaking in his head.

Now, he felt like he had lost a part of his brain. His grip on his sword tightened. For a journey he started with a unit of four, he dropped to one within minutes.

But he didn’t wallow in the feeling for long.

With no clear destination, he retraced his steps. Another tunnel greeted him, and then another. Each looked identical until the faint shafts of light spilled through holes overhead.

Ahead of that tunnel was a dark cave again. He breathed out and concentrated on his environment.

A scent drifted into his nostrils. An impending danger surrounded him. Multiple.

Growling sounds reached his ears. He clenched his sword and peered into the darkness ahead.

He received the instructions a minute ago, and the first challenge arrived. ’Cliche.’

Another thought strayed into his mind.

’Can these trials kill me? If I fail them, would I lose out on being a Systemist? Or just not be a Protector?’

Heavy feet crunched on rocks. A dark blue burst from the darkness. Three feet of muscle and teeth.

Benign twisted aside, claws grazing his shoulder instead of his throat. The moment he turned to it, the wolf jumped at him. He let it bite his right arm.

[-8 HP]

The bite barely pierced muscle.

He lowered his body to prevent his arm from ripping off. More growls came from the darkness.

Blood rushed to his heart. A pack. They could come at him at once. He shifted the blade to his left hand and drove it into the wolf’s ribs.

Whimper.

The moment it jumped off his arm, its wound withered fast. The blade slashed through its neck.

"Make it quick. All of you."

Regeneration handled the bite, taking the last problem off his chest. He needed to kill them, despite their attacks. They would serve as a warm-up.

With their champion dead, the wolves rushed out in twos and threes.

Bang. Bang.

The first pair collapsed before they could close the distance. The remaining three scattered instantly, circling him instead of charging head-on.

’They are coordinating.’

His blade cut down those that came close while he shot at the ones keeping their distance.

The only experience he had with dual weapons was two weeks in jungle training, so muscle memory assisted his precision and reach.

[-16 HP]

[-16 HP]

When some hesitated, he killed them for good measure. He let the retreating wolves disappear into the darkness.

Benign panted slowly. His regeneration was catching up with the multiple wounds. He ignored the sharp but fading pain and concentrated on the kills.

[-12 HP]

The remaining wolves waited, snarling, watching for a movement of weakness in their prey.

Suddenly, quakes.

Ones that rattled the stones under the soldier’s feet.

A large animal came towards them slowly. Then a boisterous laughter that shook the small cave. The wolves took off without a sound.

Benign felt the need to follow them.

He tightened his grip on the blade.

’That can’t be good.’