Just before sunset, Adrian and Dan arrived at the Night Guard headquarters.
The building was massive, enclosed by a towering wall with several guards stationed around the main gate.
They watched everyone who entered and left, their presence making it clear that this was no ordinary military facility.
Adrian looked up at the imposing building.
“So this is the Night Guard headquarters.”
Dan smiled.
“Looks like we’re going to be spending a lot of time here.”
They entered the registration hall, where several other recruits were already waiting.
Guards moved between the newcomers, organizing them and preparing everything for registration.
An officer approached the two of them.
“Names?”
“Adrian,” Adrian answered.
“Dan,” Dan added.
The officer recorded their names before handing each of them a special Night Guard identification card.
Dan glanced at him.
“When does training start?”
“Today,” the officer replied.
Dan looked at Adrian.
“We haven’t even seen our rooms yet.”
“You’ll get used to it,” the officer said.
“Once you join the Night Guards, you leave your old life behind.”
Adrian looked at him with interest.
The officer continued, “This headquarters will be your home from now on.
You’ll train here, eat here, and sleep here.
Whenever you’re not out on patrol, you’ll remain at the headquarters, ready to respond to any attack.”
“And what happens after the training period?” Adrian asked.
“After your initial training, you’ll begin going on patrols alongside veteran guards and other recruits.
Your training will continue while you’re serving, and whenever your unit is called, you’ll be sent out to fight the monsters.”
Adrian turned toward the window.
Beyond it, guards were practicing their combat techniques on the training grounds.
He slowly clenched his fist.
“I understand.”
Dan patted him on the shoulder with a grin.
“Looks like we found ourselves a new home.”
Dan laughed.
Adrian, however, kept his eyes on the training grounds.
Deep down, he knew his life would never be the same from this moment on.
The officer suddenly raised his voice from across the hall.
“New recruits!
To the training grounds!”
Adrian and Dan exchanged a quick glance before following the other recruits outside.
The recruits lined up across the training grounds.
A tall, broad-shouldered man stood before them.
He looked to be in his early forties and wore the uniform of the Night Guards.
His stern expression alone was enough to make it clear that he wasn’t someone to take lightly.
His eyes swept across the entire line, carefully studying every recruit.
One by one, the recruits straightened their backs.
The man stepped forward until he stood directly in front of them.
“My name is Kyle.
I’ll be in charge of your training.”
The recruits remained silent as Kyle continued examining them.
“I know why you’re here.
You want to become soldiers and fight the monsters.
But before I allow any of you to carry a weapon and step onto the streets, I need to make sure of one thing.”
He paused.
“That you won’t die on your first night.”
One of the recruits raised his head, clearly interested.
Before he could say anything, a voice came from somewhere in the line.
“Sir.”
A tall young man stepped forward.
He lifted his head confidently, a smug smile spreading across his face.
“What if we’re already prepared?” he asked.
Several recruits turned toward him.
Kyle simply stared at him, his expression unchanged.
The young man crossed his arms.
“I’ve been training in combat for years.
I know how to deal with monsters.”
His confident smile grew wider.
“I don’t need you to treat me like the rest of the rookies.”
Kyle studied him for a few moments.
“What’s your name, new recruit?”
“Diggo.”
Kyle nodded.
“Diggo…
come here.”
Diggo stepped out of the line with a grin, as if he had been waiting for this moment.
Kyle gestured toward the training grounds.
“Show me what you’ve got.”
The recruits gathered around them, watching with interest.
Diggo dropped into a fighting stance.
Kyle didn’t even raise his hands.
Diggo frowned.
“You’re going to fight me like that?”
Kyle answered calmly.
“Attack.”
Diggo charged.
He put all his strength into the attack, but the moment he came within reach, Kyle moved.
He caught Diggo by the arm and slammed him into the ground in a single motion.
Diggo’s eyes widened.
Before he could even understand what had happened, Kyle was already standing over him.
“If you’re going up against a monster, it won’t give you time to tell it how strong you are,” Kyle said.
He extended a hand toward Diggo.
“Strength you can’t control will kill you before it ever becomes useful.”
Diggo stared at his hand for a moment.
Then he grabbed it and pulled himself back to his feet.
The smug smile was gone.
Kyle returned to the front of the formation.
“Anyone who thinks they’re already ready can prove it during training.
But words mean nothing here.”
Then Kyle suddenly raised his voice.
“Now…
twenty laps!”
The recruits’ eyes widened.
Several immediately began complaining.
“Twenty laps?!
Why?!” one of them shouted.
Kyle turned toward them.
His voice was sharp.
“Because of your friend Diggo’s mistake.”
Everyone looked at Diggo.
He stood silently, his expression irritated.
“But we didn’t do anything!” another recruit protested.
Kyle walked toward them.
“And that is exactly—”
“That is exactly what I want you to understand.”
He pointed at Diggo.
“Out there, you won’t be fighting alone.
If one of you makes a mistake, someone else could die because of it.”
His gaze swept across the entire group.
“So from today onward, whenever one of you makes a mistake…
the entire group will pay the price.”
Silence fell over the recruits.
Kyle raised his hand and pointed toward the far end of the training grounds.
“Now move!”
The recruits immediately took off running.
Diggo remained where he was for a moment, fists clenched at his sides.
Then he gritted his teeth and ran after them.
Dan ran beside Adrian, breathing heavily.
“I’m starting to hate this instructor.”
Adrian glanced at him.
“Run faster before he makes it thirty laps.”
Dan’s eyes widened.
He immediately picked up the pace.
The first few days at the Night Guard headquarters passed much faster than Adrian expected.
They were also far more difficult than he had imagined.
Every morning, the sharp sound of the guards’ whistles woke the recruits before sunrise.
Adrian would open his eyes with difficulty, only to find Dan beside him, burying his face in his pillow and desperately trying to ignore the noise.
“Five more minutes…” Dan mumbled, still half-asleep.
Adrian climbed out of bed.
“If you sleep for five more minutes, they’ll make us run for another hour.”
Dan’s eyes snapped open.
“I’m awake!”
A few minutes later, the two of them were already on the training grounds with the rest of the recruits.
Running.
Strength exercises.
Weapon combat.
Dodging attacks.
And finally, fighting simulated monsters.
There was barely enough time to breathe, let alone rest.
Every time Adrian thought training was finally over, another instructor would shout for them to begin the next round.
One day, after a particularly long session, Dan collapsed onto the ground.
“Adrian…
I’m starting to think they’re trying to kill us before we even get to the monsters.”
Despite his exhaustion, Adrian laughed.
“Get up.
We’re not done yet.”
Dan stared at him in disbelief.
“How are you still standing?”
Adrian tightened his grip around his weapon.
“I have no idea.”
The training continued day after day.
The exhaustion began to show on everyone.
Some recruits quit.
Others simply couldn’t handle the pressure and were forced to leave.
But Adrian and Dan kept going.
Even Adrian could feel the difference.
His movements had become faster.
He was learning how to handle his weapon properly, how to shift his weight during combat, and how to move without losing his balance.
Two weeks after training began, the recruits gathered on the Night Guard training grounds as usual.
But this time, something was different.
Kyle stood before them.
His expression was more serious than usual.
“Your training is over.”
The recruits looked at one another in confusion.
One of them quickly raised his hand.
“But, sir, how can it be over?”
Another recruit stepped forward, clearly stunned.
“We were supposed to train for an entire year!”
Whispers spread through the formation.
“We’ve only trained for two weeks!”
“We’re not ready to fight monsters yet!”
Kyle raised a hand.
The voices immediately died down.
He looked at them for a moment before speaking.
“I know.
And I never said you were finished training.”
He paused.
“But the situation in the city no longer allows us to wait.”
The recruits’ expressions changed.
“The number of guards protecting the city has dropped to a critical level,” Kyle said.
“We no longer have enough soldiers to cover every area.”
One of the recruits stepped forward nervously.
“Then why are you sending us?
We haven’t even finished our training!”
“Because there aren’t enough guards left to send,” Kyle answered firmly.
Silence fell over the group.
“The monsters are becoming more aggressive every day.
The attacks are increasing, and the death toll rises with every night.”
Kyle looked at each recruit in turn.
“We’ve lost a large number of guards over the past few weeks.
We’ve reached the point where we’re facing a serious shortage of troops.”
One recruit tightened his grip around his weapon.
“But we could die!”
“I know,” Kyle replied.
His expression didn’t change.
“But if you don’t go out there, other people could die tonight.”
The recruits exchanged uneasy looks.
No one had an answer.
“The city doesn’t have enough protection,” Kyle continued.
“Entire areas will be left without Night Guards tonight.”
He pointed toward the group standing before him.
“That’s why the best squad among you will be sent into the field.”
One of the recruits widened his eyes.
“I didn’t choose you because you finished your training,” Kyle said.
“I chose you because you’re the best we have right now.”
No one spoke.
“You were supposed to train for a full year before facing the monsters.”
Kyle glanced toward the headquarters’ massive gate before looking back at them.
“But we don’t have a year anymore.”
Adrian tightened his grip around his weapon.
Beside him, Dan looked at him nervously.
“Get ready,” Kyle said.
His voice was calm, but his words carried weight.
“Tonight will be your first patrol.”
For a moment, no one moved.
Then Kyle raised his voice.
“This time, there won’t be an instructor to stop the fight when you make a mistake.”
His sharp gaze swept across the recruits.
“You’re going out into the city…
and you’ll fight to survive.”