Toma’s smile faltered for a moment, then he straightened up, his confidence returning. “Good, I think,” he said. “I was actually going to ask if you could give me some more tips… maybe?”
Was he waiting for me in the Guild hall? Jack chuckled. “Okay… show me what you’ve been doing.”
For the next five minutes, Toma demonstrated his archery stance and form, and Jack gave advice. While the two young women watched on with smiles.
“I can see you’ve been practising,” Jack said. The recognition elicited a big smile from the boy. “Not bad, but your form’s still a little too rigid. Loosen up a bit here.” He gestured to Toma’s shoulders. “Try to follow through a bit more smoothly with your bow arm.”
Toma nodded, adjusting his posture as Jack demonstrated.
There were still things to correct… his left hand was too high on the bow… his elbow was a little too stiff… his grip was still tight… his aim still lacked finesse.
“Good,” Jack said. “I’ll give you some more pointers as we train. You’ll get there with practice.”
Toma jumped up and down a few times, excited. “Thanks, Jack.”
“How do you know so much about archery?” Nessa asked. “You mentioned stuff I didn’t know.”
Ella nodded in agreement.
Jack smiled under the mask. “I read a lot, that’s all.” He lied. “Benefit of training to be a scribe.”
With the benefit of his total Recall Skill, it was easy for him to compare the boy’s form to illustrations from books he’d memorised. It was easier for him to get Toma’s form right than his own.
They continued to chat… A few minutes later, two young women walked around the corner, neither carrying bows.
Jack heard Ella groan and complain under her breath. “Gods. Why them?”
Nessa patted her friend’s shoulder.
The new arrivals were dressed in simple leather armour. One had short hair and wore a dagger at her side, and carried a small pack marked with a red cross; a healer. The other had long blonde hair and a wand looped on her belt; a mage.
Jack’s blood ran cold. “Fuck,” he whispered, having recognised the women. Shit, it’s them. Fuck! What are they doing here?
It was Linda and Sam, two of the three remaining adventurers he was trying to avoid… or kill.
His heart began to hammer in his chest. No, no, no. Not them. Not here. Jack’s fingers twitched at his side. Why here? Why now? His brain raced for answers as to what to do. Should I run? If I leave now, it’s obvious, too obvious. Fuck!
Sam and Linda gave a casual nod as they approached. Just two more adventurers, ready for archery training.
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The door to Training Room 13 opened, and a half dozen sweaty men, in good spirits, exited.
Jack froze as the six male archers passed by while making conversation. None of it registered in his mind. His breathing was shallow, and his vision narrowing… What should I do?
…
He felt someone touch his arm.
“…ck. Jack. You alright?” Nessa’s voice cut through the fog.
Jack turned to Nessa. “Y-yeah, just thinking about something.” His throat was dry. “Sorry. What were you saying?”
Nessa gave him a lopsided grin and pointed at the now-open training room, “Rooms free. You coming?”
He looked around. The others had already entered Training Room 13. “Yeah.” In a daze, he inserted his brass token and followed Nessa into the room. He swallowed hard, clenched his fists, and forced his feet to move.
The door shut behind them with a heavy mechanical click. They were locked in.
Toma had already grabbed the same bow as last time, a quiver of training arrows, and had stationed himself on the far left. He was pulling the bow back before relaxing the draw to practice his archery form.
Ella was talking with the two newcomers, Sam and Linda.
“All four of you aren’t archers, so it doesn’t matter too much where you go.” Ella pointed at Toma. “The kid’s getting advice from Jack.” She gestured towards Jack, which made his gut churn. “So, best if those two are on the far left. Me and Nessa will go to the far right, and you two can use the centre two lanes. We good?”
The two women shrugged, not appearing to care where they stood to train.
Similar to before, they chose lanes based on archery experience. The least trained on the left to the most trained on the right. The order was Toma on the far left, followed by Jack, Sam, Linda, Nessa, and Ella on the far right.
Other than Jack, they each found their places while the familiar aether-powered console clicked to life, the soft brass-voiced female announcer chiming in:
Welcome, adventurers.
Mechanical targeting range engaged.
Safety protocols active.
Please state your class and level.
Shit! Jack thought. I can’t stay here. He’d only moved a few paces inside the training room. Fuck! The door was already locked behind him. He took a deep breath and went to his lane between Toma and Sam.
Don’t panic. With the mask, they don’t know it’s you. Shit! My bow. He looked at the white oak bow. Still covered. He breathed a sigh of relief.
Jack stood between Toma and Sam in Training Room 13, waiting for his turn to state his class and level to the Guild’s system.
One by one, they responded to the console.
“Novice Archer, level one,” replied Ella.
The soft voice acknowledged her answer:
Adventurer one.
Novice Archer, level one.
Please prepare your weapon.
“Novice Archer, level zero,” replied Nessa.
The soft voice acknowledged her answer:
Adventurer two.
Novice Archer, level zero.
Please prepare your weapon.
“Apprentice Healer, level one,” replied Linda.
The soft voice acknowledged her answer:
Adventurer three.
Apprentice Healer, level one.
Please prepare your weapon.
She headed to the back wall, where the training bows and quivers were stored. “There are a lot of bows,” she muttered.
“Novice Mage, level eight,” replied Sam.
The soft voice acknowledged her answer:
Adventurer four.
Novice Mage, level eight.
Please prepare your weapon.
“Which bows should we use?” Sam asked Linda.
When it was Jack’s turn, he swallowed. His voice cracked. “N-Novice Archer, level zero.” His eyes widened, he was so flustered, he’d stated his archer class and level. “Fuck! No! I mean… Novice Scribe, level zero!”
The system paused for a beat before the soft voice acknowledged his answer:
Adventurer five.
Novice Scribe, level zero.
Please prepare your weapon.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
Behind him, Sam chuckled. “Forgot your own class? See, Linda, I’m not the only one with a bad memory!”
Linda laughed. “Ella!” she called. “Which bows should we use?”
Jack clenched his jaw, his eyes fixed ahead. Don’t look or engage them. Just get through this. He took a calming breath. Stay calm.
Toma finished last. “Non-classed.”
The soft voice acknowledged his answer:
Adventurer six.
Non-classed.
Please prepare your weapon.
Ella called back. “Whichever ones you can pull all the way back without breaking a nail.”
Nessa snorted.
What he receives instead is impossible.
Realm Holder.
Not a warrior. Not a mage. A class no one’s ever heard of. A class with no guides, no manuals, no path to follow.
A place where time flows differently, where days can pass in moments, and life can be nurtured beyond the world’s reach.
At its heart grows the World Tree, a source of mana, power, and endless potential—fueling not only his realm but Ciel himself.
His strength isn’t forged through battle alone—but through patience, growth, and mastery over something far greater than swords or spells.
Upload schedule – three chapters a week – Monday/Wednesday/Friday
What to Expect:
- Progression fantasy – OP to broken Main character
- Unique Class System – Not a standard class but a whole new power system without guides; Ciel must make his own path.
- Time Dilation & Worldbuilding – Days can pass inside his realm while moments pass outside.
- Slow-Burn Power Growth – Focused on character development first, then pace picks up.
- Dungeons, and Awakening Events – Dungeon diving, awakening quests, and more.
- Character-Driven Story – Family, friendship, and ambition drive the narrative.
- Numbers go brr – Crunchy LitRPG stats and progression fun.
This is not the tale of the strongest fighter.
This is the story of the one who holds worlds.