Chapter 237: The First Threshold

Chapter 237: The First Threshold

The instructors reached the front of the holding room and stopped near the wall. One of the senior commanders stepped forward while the trainees settled into their seats. Noah remained beside Daniel, Claire, and Ethan as the room went quiet.

"I know most of you are waiting for your individual results," the commander said. "You won’t receive them here. Your instructors will speak with you about those separately. This meeting is about something else you need to understand after your deployment."

He looked across the room before continuing.

"Many of you fought species that were stronger than anything you faced during training. Some had greater physical strength. Some were faster. Others had tougher bodies, better endurance, sharper senses, or natural abilities your own species could not match."

Several trainees sat straighter.

"You all came into this war with different species. That means there is no single battlefield example that applies to everyone in this room. What does apply to all of you is the difference in natural strength between one species and another."

Noah kept his attention on the commander.

"You already saw that difference for yourselves. Some of your enemies could overpower your soldiers directly. Some could survive attacks that would kill weaker species. Others could move, recover, or continue fighting at a level your own people could not match."

A trainee near the front raised his hand.

"Sir, are you saying our species were too weak?"

"I’m saying every species has limits," the commander replied. "Some of you reached those limits during this deployment. That does not mean your species is useless. It means there are opponents your people will struggle against simply because the enemy starts with a stronger body or better natural abilities."

The trainee lowered his hand.

The commander continued. "You have spent most of your training developing civilizations. You improved technology, education, organization, military structure, and everything else your people could build. That work is still important."

He paused.

"But none of those things changes the natural level of your species."

Noah thought about Eldrath.

The goblins had developed from primitive tribes into organized civilizations with cities, industries, and modern armies. Their knowledge had changed. Their way of life had changed. Their weapons had changed.

Their bodies had not advanced in the same way.

The commander continued. "A species can become healthier through better food. Its people can become better trained. Medicine can help them live longer. Education can make them more capable. Those improvements matter, but they still happen within the limits of that species."

Another trainee raised her hand.

"Sir, what exactly separates a lower-level species from a higher-level one?"

"The answer depends on the species," the commander said. "There is no single trait that decides it. One higher-level species may have much greater strength. Another may be faster or harder to injure. Another may have stronger senses or an ability its lower-level form never possessed."

He looked across the room.

"What matters is that the species has moved beyond the natural limits it had before."

Noah understood why the commander was keeping the explanation broad. The trainees controlled completely different species. What counted as an important advancement for goblins might mean very little to another species.

The commander continued. "Do not make the mistake of thinking a higher-level species simply means something larger or more muscular. Strength is only one direction."

A trainee in the middle rows raised his hand.

"What other directions are there?"

"Speed, endurance, durability, senses, lifespan, resistance to certain environments, recovery, and other natural characteristics," the commander replied. "Some species may also gain abilities that did not exist before."

The trainee nodded and lowered his hand.

The commander continued. "The exact options depend on what species you started with and how you develop it later. You will learn more about that when you are actually ready to make those choices."

Daniel leaned slightly toward Noah.

"So the mammoths might be higher-level because of how strong their bodies are."

Noah kept his voice low. "That would make sense. They could fight the Astragoths directly."

Claire joined quietly. "And that may only be one of their advantages."

Ethan nodded. "Their strength is just the easiest one to notice."

The three fell silent as the commander continued.

"Some of you are probably thinking about your own species now. That is exactly what you should be doing."

He looked from one side of the room to the other.

"Ask yourselves what your species is naturally good at. Ask where its limits are. Then think about what happens when it meets something that is simply better in those areas."

Noah immediately thought about the goblins.

Their physical strength was nothing unusual. Their bodies had never been the reason Eldrath progressed so quickly.

Their greatest advantage was intelligence.

The one-percent genius trait had produced exceptional individuals across thousands of years. Those goblins had accelerated research, administration, engineering, military planning, and many other parts of Eldrath’s development.

If Noah eventually advanced the goblins, increasing physical strength might help, but it was not the only direction worth considering.

The commander continued. "The point of this meeting is not to make you disappointed in your current species. They brought you this far. Many of them fought enemies stronger than themselves and still survived."

He paused.

"The point is to make sure you understand that your current species is not the final form you are forced to keep forever."

That drew several quiet reactions from the room.

A trainee raised his hand.

"Sir, how do we actually raise them to a higher level?"

The commander looked toward him.

"You must first reach the First Threshold."

The room became completely quiet.

"That is the part all of you need to remember. Before you can begin true species advancement, you need to reach the First Threshold yourself."

Another trainee raised her hand.

"Does reaching it automatically raise the species?"

"It does not," the commander replied. "Reaching the First Threshold gives you access to species advancement. You still need to develop the species after that."

"So the threshold only opens the way?"

"That is a better way to think about it," the commander said. "You reach the threshold first. The choices about your species come after."

The trainee lowered her hand.

Noah kept the order clear in his mind.

First, the planetary lord advanced.

Then the species could advance.

The commander continued. "Some of you may have assumed that enough time would eventually produce a higher-level species on its own. That is not something you should rely on."

Several trainees became more attentive.

"A population can change over many generations. Certain traits can become more common. Better living conditions can improve health. Natural development can still happen."

He paused.

"But that is not the same as the species advancement available after the First Threshold."

A trainee raised his hand.

"So even if thousands of years pass, our species may still stay at the same level?"

"Yes. Time alone does not guarantee advancement."

The commander’s answer was simple, but it caught the attention of many trainees in the room.

Claire leaned slightly toward Noah.

"I thought generations might eventually be enough."

Noah looked at her. "I thought it was possible too."

Daniel glanced toward them. "Then waiting for the planet to handle it on its own would be a mistake."

Ethan kept his eyes on the commander. "Especially if the change we need depends on the planetary lord."

Their conversation ended there.

The commander continued. "That is why your own development matters. You are connected to the future development of your species. There are things your civilization can accomplish on its own, and there are things it cannot access until you reach the required level."

Noah thought about what his father had told him.

The First Ring required Faith Points and comprehension of Law.

Until now, Noah had mostly thought about that advancement in terms of his own strength as a planetary lord. The commander’s explanation showed him that his progress would eventually affect what he could do with Eldrath as well.

The commander continued. "Do not misunderstand what I’m telling you. Reaching the First Threshold does not mean everything else stops mattering."

He looked across the room.

"Your civilization still needs to develop. Your population still needs to grow. Your people still need knowledge, stability, and leadership. You still need Faith Points."

Noah paid close attention to that part.

"Species advancement does not replace civilization development. It adds another path of development."

A trainee raised his hand.

"Sir, should reaching the First Threshold become our main priority now?"

"It should become one of your major priorities," the commander replied. "Do not destroy the progress of your planet just because you learned that the threshold exists. You need to advance while keeping your civilization stable."

The trainee lowered his hand.

The commander continued. "What changes after this meeting is that you should stop thinking only about what your civilization can build."

He gestured toward the trainees.

"You should also start thinking about what your species itself may become once you gain access to that choice."

Noah considered the goblins again.

A stronger body would clearly help them. Better endurance would help as well. Longer lives might allow talented individuals to contribute to Eldrath for much longer.

But Noah was most interested in possibilities connected to intelligence.

If species advancement could strengthen what the goblins were already good at, then Eldrath’s development could accelerate even further.

The commander continued. "There is no universal best advancement. If you control a species built around physical power, then improving that strength may make sense. If your species depends on speed, senses, endurance, intelligence, or something else, then another direction may be better."

A trainee raised his hand.

"Can we choose the wrong advancement?"

"You can make a poor choice," the commander replied. "That is why you will study the available paths before choosing anything."

He looked across the room.

"Do not chase a trait simply because it sounds impressive. A species should develop in a way that works with what it already has and what you need it to do."

Noah remembered the mammoths again.

Their strength and size were obvious, but he had no idea what they had been like before advancement or whether their current form was the result of a deliberate path chosen by their planetary lord.

That question could wait.

The commander continued. "You will learn the details later. Right now, most of you cannot access those choices anyway."

Daniel leaned toward Noah.

"That’s probably a good thing. Half this room would start choosing today if they could."

Claire glanced at him. "You would be one of them."

Daniel gave her a small smile. "I would at least look at the options."

Ethan shook his head. "That is exactly why they are not giving them to us yet."

Noah smiled slightly but kept his attention on the front.

The commander continued. "The First Threshold is the next boundary you need to understand. It is not the end of your development, and it is not a reward that solves everything."

He stopped near the center of the room.

"It gives you access to something you do not have now."

The room remained quiet.

"The ability to begin raising your species beyond its current natural level."

Noah understood the importance of that clearly now.

Eldrath could continue developing without it. The goblins could build better cities, better schools, better weapons, and better institutions.

But if Noah wanted the goblins themselves to become something beyond what they currently were, he could not leave that process entirely to Eldrath.

His own advancement came first.

The commander looked across the trainees again.

"As you move forward, you will meet more species that are stronger than yours. Some will have greater physical power. Some will have abilities your people cannot match. Some will have already undergone several stages of advancement."

He paused.

"You should not be surprised when that happens."

A trainee near the back raised his hand.

"Sir, will we be expected to fight higher-level species again before we reach the First Threshold?"

"That depends on your assignments," the commander replied. "You should assume it is possible."

The commander kept his expression serious.

"The Empire will not arrange every future battle around the current limits of your species. If you enter another war, you may face enemies stronger than you are now."

The trainee lowered his hand.

That answer caused several trainees to exchange looks.

The commander continued. "That should give you enough reason to take your own advancement seriously."

Daniel spoke quietly.

"That answers whether we can ignore it for a few years."

Claire looked toward him. "Apparently not."

Ethan nodded. "We were going to need it eventually. Now we know eventually may come sooner."

Noah said nothing. He was already thinking about the First Threshold.

The commander continued. "Your next lessons will cover what you need to reach it. Until then, continue developing your planets and gathering what you need for your own advancement."

He placed his hands behind his back.

"Do not waste time trying to plan the final form of your species yet. Learn the requirements first. Reach the threshold. Then study your options carefully."

That was practical enough that nobody questioned it.

The commander looked across the room one final time.

"If there is one thing you remember from this meeting, remember this: your species does not have to remain at its current level, but it cannot advance beyond that level until you do."

He stepped back toward the other instructors.

One of them checked his relay while another moved toward the door. The senior commander gave the trainees a final instruction.

"Remain seated until your group is called. Your individual evaluations will be handled separately."

Noah remained beside Daniel, Claire, and Ethan while the instructors began organizing the trainees for dismissal.

The commander had not explained how Noah would reach the First Threshold. He had not explained what choices the goblins would have after he reached it.

Those details would come later.

For now, Noah understood what mattered.

Eldrath could continue growing while he worked on his own advancement. The goblins could continue developing their civilization, knowledge, and military.

But if Noah wanted the goblins themselves to rise to a higher level, then he had to reach the First Threshold first.