"My best option would be Ranger ons. It’s already saved me twice. Also, I don’t know any other form of bat." Oliver expined.

  An mulled over Oliver’s reasoning. It made sehough he had secretly hoped Oliver would have chosen Energy ons. It was a selfish desire, but over the past few days, Oliver had bee the closest thing to a friend An had.

  “Makes sense. You seemed good with that Energy Pistol.” An remembered.

  As the two talked, more and more recruits gradually arrived at the Trainier until it was nearly full. Simir to the st css, this was also mixed, with boys and girls training together. However, it was still only students from the Sed Battalion, making it easy for An and Oliver tnize some familiar faces, even if they weren’t from the same barracks.

  "Recruits!” A titanic shout was heard. “I’m Captain Liv, and I will oversee your physical training."

  The instructor arrived along with the st group of students and immediately began the session. She walked to the ter of the training area, which tained different gym equipment scattered across the field and a running tracirg it.

  "Every human body has a natural limit. Even after using the Z Crystal and going through its natural evolution, you’ll still hit a ceiling. However, that doesn’t mean you ’t push past it." The captain expined.

  Liv moved between the cadets, their physical position as carefully as they studied her. Liv's Nordic appearance left most boys in awe. Although her uniform was simir to that of other officers, it was more practical; it cked coat sleeves, and instead of a skirt, she wore cargo pants.

  "However, these new evolutions don’t happen naturally. We o force them. They occur through interaining or battles that push you to your limits. That’s exactly what we will replicate in your training. Obviously, there’s a risk involved, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take." The captain gave the students a broad smile that veyed her joy in being their instructor and a hint of sadism in watg them be pushed to their limits.

  The young trainer quickly turned her head, making her red braided hair sway in the wind. If the boys weren’t so distracted by her, they might have been more afraid of what was i.

  "Let’s start with a set!"

  The captain walked to the side of the gym, reag one of the walls, and typed on a transparent panel. After a few seds, the entire gym started to vert. Trapdoors opened from the floor, removing and adding equipment while other parts shifted position.

  In under a mihe gym was transformed into an obstacle course.

  "As soon as the whistle blows, you’ll start at one piece of equipment, and when you hear the whistle again, you’ll move to the !” She gave them just a moment to process her and.

  “Begin!" The whistle echoed in the gym.

  An and Oliver were still shocked at how quickly the gym had ged when they heard the whistle blow. Despite there being hundreds of recruits, the gym seemed to aodate everyone. As each stage progressed, it became more difficult. Sweat and exhaustion began to overtake each cadet’s body.

  [+1 Experience Point]

  A notification appeared in the er of Oliver’s vision as he gasped for air.

  'So, this is how I earn more Experience Points.' Oliver thought.

  The training had started in the early afternoon and only stopped for short breaks until te afternoon. An rawled on the ground, w if anyone could roll him along the floor back to the barracks. Meanwhile, Oliver was expl the ges on his Status Page.

  | Status Page| User: Oliver [Nameless]| Level: 1 [Pawn]| Experience: [27/100]

  ‘In just oernoon, I got seven experience points. Just with training.’ Oliver examined. ‘It doesn’t seem that bad.’

  It wasn’t something he could do every day, but it didn’t seem so bad until he had to lift his arm, and the pain in his muscles almost made him cry.

  'Or maybe it’s pretty bad.' He regretted thinking about it.

  The rest of the night was torturous. No cadet could muster a word. Even in the shared bathrooms or during dihey were simply trying to stay alive. To their luck, the exhaustion was s that many cadets fell into a deep sleep.

  ---

  ---

  The following day, as the dormitory arms went off, inhuman groans filled the air, and hundreds of curses aimed at Captain Liv’s mother. But the army wasn’t going to wait for the unprepared, and slowly, the Sed Battalion began readying themselves for the sed day.

  Oliver was one of the students who woke up cursing Captain Liv's mother. His arms and legs seemed unwilling to move, and any tact with them only caused more pain.

  Still, there was a hint of joy for the experience he'd gained. He was oep closer to being stronger and increasing his ces of surviving otlefield.

  But beyond the joy of increasing his ces of survival, there was another reason for his happiness. There was also an amount of petitivehat he hadn’t realized yet. When he wasn’t grumbling in paihought about the golden-haired girl, Katherine, and whether he could surpass her iure. Of course, these thoughts passed quickly, bringing a bit of embarrassment and turning his ears red.

  Oliver, An and a few other boys had gotteo walking together, mainly because the Academy was enormous, and more people helped find the best routes. The group was among the first to arrive at the cafeteria, but uhe day before, there was ement for breakfast. Some grumbled in pain, while others focused on ing as much of the goopy food as possible.

  However, the group wouldn’t stay together for long. With the start of the bat Specialization csses, each person had to find their new css. Oliver was, unfortunately, the only one from his group going ter ons, while most chose Hand-to-Hand bat.

  After leaving the cafeteria, the boy had to walk along the long trails around the isnd's ter until he found the correct building for his css. After firming he was in the right pce, he could finally check out the surroundings.

  It resembled the trainier from the previous day, with a gym-like aspect, but this time, several arenas were scattered across the field.

  'Not again…' Internally, Oliver cried, realizing he was in for more physical exertion. His body was on the verge of colpse.

  One of his hopes was that he wouldn’t have to exert himself as much since his on was le. Seeing the arenas, he knew his hopes were in vain.

  Another difference he noticed was that this gymnasium had bleachers. Finally, he’d have somewhere to rest before css started. He rushed to the front row and leaned his head against the nearby pilr. Seeking a few minutes of rest, Oliver closed his eyes and tried to nap.

  His nap didn’t st long. Just a few mier, the gym began filling up with other recruits. However, there was something odd about them. Some of the groups Oliver couldn’t reize. He could remember most of the recruits from the Sed Battalion, havihem in other csses and the cafeteria.

  Another detail he missed was the older officer standing right in the gym’s ter. This officer, Oliver, did reize. The man had no hair except his graying beard, and his limbs were repced with meical prosthetics. There was hardly anyone who looked like him.

  He was the same officer who had overseen Oliver’s entrance exam into the Academy.

  “e closer! I don’t want to shout to be heard!” The officer spoke.

  The old man raised his voice just enough so the students could hear.

  "I am Captain Musk, and I will be your Instructor in Ranger ons bat."

  Without activating his armor, Musk jured a revolver in his hand.

  "I joihe army during the Third Wave, a time when we didn’t have the power or ease er ons. While these ons may not have the gmour of Hand to Hand and Energy bat, the so called inal arts, they will be the best any of you to survive the frontline." Musk expined.

  The officer twirled the revolver between his fingers as he walked among the recruits. The students closest to him were impressed by the old man's familiarity and agility with the on.

  “You may have thought I would teach you how to use your ons, but that’s impossible. Since each on is tailored to your bat style, eae of you will have pletely different ons from the others.” The officer tio expin.

  Musk then stepped up onto one of the arenas.

  “Your best ce to train is in real bat. Therefore, our csses will be quite simple. You will be divided into pairs and must fight each other. Before each fight, you must get an Artificial Ranger Armor in the er of the ptform and activate them. Each fight will st three minutes. After the whistle blows, one of you will move on to the ring, while one batant stays."

  The instructor walked among the students, assigning them to their pces. Oliver wasn’t in any of the arenas, as he would be in the group that moved to the ptform after hearing the whistle.

  "If you haven’t noticed yet, there are students from both the First and Sed Squadrons in each group. This way, you’ll stantly be fag oppos of different levels, giving you a ce to refine your bat a your skills." Musk ented.

  Another familiar voice echoed throughout the gym.

  [Enter your arena]

  [bat will start in 60 seds]

  'Oh, damn.'

  As Oliver climbed onto the ptform, he reized who he was about to face.

  GCLopes