The next morning, Axel woke up early. Today was the first day of training for the elite class, and he was curious to see what kind of instructor the school would bring in to teach them.

  "Axel, over here!" As soon as Axel stepped onto the playground, he spotted Cassia hanging from the horizontal bar, swinging her long legs back and forth while waving him over.

  Nearby, a few other students stood in small groups, chatting casually. As soon as Cassia called out to him, they all turned their attention to Axel.

  Even in the elite class, there were cliques. Ryder and Vale were clearly the social butterflies in the crowd. So naturally, a group of students had gathered around them.

  For Axel, their reaction had been mild. His Force rating of 90 was just barely enough to qualify for the class, so the other students were more curious than impressed. They'd been surprised yesterday, but that was about it.

  Cassia, however, was among the top students in the class. Too bad for Ryder and Vale—they’d tried talking to her a few times, but quickly realized she wasn’t interested in them, so they stopped wasting their time.

  The rest of the students were still chattering, and Ryder and Vale had already started a group chat, pulling everyone in.

  It had to be said, the two of them were good at getting the crowd going. Before long, the awkwardness faded, and the students began warming up to each other.

  "In the future, we’ll all be awakened," Ryder said, speaking with a smile. "Even if we’re not in the same city, we’re still classmates. We can help each other out."

  His words seemed to have an effect, as many of the students straightened their backs, feeling a sense of pride and unity.

  Axel didn't comment, but he knew better. A Force rating of 100 was just the minimum threshold for awakening. Even if you reached it, there was no guarantee you would successfully awaken.

  And having even ten people in their class actually succeed would be considered a major win.

  "I wonder who the substitute teacher is today?" someone asked, breaking the silence.

  "The principal's the only awakened one at our school, right? He's a first-level Awakener in the Department of Life. You think he might show up?"

  "Not a chance."

  "That would be boring as hell. Are seriously getting someone with a lower Force rating than our?"

  The group chuckled, their confidence high. After all, this was Brookhaven High, the top school in the city, and they were the best of the best here. They were in high spirits, feeling like they had the world at their feet.

  Just then, the roar of an engine shattered the calm. A black motorcycle came speeding down the road, kicking up a cloud of dust as it barreled toward the crowd like a beast on the prowl.

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  The rider, a man with a scar on his face and wearing a black leather jacket, was casually holding a cigarette as he tore through the playground.

  At this speed, the motorcycle would crash into the group, knocking people over. The students instinctively jumped to the side, trying to avoid the impending collision. But instead of braking, the man slammed his foot onto the ground and leapt into the air, the bike still gripped firmly in his hand.

  The bike flipped through the air, spinning like a toy before landing smoothly at the side of the road.

  The man shrugged off the dust, coughing once before speaking. "Hey there, everyone. I’m your special training instructor, Kieran."

  The entire group fell silent. Their mouths went dry as they took in the sight. The motorcycle, which looked like it weighed several hundred pounds, was a toy in the man's hands. He handled it with ease, as if it were nothing more than a bicycle.

  The display was clearly meant to shock them, and it succeeded. The students, who had been casually chatting moments before, were now wide-eyed, their earlier cocky attitudes completely evaporated.

  They had thought that the ten days of special training would be a waste of time. But now? Now they could see that their instructor was on an entirely different level. Their expectations had just shot up.

  "I get your situation," Kieran said, his voice casual but carrying a weight of authority. "But this next round of training might be a bit intense. If you’ve got any physical conditions or you can’t handle strenuous exercise, step forward now."

  There was a collective chuckle from the group. There were different types of awakenings, but combat type was always the focus. These people were the elite, the ones with a Force rating above 90. They were in prime physical condition, far stronger than normal humans, so any kind of basic exercise should be a walk in the park for them.

  "Alright, looks like no one has any issues," Kieran continued, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. "Let’s get started. It's 8:30 AM. You’ll be running laps around this playground. You’ve got three and a half hours. The more laps you complete, the bigger the reward."

  At this, the group froze, confused.

  "Wait... running laps?" A chubby kid whined, his voice tinged with frustration.

  It wasn't that he was worried about getting tired. It was the fact that this training was so... basic. Running for hours? Seriously? He’d rather spend his time absorbing raw stones.

  "Yep," Kieran said, eyes twinkling. "And not just today, but for the next five days. Laps every morning." He casually hopped up onto a raised platform, leaning back with a grin. "Have fun."

  There was a collective groan as students exchanged glances. Some of them even muttered under their breath.

  "This is it?" someone asked, incredulity in their voice.

  "Is this really the special training we were promised?" another muttered.

  Kieran didn’t flinch at the whispers. "Don’t like it? Well, you can leave," Kieran said, waving a dismissive hand.

  The chubby kid’s face reddened.

  "Instructor Kieran, we invited you to help us awaken. You’re really just going to make us run laps? Isn’t that a bit lazy?" he said, louder now.

  Silence fell over the field. The audacity of it hung in the air. Normally, no student would ever speak like that to a teacher, especially not at a school like this. But these were the elite students, the children of the wealthiest families in Dune. They were used to getting what they wanted, and they didn’t fear confrontation.

  "How I teach is up to me," he said, his tone unbothered. "If you’ve got a problem with that, feel free to report me or quit. I don’t care."

  The chubby kid’s face flushed with embarrassment, but he didn’t dare speak again.

  "By the way," Kieran added, a wicked grin spreading across his face, "I almost forgot to mention—first place gets a Force-recovery Pill. The top five get Force-increasing Pills."

  At the mention of the Force-recovery pills, all the murmurs stopped.

  The mood shifted instantly. The students from wealthy families suddenly stood up straighter. Force-recovery pills. The real deal. Even they knew that these were valuable, precious items, things you couldn’t just buy at the corner store.