“You will have your first field lesson and finally face real combat!” Musk explained with a serious expression.
“Yeah! Finally, we’ll see real action.” Several recruits were celebrating the news.
But not everyone celebrated. It wasn’t uncommon for incidents to happen inside the Academy. Recently, it has become so frequent that it is no longer a scandal when some students go missing during expeditions.
“Tomorrow, at 0800, you will head to the transport area. You will meet all the Weapon Rangers training groups for joint training.” Musk continued the explanation.
The captain typed some information on his holographic keyboard, causing some images to be projected. The first was of a green planet that none of the students recognized.
“You will be responsible for the reconnaissance mission of the exo-planet Aethra. This planet already contains a small settlement, and there are no signs of any monsters above Knight level. However, certain monsters can reproduce quickly and require extensive hunting occasionally for population control. This is the case with the Crabits.”
After mentioning the animal's name, a few more holograms appeared. The four-legged creature resembled a rabbit; however, its front legs were strong and massive. Its teeth were sharp enough to rip carcasses apart.
As the students absorbed the group's first mission, more videos of the animals were projected. In each video, it was clear that although they were small animals, roughly the size of a dog, they were fast and fierce.
“Do not be fooled; although they are Pawn-level monsters, if you are not prepared to face them, they can quickly kill any of you.”
In one of the videos, a Crabit grabbed what appeared to be a dog and, with a fierce bite, ripped its head off in a quick, almost instantaneous motion. Several students were disgusted by the image, while others shivered at such brutality. Oliver did not feel as impacted; he was already used to cleaning up Ork remains; it wasn’t so different.
‘How does someone face something like this?’ Oliver pondered.
“Professor, how can these Crabits be Pawn level?” one of the students from the Second Battalion asked, his trembling voice revealing the fear he tried to hide.
“Although fast and fierce, they are animals with little intelligence and defense. If you are able to attack them, you can quickly clear the entire horde.” Musk answered.
Some more images appeared of hunters shooting at the animals and clearing the packs. Seeing the examples in the holograms, Oliver noticed that ranged weapons seemed more difficult as they allowed the animals to dodge the shots. At the same time, close combat could more easily approach the fierce animals and eliminate them quickly.
‘These Crabits are going to be a headache. I only have the Energy Pistol to deal with them,’ Oliver thought, trying to figure out if there was another option.
“Each kill will be recorded on your gauntlets, where you can see the ranking among yourselves and the other classes. Your score will be connected to your positions within your battalions, allowing students from the first and second battalions to be moved between them.” Musk explained.
Another level of competitiveness had been introduced. It was a clear sign that the Academy didn’t want to maintain the status quo; they wanted the survival of the fittest, and for that, they needed to pit all the students against each other.
For the students of the second battalion, this was the motivation they needed: the possibility of moving to the first battalion and increasing their chances of becoming Rangers. For the first battalion, it was a way to hold on to their laurels and maintain their position.
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“Make the New Earth Army proud!” the captain shouted.
Musk gave this speech hundreds of times, but it always had the desired effect: igniting a sense of patriotism for the army and the empire while increasing the competitiveness and rivalry between battalions. Only this way could they secure the best talents among the young recruits.
“Clap! Clap! Clap!” Many recruits gave the instructor a round of applause, especially those who had joined the Academy with an intense patriotism or had even been victims of the Waves. Most of them dreamed of being able to do something, of going to the front lines.
“In the meantime, today, we will have six more rounds of combat. Again, I will select those who stay in the ring and those who rotate out. But we will have a small change, so you can train in an environment closer to what you’ll find in Aethra.” Musk explained.
The combat format was not new to the students; each would have three minutes to face an opponent. Both sides would seek to learn as much as possible and force an evolution, although it was difficult to achieve. Oliver knew that the tougher the opponent, the greater the experience he could gain.
However, the class was surprised to see what the professor was doing; after typing on the keyboard, the ground of all the arenas changed. In some, there was grass; in others, there was sand, rocks, or water.
“Today, you will have to get used to fighting in a new setting for each match. This will force you to prepare for the most diverse environments you will encounter during your missions.” The captain finished his explanation.
[Combat will start in …]
[3… 2… 1…]
[Combat initiated]
The following combats were not much different from the ones in the last days. Although the terrain added a new difficulty level, both combatants had to learn. By the third round, it became apparent who had the upper hand in the arena.
These students did not have to relearn a new combat style; however, those who rotated between rings had a more challenging experience, but one that allowed them to learn more about adapting to various scenarios.
For Oliver, this was a great experience, except for the fact that he was being humiliated in every match. In the first ones, he faced some colleagues from the first battalion in sandy terrains, which made it difficult for him to dodge and move away quickly. This allowed his opponents to defeat him with little resistance.
Just when he was starting to adapt, he had to face Katherine in a water-filled environment up to his shins, making each step extremely heavy. The fight lasted less than 30 seconds. The boy again left feeling annoyed for not having at least tried to start a conversation.
His last match was again against Astrid, who was still super excited. It was unclear whether it was because of the combat or ‘real action’ they would face the next day. But in any case, it was another defeat. This time, it was a mountainous terrain with rocks and sand. It would have been great for Oliver if the arena had been larger, allowing him to act as a sniper from a distance. But the rocks only became an obstacle for him to dodge Astrid’s attacks at the short distance.
Once more, Oliver ended the day feeling like he learned a lot, but at the cost of several defeats.
[+15 Experience Points]
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| Status Page
| User: Oliver [Nameless]
| Level: 1 [Pawn]
| Experience: [158/100] [Click to Evolve]
The class was finally over; he wanted to get to the dorm as soon as possible. If he was lucky, there wouldn’t be too many recruits, and he could test the evolution. But before he could leave, Astrid appeared in front of him.
“Are you going to make this a habit?” Oliver asked.
“What? Hey! You’re friends with Isabela, right?” Astrid spoke fast, as always.
“Huh?” Oliver answered.
“I asked if you were friends with Isabela. Short girl, dark hair, always smiling like a distracted person, and obsessed with celebrity Rangers.” Astrid explained.
“Oh! Yes, I am.” For Oliver, the main description that made him figure out was her strange fascination with Rangers.
“She asked me to tell you and the other boy to activate the chat function on your Gauntlet and add her. Her username is BelaRedFanGirl.” Astrid commented.
Oliver didn't know that the gauntlet had a chat function. But as they had explained, they would discover more about its features as they used it over time. He was also surprised with himself for not being freaked out by Isabela's username.
“You could take the opportunity and add me too…” Astrid lowered her voice with each word.
“What?”
“I SAID YOU COULD TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY AND ADD ME TOO! SweetValhalla” Astrid's face was completely red, close to her hair color.
“You must be deaf.” After her last words, she quickly turned and left the gym. Meanwhile, other students who had remained were whispering about what had just happened.
Oliver didn’t know how to interpret what had just occurred, but he didn’t have much time to think about it. He ran out of the gym and went straight to the dormitory.
Although there were some students in the first bunks, his was near the end and appeared to have no other recruits. He got to his bed and sat while watching the button.
[Click to Evolve]
| Click!