"CADETS, RISE AND SHINE, 6:00 A.M. ASSESSMENT AT THE NEAREST LITE-LAB. DON'T BE LATE"

Gigantic air horns were on full blast, going off every ten seconds as a deafening announcement swept across the entire Military Zone.

Sikhail GodFiend was startled awake. He and his roommates had breakfast, brushed their teeth, took a shower, got dressed, and headed toward the destination delivered via their battle-suit.

"CADETS, PEACE AND QUIET WHEN THE WEAKEST LINK ARRIVES"

This was the last message before the deafening announcements stopped. Everyone waited another ten seconds before looking at the late arrival, causing them to break out into a cold sweat.

"Hello, everyone. Warriors. Magicians. Rogues. The military protects the country, so it's not going away. Neither are soldiers. What we have instead are new military ranks. Tier 1 Special Soldiers. Tier 2 Elite Soldiers. Don't worry about anything beyond that.

|———|

Every place has its own method, and our specialty is practical combat. You won't make any gains if you don't feel the pain. The military is all about efficient, cutting-edge technology.

|———|

We will show you how to apply yourself in combat, but before that, we have to figure out if you have that secret sauce. It's called an innate trait, and there are different ways to express em. Warriors are strong and durable. Magicians are crafty and intelligent. Rogues are quick and great learners. If you are one of those, our machines will amplify it and make it obvious.

|———|

Easy as that. You may be wondering how the f**k that translates into a gun. You point and shoot, and your bullet does funny things. If you can't understand that, get the hell out of my unit. I do NOT tolerate idiots, and the hell I EVER will.

|———|

Get in the damn machines, and don't come out unless you surprise me. If you piss me off, I guarantee you broken bones," the lead examiner stated bluntly.

The proctors were Privates with a year or two of experience in military drills and exercises. The soldier-in-charge had at least 5 years of field experience, 3 of which were either observation, active participation on the field, or both.

The soldiers were generally familiar with the system, answering the questions that popped up. The most common answer was to *calm down*, followed by *it's just the starting point*. Some even detailed their own experiences and misconceptions.

Access was controlled by a digital terminal. A hand scan logged the entry while also associating the result. Baseline stats, performance per section, and overall performance were all recorded. Proctors would write down comments, noting strengths and weaknesses, then summarize them comprehensively.

The digital terminal would become a holographic display that showed generic information about what was happening within the simulation. The intent was to stimulate healthy competition without revealing any specifics. It ultimately benefited those who went after.

*Natural Born Soldier* was a term often misunderstood to mean *good at killing, good at war, and good at hurting people*. In reality, it just meant you were a psycho who enjoyed it. If you happened to be good at it, you didn't stop being a psycho. You were just slapped with an additional *dangerous* tag. After all, crazies existed everywhere, and you mostly ignored them.

Unexpectedly, people were more inclined to be natural-born survivors than peace lovers. If your life was in danger, you wouldn't simply accept it. You're gonna go crazy and fight to get rid of the threat.

What was rare was exhibiting unnatural calmness. It's challenging to stay still when death is a high possibility. How do those people navigate a mental breakdown? You see the outcome of every path and know which ones to avoid or take. It's often misinterpreted as being *too scared to make a move*. That couldn't be further from the truth because they're usually the first to get a knife to the skull.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Eventually, it would be Sikhail's turn. He mentally prepared himself before stepping into the simulation. He saw the instructions, followed them, and the door to the next section opened.

'What the f**k!' the proctor muttered with shock after a delayed response.

He didn't realize that he had repeatedly tapped the button to summon his senior until he was right behind him. The senior was met with silence, but when he rewound the footage, he had the same reaction.

The senior staff member relayed this information up the chain of command. Zone Commander Major Tommy Hsuzel took over. He watched every second of the footage repeatedly, analyzing each scene till his eyes felt tired. Finally, Hsuzel reached out to a few contacts. A response came back instantly. The rest arrived within a few seconds.

He accepted a private line.

"Hsuzel."

"Miss Ifrit."

"This revelation is startling. Who else knows?"

"Just our private circle."

"We Exotics have our own evolutionary lines. Exotic. OverCharged. Primed. Should be equivalent to an ACE."

"Currently, you have quite a population of young OverCharged, right?"

"Might have some more soon. You guys have a few ACEs per continent, right?"

"I'm watching him right now. He expresses his talents really well."

"So you mean he's exactly like the Founders. So-called Ome…"

"Why did you stop?"

"Damn, I forget the term."

"It's ancient."

"Don't you still use it as a rank in the military?"

"Hasn't been used in decades. Never been used, to be honest. The founder of the military. Special rank reserved for him."

"The founder of the military, the government, isn't it?"

"The government adopted the military as their offensive branch."

"As you can see, history wasn't my best subject."

"People think that the Government created the military to rule the world. On the contrary, it was a partnership to avoid becoming irrelevant. Who's the next OverCharged, by the way?"

"My young lady. Lily Lightning."

"I'm planning on changing his curriculum. Elder Sigfrey."

"What?? That monster?"

"He has a daughter. April."

"I've heard of that name. She's a terrifying Supernatural genius. Technique on top of force?"

"The Founders had power, technique, and precision, regardless of their background. They're also good in politics and business."

"That's demanding a lot at such a young age."

"Child's play to the best."

"You have high hopes for him."

"An ACE is rare, almost impossible to find. But, it's worth the effort."

"Ok. I trust you. What do you need from me?"

"Nothing. I'm just looping you in. Maybe one day I'll have him make a trip."

"Oh? I'm looking forward to how much he grows by that point."

(Click)

——|——|—|—|——|——

[Military Zone 3, Military Sector 17]

Two Cadets were leaving the Lite-Lab. They were able to blend in with the crowd rather effortlessly.

"How do you think that boy did?" a girl asked the boy walking beside her.

"He should have done well… average, I suppose. Persephone… is he related to you?" Mike Buttercups replied.

"Quite a stretch. Is that kid named Fruitcups related to you?" Persephone Demifiend answered back with a tiny smile.

Mike didn't respond. He simply shook his head. Both of them suddenly froze.

"It seems that this year, the gifts were plentiful," Persephone Demifiend said, shocked and stunned.

"Yeah, it'll be interesting. But, of course, the stronger the competition, the higher our prestige can rise," Mike Buttercups replied vaguely.

"When do you think we'll be able to enter that place?" Persephone Demifiend responded with even more mysteriousness.

"It's best not to speak about such matters until we have the qualifications to step in," Mike Buttercups responded with a severe tone after seriously pondering the question.

"What about her?" Persephone Demifiend suddenly asked.

"Lily? She's too mysterious," Mike Buttercups said while shaking his head.

——|——|—|—|——|——

Intense spatial fluctuations covered a foresty jungle, seemingly intent on hiding something. Underneath the spatial interference was a vast and ancient-looking civilization split into regions shaped by unique environments.

Endless thunderstorms dotted a vast ocean. Raging infernos smashed into each. Gigantic tsunamis swallowed everything in sight. Giant tornadoes piled on top of each other. Earthquakes uplifted the land and shaped the scenery.

Many smaller regions, such as a winter wonderland, a sky of angels, and more, also existed.

Sitting underneath the endless thunderstorms was a young woman holding a pair of Uzis. She shot at every thunderbolt crashing onto the ocean, disintegrating them with lightning strikes. Off on the horizon were other young men and women dealing with the thunderbolts in their own way. Some were running, others were standing, and many even sat cross-legged like her.

A woman could be seen walking towards her from the shoreline. Each step she took touched the water underneath her, but there weren't any ripples.

"Lily… I have some interesting news. Would you like to hear?" the woman asked.

"Madam Ifrit… is it about Sikhail?" Lily asked.

“I have an old friend. He's currently serving as the Zone Commander of Military Zone 125. I had a conversation with him after receiving some exciting footage.

|———|

That elders senior would like you to make introductions on his behalf. If he were to go directly, it would leave the wrong impression," Madam Ifrit explained, the most pleasant smile on her face.

Lily nodded, showing her approval.

"But it won't be that simple. It has to be at the right time. After I get to know him more," Lily said thoughtfully.

"Of course," Madam Ifrit nodded. "How is your overload, by the way?"

"A little more, and I'll officially attain OverCharge, I think," Lily replied rather happily.

"Good, good. Try to make it in time for the feast," Madam Ifrit chirped.