*Squeak squeak!*

Arthur woke up with a start as the Rat pulled his hair and squeaked into his ear.

"Huh?"

"Wait! I need to go to the barracks! What time is it now?" Arthur finally gathered his consciousness as he rushed out of his hiding hole.

The sun was still below the horizon, but he could see some orange corona, signaling that it was almost time for him to arrive at the barracks.

"Why didn't you wake me up sooner, Rat??" Arthur ran toward the west gate barracks with the rat on his shoulder.

*Squeak!* He got whipped on the face once more by the rat's tail.

"Hey! I did wake up right away when you woke me up!" he defended himself.

*Squeak squeak!*

"Then you should have tried harder to wake me up!"

With the morning quarrel behind them, Arthur and his companion finally arrived at the military barracks. He was out of breath, but at least he wasn't late.

The barracks had two giant doors and was surrounded by high walls, big enough for elephant-sized bonds to enter and take shelter inside.

There were two guards by the door, but compared to the guards at the office, these guards looked way more menacing. They held themselves as if they expected someone to attack them if they let their guard down.

Arthur didn't want to antagonize the clearly veteran soldiers, so he showed them his token even before he arrived in front of the gate to avoid getting on the wrong side of their blades.

The guards let him in without a word.

Inside the barracks, it was already packed with new recruits. Some were talking among themselves, while others stayed in their own corners, avoiding any contact with others.

Arthur found an empty spot for himself. He didn't want to join the others, not because he saw them beneath him, but because he was afraid of offending anyone.

"The best way to avoid any trouble is to stay away from anyone so I won't accidentally step on someone's foot!" he thought.

The room they were in was large and empty, with only recruits and their bonds inside. Even the quality of the building was apparent. The floor didn't crack even with some large bonds walking inside.

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Arthur was studying the building and the people when he felt the rat bumping into his shoulder, trying to get his attention.

It pointed toward a man in another corner of the room. The man moved toward the deepest part of the barracks through the packed building, weaving forward without bumping into anyone.

People ignored him, while only one or two recruits moved to make way for the man as he walked through the crowd.

Suddenly, the man's bearing changed, and practically everyone turned their heads to look at him.

"Attention, soldiers!" the man boomed at them.

"Everyone, stand in line beside your bonds! You have 10 seconds!"

Everyone practically ran to make an impromptu formation with their bonds from the man's command.

Arthur wasn't late, thanks to him noticing the man's movement early, so he was ready for anything, and the command didn't take him by surprise.

Some people were stunned by the sudden turn of events and didn't make it in time, while others had trouble keeping their bonds in line with them.

"Time's up! Anyone not yet in line can go home! Just take it that you died in battle and got a second chance at life! I don't need anyone who will freeze the first thing when things go beyond expectation!" The man unbuttoned his mantle, revealing a military uniform.

The people who didn't make it in time grimaced, but none of them talked back to the man. Even if the man was alone and his bond nowhere to be seen, talking back to him and protesting wouldn't get them anywhere.

"Now, anyone who doesn't have their bond beside them can also go home! I don't need anyone who can't control their bond becoming a liability in my Battalion!"

About twenty people were kicked out of the barracks within a minute from their assembly. Arthur knew that the military was supposed to be strict, but he didn't know that they would start the day with such a test.

"Now, with those unqualified ones out of the way, let's start!"

"Greetings, soldiers! I'm Lieutenant Colonel Samson Monroe of the 3rd Flaming Dragon Battalion! For the next month, you will receive training from our veteran soldiers! Those who finish their training will have the honor to protect the city under the banner of the 3rd Flaming Dragon Battalion!"

Colonel Samson looked at the men and women in the room with appraising eyes.

"Do I make myself clear?!" he barked.

"Sir, yes, sir!" the recruits replied in unison.

"If anyone wants to quit, now is your last chance!" the man sternly said, but no one backed out.

"Good! Now, before your first training, you will be divided into squads, but sadly, you have no choice which squad you will be a part of!" Just as the man finished his words, ten soldiers joined them in the room.

"These are a few of my best soldiers. From today onward, they will be your drill sergeants. Each of them will choose who will be a part of their squad!" the colonel announced.

One of the ten soldiers took a step forward, flipping through a catalog in his hand as he observed the new recruits.

There were around 80 recruits left after the early culling, so each soldier would choose 8 recruits to be under them.

After some observation, the soldier ripped some documents from the catalog before passing the catalog to the next soldier.

"Those papers must be our application forms," Arthur concluded as he observed the soldier, wondering which one would be the sergeant of his future squad.

To his surprise, one of the soldiers didn't even touch the catalog but instead pulled out a stack of documents from under her jacket.

"Now, anyone whose name is called, follow your training officer. They have every right to kick you from this training, so follow their orders to the letter!" Colonel Samson said after every veteran soldier had their recruit documents.