I punched the spiked neck of the Ilaekraaa that didn't puncture my skin. An Ilaekraaa at Cadet two was stronger than the norm. I had forgotten a simple truth that put my strength into context. Technically speaking I am at Cadet ten and only need confirmation or exp.

The symbiont system was simple in its complexities. I studied tactics and logistics more than I ever did Foundational mechanics and theories. The Symbiont system was to board for me to have a holistic understanding, even after many years of training. As Commander Riddick liked to say on the show Wormhole X-treme, 'Augments are Ability.'

Refilwe explained it better to all of us. She looked so high and mighty when she spoke. It was the first time she knew something better than anybody else in the training program. “Yeah, like basically each cost of augment installation is your base grade. Which then improves as you raise your grade value from one to ten.”

Batz had subsequently put her down by expanding on the grades. “ Of course, this is augment dependent. Doctrine explains that the common commodity distillation process plateaus at predetermined milestones in preparation for expansion. Thus resulting in a diversified commodity.”

Yeah, we were all sure Batz also had no idea what he was saying, but I supposed I have to experience it to understand.

I gripped the Ilaekraaa by the horn as I tore into its side. As I ripped and pulled its ribs apart. The vile dick biter managed to barrelroll, and took me down with its spikes. We rolled on the ground like pigs fighting over a truffle. The Ilaekraaa shot its spikes. The death roll had not worked as intended. I am stronger, faster and harder hitting. We fought, and I was calm. The battle was becoming effortless.

[20 Exp earned]

[Elimination Room Started]

I hadn't studied this kind of room. So I wasn't sure, how large or how long it would take. From what I understood about the symbiont System, it would give me some information when asked. This would be a useful source of information when I try raid rifts, other trial grounds and hidden zones. I felt pumped the more experience points I earned the stronger I became.

[Elimination Room]

Rank: Cadet 5

Information: This room is a hunt-and-kill zone. Eliminate all enemies to trigger the guardian. Failure to kill all enemies before time is over will trigger the Guardian and grow the strength of all remaining.

Time remaining: 59 mins

[Simple Weapon]

Name: Laser Pistol

Rank: Cadet

Rarity: Silver

Information: A standard hand laser pistol. The unique trait is the solar powered battery that gives the weapon near limitless ammunition.

We assaulted the elimination room and even with my diluted experience gain. I was growing fast. I ordered Beast, the biggest and baddest looking of my bio-droids. To loot the mangy Croco-dog. The Croco-dog produced one item, and I let him have it. He could provide fire support when we stumbled upon our next Croco-dog. The others spread out, looking for more dogs.

As I fought alongside the bio-droids. They were really stupid, but also incredibly capable. They are like toddlers being incredibly fast when I'm not really looking and getting themselves into trouble. A slither vine was the worst as it only slowed us down. The ambush predator didn't have the raw attack to injure the Bio-droids plus they are immune to whatever poison it unleashed. Because they remained unhurt, they did not alert me, so I had to find my lost sheep a couple of times.

I needed to be incredibly specific with my thoughts so that they do as intended, but also not so strict that they focus on one thing to the detriment of everything else. Which sounds simple until I tried to have them look for anything out of place. Which in a jungle could be anything? So I let them go back to looking for dick bitters.

I told Willow, " I really need to get you guys upgraded." Suri came back running bolted past me. The Croco-dog had not expected to be led into a trap. The Croco-dog moved like a shark through the forest.

I shouted at Suri, "You are supposed to alert me!' I put my hands up ready to go as Willow retreated. The Croco-dog was an apex predator as it went straight at the bio-droid. Only when I punched it in the hip with all my power. When I dislocated its hip bone and tore a few muscles, did it focus on me.

It howled madly! It sounded like an elephant sneezing. As it shuddered with pain. Its whole body bristled at me. Which intimidated a primal part of me. As this one had longer spikes that looked much sharper than the ones from before but it didn't move.

Beast fired at it but it kept its focus and tried to shoot something at me. Beast mimiced my combat instincts and worked methodically as Sifu taught me to shoot and move. Though the sergeant like me watching would complain about Beast being too careful. The small laser pistol had a high fire rate that compensated for his lack of ability.

Stolen story; please report.

It seemed that I had delivered a crippling blow after all. Which was amazing and made me wonder what kind of predator I would become in the future. The exp we gained made stronger, and we moved faster.

[20 Exp earned]

[Simple Personal Device]

Name: Drone

Rank: Cadet

Information: A multi-purpose drone with recon, assault, and carrying capacity.

Suri leaped for the drone, and she smiled. However, she hadn't been programmed to do that yet. But then again, we shared a deeper connection. I thought. It was also why I named Willow, Beast, Suri, Sam, and Beauty. I remembered my thoughts at the time. I had styled each of them to play a specific role, especially when I had finished with Gemini, about what I wanted these five to be in my mind. It may be just a vague idea, but they are all a little different already.

The drone was a standard design in that it followed system convention. It used a silent drive type that, upon closer inspection, was a gravity drive like my old suit. The drone is about three metres, allowing for its myriad uses. The flatbed it carried could fit a human at one and a half metres. I am not a fan of its look, though it's very blocky. I have always preferred more natural styling in drones. There was something extremely cool about a Tyto-alba-shaped drone that hovers silently. I remembered one time during all hallows eve, a kid hooked one up and recreated the ghost owl from a movie that had come out at the time.

I already had my pilot's license, so I let Suri go crazy and the first thing she did was sit in it and scout. I chuckled, as it was something I had thought about too. And from the ground, it looked pretty cool. The drone's Gatling gun was nothing to be scoffed at, but it's also not anything special to shoot traditional armour-piercing rounds. She increased our hunting speed as we found the next Ilaekraaa pretty quickly. This time Suri peppered the Ilaekraaa with rounds until it left its hiding spot and then Beast finished it off. The body was dropped from the sky at my feet for me to loot.

"Hey watch it, I’m walkin' here!" I shouted at Suri. I didn't need to shout, but it felt appropriate. The software clearly had a different understanding of what a close call was.

When I looted the body. If found a plasma repeater, like guns of old. It fired and reloaded but the reloading mechanism triggered a new charge. This was popular amongst sharpshooters. I took the gun. The reason I had chosen the Gauss initially is for its unparalleled ability to shoot something down at a distance.

I don't mind close combat, I'm adequate, but my master always said, "Why risk when you can defeat the enemy at a distance?" A viewpoint that made more sense as I studied the ridiculous strengths of Commanders.

We cleared the next eight enemies and picked up a lot of simple raw resources. Nothing important besides the weapon Beauty picked up.

Poor Sam didn't like anything, and she isn't even scouting. She was timid and was more like my shadow. She always stood just beyond my peripheral vision. Yeah, I freaked out the first time I saw a shadow at the corner of my vision. I moved instinctively and almost shot her down but she was quick. In fact, she closed the thirty feet between us before I could aim my gun.

[exp 160 earned]

[Simple Personal Device]

Name: Camouflage suit

Rank: Cadet

Information: A prized suit that uses nanites to create a visual dead zone around the wearer. The fabric designers specially designed the fabric to absorb the Commander's heat, sounds, and other cues that can detect a commander.

The odd thing about this suit was how I had to focus hard to see the bio-droid Sam. After she was wearing the suit. Rather than a type of phase shift it used micro displays to copy its surroundings, additionally these flashes of something I couldn't make out kept making it slip from my vision.

On the fifth Ilaekraaa, it jumped out after we wrecked its legs. We worked out that the hind quarters once damaged limited the movement of the Ilaekraaa. The rewards were also so, so until the mid-range items, which turned out to be a set item.

Set items at the cadet rank aren't linked. But if you found three augments that were produced by the same manufacturer. And all do a similar job. They gave other bonuses when installed. There was only one caveat: these can only be installed by the cadet. Which for me means never.

[Simple Augment]

Name: light spectrum eyes

Rank: Cadet

Rank: Sophisticated

Information: A combat augmentation grants the following visual filters, Ultraviolet, Infrared, and Microwaves. Each visual filter must be mastered for the best effect.

[Simple - Technology]

Name: Mineral detector

Rank: Cadet

Information: The Mineral detector is for those seekers with a nose for mining.

The zone wasn't as big as I thought. Once Suri bumped into an invisible wall. The invisible was both an advantage and a disadvantage depending on how the Guardian attacked. We were also clearing out any Croco-dogs that were hidden.

We quickly worked out a one-kilometre cubed area. I divided it into nine blocks and Then we quickly adapted a grind pattern and cleared it right to left, down to up. In the top right corner, we found the last mutt and with some brilliant teamwork from yours truly. We took it down with twenty minutes left for the guardian. The guardian was in the middle centre block.

[Exceptional - Technology]

Name: Stasis puck

Rank: Captain

Rarity: Standard

Information: This multi-use grenade can create four separate stasis fields that can hold an entity for up to thirty seconds.

[Standard Weapon]

Name: Electric Pike

Rank: Cadet

Rarity: Standard

Information: A weapon often overlooked as animal keepers mostly used it. The Electric Pike can deliver a shock so powerful that even high-ranked bronze will be brought low.

[Standard Augment]

Name: Omega Booster

Rank: Cadet

Rarity: Superior

Information: An epic and highly prized augmentation that boosts the tensile strength of muscle fibres. The Omega Booster will naturally upgrade as the Commander does.

[Standard Augment]

Name: Rad-liver

Rank: Cadet

Rarity: Superior

Information: The radiation liver is a specialised implant that adds an organ, giving the Commander the ability to process most kinds of harmful radiation into useful energy. In rare cases, the Commander can develop a use for the pellet produced by this organ.

[Standard Augment]

Name: Diamond Guard Epidermis

Rank: Cadet

Rarity: Supreme

Information: A new and rare technology that grants the Potent rank-breaking armour. The Diamond guard can block attacks from even Captain Silver 5 though that is at the Potent's own risk. Upgrading this item is extremely expensive.

[Analysis complete +5%]

[Advanced M.O.B.]

Name: Powered Ilaekraaa

Rank: Cadet 5

Information: As an Ilaekraaa grows in power, it often gets augmented and increases its natural electro sphere to produce deadly skilled attacks.

Augmentation [3] - Undefined

Skill [1] - Undefined

Exp per kill: 15000