John was walking to the training ground while rubbing a big lump on the top of his head when another notification came in.

Follower has been increased by 2.

+1 Magic. +1 Agility.

Favourite has been increased by 2.

You have gained a new skill. Pop Lvl 1.

You have gained a new skill. Touch of Darkness Lvl 1.

"I've got another." Said John, turning his head to the left, facing Lilac as she groaned while she touched the lump on her head.

"Again?! No fair~" She grumbled while making a duckface.

Shrugging his shoulder, "So, you want to see it or not?" Said John. Without waiting for Lilac confirmation, he opened his skill screen and crouched a little, making it easier for Lilac to see his screen.

Sticking her head in, she began to read.

Agility Up Lvl 1: Increasing Agility by 5 per skill level. Cost: 5 Energy. Duration: 300 seconds.

Enchant Poison Lvl 1: Endows a single inorganic object with the poison property. When making injury with the said object. The poison deals Magic + Skill level in the last five seconds. Can't inflict poison to a target that has Spirit higher than caster's Influence + Skill level. Cost: 20 Energy. Duration: 30 seconds.

Arcane Strike Lvl 1:  Imbue one inorganic object with a fraction of caster's energy.  The object has +1 damage and treated as both physical and magic. Cost: 1 Energy. Duration: 60 seconds.

Pop Lvl 1: Choose to either lock or unlock a simple lock. Range: Skill level x 5 meters. Cost: 5 Energy.

Touch of Darkness Lvl 1: A touch from caster's hand, which is engulfed in darkness for ten seconds, disrupts the target's vision by coating its eyes in the supernatural darkness if the target's Sense is lower than caster's Influence + Skill level. Cost: 15 Energy. Duration: (Caster's influence + skill level - target's Sense) x 5 seconds.

Immediately she began to totter with watery eyes. She had decided that she would pretend she saw that and walked away without saying anything.

With a wry smile, they and several other Trainees strolled to the west. With each steps they took the steel walls and floors changed to the concrete and then changed again to the soil in a big open area, like insanely big. It was like he stood in the middle of a small town, but rather than houses the town was filled with numerous amount of obstacles scattered across the ground.

Starting right in front of his eyes, John could see rows of cargo nets, a kilometre square of puddles of muddy water, a muddy ground beneath a kilometre-long barbed wire, various sized hurdles and many more.

Slightly afar, on his left, thousand of trainees doing callisthenics; push up, sit up, running, squat jump, truthfully, they even did a callisthenic John never saw before. His eyes were twitching as he watched dozen of people, twisting their body and making a different kind of position, some were laying on the ground, some crouching like a cat, some raising their arms and et cetera.

On his right, near the walls that covered them, another thousand of trainees, training with their weapon, swinging the sword, spinning the spear, aiming with their gun, making a formation. Dozen squared grounds were occupied by several people, doing a mock battle while the mentors were scribbling their notes as some of the trainees were cheerfully cheering for them, and some were collecting the money when the mentors raised a red flag.

And it seemed there was a various amount of things on this training ground that John hadn't seen, yet.

Then a bald thin middle-aged man in his flower pattern shirt strode up with a big box on his arms. "Extermination Squadron 23! Attention!"

John and everyone in Squadron 23, all totalled in eighty trainees immediately ran to the bald man, straightened their back, lining up. "Puppy! my name is Roshan Tortoise. I will be supervising your training today from today onwards."

And slightly a far from his squadron, he could see Lilac running into her squadron. Her mentor was a green-eyed dumpy woman in a grey robe and seemed like a nice person. Well, we already have the same barrack and the same class.

On the other hand, in his side without doing any unnecessary introduction, Roshan walked to the most left trainee, the meatiest of Squadron 23 and handed the box to the said trainee. "Spread it to the other puppies." Said Roshan.

Taking the box, the trainee's body instantly bent down, whatever the thing in the box was it was heavy enough to dent the ground. Opening the cover, what the trainee found was nothing but the stack of paper. Following Roshan's order, he took the paper but got yelled by Roshan. "Who said you don't need to bring the box?!" His spit flying out, hitting the trainee's face as he shouted to the brat, who was a palm taller than him. 

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Frowned, the trainee silently put the paper back into the box and with a great effort lifted it up. But to no avail, even though he groaned until the muscle on his arms throbbed, the best he could do was dragging the box, leaving a mark on the ground and delivering the paper to the others.

John took the paper while somehow feeling bad to the trainee, but he frowned when he read the paper. 

Extermination Squadron 23 Daily Activity. 

4:15-4:50 Morning exercise

9:30-9:45 Drill time

9:45-11:30 Physical training

11:30-12:30 Lunch and preparation (Tentative)

 13:00-15:00 Combat simulation

15:00-17:00 Individual training

17:15-18:00 Drill time + simulation report and evaluation 

18:00-04:15 Dinner, free time, common station job.

On the second Saturday, you will get your first extermination mission.

Somehow, Roshan took some of their breakfast time and replaced it with a morning exercise. Indeed, the mentor had a responsibility to make their own schedule. Still, knowing that wouldn't make John happy about the schedule.

But while John silently protested in his heart, the man that stood next to him grumbled, letting his words flew from his mouth.

"Tch, this is bullshit." He muttered.

His words were small and quiet. Even for John having a hard time to hear what he said. On the other hand, Roshan directed his gazes to him and walked from the most left of the line to the middle of the line. 

"Have a problem with that mommy boy?" Said Roshan.

Startled, the trainee forced himself to keep looking straight into Roshan's cold eyes. "I believe your schedule isn't good for our body, sir."

Snorted, Roshan's lips curled into a sneer. "We've got a smart one in this squadron, aren't we?"

Was that a praise? was the first thought that crossed John's mind when he heard Roshan. But the trainee on his right didn't have the same opinion as him. He released a breath of relief and his lips slightly curled up. "Thank you, sir! I think -"

Without saying any word, Roshand punched him square in the nose. He dropped in a heap, eyes watering, a trickle of blood coming from one nostril. "So what? if you want to survive on the outside then follow my schedule." Said Roshan casually. "Anyone else doesn't agree with my schedule?" 

Everyone including John tried their best to keep looking straight. "No? Then your first order, from now on, you need to address him as mommy boy." He said. "Mommy boy! Get out of the line and stand over there until someone else tells you what to do."

Mommy boy, holding his nose scurried into the direction Roshan pointed at. And Roshan stood in front of them. "A wise man once said, the most important thing in battle isn't a weapon or Orbz or skill. It is a discipline!" He said with a scowled face. "And I'll make sure to make you little puppy reborn into a dire wolf by the time you're finished the first year."

Turning his body, Roshan continued his word "Remember! a single person mistake will cost the squad entire lives!" Pointing to one of the obstacle course. "Now go finish that course! twice!" Roshan shouted.

Didn't even have a chance to change or remove their uniform. Young kids all except Mommy boy had flooded the obstacle course like the water that streamed in the river. First, their feet were stomping on the hard soil, next it drowned on the mud, then they scrambled up a cargo net, crawled beneath the barbed wire.

Roshan at ease catching up with the younger kid. "Faster! The last puppy arrived will do another round of this course!"

In their heart, all of them were cursing Mommy boy, wondering why he didn't need to do this even though he was the one that made the mistake. With a face full of mud, John muttered. "Gah... 'a single person mistake will cost the squad entire lives' huh." Though, realizing this didn't make him happy at all.

As they crawled across the big sandbox, panting, scowling, wheezing. By the time John was halfway back on his second run.

Your effort has bloomed. Learn Athletic Lvl 1.

+1 Physical.

Didn't even get any chance to rest, by the time he finished the course, John followed the other Trainee and did a hundred push up, sit up, squat, and ten kilometres run all in one go. From the corner of his vision, he could see some Trainees already had shaky hands like him. Even some already had white eyes and laying still on the ground as some of the seniors were using a stretcher to take them away.

Sneered with the nastiest smile, even nastier than Baron Serdo smile. "Enough!" He snarled as half of the trainees in his squadron had knocked out. "Change your clothes, take your lunch and prepare your weapon. And I don't want to see any dirt on your uniform on tomorrow drill." Said Roshan before he walked away. 

Like hell I can do that!! John thought. And he was sure that everyone else was having the same thought as him. Though, all this time he thought he was strong enough to at least jogged circling his hometown or working as a heaver for six hours straight without taking a single break.

But the lack of sleep, breakfast worsened by he didn't get any chance to do a warm-up really took a toll on his body. Laying on the ground, wildly coughing, while feeling something sour on his throat.

A shadow suddenly covered John, with the brown hair hanging around on top of John's face."Woah~ You really look like a zombie." Said Lilac Sweet in her sweaty dark green tank top, showing off some muscle on her arms. "Here." She said and gave a half-emptied bottle of water to John.

Instantly John took the bottle and gulped the water down. Completely ignoring the taste of dirt in his mouth when he did that.

Wryly smiling at him. "So what do you want to do first? eating the lunch or exchanging the weapon?"

Wiping the water that spilt from the corner of his mouth. "Food." Said John as he stood weakly but he remembered something. "...No, I need to go to the barrack and wash this first." 

Staggeringly walking away. "Wait! I'll go with you!" Shouted Lilac.

"Me too!!" An unfamiliar voice shouted and It was Svetlana, suddenly appeared and hugging Lilac from behind.