Chapter 10
Sometime after the field training began, the instructors held a meeting inside a cabin in the center of the forest. All of them were there, other than a few who were watching over the trainees. There were nineteen instructors, including the senior instructor Bruno, and Colin, who was solely in charge of monitoring No. 25. Counting the ones who were absent, there were thirty-six instructors in total. The fact that they were all veteran knights was a testament to how seriously the Cardenas family took their children’s training.
“Hm.” Bruno flipped through the reports and skimmed through some of the crystal balls they’d set up throughout the forest. “Things are going well. I’m very pleased.”
The children were improving as fast—no, even faster than he’d anticipated. From the group leaders’ leadership skills to the field tactics they used, there were many developments that shocked the instructors.
“Group 1’s leader has amazing decision-making skills. He created a winning strategy on the very first day. I can’t say that he’s perfect, but he started moving toward his goal faster than anyone else,” praised one of the younger instructors.
Another instructor countered, “I admit that he has great decision-making skills, but he’s also too aggressive. You can see how his arrogance has him convinced him that he’s always right. Even though it’s led him to success so far, if he makes a misjudgment even once, everything will fall apart.”
“Personally, I’m also concerned about how there’s no one advising him other than No. 5. I understand why he only wants the most talented people by his side, but if they’re both parading around like that, the children who are excluded will feel disgruntled,” said someone else.
Bruno said that all three had a point, then looked down at the map spread across the table in front of them. Even though the field training had only started a week ago, many changes had been made to the map. Group 1 had the largest camp, then Group 2, then Group 4. Although Group 3 was made up of gifted indirect descendants, their camp had been annihilated, and they’d scattered.
Group 3 had the worst luck. No. 3 made all the right decisions, but No. 1 was more aggressive than any of us had imagined, he thought.
Group 1 had started raiding the forest on the second day, and their reconnaissance team had found the area where Group 3 was posted and scavenging. The only silver lining was that No. 3 captured some of the scouts, but No. 1 moved in not long after. As soon as he noticed that they were missing some people, he took the whole group and advanced toward the area where the reconnaissance team had disappeared.
Even though they’d lost some members, they had nearly twice as much manpower as Group 3, and they had charged in before Group 3 could come up with a plan.
No. 3, No. 6, No. 7, and nearly all of the other high-ranking trainees made it out, though. If they can team up with another group, that could make for an interesting turn of events.
In the end, Group 3 was annihilated with little more than ten stragglers remaining. The children whose badges were stolen were handed over to the instructors. Once they were treated for any injuries, they started supplementary training based on how they’d done in the forest.
Ambush or be ambushed. Join forces with others or fight joint forces. The many dominating the few or the few rebelling against the many. The children had never experienced such different types of battles, and it became a milestone for them.
“I think Group 2 and Group 4 made a non-aggression pact after they encountered each other,” Bruno muttered. They had similar numbers, so it was difficult to say who was controlling more land or had the advantage. If they clashed, both sides would suffer major losses.
Knowing this, the two groups created a non-aggression pact, but neither was in a very good position when compared to Group 1, which was quickly gathering more power and momentum. Even though Group 1 only had one battle in the forest, they’d emerged victorious and could now handle the two other groups at once with their tried-and-true tactics and fighting capabilities.
“But survivors from Group 3 are approaching Groups 2 and 4. If they heard what happened, they may reevaluate their strategy.”
“You don’t think No. 4 will surrender, do you?”
“That child knows how to make the most of his non-combat capabilities, but he’s not afraid of crossing swords, nor is he docile. I highly doubt he’ll go down without a fight.”
Bruno listened closely to their conversation and turned to a certain someone. He locked eyes with the instructor who was solely in charge of watching Group 6, in other words, No. 25.
It was Colin.
“Instructor Colin, how is No. 25 doing?” the senior instructor asked.
“Uh…” Colin blanked for a moment. Then, he carefully said, “He overpowered the wolf we placed in Campsite 13, and now he’s riding it around to hunt and engage in free training. He has not yet encountered any trainees from the other groups, and I believe he’ll be able to survive for several months without much trouble if he continues as is.”
“…”
“…”
In an instant, the meeting room went silent. The other instructors wondered if Colin was joking, but his face said the opposite.
Bruno was just as dumbfounded as the rest. “… What?”
He’d had high expectations for No. 25, but he hadn’t wanted the boy to do this. Bruno’s stylish mustache twitched.
***
Meanwhile, Leonard was focusing hard on his task, having no idea of the confusion he was causing somewhere deep in the forest.
He was rock climbing. In his old world, it was a training method called Climbing Gecko.
A person puts all their weight into their two arms to pull themselves upward. If they missed a handhold or foothold, they risked slipping down or simply falling. It not only required strength and stamina but also tested a person’s grit, decision-making, and concentration. Moreover, though Leonard’s cliff wasn’t very high, there was water gushing down the wall.
The moss is dangerous too, but the wet, slippery areas are even worse.
After centuries of being eroded by water, the rock was as smooth as marble cut by expert stonemasons. If a climber didn’t have the grip strength to cling to its surface, they would have to find another climbing spot.
Leonard, however, held on to the sleek rock. Even if it’s slippery, it’s simply an eroded rock. If I feel around carefully with my fingers, I can find narrow cracks to hold onto.
His arm and back muscles ached from the several attempts he’d made to reach the top, but his mental fortitude prevented him from being distracted by something as trivial as pain.
His five senses sharpened as he focused on his fingertips. He looked for the minute cracks as if he were a dog sniffing for food. Once he was sure he could pull himself over the ledge, he immediately hoisted himself up.
“Hup!”
Leonard flung himself over the edge like a bowstring releasing an arrow, and he barely made it. His muscles radiated heat as they let go of the tension. Exhaustion bloomed throughout his body. He felt a fatigue so heavy that he struggled to move even his pinky.
“I suppose that’s all for today,” he muttered. Leonard knew his limits and let his muscles relax instead of pushing them any further.
Yoga didn’t simply make a person more flexible. It improved their awareness and control of individual muscles. Because a person knew exactly how much pressure to exert and when to release it, it made them recover faster.
It didn’t take long for the soreness to fade from Leonard’s arms and back.
Woof!
A faraway cry made him sit up. He’s back.
The wolf sprung into the clearing without slowing and took several giant leaps to join him at the top of the rock. Its physical capabilities couldn’t compare to an average wolf’s, let alone a human’s.
The wolf walked over to Leonard after showing off its strength. It lowered its head, laying down several rabbits it had carried all the way to Leonard. Even though its mouth was practically full at first, luckily, most of the meat was still good to eat.
“Thank you.” Leonard scratched its snout, knowing that it would bring more even if he said it was okay. Thanks to the wolf, he saved time on gathering food and could spend all his time focusing on training.
Rrr… The wolf let out a happy sound at his touch and wagged its tail.
“Did you find the children?”
Woof!
“Where? This way? That way?”
Woof woof!
“East, you say. Approximately how far away are they?”
Though the wolf had readily answered his other questions without a hitch, it tilted its head for a moment, then shook its head.
Grrr?
“You can’t understand me, I suppose. Well, the distance doesn’t matter much,” Leonard remarked.
Rrrr…?
“I’m not scolding you.” He petted the wolf a few times to calm it down. Despite its enormous size, it acted very similarly to a dog. However, it likely only acted like this in front of Leonard.
Grrr…!
The wolf suddenly stood up from where it was lying and glared into the forest, baring its teeth. Leonard instantly understood what was happening and followed its gaze.
The wolf sensed that whoever’s approaching is formidable. Perhaps it’s a direct descendant or another high-ranking trainee.
Even though it was so obedient to Leonard, the wolf could easily take out dozens of trainees at once. No. 1 might be able to handle it, but that was only because Leonard knew almost nothing about No. 1’s combat skills. Not even No. 2 nor No. 4 could guarantee victory over the beast if they fought it on their own. No trainee stood a chance against the wolf unless they were ranked in the single digits.
There was a faint glint of curiosity in Leonard’s eyes.
And then…
“Huff…! Huff! Huff…!”
A girl stumbled out of the forest.
Her long black hair swayed in a tight ponytail. Her right arm was tense as she gripped a wooden sword, but her left arm was dangling weakly below the elbow. She’d either broken or fractured a bone. It was rare for a Cardenas to suffer such a big injury because their sturdy bodies remained unscathed through most minor blows.
“You’re No. 3,” Leonard said.
“You?!”
Even though the pain and exhaustion made everything hazy, from such a close distance, No. 3 could still recognize Leonard.
When she saw who it was, she reflexively leaped back. She even lifted her sword, but she had none of her usual vigor. Her stamina was drained, she was injured, and her mental fatigue had worn her down.
Leonard only stood still and stared. She eventually remembered to speak. She asked, looking puzzled, “Why are you here, No. 25? And what’s with that wolf?”
“You don’t need to know.” He didn’t bother to answer her questions. “Who hurt you?”
She scoffed. “What do you care? Answer me first!”
The end of her sword shook as her voice grew shrill, creating an opening that wouldn’t be there if she had held it with both hands.
Leonard took advantage of her opening and swung his sword.
Crack!
No. 3 tried to counter, but she reacted too late. The tip pushed against her neck before she could reach Leonard.
“… Shit.” She held up her hands in surrender, looking resigned.
“What happened?” Leonard demanded.
“Well,” she began, and Leonard lowered his sword. As soon as he did, No. 3’s eyes flashed, and she charged toward him. “This, you fool!”
It didn’t matter that she was bare-handed.
It didn’t matter that one arm was useless.
No. 3, looking more like a wild beast than a human, did a high turning kick, a proper hand-to-hand attack far more dangerous than the blunt force of a training sword!
“You’re the fool, No. 3.” Leonard didn’t waver one bit and dodged her foot by a hair.
The downside of attacking with one’s legs was that it required good balance. Leonard kicked the back of her knee, and she crumpled to the ground.
“Ugh…!”
The strength in her legs had already been spent dragging around her injured body, and now there was none left. It would take her at least a few minutes to stand, but she still tried.
Leonard watched her struggle and put away his sword. He turned away. “I’ll treat you first, so just stay there. If you try to attack me again, I’m taking your badge.”
“Huh? Wha…?” Her eyes widened. That was the last thing she’d expected to hear. He wasn’t going to take her badge, nor was he demanding that she answer his question. But he was going so far as to help her with her arm?
She was so dumbfounded that she didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t even tied her arms or legs, and he was showing his back to her.
If I attack him from behind… No. 3 thought about it for a moment before giving up. For some reason, she had the feeling it wouldn’t work. The wolf growling next to him was also a problem.
“What in the world is going on?” She was even more disoriented than when Group 1 had ambushed her group. Even though she was wounded, she hadn’t expected No. 25 to overpower her so easily. Furthermore, the wolf looked so powerful that she wasn’t sure if she could defeat it even if she were uninjured. She had no idea what was happening. She couldn’t even guess what was happening.
Her thoughts suddenly cut off. After she had spent a whole day wandering, running, and even fighting, her consciousness finally let go of the final thread keeping her awake.
“Zzz…”
A strange sense of relief overcame her, and she immediately passed out.
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