Arriving At The Extraterrestrial Training Center

He was finally seeing the changes everyone had been talking about all day.

His biceps were starting to form an outline. His chest was a bit broader, and his neck was no longer as thin as it used to be.

His initial malnourished look had disappeared.

He was still skinny, but he wasn't so skinny that one would think he was malnourished. He looked healthier than before.

'With this, I might be able to challenge the strength rankings faster than I initially anticipated,' Dennis thought while engrossed in his reflection in the mirror. 

There was no doubt that his strength was still lacking compared to the others who had gotten the purple vial a couple of times and seen the effects.

Not to mention that his roommate, Darrin Chandler, had taken his fourth vial last night and was now a level stronger than before.

Darrin was amongst the eight who successfully got past the second challenge.

He was going to be a part of the special two weeks training coming up.

Dennis wasn't exactly surprised. He already expected it, but now he had to work even harder if he ever wanted to reach that level.

Not to mention that most of the slots for the special training were taken by Modified Combatants from the first squad.

Malik, Darrin, Cory, Regory, Rodrick, Lara, and himself. Someone from squad two managed to get one slot, and the last two slots were taken by MCs from squad three and six.

Dennis wasn't entirely surprised with the hate other squads had for squad one. They were truly the best at everything.

If the requirement for the challenge hadn't been related to equipping a UVS, lots of MCs were sure that Dennis wouldn't even come close to getting a slot.

Dennis recalled that he would be getting another vial in the next two weeks since the month would be ending around that time.

'This is going to be a game changer. This world might be more perilous than the earth I came from, but from the look of things, I will be achieving better and easier training results,' Dennis thought in anticipation while putting on his tank top and leaving the bathroom.

He went to join Malik in working out as usual.

....

....

....

The days rolled by very quickly, and as they did, Dennis was getting more used to the daily training.

By the end of the week, he was finishing 20km in an hour without stopping even once. It was definitely a big improvement from his one hour-thirty minutes in the past and old Dennis's two hours.

He knew it wasn't a race, but being able to keep up was a big deal for him.

He would also join Malik for the usual gym workout and kickboxing exercises.

Between all of this, he found time to join Instructor Anne for night training before heading back to his room around 10 pm.

...

The next week soon arrived, and General Gustav returned with Lieutenant Colonel Derrick.

All ten of them who were chosen for the special training lined up before the general adopted military stances.

"For the next two weeks, prepare to give your all," General Gustav stated.

"Sir! Yes, sir!" All ten of them yelled in response.

"You will face hardships. You will be brought to your limits, but you will have no other option but to surpass those limits. You will be brought to the point of giving up, but you mustn't. Are you ready to break those limits?" General Gustav questioned.

"Sir! Yes, sir!" They yelled once more in reply.

"Good, good. Make sure you keep this same energy when the time comes for you to face what lies ahead," General Gustav nodded in satisfaction before trotting forward.

"Get in," He said to them as he stepped into a large grey truck up ahead.

The MCs wasted no time in getting into the back of the truck while General Gustav sat in the passenger seat beside the driver.

Lieutenant Colonel Derrick joined the ten Modified Combatants behind and amidst the envious gazes of other MCs around. They drove out of the training facility.

Dennis sat at the back silently while staring at the view as they drove off.

It had been over two weeks since he last left the training facility for MCs. As they drove through the underdeveloped streets within the shelter, Dennis thought of his little brother.

Although he wasn't the original owner of this body, he was still worried about John. He wondered if the kid was eating properly.

John was only thirteen years of age after all, so he was skeptical about leaving the kid alone by himself for so long.

Fortunately, he had asked the neighbours to help keep watch over his little brother, and since the government within the shelter provided a monthly allowance for his little brother, it reduced his worry.

There will never be a need to worry about John's feeding.

'I never had a family member in my past life... so this is how it feels to worry about your blood,' Dennis had to admit it was different from caring about his military colleagues.

As they cruised past the poorly structured houses in the environment, Dennis couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for the people within the shelter.

The high walls prevented anyone from seeing beyond, but at the same time, it protected them. A lot of them had lost loved ones to the earth-shifting incident and were now a shell of their former selves.

There were many beggars on the streets, especially in the slums with demolished buildings. Some places reeked badly, and the magenta hue skies faintly illuminated some corpses by the sides.

It was a common sight since a lot of people couldn't make ends meet. If you couldn't eat, you wouldn't be able to survive.

The law enforcement within the shelter also punished crimes just like how they used to in the outside world before the earth-shifting incident. This didn't completely stop crimes, but at the same time, it prevented a lot of stealing since the shelter was relatively small compared to the size of a city.

People who couldn't make ends meet would try to steal, but even at that, they would get caught and eventually die of hunger. It wasn't easy for most of the populace here, which was why death was a very normal occurrence.

'Still, the big shots within the shelter live very comfortably when there are people in the slums suffering...' Dennis shook his head.

Despite the differences between this and his former world, it would seem that some things remained the same.

"....Dennis!"

Pat! Pat!

"Hmm?" Dennis was pulled out of his reverie by a tap on his left shoulder.

"Did you hear what I said?" Malik questioned with a look of curiosity.

"Erm... what did you say?" Dennis inquired with a keen expression.

He had been so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realize Malik was speaking to him.

"I asked what you did to her," Malik whispered while secretly pointing at Lara, who was sitting on the opposite end.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Dennis asked with a confused expression.

"Lara has been staring at you since we left the training facility," Malik whispered once more.

"Eh?" Dennis slowly raised his head in her direction, and their eyes met.

"Hmph!" Lara pouted and folded her arms before turning to face a different direction.

"What's up with her?" Dennis had never been so confused in his life.

"I should be asking you that man," Malik said with a look of suspiciousness.

"Eh? I don't know why she's acting that way," Dennis responded cluelessly.

"Hmm... women sure are strange creatures," Malik stated while rubbing his chin.

"I agree, but that one right there is a girl," Dennis decided to wave the whole encounter off since he couldn't understand it.

For the rest of the journey, Lara repeatedly took glances at Dennis, which he was well aware of but decided to completely ignore.

In about an hour, they arrived at a location very close to the eastern walls of the shelter.

It was another off-limit area since guards could be spotted patrolling the area, and it had walls built around it like barricades.

"Welcome to the Bacuda extraterrestrial training center. This is where your two weeks special training will hold..." General Gustav announced the moment they drove into the establishment.

Dennis looked around and couldn't spot much, except for a few structures and tall grasses behind them.

The moment the truck parked, they all jumped off.

"Kuuoorrrhhhhhh!"

A roar rang out in the next instant that caused the vicinity to tremble intensely.