Tool of Competitiveness

Alex could only put on an acute smile at what the Instructor said.

Due to the way the instructor said that which is quite problematic, the upperclassmen were giving him and Natalia sharp glances, sizing the two up as surviving a beast horde that was caused by a Type-4 Beast, and surviving is not a normal feat.

Even a full-fledged Mech-Soldier might not be able to do that.

Similarly, Natalia also grasps her face with a sigh, gaining this much attention is not good.

But out of the upperclassmen that were present inside the classroom, the ones who were surprised the most were Amara and Hannah who couldn't believe their ears. Instinctively, the two shifted their gaze to look at Alex from the back.

It was something that was quite impossible.

Knowing how Xander was, weak and had low Bio-aptitude, this feat should be impossible.

'Luck, it's definitely luck. It's impossible for Xander to do that with his skill' Amara, the one who had lived with Xander for years refused to believe this was real, blaming this on nothing but blind luck that helped him survive.

On the other hand, Hannah also frowned, 'Something is different about him...'

Xander has never stood her out like last night, he was always obedient to her even when she canceled the engagement between them. He was in fact so obedient that he blamed himself more for the cancelation of the engagement when it was obviously not his fault.

Now, this news makes her even more skeptical about him.

"Unfortunately, both of their environmental suits were damaged, and thus we couldn't analyze their skills better. But behind me here is the captured footage of Aspirant Xander's first attempt to flee the Beast Horde" The Instructor pointed to the playing video, drawing the other Aspirants' attention to it.

For a minute, the class watched the video until it was finished.

The video footage was taken from a carriage pod, capturing the moment when Alex and Casper emerged from the forest after colliding with a lizard beast. Both of them then sprinted towards the carriage pod, and Alex, carrying Casper, made a daring leap to reach the boarding steps.

At that moment, he utilized the Soundwave Gloves to enhance his momentum.

It was then, the video was paused.

But while watching this, one of the Aspirants chuckled.

"Hmm...? Aspirant Todd, what was so funny about the footage?" the Instructor asked.

Upon hearing this, Aspirant Todd straightens his back despite still having some remaining chuckle in his mouth, "Instructor, I think that's not impressive enough for us to take notes from. Even I, given the circumstances, will be able to do that" 

"Besides, using Soundwave Gloves at that moment is quite dumb" he added, eyeing Alex.

Contrary to the expectation, the Instructor smiled.

Sitting on the edge of the table on the front, she crossed her arms with her gaze kept on Aspirant Todd, "If that's what you think, care to explain to the class why using the Soundwave Gloves is dumb in that situation?"

"Yes," Aspirant Todd stood up, confidence oozing out of his body.

Gazing at the footage again, he then explained, "Soundwave Gloves although able to help with the momentum, have a very limited activation. In a stressful situation, a person might miss and be not able to activate the Soundwave Gloves. Also, there's a problem with its accuracy. A rapid acceleration, if not timed and positioned right, might cause him to miss the boarding steps"

The Instructor nodded her head in acknowledgment, his answer made sense.

"Great answer, Aspirant Todd" the instructor praised.

Feeling the triumph and pride in his answer, Aspirant Todd rubs his nose as some of his classmates give him an approving look. However, that was short-lived, "If it were you, what would you do in his situation instead?"

"Well, using the plasma pistol is better. It's easier to control" Aspirant Todd replied.

But this made the Instructor smirk, she blew a bubble gum and let it pop, silencing the class that seemed to be cheering him. "Plasma pistol? Normally you'd be right, it's easier to control, but take a look at this"

Resuming the footage, the scenario played out again.

It was then that the entire class gasped when they saw Alex get swatted by a leopard beast.

"Providing an answer without grasping the specifics, I can't speak for the rest, but that strikes me as rather arrogant, wouldn't you agree?" the Instructor remarked sharply, causing Aspirant Todd's expression tense. "While plasma pistols could be effective, considering the multitude of beasts approaching from the rear, the acceleration it provides might fall short"

"Had Aspirant Xander done that, he wouldn't have reached the boarding steps" She added.

Despite his logical answer, Aspirant Todd failed to consider the situation.

Using the plasma pistol to generate a propelling force would be too slow for the encroaching beast, and if Alex had done that, he and Casper would've been swatted by the leopard beast and both would've fallen.

Since he used the Soundwave Glove instead, at the very least, Casper managed to survive.

All of the Aspirants realized that.

Even though Aspirant Todd's confidence has been vanquished completely, the Instructor takes a stand at the center with her stern eyes still fixed on him. "I may not be as strict as the other instructors, but laughing in my class is a no-no. Do you understand?"

"Y- Yes, ma'am. I was mistaken" Aspirant Todd apologized and took a seat again.

After making a statement to the entire class, she resumed her lesson, "As I said earlier, take notes from the two of them. In a moment of adrenaline, it's very easy to have your mind impaired, resulting in bad decisions. From the video, we can clearly tell that Aspirant Xander has taken in all of the considerations before he made a decision that he believed to be the best possible move he could make"

"His skills also played a role. He executed the Soundwave Gloves flawlessly and caused his friend to reach safety and survive the ordeal" She continued, and the class now has been conditioned to listen to her attentively.

On the other hand, Alex shook his head as Aspirant Todd was too hasty.

I've been on the battlefield for years, of course, I've taken all of that into consideration. My mana also helps improve my body control, so it's not a surprise that I could use the Soundwave Gloves effectively.

Through his years on the battlefield, he learned one important lesson.

Many might say that they know this already, but implementing it is a different thing entirely.

Always keep your composure.

Keeping composure couldn't be done through training alone, it could only be done through real-life situations where life is at stake. Only then will one learn to be composed, and always assess the situation with a level head.

Following that, the instructor wore the eyeglasses, identical to the ones on the tables.

In response to this, the other Aspirants also wore their own eyeglasses.

Alex recognized the eyeglasses were equipped with an augmented reality feature. When he put them on, he noticed virtual objects floating near the Instructor. It took him a brief moment for him to identify them as Soundwave Gloves.

"Since we're on the topic, we'll talk about the sound-powered firearms" the Instructor said.

A couple of hours later, the class finally ended.

Throughout the class, the Instructor explained numerous types of sound-powered weapons.

Most of them Alex already knew, not from Xander's memories, but from his.

Since his squadron in the Adudal Principality was very weak against sound-powered weapons, as the leader, he made sure to learn all of them and create a fundamental countermeasure for his squadron to execute.

Out of the Hyperion Empire's weaponry, he's most educated in this.

Class ended and now Aspirants have an hour of break before continuing their class, and in Alex's case, he would be going to the range ground to train in sound-powered weaponry with the same instructor from earlier.

But as he was about to step out, the instructor called him and Natalia.

"You call for us, ma'am?" Alex asked politely.

Upon hearing this, the instructor who was still doing something on her phone kept her attention on the phone and replied, "I see that you're not fond of me making you an example for the class, may I ask why?"

Alex and Natalia looked at each other wryly when they heard this.

"It's our first class, ma'am, we want to be on good terms with the others" Natalia replied.

Just then, the Instructor put down her phone and clasped her hands, gazing at the two attentively, "Don't try and be normal. Be happy when an Instructor praises you. Stand out, show your talents, heck you can even boast about them. It will be good for your future"

At the words from the Instructor, the two could only nod their heads in response.

"I hope you don't hide your skills during the range training, I want to see both of your limitations. Only then can I help you improve" the Instructor continues, and with that, the two left the classroom.

Both of them left the room not knowing that someone was watching them.

Despite seemingly straightforward, Alex knows the hidden meaning behind why the instructor said that to them. Competitiveness, it seems the academy encourages competitiveness.

Obviously, an academy of this caliber wanted the Aspirants to be competitive.

Since the two came suddenly, the instructor grasped the opportunity. There are no better ways to increase the competitive aspect in a classroom than praising the two new Aspirants who are somewhat talented.

Now, the other Aspirants would be fired up to beat Alex and Natalia.

From the looks of it, Natalia also realized this too.

"It was only the first day, and you've become a star already," Natalia suddenly nudged Alex's stomach with her elbow teasingly. "I heard your survival story, but I didn't expect you to be that decisive. As expected of a Sitradus"

"Stop it, I've had enough praises already. I'll get arrogant if this continues" Alex replied.

Both of them are heading to the cafeteria.

Since the class is not that far away from the cafeteria, they could take their time going there.

However, the two stopped when someone called Alex from the back.

"Xander..."

Upon hearing this voice, Alex frowned as he could already tell who it was. True enough, when he pivoted his body around, he saw Hannah standing behind the two of them with a peculiar look on her face.

Alex sighed inwardly when he saw this, it seemed the time for him to act had come.

"Can you come with me for a second?" Hannah asked, her voice still demanding as always.

Smiling brightly, Alex nodded, "Sure, I'd love to"

Although I don't know what she wanted to say, I can't let this chance slip. I'll need to act like Xander to keep her disinterested. No worries, if it comes to acting, I'm sure I'll do perfectly fine.

With that, the two walked away side by side.

Natalia, on the other hand, was confused, 'Who is she? How did she know Xander?'