Frist DAY

The upcoming matches of Blade Warrior will be officially announced, allowing players to prepare in advance for viewing. This great news is not only posted on the website but also broadcasted directly on various TV stations.

Everyone was having breakfast when the beautiful morning news anchor took out her script. "The intergalactic warfare game is undoubtedly the most popular game, loved by players of all ages. Due to certain aspects, it also encourages players to enhance their physical training, which is one of the reasons many parents do not object. And recently, there has been a remarkable player in the game, Blade Warrior. If you want to understand his popularity, just compare him with the MV of Angel on the internet ranking. Yesterday, this mysterious player signed a battle agreement with WOE. Let's see the interview of WOE's business manager conducted by the reporter."

The screen switched!

"Mr. XX, do you think Blade Warrior is so important to the intergalactic warfare game?" The chubby manager, Mr. Gabo, in a neat suit, replied, "First of all, here, I would like to thank Blade Warrior on behalf of the vast number of players. I am personally a Blade Warrior fan, and so is my son. Yesterday was his birthday, and his birthday gift was a conversation between me and Blade Warrior. Of course, my son was extremely happy. That's the current popularity of Blade Warrior."

"Oh, really? What about the details of the contract?" Apparently, the reporter herself didn't understand the intergalactic warfare game much.

"We, WOE, absolutely comply with the law to protect users' personal privacy. Those who understand know that Blade Warrior does not want to expose his identity. We respect him, and his personal information remains confidential. What I want to say here is that players who like Blade Warrior can log in to the official website to check Blade Warrior's match dates. Thank you for your support!"

The reporter pointed the microphone towards himself and said, "Does Blade Warrior really have such high popularity? There might be possible plans. This is the report brought to you by reporter Zhao Lan."

Today was undoubtedly a joyous day for Blade fans. No more anxiously waiting, and it's confirmed that Blade Warrior won't suddenly disappear. But as for that reporter... Who is she? She doesn't even know Blade Warrior and still dares to interview!

For Alex, there was no need to dwell on settled matters all day long. Money was just a tool, and he wouldn't play matches all day just for money. He continued his routine as usual.

A week passed in the blink of an eye, and it was almost time for the two-month closed military training, following the same pattern as new recruits. Alex had already learned from seniors that the training at Arang was famously brutal, not strict, but brutal. Some students couldn't handle the harsh training and dropped out. That's Arang, a top military academy; they needed students with unwavering willpower!

Forget about fairness and human rights; military academies were military, soldiers were the backbone, the iron! Some students were starting to get nervous, but early birds like Alex and Salta were eager because they knew there was not only what they wanted to learn but also real mobile warriors inside, and their "practice" would also take place during the training, presided over by instructors.

Large transport maglev vehicles carried the freshmen towards the military base in the outskirts. There, these freshmen would enjoy two months of special training. If it were a picnic, there would be laughter on the vehicles; it had only been a week since the start of the school year, and naturally, there were endless topics to discuss. However, unlike military training in other schools, the students of Arang stood solemnly, as if heading into battle.

Actually, this was their first battlefield!

As the maglev vehicle sped on, no one knew where it was heading, but it was getting farther from the school and the city. After half a day, a silver-white steel fortress appeared before them. The maglev vehicle slowed to a stop, and outside the barracks stood some officers who took the annual military training very seriously.

As the maglev vehicles left, leaving a pile of bags outside, someone remarked, "Every year it's the same, as if we're going on an outing!"

"Lieutenant, this year's batch seems to have quite a few students with good qualities!" remarked another.

Lieutenant Tai Jia nodded. "More than just good. Two of them have even attracted attention from higher-ups. Apart from that, there are a few students we can't touch. Although the military is fair, these few have backers that even I can't afford to offend. Despite being displeased, there's nothing we can do. Orders are orders; soldiers can't act based on personal opinions."

"Today, let them understand what it means to be a soldier. You go and handle it, divide them into groups as you like."

"Yes, sir!"

Four people saluted together, with devilish smiles on their faces, it's time for practice now.

The training ground was easy to find, and the students quickly gathered. Standing in groups of three to five, they looked lost. While they might all be talented in their studies, they had never encountered such an environment before. If it weren't for the crowd, they probably wouldn't know what to do.

Alex was neither with Sosha nor with Li Lankalos. It had been agreed before the military training that if he were present, he could help both of them, but that wouldn't be a good thing. People must go through trials to grow, and the same goes for Sosha and Tong Ling.

Coincidentally, Alex noticed Salta more than ten meters away from him, who was also staring at him.

"Men on the left, women on the right, those who are neither male nor female stand in the middle. What are you looking at? Stand properly, immediately!" 

A sergeant major strode up to a male student, face-to-face, with eyes as sharp as bronze bells fixed on the student.

"This is the first time. I'm giving you all a chance. Here, only obedience matters. Those who disobey will be kicked out immediately, understand?"

The sergeant major's voice was deep, akin to a wild beast about to devour someone. The students who were just talking about human rights moments ago nodded frantically like rabbits, immediately standing to the left.

With someone setting an example, others followed suit quickly. Nobody dared to leave. There were no tricksters here. Soon, the men and women were separated.

"Hmph! Here, we will teach you what it means to be a soldier. Now, no one is allowed to move. Men for three hours, women for two. Anyone who moves will run a kilometer and add half an hour!"

Four sergeant majors, four directions, silently stared at the students, their gazes cold like death. The students dared not move. This was no joke. Looking at the cold steel walls around them... their military training had begun!

Ten minutes passed... everyone complied well. Fifteen minutes passed... some couldn't bear it anymore, feeling itchy all over but dared not scratch, enduring like walking on thin ice.

Half an hour passed, the itchiness subsided, replaced by numbness. Legs sore, heads dizzy, why was the weather so hot? Their whole bodies were already drenched in sweat. Some girls started to sway, but Tang Ling felt fine. She was tired, yes, but she didn't feel the sun. If someone used infrared to look at her, they would see that the heat couldn't directly reach her body; a faint light blocked the sunlight and reflected it back, although Tang Ling herself didn't notice.

This kind of ordeal was really nothing for Alex and Salta. Both of them kept their eyes open, lost in thought.

Plop...

To be admitted to a military academy, one must pass a physical fitness test, and most of them were fine, but some girls couldn't handle the heat and suffered from heatstroke.

The four sergeant majors remained unfazed. "Stay in position, no moving!"

They pressed a button on their watches, and immediately, a medical team rushed over to carry away the students who had fainted. The sergeant major with a bear-like head spoke again, "Hmph! Don't think you can get away with pretending to faint. Once caught, you're out!"

One sentence dispelled many students' thoughts. It was obviously unwise to play tricks in front of these people. The sun didn't understand their feelings; it just poured out its light mercilessly.

An hour passed. The girls finally got a break, earning the right to rest. But the boys had to continue standing. Though it was only an hour, it felt like a year. When would this be over?!

Some boys started to fall down too. The sergeant major sneered as he ordered them to be carried away, disdainfully letting them know that they were being observed. Among these students, there were indeed some outstanding ones who would react even if they were standing under the scorching sun themselves. Some students seemed indifferent, even enjoying it, experiencing it as pleasure rather than painful endurance. In other words, this level of difficulty was nothing to them.

Military training also involved scoring, and this was one of the criteria. The instructors were already calculating.

Three hours passed. When the bear-headed one announced it, the boys collapsed weakly, while the girls laughed on the side, pointing fingers. Enduring through it felt like nothing now that they had done it. The bear-headed one was a nickname for the most robust and fierce instructor, with deep scars on his face, known as Scarface. The other two were called Monkey and Jiangshi.

When other boys were exhausted, there were four who seemed unfazed: Grin, Salta, and the seemingly delicate Li Lankalos. Of course, there was also Alex.

The girls commented as if they were watching models, saying that special recruits were indeed different. These four showed no signs of painful endurance from start to finish; they remained calm, as if enjoying sunbathing.

Beauty loves heroes, a timeless truth. The fiery gazes of the girls turned towards the four.

Li Lankalos found a place to sit down, as did Salta, who didn't like crowds. Grin, on the other hand, mingled with his classmates, sociable and friendly.

The four sergeant majors exchanged glances and nodded slightly. The bear-headed one was about to roar again.

"Now, everyone stand up. Men run three kilometers, women one kilometer. Those who finish can eat, those who lag behind get no food!"

Chills ran down everyone's spines at the mention of food. Despite being required to run even ten kilometers, hunger drove them. If they were late, they'd miss the meal, which was no joke. The girls, regardless of their image, rushed out.

Having stood for so long, they now had to run long distances. It was tough for everyone, especially for those girls who had been sitting the whole time and now felt cramps in their legs.

When others were in pain, the four decided to compete again. Salta took the lead, completely unaffected. Behind him was Grin, followed by Alex and Li Lankalos, both maintaining a steady pace. From Alex's perspective, Li Lankalos, who had a delicate appearance, didn't seem remarkable before, but his performance earlier suggested otherwise.

The two had some similarities; they weren't as aggressive as Salta and Grin. Li Lankalos looked interestedly at Alex, and they smiled at each other, feeling a subtle sense of camaraderie. Salta had already accelerated, but couldn't shake off the three behind him. Of course, he wasn't giving his all; this rivalry was too trivial, and running fast didn't necessarily prove anything.

But the abilities of the four caught the attention of the four instructors. It seemed that these were the special recruits of this year, a rare sight. Usually, there was only one, sometimes two, and occasionally none, but this year there were five. Heh heh, they loved training these special recruits the most!

Salta, the leader of the pack, was probably the most formidable among them. Heh heh, this was only the first day!

But things changed. The four special recruits had already surpassed many students. In the last three hundred meters, Grin suddenly accelerated, which immediately prompted Salta to do the same. Salta liked prey with fighting spirit; without competition, it was boring.

Grin and Salta suddenly sprinted, forcing Alex and Li Lankalos to speed up as well. Young and full of energy, they didn't shy away from competition; if there was competition, then so be it!

"Alex, let's step up our game too!"

"Sure!"

Zoom...

Some students were dumbfounded as the four dashed towards the finish line at an unbelievable speed. The one called Alex, who seemed somewhat effeminate, charged ahead like a sword, quickly catching up with Salta and Grin. The four raced side by side, not giving an inch, heading towards the finish line together.

Unfortunately... the distance was too short for them to dash.

The four instructors looked at their watches and exchanged glances. Monkey licked his lips. "These four kids even sprinted at the end, clocking in at nine seconds per hundred meters. Heh heh, very interesting. Their physique is quite good even by UNP standards. Looks like they've been through special training."

The four instructors weren't too surprised; without some skills, they wouldn't be considered special recruits at Aolang. But this year's batch seemed quite different from previous years!

After crossing the finish line, the four special recruits looked interestedly at the others, as if they had discovered a new toy, but none of them spoke.

"You, you, and you, can go eat now!"

The four paid no attention to the instructors and headed towards the cafeteria.

"Haha! They're being ignored. These kids are quite arrogant!"

"I love arrogant people, as long as they have the skills. Ah, being a nanny is so boring if they're all like this!"

"You, and you, you pigs, hurry up! Are you crawling? And you, stop standing there like a flagpole!"

"Quick! Quick! Quick! The last ones won't get any food!"

Shouted at like this, the students had to speed up, cursing silently in their hearts. But they had no choice; people were already going to eat one by one. If they were late, they really wouldn't get anything to eat.

But it wasn't as bad as they had imagined. Perhaps it was the first day, but everyone got to eat something. It was just that the later ones got worse food. But even the worst-tasting food felt like a feast when they were hungry!

The first day left a deep impression on everyone. The days ahead wouldn't be easy!