Yuji Handa

One of the reasons for the popularity of cold weapons among genomancers is the discovery of a new type of steel called beast steel. Beast steel is created by mixing monster bone powder during the melting iron process.

Beast steel is harder than diamond, yet despite its hardness, it is easier to shape. This advantage made various weapons and armor made of beast steel highly sought after, especially for genomancers.

Once the popularity of armor declined due to its weight and lack of flexibility. However, genomancers generally have higher strength than ordinary humans, so armor made of beast steel became popular again.

On this first day, besides teaching Ren about the history of firearms, Nishino also informed him about the classification of firearms such as assault rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles, pistols, revolvers, shotguns, submachine guns, light machine guns, heavy machine guns, and anti-tank weapons.

Additionally, Nishino also explained common parts of firearms such as barrels, triggers, magazines, firing pins, bullet springs, barrel covers, handguards, and more.

Ren couldn't remember everything at once, but at least he became more familiar with firearms.

Finally, Ren tried practicing using a pistol with Nishino's guidance on proper shooting techniques. Shortly after Ren practiced, the training session came to an end.

"So, what do we do after this session?" Ren asked.

"Free, you can do anything you want. Hm, but that's for those of us who have become official members. I guess as an intern, you can further train your physical fitness in the gym," Nishino said, waving her hand as she left.

Ren initially felt strange, but after thinking about it, he understood. Those who had been accepted as members had achieved at least the standard score in various aspects. Therefore, the daily schedule for others was just an effort to maintain their physical strength and shooting skills.

Knowing that, Ren chose to go to Squad Four's gym. As he entered, he was surprised to see one of Squad Four members using the bench press. Initially, Ren thought all Squad Four members might be out for leisure.

The person seemed to notice Ren's arrival. He slowly stood up after placing his barbell. His eyebrows lifted after seeing Ren, feeling like he had never seen this guy in Squad Four.

"Who are you?" asked the guy.

Ren introduced himself, "Ren, Ren Kanazawa. I'm a new intern in Squad Four, nice to meet you."

"My name is Yuji Handa. Do you want to train here?"

Ren nodded. "Yes, Senior Yuji."

"Before you use any equipment here, you should warm up first." Yuji walked towards Ren and said, "Come here, I'll teach you."

"Okay."

Ren then faced Yuji in a more open space in the room.

"First, the head part. Place both of your hands on your chin and push your chin upward until you feel the skin on the front of your neck is pulled." Yuji immediately demonstrated the movement to Ren.

Ren followed Yuji's movement well. Seeing that, Yuji nodded. "Hold the position for 8 seconds."

"Good, now tilt your head to the left to the limit, then hold it for another 8 seconds."

Under Yuji's guidance, Ren went through a 15-minute warm-up starting from the head, then arms, and finally the legs. After all the warm-ups were done, Yuji began introducing the gym equipment at Squad Four's fitness center. He explained how to use and the functions of these tools.

"This is a dumbbell, and you should hold it like this. Make sure your wrists remain straight and parallel to your arms. You should also pay attention to your body posture. Stand upright, shoulders back, and pull your stomach in. Control your breathing well, inhale as you prepare for the movement, and exhale as you execute it."

Yuji carefully taught Ren, like a senior helping a struggling junior. For starters, Ren only used dumbbells, and after his hands got tired, he continued with the treadmill. After running for quite a while, he took a short break and then resumed with the pull-up bar.

After spending three hours in the gym, he finally returned to his apartment to rest. He reheated the meat he hadn't finished earlier in the morning and ate it. After showering and changing clothes, Ren went out to buy groceries.

The apartment building where Ren lived was in a quite affluent district. Most people here had better incomes than the average person outside. Ren went to the nearest supermarket, Inuzuma Store.

There were no local markets because people couldn't afford to buy land outside the city's protective walls and didn't want to because of the various risks associated with farming, livestock, or gardening outside. Therefore, the lands outside the city were controlled by several large companies.

Ren entered Inuzuma Store, pushed a shopping cart, and walked to the fresh food section. For protein sources, Ren bought pork, beef, and a sufficient amount of eggs.

For carbohydrates, Ren bought rice. He also purchased vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Finally, he bought some spices, and most importantly, salt.

After collecting everything, Ren pushed his shopping cart to the cashier. He then noticed Nishino, who was also waiting in line in front of the cashier. On the girl's shopping cart, Ren saw many bottles of alcoholic drinks.

Ren then stood in line behind Nishino.

The girl glanced at Ren's groceries and commented, "Have you met Senior Yuji Handa?"

"Uh, why do you think so?" Ren asked, puzzled.

"Every newcomer intern is always so enthusiastic about living a healthy life, being organized, and also training hard. But after the first mission, 90% of people give up and choose to enjoy life while trying to maintain their skills as best as possible," Nishino explained at length.

"Why is that? Isn't it a good thing to train and improve ourselves so that we can perform missions better and achieve higher results?"

"Hah, I really like your optimistic attitude. I hope you can maintain it after you experience your first mission," Nishino sighed and shook her head, not explaining further.

Ren didn't know why Nishino said that, but he didn't want to be influenced by her negative words.

Since when, Ren's peaceful experiences in the dream world had given him the determination to achieve the same in the real world—peace and a better human life.

After paying for his groceries, Ren carried a large bag while walking back to Squad Four's apartment building. There were no other schedules for today, but Ren remained enthusiastic, looking forward to the days ahead.