Chapter 10 They're Not Normal

Both of the Year 1 Class 1 Leaders are already obvious to the training staff. Not only are they years ahead of their peers in school work, they're also dedicated to their training, with impressive System Modifiers.

Cadet Max has an incredible 2.5 times modifier in strength, but Nico has a 2x modifier in speed plus a 1.5x modifier for dexterity, a rare double Primary. The Dexterity modifier isn't all that great, being high Gamma Ranked, and even the Speed modifier is Very low Alpha Rank, but together, they should make for very efficient training.

Both Cadets are gaining quickly, even for students of their Compatibility Scores, and Major Payne is keeping close tabs. Regulations say they must remain in Year 1 classes until they've reached 50 percent total bonus, and cannot graduate in the Piloting Program unless they've reached 100 percent total.

Ideally she would like to move them both to year 3 next Semester, to more closely match their training to their skills. But that means more intensive physical skills classes, and there is no guarantee that this rate of growth will hold.

It's not strictly regulation, but it's not prohibited, so Major Payne decides to change the settings for them on the trainers from smooth growth to maximum System Gains. It's usually used as a punishment setting for Cadets that slack and are in danger of flunking a year due to insufficient progress, even a few hours under those settings are pure torture.

But when she opens the menu, they're already changed. She didn't see anyone else near them, but someone already set the machines for maximum progress. Major Payne suspects Sergeant Zamm is the culprit, but she's not going to say anything to her supervisors until she has some sort of evidence.

Instead she waits and watches as the two Cadets train for an hour at maximum intensity, then go grab a drink from the provided bottles. They're not water, but a form of energy drink designed to help recover energy and repair damaged tissue.

Instead of moving on to a low intensity activity, as she had expected, they both take a ten minute break, then resume their previous training programs.

None of the other Cadets dare touch their machines after seeing the workout those two received, and the consensus among the first year class is that those two are simply masochists.

Again they repeat the process, taking a break and a drink, but this time they switch programs. Now Max is doing Dexterity and Speed Training while Nico is training primarily strength.

Compared to their classmates, the two with Alpha Ranked Systems have a huge advantage in increasing their status bonuses. After a full year of this, most Gamma Ranked students will succeed in getting their fifty points to continue along the advanced piloting track. Almost every Cadet with a Delta Ranked System will be moved to a basic path or to a different specialty.

The Beta Ranked Students are usually the issue. They have it just easy enough to slack, getting an upgrade every few days to reach their goal, and it tends to make them arrogant and kill their motivation. What the instructors hope is that the clear advantage that these to Alpha Ranked overachievers will gain through their hard work will motivate the others.

Max had time for four full cycles of training before the cafeteria opens for dinner, and he's made real progress again today. At this rate, the expectations of the academy are a joke, but it's possible the gains will slow down a lot as his skills increase.

[Compatibility Determined] Rank A

[Primary Attribute] STR 2.5x modifier

[STR] +20%

[DEX] +2%

[SPD] +2%

[Innate Talent] Mind Reading

[Additional Functions Locked]

"Major Payne, what are the base stats? The system bonuses list as a percentage, but the base isn't there, Ma'am." Max asks, confused about how to interpret the data.

"It's in your locked skills, but I can tell you in advance. Every student will start out with a base of 1 in every stat, except those with Alpha Ranked Compatibility, who will begin with 2. Once you reach fifty percent total bonus, your physical abilities will increase from that of a growing child to that of an adult in a child's body. It's the System's way of rewarding you for hard work."

They're only on day two of having the system, and already Max is at twenty four percent total bonus. He's not sure if that's normal for people like him, in the top one percent of Compatibility, but there's an easy way to check. Class 2 isn't that far away and they're also training outside.

Max focuses hard on the childhood friend of Nico who was also Alpha Ranked, looking for thoughts of where his abilities are at.

He's also been using the resistance trainer, though Max can sense that he's not pushing himself, smug in his superiority as the only Alpha Ranked student in his class. But where Max has seen six total upgrades, Nathan just finally got his first one, giving him 4.5 percent more strength. So he's got a 2.25x modifier on his strength, which is pretty solid, though not as lucky as Max.

His teachers and classmates are fawning over his achievement and how he might even get to the cap in only a few months. They're in for a huge shock when the Year Wide student progress rankings come out.

"Major Payne, is it possible to increase the base stats, once they're active?" Nico asks curiously, beating Max to the question.

"Possible, yes. But it's not easy. Some students will increase a base stat through hard work, an Innate Skill or a System Reward, but most Pilots will end their career with the base stat level they began with."

'Most pilots' likely doesn't apply to Max though, he already understood that he won the genetic lottery in this lifetime, so he had high hopes for at least one or two bonus points. Though if a base of 1 is average adult, and 2 is exceptional, even one or two would be a huge advantage over the general population.

The energy juice today was a lifesaver, and Max even manages to drag himself up the stairs this time, using the stairs and railings for support and locking arms with Nico who is in similarly bad shape, but still, they made it up the stairs and got showered before bed.