Just as I decided to step forward, soone beat to it. Two boys and a girl moved toward her, cutting off.
The girl spoke first.
"North, there's the changing room. Go ahead and get into your uniform."
North smiled, her voice soft yet warm.
"Oh, thank you, Sara. I'll be out in a bit."
With that, she turned and walked toward the changing room, leaving the rest of us watching her go.
I slung an arm over Steve's shoulder and grinned.
"Guess I'll be sleeping facing the 'North' direction from now on. Gotta keep my priorities straight."
"Great. Just make sure you don't blow it up and things don't go 'South' for you," Steve said with a smirk.
"But I can already see them heading south," a voice chid in from behind us.
We turned around to see a guy standing there, grinning.
He was on the shorter side, maybe around 5'5". Not too short, but enough to notice.
He extended a hand for a handshake and introduced himself.
"Hi, I'm Phil Dumble. Rank 3 from Cairo Academy."
I shook his hand and nodded.
"Hey, Phil. I'm—"
But he cut off with a grin.
"Oh, I already know both of you. Billion and Steve, the SpeedBump duo from Avenue Academy. No youngster in Cairo wouldn't recognize you."
SpeedBump?
I narrowed my eyes at him, tilting my head.
"Ohh, I guess you didn't know. In every other academy in Cairo, both of you are called SpeedBump." He answered.
SpeedBump. Seriously?
That's all they could co up with? A city full of thousands of graduates, and that was the best they had? Talk about disappointing.
Off the top of my head, I could think of at least a few better ones—IdleBolt, ChillingBlizzard, DullRazor.
Suddenly Steve spoke up.
"So he's Speed, and I'm Bump? Are you saying I'm just a bump? What a joke. An entire city couldn't co up with anything better?
How about ChillingBlizzard, DullRazor, BlazeFrost? I an, he's fire, and I'm always cool as ice."
Damn. Talk about being best friends.
And BlazeFrost? Wow.
Phil smiled.
"Chill, they're just jealous of your achievents, so they're trying to make fun of you behind your back."
"It's fine." I waved it off.
"Leaving that aside, did you say sothing about things going south?"
Phil winked.
"Yeah. I know the girl you were staring at."
I asked.
"Oh? And who is she?"
"Her na's North Winter. She's from the Capital's Winter family….you know, the ones related to the Royal family."
I frowned.
"That doesn't an things won't work out between us, right?"
"Yeah, that's still... manageable. But you know her grandfather?" He leaned in and whispered, "He's the one who leads Unit 02."
I blinked. Once. Twice. Three tis.
Her grandfather?
Talk about coincidence. And talk about nepotism.
I should put in a request to transfer this grandfather out of here.
Steve turned to , his face deadpan.
"So her grandfather is the commander of this unit. You understand what that ans, right?"
I shrugged.
"Doesn't matter."
Steve stepped back.
"Alright then. You don't know , and I don't know you. I'm not getting dragged into another ss with you."
I grinned.
"Nope. I'm introducing myself as your best friend to everyone."
Just then, the door burst open with a bang, nearly flying off its hinges.
Two people strode in, both wearing the sa uniform as us.
"That's the grandfather," Phil chid in.
I locked eyes on the late middle-aged man making his way toward the stage.
Bald, with a long, perfectly straight scar running from his ear to his nose, as if soone had carved it with surgical precision. His rugged, square face carried a hardened expression, but what stood out more was the way he moved….fast, energetic, spring in his step.
And I'd recognize a brother anywhere. He was just like . Bold and bulletproof.
Beside him, a woman walked with a tablet in hand, adjusting her glasses. Tall, fit, and effortlessly composed, she matched the old man's stride, keeping just half a step behind him.
Within monts, they reached the stage, turning to face us.
I nudged Steve, and we both pushed forward, with Phil trailing behind us. Within monts, we were standing in the front row, directly facing the man. The rest of the recruits scrambled to gather.
The man remained silent for a full two minutes, his sharp gaze sweeping over the crowd before he finally spoke.
"My na is Arkas Rayleigh, your commander. And this," he gestured to the woman beside him, "is June Turner, your vice commander. And Congratulations. You're now part of Elite Unit 02."
His eyes narrowed as he took a deep breath, then his voice bood across the room.
"After the formation of the empire, when we fought our first war against the Eternals, we lost millions. Our ranks were getting decimated. Instead of focusing on getting stronger, our army wasted ti filling positions and playing politics.
Finally, the First Emperor had enough. He scrapped the entire ranking system and declared that, from that mont on, the army would have only two official ranks—Commander and Soldier. Whoever led would be the Commander. Everyone else? Soldiers.
So for the next year, I will be your Commander. When I'm not around, June will be your Commander.
Am I clear?"
I shouted imdiately.
"Yes, Commander!"
As always, no one else did.
Arkas looked at , then scanned the rest of the unit before speaking.
"I like it when people respond to my questions. Am I clear?"
The hall shook as everyone roared in unison.
"Yes, Commander!"
"Good," he said, continuing.
"And since there's only one rank, your strength is all that matters. Prove yourself, and you can be anything you want. If you want to apply directly to the Emperor's bodyguard, go ahead, show your worth, and you could join tomorrow. No need for years of experience, no waiting for promotions. Age, seniority, politics, none of it matters. Only strength and ability."
He paused for a mont, then continued.
"Since you're part of an Elite Unit, you need to be far stronger than your peers who weren't assigned to one.
That's because you'll be the ones leading operations and commanding armies. And that's also why everyone's records are made public—to ensure trust in their commanders and comrades during missions. Of course, if you're not convinced by soone's strength, you can always settle the difference in a fight."
Without a breath he continued.
'The man sure is intense.' I thought.
"Every awakened soldier is part of the army, which ans any awakened can access your record. As commanders, you can create whatever internal ranks you want for your unit, but they won't hold official weight. For example, June's official rank in Unit 02 is 'soldier,' just like the rest of you. But I assigned her as vice commander in na."
He swept his gaze over us.
"Do you understand?"
"Yes, Commander!" we shouted in unison.
"Next, let tell you about Unit 02." Arkas' voice carried across the hall, commanding everyone's attention.
"I ca to PCB twenty years ago as a commander. My first assignnt was Elite Unit 32. By the end of that year, I pushed its rank up to 27. And after shedding blood and sweat for PCB, I was finally assigned to lead Unit 02 five years ago."
He let that sink in for a mont before continuing.
"There are rankings and competitions throughout the year, with one final battle to determine each unit's standing. Right now, you're Unit 02—but by the end of the year, you could be Unit 100. And whatever rank you finish with? That's what goes on your record, not where you started."
Suddenly, lightning crackled across his entire body, his eyes glowing an intense yellow.
His voice bood.
"For five years, I've been stuck at Unit 02. It took fifteen years to climb from 32 to 02, but now, I've hit a roadblock. And believe , I don't like that."
The air around him humd with power.
"I like to be the best, and 02 isn't the best. So I'm going to put all of you through hell. If I find you lacking, I'll beat the shit out of you myself."
He scanned the room, his gaze sharp.
"Your goal? Simple. Get Unit 01. In return, you'll beco stronger than anyone outside these walls."
He sure is selfish. But I liked his style.
"Am I clear?"
"Yes, Commander!" we roared back.
Finally, for the first ti since he started his breathless speech, Arkas smiled.
"Ooooh, I like that energy." His eyes glead with sothing close to amusent.
"Since I clearly haven't been able to produce soldiers strong enough to snatch Rank 1, that ans my previous thods weren't good enough. So this year, we're shaking things up."
His voice turned sharper.
"I've noticed a pattern. Every year, new recruits waste their first month running around, making friends, chasing girls, and showing off. So, I've decided to move the schedule forward. You can still do all of that—just while trying to survive."
He paused, letting those words settle.
"I handpicked each and every one of you based on the feedback we received from your academies. But now, all of you are starting from the sa line.
So, I'm throwing you into the jungle. For the next month, you'll fight to survive among the monsters or should I say, the Abominations.
If you think you're the best, prove it in the coming month. Show the result of your four years of training in the academy. Your ranks will be decided based on your performance."
A few people stiffened. Others swallowed hard.
"Don't worry," he added. "I'll make sure none of you die in the first month. That's all the help you're getting from ."
He clasped his hands behind his back and continued.
"At the end of each month, we'll hold a ranking competition to decide your standing within the unit. Anyone below Rank 20 will be punished."
A hush fell over the room.
"And every three months, there will be a competition between all units. If our unit drops below Rank 02, all of you will be punished."
Silence. Then, his next words hit like a hamr.
"You leave for the jungle in one hour."
His gaze swept over us.
"Am I clear?"
"Yes, Commander!" we shouted.
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