Aside from the hard requirents for strength, the regulations of the Elite Camp were actually quite relaxed—far better than those of the Recruit Camp.
First and foremost, there was no daily early-morning assembly. It was incredibly leisurely. You could train if you wanted to, or go out and have fun if you didn't; Zephyr wouldn't nitpick. He only gathered everyone periodically to test the progress they had made during that ti; the rest was free-form. Additionally, everything regarding food, clothing, and housing was taken care of; you just had to focus on training.
However, the one downside was that the als provided by the kitchen were all nutritionally balanced, energy-dense dicinal diets. As for the taste… well, you only need to look at how often Aldo snuck off to the Recruit Camp to mooch als to understand.
"Alright! That's all for the introduction to the Elite Camp. After we dismiss, you can go familiarize yourselves with the environnt. Different rooms have different training equipnt. For those who want to move in here, feel free to do so after dinner."
With that, Zephyr turned to the veterans who were training. "In half an hour, we begin today's teaching session. The usual rules apply: you decide the order yourselves! Understood?"
The veterans grinned mischievously and shouted in unison, "Understood!"
Zephyr made an indistinct sound, cast a calm glance at Tony and the others, and walked out of the courtyard.
Loya, who was sharp as a tack, paused for a mont before the realization hit him. He nudged Aldo with his elbow and asked, ignoring the latter's "don't bother , I'm annoyed" expression, "Hey! Guess which spot the guys behind will end up in? Is a middle-of-the-pack ranking possible?"
ntioning this topic perked the disgruntled Aldo right up. "I think it's unlikely! That guy Tony Mill is decent, but we have five or six sharp swordsn here; he has no advantage. Logically, he should end up at the bottom like I did initially!"
"Are you sure you want to expose yourself like that?" Loya rolled his eyes and ignored him.
He turned to look. Aside from Simon, who had heard a few rumors about the Elite Camp, Tony and Minnie were completely clueless.
"Hey! Newbies!"
Sure enough, before Zephyr had even fully stepped out of the courtyard, a voice cut through the air. Loya and Aldo exchanged sly grins and followed the sound.
The speaker was a veteran Elite Camp mber. He wore a standard recruit jacket that he had sohow managed to style into a tight-fitting leather jacket—a real talent. His hair was styled in a pompadour, the trademark of a bōsōzoku (biker gang mber). He looked more like a hooligan than a Marine, and his expression was one of absolute condescension.
Aldo whispered an explanation to Loya: "His na is Minde Newfick. I heard he used to be the boss of a small gang in the East Blue. His strength is mid-tier for the Elite Camp, but he has the worst temper."
Loya simply nodded, ready to watch the show.
The hostility in the man's eyes was obvious. Tony, as the top-ranked graduate, stepped forward without hesitation. "May I ask what you want with us?"
"Yo! A guy with an education!" Minde said with exaggerated flair, then tilted his head to glare down at Tony. "Since you're the new arrivals and I'm your senior, I think I need to teach you so rules that Teacher Zephyr won't tell you."
"For example—get in the back of the line and stay there, understand?"
Hearing the dismissive tone, the expressions of the three worsened instantly. Laurent Minnie, who had a fiery temper, was about to rush forward and kick him, but Simon held her back. He whispered sothing into her ear, and Minnie stood her ground, albeit indignantly.
So, they're starting trouble, huh?
At this point, it was clear what was happening. Tony narrowed his eyes, placing his hand on his hilt. "With all due respect, I must decline your suggestion."
"Ha! A tough nut to crack, eh?"
To Minde, these were just punks fresh out of the Recruit Camp who had never received Zephyr's direct guidance. He assud that a couple of threats would be enough to make them surrender their "newcor privileges" and obediently queue at the end.
Yes, newcor privileges. It was an unwritten rule in the Elite Camp that new mbers enjoyed priority for guidance during their first week. While they could voluntarily give it up, doing so ant it was very likely that, with dozens of people in the camp, they wouldn't get a turn before Zephyr called it a day.
During that first week, veterans would always use this thod to "shake up" the rookies. Zephyr tacitly allowed it. It wasn't because Zephyr didn't value newcors, but because this system effectively increased the competitiveness of the Elite Camp. Only through competition does one improve. Only those who had faced humiliation, had their arrogance stripped away, and found the courage to strive for sha could gain a foothold in the Elite Camp. They didn't need coddling; they were the backbone of the future Navy, destined for the front lines of the war against pirates.
Naturally, that was how it was supposed to go. But Minde hadn't expected his offer to be rejected so decisively.
Minde felt his face burning. His voice turned icy. "Looks like you're not planning on lining up at the end, kid!"
Tony's expression didn't waver. His gaze locked onto Minde. His left hand had moved away from the hilt, and his right hand gripped it loosely; he stood in a balanced, ready stance.
"I have heard that the Elite Camp is filled with powerful people, and I have long looked forward to this. If you are rely using your position to bully, rob, and demand, then I cannot comply."
"Speak like a human being!!!" Loya shouted from the side, getting impatient. He flicked an ice spear in their direction.
WHOOSH!
The ice spear flew with terrifying speed and force, passing directly between Minde and Tony. The sound was sharp and piercing before it slamd, root and stem, into the dirt.
Gulp.
The two exchanged a glance, both clearly seeing the other swallow hard.
Tony adjusted his mindset and spoke in a deep voice: "Isn't a show of strength what you wanted? You want priority? Fine. Beat first!"
Minde thought to himself: You don't have to be so scary! Your tone is completely different now, you idiot!!!
The other Elite Camp mbers cast startled looks at Loya.
"This ability… it really is just as the rumors say."
Through that single ice spear, the veterans silently bumped Loya's threat level up by several degrees. After all, his victory over Aldo a month ago had been shocking, and the steady stream of news over the last month had only proven his strength further. Even in the monster-ridden Elite Camp, Loya was a genuine, bona fide monster!
"Relax, relax. Although I'm technically a newcor too, I'm not in the mood to fight you. Your opponent is that guy," Loya clapped his hands, shaking off the ice shards, and gestured toward Minde.
Minde instinctively wanted to lash out with a vulgarity, but rembering Loya's record, he realized his legs were shaking—he didn't dare make a move against him.
So, he shifted his aim to Tony: I'm no match for that monster, but you?
Having lost face and then being mocked by Loya, Minde was like a volcano about to erupt. Infinite rage surged in his heart.
CLANG!
A two-ter-long spiked club was tossed to his side. Minde turned to the veteran who had signaled him and said, "Thanks, Kiron!" He then grabbed the club and hoisted it onto his shoulder, looking with contempt at the battle-ready Tony.
"Co, co! Let see exactly how much ability you really have!"
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