Chapter 44 - Running Course
Chapter 44 – Running Course
Lieutenant Rick shouted after hearing the instruction. "Alright. Follow me. This will be your training routine every single running session, so you need to remember the course even though the training is only about running around the area. Now, let's go!"
Without waiting for the students to react, Rick already ran toward the dense forest.
Alea was the first to react as she ran right behind Rick, trying to follow his pace. Many other students also did the same to make sure they didn't get left out.
Meanwhile, a bald soldier narrowed his eyes and sighed, staring at their leader. "Major, you are too strict, aren't you? The instruction from above is to allow them to get used to their new environment first, especially for the first year."
"Not at all. I'm just trying to see their capability first. In other words, this is a test."
"Well, you have specifically chosen this area to train agility in the dense forest, judgment in the steep slope, adaptability in the swamp, speed in the grassland, and balance in the gentle slope." He scratched the back of his head.
"Exactly. Even the second or third year students have this problem. They may have muscle from the physical training in school, but this kind of terrain will allow them to gain and use them properly. Besides, we can see the students that are cut above the rest."
"Well, yes. If they can't even follow Rick to the end instead of someone's back, they are better than most. And there is still stamina and speed to put into consideration. Still, the main problem is whether they will be separated from the group or not." The bald guy nodded in agreement.
"Exactly. With that many people, it will be hard to follow Eric since they have no visual of Rick. Hence, this is a perfect place to check their talent and advise them from time to time. After all, the boss wants us to teach them without looking at their talent," said Major Sam as he turned around and continued, "I hope you all can help me during this one month."
"Yes, Sir."
Just like what they discussed, Rick entered the dense forest.
Theo was a bit behind, but he could still see Rick's figure, so he had no problem keeping up with him. He then started thinking about the reason for this training menu. 'With my current level, I don't think I have a problem finishing the entire course. From my observation alone, if we are truly going around the area, it will be around ten miles.
'It's too much for a normal first-year student, but I think I should remember the course first before putting my plan into action? No. Instead of thinking of this, isn't this a perfect time to practice my breathing?'
Deciding what he wanted to do, he continued running without talking to whoever next to him.
The terrain was well-thought.
Due to the density of trees, many people were required to take one step to the left or right to avoid them, but at the same time, there were too many students near them, making it hard for them to adjust their course throughout the entire forest.
In addition, there were many roots coming out of the ground and fallen branches that could throw their balance off, so they needed to be careful to avoid falling over.
Not long after, they arrived at the gentle rocky slope. People began to slow down their pace, resulting in half of the students getting stuck behind just like a traffic jam.
Luckily, Theo was part of the advance group, so he didn't get into that trouble. He descended according to the pace Rick set.
Everything changed when they entered the next terrain, the grassland. Rick sped up like that of a tiger, throwing them off.
This was a challenge for them.
Even Theo needed to sprint to catch up with Rick, only to find him slow down again as soon as he entered the swamp. The swamp didn't have anything special other than the fact that it was hard to move since every time they took a step, their feet sank a little bit.
Theo had no problem in this terrain since his master training was worse than this.
Last but not least, the steep rocky slope. This terrain was the hardest so far. It tested their judgment as to which path they should take.
Although Rick showed the best example of how to climb this slope, the students decided to find another path that could be crossed easier since there was no way the path earlier could allow more than five students to cross it at once.
Suddenly, Theo raised his vision, feeling the stares from the top of the hill.
"…" He furrowed his eyebrows when he found the military instructors to be waiting for them, bringing all his teammates to observe them.
After waiting for a while, he saw Alea talking to them and continued running. At the very least, his number one threat had left, so he began to climb the hill. It was quite a steep hill, so he needed to watch his footsteps.
It took him a whole fifteen minutes just to climb the hill, even though the entire ten miles run took less than half an hour.
And surprisingly, the moment he arrived at the top, Major Sam was the one who stopped him.
"Congratulations. This is the running course for the whole month. I will also add some twists once in a while, so please keep that in mind. For now, thirty percent of the group can keep up with Rick, so you can take pride in being able to do it in your first year."
"Thank you, Major."
"No need. Anyway, you need to keep repeating this process until you are too exhausted to even move. We have a doctor here, so we will know whether you are faking it or not and it will affect the overall evaluation."
'They have a doctor? Doesn't this mean I can't hide my ability? Well, I can control it to prevent me from standing out, so I guess that's fine.' Theo was screaming inside when he heard this. However, he couldn't afford to show it to them. Instead, he smiled and nodded. "I understand."
"Alright. You should continue." Major Sam released him and waved his hand as if cheering for Theo.
Theo nodded and started running again.
Major Sam, on the other hand, saw Theo's file after scanning his face to search the database. "Theo Griffith. A level 7 can defeat a Level 47 Fighter, Laust Lange, in a fair duel. There seem to be many interesting students in my camp. Anyway, there are only two people in each grade that will pass. I wonder who will get the quota."