"Going with a sword huh?" Levi asked as he came over to me with a katana in hand.
"What's wrong with a sword?" I asked but before he could speak, we were interrupted.
"For those of you who decided not to use weapons, In a fight between high rankers of the same strength, a little more versatility might be what you'll need to clinch victory. That's why you need to be versatile. He said this time with a surprisingly low tone.
His words had a positive effect as some people from the right moved over to our side and picked weapons that the felt comfortable with.
After some of the students also picked weapons, he then instructed "Now that you have chosen your weapon of choice, put them aside".
"We will start with some basic excercises so how about giving me two hundred pushups, sit-ups and squats each?. Sans without your bloodlines." he stated.
As soon as he said that the cadets started wailing.
- "is he joking!?"
- "yeah he must be".
And they had the right to. 'Two hundred of each of this excercises without using our bloodlines!?' I thought. If I do that, I'm not sure I'll be able to walk out of here on my own two legs.
Well I was exaggerating, but we'll be severely tired by the time we're done.
"These are bloodline suppressors" he said as a bunch of bracelets much like our smart bracelets appeared in both of his hands. "You will wear them throughout the exercise to ensure you don't cheat" The instructor watched with amusement as the faces of the cadets fell.
"Oi, don't tell me you're serious" the rank 7 guy who spoke earlier frowned.
"If you all don't start immediately, then I'll double it" he declared. Suprisingly, his words seemed to give us huge amounts of motivation. We all went and collected a suppressor. The moment I put it around my wrist, it shrunk to fit but at the same time I felt a sudden weakness. I tried moving my essence but nothing happened. 'Guess it works after all' I thought as I saw other cadets also trying to use their bloodlines but to no avail.
I started with my pushups first. At sixty I was still going fine, at eighty my arm muscles started to hurt, at a hundred and twenty they started to protest, at a hundred and sixty I was perspiring. And at two hundred I couldn't feel my arms.
The entire world was tuned out for me as I gasped for breath after finishing my pushups. I rested for about five minutes before deciding to start my situps. After all the faster I finish the better.
Cramps.....and burning pain in my abdominal muscles, that was what I felt after my situps. I steeled myself to do my squats and be done with it. And guess what, I was right, I don't think I would be able to walk out of here on my own two legs. My thighs and calves were aching like there was no tomorrow.
It was only after my exercises that I was able to spare time to notice that some were already done and some were still going. And some were.....collapsed. Right some had downright fainted. 'I guess their bloodline doesn't give them a permanent physical enhancement' I mused.
I then looked at those who had finished, to no surprise it was the scions. Even the rank 7 that grumbled about 'the conditioning' as the instructor had termed it, had finished, and you know what? he didn't have a single drop of sweat.
I also realized that my endurance was shit. But who could blame me, they might have been doing such exercise everyday their whole lives. So surely it wouldn't change much just because the number was upped a bit.
At the end by the time I was done, there was still about one hour remaining for the class. Meaning I spent about an hour. Some cadets had passed out and some were on the verge of passing out. At least I could proudly say that out of 200 cadets, I finished in the top hundred.
About 30 minutes later, all that could finish were done and those that couldn't were either passed out or sprawled on the floor.
"Now you all have five minutes to rest before you spar with me". Instructor Blake said seeing as most were finished.
- "Damn what the hell man".
- "Help he's going to kill us".
'Ah fuck this guy, now I officially hate him and I ain't doing shit, after all I was one of those sprawled on the floor'.
"I will fight you in the same rank so quit whining", he said. Five minutes passed but it felt like a single breath.
"I will start from rank one" he declared.
Soon he and and Aurora stood a few meters apart in an arena that sprung up from wherever the hell it came from. I could have bet my life it wasn't there before. Or was it exhaustion that was clouding my judgement?
"Your academy rank is well deserved, to think you're already a three starred rank two!!? now that's something you don't see everyday" he said as he adjusted his rank to that particular rank.
- "what!!!? a three starred rank 2!!?"
- "And at 16 years at that!!!?"
The cadets started clamoring about her rank.
To say I was shocked was an understatement . I was only a three starred rank 4 meaning she was two major ranks above me. Heck even the other top ten cadets had frowns on their faces. 'Now that's interesting, so even they didn't know her rank' I mused.
"START!!" the instructor bellowed and suddenly, I whose eyes was fixed on Aurora suddenly saw her disappear. The next moment I saw her in front of the instructor already throwing a kick to his side.
I was bewildered 'that was her pure physical speed, no bloodline enhancement, nothing, just pure physical. Compared to her speed, I might as well be a snail'.
I didn't even see how she moved. One second...no one moment she was here and the next, she wasn't. 'Is this the difference between rank 4 and rank 2?
The instructor blocked her kick with his forearm and sent a right hook towards her but she jumped backwards evading it.
They charged towards each other again, she was mainly attacking, while he was dodging and parrying her blows. Even though he was clearly more experienced, it seems she was stronger than him at the same rank. But one shouldn't underestimate the reaction time of a higher rank. He reacted swiftly to each of her attacks.
After they went at it for about five minutes, he ended their match and called for the rank two Quinn Darkheart. The instructor stated that he was also a rank 2, albeit one starred.
They started to spar and he was also doing...well. And so did the rank 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, in fact, the entire top ten. "We're stopping at top ten today" the instructor declared.
"You all can go now. Take the weapons you chose with you", he said.
I turned around and headed to pick the sword I had chosen along with everyone else who picked a weapon.
'It's about time for lunch I should head to the cafeteria' I thought as I picked my newly acquired weapon.
Following the map of the building on my bracelet, I arrived at the cafeteria. It was just like the dorms a blend of luxury and technology. Large tables, each with four or six chairs. I went to the serving bot and got some seafood before heading to an empty table in an inconspicuous corner of the cafeteria just so I wouldn't get in the way of an arrogant bastard and get handed the short side of the stick.
One thing about food at the cafeteria was that, it was free. 'Is it just me or does every food around here taste heavenly?' I thought as I took my first bite. I was midway through with food when a voice asked "can I sit here?" I was surprised at that, after all I did find an inconspicuous corner to sit down just so no one would disturb me.
To my surprise it was the rank 7 guy who was grumbling to the instructor. And most especially, a noble and not just any noble, one from the big seven.
"The cafeteria is for everyone you can choose to sit wherever you want" I answered. What I wanted to say was 'do my face looks like I want you to sit here!?' but refrained from doing so.
"Thanks then I'll sit here" the guy said with a sunny smile before sitting opposite me.
" Nice to meet you. My name is Owen Hargreaves. I'm rank 7".
After a moment of silence, he asked "what about you?"
"Adam Walker, rank 178".
"Yeah I know" he shrugged to my surprise. 'If you know then why did you ask!?' I groaned inwardly. "In fact you're quite popular ever since you know, your fiasco with Instructor Cornwell earlier this morning".
'What why did I not know about this? Popular really? Just for sleeping in class?' I thought. Great, just the type of attention I was trying to avoid.
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