Chapter 44
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Encounter with Iolin
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Shortly after Darin's warning signaled the end of their brief rest, the ground began to rumble.
Abel and the other cadets gripped their weapons and silently watched in that direction.
Having taken up a relatively high position, Abel spotted the enemy first.
‘Five machines.’
After confirming their identity, Abel let out a sigh of relief.
Not only were there just five of them, but they were standard supply models.
From the way they were moving, it seemed they hadn’t noticed Abel’s group at all.
Before taking action, Abel sent a predetermined hand signal to his team.
It wasn’t anything complicated.
Should they stay hidden? Or make contact?
The decision came quickly.
They would make contact first.
Abel agreed with that choice.
Right now, gathering information was more important than playing it safe.
‘Besides, there’s no reason for cadets to fight each other early on.’
Having sorted his thoughts, Abel shouted in a loud voice before they got too close.
“Hey, who’s there!”
The moment he spoke, he could see the other side thrown into chaos.
Two of them whipped their heads around, searching for the source of the voice, while the other two immediately crouched down.
‘What a mess.’
But not everyone was like that.
One voice responded with a calmness that bordered on cold detachment.
“This is Iolin from B Squad.”
“……And why are you approaching us?”
Instead of revealing his identity, Abel fired back with another question.
Iolin stared fixedly at Abel’s machine for a moment before replying.
“We didn’t spot you and move in on purpose. Our paths just overlapped.”
“I see.”
A brief silence followed.
With an easy mark, he might’ve probed for information, but Iolin was clearly not the type.
‘Suggesting we team up or exchange info? Yeah, that’d fall on deaf ears.’
Abel made a quick decision and spoke up again.
“Then stay away from this area and keep moving.”
“Got it.”
As expected, Iolin gave a curt reply and immediately led her cadets onward.
Abel committed her direction of travel to memory.
Once they were out of sight,
“Running into B Squad means the training area isn’t as big as I thought.”
Kalian spoke up first.
Abel nodded.
“Yeah. There might be a point in the training where we compete against other groups.”
He said it like a guess, but Abel knew it was true.
The practical was practical in name only—it was as important as midterms.
Since midterms were mostly theory-based, evaluations from the practical carried significant weight in the final grades.
‘That’s why they assess everything under the sun…….’
The others chimed in with their thoughts, exchanging opinions on Abel’s comment.
After about five minutes of rest, Abel spoke up again.
“Alright, time to move. Oh, and Darin.”
“Y-Yeah?”
Darin jumped in surprise at her name being called.
Abel addressed her.
“Anything you’re sensing around us?”
“Uh…… Not really?”
“Okay. Got it.”
Darin sounded puzzled as to why he’d ask her specifically, but Abel knew.
She had a talent for the scout role.
Her earlier detection of Iolin’s group approaching hadn’t been luck.
She hadn’t received proper training in it yet, so it was rough around the edges, but the talent itself was genuine.
As he slowly piloted his machine forward, Abel thought to himself.
‘The more I think about it, the more perfect our team composition is.’
Darin handling the essential scout role.
May maximizing offensive power as the attacker.
Daniel as the sturdy, durable tank.
Kalian and Abel covering both offense and defense.
Plus, three out of five were from the special class.
This had to be the top team overall.
Of course, that didn’t mean it would be easy.
The evaluation standards would be just as rigorous to match their strength. And they’d face the toughest challenges.
‘Just look at the Iron Wolf right at the start.’
Either way, complacency was off the table.
“Darin. Keep an eye out for anything approaching.”
“O-Okay!”
Abel offered Darin occasional advice as he led the group toward their objective.
* * *
A spacious tent.
At the long table in its center sat a row of instructors.
Vice Principal Fleta, seated at the head, glanced at the map on the table and spoke.
“The gaps are definitely pronounced early on.”
“Indeed. The first two stages are mostly about evaluating each team’s overall strength.”
Fleta nodded at the instructor’s words.
Just as he said, the early practical focused less on individual cadet assessments and more on gauging each team’s comprehensive capabilities.
The practical didn’t impose the same trials on everyone—it tailored tests to their levels.
In other words, stronger teams faced tougher challenges.
Fleta tapped the map with his pen.
“Individual achievements are for midterms. The practical is about their tendencies and growth potential. Keep that in mind.”
“Yes, sir!”
Instead of dragging it out, Fleta changed the subject after their response.
“Which team is in the lead right now?”
“Two teams. Abel’s from A Squad, and Iolin’s from B Squad.”
“Hmm. Are they at a similar level?”
“Their progress is close, but A Squad is technically ahead. B Squad took a shorter route.”
“I see.”
After reviewing Abel and his teammates, Fleta spoke.
“That’s all for today’s meeting. We’ll reconvene tomorrow morning.”
“Understood!”
Once he dismissed them, most left the tent, leaving only a few behind.
A while later, Fleta finally spoke.
“No signs yet, but stay vigilant.”
“Yes.”
“Got it.”
Those remaining focused on patrolling the area to maintain a safe environment, rather than directly intervening.
The training grounds were a ‘safe’ space meticulously prepared by the academy.
But absolutes didn’t exist in this world.
Variables could pop up anywhere, anytime.
“Alright, you’re all dismissed.”
Fleta sent the rest away, leaving him alone in the tent.
Seated by himself, Fleta rubbed his face.
“Whew.”
Overseeing the practical felt like walking a thorny path.
The practical was new—only five years old.
Back then, he’d been vehemently against introducing it.
Simple reason.
It was dangerous.
Field missions outside were for second-years, second semester onward.
Even prodigies weren’t ready before that.
‘But the academy created the practical anyway.’
That was just the start. All sorts of risky classes were added.
The reason was straightforward.
The political situation had turned dire.
After the Great War, the empire enjoyed a brief peace.
Built on blood and corpses, but peace nonetheless.
Five years ago, that peace began to crack, and everything changed.
Del Modor Academy couldn’t resist the tide.
‘Some say it wasn’t changing—it was returning to its roots.’
Originally, Del Modor had been a training ground for elite ‘knights.’
But with peace ending, it shifted to training Gigant riders.
Pushing mere teenagers into danger under the banner of riders.
He didn’t like it.
Especially not with rogue groups rampaging across imperial territory while pushing ahead with the practical.
“Tch. What was Master thinking?”
Muttering to himself, Fleta set down his pen.
His gaze returned to the map.
Sunlight filtered through the tent flaps.
‘The sun’s up.’
He turned his head slightly and saw the sun rising over the horizon.
For a long moment, he stared at it with a burning gaze, as if craving its light.
* * *
Silver giants gleamed under the blazing sun as they charged across the wasteland.
Thud, thud, thud—!
With five Gigants running, the ground shook like an earthquake.
But Abel, leading the pack, ignored it and focused on speeding up.
Soon, he spotted a large building ahead.
Thud! Thud!
Abel raised his hand in a halt signal and slowed to a stop.
“There. Building ahead.”
At his words, the others noticed the cluster of structures.
The navigation cube pointed to them exactly.
“Could be a trap, so approach slowly.”
Everyone nodded without argument.
They already saw Abel as the leader.
Kalian still had a hint of defiance, but even so.
Abel advanced slowly, sword at the ready.
Soon, he spotted someone standing in front of the buildings.
“Hey—! Over here! Park ‘em in front!”
The booming voice belonged to a very familiar face.
None other than Kaul.
Kaul didn’t stop at shouting—he flashed the prearranged signal from before the practical.
‘That signal means no traps or anything.’
The other cadets saw it too. After a quick exchange, they followed Kaul’s instructions and dismounted their Gigants.
Whirr—.
A cool breeze refreshed them as they exited the cockpits.
Hours of nonstop Gigant operation had left them fatigued, but Abel didn’t show it as he walked toward Kaul.
“Good work, everyone!”
Kaul threw his arms wide.
No one took the obviously suffocating hug, so Abel kept his distance and asked,
“What is this place?”
“Ahem. Midway base. You heard about it in class, right?”
“Oh, right.”
As the name implied, it was a rest point.
Gigants accumulated fatigue the longer they operated.
A person could sit and recover anywhere, but not a Gigant.
Idling reduced buildup but didn’t reset it.
Hence, midway bases were essential.
Places to dismount, rest safely, and perform basic maintenance.
“You can rest here up to six hours max. Leave early, and that’s all the rest you get.”
Kaul continued explaining to the cadets.
“There are midway bases like this scattered throughout the training area. That cube tells you where they are.”
He meant the cube Abel called the navigation in his head.
“What’s next?”
Daniel raised his hand to ask Kaul.
He hadn’t expected a straight answer, but Kaul replied readily.
“Endless combat.”
An evil grin crept across his face.