Chapter 45
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Real Combat Awaits
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Kaul's words carried a heavy dose of humor, but not a single person cracked a smile.
It was only after a long pause that Kallian forced out an awkward chuckle and asked,
“Haha. You're joking, right?”
“No.”
Kaul's expression turned deadly serious in an instant as he addressed the cadets.
“What we've done to get here was nothing more than a warm-up. From here on out, you'll face experiences that are truly like real combat.”
“If you mean real combat, then it's not just fighting Gigadeus Fragments, is it.”
Kaul stared blankly at Abel for a moment before nodding.
“There are many kinds of real combat that riders face. As you said, Abel, battling Gigadeus Fragments is only one part of it.”
With that, Kaul locked eyes with each of them in turn and declared firmly,
“During this training exercise, you'll experience every type of combat.”
Silence fell over the group.
Kaul waited a moment before speaking again with a grin.
“Even after hearing all that, no one's backing out. You all must be pretty confident.”
Darin's face twisted in sudden realization at those words, but Kaul didn't seem to notice and pressed on.
“Alright, then. I won't interrupt your precious little rest time any longer, so I'll just cover a few things and head out.”
Kaul gave a brief rundown on the midpoint base.
For starters, a few engineers were on standby there, so Gigant repairs were possible.
Rest could be taken in the makeshift barracks made from tents, complete with rations and fresh water inside.
“Then I'll be off. Get some good rest and report to me before you leave.”
“Yes, sir!”
Once Kaul had gone, Abel gathered with the other cadets to talk it over.
“I think we should rest for about four hours before heading out. What do you say?”
“Four hours? Not filling out the full six?”
“Yeah. Something feels off about it.”
All eyes turned to Abel.
It went without saying, but he wasn't speaking out of baseless anxiety.
Kallian asked with a skeptical look.
“What feels off?”
“Just a hunch that the instructor didn't explain all the rules about this base.”
Abel slowly organized his thoughts.
There were no lies in what Kaul had said. But he'd omitted some key facts.
First off, Kaul had said they could rest here for a total of six hours.
He'd also mentioned they could leave anytime in between.
But in truth, the 'six hours' wasn't limited to this base alone.
'The total time you can rest at bases per day is six hours combined. Once you've used it all up at one spot, you can't even take a short break at another.'
Naturally, that came with its own headaches.
No resupplying rations or water mid-journey. No repairs for your Gigant.
But he couldn't just tell the other cadets that straight up.
It was knowledge the 'old' Abel—who hadn't experienced this—shouldn't have.
He considered asking Kaul directly, but that might arouse suspicion, so he held back.
Realizing he'd gone quiet for too long, Abel calmly continued his explanation.
“So... it's not based on anything concrete. I just think we should play it safe. There are probably more bases than just this one.”
“Hmm, I see.”
Kallian and the others didn't look entirely convinced, but they didn't argue either.
It wasn't an unreasonable stance—better safe than sorry when you didn't know everything.
To drive the point home, Abel added,
“If you're tired, rest longer by all means. I'm still good to go.”
“Then I'm fine with it too.”
Kallian jumped in before he could even finish.
It was a jab at his pride, and it hit the mark perfectly.
“Well, I'm still full of energy myself.”
Daniel nodded without a second thought, the stamina monster that he was, and May followed suit.
“I'm... still okay too.”
Darin looked exhausted but didn't want to go against the grain, so he agreed.
'I'll need to keep a close eye on Darin.'
Compared to the others, Darin was a bit lower on stamina, so he'd need watching.
“Alright. Let's rest then. Eat whenever you want.”
With that, Abel lay down on his bed.
He knew there was no danger here, at least, so instead of meditating, he simply closed his eyes.
And just like that, Abel fell into a deep sleep.
* * *
When he opened his eyes,
the first thing to greet Abel was the piercing heat of the sunlight.
'What time is it...'
After blinking a few times, Abel checked the time and sat up.
There were still about thirty minutes until the agreed-upon time.
Looking around, everyone else was deep in slumber.
'Guess I should eat first.'
Abel headed to where the meals were prepared, finished eating in under ten minutes, and stepped out of the tent.
He hadn't set out with any particular destination in mind, so wandering the base aimlessly led him to where the Gigants were lined up.
Abel looked up at his own Gigant and thought,
'Come to think of it, even a Miles-grade feels pretty natural now.'
Abel had started out with a Midget-grade Gigant.
Not even a proper one at that—just scraping together parts from broken units.
Naturally, it hadn't even measured up to a standard Midget-grade.
'But man, I was thrilled when I first rode it.'
Even though it felt like ages ago, the memory was vivid.
Waking up in this unfamiliar world and scraping by at the bottom, every day had been hell.
He'd spent a good long stretch half-given up, begging to survive.
What had given that Abel the drive to live was the Gigant.
He'd cut back on sleep, working tirelessly to build one of his own somehow.
And when he finally climbed aboard the one he'd pieced together after years of labor,
Abel had felt like he owned the world.
Now here he was, piloting not a Tito-grade, but a Miles-grade Gigant.
One that wasn't even his own, yet he felt a twinge of regret about that.
'If the old me saw this, he'd have no grounds to call me greedy.'
Abel chuckled to himself.
But he had no intention of curbing his ambitions. Greed and desire were his driving forces.
He had no plans to settle for a mere Miles-grade.
Above Miles-grade lay the flower of the battlefield, Centurio-grade—and beyond that, the lords and rulers of war, Militum-grade.
'And if I'm dreaming, a fully customized Militum...'
Just imagining it put a smile on his face.
Abel stood there grinning at the Gigant for a good while when,
“Lord Abel?”
Someone suddenly called his name.
He turned at the familiar yet unfamiliar voice, his eyes widening in surprise.
“Lady Temarin?”
Standing there was none other than Temarin.
It had been since that real-combat training with the Blade Tail.
“I meant to greet you earlier, but there wasn't a chance.”
Temarin spoke with a shy expression.
Abel smiled back.
“If I'd known you were here, I would've come to pay my respects first.”
“Oh, no, that's alright.”
An awkward silence hung between them for a moment. Abel pondered briefly before speaking up.
“Do you still remember that promise from before?”
“Oh, you mean coming to the workshop? Of course!”
“Good to hear. I've got a job I'd like to commission.”
“A commission? Ah, yeah, the academy workshop is reliable. Skilled work at cheap prices...”
“Actually, I'd like to entrust it specifically to you, Lady Temarin.”
“Me?”
Temarin blurted out in shock before hurriedly glancing around and lowering her voice.
“I'm not qualified for big commissions yet... I'm barely an apprentice, so I can only handle basic work.”
“It's a simple modification job. Of course, if it's inconvenient for you, I understand.”
“Inconvenient? If it's a personal commission, I'd welcome it with open arms!”
As she said, personal commissions for academy engineers were a godsend.
While regular workshops had engineers working strictly for the shop in a top-down structure, academy ones were more like half-freelancers.
They handled academy tasks, sure, but could take side gigs for extra income.
'Truth is, without personal commissions, they barely make pocket change.'
The reason for the setup was simple: it was cheaper that way.
Skilled engineers could rack up commissions from hundreds of cadets, building cash and reputation.
Once they had enough fame, most opened their own shops.
Some stayed on as full-time academy staff.
For Temarin, with her short track record, a personal commission meant the world.
The first one's the hardest—after that, it got easier.
“So you'll take the job?”
“Yes! Ah, but if it's beyond my skills, I'll let you know.”
“Understood.”
Abel nodded with a smile.
He had no doubts about her skills.
In a few years, she'd rise as a saint who rivaled the legendary Vulcanus himself.
“Well, time's about up, so I'll head out. Until next time.”
“Yes! Oh, and...”
“Yes?”
“It's nothing big, but... they've been saying the monsters around here have gotten fiercer lately. Be careful.”
Abel paused for a second before replying.
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Take care.”
As he walked back, Abel mulled over Temarin's words.
'Surely the signs aren't starting already?'
She'd probably said it offhand, but to Abel, it carried weight.
Because he knew.
A major incident would unfold during this training exercise.
In the game, precursors to the event popped up midway—like Gigadeus Fragments growing more ferocious than usual.
“Hmm.”
Abel decided he'd need to move even more cautiously—and tweak his plans a bit.
'Better push to reach that place within two days, no matter what.'
That place was a ruin deep within the training area of Teliph Plains...
'And I need to grab that ancient relic sooner.'
Where yet another relic lay dormant.