Overpowering Montiol
"……Urk."
Montiol's face twisted in bewilderment. I sneered at the sight and poured more strength into my grip.
"Guhhh…!"
His face turned beet red as he strained desperately to resist my power.
Still, Hanks is stronger than this guy.
I was certain that if Hanks hadn't been injured, he would've crushed Montiol nine times out of ten.
"C-Captain!"
From the sidelines, the Sixth Squad members who'd been watching our match leisurely now let out panicked voices. They never could've imagined a scene like this unfolding.
Or rather, putting everything else aside—no one would expect someone barely a head shorter than Montiol's massive frame to pin him down through sheer strength. It looked downright unreal.
"Urgh…!"
Thud.
Montiol, who'd been resisting my force, finally buckled to his knees. Even then, he thrashed wildly to turn the tables somehow.
"Gaaahk!"
But in the end, he couldn't hold out—his wrist twisted backward completely.
Kneeling with both hands wrenched behind his back, Montiol's head snapped rearward as he unleashed a scream laced with agony.
"My god."
"What the hell is going on?"
"Is the Sixth Squad captain weak, or is the Tenth Squad captain just that strong?"
"Folding that giant like origami."
Since it was free training time, most had left the training grounds. But a few lingered, watching our scuffle. They stared in shock at the sight of me overwhelming Montiol.
"I-I lost! Let go, let me go!"
Oh!
I'd been lost in thought and hadn't even considered releasing his hand. By now, tears streamed down his face.
"Hurk… guhhh… urghhh."
"C-Captain! You okay?"
"Help him up! To the infirmary, quick!"
The Sixth Squad members swarmed Montiol. Supported by them, he was carted off to the infirmary.
Both his wrists are probably cracked now.
This time, unlike with Hanks, it wasn't a mistake. From experience, trash like him needed to be stomped early, or they'd keep crawling back.
I'd pegged Montiol as a rotten sort from the start. So I'd disciplined him a bit extra hard.
"Whoa… Captain's insanely strong."
"Impressive."
"So Hanks didn't lose because of bad luck."
"How does such a lean body pack that monstrous power…?"
My squadmates were stunned too. They looked at me like they'd seen me anew.
"……Good work, Captain."
The surprise came from Hanks. I'd figured even if I beat Montiol, his pride would make him sulk. But against expectations, he reacted positively—almost like he fully acknowledged me as captain now.
Did he just want to see Montiol get wrecked more than worry about his pride?
I tilted my head at his behavior but shrugged it off with a chuckle. Good was good.
"What're you saying?"
The others started laughing one by one and chimed in.
"Haha, Captain's badass."
"Guess we better listen to the captain from now on?"
Fortunately, they all reacted positively. Crushing Montiol had unintentionally boosted my authority as captain. Even those who hadn't fully accepted me before now did.
Not bad.
I hadn't cared much whether they saw me as the real captain or not. But since I was captain anyway, universal recognition was nothing but a plus.
That let me flash them a genuine smile from the heart.
* * *
After Montiol was hauled to the infirmary, word that Aleck had crushed him spread like wildfire through the other squads.
"What? That brute got strength-crushed?"
A hulking brown-haired man enjoying the sun lounged in the blazing heat propped up on his elbows. Drvito, Fifth Squad captain from the Amar King Centipede clan, sat up.
"Yeah, apparently the Tenth Squad captain named Aleck arm-wrestled him and wrecked his wrists."
"Give me the details."
"Well…"
His squadmate recounted the scene in full. Drvito let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity.
"That make any sense?"
"I didn't see it myself, but everyone's saying the same."
"……."
He ran quick calculations in his head.
A praying mantis, huh… One of Lord Kuremlin's plants?
Unlike the others, Drvito's reason for entering Chung Hak Gwan was different. He'd hitched to Kuremlin's line, entering on his orders.
He said a mantis would back me up if I signaled… That him?
Whatever Kuremlin planned here was on Great Lord Craig's command. Drvito didn't know the details yet, but he sensed it dwarfed his imagination.
For something that big, they'd need no ordinary pawn.
If Aleck was Kuremlin's pick, his freakish strength made sense.
Hmm, getting interesting.
He shouldn't approach without orders, but a casual encounter? No harm there.
Scoping him out early couldn't hurt.
Drvito's eyes gleamed like he'd found a fun new toy.
* * *
After snapping Montiol's wrists, no punishment came—thankfully. Chung Hak Gwan prized freedom, and our spat hadn't broken any rules or ethos. It fizzled out quietly.
"Still, try not to injure anyone next time if possible. It disrupts the training schedule."
I got a light request from Phines, at least.
The next day, Tenth Squad dove straight into Phines' lessons.
"Ugh, this training's brutal…?"
Facing Chung Hak Gwan's intense regimen, Katt and the others quickly turned to mush.
"But… Aleck, you good?"
"Yeah, manageable."
"Damn… what kinda life did you live…?"
Katt stuck out his tongue at my unflappable state.
But to me, it was nothing special.
In terms of intensity, it's like Norton's style.
Norton's training got reevaluated again. Whether he'd modeled it on Chung Hak Gwan or not, it shared many similarities.
That let me train lightheartedly, reminiscing on Mantis Hall days.
Since hitting Growth Stage, my body's surged ahead— this is a breeze now.
I even wore iron weights on my limbs. And still breezed through.
If Katt or the others knew, they'd be twice as shocked.
Phines seems to have noticed, though.
Our instructor was odd. He didn't seem strong enough for the role—why us?
And from watching the past few days…
The instructors vary wildly in power.
If Phines was our level, what about the others? Most hovered at late Maturity Stage.
Except the First Squad's chief instructor, teetering on Complete Body. Even the others cowered before him.
Hiding his true strength?
The thought crossed my mind watching Phines.
Whatever.
With ultimate-body guys like Norton teaching, who cared. Phines was polite, always using honorifics, and reasonable. Everyone liked him—including me.
Some squads are already feuding with theirs.
Anyway, the first week's training wrapped.
"Last week, you'll get a squad project for miles—so prepare well."
Phines announced as much.
And I realized a personal quest chance had opened for earning miles.
With back-to-back free training days, who knows when another shot comes.
I checked the request board. That one I'd eyed was still open.
Still there.
Good—it hadn't closed. I headed straight over.
* * *
"Here for the request."
A plaque read "J Research Lab." This was one of the ancient species facilities.
"Hm, you? Come in."
A young researcher with a house ant emblem greeted me.
The lab was vast. Fitting for ancient species work—fragments of unfamiliar fossils dotted the space.
Lots of lightning-attribute materials and artifacts.
Glancing down, I felt something potent below.
Not heart-pounding like the presumed Megaera Mantis fossil, but a faint hunger stirred.
This feels like the Titanoptera impulse in the Riandri Mountains.
Maybe something sealed with ancient power lurked underground.
Doesn't seem dangerous, though.
No raging hunger like Titanoptera, no overwhelming aura bursting out.
Perhaps an ancient species, but a weak specimen by comparison.
Just do the request.
I shelved my curiosity. Idle prying often spelled trouble. No distractions till I nabbed that Megaera fossil fragment.
"Here for the request? You're a new admit, right…? You know it's got some difficulty?"
Following the young researcher inside, a middle-aged one—also house ant clan—eyed me.
Seemed like a house ant research hub.
"Yes. I have strong lightning resistance."
"Oh…? Really?"
His eyes sharpened at that.
"Fine, take it then. Safety first—bail if it's too much."
I accepted J Lab's request. He didn't seem to expect much.
Doesn't look tough.
The task?
Harvest Lightning Tree fruits.
High electrocution risk scared most off.
But for me, with lightning resistance and habitat knowledge? Piece of cake.
Eyes sparkling, I set off for the Thunder Forest.