Just as I decided to step forward, someone beat me to it. Two boys and a girl moved toward her, cutting me off.
The girl spoke first.
"North, there's the changing room. Go ahead and get into your uniform."
North smiled, her voice soft yet warm.
"Oh, thank you, Sara. I'll be out in a bit."
With that, she turned and walked toward the changing room, leaving the rest of us watching her go.
I slung an arm over Steve's shoulder and grinned.
"Guess I'll be sleeping facing the 'North' direction from now on. Gotta keep my priorities straight."
"Great. Just make sure you don't blow it up and things don't go 'South' for you," Steve said with a smirk.
"But I can already see them heading south," a voice chimed in from behind us.
We turned around to see a guy standing there, grinning.
He was on the shorter side, maybe around 5'5". Not too short, but enough to notice.
He extended a hand for a handshake and introduced himself.
"Hi, I'm Phil Dumble. Rank 3 from Cairo Academy."
I shook his hand and nodded.
"Hey, Phil. I'm—"
But he cut me off with a grin.
"Oh, I already know both of you. Billion and Steve, the SpeedBump duo from Avenue Academy. No youngster in Cairo wouldn't recognize you."
SpeedBump?
I narrowed my eyes at him, tilting my head.
"Ohh, I guess you didn't know. In every other academy in Cairo, both of you are called SpeedBump." He answered.
SpeedBump. Seriously?
That's all they could come up with? A city full of thousands of graduates, and that was the best they had? Talk about disappointing.
Off the top of my head, I could think of at least a few better ones—IdleBolt, ChillingBlizzard, DullRazor.
Suddenly Steve spoke up.
"So he's Speed, and I'm Bump? Are you saying I'm just a bump? What a joke. An entire city couldn't come up with anything better?
How about ChillingBlizzard, DullRazor, BlazeFrost? I mean, he's fire, and I'm always cool as ice."
Damn. Talk about being best friends.
And BlazeFrost? Wow.
Phil smiled.
"Chill, they're just jealous of your achievements, so they're trying to make fun of you behind your back."
"It's fine." I waved it off.
"Leaving that aside, did you say something about things going south?"
Phil winked.
"Yeah. I know the girl you were staring at."
I asked.
"Oh? And who is she?"
"Her name's North Winter. She's from the Capital's Winter family….you know, the ones related to the Royal family."
I frowned.
"That doesn't mean things won't work out between us, right?"
"Yeah, that's still... manageable. But you know her grandfather?" He leaned in and whispered, "He's the one who leads Unit 02."
I blinked. Once. Twice. Three times.
Her grandfather?
Talk about coincidence. And talk about nepotism.
I should put in a request to transfer this grandfather out of here.
Steve turned to me, his face deadpan.
"So her grandfather is the commander of this unit. You understand what that means, right?"
I shrugged.
"Doesn't matter."
Steve stepped back.
"Alright then. You don't know me, and I don't know you. I'm not getting dragged into another mess with you."
I grinned.
"Nope. I'm introducing myself as your best friend to everyone."
Just then, the door burst open with a bang, nearly flying off its hinges.
Two people strode in, both wearing the same uniform as us.
"That's the grandfather," Phil chimed in.
I locked eyes on the late middle-aged man making his way toward the stage.
Bald, with a long, perfectly straight scar running from his ear to his nose, as if someone had carved it with surgical precision. His rugged, square face carried a hardened expression, but what stood out more was the way he moved….fast, energetic, spring in his step.
And I'd recognize a brother anywhere. He was just like me. Bold and bulletproof.
Beside him, a woman walked with a tablet in hand, adjusting her glasses. Tall, fit, and effortlessly composed, she matched the old man's stride, keeping just half a step behind him.
Within moments, they reached the stage, turning to face us.
I nudged Steve, and we both pushed forward, with Phil trailing behind us. Within moments, we were standing in the front row, directly facing the man. The rest of the recruits scrambled to gather.
The man remained silent for a full two minutes, his sharp gaze sweeping over the crowd before he finally spoke.
"My name is Arkas Rayleigh, your commander. And this," he gestured to the woman beside him, "is June Turner, your vice commander. And Congratulations. You're now part of Elite Unit 02."
His eyes narrowed as he took a deep breath, then his voice boomed across the room.
"After the formation of the empire, when we fought our first war against the Eternals, we lost millions. Our ranks were getting decimated. Instead of focusing on getting stronger, our army wasted time filling positions and playing politics.
Finally, the First Emperor had enough. He scrapped the entire ranking system and declared that, from that moment on, the army would have only two official ranks—Commander and Soldier. Whoever led would be the Commander. Everyone else? Soldiers.
So for the next year, I will be your Commander. When I'm not around, June will be your Commander.
Am I clear?"
I shouted immediately.
"Yes, Commander!"
As always, no one else did.
Arkas looked at me, then scanned the rest of the unit before speaking.
"I like it when people respond to my questions. Am I clear?"
The hall shook as everyone roared in unison.
"Yes, Commander!"
"Good," he said, continuing.
"And since there's only one rank, your strength is all that matters. Prove yourself, and you can be anything you want. If you want to apply directly to the Emperor's bodyguard, go ahead, show your worth, and you could join tomorrow. No need for years of experience, no waiting for promotions. Age, seniority, politics, none of it matters. Only strength and ability."
He paused for a moment, then continued.
"Since you're part of an Elite Unit, you need to be far stronger than your peers who weren't assigned to one.
That's because you'll be the ones leading operations and commanding armies. And that's also why everyone's records are made public—to ensure trust in their commanders and comrades during missions. Of course, if you're not convinced by someone's strength, you can always settle the difference in a fight."
Without a breath he continued.
'The man sure is intense.' I thought.
"Every awakened soldier is part of the army, which means any awakened can access your record. As commanders, you can create whatever internal ranks you want for your unit, but they won't hold official weight. For example, June's official rank in Unit 02 is 'soldier,' just like the rest of you. But I assigned her as vice commander in name."
He swept his gaze over us.
"Do you understand?"
"Yes, Commander!" we shouted in unison.
"Next, let me tell you about Unit 02." Arkas' voice carried across the hall, commanding everyone's attention.
"I came to PCB twenty years ago as a commander. My first assignment was Elite Unit 32. By the end of that year, I pushed its rank up to 27. And after shedding blood and sweat for PCB, I was finally assigned to lead Unit 02 five years ago."
He let that sink in for a moment before continuing.
"There are rankings and competitions throughout the year, with one final battle to determine each unit's standing. Right now, you're Unit 02—but by the end of the year, you could be Unit 100. And whatever rank you finish with? That's what goes on your record, not where you started."
Suddenly, lightning crackled across his entire body, his eyes glowing an intense yellow.
His voice boomed.
"For five years, I've been stuck at Unit 02. It took me fifteen years to climb from 32 to 02, but now, I've hit a roadblock. And believe me, I don't like that."
The air around him hummed with power.
"I like to be the best, and 02 isn't the best. So I'm going to put all of you through hell. If I find you lacking, I'll beat the shit out of you myself."
He scanned the room, his gaze sharp.
"Your goal? Simple. Get me Unit 01. In return, you'll become stronger than anyone outside these walls."
He sure is selfish. But I liked his style.
"Am I clear?"
"Yes, Commander!" we roared back.
Finally, for the first time since he started his breathless speech, Arkas smiled.
"Ooooh, I like that energy." His eyes gleamed with something close to amusement.
"Since I clearly haven't been able to produce soldiers strong enough to snatch Rank 1, that means my previous methods weren't good enough. So this year, we're shaking things up."
His voice turned sharper.
"I've noticed a pattern. Every year, new recruits waste their first month running around, making friends, chasing girls, and showing off. So, I've decided to move the schedule forward. You can still do all of that—just while trying to survive."
He paused, letting those words settle.
"I handpicked each and every one of you based on the feedback we received from your academies. But now, all of you are starting from the same line.
So, I'm throwing you into the jungle. For the next month, you'll fight to survive among the monsters or should I say, the Abominations.
If you think you're the best, prove it in the coming month. Show me the result of your four years of training in the academy. Your ranks will be decided based on your performance."
A few people stiffened. Others swallowed hard.
"Don't worry," he added. "I'll make sure none of you die in the first month. That's all the help you're getting from me."
He clasped his hands behind his back and continued.
"At the end of each month, we'll hold a ranking competition to decide your standing within the unit. Anyone below Rank 20 will be punished."
A hush fell over the room.
"And every three months, there will be a competition between all units. If our unit drops below Rank 02, all of you will be punished."
Silence. Then, his next words hit like a hammer.
"You leave for the jungle in one hour."
His gaze swept over us.
"Am I clear?"
"Yes, Commander!" we shouted.