Enlil Lines. Basically, any base or camp or operating area specific to a certain unit of the army could be called Lines. So if one considered the academy as a whole as an army base, then the lines were the bases of specific groups within that army base. Since the students were divided into four battalions, the base for each battalion was called a line.
The Enlil line felt small and big at the same time. There was a dedicated mess building, which was easily identifiable because it read ’Mess’ right in front of it. There were a number of barracks buildings which were standardised, single story buildings, and a number of larger buildings that Nero could not identify the purpose of.
In the center of all these was a large, public square with two stone monuments right in the center. Both of the monuments were filled with names, and at the very top one of them read ’Crucible List’ and on the other it read ’Exemplars Index’. He recalled both being mentioned by their senior cadet, but she had not explained what they were.
"Senior, what are those?" Nero could not help but ask, pointing at the monuments.
The cadet leading them turned to note Nero, and then looked at the monuments.
"Did I forget to introduce myself? No need to call me senior, you can just call me Michelle. Those are the two most important lists that determine the treatment of each battalion - the Crucible List and the Exemplars Index. They’re both quite straightforward.
"The Crucible List is for those who are the best physical fighters. No abilities or cards are required, and the fights have to be scheduled and follow a certain criteria. Although the academy is to train officers, physical combat is one of the best ways to train quick thinking, decision making and instincts, not to mention increase the chances of living longer. Even if actual combat relies heavily on abilities and cards, reaction time and making the correct decision in a limited time greatly influences the result of any fight.
"The Exemplars Index, however, is a list, or index, of cadets with the highest academy credits. For first and second year students, there are only a limited number of ways to earn these credits, such as through assessments.
"Besides granting benefits to your battalion, a high position on both lists grants more practical benefits as well. The most common benefit you can get is access to a private quarter, and from there the list goes on endlessly. Certain high value or difficult courses have a minimum Exemplar Index or Crucible List requirement, not to mention that graduation requires a certain number of academy credits.
Michelle showed the fresh cadets the barracks they could use. Each one of them had a list of cadets names in front of them, stating where all the cadets were assigned. Each barracks housed a total of sixteen cadets, each one getting one bed and one trunk. Fortunately, the beds were not bunk beds.
Nero had no real personal belonging to speak of. He had the clothes on his back, and the uniform in his hands. Nero went and claimed the very first bed in the barracks, the one nearest to the exit, and placed his card container inside his trunk. Since he had specifically been told not to bring it, there was no need to act clever.
Besides the barracks there was a communal bathroom where Nero and the others quickly went and got changed. Nero could not help but notice that the uniform he had been given not only had his name on it, it even had the stitched marks on its chest to show the awards and honours he had received.
After changing, he quickly lined up in front of Michelle who was still smiling excitedly as she waited for all the cadets. Finding that the others were still gathering, Nero took this opportunity to gain more information.
"Are we allowed to enter the other lines?" Nero asked.
Michelle nodded.
"It’s not restricted. Besides places like officers quarters, for which you would need permission to enter, and a few closed off areas, there should be no issue."
So the academy was still an academy after all. In a normal, military setting, one would not be allowed to enter the lines they didn’t have permission to enter.
"I see. That makes sense. Can you tell me a bit about the anomaly that occurred last semester? What was that about?"
Nero could not help but think back to the Neophytes who had entered the ruins alongside him. He wasn’t the only one who had his innate ability upgraded, so chances were high that whoever experienced that had performed better than others.
Michelle’s wide smile slightly faltered as she thought about the ’anomaly’, though she recovered quickly.
"It’s not a secret or anything. His name is Vilhelm - Vilhelm Helvig. He didn’t start out as anything special, or at least it seemed that way at first. His rise, however, was swift and meteoric. Not only did he get a perfect score in every course he took, his name rose rapidly on the Crucible List, and he became the champion within his batch.
"Soon, he even began to challenge his seniors. It isn’t that he has remained undefeated - that’s hardly the case. It’s that he’s never lost to anyone twice. He is a true and genuine prodigy, and all it takes is a single fight for him to learn his opponents moves and how to counter them.
"These days, though, he hardly loses even once. To top it all off, he has a pretty easy going and relaxed personality as well, so he’s quite popular. Normally, whether it is in terms of skill or ability, it is not so easy to identify a single person in a batch, or single battalion that is superior to others. Normally, that is an ever changing position since all cadets are growing rapidly.
"However, last semester, Vilhelm dominated the scene, making it so that Astarties took all the prizes home, firmly giving them a lead. But... that’s all there is to it. No matter how great he is, no matter how big of a prodigy he may be, he is only one man. There is only so much he can do. This semester, we expect things to return to normal with the way allocations for Astarties should take place."
Nero understood. It seemed that this semester, Astarties would be given weaker cadets to make up for the advantage Vilhelm gave them. The fact that one person was able to do such a thing made Nero quite curious about him, though the title of prodigy put him off a little.
When he heard the term prodigy, he could not help but think of Noman. That title had done him more harm than good. If he had been allowed to grow in peace, without attracting attention, he would have grown into a fine soldier.
Now, it seemed the same thing was being done to Vilhelm - at least it appeared that way. It gave Nero a sour taste in the mouth, but it was not his place to comment on that.
Soon enough, all the cadets arrived and they quickly departed for their destination in a light jog. It seemed jogging would be the main mode of transport in the academy.
Before long, they found themselves in front of what could only be an obstacle course. Now, normally, Nero enjoyed obstacle courses. Yet as he saw the mud pit in front of him, one that was knee high, alongside bodyweights and nearly a hundred other cadets, he had a feeling that this was going to be... an arduous and messy situation.
"Welcome to the pits," Michelle said excitedly as she looked on over at the area in front of her. "This is one of the most grueling obstacle courses in KMA, especially without the use of abilities and cards. Your job will be to make it to the end of the course as a whole battalion. You will be competing against the other battalions.
"The first battalion to clear the course will get a lavish dinner, provided graciously by their seniors using their own acquired benefits. The last battalion to clear the course will sleep without dinner. Second and third place will get decreasing quality and quantity of food, but at least they’ll get something.
"To be clear, your whole battalion needs to pass for it to count. Oh, and until the whole battalion clears the course, none from that battalion will be allowed to leave. Isn’t it exciting? This is a special welcome prepared for you by your seniors. Now hurry and go grab your body weights - they’ll be assigned to you based on your aetherian rank."