With no other alternative, Rorik decided to crawl under the barbed wire, like they were actually supposed to do. This was an option the entire team had unanimously wanted to avoid from the very first moment that they saw it.
There was nothing wrong with it, obviously. That was literally how the course was designed to be completed. The issue was that in a crawling state, their mobility would be severely restricted, and it would be much harder to avoid any inevitable traps. There was also the issue of time as crawling could take far longer than just jumping across - not to mention that they were all sporting various levels of injuries from the numerous attacks in the hallway.
All in all, it was not a great option. Rorik would not take it unless he was out of alternatives, which is why when Nero stopped him he was quite hopeful.
"Sometimes, a dumb idea is actually the smart thing to do," said Nero, before pointing forward. "I’ll throw you over the wire."
Rorik paused, and then remembered that Nero’s reputation first began from his insane antics of throwing and carrying cadets across the first course they ever actually took.
"How far can you throw me?" Rorik asked, looking across the wire.
Nero shook his head.
"Definitely not all the way. We don’t have the benefit of a high ground, but I can throw you far enough. Accompanied by a Rising Platform, I think you’ll be able to make it across. Want to give it a try?"
Nero left the decision up to Rorik. Personally, he was confident, but there was also an element of risk involved, and whether to take that risk or not had to be Rorik’s decision, since he was the one technically leading this run of theirs.
Rorik looked over the wire hesitantly, but did not waste time.
"I can do it too," Harvey said, though he did not look to be in the best shape. "My body is weak, but my mind is still fresh. I can also do it."
Nero raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Harvey stood on the side to give Nero space while Nero and Rorik clasped hands.
"Try not to get dizzy, that’ll complicate things," said Nero as he began to spin in place, building up momentum for the throw.
When he felt that he’d built enough momentum, he flung Rorik forward, and waited to see where he would land before positioning a Rising Platform where he was landing. Unexpectedly, Brad also created a platform right in front, giving Rorik more than enough footholds to leap across the wire.
"You sure you’re up to this?" Nero asked Harvey, who looked like he was going to be sick.
"Just do it before I change my mind," Harvey said, forcefully grabbing Nero’s hand. Nero nodded, and did the same. Harvey was actually lighter than Rorik, which made it easier to throw him forward.
This time, Nero, Rorik and Brad all created platforms right in Harvey’s path so he did not need to be as coordinated and efficient in his leaps. With all three on the other side, Nero was the only one left, but Nero was not concerned.
He backed up to give himself some running room, and then bolted at his fastest speed. Nero was a lot stronger now than he was when he fought the Primal Exarch so when he leaped, he did not aim for any platform. No, he aimed to cross it in one jump.
Rorik and Brad had already deployed Rising Platforms in the middle and at the end for him to use but... they ended up not needing them.
Rorik and Brad stared at Nero as if they couldn’t believe their eyes, but Harvey was just bent over on his knees.
"I think I’m going to be sick," he said, battling his nausea which really hadn’t been helped by spinning around and being thrown across the field.
"Don’t waste time! Come on, we’re almost at the end," said Rorik as he turned to look towards the finishing line which was between two pillars. Except, there was one issue. The whole group was almost certain that the pillars had trap cards in them as well.
"Sometimes a dumb idea is a smart idea, eh?" said Rorik as he activated his innate ability and began summoning a thin sheet of gold.
Compared to summoning fire, or even a liquid, summoning a solid element was incredibly aether intensive, meaning that the total amount of gold that Rorik could summon was limited. However, in this instance, the total amount didn’t matter, just the total covered area did!
Rorik ended up summoning a large, but paper thin sheet of gold with a single, thin handhold on one side.
"Nero, grab the shield. Everyone, stop focusing on the vase and use Severed Seal on the shield," said Rork, appearing slightly pale himself. At this point, ’ everyone ’ only meant Nero and Brad, since they were the only ones with aether to spare.
The blue light around the vase slowly vanished, and instead covered the shield.
Brad grabbed the vase, feeling incredibly nervous that he would grab the vase too tightly and crush it, while everyone else gathered behind the shield. Then... they rushed the exit. As predicted, both the pillars had cards that began shooting at them, but the shield was more than large enough to protect them from the front, allowing the group to run through the pillars entirely unharmed.
"Congratulations, you made it," said Renalds who was standing at the end, a hint of both sarcasm and praise mixed in with his voice.
His sarcasm was quite understandable. To complete a single course, two of the four had most of their aether depleted, though Rorik would recover by absorbing back his gold. At the same time, Brad had his nose broken and was covered in blood. Only Nero seemed fine.
But, regardless of their condition, they managed to complete the course, and well within time.
Nero laughed, not minding the Sergeant’s comments while enjoying his teammates’ reactions. While he had been slightly concerned about time at the start, the course had not been difficult in his eyes at all.
In truth, his performance was abnormal while his teammates’ performance was what was actually expected from fresh cadets. In fact, they were already pretty good considering the limited training they’d had so far.
Everything that happened at Lumina should not be taken as an example of the average Neophytes performance. Neophytes, as well as most fresh Initiates, were not combat ready at all. They required years of training to hone their skills, as well as mind sets, to be able to face proper combat.
It was not without reason that the casualties among Neophytes had been so high during the ruins, and that the reaction to sending Neophytes into combat had been so severe. The Chief of Army was called in front of a panel, which was no joke, so it could only be imagined what those at lower ranks faced - the ones who made that decision anyway.
An entire generation of Neophytes had been nearly eradicated. One of the reasons all surviving Neophytes were being sent to KMA, instead of KWA, was because if they suffered any more casualties then an entire generation of soldiers would be missing.
There would be real consequences for this in the army in the future, not to mention how it would affect the morale of the country as a whole. After all, even though Kolar was an army nation, that’s exactly what brought additional problems.
After all, if any Kolari’s ever protested, they were not casual civilians. They were trained soldiers who had seen blood and fought in battles. They could not be subdued with empty rhetoric.
Nero accompanied his teammates to the medics tent while they all laughed excitedly and talked about the challenges they faced during the course. While Nero could not share in their emotions, this was a nice glimpse into what it was like for normal cadets.
Not to mention, this was a good bonding experience. While he had high hopes for Rorik, the unfortunate truth was that it wasn’t always the most talented or skilled cadets who made it far in the army. Sometimes, it was the lucky ones, who just did not die along the way.
So, Nero joked about what throwing the lightweight Harvey was like while comparing him to Rorik, whose weight made it seem like he was hiding gold in his pockets.
The morning was spent in a light mood, and although the course had not gone how Nero would run it, at least they passed. When it was time for classes, Isabella handed Nero the notes that Axel had passed to her about his fighting style.
He was eager to learn what he had to say, and the very first thing he talked about was learning how to control how the aether reacted to his emotions.