Chapter 14: Secret Trial

‘So he is one of the Abnormals.’ Cain’s eyes narrowed as he focused on the youth’s stats.

The Imperial Military Force used the term Abnormal for those with more than enough talent to enroll in a Wave University and still chose to enlist in the Imperial Military Academy. There are many reasons, the most common being children of Noble Families that sought to make a name for themselves. That was something Cain learned from the information Apex gathered with [Basic Hacking].

Cain saw how more and more cadets entered the Star Cruiser before some officers made their way in. He only recognized Tristan and Lodon.

Finally, the gates of the ship closed down, and everybody received a message through their A.I. Chips.

The message contained information about the cots and the day-to-day life on the ship. Still, the archives named Imperial Military Guide, Wave Beast Compendium, and Dark Races Compendium drew all of Cain’s attention.

Those archives had a lot of helpful information, but they carried a warning about any form of unauthorized copy or distribution.

Not long after the gates closed, the Star Cruiser rose thousands of meters above the ground before flashing at supersonic speed. While invisible, a force field around it would protect it from damage.

.....

Although Cain spent most of the days focused solely on his cultivation, he had to stop from time to time to eat and would use those small windows to learn more about the Imperial Military Academy and read the compendiums.

Of course, the information he had access to was basic but was still extremely interesting and valuable.

Cain and the red-eyed youth were not the only ones cultivating, but their training had a diametrical effect on those around them. The duo drew the Life Wave with so much strength that it generated a vacuum, forcing the cadets in cots around them to move away.

That drew the ire of many, but since Cain and the red-eyed youth were more powerful and possessed greater talent, no one dared to offend them.

After four weeks of travel, the Star Cruiser finally reached its final destination. The youths looked through the windows, and even Cain was no exception.

He saw a massive metallic city at the center of a tremendous forest. The most impressive of all was the tower at its center that rose for more than ten thousand meters!

Such structure would have been impossible in the Old World but not in Aether. As for the name of that tower, Cain knew it.

‘Titan Tower.’

The name may sound simple, but the implication was something that made Cain tremble. In it, there was a Titan, a member of the Godslayer Humankind with more power than a nuclear bomb!

Cain saw many Star Cruisers come in and out of the city. However, his cruiser diverged from the others and headed to an isolated section of it.

As Cain felt the Star Cruiser landing safely, he could not help but show a funny smile. When he first saw the ship, part of him thought that something epic would happen on the journey here, but he understood that those thoughts were too naive.

Their borders would be a joke if the Godslayer Humankind Empire could not protect its ships while moving inside the Gaia Continent.

Under the guidance of the soldiers, the thousands of cadets left the Star Cruiser. A beautiful woman was waiting for all of them, clad in an immaculate uniform.

Cain was just about to walk toward her when a loud voice echoed.

“All those that had become Wave Warriors must come with me. Lady Sonia will handle the rest of you.” The one speaking was the same Vice-Captain Josef that had tested Cain. Despite the sound of the Star Cruiser’s engine, everybody heard him clearly.

Although most did not know what was happening, no one dared disobey the man, and all those who had already become Wave Warriors walked toward him.

Of the more than five thousand cadets inside that Star Cruiser, only forty-two walked toward Vice-Captain Josef. The ratio was abysmal, but no one found it odd. Unless your Wave Talent was above Low Tier 2, reaching Level 1 Wave Warrior in less than a year was almost impossible.

Everybody adopted a military stance in front of Josef, but this one did not give any more instructions and remained silent. Yet, none of the cadets could relax as the man unleashed a pressure that made all of them uncomfortable.

Half an hour later, after the Star Cruiser that left Cain in the city departed, a new one arrived. Like before, Vice-Captain Josef summoned the Wave Warriors toward him before remaining silent.

Four hours passed like that, and only after the number of cadets surpassed two hundred did Josef give new instructions.

“Follow me!” Josep said nothing else before turning around and starting running.

Some cadets knew what happened, but most of them were oblivious. Still, both sides did as Josef told and followed him.

At first, it was easy, but things grew harder as Josef’s speed increased with each step he took. Less than twenty minutes after the race started, around half of the cadets summoned their Wave Cloaks to keep up.

Many cadets even threw their luggage as the extra weight pushed them down. Cain was lucky since he had only brought a small military backpack.

Cain’s figure soon drew people’s attention. Not only did he look fine despite the speed, but his clothes made it clear he was a commoner.

While the Essence Wave enhanced an individual’s constitution, its effect could not compare with the brought by the Astral Wave.

However, Cain was still just a newly advanced Level 1 Astral Wave Warrior, so he was also forced to summon his Wave Cloak by the time the race continued for more than an hour.

Once again, Cain drew people’s attention as they saw his dark-purple Wave Cloak. He was not the only Astral Wave Warrior but was the only one that did not come from a Noble Clan.

If everybody were not so focused on the race, people would have already approached Cain with all sorts of questions.

After one and a half hours of running, Josef seemed to have finally reached his destination. He looked to the cadets and saw that everybody else had used their Wave Cloaks other than the red-eyed youth, and many of them barely had any strength left.

Cain had difficulty catching his breath, but at least he remained standing. He glanced at the place where Vice-Captain Josef brought them and saw it was a massive gate that led out of the city.

Right next to the gate, there was an old man. He had a military uniform like Josef, but his’ was all worn out.

Unlike the imposing Captain Josef, the old man’s body was skinny and seemed to lack any strength. Yet, when he opened his eyes, all the cadets felt a crushing pressure.

Luckily the pressure did not last long, or else most cadets would have lost consciousness.

“So these are the brats?”

The cadets trembled since the old man did not open his mouth, and they all heard those words directly inside their minds. Even those that came from Noble Families were not an exception.

“Yes, Sir Oliver.” Josef’s words gave the cadets an idea of how high the old man’s status was.

Oliver gave a soft nod before closing his eyes again.

All the cadets wondered about this old man’s might, but they soon regained focus as they heard Vice-Captain Josef’s words again.

“Listen up, brats. Since you are already Wave Warriors, you have the right to participate in the Military Academy Secret Trial. Behind that door is a Tier 0 Danger Zone, with hundreds of Wave Beast, some of which even reach Level 2.”

Wave Beast was a term everybody understood by now. Those were animals that mutated after obtaining the ability to observe Life Wave.

However, unlike humans with their Sacred Organs, they can not refine it. Therefore, a Level 1 Wave Warrior would usually have no problem defeating a Level 1 Wave Beast.

Josef gave the cadets a moment to process his words before continuing.

“There are also treasures, some of them including Wave Artifacts.”

The words Wave Artifacts made the eyes of all the cadets glow. Even the most crappy one was worth more than what a commoner family could earn in their entire life.

A cold smile appeared on Josef’s face as he saw the greed in the cadets’ eyes.

“Oh, before I forget. Other than Wave Beast, there are also Dark Races’ Wave Warriors in there. Some of them very powerful.”

Those words erased the cadets’ smiles, and some even began to tremble.

Although Wave Beasts were not easy to kill, they were sure to at least be able to escape with their lives in the worst-case scenario. However, if they fought Dark Races’ Wave Warriors, there was a decent chance they could die.