LET THE TRAINING COMMENCE

The air was thick with the scent of damp earth, and the towering vertical terrain loomed before them, a near-impossible challenge for anyone untrained. Anastasia stood before the trio, her arms crossed, a look of authority in her piercing gaze.

"The first task I want all three of you to do," she began, "is to climb up this vertical terrain."

The moment she spoke, Isla's eyes widened in disbelief as she took in the steep, almost featureless wall before them.

"Whoa… That looks really difficult. We would practically have no grip!" she exclaimed, shaking her head.

Rory, however, remained more composed. "Well, it's a good thing we have our mandibles. They'll help us get to the top in no time," he said confidently.

Anastasia's gaze hardened. "For this training, you are not allowed to use your mandibles. You can only use your body, hands, and feet."

"What!?" Isla protested, frustration evident in her voice. "But that can't be… It would be impossible to do it like that!"

Ari, who had remained silent until now, watched Isla's reaction with a slight frown. Why is she acting like this is so difficult? he wondered. When I was alive and still human, the ants in my house would effortlessly climb up walls like it was nothing.

Anastasia, unfazed by their doubts, took a step forward. "Fine. Let me show you how it's done."

Without hesitation, she leaped onto the steep landscape and began climbing with fluid ease, pulling herself up effortlessly. Within moments, she reached the top, stood upright, and then sprinted back down with the same grace.

"See? There you go," she said as she landed gracefully before them. "Did that look difficult?"

Isla, still stunned by the display, hesitated before shaking her head. "No… Watching you do it makes it seem simple."

Ari, too, found himself impressed. To be able to climb that high on a vertical landscape with no apparent grip—and to do it so quickly—is not something just anyone can do. Anastasia is amazing, he thought.

Anastasia continued, her tone instructional. "Bear in mind that while worker ants are somewhat weaker than the average military ant, they can do this effortlessly—even while carrying heavy objects—because they've adapted to it over time. If you are to defend them, you must be able to be anywhere, at any angle, at any time."

Rory took a deep breath and nodded. "I guess I'll give it a try."

Steeling himself, he approached the wall and began climbing, his arms straining as he pulled himself up inch by inch. He managed to ascend nearly ten feet before his grip failed, and he came tumbling back down.

"Ouch," Isla winced. "That must have hurt. Are you alright, Rory?"

Rory sat up, shaking off the fall. "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just get this over with so we can get stronger."

Ari and Isla exchanged determined glances and nodded in agreement.

The Climb Begins

The three of them made attempt after attempt, each struggling against the sheer, unforgiving terrain.

Rory managed to climb a significant distance, but once again, his grip faltered, and he fell back to the ground. "Crap! I was halfway there," he muttered in frustration.

Isla, who had been making her own attempt, suddenly lost her grip and screamed as she plummeted downward—right onto Rory.

"Thank goodness, I thought I was a goner," she gasped in relief.

"Can you get off me?" Rory grumbled, groaning under her weight.

As the days passed, their progress was slow but steady. It had now been three days since they had started this grueling training. Rory had managed to cover half the distance, Isla a third. Their persistence was impressive, but Anastasia knew this test was not about strength or endurance alone.

This is not just a test of might, strength, or willpower, she thought as she observed Ari's relentless attempts.

Ari, unlike the others, was pushing himself to the absolute limit. Time and time again, he sprinted up the wall, trying to cover as much distance as possible in a single motion. Each time, he got closer to the top, but inevitably, he would lose his grip and fall, tumbling down the steep wall of mud and dirt.

Yet, despite the repeated failures, Ari refused to give up.

He's reckless… but he's almost able to make it to the top, Anastasia mused, surprised by his tenacity.

Ari lay on the ground, his body aching, his arms and legs numb from exhaustion. But his mind was far from giving in.

Damn it… I can't feel my legs or my arms… but I have to reach the top. It's the only way I can move on from this part of the training.

With gritted teeth and sheer force of will, he forced himself to his feet once more. Taking a deep breath, he sprinted forward and leaped onto the wall, climbing with everything he had left in him.

Higher and higher he went, his body screaming in protest. And then—finally—he reached the top.

With the last of his strength, he jumped and grabbed onto the edge, his fingers clutching the dirt. Summoning every ounce of his will, he pulled himself up.

Anastasia's eyes widened in surprise. "What? He actually managed to do it…"

From below, Isla stared in awe. "Rory, Ari actually reached the top!"

Rory, panting from exhaustion, nodded. "Ari is something else… I don't know how he pulled it off."

Ari stood at the summit, his body shaking from fatigue, his breathing ragged. A small, triumphant smile formed on his lips.

"I did it… finally," he muttered to himself, barely able to stand.

Anastasia approached him, nodding in approval. "That was very impressive, everyone—especially you, Ari. You reached the top after failing over and over again."

Ari managed a weak smile, but Anastasia's expression turned serious.

"However, this training wasn't meant for you to push yourselves to the brink of death. It was to help you understand how to climb efficiently. There's an explanation for why I was able to do it so easily."

She held up her foot and flexed it, revealing a combination of claws, tiny hairs, and sticky pads. "We military ants use these. They allow us to grip and cling to various surfaces—even smooth ones."

A long silence followed as the realization set in.

Isla's lips quivered as her eyes filled with tears. "So… you're telling me I went through all of that for nothing?"

Rory sighed. "It makes sense. We weren't in the military until now, and we weren't worker ants either, so we never had a reason to use them."

A thought suddenly struck him, and he turned to Isla with a puzzled expression. "Wait… But you were a worker ant. How did you not know about this?"

Isla sniffled and wiped her eyes. "I… I never had a reason to climb anything…"

Rory sighed and shook his head before flexing his own feet, testing out the grip. Slowly, he applied the technique Anastasia had demonstrated, and, to his amazement, he began climbing effortlessly.

Isla followed, mimicking the motion, and within moments, they both reached the top.

Ari, still exhausted, let out a weak chuckle.

"Well, that would've been nice to know before I nearly killed myself climbing…"

Anastasia smirked. "Welcome to military training. Lesson number one: Adapt or die."