Combat Training begins.

The next day day arrived, the morning sun shone brightly over Arc Aegis, casting a golden glow over the expansive training grounds where recruits stood in formation, anticipation was heavy in the air.

Today was another important day for their combat and ability training. It was their introduction to utilising their abilities in combat, two classes in one go just like Commander Astra had informed them the day before.

When they arrived at the hall, a large projection screen was put on the wall with a breakdown of 20 groups, each with 5 members.

Adam adjusted the collar of his standard-issue military uniform, glancing at the faces around him, looking for his group members. Class 7 stood in orderly rows, awaiting instruction.

His sister, Eve, was nearby, her icy blue eyes scanning the field with a quiet determination. Beside her was Alec standing, a broad-shouldered Ascendant with golden hair carrying a massive shield strapped to his back.

Just like Marcus, Alec had awoken a unique body strengthening type ability of rank B2, he had decided to utilize his family's specialty by carrying a shield as his preferred weapon.

Alec's family is a family of highly respected Ascendants. They have been serving as one of the 2,000 families tasked with defending Arc Elysium in case the extremovores were to ever gain the ability to fly. They are also part of the vanguard soldiers who follow every mining o salvage team to the surface for missions assigned by Emperror.

His family consist of mainly A-ranked defense-type ability users, most of which have already reached twin silver star level in the military. Alec's father is currently one of the golden star generals in the army, with three golden stars. While his two elder brothers are both silver star level commanders like Darius, their class combat instructor.

Then there was Seraphina Kennedy, the Pure prodigy whose silver hair gleamed under the sunlight, exuding an air of authority. The final member of their group was Ren, a tall and lean Ascendant with dark red hair and a perpetually brooding expression.

He had said little since their assignment, but his sharp, calculating gaze suggested he was always assessing the situation.

Adam didn't mind at all, as long as he wasn't another cocky Ascendant who wants to harm them, he will welcome him to the team.

Commander Darius had intentionally paired the class up in groups to make for competition and difficulty according to everything he observed since he met each of them.

At the moment, he stood before them with Astra by his side, flanked by several officers in pristine uniforms. His piercing gaze swept over the assembled recruits before he spoke, his deep voice commanding immediate attention.

"Today, you begin your formal ability combat training. From now on, you will not only be judged by your individual abilities but also by how well you function as a unit. Strength is meaningless without strategy. A weak team will always fall, no matter how strong one individual may be."

The recruits remained silent, absorbing his words. Some stood with eager excitement, others with visible tension. Adam clenched his fists, determined to prove and improve himself.

Darius continued, gesturing to a tall man in a white coat who had just stepped onto the platform.

"This is Major Elias Grayson, the regiment's chief medical officer. He is an Awakened with the ability to heal injuries. He will be on standby during your training, as combat exercises can and will result in injuries. If you find yourself in critical condition, do not hesitate to signal for assistance."

Major Grayson stepped forward, his calm eyes scanning the crowd. His presence was soothing, his posture relaxed yet authoritative.

"I expect you all to push yourselves, but be mindful of your limits. The goal is to improve, not to maim each other," he said.

Some students chuckled nervously, while others nodded solemnly.

Darius cleared his throat. "You have been paired into groups of five. These will be your combat teams for this stage of training. Work together, understand each other's strengths and weaknesses, and most importantly, trust one another. Today's exercise will be a series of mock battles between groups. Now, form up."

Adam exchanged glances with his teammates. Their pairing made sense—Seraphina's raw power would significantly boost their offensive power, Eve's precision would help them in pinning the enemy and allow them to attack at long range, Alec's defence was reliable, especially with his platinum level shield, an unbreakable weapon forged by the world most skilled forger.

Ren's speed and Adam's versatility complimented their team's balance.

Despite this, Adam could sense some unease in Seraphina's expression as she appraised him. Perhaps she was wondering if he was strong enough to belong in this team. Adam ignored her, knowing fully well that he couldn't win a fight against her the way he was.

"I don't care if you are an Ascendant or an Outcast, I don't care what your abilities are or what rank you awoken either. My goal is to place at the top of this year's overall strongest team. You better not hold me back or you will regret it." Seraphina said.

Adam was indifferent to her threat, he himself wanted nothing more than to become the strongest.

Their first match was against Group 9, led by none other than Jaxon, the boy who was bullying an outcast in the cafeteria when they first arrived on Arc Aegis.

Jaxon stood at the opposite end of the training field, his cocky smirk unwavering as he locked eyes with Adam. His teammates were equally formidable, all Ascendants with high-ranking abilities.

Adam felt Eve shift beside him. "Be careful brother, Jaxon isn't the type to hold back." She muttered.

"Neither am I," Adam replied, summoning a long sword made of golden light and gripping it tightly.

The arena was a vast open space divided into different combat zones.

Rocky terrain, forested areas, and urban ruins which simulate the conditions at the surface.

Their match would take place in the rocky zone, filled with jagged outcrops and uneven ground that provided both cover and obstacles.

When both teams were in position, Commander Darius raised a hand.

"Begin!" He shouted with Astra standing by his side and observing keenly to see how they would each utilize their abilities during the mock battle.

Immediately, Adam's system displayed a new window.

New mission alert.

Defeat the opposing team to unlock a special reward.

A special reward? Adam wondered. The system had never used such terminology before. It always stated what the rewards of the missions it gave him were, so what exactly counts as a special reward.

But Adam had no time to figure out what the special reward was.

As soon as Darius gave the order, the team battle erupted instantly.

Jaxon's group moved aggressively towards Adam's group, charging forward with overwhelming force. Adam barely had time to react before Jaxon was on him, swinging a heavy metal baton straight for his ribs.

Adam instinctively raised his Primordial Light sword. It shimmered brightly as it met Jaxon's attack. For a moment, it held firm, but the sheer force of the strike caused cracks to form along the glowing blade.

Weapon Integrity: 70%. The system interface displayed in a translucent window that only Adam could see.

Adam gritted his teeth in shock, countering with a quick slash aimed at Jaxon's shoulder. Jaxon saw the attack and twisted out of the way, his speed unnerving.

At first, Adam was unaware of Jaxon's ability, but when he stepped back and raised his arm, a small metallic one-handed shield flew from the back of the arena into his hand, Adam figured it out.

Jaxon was using magnetism.

Meanwhile, Eve had taken position on a higher rock, nocking an arrow into her bow. She fired a shot aimed at one of Jaxon's teammates, who barely dodged in time. The force of the impact sent a blast of frost spreading across the ground.

Seraphina, in contrast, wielded her fire with deadly elegance, sending controlled bursts at the enemy team to force them into defensive positions. Alec stood like a fortress, using his shield to block incoming strikes, while Ren moved like a shadow, slipping past attacks and landing sharp counter-blows.

Adam realized that while his Primordial Light allowed him to create weapons, they weren't durable enough for prolonged combat. Every heavy strike from Jaxon caused his sword to flicker, threatening to shatter.

He needed a different approach.

Dismissing the sword, he instead focused on summoning a smaller, more compact weapon. A dagger materialized in his hand, its glow sharper and more focused.

Jaxon scoffed. "A smaller toy won't help you, Outcast."

Adam didn't respond.

Jaxon took a few steps back and threw the metal baton in his hand into the air. From the side, five long swords floated into the air, hovering above Jaxon's head.

With a single wave of his hand, the large metal baton flew towards Adam at an incredible speed, barely missing him and shattering the primordial light dagger in his hand.

Adam jumped to the side and rolled on the floor.

Jaxon was standing by the side laughing hysterically, at Adam, realizing that his surprise had worked and Adam could not possibly defeat him like this.

To torment Adam more, as he waves the baton at him from a distance, he sees Eve behind a rock and turns to look at Adam who has been forced into a defensive position.

"You can't save her now that your hands are full with defending yourself. Like I said when we first met, you have guts, but it seems they will spill very easily" Jaxon said, waving his hand towards Eve and one of the long swords floating above him flew in her direction.

At the moment, Alec was busy blocking attacks from the other members of Jaxon's team. He could not make it in time to where she was to block the attack.

The sword moved incredibly fast. Adam could not make it there in time, and Eve has yet to notice the attack.

In the last second, just before the sword reached her, Adam turned his dagger into a large metallic club and hit the baton so hard that it flew outside the arena.

He put one of his knees on the floor and clasped his palms together, shooting as much of his energy as he could into the ground, streaming it like a flood of water rushing towards Eve.

When the energy reached her, just as the sword was five inches away from her chest, a large shield made of thick primordial light emerged, blocking the attack and breaking the sword.

Looking back at Adam, Jaxon saw him charging towards him, with a dagger of light in his hand.

He aimed the remaining swords floating above him at Adam and used his magnetism to fire them at Adam.

"Thank you for teaching me how it is done." Adam shouted as he clenched his dagger with the right hand, waving his left hand forward and forming a small hand-held shield. Using the shield, he blocked the swords one by one, each deflected to the side.

In an instant, Adam closed the distance between them, ducked under Jaxon's next swing and drove the dagger into his opponent's exposed side. Jaxon grunted in pain and staggered back.

Seraphina took advantage of the opening, unleashing a stream of fire that forced Jaxon's team into full retreat.

Eve's arrows kept them from regrouping, while Alec and Ren closed in from the flanks.

The battle ended swiftly after that. Jaxon, furious but defeated. He glared at Adam before storming off to the medical bay without a word.

Darius nodded approvingly. "Well fought. You adapted well under pressure." He said.

But the person who was the most impressed by the feat that Adam had pulled was Astra.

When she heard that there was a boy who had awoken a new ability, she was grinning ear to ear to learn more, but to her disappointment, it turned out that the boy was an Outcast class human. Even if he had awoken a new ability, it was bound to be weak and useless.

But what she just witnessed was neither weak, nor was it useless.

If only Adam knew what she was imagining in her mind, ways he could use his abilities that would give him unprecedented advantages.

She turned to Darius and said.

"Cancel the class tomorrow and have the students do self-combat practice, I want to spend the day with The twin outcasts the entire day."

This was not the first time that Darius had been told these words by Commander Astra, she was obsessed with unique abilities and always want to test the limit of what they can do. He somewhat feels sorry for Adam and Eve as they are about to become Astra's new test subjects.

Darius announced that the class tomorrow has been cancelled, but did not inform the twins of their task for the day in the hall, he sent two of his soldiers to wait for them at their dormitories and give them the message when they get back.