Chapter 64

Although Sasha was physically strong, unlike others, she hadn't studied martial arts and focused solely on fencing. She hadn't even managed to fully master the Polygonal Art of the Sword due to the intense schedule at this academy.

Because of all this, she felt resentment.

Clenching her fork so tightly that the metal began to bend, she said, "We'll see," and returned to her meal in silence.

Time was short, but the two managed to finish their plates, grab their swords, and reach the training field with a minute to spare.

They weren't the first to arrive—four cadets were already standing on the field.

Sasha had memorized all fifty cadets, and at this moment, present on the training field were:

1st place — Dies Drake, 24 years old, third year

20th place — Saga, 18 years old, first year

31st place — Ain, 19 years old, first year

32nd place — Binz, 21 years old, first year

44th place — Sasha Zima, 16 years old, first year

45th place — Rikkio Occhiali, 16 years old, first year

Standing with Ricky aside from the others, they silently waited for the rest of the cadets to arrive within the next minute.

None of the fifty cadets would dare to be late—everyone knew this was their future.

When the crowd gathered, Sasha noticed that the cadets had broken into their small groups. Aside from her and Ricky, the only others remaining without a group were Saga and Drake.

On one hand, Sasha wouldn't have minded forming a group—if Bill and the others were here, they would definitely have formed a team of five. But what Sasha couldn't stand was being subordinate to anyone she considered beneath her, and after her initial meetings with the cadets, she determined that none of them could be her leader.

Thus, no one joined her, leaving her with only Ricky.

After some time, a group of older individuals emerged from the building on the opposite side of the academy field, indicating that they held relatively high positions in the Marines.

Leading the group was the chief instructor of the academy, Zephyr.

While Sasha didn't know the others, she recognized one of them. Surely, Ricky recognized him too, as he nudged her in the side with his elbow several times.

Whispering so that only Sasha could hear, Ricky said, "That's Garp... Hero of the Marines!"

When he mentioned "Hero of the Marines," his voice broke the silence, and all the cadets began to whisper.

The sight of Garp even caught the attention of Drake and Saga.

"Bwahaha! Look at that, Zephyr, your newcomers are more excited to see me than you!"

The cadets' whispers were drowned out by Garp's booming voice.

To Garp's provocation, Zephyr casually responded, "Heh, they just don't know what a handful you are. They've only heard good things."

To this, Garp laughed even louder, further elevating his status in the eyes of the cadets.

Though she didn't want to admit it, Sasha was also drawn to Garp's personality.

After exchanging a few jokes, Zephyr, Garp, and the others with them got down to business.

While Garp stepped aside with several senior sailors and others set up the board, Zephyr began speaking: "Today marks the end of the quarter, and your first test will be combat-based. Following that will be an assessment of the skills we've studied over the past few months."

As Zephyr continued to speak, Sasha's eyes widened, and she suddenly understood everything.

"No wonder! This is how they train us here—they teach us a lot over the quarter, and that's how the rankings are determined! But they didn't even tell me! Ricky and I just ended up here and were left to fend for ourselves?!"

Upon this realization, Sasha initially thought it was unfair and then felt annoyed.

Whatever Ricky and she did, they'd still perform poorly in the skill assessment. At Vallipo, they both focused only on one set of skills.

Sasha focused on learning surgery and medical knowledge. Of course, she didn't have enough experience to call herself a doctor, but she could set bones, treat infections, and handle most other necessary things for combat medicine.

Ricky mainly focused on intelligence gathering and general logistics. Thanks to his natural talent in communication, he honed his skills by working with the base's intelligence operators.

He could be stealthy when needed, but what he truly mastered was directing conversations and finding the necessary information.

It's no surprise that when they transferred to the Marine academy's cadet program, they had little to no experience in carpentry and sail-making, which they were expected to do.

So, all their points would have to come from the combat test because they were sure to score the worst in the skill assessment.

Thinking about this, Sasha again felt Ricky nudging her with his elbow, and when she looked at him, she noticed he was pointing at the board.

When she looked, Zephyr was finishing his closing remarks: "The matches here have been arranged randomly. If a first-year cadet faces a third-year cadet, it's simply their luck. Remember, at sea, anything can happen, and when standing between innocent people and the scum who hunt them, it won't always be in our favor. We must remain strong."

Looking at the first assigned battle, Sasha narrowed her eyes.

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