Level Up

"Linx Ripley, D rank."

"Liam Voss, F rank."

"Ava Voss, D rank."

"Ray Tyro, D rank."

A muscular man called out everyone's names as he stared at his tablet, showing little interest in this seemingly average group.

"An F rank?" Liam asked, but no one seemed to acknowledge him. Maybe he was considered useless, but he was confident he could take on anyone except his sister in a fight. Being called an F rank was an insult!

Everyone exchanged confused glances. One moment, they were running for their lives, and the next, they were suddenly being ranked. Only Linx was brave enough to demand an explanation.

"Wait! What's going on? What is the meaning of this?" She asked, letting go of her ability. The green blade coming from her forearm sunk back into her skin as a dagger appeared in her hand before she put it away.

"Lieutenants, the test is over. You may get up," the man ordered, glaring at Linx with one eye before continuing to ignore her completely.

That wasn't the proper way to address a high-ranking official, but she was so insignificant that she wasn't worth his breath.

From the overturned vehicle, the two lieutenants crawled out, unharmed, holding their weapons and saluting their leader.

"Congratulations on surviving the ranking examination. Welcome to hell, cadets. Lieutenants, I trust you to take over from here. Dismissed." The man finished before turning his back and leaving just as he had arrived. His evaluation job was done, and there was no need to stay any longer—he had more important matters to attend to.

"Yes, Captain," the two lieutenants spoke in unison, remaining in position until the captain turned his back.

At the same time, a blue system message appeared in front of Liam, alerting him about his quests.

[Mission complete: survive the encounter]

[Reward received: 100 XP]

[Main mission complete: infiltrate the enemy ranks]

[Reward received: 500 XP]

[Congratulations!]

[You are now level 5]

[200 XP needed for level up]

[You have 5 undistributed stat points]

[Would you like to open host stats?]

{Yes} {No}

'This feels like cheating...' Liam closed his eyes, rejecting the offer. He wanted to think about where to distribute his stats, and now wasn't the time. Besides, he still had to complete a daily mission. Luckily, he had managed to stash plenty of those food pills.

"All right, everyone, fall in line!" the female lieutenant shouted, clapping her hands to gather the cadets' attention. They deserved an explanation after everything that had happened.

"Oh, what now..." Liam muttered, rolling his eyes before standing next to Ava. Instead of listening to the lieutenants, he kept glaring at the boy who had pushed him in front of a tiger spider.

'What was his name again? Ray or something?' the young hybrid tried to recall. He didn't want this guy to go unpunished and was determined to give him a taste of his own medicine when the opportunity arose.

"Is something the matter, Liam?" the male lieutenant asked, raising an eyebrow after Ava elbowed Liam in the abdomen.

"Oof..." Liam bent forward, instinctively placing his hands on his stomach after the sudden, sharp pain.

He wanted to retaliate, but the lieutenant's no-nonsense gaze stopped him from doing anything foolish.

"No... everything's fine."

The lieutenant glared at Liam. Unlike the captain, who didn't want to deal with those beneath him, the lieutenant demanded an appropriate level of respect.

"You will address me as 'sir.' Understood?"

The laid-back attitude was over. The moment they received their academy ranks marked the start of their training. Now, the cadets had three years to become exceptional soldiers—or die the moment they set foot on the battlefield.

"Yes... sir," Liam replied through clenched teeth, his voice lacking enthusiasm. He was in a foul mood after everything that had happened and didn't have the energy to play soldier after receiving such a low rank.

The lieutenant glared at him before stepping back, but he wouldn't forget this.

With his hands behind his back, the lieutenant continued to explain the situation.

"The purpose of this test was to evaluate your capabilities and personalities. After all, human nature reveals itself when faced with death," the female lieutenant added, elaborating on the meaning of their ranks.

In short, as Liam understood it, an FF rank was reserved for parasites whose performance was so unremarkable that they endangered others, and the rank above that was for useless scum.

If a D rank was for those who showed promise as future soldiers, then why did that bastard Ray receive such a "high" grade?

"Sir! I have a question!" Liam blurted out, raising his hand before the lieutenant could continue.

"Permission granted."

"Why did the guy next to me get a higher rank after trying to turn me into spider food?" Liam asked, causing Ava to facepalm and sigh in defeat. She wondered why her idiotic brother couldn't just stay quiet and listen.

"You dare question the captain's decision?" the lieutenant hissed, tilting his head in disbelief.

"No, sir. I just want an explanation."

"On the battlefield, doubting orders can mean death."

Sometimes, out in the field where outcomes are unpredictable, trusting your leaders and pushing forward greatly determines a mission's success.

"Loser," Ray whispered into Liam's ear, snickering. He enjoyed this kind of power, where no one could touch him without facing serious consequences.

"Why, you..." Liam groaned, but before he could act, his body moved on autopilot.

Furiously, Liam's fist "accidentally" struck Ray's face, causing him to stumble backward. Ray clutched his nose and mouth, squeezing his eyes shut.

The young hybrid stood tall, looking down at Ray.

Liam held his head high, feeling proud of his work, but his triumph was short-lived.

"Idiot," Linx muttered, rolling her eyes, while Ava sighed in relief.

She didn't know what had caused her brother to act like that, but at least he had kept his wings in check.

A cold shadow fell over Liam, darkening the ground at his feet as the atmosphere grew heavier. The chatter of the cadets, who had been watching the scene, died down to a tense silence.

Slowly, Liam turned his head, his earlier bravado crumbling as he met the lieutenant's icy glare. The man now towered right in front of him.

"You bitch!" Ray shouted, removing his hands, which were now stained with blood. He began cursing under his breath, threatening Liam and vowing to make his time in the military a living hell.

Blood dripped from his nose, running over his lips and chin, with a few droplets falling to the ground.

A sharp, throbbing pain radiated from the center of his face, and he tasted metal in his mouth.

Ray's nose was visibly bent to the left and starting to swell at the bridge.

"Serves you right," Liam replied, looking away and ignoring the presence of his superior. But his eyes snapped open as he sensed something fast approaching his face.

He turned and saw a fist coming at him. Instinctively, he raised his hand and blocked the punch.

There was significant force behind it, and Liam's eyes turned cold as he grabbed the lieutenant's hand.

After the unexpected block and the strange, murderous intent, the lieutenant felt a chill run down his spine. It was the same feeling he got when fighting insectoids—raw power and anger, a desire to destroy. The problem was that Liam was just a cadet.

Without thinking, he swiftly prepared for a follow-up attack, wasting no time. It was as if his life depended on it.

Seeing the lieutenant preparing for another strike, Liam began to move his other arm to block it.

He braced for impact, but instead, he only felt air as the person in front of him turned into purple, residual dust before disappearing.

The cadets watched in shock as Liam moved with unnatural speed. His reflexes seemed inhuman, something they hadn't witnessed before, as they had been too busy trying to survive.

A few moments later, Liam sensed something appearing behind him, soundlessly.

He gasped and turned, holding his elbow high, planning to strike whatever was behind him. But instead, he received a high kick to the back.

Liam yelped and moved his arms in front of him, bracing for impact.

"You think you're tough?" the lieutenant snarled, clenching his fist.

'What was that?' he wondered while glaring at Liam.

It was clear that Liam had some training, which wasn't uncommon, but he shouldn't have been able to block his fist like that.

More importantly, Liam had predicted the follow-up attack and had started to turn around the moment the lieutenant teleported behind him. Not to mention the killing intent.

"You're nothing but a brat who doesn't know his place," the lieutenant continued, walking in front of Liam and grabbing him by the hair, forcing his head up.

A shocking, agonizing pain shot through Liam's antennae and head as the lieutenant unknowingly pulled on them along with his hair.

He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist, not so much in anger as in an effort to control himself.

"And since you're already on the ground, give me fifty push-ups!" the lieutenant ordered, releasing Liam, who immediately pressed his antennae against his scalp with his hand.

"Now!" the lieutenant yelled. "The academy will make sure you learn respect," he added before instructing his comrade to treat cadet Ray Tyro while he continued to explain how the military academy worked.