top score

Seon stood at attention, his eyes locked onto Grim's. The usual calm of the training room was replaced by an unspoken tension, the sound of distant footsteps echoing through the facility. Grim cracked his knuckles, a smirk crossing his face as he adjusted his stance.

"You ready for this, Seon?" Grim's voice was low, almost mocking.

Seon didn't reply, his focus sharp as he mirrored Grim's movements. The room around them seemed to fade into the background, the only thing on Seon's mind was the duel ahead.

Grim lunged first, a swift motion that seemed to blur the air. Seon reacted instinctively, his body flowing with the rhythm of his training, but Grim was faster—more experienced. The older soldier's fist collided with Seon's side, sending him stumbling back. 

Seon gritted his teeth, frustration bubbling beneath his calm exterior. He pushed himself back to his feet, his movements more deliberate now, his body reacting to the sudden change in tempo.

"You've gotten better," Grim said, nodding with approval, but his grin never wavered. "But not good enough."

Seon moved again, this time his body working in perfect harmony with the system's enhanced reflexes. He dodged Grim's next strike, countering with a series of punches aimed at Grim's torso. But Grim was already one step ahead, blocking effortlessly before delivering a crushing blow to Seon's shoulder.

The force of the hit sent Seon crashing into the floor, but he quickly regained his footing, his chest heaving. Sweat dripped down his face, but his resolve remained unshaken. He had come a long way, and he wasn't going to give up easily.

Grim stood over him now, a slight edge of respect in his eyes. "You're strong, kid. But you still have a lot to learn."

Seon, despite the bruises and pain, nodded. "I'll get there," he muttered, determination burning in his gaze.

Grim stepped back, offering Seon a hand to pull him up. "Next time, you might just win."

It wasn't a victory, but it was progress. Seon accepted the hand, knowing the fight had sharpened him further, preparing him for whatever came next.

--

Seon sat with the other captains in the common room. The room had been rearranged slightly since the last time he'd been in here. Four holoV consoles were now set up a few feet apart from each other, all facing the the same direction. As they entered, they were searched for any prohibited items—anything that could give them an advantage during the test. Once cleared, they were instructed to sit at their designated stations, each console already showing a countdown timer ticking away, the seconds steadily ticking down to the start of the exam.

A man in a sharp suit stood at the front of the room, his face neutral, his posture rigid. His eyes scanned over the captains as if they were nothing more than pieces on a chessboard.

"The test will begin shortly," he said, his voice cutting through the low murmur in the room. "It will last for 7 hours. Once the countdown expires, your test will be automatically submitted. There will no one else entering or leaving the room once the time starts counting back. You will be monitored closely, and the only person present will be a higher-up overseeing the test. Good luck."

The man turned and left, leaving the captains to settle into the tense atmosphere. The countdown on the holoVs ticked down further, and Seon leaned back in his chair, his thoughts racing. He had already gotten as much sleep as he could the night before, though sleep hadn't been as restful as he had hoped. His body was still recovering from the intensity of his training, but he'd managed to squeeze in a decent breakfast after his early workout. He wasn't too worried about the test. After all, he'd already uploaded every scrap of military information he could find into his system. The entire military database was now embedded in his mind, accessible at a moment's notice.

When the countdown finally reached zero, the exam began. The first section of the test was relatively straightforward. Seon didn't need to rely on his system much. He already knew most of the material. As he read the questions, a status window would appear beside the text, displaying relevant information or giving him additional context about the topic. It felt like he was writing an open-book exam, but even with the system offering him the answers, he still had to answer the questions on his own. The test was meant to assess his comprehension, not just his ability to pull up information.

As the hours passed, Seon moved through the questions with a steady pace. His mind worked efficiently, recalling details he had studied in the past. The only challenge was the sheer length of the exam. It felt as though the questions were endless, one after another, testing his mental endurance. His eyes grew heavy by the time the final set of questions appeared, but he pushed through.

He finished with ten minutes to spare, but even then, Seon pretended like he hadn't completed it at all. He didn't want to risk being too confident, not yet. He submitted the exam and stood, stretching his stiff limbs as he left the room. Once back in his quarters, he took a moment to breathe before diving into his unit's reports. His unit had been thrown into a new training program, and it was important to monitor how they were handling it. He scrolled through the leader's updates, noting their progress. The reports were filled with details, and Seon took a mental note of any areas that needed attention. Afterward, he finally allowed himself to sleep.

The next morning, Seon found himself facing Grim again, as part of his daily training. Grim was a tough opponent, and Seon knew that even though he'd improved, he wasn't yet at a level where he could beat Grim without significant effort. As the sparring session began, Seon quickly found himself outmatched. Grim was faster, stronger, and had more experience. Seon struggled to land a blow, though he tried his best, pushing himself harder than he ever had before.

Ultimately, Seon lost. But even as Grim stood over him, panting from the fight, Seon couldn't help but notice how much stronger and faster he had become. His body had adapted well to the rigorous training. He'd learned to push his limits, to fight through the exhaustion, and it showed.

After the duel, Seon continued to work on the exercises from his quest, determined to finish the set before moving on to his next task. It wasn't easy, but the work was necessary. He moved through the motions methodically, pushing his muscles to their breaking point, and then showered before heading to breakfast. He needed to keep his energy up; the day ahead was going to be another long one.

When he arrived at the common room, it was back to its usual setup, no longer the makeshift exam room. He was the last one to arrive, and as he stepped inside, he noticed the sudden shift in the atmosphere. All eyes turned toward him. Even the general who had been present the day before was there. Seon took his seat quietly, though the silence felt almost too heavy. The tension in the room was palpable.

As the holoV consoles flickered on, Seon saw two lists displayed on the screen. On the left side was the familiar ranking of the top 10 units. Unit Z was in first place, and B had climbed up to 6th, while C had barely scraped into the top 10 at tenth place. Seon's eyes wandered over the names, but his attention was quickly drawn to the second list on the right.

His name was at the very top.

It wasn't just his unit's ranking—this list seemed different. It was a list of individuals, with Seon sitting at number 1. He was momentarily caught off guard, trying to process the implications. How had he managed to be at the top? The list showed names he didn't recognize, all with scores that were obviously impressive. But the fact that Seon had come in first place... it didn't sit right with him. He hadn't expected to stand out like that.

The general stood up and cleared his throat, looking over the room before speaking.

"Seon," he began, his voice firm. "This list represents the scores from the annual military test—the one you all took yesterday. The highest score so far was 89%, held by the man who now leads one of the best Edner teams in the military, a team known for completing their tests with an average time of 40 minutes."

Seon's heart skipped a beat. The highest score had been 89%? He had assumed the test was relatively easy for man in the military. He didn't think much on his miscalculation as he focused on the second piece of information. 40 minutes? He couldn't believe it. All the research he had down so far proved that it was impossible to pass by his limit for 50 minutes.

The general paused for a moment, eyes narrowing as he focused on Seon. "The record has been broken, and the new record is 100%. That score belongs to you."

Seon's breath caught in his throat. He hadn't expected that. The general's gaze didn't leave him, as if waiting for Seon to say something, but Seon remained silent. The room was still, the weight of the announcement hanging in the air.

The general continued, "You are the only rookie to have made it into the top 100 not to mention you got first place. But there's one thing I want to know—how did you do it?"

Seon met his gaze, feeling the tension building. "I've never gotten anything less than 1st place on my tests," Seon replied, his voice steady despite the storm of thoughts racing through his mind. "I study, I learn everything I can, and I apply it."

The general didn't seem satisfied with that answer. He frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "Prove it."

He gestured to Seon's unit. "I'm assigning your unit a mission. One non of my man have achieved yet. Your task is to rescue a group of my men trapped in Area 67. Prove to me that your score wasn't a fluke, that you did not cheat your way on that list. If you complete the mission the score will be added to your teams ranking." He said hands still crossed over his chest with a smirk.

Seon's eyes widened. Area 67 was a read area. It was basically home to tier two monster. For the first time Seon truly felt that no amount of preparation would help them achieve this mission.