Chapter 016: Hidden Power

"First, let us test your adaptability"

Early in the morning, everyone gathered at the training grounds. In front of them stood several training devices made of iron frames.

These machines simulated the stable use of vertical maneuvering equipment, allowing humans accustomed to two dimensional movement to adapt to three dimensional motion. If someone could not maintain balance on this machine, there was no way they could train with real equipment, and they would ultimately face elimination.

Instructor Keith glared at everyone and roared, "Those who cannot even do this do not even have the qualifications to be bait. You can just go back to farming."

Each person was given five minutes of practice time before taking turns.

It quickly became clear that natural talent could be seen right from this first stage. Mikasa, for example, was almost motionless on the machine, perfectly stable. Then there was Sasha, who came from a hunter background and had long since mastered the art of maintaining balance, easily adapting to it. Jean, Connie, and others were a bit worse off, but they could at least barely maintain their balance and would master it completely with more practice.

As for Rayan himself, his sense of balance was very poor. He fell headfirst as soon as he got on, drawing a burst of laughter from the others. This made him feel somewhat dissatisfied, and in frustration, he punched the support frame of the machine.

Clang

A loud noise startled everyone. The gazes that turned toward him quickly became filled with terror.

They saw that a deep dent, about a centimeter thick, had appeared in the iron frame.

"Rayan Kafka"

Instructor Keith immediately noticed the commotion, stormed over, glanced at the dent, and was first visibly shocked before roaring angrily, "You brat, are you deliberately damaging the training equipment Do you have any idea how much one of these machines costs"

"Sorry, I did not mean to," Rayan said quietly.

"Hmph. If there is a next time, you can get the hell out of here"

After speaking, Keith turned and walked away, but inside, he was deeply shocked. This brat actually has such strength

At that moment, Rayan stared at the dented iron with a complicated expression, his mind involuntarily replaying a haunting memory.

The memory of being grabbed by a titan and stuffed into its mouth.

Although he was now alive within the walls and had gained one third of that titan's physique, he would rather give up this unnatural strength if it meant that horrible incident had never happened.

The psychological shadow was immense.

Moreover, the great strength his physique now granted him had taken an entire month after entering the walls to barely learn how to control. Only recently could he behave like a normal person without breaking chairs when sitting down or crushing bowls and chopsticks when picking them up.

He knew very well that if this power was discovered by someone with ill intentions, it would bring him endless trouble. Thus, he had always kept it hidden.

Besides, it served as a form of insurance, a trump card. At a critical moment, it might change everything.

Taking a deep breath, Rayan warned himself not to lose control again. Then, he resumed practicing his balance.

At this moment, none of the others dared to laugh at him anymore. Joking aside, they had seen that dent in the iron frame. If that punch had landed on someone, it would have shattered their bones. Of course, none of them knew that the strength Rayan had shown was not even close to his full power.

Hahahaha

Suddenly, laughter erupted from the side. Rayan turned his head and saw Eren hanging upside down awkwardly on another machine, while the surrounding onlookers burst into laughter.

"Eren Yeager What are you doing" Instructor Keith crouched in front of him, scolding loudly, "Straighten your upper body"

Despite the shouting, Rayan could still see the hopeless look on Eren's face.

For someone who had sworn to drive out all the titans, failing at this very first stage was a cruel irony, a heavy blow to his pride.

Of course, Rayan, who knew the plot well, understood that it was not because Eren lacked talent. Rather, his gaze shifted to Keith.

It was this very instructor who deliberately did not want him to pass.

The sky gradually darkened.

The entire day was spent training. Most people had mastered the use of the vertical maneuvering equipment, and Rayan was no exception. Though his natural talent was lacking, this was a skill that could be honed through sheer practice. In the end, he barely managed to pass.

This result was acceptable to Rayan. He never intended to become some kind of combat genius. As long as he could graduate smoothly, that was enough.

However, while some were satisfied, others were not so fortunate. Eren, who had attracted much attention with his lofty dreams of joining the Survey Corps and expelling the titans, had stumbled badly right from the start. No matter how hard he tried, he could barely maintain his balance for three or four seconds before falling.

This deeply frustrated him. Even after the sun had set and others had gone to rest, Eren stubbornly refused to give up training.

"As long as you follow the basic requirements, you should be able to do it," Mikasa said.

She and Armin had naturally stayed behind to accompany Eren. As someone who had performed flawlessly from the start, Mikasa's guidance was invaluable.

"Do not demand perfection from yourself. Just focus on maintaining balance front and back, and then slowly distribute your body weight onto the belts and the soles of your shoes."

"If you stay calm, you will definitely succeed. Even I managed it," Armin encouraged from the side.

"Alright I feel like I will definitely succeed this time. Put me up, Armin"

"Okay"

Fueled by the encouragement of his friends, Eren felt a surge of confidence. With the training grounds now empty and no prying eyes on him, the pressure he felt was much lower.

As Armin turned the lever, Eren's body was slowly lifted. But just as he tried to stabilize himself, his balance gave way, and he slammed headfirst into the ground, blood immediately gushing from his forehead.

Evening arrived at the dining hall.

Eren sat with a bandage wrapped around his head, his face pale and full of despair.

All around him, he could hear the whispers and discussions about his failure. But he had no confidence left to argue back, because it was true. At this rate, he would be eliminated during the upcoming assessment and sent back to farming.

And that was something he could never accept.

Bang

He slammed his fist against the table, unable to even touch his food. Armin, sitting beside him, tried to console him.

"Eren, do not be like this. No matter how much you worry, it will not change anything. Just try again tomorrow"

"Damn it I..."

He lifted his head, his eyes suddenly falling on Rayan, who was sitting alone in a distant corner, quietly eating his bread. Something clicked in Eren's mind. His eyes lit up, and he stood up abruptly, striding towards Rayan.

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