MIGHT AS WELL BE OP - Chapter 385

Chapter 385: Advice
A week had passed at last, the long awaited day marking the end of their grueling military training had finally arrived.

The recruits stood side by side, their posture impeccable, backs straight, shoulders squared, heads held high, and chests lifted with quiet pride.

An entire year had come and gone.

A milestone.

A testament to endurance, discipline, and will.

It was 2PM.

The afternoon sun loomed overhead, its scorching rays bearing down upon them.

Yet not a single recruit flinched.

Whether out of defiance or hardened resolve, they stood unmoved, as if the searing heat simply ceased to exist in their presence.

At long last, Corporal Samuel arrived, his expression as cold and indifferent as ever.

For a brief moment, he let his gaze sweep over them, silent, calculating, before his voice finally broke the heavy stillness.

“The day you’ve all been waiting for has finally come”

He began, his tone edged with quiet authority.

“I remember well, how arrogant some of you were… how lost some of you were… how utterly weak most of you were”

A faint pause.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“Though make no mistake, weakness still clings to you”

His voice cut through the air, steady, sharp, impossibly calm.

Every word struck with the precision of a blade.

“But”

He continued, letting the word hang for a breath.

“There has been progress. Undeniable progress”

His gaze swept over them once more.

“Each of you standing here today could crush five versions of your former self from a year ago. You are stronger. Faster. Sharper”

He continued speaking, steady, unbroken, without the slightest pause.

“Soon, you will receive your new ranks. And with them, the right, no, the burden, to step onto the battlefield. I can only hope that what I’ve drilled into you… what I’ve hammered into your bones and minds… will be enough to keep you alive”

For a moment, silence reigned.

His words hung in the air, heavy, deliberate, sinking into the hearts of those before him.

Yet none of the recruits uttered a word.

Their expressions remained as still and disciplined as stone.

And though Corporal Samuel’s face remained unreadable, that same cold mask he always wore, there was something different about this moment.

This was the longest they had ever heard him speak.

It was likely the last.

And so they listened, every fiber of their being sharpened, every thought stilled, listening with the absolute focus reserved for a final lesson before whatever came next.

“I won’t stand here and feed you lies… nor will I dress the future in pretty words to comfort your fantasies”

Corporal Samuel’s voice cut through the air once more, cold, measured, brutally honest.

“Some of you will die”

His words were like iron, immovable.

“Not might die… will die. That is not speculation. That is not probability. It is fact, as certain as the sun rises”

A brief pause.

“And so… if you have loved ones, family, friends, anyone who still waits for you, I suggest you call them. Speak to them. Say whatever it is you’ve left unsaid, before you step foot onto the battlefield for your first mission”

It was then that the shift happened.

Faces that had remained unshaken for the past year, faces forged through discipline, hardship, and relentless training, finally betrayed a flicker of emotion.

A weight had settled in the air, heavy, suffocating, the taste of reality finally pressing down on them.

They had heard the rumors, of course.

But hearing it from Corporal Samuel, hearing it spoken with such utmost certainty, was something else entirely.

And yet… whether they believed it or not, whether fear stirred in their hearts or not, there was no turning back.

The battlefield awaited.

They could either march toward it, or abandon the path entirely and seek refuge in other departments.

“The battlefield does not care for talent”

Corporal Samuel’s voice rang out once more, steady, sharp.

“It will not grant you the luxury of thought before action. It will not offer you time to hesitate. It will not wait for you to consider your options”

His words fell like hammers, harsh, but true.

“The only advice I can give you… is to act”

His gaze swept across them.

“Act without hesitation. Move without pause. React without doubt”

A faint, almost imperceptible shift entered his tone, not weakness, but memory.

“I know your ambitions. To rise above all others… to stand at the summit… to protect everything and everyone precious to you. To earn recognition. It’s a noble dream”

He paused, and for a fleeting second, something human stirred beneath his hardened exterior.

“It’s not my place to tell you your dreams are too grand… or unrealistic. After all…”

A ghost of something distant flickered in his eyes.

“I was once like you”

But the moment passed, buried beneath layers of discipline and steel.

“But dreams change”

He continued, his voice returning to its cold clarity.

“And there is no shame in adapting to the reality before you. Survive. Endure. Remain human. Stand on humanity’s side, and in the end, no matter how far you fall from your original dream… that will be enough”

His gaze sharpened, a final warning.

“My last piece of advice, from this moment on, never… fully… lower your guard”

The words came slow. Final.

“An attack can come at any time, in battle, in your sleep… even during your most vulnerable moments”

For the briefest instant, his eyes faltered, haunted by something unseen, before hardening once again.

The recruits stood silent, emotions swirling, their hearts stirred and unsettled.

“And finally…”

His voice cut through the air once more.

“Report to the arena tomorrow at 4PM sharp”

A faint breeze stirred around him.

“You are also permitted to remove your training uniforms. Prepare yourselves. New ones will be distributed soon”

And with those final words, without sound, without warning, Corporal Samuel vanished.

Gone like the wind that carried warriors into battle… and sometimes never brought them back.

The recruits stood frozen, their bodies unmoving, as if the weight of Corporal Samuel’s words had yet to fully settle in their minds.

Time seemed to stretch, their thoughts still caught in the gravity of his speech.

Then, as if waking from a shared trance, they turned and made their way back to their quarters, their steps heavy, their minds quiet.

Yet, before they could even reach the entrance to their rooms, an unfamiliar scent caught their attention, something rich, something tantalizing, wafting through the air from the direction of the cafeteria.

Without a word spoken, their curiosity took over.

One by one, they pivoted, drawn toward the source of the aroma, as if a silent command had been given.

When they entered the cafeteria, they were met with a sight that could only be described as a feast.

Foods and drinks, rich, diverse, and of a quality far beyond anything that had ever graced these halls, were laid out across the tables.

Delicacies from distant lands, rare treats they could only dream of, all arranged as though to welcome them.

And, to their surprise, cigarettes, once forbidden, were available too.

The air was thick with a sense of freedom, a stark contrast to the harsh realities they had just faced.

Just like that, the tension shattered.

The mood, once somber and heavy, shifted.

Laughter bubbled up, voices raised in exuberance, and the first moments of joy in months rippled through the recruits.

The party had begun.

The night unfolded in a blur of laughter and revelry.

The recruits ate, drank, danced, kissed, and flirted with abandon.

Conversations swirled in the air as the energy of the party surged around them.

Anthony stood apart from the crowd, an unmoving silhouette in the midst of the chaos.

His gaze remained distant, unfocused, an expressionless mask concealing the thoughts swirling beneath.

This was his first real party.

In his previous life, there had been no time for such pleasures.

His schedule had been a relentless march, always occupied with duty, strategy, and survival.

He wouldn’t count his birthday celebrations as a party, nor the post Starborn Tournament gathering as anything more than a brief respite from the Eclipsian’s attack.

As Anthony drifted into his thoughts, someone approached him, drink in hand, a grin plastered across their face.

“Come on, man, are you really this boring?”

The Werecat teased, his voice light with amusement.

“The military even hosted a party and you’re just going to stand here?”

Anthony’s gaze shifted, his expression still as blank as ever.

He met the Werecat’s eyes, his voice flat, devoid of any enthusiasm.

“I’m fine just where I am”

But the Werecat didn’t seem to heed his words, continuing on, undeterred.

“The military hosted a party in their base, this is a first for us. We don’t even know if we’ll ever see something like this again. Don’t just stand there. At least dance. Do something”

Anthony exhaled sharply.

He had no desire to participate in the noise of the celebration.

Tired of the persistent pestering, he simply sighed, and in a blur of movement, teleported back to his room.

The silence of his quarters greeted him, and for the first time that night, he felt a semblance of peace.

His mind wandered, and he couldn’t shake the thought.

‘I wonder how Mom and Dad are doing’

He hadn’t heard from them.

They hadn’t reached out to him.

No messages, no signs.

He missed them.

With that, he sank into the quiet of his bed, the weariness of the day pulling him under.

His eyes closed, and the world around him faded into the comforting oblivion of sleep.