The Training Corps, the forest behind the mountain. The trainees, fully equipped with Vertical Maneuvering Equipment, had already assembled. Instructor Keith stood there with a dark expression, instructing the trainees to be cautious.
"Remember! Absolutely do not panic. When retracting the grappling anchors, secure your body in time, and also...! Trainee Yago! What are you doing! Come back!" Instructor Keith suddenly roared.
However, the sound of high-pressure gas spraying had already rang out. Yago was simply too excited—instinctively locking onto a thick tree. The Vertical Maneuvering Equipment activated, the sharp grappling anchors fired, the launchers at his waist connected instantly, and the powerful pull immediately dragged Yago up into midair.
"Yahoo!" Yago maintained balance through the leg straps. As he neared the tree, he abruptly retracted the grappling anchors, and his whole body dropped downward.
The other trainees gasped in shock. Just as Yago was less than two meters from the ground, the grappling anchors fired again, carrying Yago straight toward the sky. Relying on momentum, Yago leapt onto the treetop.
The dense forest was extremely suitable for the movement of Vertical Maneuvering Equipment. Yago seemed to grasp it instinctively, moving with agility through the trees like an ape.
At times spinning, at times launching himself upward using tree trunks—these flashy techniques left the other recruits both stunned and excited, wishing they could fly into the air right then.
Instructor Keith was also stunned, cold sweat forming on his forehead. Earlier he had truly been worried about this outstanding recruit. Now it seemed completely unnecessary. And the techniques Yago had just displayed were already no worse than those of some elite soldiers. This shocked Keith Shadis greatly. This recruit had either been exposed to Vertical Maneuvering Equipment long ago, or he was a genius—a peerless genius.
Keith Shadis rejected the first possibility. Yago was, after all, only twelve or thirteen years old, with no way to have had access to Vertical Maneuvering Equipment. Even if he had, being able to use it so skillfully at such an age was still remarkable. As for achieving this level, Keith only knew of two people—aside from Yago, the other was now known as humanity's strongest soldier, of the Survey Corps, Levi.
Keith Shadis felt a bit of anticipation. Levi was a talent Erwin had brought out from the Underground City—his excellence unmatched. But perhaps this recruit named Yago would give him a surprise.
"Scrape—" With the sound of leather boots cutting across the grass, Yago finally had his fill of showing off. He finished with a drifting maneuver, landed perfectly, slid a short distance across the grass, and came to a stop.
"Report! Yago submits a self-criticism. I activated the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment without authorization because I was too excited. Please punish me, Instructor!" Yago admitted his mistake very sincerely, though inwardly he felt a little smug. Seeing his performance, the instructor probably wouldn't have the heart to punish him, right?
"Mm! Follow orders next time. Now—training field, fifty laps. Go." Instructor Keith Shadis nodded.
"Thank you, Instructor! Next time I—eh? What? Fifty laps?" Yago froze. Something was wrong—this wasn't how the script was supposed to go. Shouldn't it be just a warning? Fifty laps?
"Got a problem?" Keith Shadis looked at Yago with a dangerous gaze.
"Report! No problem!" Yago could only swallow it and accept.
"Do not remove the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment. Go run."
"Yes~~~"
Yago began running miserably. After Keith Shadis gave the order, the trainees who had long been eager immediately activated their Vertical Maneuvering Equipment.
The sound of high-pressure gas spraying rang out continuously.
Many lessons are bought with blood. Reality dealt the trainees a harsh lesson—not everyone had talent like Yago.
Some failed to hit the trees with their grappling anchors and fell. Some were moving too fast to brake and crashed into trees. Some accidentally connected their cables together, causing two people to fall at once. There were countless such incidents. Instantly, nosebleeds and bruises flew together, wails harmonizing with screams.
Keith Shadis frowned as he watched the recruits. This scene was within his expectations—or rather, generation after generation of trainees had passed through this bloody threshold. Injuries, disabilities, even death could all occur during training. Only after crossing this stage would these impetuous trainees transform into mature soldiers.
Of course, there were also trainees with decent talent. Keith shifted his gaze to several figures in the forest and nodded in satisfaction, though with some regret as well. The most outstanding soldiers often went to the safest branch—the Military Police. He really didn't know whether that was good or bad.
...
As evening fell, Yago's entire body was soaked with sweat. Weak and drained, he was heading toward the dining hall when he ran into Eren and Mikasa on the way.
Without a doubt, Eren was injured too. The bruises on his face and his disheveled hair said it all. Even Mikasa had some wounds on her hands—of course, Mikasa was injured because she helped Eren.
At the time, Eren had lost his footing on a tree and was about to fall. Mikasa grabbed him in time. In the emergency, her hand was scraped by the tree bark.
"Where's Armin?" Yago asked in confusion. Armin was usually inseparable from Eren. Eren said somewhat awkwardly, "Armin… he was going too fast. His head hit a rock. He was taken to the infirmary."
Yago: "This..."
At that moment, several recruits with grim expressions carried two stretchers covered with white cloth. On one of them, dark red blood had soaked through the cloth.
Yago looked on in confusion, as if guessing something.
Mikasa explained, "They're two trainees from Squad 27 and Squad 31. One died after crashing into a tree spike. The other died after falling from too great a height."
Yago opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything. This was the first time a trainee of the 104th Cadet Corps had died during training. For a moment, Yago couldn't accept it.
During dinner, half the trainees were missing—they were all lying in the infirmary. In the dining hall, nearly everyone else was also injured.
As soon as Yago entered the dining hall, his gaze anxiously swept across the crowd. Only when he saw Annie, completely unscathed, sitting alone in a corner gnawing on bread did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Annie also noticed Yago's concerned look. She felt a slight stir inside, but her expression remained calm. She withdrew her gaze and continued eating quietly.
Picking up his tray, Yago went over to Annie's corner. No one reacted much—everyone was already used to Yago gravitating toward Annie. The boys didn't understand why Yago would be interested in a girl as icy as her. Wasn't Historia cute? The girls, meanwhile, envied Annie for having a handsome and capable boy like Yago pursuing her.
Aside from a few individuals feeling quietly hurt, everyone else was already accustomed to it.
Yago sat down across from Annie and didn't say much, just ate quickly. Running fifty laps had been a huge drain. Even after two buns, he was still hungry.
At that moment, a piece of bread was handed over. Yago didn't stand on ceremony—he took it and bit into it, speaking indistinctly as he ate,
"Thanks, Annie."
Annie sipped her potato soup in small mouthfuls and said softly,
"Don't be so reckless next time. It's dangerous."
Yago swallowed the bread and said teasingly,
"Are you worried about me?"
Annie stared at Yago expressionlessly.
"Cough, cough, alright, I get it. Don't look at me like that. I'm a genius, you know. In the future, I'm going to become the strongest soldier of the Survey Corps!"
Annie didn't say anything. Perhaps no one noticed—but when Yago had been weaving through the forest, a pair of blue eyes, filled with worry, had been tightly following his figure.