They gave those who already possessed skills even more while setting up more restrictions for those with a blank slate.
Taking this basic Extraordinary sword technique that Alvin did not really value for example, those "honorable trainees" that left early just cast it away like a pair of worn-out shoes. But those recruits had to use their lives and achievements to trade for it during their subsequent service.
Even the existence of the Extraordinary World would not be known to them until they reached a certain rank and served a number of years in the navy.
Alvin remembered Eugene telling him this seriously.
This was not only to maintain the stable rule of the upper class, but also because the world they lived in was not as simple as it seemed. There were horrors hidden outside the civilized world that no one could imagine. Ignorant seekers of the hidden world could cause a loss of control and disasters. The "witch hunts" that the churches were publicizing and carrying out were not just due to groundless rumors.
However, even the strictest rules were not without exception, and after quietly obtaining Major Eugene's permission, Alvin called Gary out alone.
"Boy! I see your bones are quite extraordinary, you must be a martial arts prodigy. I'll entrust you with the responsibility of maintaining justice and peace in the universe! I have this book of Buddha… Ahem, it's the full version of the Military Sword Technique, I'll sell it to you for cheap."
There was a proverb on the sea: the strongest warrior on the sea can't steer a sailing ship, no matter how small, on his own.
It would not have mattered if Alvin had aspired to be a lone wolf fighting alone, but this was the Great Voyage, and whether it was gaining power or making more power, having reliable partners was essential.
After nearly two months together, Alvin thought that he already knew this "boy", who was tall as a tower, very well. He had a rugged appearance but a clean heart and was very talented. If he nurtured him well before he learned the ways of society, he could become a reliable right-hand man in the future.
At the same time, Alvin had full confidence in his Data Vision, and believed that the data it had gathered would not deceive him.
Then again, if Gary could even disguise his breathing, heartbeat, and pupil changes under the monitoring of the Data Vision, Alvin could consider turning around and worshipping such a master.
Alvin was willing to invest in his only lackey early and give him a chance.
It was just that even Alvin did not expect Gary's compatibility with the Military Sword Technique to be so high!
In the beginning, he could not see much when Gary was sparring with his fellow recruits. At most, he was just more vicious. In fact, because he could not control his brute strength, he often simply relied on his brute strength to send both his opponent and their sword flying when sparring.
Because of this, Gary was even given the unpleasant nickname of "Boar Warrior" by Eugene, the instructor, and his fellow recruits.
After all, even if he won ten battles out of ten in practice, his barbaric fighting style would not have been accepted by the new recruits who had already adopted the Military Sword Technique as their guiding principle.
But when Alvin taught Gary the breathing techniques that went along with the Military Sword Technique, he gradually learned to use the strange power contained in his body. Circulating his breath to refine his internal and external parts, it was as if he had gained the only way to control his natural divine power, and he improved at a lightning fast pace.
In just a week's time, Gary's body was no longer muscular. He was strong but did not seem strong while being actually clumsy, and he had lost some weight. Rather than appearing thin and weak, he gave people a feeling of being lean and strong and as dangerous as a jungle beast.
The two men stood face to face with their swords in a deserted corner and began their daily routine of practicing against each other.
"Gary, attack!"
"Yes, Boss!"
"Whew!" The fierce slash came whistling with the wind. It was just a simple downward slash, but it had taken on a different flavor in Gary's hands.
Smack!
Alvin sidestepped and swung his wooden sword. The ridge slapped Gary on the shoulder and knocked him back half a step.
"Attack again!"
Smack! Slapping away Gary's straight stab from the side, the blade slid smoothly, stopping at his armpit.
"Attack again!"
"Attack again!"
It was not until Gary was exhausted and sprawled out on the ground while breathing heavily that Alvin leisurely put away his sword and opened the latest data he had collected.
Name: Gary Farman
Gender: Male
Identity: Navy Recruit
Attributes: Constitution 0.7
Strength: 0.65+0.06
Agility: 0.4+0.12
Intelligence: 0.4
Ability: Phaletian Army Saber Technique (Entry level, contains sword techniques and breathing techniques), Seafaring knowledge (Entry level), Elementary Military Capability
Just by getting to the entry level of the breathing techniques, Gary's strength had increased by 0.06 points to 0.71 and his speed had shot up tremendously from 0.4 to 0.52. Although he was still lacking in other attributes, he had already greatly made up for what he was lacking, and at least far exceeded normal adults.
The data of his constitution had not changed much, but this was the most core attribute of a knight's path to becoming an Extraordinary. It was also the foundation that determined whether his other attributes could be developed. Thus, it was bound to require more effort on his part.
It was as if a wealthy man who had inherited a family fortune had learned how to efficiently distribute and manage his wealth before thinking about how to expand his total wealth.
This was also the case with Gary, who would improve rapidly for a short time through his learning of the breathing techniques to the entry level. But if he wanted to cross the threshold of becoming Extraordinary bit by bit, he still had a long way to go and had to stay down-to-earth.
"Alright, don't lie dead, remember your current limits. There's still a month to go, so try to tap into the full potential of your natural constitution by then."
"Okay, Boss, I got it!" The more he went through his real training, the more Gary admired Alvin. His constitution, strength, skill, and insight were all no match for Alvin's. Moreover, Alvin had given him a new lease on life by teaching him the breathing techniques. Hence, Gary had now completely become Alvin's little fanboy.
Gary might still hesitate to carry out the instructor's instructions, but he would definitely brave fire and flood if Alvin told him to do so.
So, in the next month, in addition to all the necessary training subjects and spending a lot of time in the library, Alvin also found time to teach Gary new moves. They were about to officially board the ship, and Alvin did not want his newly-acquired lackey to be killed by a pirate in the blink of an eye.
Knock, knock, knock…
"Enter!"
Alvin pushed open the door, walked into Major Eugene's office, saluted, and asked, "Instructor, you called me?"
"Stop acting serious, close the door and come sit!" Alvin had really helped Eugene a in lot these past three months, and while Eugene saw through Alvin's nature, the two of them had also grown much closer.
"What the hell is your family thinking? I still haven't received any notice of your transfer. You don't really want to be assigned to just any battleship, do you?" Eugene asked seemingly unintentionally with his legs crossed.
Alvin replied with a bitter smile!
He also knew that all of the recruits in the same batch were required to go aboard a battleship to intern after their training was completed. And if there were no surprises, many of them would probably spend their entire navy careers on that one ship, and it was not too much to say that they would share joys and sorrows on the ship.
So, to a navy soldier, the battleship they boarded decided their fate. They had to be even more prudent when choosing which battleship to board than when choosing their wife.
After all, the battleship they boarded was not only related to the difficulty of future promotions, but also to their own lives. If they were aboard an unappreciated sixth-grade patrol ship or communications ship, they would have to take their time to gain seniority. If they were aboard an old cannon fodder ship, they would have to hope for the goddess' blessing to be able to return home safely. If they could board a major battleship directly, they would have to bear greater risk. However, they could also gain battle merits faster.
However, the choice of battleships was not up to the new recruits. They would be assigned to a battleship directly by the higher-ups.
The families of the "honorable trainees" had already planned their futures for them way in advance. The "honorable trainees" in the same batch as Alvin had left early one after the other in the first month as the battleships arranged for them were coming back to the port. They had left early to board said battleships in advance.
If Alvin really had a family backing him, they definitely would not have let him waste three months in the boot camp. Instead, they would have made arrangements for him in advance.
This was what Major Eugene was confused about.
But upon looking at Alvin's expression, Major Eugene, who was good at imagining scenarios, automatically thought of scenes of infighting among nobility, internal strife, and unappreciated descendants from side branches of noble families. Then he got too lazy to ask questions and just waved his hands.
"Fine, fine, I'll make arrangements for you. Get lost!"
"Yes, Instructor!" With a playful thank you, Alvin saluted and turned to walk out. But just as he reached the door, he suddenly remembered something.
"Oh yeah, Instructor, Gary…"
"Get out of here!!!"
Walking out of Major Eugene's office, Alvin was rather relieved. If Alvin had not met some stony-faced but kind-hearted people, and did not have Viscount Andrea's recommendation and Major Eugene's support, he would probably not know how the navy worked and would have wasted a few years.
Although those people might have had their own ideas, he could not just forget the benefits he had gained. In the future, he would have to remember to repay them if he had the ability to do so, or else he would not be able to get through to them.
As for the main characters in the novels he had read in his previous life, who could kill everyone despite just debuting and engaged in a battle of wits with countless villainous sly old foxes and won, it was not possible. That was just too fantastical.