Cultivation. Most would see it as a term designated for those that end up with abilities after training in martial arts. But not for the humans stuck in spaceships on the dark side of the moon.
It was a term conjured up after tachyon was discovered to have evolutionary effects on human biology. It did not give superpowers, merely enhancing what they already had.
Increasing their benchmark for strength, speed, healing factor, and reflex actions while also gifting them something that would come to be known as Flow. It was amazing, to say the least, but it also came with side effects.
The first successful cultivators knew what they had to go through to stabilize the evolution their bodies had undergone. It was a trial and error phase that ended in the tragic deaths of many.
Once the process of cultivation was perfected, they went ahead to create the breathing techniques and martial arts that would be used by future generations while cultivating.
It became compulsory for soldiers to become cultivators to handle the new technology that was being created. A normal human wouldn't be able to use any form of tachyon-charged equipment, it would result in severe radiative effects.
When they realized that there were levels that could be reached with the cultivation process, they went ahead to split them up into bases to ensure that one was aware of his power level before handling equipment.
Each base was created based on how much tachyon energy the core could hold at that point. For that reason, eight bases were created, in total.
Core formation, Body building, Body refinement, Body strengthening, Bone refinement, Bone strengthening, Forging, and Union. Those were the eight bases and each base was further divided into three levels; Low, Mid, and High.
All this took time before they were decided upon and that has been the basis for cultivation ever since.
Nathan sighed as he glanced at his cultivation base. "By the time I get to Body strengthening, my bottleneck would occur. I need to find a way to get past it if possible. Anyway, for now, I should consolidate my foundation."
He switched off the holographic screen and began to meditate. He would spend quite some time in the cultivation chamber.
***
"Here is the list, sir." Elena handed over a flash drive to Captain Rodgers, the latter receiving it in turn. "How many failed?" Elena was a bit taken aback by the question.
"None, sir." It was Captain Rodgers's turn to be surprised. "Isn't that Holt kid in your squad?... He passed?" "Yes, he formed his core today," Elena replied.
"Haha, I see. In that case, it's fine then. Your squad is the only one to not have a single failure. I'm impressed." "Maybe it's because you decided to place hard workers and geniuses in it."
"Haha, so you already realized that?" "It was clear to see from the moment you told us that we were a squad. My question though, is why you would place us all in the same squad?"
Captain Rodgers sighed. "Do you know the mistake we have made recently, Ms. Blake?" "No, sir. Enlighten me."
"The mistake we made was spreading out the geniuses and hard workers across squads all to ensure balance amongst them but we finally realized that it was a foolish arrangement. It caused the other mediocre members of the squad to depend on those geniuses and hard workers to pass.
"So we have decided to change things up. We should have a team of the best that we can rely on than have them spread across mediocre people and have to worry about their performance.
"Haha, it also helps to push the mediocre ones to put in their best." Elena listened in silence and saw reason with the Captain.
Sometimes concentrating your eggs in one basket was better than spreading them out. That was a fact that could not be pushed aside. "I understand, sir."
"Are you sure you do, Ms. Blake?... We have placed the fates of the best scorers in the exams in your hands. You, as the Herald of Red Wing Thunder Squadron, have to ensure that this squad puts out the best.
"We are looking forward to seeing your group performing a change in this war. I know you are young but I hope you can handle that… For the sake of humanity." Elena felt a whole lot of pressure at this moment. To say that it weighed heavily on her shoulders was an understatement.
"I will do my best," Elena replied slowly, much unlike her confident outlook. "I believe you will do so. Anyway, you may leave. Prepare your Squadron. Next week, the second test will be taking place."
"The second test?" Captain Rodgers nodded. "Mn, or as the developers call it… Command and Conquer. The rules and gameplay will be sent across to you before then. I hope you will wow me when the time comes." Elena saluted after which she took her leave. "Good lad."
***
DAY OF THE SECOND TEST
"Yo, Reyes, come on, what's taking you so long?... We are going to be late." Nathan remarked. He was dressed in a white combat uniform with red stripes, the insignia of the Red Wing Thunder Squadron.
Seated on his bed, Indra meditated in a lotus position, his breathing measured and his eyes closed. Riley was nowhere to be seen. Reyes suddenly came out of the bathroom, his hair dripping with water.
"What the hell took you so long?" Nathan asked. Reyes chuckled as he proceeded to dry his hair. "Also, be a little decent, bruh." Nathan turned his face away. "Why are you guys in such a rush?... This is an important test. The last time they caught me off guard, this time, I'm going to take my time. I'm not about to get there not looking my best."
Before Nathan had a chance to speak, Indra spoke up. "You do realize it doesn't matter how much you prepare since we won't be carrying out the test in person." His voice was slightly unbroken, hiding a maturity that was quite unheard of for a teenager like him.
"Oh shit, he speaks," Reyes remarked eliciting a chuckle out of Nathan with Indra merely sighing lightly before returning to his meditation. "Anyway, he is right. From the memo sent to us, the test will be taking place on Perfect World."
"Doesn't stop me from looking my best," Reyes replied casually as he moved to the wardrobe to pick out his uniform. "Can I ask though, why are you meditating now?... I notice you do that a lot."
Indra opened his eyes again. "It helps to keep me calm and focused." His reply was so short and straightforward, that Nathan immediately realized that a conversation with him would be difficult to hold.
A few minutes later and Reyes was finally ready, he styled himself to look like some sort of runway model. His looks were not at all wasted on him.
All three of them moved out and headed towards the Hall of Imagination, which was yet another academic building, an important one nonetheless, where tests were carried out for the cadets.
The Hall of Imagination was handled by the academy's engineers and housed the greatest VR world ever known to mankind, Perfect World.
It was a virtual world that could be configured to be whatever they wanted it to be. An endless landscape that could be a warzone, a planet, a moon… It all depended on the user's imagination. Of course, for the tests, the examiners were the ones that picked the test areas.
The trio reached the Hall, where they were greeted by Elena and Leah, who seemed to be the first ones to arrive. "You see, no need to rush," Reyes whispered into Nathan's ear, the latter restraining the urge to slap his ear.
Reyes chuckled lightly as he walked over to accompany Leah. Leah saw this and her cheeks turned red as she recalled what had happened during their first meeting. "Good morning, milady."
***
Thirty minutes later…
"Well, if it isn't that time of the academic session again. It's time to see what you worms have learned in your one month on campus. This is a chance to show your skills on the battlefield. Do not disappoint." Captain Rodgers stood before Red Wing Thunder Squadron with a brimming smile.
"Yes sir!!" They responded in unison. "Left to me, I would hurl you down to Earth and watch you lot struggle under real circumstances, not this virtual bull crap that teaches next to nothing and even dares to reduce the difficulty to fit your level."
Captain Rodgers spat to the side. "The world down there does not care about your level or shit like that. So you better use this opportunity to understand an inkling of what is happening, because down there, it's survival of the fittest." "Yes sir."
"Good. Now go in there and show me some mettle. Best of luck, cadets!!" The second test was about to start, what they would face once it officially began, they could only wait to find out.