"I never knew he could run this fast," Ileus said after coming out of shock.
"This doesn't make sense. Aren't purebloods supposed to be stronger than normal folks? " Ethan said.
"I think he is one of them," Ileus said, still keeping his gaze at the front.
"Oh, so he is one of them? That explains his strength and ability, "Ethan concluded.
After some time, Ethan suggested, "Now that we are in the top 20, do you mind if we proceed to the top 10?"
"Hahaha, I was thinking of saying the same thing," Ileus chuckled.
Then, as if their minds worked as one, they zoomed off at full speed.
They were now a few meters away from the first pure blood, who was occupying the 11th spot.
Their feet caused the dust to rise from the ground due to the impact.
Ethan was tempted to unseal his abilities and attributes, but he suppressed his desires.
Then, within a few seconds, they took the 11th spot.
"Huh, how did they?" The pure blood was confused, but he quickly came out of shock and continued running.
Ethan and Ileus, surprisingly, were running at the same pace.
Ethan didn't know if Ileus was doing it on purpose or if it was just natural, but, either way, he continued.
At the same time, Ileus had a similar thought, "Is he keeping up with me on purpose? But I know this is my full speed, so this must be his full speed, right?" Ileus thought inwardly.
After running and jumping for a while, Ethan was now getting tired. "Come on, legs." Ethan greeted his teeth, and with that, he gave Ileus a distance. He was now within arm's reach of the 10th runner, and with the grit of his teeth, he pushed himself further in the air, passing the previous 10th runner.
Beforehand, he was planning on using partial transformation on his legs, but he discarded the thought.
"What! I guess I have underestimated them a lot because they are not purebloods; that doesn't mean they are weak, "the pure blood thought to himself, but once he decided to focus on the race again, a pale figure zoomed past him, leaving the pure blood in the dust.
"Fuck! This is getting embarrassing. I must get to the top 10. If not, I am doomed, "the pure blood thought to himself while glaring at Ileus.
While running, Ethan said, "Hey, we are now in the top 10. Isn't this great? " Ethan said in an excited tone, but he didn't get an answer, which caused him to tilt his neck to the side.
"Fuck!" Ethan caused after seeing the space. At first, he thought Ileus had passed him, so he gazed at the front, but he didn't find him. After scanning the front with his eyes still, he didn't find him. So he turned his head backwards, and he saw Ileus, just a few meters behind him.
" I guess this is a race after all," Ethan thought as he jumped past yet another tree log.
The finish line was now in sight, and this fueled the student's morale.
The students had finally rounded the entire forest, and soon, Noah crossed the finishing line. Then, unexpectedly, Layla came out third, followed by the chocolate-skinned boy; and then, the red-haired teen.
At last, Ethan came out 10th, and Ileus came out 11th. Immediately the students reached the familiar field again, some fell off and slept off.
Sometime later, all the students returned to their dorm rooms.
Ethan came out of the shower feeling refreshed.
"Man, how did you do it?" Ileus said after they all settled.
Ethan, too, had the same question on his mind. If he could remember, they were at the same spot before the race started, and the next moment, he was gone, only to see him take the first position. It was truly strange.
"Oh, I'm a pretty fast runner," Noah said awkwardly.
"Or is it because..." Ileus stopped midway when he heard a knock at the door.
Ethan quickly opened the door. When the door opened, military personnel, with glasses, stood upright.
After seeing the soldier, they all got up and saluted him, since it was part of their required ethics to always salute soldiers or teachers at the academy.
The soldier adjusted his glasses and said, "Due to your performance in the race and for joining the top 20, the military has given you a new, spacious dorm room, so you might want to start packing."
Shortly later, they followed the military personnel into a long, fancy hallway. The hallway looked long with multiple doors on each side, and, of course, all the doors were made of sturdy metal.
They followed the military personnel until he came to a halt at the last door, and he said, "Ok soldiers, this will be your room for the next one week, and also, if you want to keep this room, then you must be in the top 20 continually for each week."
"Let me give you a hint. This is just the icing on the cake. The military will soon introduce other activities that will bring you more benefits. Alright, I will be taking my leave now."
"Thank you, sir!" They all shouted in unison before the military personnel left.
"I think we should register our fingerprints first; it should be like the other ones," Ethan suggested.
A few seconds later, they walked into the room.
"Great, this is nice," Noah said, and he lay on one of the beds, feeling its softness.
The room's overall appearance was OK. It had three beds, and unlike their previous beds, these were kept separately and were large as well. The room also had two doors on one side; additionally, it had an air-conditioner, making the entire room chilly.
While the other two were busy feeling their beds, Ethan checked the first door, which was a metal door, and he opened it, revealing a neat room with three wooden doors within it. After seeing the words inscribed on the door, he smiled, "Thank goodness, there are 3 shower rooms here."
Ethan walked around the bathroom, examining everything. After he came out of the bathroom door, he opened the next door, which was quite sturdy and large compared to the other door, and he walked inside.
He saw a strange skeleton shaped like a robot. Heavy punching bags could be seen hanging on the ceiling. He also saw advanced gym equipment that was not available to the general public, as well as numerous weapons and four strange transparent pods at the far end of the room.
"training room! What more can I ask for?"
****