(One Week Time Skip)
(Rai's POV)
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-Earth-
It was the Planet I had spent my past life on.
Interestingly, the Planet was literally named after one of its most fundamental elements-DIRT.
Supposedly, I have seen numerous people express their disdain for the name, claiming it was foolish to give our own Planet such an unglamorous name.
Even though it was already done thousands of years ago.
Not surprisingly, there were even a few highly educated individuals on those lists.
However, I never found myself on that list, and the name never bothered me much.
Anyway, coming to the matter at hand–
On an ordinary day, I died in my flat due to a heart attack and was somehow reincarnated on a planet with a strikingly similar name – Earth
It is kind of a funny coincidence to have similar names despite being from totally different universes.
...well it proves the fact that Humans are always Humans, no matter where they are.
But the memories of my past life were only triggered three months ago, after I was hit on the head.
Suddenly, I recalled the world I had left behind–
More importantly, I realized the world I am actually living in is a Novel-[WarZone], I had previously read in my past life.
In which I am an Extra.
The world in which I am reincarnated and the Novel described are similar to the Medieval Era back in my previous world.
However, except for the similar timing and time period of the year cycle, everything is vastly different.
Whether it is Geographically or Politically.
While, this world is still starving to make further advances in many technologies, it is–
Ruled by Dictatorship, Monarchism, Sovereigntism, and Military under the Titles of Emperors and Empresses, Kings and Queens, Monarchs, and Monarchies.
Nonetheless, this world doesn't contain any Magical Fantasy stuff.
Yup! No Demon Lord stuff.
No, Portals. No Hunters or Awakeners.
This world is pretty much livable without any risk of being on the verge of destruction.
Meaning there are no such concepts as Immortality or living for more than centuries, as a matter of fact.
Everyone knows they will all die someday, and–
How they wish to envision themselves before dying is what drives this world.
In this world, individuals can be neatly divided into two categories–
-The Ambitious-and
-The Unambitious-
Opting for the latter choice means you have a higher likelihood of living a full life, provided Lady Luck favors you and a few things fall into place.
But make no mistake
Even the Unambitious path isn't a walk in the park.
I can attest to this, as my previous self fell into this category, but even then I still had it easy since my Family is rich.
Yeah, not because I am Prince of a Kingdom.
It was simply the fortune of my birth.
Mostly, the individuals in this category simply don't wish to die on the battlefield for someone else's selfish wishes and want to live for themselves.
…or they simply fear death.
However, things get kind of complicated if you go with the first option.
Being Ambitious means seeking glory, and there are numerous routes to achieving it.
And one of them is…on the battlefield.
Oh, and yeah, it is pretty easy to die in this world.
In a world where death constantly looms, seeking honorable glorification often entails facing death head-on, particularly if one lacks the skills to match their ambitions.
Nonetheless, the drive of wanting to be written down in history for centuries doesn't stop.
What could be more glorifying to others in this world than taking one's life on the battlefield?
In the end, seeking glory here often means seeking death.
Yet, many are indifferent to these considerations and may willingly or forcibly find themselves on the battlefield one day–
Simply because they are ordered to do so by those who wield greater strength.
In conclusion, whether you die an uneventful death due to old age or meet your end on the battlefield like a soldier.
-Your deaths are in vain if you haven't achieved anything.
To avert such fates, many Academies were established all over the world to at least make people aware of what they faced ON and OFF the battlefield through them.
Within the many Academies, AzureIsle Military Academy[AMA] is the most famous in the AzureIsle Empire.
Here, the students will be exposed to a fraction of the brutal truths that await them on the battlefield.
…and regrettably, I am one of the students.
…
Anyway, ignoring the consequences of my own choices, I am now present in the first Combat Class.
The place where it is held is a huge stadium-like structure that can be occupied by more than twenty thousand people, and believe me, it wasn't the biggest our Academy has.
The structure of the stadium is that of those typical Medieval fighting stadiums, with a capacity of twenty thousand and a vast central arena.
The central area is typically a dirt or sand battleground enclosed by low stone walls or wooden barriers.
Surrounding this arena are tiered seating stands, rising in a semi-circular fashion, ensuring unobstructed views for the audience.
The highest rows are accessed via steep staircases or ramps, and at one end, which was normally a royal or VIP box, stands are now occupied by veterans and experts used for assessing our battles.
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I enter the batch of allocated seats for our class through gate-5, after changing into training attire.
David and Kavir led the way, having me walk just two steps behind with laxity as my hand folded at the back of my head.
It has become such a familiar situation for us.
"Oooh! I was so nervous and worried last night that I couldn't sleep at all.
"And if at all I had a wink, I kept having nightmares.
"But no matter what, the scenes of the Combat test kept playing in my head."(David)
-David confessed in a rumbulling way to Kavir as his voice trembled with anxiety.
The dark circles under his eyes revealed his restless night.
And because of this bastard, I couldn't get a proper wink either.
"Why are you making such a scene?
"All you have to do is not to participate.
"Everyone has the choice of setting back and becoming spectacular."(Rai)
I said, offering the best way out of this as I happened(:forced) to hear him whining all the way from my drone room to here.
My voice definitely came out a bit irritated.
David, upon hearing my advice, paused his walk for a second and looked back at me.
He had a serious face while all his previous nervousness disappeared.
Well I think I just said something I shouldn't have said.
Proving my thoughts, David's-
"No, no, no.
"I can't do that.
–Face turned dark again, returning to his previous nervous demeanor.
"I need to prove myself today so that my chances of getting into a House increases.
"But then again, can I do that…?
"Can someone as weak as me do this?
"Rai what do you think…?"(David)
David asked me in anticipation in his eyes, wanting some emotional support from his new friend, alas, ME.
Oh, yeah, I have allowed him to call me by my middle name.
Coming back, in response to David's words, I gave him a sidelong glance, I couldn't help but think–
This guy is a complete mess, isn't he?
"No, David.
"You won't be able to get into any Houses today."(David)
I couldn't sugarcoat it any longer, so I spoke the truth plainly and without hesitation.
I wondered why he was trying so hard when I had already promised to arrange a top-class House for him.
Did he still not fully trust me?
However, my words seemed to intensify the already palpable nervous atmosphere around him by at least tenfold, casting a heavy cloud of despair that even began to affect me.
"Yeah, you are right.
"...maybe I should not participate."(David)
David conceded, his shoulders slumping.
Fu*k! I just said what I felt was true.
Well, not entirely.
He does have a chance, like around five percent or so…
It's a simple concept, really.
In any House, if everyone present is exceptionally strong, nobody's going to listen to anyone else.
So who's going to end up doing all the grunt work?
If you're lucky, you could be one of them.
Again, whether you consider this luck or not is a matter of perspective.
But sharing these thoughts with David would probably only dampen his spirits further because, from what I know, he doesn't see acceptance into a House in that way.
Still, I couldn't just leave him in this despondent state.
Something had to be done.
However, as we conversed, the people around us began to murmur about us.
Their hushed voices were deliberately loud enough to reach our ears.
Hey, is the rumor about him going around beating people in the name of Duals true?|
Yeah, they are all true. My friends' roommate also got beaten up by them.|
How disgraceful for a Nobel.|
I also heard he uses underhanded tricks to win the fight.|
And that commoner is sucking up to him to reap off the benefits of being a Nobel's roommate.|
Haha, you say that, but you are clearly jealous of him.|
Why would I be jealous of a bastard like him?|
…Uhm, the rumors are spreading faster than I expected, though I shouldn't really call them rumors when they're partially true.
Only partially.
Yeah, I had indeed gone around trying to pick fights with others these past few days pretty much…
And trust me when I say this, the delinquent tag has helped me the most in this endeavor.
It was astonishingly easy to bait someone into a fight with a few taunts.
Of course, I had a valid reason for doing so.
Otherwise, why would I bother with those guys?
When I had the option to very much enjoy my peace somewhere else?
So I really didn't have any choice.
No matter the cost, I have to complete this task before today.
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◤────────────────────────◥
∇───[Missions]───∇
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•--•
#[4]-|Win Hundred Duals|
☑Competed
☑[Rewards Accepted]
➠Reward : {3-Y.Exp} in [Martial Arts]
➥[Bonus Reward] of {2-Y.Exp} in [Stealth and Subterfuge]
∇───────────────∇
◣────────────────────────◢
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(To be continued…)
★─────⇌•★•⇋─────★
Chapter words : 1725
Total words : 61.71K