The impressive old military academy building in Troy was one of the few in the city that preserved its original metal and stone facade, not a single piece of liquid glass, nor that dazzling effect of the sun's rays reflecting on the facades. The academy was a mass of metal and stone, with large old-style colonnades and escalators that continued to make that mechanical noise that was only found in the most provincial cities.
He had dreamed throughout his previous life about this moment, the day of the exam; it was a way to honor his father. In his previous life, he had not achieved the feat of restoring his memory, just like his father failed, and although he was An exceptional pilot, a loyal companion, even a hero, or so the authorities named him, he was no more than a first class sergeant, just like he died in combat in an old fighter.
An acceptable discharge from the Navy was a pain that left a widow with a newborn to care for.
This time it would be different; he would be able to pass the exam and show everyone his true potential. Many candidates looked at the building with excited eyes. The previous time he could not savor the experience. The news of his mother's death reached him just as he entered the doors of the big building, and after that, he didn't make a move; the exam was a disaster even in the practical part. His mind had been devastated by grief, by the news, and by pain.
In the large entrance hall of the academy, two lieutenants were waiting for the candidates to accumulate to assign the classrooms for the theoretical tests, but he already knew where to go, exam class E19, on the first floor below. He goes straight away to the exam room.
Among the candidates, he was able to recognize many of his classmates on a basic scale; he was tempted to greet them, but in this life they did not know each other, and if he managed to pass the tests, it was unlikely that he would meet them again or start a relationship.
The candidates who passed the cutoff to be an officer, an 85 out of a hundred in the ten tests of the exam, five theoretical and five practical, would train in the new facilities of the academy, a building for the elite among the candidates, and if they passed the five years of officers' academy, they would emerge as lieutenants and would never mix among the soldiers again...
Shit, five years... The war would start after a year. How was I going to manage to participate in it if instead of the common soldiers' basic training, He had to spend four more years locked up there... Would it be better to fail again? No, that was not an option. eneas was not going to do the same this second chance; he just had to find a way...
The five hours of the theory exam would begin in 15 minutes. He remembered his assigned seat as well as his classroom; he only had to enter and sit down; he would not run or bother the lieutenants or officers present with stupid things. The five hateful tests before him were Science and mathematics, theory of military tactics, technology and engineering, flight systems, and military regulations...
Few of those things would be useful in real-space combat, where you barely have time to think... They were a pure filter to see how much interest and intellectual capacity the candidates had.
The exam began. eneas didn't even need to think; he had already taken that test. He reviewed his mistakes and lamented for weeks after his mourning phase for his mother ended, but now he was in full force...
He answered everything; he even took advantage of the moments between exams to rest and relax. The hours passed, and the damn tests were over. After two hours, the serious part of the exam would begin.
The first practice was combat; this was his only Achilles heel in his other life. eneas had always been a noble, educated boy; he did not get into trouble, he did not fight dirty in the courtyard, nor was he a maniac for the modern arts of combat fighting that had become so fashionable in recent years.
He had to remember... in his last time a giant named Hercules gave him a real beating without him being able to barely do anything. His opponent had been a hero in the early part of the war by wielding his mecha in battle. Wait, if he was a first-year officer cadet, how has he managed to participate in the war?
He approached the center of the circle. He had changed into comfortable training clothes. Hercules was staring at him; he had much more developed muscles than him, but eneas was much faster; that was his chance...
The big man got into position, and eneas also adopted a combat stance with his guard up... The first attack would come with his right; in his previous turn, he was also able to dodge the blow due to pure speed; then, in a combination, he couldn't stop that punching power; he could only move away... His chance would come now; in the afterlife, he had not been able to dodge the low grab that Hercules was about to launch.
Eneas launched a kick at the place where he thought Hercules' head would be... but his opponent read his movement, and stopped himself, avoiding the impact of his foot... Changing history was easy; predicting what would happen after that was a different story.
Likewise, Eneas was not the same naive boy as in his previous life, he not only had a year of basic training behind him. In that training he became accustomed to hand-to-hand combat, and in war to react quickly.
Hercules' fists launched a powerful combination again, but Eneas dodged, staying at a distance. Eneas hit his opponent's leg with a kick, but it seemed like he had hit a stone column. That was how impressive his opponent's musculature was. Not Only it did not hurt him, but he was left at the mercy of the powerful arms. A blow to the stomach lifted Eneas off the ground, but instead of fainting, he held on and grabbed the arm, trying to put him in a lock, but the full weight of the arm did not work. The giant lay on top of his body.
Eneas tried to escape, but he was not able to find the way out. The blows of the giant in the ribs were destroying him, but he managed to turn and scissor his arm and shoulder. The seconds passed, and he fought with his whole body against a single arm of the giant. But in that pulse, the dislocation was taking effect, and before reaching the point of injury, Hercules patted the ground.
He had won, in this new life and despite not controlling what was happening in the fight since the kick failed, nor being a genius, in this second opportunity he had managed to win in his worst test.