Marcos and Rodrick headed toward a hotel called "Hotel Estrella." Upon entering, they went directly to the receptionist and secured a room for Rodrick.
"Now are we heading to the military camp?" Marcos asked Rodrick.
"Yes, that's where we're going," Rodrick replied.
"Shouldn't I buy something like a wooden sword or a book?"
"It won't be necessary; all those things are already available at the camp."
"But shouldn't I—"
"Shut up."
Hearing Rodrick's tired tone, Marcos knew he didn't need to ask so many questions. Rodrick didn't like answering questions for some reason.
Seeing Marcos look dejected, Rodrick sighed and said, "All your questions will be answered when we arrive at the capital's military camp."
Hearing that his questions would be addressed, Marcos felt relieved. He was excited to begin his training.
"Although I've never trained in my first life, let alone this one. But it can't be that complicated, right?"
After that thought, Marcos and Rodrick headed directly to the military camp. After walking through the streets of —- for a while, they finally reached their destination.
Upon arriving at the camp, the first thing that caught their attention was the sturdy entrance gate made of wood reinforced with iron. Well-armed guards dressed in leather armor patrolled the entrance. There was a sense of order and discipline from the very beginning.
"Who are you?" asked one of the two guards patrolling the entrance.
"I'm Rodrick, and this young man here is Marcos," Rodrick pointed to Marcos. "He came here because he enlisted in the army."
Upon hearing his response, the guard nodded. He had seen several young people come here for the same reason.
"Please follow me."
Marcos was about to follow the guard when he heard Rodrick's voice.
"Here we part ways, Marcos," suddenly declared a voice. Marcos turned around and looked directly into Rodrick's black eyes, who was smiling. He had never seen Rodrick smile like that since they met.
"See you, Rodrick!" responded Marcos, excited to finally be here. In his first life, he had never had a real friend like Rodrick, aside from his sister. Although he wouldn't admit it, he knew that Rodrick genuinely cared about him.
"Take care!"
After confirming his identity, Marcos was led inside the camp, crossing the large reinforced wooden gate. He saw a vast training area divided into several sections. There were open fields for hand-to-hand combat exercises and obstacle courses designed to improve agility and endurance.
Following the training area, he was taken to a zone filled with barracks, neatly organized in rows. Each barrack was a simple yet functional wooden structure, and it seemed that each one had a number. The one they were heading to had the number 7. The soldier guiding him instructed him to enter and get settled, as he would meet the other people who would be his companions.
Upon opening the door, Marcos saw bunk beds lining the walls. He realized he wasn't alone; there were three people sitting around a small table in the middle of the bunks. It looked like they were playing cards.
One of them turned to hear the door open, and upon seeing a new companion, stood up and went to greet Marcos. The other two also stopped playing and came over to welcome him.
The first to speak was the young man with black hair. His dark eyes seemed to shine in a way that puzzled Marcos. From his expression, did he appear disappointed? But Marcos couldn't understand why.
"Welcome to Barrack No. 7," said Aaron, his tone somewhat friendly. It seemed that the look he had given Marcos earlier was just an illusion.
"Hello, I'm Marcos," Marcos introduced himself in an equally friendly tone, choosing to ignore Aaron's gaze for now. He didn't want to start off on the wrong foot with his new roommates.
"Hi, Marcos. I'm Charly, and this guy next to me is Elliot," said the young man named Charly. He had dark reddish hair and amber eyes. Elliot, on the other hand, looked more Afro-American, with black hair and brown eyes.
"Do people like him exist in Teria? I thought there would only be white folks…"
As Marcos had that somewhat racist thought, he internally shook his head. He should know that in a world with all kinds of fantastic races, there would be people beyond just white individuals…