With what had happened in the cafeteria, Alex was now on everyone's watch list. So when he walked into class, every eye was on him.
He normally stood out like a sore thumb. He was small and had an emotionless face, with eyes that seemed like the abyss.
He walked towards an empty chair and sat down without glancing around. It was not that he was looking away from them or being prideful—his mind wasn't there at all.
His mind was actually on the night his father died. He wondered why none of the Marines made it to where they were quickly.
He had spent time reading about this place, and he realized that there were Marine branches placed every two to five kilometers.
And in each of the branches, there were supposed to be about five low-ranked Marines stationed, and they were supposed to help people evacuate and also fight off yu crawlers until the main force got there.
But that day, Alex didn't see any of them, and it didn't make any sense because they should have been there to help.
He also looked into the details of the attack that day and realized that the only side that had been attacked was their location, which meant the Marines had no other case that day.
So they should have had enough people and resources to get to Alex's location and help out, yet they came so late.
Maybe there was a----
The door of the class opened, and the teacher walked in—a young lady not more than 30, with a teacher version of the uniform and her jet-black hair in a neat ponytail.
In her hands were large books, which she held close to her chest as she walked in quick and uniform steps. She got behind the teacher's desk and placed her books on the table.
"Good day, all of you. Welcome to a new week here. It's been a while since you became students, but it's this week that you all start becoming Marines.
And on that note, Class A will be getting a new student. Alex, please, would you come to the front and introduce yourself?" she said.
Alex slowly got up and walked out under the eyes of everyone. He faced the class and scanned the faces of everyone.
"My name is Alex. I'll be joining you today," Alex said and walked back to his seat. His introduction was very bland, but he didn't care.
"Okay, since that is out of the way, we will begin the classes today with------"
After classes, all they had to do was just work out till noon. It was a crazy regime, but they all had to do it.
So far, everyone was refusing to make contact with Alex, and he was left alone.
---
"Alright, maggots, today you'll be learning the basics of weapon training. Crawlers and corrupted are very dangerous beings, and no matter how strong your human bodies get, you'll still be nothing but humans.
The claws of crawlers would rip through the hardest of flesh, and so you all need your own claws.
Now, there is someone that had to make himself a celebrity before even settling in. Alex, I'd like you to come up and help me show the class a few things in weapons."
Alex understood that this was simply a ploy set to break his will and show him that he was less than nothing.
The teacher wanted to set the minds of the other students at ease and show that Alex was still a nobody here.
Alex quietly walked out of the group and stood in front of the teacher.
"I'll be using a wooden sword, and you can use a real sword," the teacher offered.
This was another plan set to disgrace him. The sword used really didn't matter, as it was a simple spar. But if he used a real blade and lost, it would be a disgrace, and people would look down on him.
Alex didn't want that. He needed to show he was efficient and good enough, so soon he could get the opportunity to fight the Crawlers.
"I'll use the wooden sword, sir. Regardless of rank and strength, I want to fight you properly," Alex said. His voice didn't hold any emotions, so it was hard to know if he was actually honest or sarcastic.
His face and voice had been this way ever since his mother forgot about him. There was a gap in his soul, and every time he tried to smile, the image of his father and mother flashed before him, ripping his soul.
"Hmm, I respect your thoughts," the teacher said. He took two wooden swords from the rack and tossed one to Alex.
Alex caught the sword and held it with two hands. From the get-go, his lack of knowledge showed easily; his stance was wonky, and he was riddled with openings.
But that was to be expected because this was his first time with a sword in both worlds.
The instructor saw that Alex didn't know what to do, so he decided to give him some beginner tips.
"Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, one foot slightly in front of the other. Bend your knees a little to stay balanced and flexible. Turn your body slightly to the side to make yourself a smaller target. Hold the sword firmly but not too tight, and point it diagonally at your opponent, about chest height. Keep your weight balanced between both feet and focus on your opponent's upper body to watch for movement."
He spoke so fast that it was hard for others to hear it, but Alex heard everything and did exactly that.
The instructor was shocked that Alex actually heard everything and had entered the perfect stance. He had expected to hate this kid for being proud, but he was now understanding what sort of person this kid was.
He was only cold and detached, but he had a goal and a zeal to learn. He was the perfect soldier and killing machine, eager to get the job done.