As expected, after just four laps, many of the recruits looked like they were about to collapse.
After all, they were just a bunch of 12- or 13-year-old kids, trying to outrun each other, desperately afraid of falling behind.
On the fifth lap, Ryan stopped holding back. He turned to Mina and said:
"See you ahead!"
He picked up speed. The formless and invisible Aura flowed through his veins and into every part of his body, letting him stride forward like the wind.
Mina stared at Ryan's fast-disappearing back, dumbfounded. Fine, overtake me if you must, but did you have to announce it? We ran together for five laps, and now it just makes me look bad.
She grit her teeth and tried to catch up, but she had already hit her limit. Just maintaining her current pace was all she could manage.
Ryan didn't think too much about it. He quickly caught up to Thomas, who was running a bit ahead, tapped him on the shoulder, then surged ahead, leaving behind only a cool silhouette.
Thomas was stunned. "Wait! Hold on a second!"
Damn it, if you're good, fine—but why rub it in?
Ryan: Okay, yeah, I admit I'm showing off. If you're my bro, come catch me and smack me!
Blazing forward like thunder and lightning, Ryan gradually made it to the front row of the group, earning plenty of envious glares along the way.
Maybe it was a bit of mischief, but he liked running alongside others for ten seconds before passing them, just to see the frustration on their faces.
Ryan: "Hey kid, ever experienced true despair?"
By the eighth lap, Ryan was now running on Eren's left. The protagonist wasn't doing too well—his face was red, drenched in sweat, gritting his teeth to keep going.
He was clearly giving it his all. Ryan admired him for that. It wasn't just about avoiding elimination—he was pushing himself from sheer determination.
Eren also saw his roommate Ryan, but didn't have the energy to say hi. Mikasa, running closely behind, was barely winded. She hadn't even hit her limit. As expected of Mikasa.
Ryan looked around. A little further back were Sasha and a buzz-cut kid named Connie. To his left was a handsome brunette and a freckle-faced boy—Marco Bodt.
Up ahead, there were three recruits: a tall, muscular blond with a buzz cut; a tall, black-haired guy next to him; and a cold beauty with blonde hair tied up, piercing blue eyes, and graceful form. All three had steady breathing and impressive speed.
They've probably trained before.
Curious, Ryan ran up beside the blond buzz-cut guy.
"Hey, you two seem used to long-distance running. Have you been training before this?"
Reiner looked surprised—when did this guy appear? Then he smiled, "Yeah, we've been preparing to enlist for a while, so we trained whenever we could."
Bertholdt, standing beside him, was quiet and just nodded.
Not knowing them well, Ryan didn't pry further. After exchanging names, he recognized them faintly.
He maintained his pace alongside them. He could've gone faster, but there was no need.
This wasn't the Olympics—no prize for coming in first.
In the last two laps, many looked like they were about to collapse—sweating buckets, alternating between jogging and walking. Eren was near fainting. He had sprinted too hard at the start and now could only keep going by sheer willpower.
A few had already given up, sitting on the ground. Ryan finished third, but unfortunately, there was no reward. Armin, lacking stamina, barely managed to avoid coming in last. Luckily, it was a "who's the worst" kind of test, and five unlucky nobodies got eliminated. Their names? Use your imagination.
On the training ground, dozens of boys and girls slumped to the ground. Some pounded their legs, others lay flat, gasping. Everyone was utterly exhausted.
Only one person was still running: Sasha Braus. She had already earned the nickname "Potato Girl."
Ryan spread his hands. It wasn't that he lacked loyalty—he simply couldn't save her.
Once everyone else had finished, Instructor Keith Shadis arrived, bald head gleaming, and shouted a storm of insults. The gist: "You're the worst batch of recruits I've ever trained!"
Nothing new—anyone who's been to school knows teachers say stuff like that all the time.
Years later, Shadis would regret those words. He never imagined this batch would be so monstrous—five of the nine Titans had infiltrated this class alone!
Of the top ten in the final evaluation, hardly anyone was normal.
After the run, there wasn't much else to do. It was just the enlistment ceremony today, though those gasping for air might disagree.
Tomorrow, real training would begin. The first test was balancing on the triple-pronged apparatus—testing control and coordination in preparation for the ODM Gear. Anyone who couldn't pass in two days would be sent packing.
Another round of eliminations was coming.
By 5 PM, the sun was setting, painting the sky with fiery clouds.
Dinner time approached, and many gathered at the cafeteria door. Ryan was there too—he'd promised to get Sasha a piece of bread.
"Hey, look! That Potato Girl's still running!" one trainee mocked, pointing at the nearly collapsing Sasha jogging weakly across the field.
"Seriously, it's been five hours. Her stamina is insane."
"Hey, isn't that Potato Girl from your village? Hahaha, why don't you go help her?" one recruit jeered, recognizing Ryan from earlier that day standing near Sasha.
Ryan rolled his eyes. Idiots really were everywhere.
He snapped back without hesitation:
"What's wrong with potatoes? Is she eating your rice? Drinking your water? If not, then shut it."
The guy gave a dry laugh and dropped the issue. He didn't really want a fight.
Mina, the twin-tailed cutie, said, "Look, someone already quit!"
On a hill nearby, a cart carried several people who'd voluntarily withdrawn. These weren't the five that were eliminated during the run—they'd already left. These were people who'd chosen to quit.
"They're really willing to go back and haul rocks or pull weeds?" Marco Bodt muttered.
"No choice. If you're not capable, you get eliminated," Eren said as if it were obvious.
Ryan didn't speak. He knew that Eren was about to get smacked with reality very soon.
At dinner, Ryan shamelessly grabbed an extra piece of bread and sat alone to eat.
Thomas and a group were gathered around Eren, pestering him about Titans.
Connie, the bald kid, was like a curious toddler, firing off question after question. Around them, others eavesdropped intently.
Eren's expression darkened—not because of the questions, but because the memories were resurfacing. Still, he patiently told them what happened on that fateful day.
When Connie asked what normal Titans looked like, Eren's spoon clattered into his soup.
He was haunted by the memory of the Titan that ate his mother—blood flying, helplessness crushing him.
Nothing but despair.
"You couldn't save your mother because you didn't have the power!"
Uncle Hannes's words still echoed in his ears. Eren instinctively clenched his fists.
Marco Bodt, ever perceptive, noticed Eren's change and quickly told everyone to stop. This wasn't a happy story—especially for someone who lost family.
Eren calmed himself and stood up to announce loudly, "Titans aren't that scary! I'll join the Survey Corps and kill every last one of them!"
A scoff rang out. Jean Kirschtein sneered, "Wait, are you serious? You want to join the Survey Corps?"
Eren turned and recognized Jean. He already didn't like the guy.
"That's right. You're the coward who said he wants to join the Military Police and live comfortably in the interior, right?!"
"Yeah, because I'm honest. Unlike some people who act brave when they're terrified."
Jean propped his head on one hand and spoke matter-of-factly.
Eren stood up abruptly, scowling. "Are you talking about me?"
"Hey, I didn't name names!" Jean shot back, also rising.
The two walked toward each other, staring each other down. Everyone held their breath. Were they about to fight?
Ryan saw it too but didn't intervene. Some people were just destined to clash.
Eren was passionate and impulsive. Jean was realistic and blunt. Their personalities clashed, and their goals were polar opposites.
If they didn't argue, that'd be strange. Let them fight it out.
Clang!
Just then, the bell signaling rest time rang.
Both Eren and Jean froze mid-step, then backed off, saving face.