--
"Silence!"
A thunderous shout shook the room, instantly silencing the buzzing noise of the crowd.
Everybody looked to the front to see a bald man swaggering with a cloudy expression. He wore black sunglasses and a tank top, which did nothing to hide his extremely muscular body that's riddled with scars. He had camo pants, military boots, and the domineering aura of someone who had been in a real battlefield.
"Good morning, brats. My name is Robert Eden. I am this school's disciplinary counselor, and today, you're Camp Instructor."
Mr. Eden's voice was deep and gritty. It bounced on the walls, digging deep into everyone's ears and resonating to their hearts.
"I know that most of you would rather be somewhere else right now—maybe to enjoy your vacation, play around, or whatever. Unfortunately for you, that's no longer possible after you had your awakening. All of you are here to attend the Warrior Training Camp, whether you like it or not. It's mandatory, after all."
"Here, with me as your main guide, you will learn how to fight and think like a proper warrior. You will learn skills to keep yourself safe and will start building your foundation for a bright professional career ahead of you."
"Before we start, let me tell you some rules that will be observed during this camp."
"Fights are okay; killing isn't. If you have some disagreements, feel free to fight it out during your free time. However, you are absolutely not allowed to kill your fellow warriors inside or outside of this camp."
"We are not teaching you skills to aim at your own people. What we're raising are warriors, not serial killers. If you violate this rule, it won't just be you who'd get implicated; your family, friends, and people that are important to you will be as well. Expulsion from this school will be the least of your problems."
"Two. Attendance isn't mandatory." Mr. Eden paused to let that sink in for a bit. "Yes, you heard me right. I'm not requiring you all to attend the regular classes if you really don't want to."
"I personally don't like chasing people who wanted to do nothing to me. I also won't force anybody to do anything; that's not my job. If you want to learn from me, cool! If you don't, fine. Let's not waste each other's time."
"All you needed to do was to pass the final exam, and you'd pass this class. It's that simple; it's been that way since before any of you were an idea of your parents."
"And finally, if you don't pass my standards by the end of our two months together, you will not move on to your final semester of your prep school. That means that you'll be delayed by another year before you officially get your license."
"Don't even try to trick your way into passing. Anything that you could think of, be it cheating, using your backgrounds to pressure me or the school, emotional manipulation, or whatever, I've seen it all and have grown long immune from it."
"If you want to pass, show me some real effort. I'm not letting you continue unless you can show me that you're truly ready, both physically and mentally, to enter the real professional world. You will stay here with me until you get there, and that's final."
"Am I understood?"
"Yes, Mr. Eden."
The young warriors replied loudly.
Somewhere among these people was TJ. Obviously, he was here to participate; he's required to, after all. He was looking forward to this since he's been itching to see the effects of his Innate Boon: Limit-Breaking Hard Work.
His Awakened Boon: [Dream Echo Battlefield], has already worked its magic. Within a 100-meter radius, TJ could see and capture stray Dream Echo Fragments visible to him only.
So far, he has gathered three completed Dream Echoes. However, he didn't dare to enter the Dream Echo Battlefield just yet because he's too weak; he'd just fail if he did.
"Good. You better remember that from now on. Don't say I didn't warn you and use it as an excuse because you failed. Everything I say and do here is monitored, after all. And that also applies to you as well."
"Now, let's begin this camp properly."
Mr. Eden clapped his hand, and suddenly, the room started shifting.
The walls came down, sliding away into the gaps on the floor. The ceiling rose higher and higher, and the lights flickered as the transformation occurred.
Shortly after, the young warriors found themselves within a wide and open space, far larger than they'd ever need. They're surrounded with all sorts of equipment that they'd assume they're going to need for this class.
"Warriors get up close and personal." Mr. Eden's voice boomed at the space. "...for the most part, at least, as there are always exceptions. But the majority of those who awakened as Warriors heavily lean on close-combat skills."
"It sounds heroic and exciting, but it's also incredibly risky. One wrong read, wrong response, delayed reaction, carelessness, or anything bad that happens in the middle of a fight could cause injuries or, worse, deaths."
"We, Warriors, heavily rely on our bodies to fight. It's our treasure, the source of our power and abilities, which holds near-limitless potential to be excavated."
"Because of this, we, as warriors, try to find ways to not only be physically strong but also healthy."
"For this first week, I will teach you three main skills that warriors should know: breathing, punching, and taking a hit."
"Breathing is how we survive. Our body needs air just as much as it needs water and food. That's common knowledge. However, ancient professionals discovered a way to optimize the very simple act of breathing, turning it into a skill that greatly increases our strength, speed, and raw power. Obviously, breathing skills are paramount to your bright professional career as warriors; that's why we must learn them."
"Punching is how we attack. No, it's not limited to that, but it all starts there. I won't allow you to hold any type of cold weapon until you can show me that you can throw a proper punch and a kick."
"And finally, how to take a hit. Look, it's just going to happen. As Warriors, you'll get hurt. A lot. You're not Casters who hang in the back to shoot enemies with spells. Chances are, you will be up there, doing a tango with monsters at least twice your size, maybe even bigger."
"Just because they look slow doesn't always mean that they're going to be. This kind of carelessness has killed more people than you can imagine. And most of them, without a single shred of doubt, are Warriors."
"I said it before, and I'll say it again. I'm not sending you out there to die right away. You will not pass this camp unless you can show me that you know how to take a hit or know when to advance or retreat."
"One week of this is a general estimate. I may extend this longer or shorter, depending on your overall performance. Of course, we can't do this forever since there are other skills you must learn from me, but these starting guides are just as important as the rest, so we won't be skipping it. Understood?"
"Yes, Mr. Eden!" The class responded.
And just like that, the first lesson began.
Mr. Eden introduced something called the [Basic Breathing Skill] to them. According to him, this was the standard-issue breathing technique for newly awakened children like them.
It doesn't contain many benefits. There's the [Healthy] perk, which optimizes their health, allowing for exponentially increased cellular activity, metabolism, and reduced chances of being infected by regular illnesses like fever, colds, migraine, and so on. It also lessens the need to sleep by an hour or two without compromising any benefits.
The [Basic Breathing Technique] wasn't created to make somebody so outrageously strong that they could punch a hole in mountains and cause a tsunami with a single punch. It's created to keep ordinary citizens healthy and active. Prolonged use of it will have greater benefits, at least for ordinary people. For aspiring professionals, though, it's greatly limited. That's why it could only be used as a learning tool.
The [Healthy] perk can evolve once one's mastery over the Basic Breathing Technique reaches a certain point.
However, upgrading it will either cost too much time or effort and/or experience points.
The majority of students are still immature; they're just 16 after all. They haven't seen nor experienced a lot. In addition, if they're somewhat smart, the 'ordinariness' of the breathing technique wouldn't be something that kids take seriously.
TJ, however, couldn't care less. Right now, he's just really excited to learn his first combat technique.
[Your professor taught and demonstrated how to use the Basic Breathing Technique.]
[Congratulations, you have learned the skill "Basic Breathing Technique.]
**
Skill(s):
• Basic Breathing Technique (Entry 0/100)
: It's the most fundamental breathing skill created to promote the health and activeness of the populace.
Perks: [Healthy]
**
TJ relaxed and closed his eyes. Then, he recalled what Mr. Eden taught them just now, and he completed a cycle (inhale and exhale) of the breathing technique. After opening his eyes, he saw:
• Basic Breathing Technique (Entry 1/100)