"Eren, Eren? What's wrong with you?"
Eren was wearing the Survey Corps uniform, a green cloak wrapped around him, printed with the emblem of the Wings of Freedom—blue and white feathers intertwined.
"Ah—yes!" Hearing someone call his name, Eren snapped back from his daze. Turning his head, he saw it was Oluo from Squad Levi calling him.
"Sir, is there something wrong?" Eren asked.
The experiences of the past few days had been truly surreal for Eren.
First, he had inexplicably gained the ability to transform into a Titan, and then, in a confused whirlwind of events, he had helped everyone win the battle to retake the Trost District.
And then there was the secret his father had left behind in the basement—something that might change the humiliating state of humanity being oppressed by Titans for a hundred years. All of it felt unreal.
Eren only remembered sealing the breach in the Trost District and then passing out. When he woke up, he had already been locked in a cell.
Commander Erwin and Captain Levi came to visit Eren in the cell. Persuaded by the commander, Eren resolved to join the Survey Corps and properly make use of this power. He also wanted to know what secrets his father had buried in that basement.
On the day of the trial, the gazes people cast toward Eren all carried a faint trace of fear. Eren roared, demanding that everyone trust him, but his outburst was answered by rifles being aimed at his head.
While Eren was still in shock, Captain Levi viciously kicked him, and in front of everyone, beat him brutally. Even Eren's teeth were knocked out. In the end, Commander Erwin spoke on behalf of the Survey Corps, stating their willingness to supervise Eren and make rational use of his Titan power.
The others, faced with the threat of Eren's uncontrollable Titan power—and with someone like Levi, humanity's strongest soldier, within the Survey Corps—had to admit that having the Survey Corps guard Eren was sufficient.
The final verdict was that Eren would be placed under the supervision of the Survey Corps.
Afterward, Commander Erwin brought Captain Levi to explain things to Eren, saying that during the trial they had been left with no choice but to let Levi beat him. Only that way could Eren be brought into the Survey Corps.
Eren expressed his understanding. Soon after, he was assigned to Squad Levi. Everyone in Squad Levi was an elite personally selected by Captain Levi, all possessing formidable strength. Eren's addition undoubtedly made the squad even stronger.
At the same time, if Eren were ever to lose control, Squad Levi would be the ones to personally deal with him.
During his days in the Survey Corps, Eren had been fairly comfortable, and he had gotten to know the members of Squad Levi a bit.
Petra, Oluo, Eld, and Jurgen—each of them an elite among elites.
And then there was that strange woman, Hange. Just thinking of Hange gave Eren a headache. The way this Squad Leader looked at him was very odd, as if she wanted to dissect him.
Back then, she had forcibly dragged Eren into an all-night discussion about Titans, leaving him mentally exhausted.
...
Back in the present, seeing how distracted Eren looked, Oluo from Squad Levi asked,
"Eren, by the way, do any of your classmates want to join the Survey Corps?"
Eren was taken aback; he hadn't really thought about it.
"Probably. At least, Thomas once…" Eren suddenly thought of Thomas and the others—they had seemed to talk about joining the Survey Corps too.
Eren sighed. "There should be. I remember Yago once said he wanted to join the Survey Corps."
"Yago? I think I've heard of that recruit," Jurgen suddenly chimed in from the side.
"I heard he's been praised as the Levi among the trainees. He killed twenty-one Titans in the Trost District."
Such a record startled the others in Squad Levi.
"That strong? Are recruits these terrifying now?" Oluo clicked his tongue, but accidentally bit it, pain bringing tears to his eyes.
Eren and the others were already used to this sight. If Oluo didn't bite his tongue at least twice a day, that would be abnormal.
Petra, on the other hand, was quite optimistic. Smiling, she said,
"If such a strong recruit joins, doesn't that prove how attractive our Survey Corps still is?"
...
On the other side, Yago felt rather awkward. Among the row of new recruits, he was the only one not wearing a uniform. He had originally thought the Survey Corps would have one ready for him, so he had left his trainee uniform at home.
Who would have thought that upon arriving at the Survey Corps, they would say, apologetically, that they hadn't prepared enough uniforms. As for the reason, the logistics unit bluntly explained that they had assumed there wouldn't be many new recruits—they had never imagined so many would join.
Yago nearly blew up on the spot. Was this a joke? What did they mean by assuming no recruits would join? Just how miserable did they think the Survey Corps was?
Fuming, Yago wanted to go find Scott to settle accounts, but unfortunately he had gone out to procure supplies. Left with no choice, Yago stood among the recruits wearing only a thin shirt.
"Salute!"
Standing before the recruits was a Survey Corps soldier wearing a headscarf. He looked very easygoing, and in fact, this squad leader truly was quite approachable.
Introducing himself to the recruits, he said, "Hello everyone, I'm Squad Leader Ness of the Survey Corps. The recruit squad will temporarily receive my command and training. Oh, right—this is my beloved horse, Charrette. How about her? Pretty, isn't she? She just loves pulling people's hair…"
Yago's eye twitched as he watched Squad Leader Ness' beloved horse suddenly bite down on Ness' head. Ness cried out in pain, both hands desperately gripping his headscarf.
As Charrette bit onto Ness' headscarf, Yago caught a glimpse of a glint of reflected light. Oh—so that was it. He seemed to understand why Squad Leader Ness wore a headscarf.
That shiny patch on the top of his head was probably the best proof that Charrette loved pulling people's hair. Yago silently resolved to keep his distance from this horse next time. He had no desire to go bald at a young age.
After finally breaking free from his beloved horse's "gentle kiss," Ness, covered in saliva and looking somewhat disheveled, announced that preparations for the upcoming outside-the-walls expedition training would begin, with formal training starting the next day.
Watching Ness pat Charrette's head in frustration, Yago really wanted to cover his face with his hand. Could this get any more unreliable?
After the dismissal was announced, the recruits headed toward their new dormitory. It had to be said—the Survey Corps' base actually looked quite nice, very spacious.
...
Walking along the path, Mikasa's eyes were filled with worry. She had just inquired about Eren's situation and learned that he was now under the supervision of Squad Levi. She had heard that Squad Levi were all Titan-slaying lunatics—what if Eren was bullied?
Just thinking of Levi made a dark aura rise from Mikasa, her eyes brimming with killing intent. Mikasa had been right there watching when Levi brutally beat Eren.
All these years, Mikasa had never been able to bear seeing Eren get hurt. If Armin hadn't held her back with all his strength back then, Mikasa would have already gone all out against that short man.
Armin followed behind Mikasa, startled by the sudden killing intent she released.
Nearby, Yago was going around asking boys about his height whether they had an extra uniform to spare.
Annie saw this and estimated the difference in physique between herself and Yago. Hmm… better keep her uniform for herself.
As the sun began to set, Annie lifted her head. The sunlight shone on her face, making her small face look slightly flushed.
That day, thirty-two new recruits officially joined the Survey Corps.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo