Days passed by in a blink as Cain and his group had already returned to their training facility. Now they were doing his routine, running across the dirt field as vast as four soccer fields.
Cain ran in the front, leading the pack with his pace. His breathing was steady, and both feet kept relentlessly pounding onto the hard ground.
Behind him, Abel, Peter, Rika, and Louise keep up. The smell of dirt and sweat mingled in the air, prompting a corner of his lips to perk up as he felt a bit nostalgic about the harsh regimen.
Far away from his place on the podium, General Dosh stood still while crossing his arms on his chest. His sharp eyes followed them like a predator eyeing its prey.
The boy glanced at his side, witnessing a shadow with blonde hair running beside him. Abel flashed his white teeth, his blue eyes sharpened. The boy lowered his posture as he prepared to blast forward in ferocious momentum.
However, when the blonde boy gritted his teeth, Cain's left foot stomped the ground hard. It caused a bit of crack on the surface as his body blurred, turning into a gale that cut through the air.
"What! Are you kidding!?"
A cloud of dust rises, blocking the other four's vision. Once it cleared, they saw Cain's figure already far away ahead of them. Abel and Peter, as the other two males in the group, clenched their fists, but they could not hide the grin plastered across their faces after watching their leader conduct things.
But before they could act, the two others, Rika and Louise, jolted forward, causing both boys' eyes to widen in shock. Rika glanced at the two, her lips parted into a smirk.
"Coming through, boys."
The two clicked their tongues and pushed their feet further, leaving the other candidates behind, who gaped in awe at the five performances.
The two males overtook the girls as they bite their lips in frustration; however, no matter how hard the four of them want to follow their leader's steps. It was in vain.
Cain peeked over his shoulder, watching his other comrades running behind him.
'Heh, good. Let's increase it further.'
He took a deep breath; from that moment on, sounds began to fade. Only the beating of his chest reverberated in his ears. It thumped so loud while oozing out a warm sensation that flowed through his veins, enveloping his flesh and bones with raw power.
The boy took a step, and the surroundings before him stretched far away as if time had slowed down. He could no longer feel the crisp sound of his shoes scraping against the dirt, its hard texture under his feet; none of it mattered. His feet felt light, as if he were walking on air.
Before he knew it, he had passed the final lap in a blink. The atmosphere around the field froze, thick with tension.
Cain stopped his run as he exhaled the air trapped in his lungs. As soon as he did that, his vision swam in discomfort. The reality before him warped for a disorienting instant before snapping back to normal.
He exhaled a long breath, his gaze fixed on the distance. The boy saw a blue canvas spread across the horizon. White clouds were moving around slowly, as if racing against each other, as he did.
However, the scenery made his brows furrow as he was trapped in an artificial reality, generated by advanced technology that portrayed an image of the real sky. In contrast, the real sky was much more devious and gloomy.
Cain shook his head, throwing away his negative thoughts. Cain turned his back to witness his four other comrades walking closer. Their eyes narrowed.
"How was it? Think you can outrun me?"
The words that spilled from his mouth caused the other four to shorten the distance and form a small circle.
"Let's be clear, what did you do?"
Rika crossed her arms; the girl's red eyes emitted a blazing determination that pierced a hole through Cain's skull. Not only him, but Abel nodded as well, his eyes sparkling with stars. Peter, who constantly glanced left and right, wary about the leaked information, along with Louise, who clenched both hands tight while nodding.
The four were already aware, despite having injected attributes into their bodies. But there was a massive gap between their performances.
Rika thought that maybe Cain's power was exceptional, as she saw the specifications in that computer at the time. But, when she thought it through, there was no way that was only the case. Cain probably had a hand in this gap between them.
For example, as he did in the simulation chamber, his words still left a deep impression on her. She glanced to the side, her lips parted in a slight smile.
'It seemed the other three also couldn't hide their curiosity.'
"Everyone, line up!"
General Dosh's command echoed throughout the field, attracting cadets' attention to his side. Rika and the other four exchanged glances, then ran toward the podium to form a line.
As usual, the man kept his word short, telling them to have lunch and attend each training session.
"Dismiss!"
"As you command!"
However, before Dosh stepped out from the podium, his eyes stopped at Cain's side. The man's face was devoid of any emotion, gazing at the boy.
After a couple of seconds staring, the man turned his back on him. His act made Cain blink, unsure of what had transpired inside the man's head.
'What was that for?'
While other cadets turned their heels on the place, only five cadets were still standing in the field. They began to approach Cain; their steps were firm and resolute, determined to get the information from him today.
There was a reason behind their urgency. Even though months had passed since the battle with the virus horde. The four still occasionally dreamed about the battle.
Creaking of metals, splattered black liquids, and the roar that shook the skies, those images were still ingrained deep in their bodies.
Also, the most jarring of them all was the moment when Cain collapsed as the boy spat blood from his mouth. That moment kept appearing like a void that gnawed at their consciousness.
That's why Rika, Abel, Peter, and Louise gritted their teeth and also clenched their fists in pursuit of power so that their leader wouldn't shoulder the brunt on himself again.
One experience was enough.
Cain took a cold breath as the other four surrounded him. Their eyes were straight, laced with a determination that seared his spirit. He cast his gaze around the surrounding area, ensuring no one was nearby.
"Let's sit down."
Following his gesture, the four flopped their butt into the ground and waited for the next instruction from their leader.
Cain, who sat in a lotus position, inhaled a deep breath. He raised a palm before curling his fingers into a tight fist.
"Watch me!"
As the words left his mouth, the boy's heart thumped so loud it jolted his eardrums. From the center of his heart, something warm coursed through his veins before settling in his right fist.
Without mincing words, Cain slammed his fist downward, which caused a loud boom. Smoke billowed, and before everyone's wide eyes, his fist penetrated deep into the dirt.
The atmosphere thickened, four pairs of eyes staring vacantly at the hole as Cain lifted his fist. They simultaneously stared at the grey-haired boy, barely holding their jaw from dropping to the ground.
"I'll tell you the secret."