Chapter 269: Hand Cramps (1/2)

Chapter 269: Hand Cramps

It is said there are many levels of hell, and to these students the sim pods were certainly one of them.

After the first day, their eyes were bloodshot. After hours of careful piloting their breathing was ragged and their hands shaky.

The computer program which ran the sim was designed to base it’s pacing on the pilot’s physical condition. The speed rose and fell, adjusting to be only slightly less than their highest capability. The better a pilot was, the faster the program delivered commands. Naturally it also meant they could finish their task sooner.

Moving mecha suits wasn’t just shoving a joystick. It took more than a single button-press to perform an action. All of the commands had to be performed smoothly, harmoniously – because even the slightest error could mean your enemy’s victory.

Four hundred thousand movements, and this was just the first go ’round!

The first lunch, many ate quite a lot of food, of course due to the amount of exercise they’d endured. Those unfortunate souls vomited it out by the end of the day. Working for so long in the sim pod was torturous, with the spins dizzying and the shocks nauseating. It was quite a physical trial.

What the students didn’t know, was that these pods were designed for adepts for seventh ranked or higher. Several of them would likely be unable to finish the program.

The deadline was twenty days. The Poseidon group designed it that way, with a final evaluation when the program was complete. Anyone who was capable of finishing could certainly be considered an ace pilot. Sovereign-rank was their destiny.

If Lan Jue had wanted to perform this test at the beginning of the training, he suspected less than one fifth would be able to pass. Now, however…

Tang Xiao finally awoke from his meditations the day the sim pod training began. He opened his eyes, revealing pupil-less orbs of white. His eyes rolled back to normal, but then his whole body began to react.

His large form grew thinner, almost like a new person. By the time the shift was finished, he looked like a far more toned – and, strangely, handsome – version of himself. He looked more like his sister as well.

Looking down at himself, Tang Xiao’s face showed satisfaction. He found it difficult to contain his excitement, and is flashed in his eyes.

“You’re ok?” a moving voice intruded, from not far away.

He turned his head, and his eyes met a silver-masked woman who waited nearby. He knew it was – hers was a voice he knew well. His face twitched instinctively. “Hey Mika,” he said through a nervous laugh.

Mika nodded her head in satisfaction. “The boss was right. Under all this pressure, your Discipline has had a second awakening. It looks like you’ve broken through to eighth rank. With your genetic talent, you’ve probably already surpassed Wang Hongyuan. What he needs is to accumulate more energy, then he’ll break through as well.”

Tang Xiao smiled. “What’s the next exercise?”

“The complete the routine in the sim pods.” Under Mika’s instruction, Tang Xiao quickly gathered himself and entered the program.

The first to finish the initial leg was Tan Lingyun. She completed the simulation in one day and four hours. Four thousand high-speed commands – she felt like she needed to puke.

Then the second leg started.

“Complete in sequence: eight-directional movement commands. If you fail, the exercise starts over.”

The four commands from earlier became eight. There were no specifications on how many times this would be needed, only that missing one would start the whole thing over.

Of course, when the arrows appeared they did so significantly faster.

The program AI was constructed to modulate speed, determined by how well they did in the first section. Tan Lingyun, therefore, had to perform at her peek capabilities from the very beginning.

In total, the sim lessons numbered eight, and all of them were concerned with fundamentals. That did not mean, though, that they would be easy.

Hua LI had only given Lan Jue and Chu Cheng a basic overview of the training method. Even with just the cursory information, they were excited. With every success, they were met with an even meaner procedure to overcome.

Once their bodies were beaten down, it was time to torture the mind.

Some of the students tried to ease off during training, and sneak in a rest. However, if they failed to react within three seconds, ear-piercing sirens would sound and their laziness would be broadcast to every pod. “Lightning to keep you awake! You want to be lazy? Hah!”

ζ

A week passed. The students were revealed for lunch every day, and every day they looked paler. They could barely keep their eyes open. However as much as they burned for rest, Zeus’ Amazons wouldn’t allow it. Under the beautiful women’s supervision, as soon as their meals were done the students were right back in the pods. Hua Li and Lan Jue, meanwhile, where nowhere to be seen.

Other than his responsibilities in etiquette class, and his weekly visits to Grace hospital, Lan Jue spent the majority of his time in DreamNet training with Hua Li.