The lecture hall buzzed with idle chatter, the kind that filled the silence before tests began. Holoscreens lined the upper walls, flickering softly with images of beast classifications and territory maps. Instructor Vaelen stood at the center, arms folded behind his back, gaze like steel.
Kael took his seat near the far wall, two rows behind Feyla and directly beside an empty chair once reserved for a dropout last cycle. He liked it there. Quiet. No distractions.
"Today is your first Cognitive Combat Trial," Vaelen announced, voice echoing. "This will test your understanding of beast behavior, terrain advantage, and situational prioritization. No powers. No brute force. Just thought."
He paced slowly.
"Those who score highest will be offered access to supplementary strategy modules. Those who fail… may repeat."
The tension in the room thickened.
"Interesting," Nathan muttered in Kael's mind.
"Not every challenge requires muscle. Let's see how sharp you've become."
The Trial
Each cadet was issued a tactical slate — a small, tablet-like device that projected a 3D map simulation onto their desk.
Kael watched as his simulation rendered a dense forest basin with scattered ruins and two beast signatures: one quadrupedal, armored, slow; the other serpentine, agile, but weak to piercing strikes.
The objective: extract a downed civilian from a ruin at the center and escape to the northern evac zone.
Time limit: 20 minutes
No reinforcements. No powers.
Kael blinked once, triggering the HUD overlay to sync silently behind the test interface. Nathan dimmed his voice but didn't disappear.
"I've outlined 3 logical escape paths. But I'm muting input. Let's see what you do."
Kael smiled faintly. "Thanks for the pressure."
As the timer started, Kael got to work.
He sent a phantom team of soldiers north first — a decoy maneuver to pull the larger beast away from the ruins.
Then, rather than approach from the east like most of the simulated cadets likely would, he used a dry riverbed on the southwest flank. Narrow enough to prevent full movement from the serpentine beast, and curved enough to offer cover.
He ran time delays on his team's actions. Used dust clouds to mask thermal signatures. And most importantly, he never ordered direct confrontation.
Instead, he outmaneuvered.
At 18 minutes, the simulated evac shuttle arrived with the target secure and zero casualties reported.
Results
The classroom dimmed as slates powered down.
Vaelen walked slowly between the rows.
"Top scorers will be posted tonight. Those in the bottom five will attend remediation."
Kael said nothing. He didn't expect top rankings. He just didn't want to fail.
"Review your current progress," Nathan said. "You're nearly there."
Kael blinked, calling up the HUD as the students filed out.
[Nether Code – Progress Display]
Level: 1
EXP: 95 / 120
Recent Event: Tactical Strategy Trial — Success
Bonus Traits Detected:
Terrain Utilization: +5 EXP Zero Casualty Completion: +10 EXP Independent Analysis (No Assistance): +5 EXP
New Total EXP: 115 / 120
Level 2 Threshold: 5 Points Remaining
Kael leaned back in his chair, heart pounding. Five points away.
Just five.
He didn't smile — not visibly — but something in his posture shifted. Subtle. Confident.
The old Kael would've left before the results posted.
But this time… he stayed.