The sun finally rose the next day. As soon as the sun peeked beyond the horizon, the Ashlandian enforcers were woken up by a small surge of pain. Their high-pitched screams caused the united kingdom's enforcers to wake up groggily.
"Please shut the fuck up…. I'm trying to get some sleep for god's sake." Matthew groaned.
"We're supposed to wake up much earlier but…" Josh rolled in his sleeping bag. "Just a few more minutes."
***
Nyx was standing outside, feeling the cold breeze of the morning. She glanced at the firepit, seeing the ash left by the flame. She shrugged it off and took a walk around. After a few minutes, she heard rumbling inside one of the tents. Bored out of her mind, she took a peek inside. She saw an enforcer trying to wake up his comrade.
"Jasper…it's sunrise. Get up." Major yawned.
Jasper groaned and pulled the blanket closer to himself. Major sighed and went to wake up another.
"Hey, Frank. It's morning. I'm already fully dressed, let's go."
Frank moaned and stretched his arms before sitting up. Then, he froze as he saw Nyx peeking through their door. After a few moments, he recognized her as the supreme commander and panicked.
"G-Greetings, Supreme commander!"
Major froze, instantly turned around and saluted her.
"Good morning, supreme commander!"
Nyx chuckled. "Good morning – Good morning."
The others heard her voice and sprang up with sleepy, half-closed eyes.
"Good…morning…ma'am…" They said in tired unison.
"Are you the new recruits from the AEOC's first unit? I heard they had some." Nyx entered.
"Yes, ma'am." Major stood up. "We start training, today."
"Hmm…that's interesting. Well, good luck." Nyx rubbed her chin and exited the tent.
Major heaved a sigh of relief and squeezed his chest. He drew a deep breath and turned around.
"Now, will you wake up, guys or do you want to get scolded by Ms. Maple, also."
The team quickly panicked and rapidly readied themselves.
***
Arthur's team was already awake, preparing for the long ride.
"Feels weird waking up in the forbidden continent." Harvey commented.
"You'll get used to it." Arthur stretched his legs. "I'll go check on the new guys."
"I'll go check on mine." Harvey said.
They both headed towards opposite tents. Arthur approached with quiet steps, making sure to make his entrance a surprise. As he reached the entrance, the new enforcers began exiting. They wore all black clothes with a wind breaker and a weighted vest. He was pleasantly surprised that their sleep hadn't been messed up. The enforcers noticed him and saluted. Arthur nodded and said in a surprised tone.
"I'm shocked you're sleep schedule wasn't messed up. Are you all prepared?"
"Yes, sir!" They said in unison.
"Alright, listen. It's…six o'clock right now. We're leaving at eight. So, get to training with Maple – quickly!"
They rushed towards Arthur's tent with Major in front. Arthur smiled and followed after them. Soon after they arrived at his tent.
"Maple, I've got your disciples."
"They're not really my disciples, though…" Maple scratched her cheek.
"They aren't your actual disciples. They're just recruits your training, idiot." Amelia scolded.
"Right…"
She cleared her throat and said in a neutral tone.
"Follow me to our training spot."
"Yes, ma'am!" The new officers trailed after her.
Arthur stopped by Amelia and watched Maple lead her recruits. Amelia sighed and whispered.
"When will she ever get a sign…"
"What did you say?" Arthur inquired.
"None of your business." Amelia replied.
***
Maple and her team made it to an open field. She scanned the area for any threats. After a few seconds, she stopped the new enforcers following her and turned around. The men lined up at attention, awaiting their orders.
"Alright…first time training enforcers, be calm." Maple whispered to herself.
She drew a sharp breath.
"You got taught basic swordsmanship in Stratos, correct?"
"Yes, ma'am!" They shouted.
"Okay – okay…" Maple placed her hands on her hips. "What rank are you all?"
Jasper spoke first. "I'm a Retainer."
"I'm also one." Major said after. "Him too."
Major pointed at Saul who gave a small nod.
"I'm an Acolyte." Frank said.
"Me too." Elke spoke loudly.
Maple was satisfied with their mastery.
'Being a retainer without any big background or support is quite the achievement.'
Maple crossed her arms and said in a loud voice.
"Alright, the Acolytes will continue practicing until they're at the level of a retainer. I will judge you normally since…we don't have any advancement halls around here."
The team said nothing, waiting… Maple felt a bit of pressure but shrugged it off. Then, their training officially began.
"Alright, let's get to it. Pull out your katanas."
The team followed her command, pulling out their katanas from their back.
"Now…how should we do this…" Maple rubbed her chin.
After a few moments of thought, an idea clicked in her head.
"Okay, First, let's test your team work. All of you attack me at once."
"Uh…Are you sure about this, ma'am?" Frank questioned, hesitating.
"Oh, don't worry me." Maple unsheathed her katana. "I'm a grandmaster. You should be more worried about yourselves."
Major instantly became wary and so did his mates. They first, surrounded Maple in a tight formation and stood in position. Then, in an instant, they lunged at their instructor. Maple narrowed her eyes and jumped up, dodging their swords. The team's sword got tangled together and they began to panic. Maple landed and lunged at them. She disarmed Frank and Saul one after another. Their katanas flew and fell onto the grassy ground.
Next, she went after Major. Major blocked one strike from Maple and then, swung. He managed to get a half-decent swing on Maple which was easily blocked by her. Maple stepped closer and twisted his wrist. He let go of the katana, moaning in pain. As she was distracted, Elke and Jasper attacked from behind. She ducked beneath their strikes and knocked the swords out of their hands. In less than a minute, she had defeated a team of enforcer without even using her attribute.
"Looks like the course didn't teach you teamwork." Maple sheathed her blade.