Hearing the signal from the general, the cadets started running. Cain, who was in the back row, shifted his position gradually to the outer edge of the field while jogging.
As they kicked the sandy field, dust started to lift, followed by the warm sunlight accompanying their journey past the first lap.
Cain set his running rhythm, and the relentless thud of his stomping, constantly hitting the ground, jolted every fiber in his being.
His breathing was deep when he inhaled and sharp when he exhaled, giving him enough power to circle the field several times.
The training field was vast, approximately four times the size of a merged soccer field.
Because of this, even though the number of cadets exceeded a hundred, they still looked like a small flock of sheep running in a field.
'Huff, haa, I can do this!'
As if cheering himself on, Cain continued to maintain his rhythm. But the general roared his order when he entered the fourth lap, heading towards the fifth.
"Get ready! On the fifth lap, I want you to increase your pace, faster, go, go!"
"What the fu**!?"
Cain involuntarily cursed, and in the front row, the cadets who had already crossed the boundary line exchanged glances for a second before accelerating their steps after being subjected to the general's glare.
He kept watching his path, and when Cain reached the boundary line, the boy took a deep breath and kicked the field hard, accelerating.
The torture began.
After completing his first sprint, Cain gasped for breath. Each time he inhaled, it felt like burning, and his muscles screamed, his bones creaking like they lacked lubrication.
'This is insane!'
The air felt heavy, mixed with dust from the impact of the cadets' feet in front of him, making this training extreme on the first day.
However, no matter what, Cain had to complete this session to join the soldiers on the front line of the war.
'Did I choose a bad path for my future career?'
Thinking deeper, why should he bother working hard just to be placed on a battlefield where danger was rampant?
Cain could have become a bureaucrat in Babylonia, but he soon realized that the highest authority was responsible for all administrative matters and the city's continuous existence.
Of course, it wasn't just one entity doing all that; several people helped in every sector, but those positions were usually filled by purebred people who were genuine noble descendants.
Unlike Cain, born a commoner, his below-average educational ability made the soldier profession desirable to many like him.
'Huff, haa, W-Wait, where the hell have I learned all that stuff!?'
Cain shook his head as he continued to run, cutting through the wind and dust that blocked his way until he successfully passed the eighth lap.
At the beginning of the ninth lap, his vision distorted, for he almost lost his balance momentarily.
The boy gritted his teeth and stabbed the field hard with his foot, getting back in line. It seemed that it wasn't just happening to him.
Several shadows slowed down from the front as they were overtaken by Cain, who kept going despite the torture.
Most of them who lowered their pace were a mix of men and women, for in a world filled with devastating viruses, humans and all living things experienced mutation, making them stronger regardless of gender.
Then there was the main factor of an individual's mutation potential, which could shatter their limitations and turn them into superhuman beings.
'Huff, haa, is that!?'
Cain's eyebrows furrowed as he saw the golden-haired boy slow down and finally be overtaken by him, who kept going even under stress.
'Abel is falling behind?'
The gray-haired boy continued his run until his vision began to tunnel, the cadets around him blurring into shapeless forms.
Cain gritted his teeth so hard that they could fall off, yet his body reached its limit, he thought.
'Ah, I think this is it!'
However, a blue panel appeared, making Cain's expression stiffen.
[Integrity Sync Complete.]
[Integrity 100% Reached]
> Level Up → 1.0
> Parameters boosted → All stats +1
> Bonus Point 5!
"!?"
For a moment, the sound muted as Cain stared at the panel blankly before a thundering pulse coursed through his veins.
His lips widened, feeling a blazing vitality burn his exhausted body. A sudden strength surged from within, causing his vision to clear.
Cain inhaled deeply, the smell of earth mixed with pure oxygen pumping his heart more to increase his intensity.
'Huff, Ahahaha, this is what I'm talking about!'
He stepped down with his left foot, and with one push, the boy shot forward, passing the other cadets who were already at their limit.
His presence caused a stir among the other cadets. Some of them used their surprise to catch their breath, slowing down, and some frowned as the fire in their hearts started to blaze with competitive spirit.
From a distance, the general, monitoring the perimeter with eagle-like eyes, caught Cain's spurt as he passed the other cadets and easily finished the ninth lap.
His irises turned to dots, and he instantly remembered the boy's face. He raised the terminal in his hand, scrolling through the profiles of all the cadets.
'Cain, mutation potential 1!?'
After reading the report, the general chuckled softly. He put away the terminal and raised his face forward, muttering with a faint smile.
'As I suspected, the number in mutation potential is only a number in the end! It's not something that can measure a human's true limit.'
Unaware of being on the general's radar, Cain continued to run as if there were no tomorrow. The main reason was that the blue panel kept appearing at the edge of his vision.
[Integrity +0.5%]
[Integrity +0.5%]
…
'So pushing my physique will fill the Integrity gauge, which gives me level? I see, this is like some sort of experience point.'
The notifications kept appearing in quick succession, boiling the blood in his body to a fever pitch and giving Cain the strength to pass the first ten laps.
However, just as Cain wanted to increase his speed because he wanted to push past the limit, an announcement echoed from the podium.
"What the hell is that pace, everyone, hurry across the boundary line! And for anyone who reached ten laps, reduce your pace!"
"Eh!?"
Cain ran past a quarter of the lap, but after hearing the command from the highest authority, he sighed while straightening his posture, slowing down his pace.
He glanced to the side and saw the blue panel still appearing, albeit slowly.
"Huff, haa, I can do this all day!" he said while gazing straight ahead, determined to finish the run.
Meanwhile, in the crowd of cadets, Abel managed to pass his tenth lap as he exhaled sharply and slowed down.
Beside him, a red-haired girl jogged side by side. Her ponytail continued to wave, following her movements.
Looking closer, Rika's gaze fixed on the grey-haired boy, already far from their group.
The sharpness in her gaze remained, but somehow Abel could catch a bit of curiosity and a bit of respect.
'I see, Rika you too, huh?'
Abel also saw that what Cain did earlier was very impressive.
While the others stopped for a short rest, Cain took the extreme route and broke his human limit on the very first day of his training.
Abel curled his lips, feeling happy that his friend had done something great, but it also made him frustrated.
'Mutation potential, huh!?'
He flipped his wrist to look at his smartwatch with the number 9 on it. The peak mutation potential that no human had ever possessed, and Abel was the first.
Yet on his first training day, he couldn't do anything and instead gave up in the face of hardship.
Abel clenched his fists tightly and stared straight ahead to complete his first training with all his might.
"Let's go! I can do this!"
***
[Integrity Sync Complete.]
[Integrity 100% Reached]
> Level Up → 2.0
> Parameters boosted → All stats +1
> Bonus Point 5!
Cain and the other cadets completed their training when the sun hung above them.
"That's it for today's training, you can go to the cafeteria near your dorm to get lunch! We'll be meeting at the same place and time tomorrow, dismiss!"
"As you command!"
The cadets shouted in unison, but their intensity was dimmed, unlike in the morning. Some of them, even with shaking legs, tried to stay in formation.
Meanwhile, Cain narrowed his gaze as he looked at his own progress.
'Level 2, and my integrity is only 2.5% filled.'
Cain learned a few things today. His System depended not only on extermination to harvest EXP from his enemies, but he could also gain EXP from daily training.
However, he recognized that daily training has limitations because it would only get harder to level up as he progressed in the future.
He nodded, waved his left hand, and started stretching to trick the people around him.
From the podium, Cain saw the general and the seniors bid farewell, causing the cadets to fall on their butts.
"Finally."
"This is just the first training, I'm scared of the next training."
"Yeah, me too."
"Aah, I regret joining the military division."
The heartfelt complaints of the cadets began to emerge, flooding the field with a negative atmosphere.
From all that, a blonde-haired boy appeared. He strode over the grumbling corpse with the red-haired girl following behind.
"Yo, Cain, wanna eat together?"
"I don't mind, but."
Cain glanced at Rika; the girl nodded slowly while crossing her arms over her chest.
'Oh, she's a bit mellowed.'
Unlike their first encounter, Cain could see the girl's expression loosen.
"Okay then, let's go together."
With Abel's invitation, Cain and Rika nodded, dragging their tired feet away from the sandy field, which still held numerous dying cadets.