After resting under the cool shade of a thick canopy above, Cain and his other comrades headed towards the largest building in the barracks. According to what he heard, Abel and the others were also staying there during their time here.
Not only the simulation room he knew of, but he was told that the large building housed many other facilities, including research and complete sports amenities, such as a gym, swimming, and more.
There was also an arena where soldiers competed in their martial arts, and sometimes small tournaments were held to determine the best recruit or showcase the capabilities of the senior veterans in the place.
Unfortunately, this time they were on duty at the border in the eastern region, and most of the soldiers here had been called up, leaving these barracks quiet.
During their small trip, Cain learned a lot about why this place seemed empty despite having many well-maintained, sturdy buildings.
Not long after, they came out of the forest, and instead of taking the main entrance, the four chose the back door, which was smaller and could be passed by only one person.
Cain paused his steps for a moment, doubting his comrades' decision. But when he saw Rika tilt her head sideways, wondering why, he suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?"
He shook his head and heard a hissing sound from the door that forced him to enter. From that act, his gaze met with Peter, who, beside him, the blue-haired boy said.
"You must be wondering why we choose this path, but don't worry, leader. The back door will lead us to the service elevator. It's faster than going around to the main entrance."
"I see."
Cain nodded and followed his comrade's steps.
Unlike the dim hall at the main entrance, where a green neon flickered, radiating a gloomy aura like a cell room. The interior of the back door was very different. Cain was walking down a long silver hallway, and the white neon hanging above gave it a more lively feel.
Their footsteps bounced, sounding like a distant echo. They took a detour, then stopped before the elevator that led to the basement, where the simulation was held.
Cain thought the journey would take quite a long time, but when a 'ting' sound echoed in the narrow space, his eyes widened as the door opened. He saw an arena encased by translucent synthetic glass that towered above like a giant chamber.
He stepped out; his ears twitched at the relentless 'beep' sounds from the workers. Their fingers tapped the hologram keyboards. The men's gaze locked forward, watching the screen, which displayed information and complex algorithms that never stopped moving.
"You came again, brats."
A reluctant, spiteful voice came from the man with long, shoulder-length black hair. His slightly slouching posture with black bags under his eyes showed his less-than-healthy mental condition.
"Mr Albert. We come to train."
Albert sighed and put the terminal he was carrying on the nearest table. But he paused for a moment when he accidentally looked into Cain's eyes.
His black pupils shrank, then twisted with a creepy madness. The corner of his stiff lips lifted, showing his white and well-maintained teeth.
"Cain, so you're awake from your sleep."
The man walked towards him, making the other four cadets frown at his behavior, which was very different from theirs.
Cain wrinkled his brows, asking the same question about Albert's mysterious behavior. Of course, he had been offered cooperation before, but he still hadn't accepted it.
"Mr Albert. Can I use the simulation room?"
Albert's softened expression turned flat, a sharp glow from his black eyes sent chills down his spine, causing the boy to shudder in disgust. The man's gaze lingered, dissecting him with a clinical hunger that felt more invasive than any scan.
The man stood still for a brief moment, then turned around as he picked up the terminal he had stored, not forgetting to grab an iron bracelet and a small baton.
"We will start the simulation."
The other workers stopped their activities as they turned towards Albert and nodded simultaneously. They stared at the face of each cadet present until they stopped at Cain before shifting their attention to the screen once more.
Albert came over, and without opening his mouth, began to attach the iron bracelet to his wrist. Black particles started to leak, crawling throughout his body like a horde of ants, then solidified into an armor suit.
The man also began to hand him the metallic rod, which he plugged into the bracelet. Albert stepped back as he swiped the screen monitor, searching for the module.
"Where do you want to start? We have three stages of simulation for cadets, and each level is divided into ten levels. And for information, the last simulation you did was at the low stage with the highest level ten."
The man in front of him barrages the boy with a clear explanation of the system and everything else. Not only that, but there were also several notes about previous cadets who managed to record the best time in each level and stage.
After hearing that, Cain's eyebrow twitched, and he stared directly into the eyes of the gloomy man in front of him.
"Records?"
Albert flipped the terminal in his hand and showed its screen to him. The gray-haired boy held his chin, scanning the list as he found a record that contained his name, causing his eyes to widen.
Turns out, Cain was the record holder of the simulation low stage level ten.
However, it didn't last long, as his breath hitched when he saw his other comrades had surpassed him and entered the intermediate stage, which was intended for seniors older than them.
{Intermediate Stage Simulation.}
Abel. Level six, recorded time: "00:52.89 seconds"
Louise. Level five, recorded time: "00:30.75 seconds"
Rika. Level four, recorded time: "00:23.42 seconds"
Peter. Level three, recorded time: "00:35.21 seconds"
Cain nodded and glanced at his comrades, who were gathering, discussing something in whispers. He chuckled, a bit surprised and happy with their achievements.
The boy stared at his comrades before nodding. He didn't want to become a liability as their leader.
"Can you set the simulation arena at the Intermediate stage level five?"
Without asking for further details, the man took back his terminal and immediately entered data for his other colleagues, then walked away from Cain.
Albert's shoulder twitched furiously as he typed something on the screen, doing some calibration and adjustment for Cain's weapon before entering the arena.
The door on the chamber hissed, releasing the cold air trapped inside. Cain swallowed, lifting his foot to approach the area. From the side, he saw Rika, her expression twisted, both hands clasped in prayer, worrying about his safety.
He exhaled sharply, unsure how to deal with the current Rika, who was meek. In the end, Cain chose to ignore her and walked in, and heard the glass door behind him close with a thud.
{Simulation started}
Albert's hoarse voice echoed in the arena, and the surrounding view began to distort, turning into a red plain that stretched to the horizon, bringing back old memories.
Cain's palm unknowingly clenched the katana that materialized from the rod. He took a deep breath and smirked when he smelled something different in the air.
'The atmosphere is much different.'
It was clean, as if purified; the air did not feel heavy or dry as it mixed with foreign substances, like the cosmic virus and crimson dust from the dying land.
Cain also did not smell the rotten scent of decaying flesh, the tangy black liquid coming out of the virus beasts' bodies; all of that was not registered in his head now.
However, his nose suddenly twitched at the smell of a thick, decaying aroma from the outside world, which immediately disappeared. Cain wrinkled his eyebrows while turning his neck left and right.
'Was that just my imagination?'
The space in front of him tore, vomiting a glitching image that solidified and gave birth to the figure of an iron crab virus beast. Not only one, but the iron crab continued to appear and stopped at the number five.
Cain stared at the incoming beasts, his gaze sharp and steady, mirroring his silent heart. He prepared his middle stance, and instead of holding the katana hilt with both hands, the boy changed his style to stabbing.
He gently let out a breath, remembering his last battle as if it were yesterday. He tightened the grip on the hilt and stretched his left hand forward.
"It's revenge time!"