The next day.
"Thank you so much, Rayan!" Eren handed the waist belt and straps back to Rayan, looking at him with deep gratitude. "Thanks to you, I found the problem. Otherwise, it would have been so foolish if I failed the exam because of the equipment!"
"Yeah."
"We've already explained the problem to Instructor Keith," Armin said from the side. "He said this had never happened before, and it was his oversight. He'll report this as a maintenance item in the future."
Eren nodded. "Yeah! This way, no soldiers will be eliminated because of the equipment!"
The joy shared by the group was genuine. Rayan looked at them, unsure of what to say. He couldn't help but wonder about Keith's feelings. To protect the child of the person he once liked, Keith had deliberately sabotaged his equipment, hoping Eren would be eliminated to avoid the dangerous life of a soldier. But now, that plan had backfired.
Perhaps, after looking into Eren's eyes, Keith had realized that kind of determination couldn't be suppressed. Maybe Eren could have been eliminated this year, but with his personality, he would never give up. He would return next year and continue to fight against the titans, no matter the cost. If they didn't let him participate, he would still fight, perhaps as an ordinary person, but that would be even more dangerous than being a soldier.
So, seeing this, Keith had eventually changed his mind and allowed Eren to pass the exam.
"Rayan, I'll remember this big favor you did for me!" Eren said again, clearly still shaken. He had been so worried about failing and losing the chance to fight the titans. He was also concerned that his bold words would become empty promises and he'd become a laughingstock.
"Yeah."
Rayan nodded. Just then, the whistle outside blew.
"Let's go. Training is starting."
Three days passed quickly, and the day of the assessment arrived.
Most of the group passed the balance test, especially Eren. He had gone from being the laughingstock to one of the best performers, with only five or six people surpassing him. This surprised everyone, but what they didn't know was that despite Eren's ordinary talent, his level of effort and sense of purpose far exceeded others. His current performance was the result of more than ten hours of hard work every day for the past three days.
"Instructor Keith, how is my aptitude assessment?"
"...Very good. Keep up the good work."
Keith looked at the smile on Eren's face, his eyes filled with mixed emotions. He sighed inwardly.
Grisha, your son has become a soldier.
Everyone took the test one by one. When it was Rayan's turn, all eyes turned to him with curiosity.
Though Rayan kept a very low profile, his striking hair and eye color, along with his gentle features, made him stand out. He and Mikasa almost became the respective talking points for both the girls and boys. Many boys admired Mikasa's beauty, while many girls were naturally drawn to Rayan. Of course, some girls secretly wished he were a bit taller.
In addition to his appearance, Rayan had earned the nickname "mighty midget," a title given to him privately by others. No one dared to say it to his face, but the reason behind it was his immense strength. The incident where Rayan punched and flattened an iron railing had already spread through the entire 104th Squad. It was hard to believe that such a small body contained so much power. This caused some of the boys who had previously looked down on him to hesitate, no longer daring to challenge him for fear of receiving a punch in return. That was no joke.
At this moment, Rayan was on the equipment. His body was stable, his form well-maintained. Many could achieve this level, but it would only be rated as "average." He certainly wouldn't be called "excellent."
"Rayan Kafka, pass."
After Instructor Keith spoke, Rayan got off the equipment.
After more than a dozen other people were tested, the assessment was over. Seventeen people failed to meet the standard and were eliminated. These people weren't too disappointed. They had slacked off during training and had probably mentally prepared themselves for elimination. For them, being eliminated meant returning to farming. It would be a bit harder, but generally not dangerous. After a few years of farming, they could switch to other jobs, and if they were lucky, they might even make a fortune. That could be better than being a soldier with a fixed salary.
With that, the rest of the group began formal training.
...
Months passed quickly. By now, everyone had successfully mastered the basics of using the vertical maneuvering equipment. But soldier training wasn't just about that; there was also the very important training for survival in harsh conditions. And today, the conditions were perfect.
"What heavy snow..."
Everyone stood in the hall, looking out at the goose-feather snow falling from the sky. It had started snowing around midnight, and by the time everyone got up, the world was already covered in a blanket of white.
"So cold..." Connie rubbed his hands together and breathed on them. "By the way, with this much snow, we probably won't have training today, right?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a piercing whistle blew.
"Whee—!"
"Fall in!!"
...
Everyone turned their heads to look at Connie, silently condemning him. He, too, felt embarrassed and quickly ran out of the room.
"Sigh."
"Training even when it's this cold."
"Seriously..."
"What if we get sick? It's not worth it."
"Yeah."
Everyone complained, but their feet didn't slow down. They quickly arrived outside, not wanting to earn a chop to the head from Keith.
Standing in formation, Keith gave them a satisfied nod.
"Very good! You didn't drag your feet even in this weather. You already have the look of excellent soldiers!"
After Keith finished speaking, he shook his head.
"But! Just standing in formation isn't enough. You need more training! And today, we will conduct a new training exercise!"
"New training?"
Everyone was very curious. It was so slippery with the heavy snow, and visibility was so low. What kind of training could they possibly do? But no one dared speak up, waiting for Keith's announcement.
They saw him raise his finger and point into the distance. Everyone's eyes followed his finger. Though it was blurry, they could make out the faint outline of a mountain range far in the distance.
"See that? The content of this training is... snow mountain training!"
Keith said sternly, "A qualified soldier cannot just be comfortable. He must also be able to survive in extremely harsh conditions! So, you are no exception. This training is your test!"
Snow mountain training...
Everyone's expressions soured. Just hearing the name made it sound like an intense challenge.
"Of course, considering the difficulty of this training and the risks involved, you can choose not to participate."
After Keith finished speaking, everyone was stunned. They could choose not to participate? That sounded like a good deal...
"However," Keith continued with a slight smile, "the results of this training will be included in your overall score."
"..."
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