Chapter 180: 178: Graduation Ceremony (2)

"The Goal of the Graduation Ceremony is for the Cadets to experience life in the Wilds, in preparation for their future missions." The yellow face, spanning 40 metres in size spoke, "Therefore, the Ceremony will span 24 hours with all Cadets participating in a single mission; their goal is to arrive at the finishing point."

"As opposed to the Tier 2 strength of the November Batch, there is thrice the number of Tier 2 Frenzy Beasts present, all occupying their respective habitats. There are also about 2,500 Tier 1 Frenzy Beasts, consisting of about 12 different species."

"The goals are artificial looking platforms in the otherwise natural environment we have created, so, it would be easy to spot. The Cadets will be split into teams of five, assigned randomly, with the final team having 6 members. A total of one hour has been given to get accustomed to the teammates. Also, only the most basic resources of weapons, armours, and energy resources have been allocated."

"Unless a Cadet is on the verge of death, he/she will not be pulled out. There are no rewards for success and no punishments for failure. The only objective is the completion of the assigned mission." The yellow face continued speaking a few more rules, mostly for the Cadets in the Graduation ceremony to follow.

As for the spectators, they were only asked to witness everything and try to glean insights for their future well-being. The ground staff flew overhead, each stopping at separated spots, situated 10 metres above the sea of clouds. They spread throughout the area of the ground, each holding a name pad.

On it were numbers, assigned from 1 to 891. To their right were columns, split into six respectively, battle insight, judgement, leadership, strength, camaraderie, planning, and execution. There was a number 10 above each of the six columns, signifying the maximum range of the score assignable.

This implied the Cadets were awarded scores for the maximum of 60 depending on their overall performance. Each ground staff gazed at the watch strapped on their hands, gazing intently at the time, watching the second-hand move past consistently.

6:00 AM, the clouds parted way, dispersing into steam that spread upwards, soon mixing up into the atmosphere. The ground was revealed, now housing an ecosystem of its own.

…

Rakh Veera stood at the edge of the circular platform, watching it enter the layer of clouds, blanketing his vision for a couple of seconds before it appeared beneath the layer. Sounds of shock and exclaim went off one after another, with some Cadets beginning to cry in fear.

'They have drastically changed the terrain once again.' Even Rakh Veera felt a sense of apprehension, spotting a column of water forming a river in the air, flowing steadily from one end to the other, making a loop before returning to its source, a large pond situated on one end.

"Don't lose your composure," Rakh Veera shouted, instilling some calm into the flustered students. His prestige and authority, not to mention his battle accomplishments in recent times made everyone unconsciously place his words on a pedestal, carrying significant weight.

"Memorise the layout before the platform touches the ground. We have a minute at most, make use of every second." His voice carried reason, quickly spurring everyone into action. There were still many who were fearful, their legs trembling while they stammered, unable to voice out their thoughts. But, they tried their best to overcome their nervousness and fear.

As the platform descended, Rakh Veera noticed a thin stream separate from the column of water flowing in the air. Swimming within it was a large fish-like creature, spanning a length greater than 2 metres.

It noticed and swam towards them, approaching through the air, all the while accompanied by a thin stream of water covering its body, forming a trail that connected with the main column of water.

A Cadet lifted a sword, his hands trembling as he gazed at the fish swim towards him, gulping in fear at its bloodthirsty eyes. He trembled, his nervousness overcoming his rational, prompting him to raise his sword and charge at the incoming creature.

"Idiot!" A nearby Cadet grabbed hold of him, sending a slap his way. "Look at it carefully. Think before you act or you will end up in its stomach."

Only then did the Cadet come to his senses, watching his feet hovering just a centimetre from the edge of the platform. In the meantime, the fish had swum towards him, approaching a metre from him. As the Cadet took a step back in fear, he heard a dull thud as the fish slammed its face on the psychic energy barrier, one that flashed around the platform they stood on.

"This barrier will shield us until the moment the Ceremony begins. We still have more than 10 minutes for that to happen. Once the platform touches the ground, we can then think and prepare a route to charge through." The other Cadet said, glancing at the approaching Rakh Veera as he nodded.

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Rakh Veera nodded in response and returned to his previous spot. He noticed the platform descending past numerous rock pillars, each spanning almost 80 metres in height, with their bodies shaped like rugged cones.

The rock pillars were haphazardly placed, lacking zero sense of unity. There were winding paths that connected some rock pillars. The area on the ground was narrow, with only some rare few paths spanning a width greater than 2 metres.

Most of the time, the rock pillars blocked many pathways, the gap sometimes spanning less than three centimetres, only allowing one to peek the other side.

Rakh Veera thought about the layout of the military academy and his directional placement on the descending circular platform, getting a sense of the direction. The Esper Block was situated in the north while the Rhachis Block was in the south. The White Building was in the east while the Head Office Building was in the west.

Rakh Veera noticed traces of spider webs in the south and south-east, allowing him to instantly figure out the dominant Frenzy Beasts in the habitat. He shouted towards the rest, pointing at the direction he observed the webs in, "Avoid going through our south and south-east. They are the habitat for the Floating Spiders."

Without any opposition, everyone nodded. Rakh Veera then pointed above them, at the column of water flowing in the air, "Also, if you encounter any River Whales, refrain from killing them. Only injure them to the extent they would retreat. They are the ones maintaining the water column, without them, all that water would fall on us and create a flood, also flushing all the Frenzy Beasts to one place."

Beyond that, Rakh Veera didn't spot anything else worthy of pointing out, turning silent. There was barely any illumination, with the source originating from the platform they stood above. The rest was as dark as the night, unable to be determined of what lay within. He could only make out some things through his Tier 1 Skill.

He then noticed a flash of yellow form before them. The flash of yellow soon shaped itself into the figure of Madam Mila, looking at them for a couple of seconds.

The marble figure pointed towards the east, "The goal is a cluster of floating islands situated at the end in this direction." The figure then pointed towards the west, "There is a similar arrangement of the floating islands in the west. Each floating island is only wide enough to facilitate a single team."

"Also, the total number of floating islands is the same as the total number of teams, 178, split between the east and west. Plan well and occupy the islands. Moreover, the Ceremony only ends upon the time limit of 24 hours. So, even if you end up occupying a floating island, you would have to defend the place against your foes until the time limit."

At the mention of the word 'foes', Rakh Veera's brows scrunched up, his expression turned foul as he thought, 'She mentioned the term foes and not Frenzy Beasts, dammit. Before anyone gets a bad idea, I should put a stop to their train of thought.'

"That's all I have to say. The moment this platform disappears and the clouds above dissipate is when your Ceremony begins." The yellow figure crumbled, dissipating from the spot with a flash of yellow.

"Everyone," Rakh Veera shouted, "The team that first arrives at either end will try to transmit the number of floating islands in the region. This will help us coordinate and prevent any wastage of time."

"Also," He turned around, his focus turning sharp, "Your character and your mettle is tested here. So, put on your best behaviour to get better opportunities at the organisations you will be drafted to."

"Victory for us!" An Area Controller among the crowd shouted, transmitting his voice through his psychic energy, inciting everyone to echo his words. Their shout raised their morale, amplifying their spirits.

Some Frenzy Beasts who had spotted them began to crawl forward, with many retreating to notify their brethren, preparing for retaliation.

At this moment, the clouds above parted way, allowing the morning sunlight to illuminate the region, making everyone gasp in alarm. Among the stone pillars situated slightly farther away, a horde of Frenzy Beasts climber over, swarming towards their location post haste.

"Spread out!" Rakh Veera bellowed, motioning for his teammates to follow behind him. All the other Tier 2 Cadets charged out at the front, intending to forge a path for the rest to follow.

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