“The Global Army has dormitories all around the training ground,” Rupert explained while leading Khan’s group toward a structure in the distance. “You will have to share the room with other people, but you can rent entire flats if you have enough Credits.”

Khan didn’t even bother to listen to those words. He was completely broke. He didn’t even have any food left.

“The lessons will begin in a week,” Rupert continued. “You will have theoretical subjects in the morning and physical training in the afternoon. There is also a curfew at ten pm with severe punishments for anyone who breaks it.”

Rupert went on, explaining all the different features of the training camp. The canteen was in the same building as the lessons, while the other structures mostly had training purposes.

“You will get Credits for completing missions and similar events, but it’s too early to talk about this stuff,” Rupert concluded.

The structure resembled a warehouse that featured tall metal doors. One of them opened and revealed a series of large platforms that floated a few centimeters above the floor.

“Follow me,” Rupert said before jumping on the platform.

The others imitated Rupert, and the platform began to move, leading them outside the warehouse and higher in the sky.

Khan and the others could notice that other identical transports were flying through the sky. They all carried young boys and girls and a lieutenant toward a large series of buildings surrounded by fields that featured different environments.

Khan saw a forest, a lake, a small hill, and a plain covered with tall grass. A few warehouses stood next to each environment, and the other platforms seemed to come from them.

“This test is nothing more than a skimming process,” Rupert explained. “We place the recruits in a foreign environment and make them face a Tainted animal. The results of the tests allow us to create classes suited for your current level, but they won’t affect your grades.”

Luke and Martha turned toward Khan when Rupert mentioned the grades. He had gained an A-plus, so the Global Army believed that he was stronger than his companions.

Khan didn’t fail to notice those glances. He had always been a foreigner in the Slums, so he had become used to that behavior.

‘I hope they don’t resent me,’ Khan thought while pretending to ignore the duo. ‘I don’t want to have enemies inside the camp already.’

“You can always gain access to the superior class if your growth is promising,” Rupert continued. “Also, a few courses are mandatory for every class. You will even gain access to optional courses once you enter the second semester.”

The platform seemed to have a force field that blocked the wind. The transport was flying quite fast, but Khan and the others didn’t feel anything.

The platform eventually landed in a parking lot at the edges of the training ground. The group jumped off and continued to follow Rupert, but their eyes darted through the environment to study their new home.

‘This is so clean,’ Khan thought while studying the training camp.

The streets among the various structures were immaculate. A few robots ran through them and took care of any spot or trash left on the ground.

Signs and maps appeared at every crossroad. They featured detailed explanations on how to reach every building, and they even had a screen where the soldiers could call for help.

The buildings appeared as the most futuristic structures in the world. Azure light ran among their metal tiles, and large windows allowed to see their ample and clean insides.

Rupert stopped once he led the group in front of the dormitories. They were large buildings surrounded by a short metal fence and a large gate.

Soldiers protected the gate and took care of a stand placed on its sides. Rupert pointed at them and made his group apply for a room. In a few seconds, Khan obtained a glass-like card with the number “C501” written on its surface.

“Don’t lose your phones” Rupert gave the last instructions. “The canteen is already active, and you all have to see the doctor during this week. Your phones will notify when it’s your time to visit him.”

The Slums were so out of touch with technology that Khan had almost failed to recognize the phone. He quickly pressed his fingers on the screen, and a series of menus came out in the form of holograms.

The phone contained information about the various courses, the time at which they occurred, and they even gave a brief description of the professors.

Khan soon discovered that he could book the training areas in the camp by paying a set number of Credits. Of course, his phone only showed the number zero when he checked his balance.

‘This must be one of the latest models,’ Khan thought while patting Jay’s shoulder.

Jay turned, and Khan quickly grabbed his wrist. Then, he placed Jay’s hand on his phone, but the screen didn’t light up.

“It has a genetic scanner,” Jay explained. “You could have asked.”

“I haven’t held a phone since I was five,” Khan tried to justify himself.

“The Global Army gets the good stuff,” Jay replied while waving his phone. “The factories are in this area. I heard that they even have soldiers stationed outside of them.”

“Less gossip and more moving,” Rupert said before pointing at the gate.

Khan and the others quickly went toward their respective buildings. It didn’t take them much to find where their rooms were since they could check the maps on their phones.

They were all in building C, so they walked part of the road together. Many boys and girls of a similar age or older strolled among the different structures and occupied the small park next to them, but they didn’t seem to care about Khan and the others.

The group divided once they reached building C. Khan’s room was on the fifth floor. A metal door featuring the number “01” and a small screen eventually appeared in front of him, and a simple touch made it unlock.

‘The door also has genetic scanners,’ Khan exclaimed in his mind. ‘This place is centuries ahead of the Slums!’

The room didn’t match Khan’s expectations. It was small and had only three rooms. One had two bunk beds, the other was a bathroom with a toilet and shower, and the last was a laundry area.

‘Well, it’s still the army,’ Khan sighed before placing his bag on one of the bottom bunks.

Khan didn’t care about fighting for the top bunk. He would rather give it up now and avoid discussions with his roommates.

His phone rang as soon as he placed his bag on the bed. Khan saw that his appointment with the doctor was in half an hour, so he quickly left the dormitory to reach the medical bay.

Khan met many young soldiers along the road. He mostly ignored them to study the camp, but they shot strange glances at him.

Truth be told, Khan didn’t have the time to shower after his fight with the Tainted boar. He didn’t even wear the clean uniforms in the laundry area due to the habits gained in the Slums.

Reaching the medical bay turned out to be easy. The staff there didn’t only feature soldiers. Men and women wearing white coats and scrubs walked through the corridors without ever looking away from their phones.

“Who would you be?” One of the soldiers at the entrance asked, but Khan promptly showed the notification on his phone.

The soldier accompanied Khan toward one of the labs where his meeting would happen. The woman knocked on the door before opening it and gesturing to Khan to enter.

A series of tools that Khan didn’t recognize unfolded in his view. Microscopes, scanners, and other types of machinery filled the large room.

“Khan, right?” A middle-aged man asked from behind his desk.

The man had short black hair and an unkempt beard. His small glasses covered his green eyes that had large eyebags under them.

“Yes,” Khan replied while inspecting the room.

“You might want to start adding a “sir” at the end of your lines from now on,” The doctor said. “Welcome to the army. I am Doctor Ian Parket, and I will test your mana.”

“Will I discover my element today?” Khan asked as his eyes lit up.

Doctor Parket shot a glance toward Khan, and the latter quickly gave voice to a faint “sir”.

“Not only that,” Doctor Parked explained while leaving his chair. “I will also test your current max capacity and attunement. They both are important qualities for mana users.”

Khan nodded even if he didn’t know much about those topics. He only wanted to see his element as fast as possible.

“You already have a mana core, right?” Doctor Parket asked while picking what resembled an electric thermometer.

“Yes, sir,” Khan replied.

“Let’s see what you have then,” Doctor Parket approached Khan and placed the tool on his nape.

A series of holograms quickly appeared on the table. They depicted Khan’s nape, but the images suddenly changed as a few beeps came out of the tool.

The holograms began to inspect the insides of the nape and illuminate the mana flowing through Khan’s body.

“How long did you have your mana core for?” Doctor Parket asked.

“A few months,” Khan replied honestly.

“Not bad,” Doctor Parket commented before a few beeps resounded and the images changed again.

The holograms stopped depicting Khan’s nape and made a list of qualities. A loading icon rotated next to them since the tool was still studying Khan’s mana core.

“What?!” Doctor Parket exclaimed when the stats appeared on the holograms, and a mechanical voice soon listed them. “Mana core quality: Organic A-tier; Element: Chaos; Attunement: 10%; Mana capacity: error.”