After Surviving the Apocalypse, I Built a City in Another World novel Chapter 306

Duties

Eden Military Training Camp, 14 years ago

Bang!

"That’s all you got, cadet?!" A well-built middle-aged man bellowed, punching a young man to the ground for the nth time that morning.

The sixteen-year-old Garan groaned and pushed himself up once more, his muscles hardening as he prepared for another attack.

The older man narrowed his eyes as he watched the young boy’s movements.

"You cannot be a proper soldier if you’re not strong enough!"

The huge man snapped into position again. "Come!" He yelled and the boy flinched, similarly entering an aggressive stance.

Determination burning in his azure eyes, the young lad lunged forward. His strikes were swift and precise for his age, but it was lacking in the eyes of the older man, who was grooming him to be the best there was.

Bang!

Another takedown, with the lad immediately jumping back up to stability, darting towards the older man without a beat of delay.

The boy’s movement was impressive, but the older man easily deflected his hits, and soon started to counterattack.

First, the boy was hit in the stomach, then to the chest. The lad struggled to defend, albeit with increasing frequency of a decent block.

However, the soldier’s seasoned movements contrasted greatly with the teen’s imperfect techniques, and he failed as soon as the old man changed his tempo a bit.

The older man’s movements were precise and impactful, and the boy blocked the blows with gritted teeth.

The impact pushed him down everywhere, but he stood up every time.

He was beaten up again for another half an hour, but without fail, Garan stood up.

The huge man looked at him deeply and relaxed his stance. Still, Garan did not dare lose his guard.

The boy’s eyes sharpened and his body shifted. Using his excellent reflexes, he jumped up and changed his position, indicating it was a fake.

He launched a quick strike hitting the man’s side and the man, taken by surprise, let out a muffled grunt.

The boy immediately jumped back in a defensive, ready should he attack him again.

However, instead of attacking, the man’s posture relaxed, making the boy’s eyebrows furrow.

The man smiled and patted his shoulders, with no signs of a new attack. Garan’s tense body relaxed a bit, but still guarded enough in case of a fake-out.

"Good," the man said after a while and the boy blinked, lips twitching upward.

"...thank you."

The old man looked at him with deep eyes and Garan unconsciously straightened his back more.

"Listen well, soldier. We are the shield in front of our country, and thus, the shield in front of our loved ones."

Garan couldn’t help but think of that huge scar he saw on the young Althea’s back when they were swimming. She didn’t mind it, but he felt like crying.

As he remembered this, his eyes sharpened, and the man saw it and nodded in approval.

"That is the duty of a soldier." He said, "And you have the eyes and soul of one."

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