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Cedric sighed as he sent his fellow cadets away.
If they were back in the civilization right now, it would be around midnight already. People should already be asleep by this ti yet here they were, just finishing their drills and training.
The perpetual darkness and depressing atmosphere of this place really make one lose a sense of ti. If it weren't for the fact that Cedric allocated one of his nurous thought chambers to solely counting each second that passed, he too wouldn't recognize what ti it was.
"What a ss." He muttered softly as he returned to his room.
When the Knight Captains added the responsibility of training the rest of his batchmates to him, which happened by the end of their eting yesterday, he was really tempted to refuse.
He didn't want to be a babysitter. Looking after his own team was already enough for him. He didn't care about the well-being of his other batchmates because he believed that they would get what was coming for them.
Cedric wasn't a hero and he didn't want to be. Besides, this will be a thankless task from what he understood. His ratings would only be affected by the performance of his team, not the entire batch.
However, he still ended up accepting it. As much as he didn't want to, leaving them be would only cause their deaths once they go out there again. Only half of them remained, and while Cedric was mostly unrelated to them, he could imagine the grief that their family would feel after receiving this news, and that made him feel bad enough to accept this responsibility.
Besides, he's not gonna do it permanently, only for the remainder of their stay here. And it shouldn't be too hard since he's good at multi-tasking.
That said, while it's not that hard, it turned out to be a headache though. His batchmates were lar than he initially thought. His outburst earlier was a bit out of control.
He can't help it. Comparing the lives they had to his just grinds his gears. Everything was handed to them on a silver platter. They had all the ti in the world and resources to beco a semi-decent Superhuman at the very least.
Cedric could still clearly recall how they paraded their status and 'strength' all over the academy, feeling good about themselves and thinking that they were the best. Yet at the first sign of trouble, they fold and weep. It's beyond pathetic in his eyes, and he resents it greatly.
That's why the filters of his mouth disappeared earlier. And based on their expressions after hearing everything he had to say, it's safe to say that his point was sent across with perfect clarity.
He had stomped and thrashed that worthless sense of importance and pride on them. Rendering it aningless as it should in a place like this. He reminded them of their place and taught them how to carry themselves according to their status.
Cedric never told them directly what to do, he only gave them hints because that would be better for them.
The hints he referred to were his own squad. They weren't spared from this training, but they're not his targets either. As everyone else was being chased by the hellhounds, his squad mates were experiencing it too.
But because they'd been with him since day one, they knew what to do. They fought back, tooth and nail, against the hellhounds. They weren't isolated from the entire group, they were there amongst them. Everyone could see what they're doing and everyone knows which squad they belong to.
The fact that none of the cadets even thought of copying them, or even taking inspiration from their example, is what really pissed Cedric off. That's why he's extra harsh on them.
As for his fellow Squad Leaders? Cedric did not pity them. They're one the sa boat as him and they're held equally accountable for the casualties their batch suffered. That point was made and engraved in their minds with the help of the Knight Captains, so any further reminder of that wouldn't help.
Besides, most of the chosen Squad Leaders were pretty high up in the rankings so they're not stupid, unlike the rest. He still made them suffer with him, but that's natural, after all, they accepted great responsibilities as he did willingly, so they should prove that they could handle it.
"Kyu~!"
Cedric was interrupted from his daze by Aurelion who ca out of the beast space. Seeing the cute little thing made Cedric smile, the little guy probably felt his irritation and went out to comfort him.
"I'm fine, little one." Cedric told the feline softly. He picked him up and started petting him gently.
Cedric couldn't bear to leave Aurelion behind so he stayed with him. The little murder cat mostly stayed within the beast space and played there. Aurelion's a smart cat so he understood instructions, Cedric said that he's not allowed to go out of his room (beast space) unless Cedric was in a safe place, mainly the apartnt complex - specifically, his room.
He played with Aurelion for a bit before asking him to return to the beast space.
'At least right before the day ends, most of them finally used their brain cells.' Cedric thought to himself, continuing with his train of thought earlier.
It started with one, and the rest followed afterwards.
Soone finally noticed how his squad mbers were performing and began copying them at least. Then that person asked a question which led to them learning that the Hellhounds abuse the patterns and vulnerabilities of their targets. aning that so long as they stay mindful of their stance and habits during a fight, the hellhounds would find it more difficult to attack them.
Learning it was one thing, doing it was an entirely different subject altogether. Normally, instilling a lesson in a person's body needs ti and discipline. Nobody could just expect it to happen in a single day, especially since old habits die hard.
But that's the point of sending the Hellhounds after them. Those hell puppies don't get tired and they are excessively trained to abuse their targets. The only motivation the cadets need to fix their habits, engrave the lesson to their bodies, and expedite the process is suffering from the sharp canines of the puppies.
It's difficult and vexing, especially considering that they had to do it while running, but even through their suffering, everybody could clearly tell that their improving.
Again, it started with one and the rest followed. The cadets did nothing but do this the entire day, only having short breaks in between. They lost count of how much flesh they lost and regenerated since this day started, and frankly, it doesn't matter anymore.
At the end of the day, they already learned their lesson the hard way. And since this is only the start, they will for sure not forget it anyti soon.
As for the Squad Leaders, Cedric was more thodical towards them. No, they didn't just force them to play with the Cerberus all day long. Sotis, he would pause and review drills and protocols with them as they lay on the ground in pain.
Even the combat-nut Garrick, was spent, hurt, tired, and whiny once Cedric's done with them. Isabella actually passed out three tis in total, only for Cedric to smack her awake and tell her to walk it off.
In their eyes, he was a slave driver and far scarier than the demons they'd encountered so far. However, his thods were effective. He might be forcing them to suffer from abuse, and that might be the truth, but that's also sharpening their willpower and increasing their pain tolerance.
Leaders like them were the core of the squad. Above all, they must always be alert and ready to relay orders as soon as the need arises. They are allowed to be caught off guard and hurt, but that shouldn't stop them from leading their team.
Of course, that lesson couldn't learned in just a day. But that's not a problem. Cedric essentially beca the acting Captain of his entire batch, and they would be with him for the following days.
They would learn what they need to learn whether they like it or not. After all, if any of them died after this, then their deaths would partially be blad on him. And Cedric would like to avoid that from happening if he could.
The first day of him being in charge of his batchmates...the ones that are still alive, ended on a rather bland note.
Despite his streak so far, he wasn't completely rciless. He gave them breaks in between and bought them food. He didn't cook for them, they could do that for themselves, but he did shoulder the expenses by exchanging money for rit points.
He didn't care whether they learned of this or not. All he needs them to do is to perform according to his expectations and that's enough.
"They will only have a few hours of rest." Cedric muttered to himself. "Let's see if they could truly beco a decent Superhuman after this."
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