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"Continue." ordered Karad.

Minutes passed, and Maxime slowly improved. He hit every third target at 50 meters, sometimes every other, but it was clear that he lacked precision and control. Even so, his stamina and perseverance did not go unnoticed.

Karad leaned towards Varek.

"Physically, he's solid. Always is. But when it comes to precision, he looks like a complete beginner."

Varek shrugged.

"It's already pretty amazing to be able to shoot over 100 times in less than 10 minutes, most new recruits aren't capable of that. Usually they're more like 20 or 30 shots in 5 minutes and then they're too tired from the recoil to keep shooting."

"He'll improve quickly." continued Varek with a smile on his lips.

Maxime, for his part, was trying to stay focused despite the comments he was hearing around him.

He noticed that the mood was changing as he shot, but he wasn't paying much attention to it.

He finished his series of shots with one last clumsy one that missed its target.

He didn't want to keep shooting, because he felt that his performance was already a little abnormal, so he wanted to avoid being noticed too much and being asked questions, otherwise he wouldn't be able to answer them honestly.

And he knew that in the army, honesty was a fundamental value.

Seeing him stop shooting, the nearby soldiers applauded.

"Hey, nice recruit!"

"If you haven't found a battalion yet, think about the one at the 5th Infantry Battalion! We'll welcome you with a smile and be happy to train you!" a craggy-faced sergeant shouted, crossing his arms over his chest. His badges indicated that he belonged to the 5ᵉ infantry battalion.

"Come to the4th battalion instead, my boy! The guys from the 5th just know how to shoot in the thick of it, but we've got real sharpshooters!" intervened another soldier, a stocky corporal from the 4ᵉ infantry battalion.

The sergeant frowned, turning to the corporal with a spark of defiance in his eyes.

"Gerard do you want us to fight now?"

The corporal was unfazed.

"Yeah, what advantage do you want me to give you, Beret? Because if I don't have at least one arm or leg less, I'm liable to beat you too easily."

Maxime watched the scene with a touch of amusement, while feeling the weight of the stares turn towards him. The soldiers seemed to be waiting for a response to their enthusiastic and somewhat provocative invitations. He inhaled deeply, adjusted his rifle slightly, and straightened up, wearing a polite but indecipherable expression.

"Thank you for your offers, it's nice to feel welcomed." he said with a discreet smile.

"Each battalion seems to have its own assets and charms, so allow me to take some time to think about it."

The laughter redoubled, and Gérard, the sergeant, burst into a frank laugh while crossing his arms.

"Not bad, kid. You're tactful enough not to offend anyone. But don't think too long, the 5ᵉ could use a youngster like you."

"Except that he'd be much better off with us, at the 4ᵉ, where he'll learn to aim properly before ending up with a blade in his belly." replied Corporal Béret, his tone as teasing as ever, but with a slight smile of approval.

Maxime inclined his head, keeping his smile neutral.

The soldiers exchanged amused glances, before Karad, who was observing the scene from the rear, spoke up sharply.

"All right, enough of this blather. Maxime isn't here to listen to your battalion squabbles. You'll scare him off before he's had a chance to learn how to shoot properly."

Varek burst out laughing, giving Karad a pat on the shoulder.

"Relax, Karad. A little camaraderie builds team spirit."

Maxime, for his part, pretended to concentrate on his equipment, but he was mentally noting names and personalities. Despite their rivalry, he sensed a sincere warmth between these soldiers, an esprit de corps he could only respect.

Karad moved closer, nodding slowly.

"Otherwise it wasn't brilliant, but it wasn't catastrophic either."

Varek agreed and added:

"Your advantage is your powerful physique, which allows you to withstand recoil with greater ease than most soldiers in this fortress. But without training, that's not enough; you'll have to improve your accuracy, otherwise you'll be wasting your talent."

Maxime put the rifle away with a sigh.

"Thanks for the advice, I'll improve."

He was also glad he hadn't asked him about his precise physique, it seemed to be a taboo in the army.

Varek gave him an encouraging smile.

"You're doing well for someone who's never touched a weapon of this kind. Most recruits stop after 20 or 30 shots in 5 minutes, but you did over 100 in ten minutes, which is pretty impressive. What's more, you seem to have a bit of reserve left, smart guy."

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Maxime let out a small, embarrassed smile.

"Don't worry, it's okay to keep a secret card in your hand as long as you don't endanger the lives of your comrades."

Karad nodded, softening his tone a little.@@novelbin@@

"In any case, if you want to come back and train, the door's always open. It's better to prepare here than to learn in the heat of battle. And believe me, you'll soon be shooting at real targets."

These words warmed Maxime's heart; it really seemed that this army was rather warm-hearted.

"Thank you very much." he thanked with great sincerity.

"Well, how about we go and test your mastery of the sword?" asked Karad rhetorically with a smile.

Ordinary recruits don't deserve his attention, but it would seem that this youngster was really different, so he didn't neglect him as he had at first.

Maxime nodded, his eyes very confident but also very curious.

Those eyes didn't escape the people around him.

"Hey, can we follow you?" asked Sergeant Gérard, accompanied by a few soldiers from various battalions.

"It's true, this recruit is really interesting," added Corporal Béret.

Varek and Karad looked at each other for an opinion.

"You can." announced Karad in a curt tone, having obviously discussed the matter with Varek via their body expressions.

Maxime shrugged, as he didn't seem to have any say in the matter.

Perhaps if he'd been in the ranks, it would have been different.

"Follow me," Karad ordered, opening another door leading to a training area equipped with dummies and combat robots.

Maxime entered the new training area, his eyes quickly scanning the surroundings. The dummies, made of a mixture of metal and shock-absorbing materials, were marked with dents and scratches, testifying to their intensive use. As for the combat robots, they stood motionless, their red eyes extinguished for the moment, but their imposing appearance hinted at their dangerousness.

Karad stepped into the center of the room, taking a short sword from a rack. He twirled it between his fingers with casual ease before handing it to Maxime.

"Let's see how good you are at hand-to-hand combat. It's an essential skill for survival." said Karad with a scrutinizing look, while Varek and other soldiers also watched with curious eyes.

"In any case, you shouldn't do too badly, since you must have already unlocked a few levels of swordsman classes and trained a bit with them."

When Karad handed him a short sword, he grasped it with unusual assurance, his fingers closing naturally on the handle as if he were reuniting with an old friend.

As he did so, he nodded, then asked a question that appeared in his mind:

"Can't I take the sword supplied in the basic kit?"

Karad shook his head.

"Those swords are too powerful, and you'd risk damaging or even destroying our dummies and training robots permanently, even if they have a self-regenerating function."

Maxime simply nodded, then observed the room carefully, noting every detail of the mannequins and robots.

When Karad handed him a short sword, he grasped it with unusual confidence, his fingers closing naturally on the handle as if he were reuniting with an old friend.

Maxime responded with a simple nod, his features neutral, but an intense sparkle crossed his eyes.

He adjusted his posture without even thinking, assuming a guarded stance that Karad immediately recognized as that of a seasoned fighter.

"Hey, he looks like he knows what he's doing," Varek whispered to Karad.

Karad didn't reply, preferring to wait for actions to speak for themselves. He pointed to a mannequin with a gesture of his chin.

"Strike."

Maxime wasted no time. In a fraction of a second, he executed a fluid movement, combining speed and precision.

The blade split the air with a distinct hiss, striking the dummy in the shoulder before sliding down to his waist in a surgical gesture. The force and precision of the blow caused the dummy, which was solidly anchored to the ground and, above all, extremely hard, to sway slightly.

Most people in this room would be incapable of doing something similar.

The room fell silent. The soldiers, expecting a rookie's clumsiness, exchanged stunned glances.

"That kid knows how to use a sword," muttered Gérard, crossing his arms with an amused smile.

Karad, his eyes squinting, slowly approached.

"You don't look like you've had an easy life in Eternity," he asked curiously.