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

Maxime shrugged slightly, carefully avoiding Karad's direct gaze.

"Yeah, I didn't exactly have it easy."

Karad nodded in understanding, who in this room hadn't had several very difficult moments in this room?

Some had even died several times.

But what was more surprising was that this young man seemed to have had as much experience as they had, even though they had all lived at least several years in Eternity.

This young man couldn't be one of them.

Karad pointed to another mannequin, this time several meters away.

"Show me a routine.

Maxime did so almost immediately.

His movements were a perfect blend of power, control and grace. He moved from one blow to the next without the slightest hesitation, linking precise strikes, feints and imaginary parries as if he were facing an invisible opponent.

The soldiers, silent at first, began to murmur amongst themselves.

"He's no beginner, that's for sure." breathed Beret, impressed.

Varek, watching intently, leaned towards Karad.

"Despite his young age, he's had to face death several times. These moves don't come from someone who just learned in a training room."

Karad nodded, arms crossed.

"Yes, it sure isn't someone who didn't follow the merchant's path or that of training with nobles."

In this fortress, soldiers had seen it all before, and generally recruits weren't very good at fighting.

Indeed, most people in this world would rather earn money slowly and progress steadily than risk losing several years of life.

Especially in the early days, when everyone was very weak.

Only those with a lot of courage, determination and, above all, a lack of educational resources made progress on the battlefields.

Indeed, those with money or a good family could progress almost as quickly as those who put their lives on the line with business and social skills.

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Not being one of these people, Maxime immediately won everyone's respect.

A person with a lot of combat experience was highly valued in the army, and would not be seen as a heavyweight like many recruits.

As Maxime finished his routine with a clean final blow that would have decapitated a real opponent, Gérard slowly applauded.

"Hey, kid, are you sure you're a rookie? Because you're making us look like amateurs."

Maxime, who wasn't the least bit exhausted by this consequent sequence, sketched a modest smile, but his eyes, dark and serious, betrayed a depth that none of the soldiers fully understood.

He had surely lived for those few months in Eternity, more than many people here.

"I manage a little." he replied calmly with a smile, sword still in hand.

A few soldiers, seeing Maxime still carrying that sword, were a little intimidated.

If Maxime decided to attack them, some of them didn't think they could survive more than 3 exchanges.

But at the same time, they were reassured to see that there were people like that on their side of the battlefield.

Karad motioned to a soldier to activate one of the combat robots.

The soldier obeyed immediately, since Karad was one of the fortress's high-ranking officers.

The robot lit up, its red eyes glinting menacingly. He moved forward slowly, taking up a position opposite Maxime.

"Now, a real adversary." declared Karad.

"Let's see how you do against something that fights back."

A murmur went through the soldiers, excited to see what would happen.

Maxime watched the robot adjust. His posture changed subtly: he relaxed, adopting a waiting stance, the point of his sword slightly lowered. This change, imperceptible to most, was immediately noticed by Karad and Varek.

"He's done this before."

The robot charged abruptly, his movements quick and precise, aiming for a sideways strike.

But Maxime dodged with disconcerting fluidity, slipping out of reach and counter-attacking with a clean sweep.

The blade struck the robot's arm, deactivating one of its mechanisms and sending out numerous sparks of electricity.

Spectators held their breath as the fight intensified. Maxime wasn't just defending himself: he was mastering the rhythm, anticipating the robot's movements with an ease that confounded even experienced soldiers.@@novelbin@@

After a series of attacks and counter-attacks, he executed a final move of deadly precision, striking the robot at the neck joint. The machine came to a screeching halt, its head tilting slightly before shutting down completely.

A stunned silence reigned in the room.

"Well..." began Beret, breaking the silence.

"I think we've just found a genius."

Karad approached Maxime, who was still holding his sword, his hands surprisingly stable despite the intensity of the fight.

"You're more than just a recruit," he said neutrally.

"But if you want to hide what you know, you'd better not be so good."

Maxime remained silent for a moment, before replying with an enigmatic smile.

"I'm not hiding anything. I'm just doing my best."

Karad sensed there was much more behind that smile and those words.

In his opinion, geniuses didn't come from nowhere, or at least the probability was too low for a genius to be born without the support of a powerful person or a wealthy family.

He himself knew some of the secrets of this world and therefore had his reasons for thinking that.

"Follow me." he murmured before turning around.

Maxime nodded without question, following Karad. With Maxime under his protection, Varek followed as well. The soldiers around them moved aside to let them pass, some casting respectful glances, others curious.

"That guy, he's just arrived and he could be the captain of a squad..." breathed one of the soldiers, a young balding man.

"More than a captain, with moves like that, he could rival the combat instructors." replied a woman in light armor, her eyes still riveted on Maxime.

As Karad led Maxime to a side door, Gérard cracked a joke that drew a few laughs.

"If you change your mind, kid, don't forget that the 4ᵉ battalion is the best!"

Beret retorted immediately.

"Do a little research and you'll see that the 5th battalion has much better advantages than the4th!"

Laughter erupted as Maxime turned and bowed slightly before continuing to follow Karad.

After walking for a while, Karad opened the door to a smaller, soberly lit room.

In the center was a circular table surrounded by seats, and on the walls were screens displaying tactical maps and real-time data on outside activities.

Karad sat down and motioned to Maxime to do the same. Varek, ever curious, stood by the door, arms crossed.

Karad rested his elbow on the table, his piercing gaze fixed on Maxime.

"Listen to me carefully. Everyone here has a past. A heavy past. But you, you're... different. Your movements, your mastery... it's beyond what I've seen in most veterans of this fortress. So I'm going to ask you a simple question."

He paused, letting the tension build.

"Who are you, Maxime Valdreuve?"

Maxime didn't answer immediately. He held Karad's gaze, his dark eyes revealing an unfathomable depth.

At that moment, he felt like answering:

"I'm the man who talks to the gods, and not just any gods."

Mostly because it was the truth.

But he obviously couldn't do that; he'd just met Karad and Varek, and couldn't immediately trust them.

And even if he did trust them, he wouldn't tell them.

It was his biggest secret, and unless he became one of the most powerful humans in the world, he wouldn't say anything.

And for the moment, he was just a little stronger than a squad captain, so far from being one of the strongest humans on the planet.

Finally, he shrugged and answered in a calm, almost too detached voice.

"An ordinary player with a little more courage than the others."

Karad squinted, wary, but chose not to insist.

"If you want to stay here, in this fortress, you'll have to prove that you're worthy of our trust."

Varek then intervened, breaking the tension.

"Hey, relax, Karad. He's already shown he can hold his sword. If he wanted to cause trouble, he would have done so from the start."

Karad grunted, but he couldn't help nodding slightly.

"Maybe so. But I'm keeping an eye on you, Maxime. I don't want any surprises."

Maxime, impassive, replied simply:

"You can keep as many eyes as you like. I'm here to fight. Nothing else."

To be honest, this questioning irritated Maxime. He wasn't part of the army and had no obligation to come here.

If he chose not to fight, no one could blame him because he was under no obligation.

He'd only come because of the advantages of the dimensional battlefield.

But for the time being, he felt it would be better to collaborate with the army and develop good relations with them.

This would be advantageous for his future career, but also in the short term, since he'd be living in their fortress and fighting alongside them for a long time, so despite his sanguine temperament, he restrained himself.

Karad nodded, satisfied for the moment.

"So get ready. Because here, we don't just train. Very soon, you'll be out in the field, facing enemies far more dangerous than this robot. Then we'll see what you're really made of."

Maxime stood up, his face still calm, but a flame burning in his eyes.

"I'm looking forward to it."

Maxime guessed that Karad's identity must be more than just a chief engineer, or he wouldn't have said such things.

As he left the room, Varek whispered to Karad.

"I bet you he'll be one of the best we've seen in a long time."

Karad crossed his arms, watching the door close behind Maxime.

"Maybe it will. But for that, he'd have to stay alive."