Gaius frowned as yet another punch landed solidly on the instructor’s palm. His attacks were augmented with a simple technique that would overcome the mightiest of defenders — at the point of contact, his forearm would vibrate intensely for that single moment, sending a deceptively lethal force through whatever medium the opponent used to block his hits with. This technique was, at its core, basic, but its seeming simplicity was why few bothered to master it to the levels of fine control.

It was a technique he’d devised on Earth, under circumstances he couldn’t recall, that was used to enhance the lethality of bladed weapons. A bladed weapon, stuck within flesh, would cut through more blood vessels if the blade area was oscillating parallel to the direction of the edge. A punch, layered with such a technique, would decrease the durability of the vulnerable areas within muscle and fat — the blood vessels — eventually rupturing them and thereby cause internal bleeding as hits continued to accumulate.

But it seemed that the technique he’d remembered when he faced off against a superior foe like the Instructor wasn’t serving him all that well.

Clearly, the average soldier’s body in this world was far more durable than their counterparts on Earth. Well, it was good news for them, but it sure as hell wasn’t good news for him. Gritting his teeth, Gaius punched out over and over, ignoring the burning sensation his arms were feeling now.

He’d opted for a match of stamina. Would the instructor’s body give way first, or would his stamina run out before that?

Another ten seconds ticked by, in which time another twenty-odd blows had been blocked by the instructor. The enemy in front of him was slowly losing the ability to deflect his attacks, and most of his hits had to be taken head-on. Even if the instructor’s body was far stronger than the foes he was used too, he had to be exhausted by now.

Gaius’ last punch transformed into a feint, and his arm shot out to grab the instructor’s forearm. At the same time, his right leg shot upwards — Gaius’ attempt to both unbalance the instructor using his body weight and deal a decisive blow by kicking at the instructor’s crotch when he was distracted.

There was a sickening crack as Instructor Aziz intercepted the kick with his free hand. The kick had broken his fingers, and the man’s face twisted in pain. With such an obvious opening, Gaius’ other hand punched out on at his unprotected chest, and the instructor staggered backwards, reeling in pain.

The fight was over.

Instructor Aziz breathed in and out heavily, his face flushed. “Not bad, boy.”

“Thank you, instructor,” replied Gaius, making sure to keep his breathing regular.

The instructor’s face twitched slightly as he took in the stupefied looks of the other trainees. From the looks of it, Instructor Aziz had to be mortified about his defeat — Gaius was somewhat apologetic about that, but he had suspicions regarding the nature of this place, that only by proving himself could he gain access to key resources and information. And sure enough, the chance came by immediately.

A voice, one that sounded very much like Instructor Aziz’s, whispered in his mind, telling him to play along. Immediately afterwards, Instructor Aziz asked, “Gaius, are you perhaps a scion of a fallen Knight family?”

A sudden silence fell as the children heard those words. Gaius smiled faintly. He could somewhat discern what the exchange between him and the instructor entailed. The soldier would attempt to play off defeat as something natural, given that he was up against someone hailing from a martial family. If Gaius collaborated with him, Aziz would reciprocate by opening up new opportunities for Gaius.

It was a win-win situation, by any account.

Gaius pretended to muse for a moment, relishing the undercurrents of anxiety that the instructor was giving off. “I’m an orphan, but I do remember coming from a rather rich household.”

“That must be it!” The instructor beamed, perhaps somewhat unwillingly, given the twitching vein on his left temple. “I can’t believe I actually picked up someone like you. Follow me during lunch. I’ll get you in touch with the relevant authorities at once.”

What a farce. But this was a heaven-sent opportunity for him, and before the instructor could conclude the exchange, Gaius asked, “Can I bring my sister along?”

Aziz made a small choking noise. “Y-your sister will not be an issue. You may.”

“Thank you, Instructor Aziz.” Gaius nodded his head and smiled. He looked at the other envious children, before finding a shady area to sit down at. Gaius closed his eyes as he played through the fight again. He had to analyse the apparent toughness of the human body in this world, in order to adapt his techniques…and whatever new techniques he might remember in the future.

The instructor smiled ruefully, before bellowing at the other children. If this spar was done in private, he would have been able to brush it off, but the only way he could still maintain his status as an instructor when defeated by any trainee was to force the status as a scion of a Knight onto them. What was done was done, however.

He had even laughed when guidelines to treat children stronger than their instructors were passed down. But it now seemed that the higher-ups were actually actively searching out gifted children through this method. It was just that this train of thought didn’t come by until he was beaten down. How embarrassing!

Come to think of it, I did recall hearing about some monstrous children who enrolled in the other camps, despite being legitimate descendants of Knights. I wonder if Gaius could beat them?

For a moment, Instructor Aziz wanted to mention this in an offhanded manner to Gaius, but when he turned to look at his resting demeanour, his mood worsened once more. It probably didn’t help that a chilly sensation came over his crotch everything he thought back to the fight.

His vision lingered on a nearby cleaner, and he couldn’t help but clench his fist. If the cleaner had seen everything and blabbed about it later, he would seriously consider asking for a reassignment. But he couldn’t exactly threaten an innocent either…

Aziz bemoaned his predicament once again, before turning towards the class of trainees.