Chapter 1284: A Great Shot

It was the same Training Hall the students were already familiar with.

Except instead of the massive open space they’d expected to see, perhaps with some sort of podium set up for what everyone assumed would be the inevitable discussion, they were greeted by something else entirely.

People.

A literal sea of people.

"..."

Unfortunately, the doors they’d just walked through happened to lead out near the top of the bleachers.

Luca and the other members of DG followed the first few students through, only to be greeted by a sudden beam of sunlight bright enough to make several of them squint.

Then Luca looked down.

"!"

The entire training ground below was packed with cadets standing in neat, orderly formations.

Rows upon rows of them.

And almost every single one was looking right back up.

The first thing Luca noticed was the differences in their uniforms. Not only were they unlike the ones worn by the Royal Military Academy students, but even among the gathered cadets, several different designs could be seen throughout the formations.

Judging by appearances alone, most of them also seemed considerably taller, or just generally bigger, than the suddenly rather scrawny-looking freshmen currently filing into the bleachers.

Moreover, there had to be at least two thousand of them!

And as more Royal Military Academy freshmen emerged through the upper doors, something about the atmosphere gradually began to feel a little strange.

The expressions of those standing on the training ground varied.

Some looked amused, while others were openly interested. Quite a few even appeared excited, although there was enough caution mixed into their gazes to make it obvious that this wasn’t merely curiosity.

For several long moments, neither side seemed particularly eager to look away.

The freshmen, particularly those just emerging through the doors, would stare down in honest surprise, while the gathered cadets simply stared right back up.

And as much as one might’ve wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, little by little, it was becoming increasingly obvious what those on the ground were actually doing.

They were sizing up the newly arriving cadets.

Luca found himself momentarily taken aback.

Especially when he noticed the spiritual energy.

Several of the unfamiliar cadets weren’t even bothering to completely suppress it.

Yet nobody seemed particularly concerned about openly flaring their spiritual energy while surrounded by thousands of other military students.

But before Luca could properly decide what to make of that, Ollie spoke, or more accurately, muttered a low curse from directly beside him.

"Oh, hell no."

The blonde stared down at the enormous crowd.

His expression immediately collapsed.

"I should’ve called in sick."

A pause.

"Really sick."

Unfortunately, while Ollie was beginning to regret every decision that had brought him there, D-29 appeared to be having the time of its life.

"Host, don’t move!"

"Hm?"

Luca instinctively froze with one hand still resting against the ledge.

"Just hold that position for a second..."

The little system sounded intensely focused.

"Aaaand cut!"

Luca blinked.

"Wow! That was a really great shot right there!"

Sid, who unfortunately had to listen to the claims of one increasingly crazed little system, couldn’t understand what was supposedly so wonderful about it.

Because from where he was looking, their current expressions and stances seemed less like the setup for a great group shot and more like the opening scene of some future altercation!

Thousands of cadets were standing below.

DG had just emerged from the highest section of the bleachers.

And Luca Kyros, guild leader and dungeon owner, was now standing at the ledge looking down at all of them while several of his ridiculously powerful guildmates gathered behind him.

The people below were staring so intensely they might as well have been trying to bore holes straight through the group with their eyes.

What part of this screamed great shot?!

Unless D-29 was planning a documentary about future dictators, Sid genuinely couldn’t understand the enthusiasm.

Apparently, he wasn’t the only one.

Even several instructors monitoring the arrivals looked like they were moments away from passing out.

One of them stared at DG.

Then at the thousands of cadets staring back.

His face twitched.

"I told you to use the damn lower doors!"

The instructor beside him winced.

"Now look at our kids!" he hissed under his breath. "We look like we’re asking for a fight! Dammit!"

But it was already far too late for such sentiments, as the unusually gathered cadets had already started sizing each other up.

And something told them it was bound to be a very long week!

__

"These people..." Luca mentally whispered to D-29 and Sid as the odd standoff continued. "They’re not students from our school, are they?"

Before the little system could even respond, likely by scanning every visible badge and insignia within range, another student nearby beat it to the answer.

"Hey, hey... am I seeing things, or is that the uniform from Frontier Defense Academy?!"

"What? Shit, I don’t know! I don’t even know where you’re looking!" his companion hissed back. "But that one over there is definitely from Argentum Military Technical Institute! My cousin studies there. I swear that’s their uniform!"

Luca instinctively turned toward them, only for Kyle to answer his unspoken question before he could listen any further.

Apparently, the experienced adjutant didn’t need anyone else’s help identifying those uniforms.

"Rothmere, Centauri, Erebus..."

The dark-haired cadet sighed as his gaze swept across the formations below, recognizing one insignia after another.

"Let’s keep moving for now. We’re supposed to follow the directional signs."

Right.

They probably shouldn’t stand at the top of the bleachers attracting even more attention than they already had.

Not that moving helped much.

By this point, most of the cadets below had probably already put names to their faces.

"Kyle, do you know these... people?"

Princess Kira, who’d spent most of the journey looking like a flower deprived of sunlight after being separated from her Bunbun, suddenly appeared remarkably alert.

Apparently, the faint scent of potential bloodshed was enough to revive an Orc better than any medicine ever could.

Also, everyone should’ve been proud of her!

Despite the thousands of unfamiliar cadets standing within hearing distance, Kira had successfully resisted the urge to call any of them toothpicks.

That was progress!

"No," Kyle replied. "But it’s hard to miss their uniforms. They’re definitely from other military academies."

His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied their insignias.

"And they’re definitely not first-years."

"...Huh??!"