A few minutes later.
By the stream, a giant python—over ten meters long—lay motionless on the riverbank, skinned and gutted. Nao hummed a cheerful tune as he crouched beside the water, skillfully rinsing the snake's hide.
That shadow he'd caught in the corner of his eye earlier? Turned out it was this giant python.
In the wild depths of the forest, a python of that size would normally be a top predator—its speed alone made it a threat. But trying to outrun Nao? Yeah, not happening.
"All done."
He stood up, admiring the freshly cleaned genuine snakeskin bag in his hands. "Nice and sturdy. Big enough to hold a few hundred chips, easy."
Time to officially start grinding for points.
Nao turned his gaze toward the depths of the forest. Distant sounds echoed from multiple directions—rustling trees, faint booms, and clashes—clear signs that the other Elite Camp prospective graduates had already engaged the combat robots.
He scanned those areas briefly but didn't stop. Instead, with the help of Observation Haki, he honed in on something different coming from the seven o'clock direction.
A whole swath of trees had fallen. The ground was rumbling like a beast stampeding through. Whatever was crashing through that part of the forest was enormous.
"Finally found one of the AE model, huh…"
Without hesitation, Nao launched into Geppo, leaping tree to tree, blurring through the canopy like a shadow in flight. His eyes gleamed coldly.
"You'll be the first."
AE model combat robots—strong enough to match a Marine Commodore—were enough to make most recruits avoid them like the plague. But Nao was the exact opposite.
From the moment Dr. Ent mentioned there were eight of them hidden in the forest, Nao had already marked them as his top priority for the next three days.
Forget everything else—first grab that guaranteed 16,000 points.
...
In the Monitoring Room of a White Tower at the Test Base
The surveillance room was packed with screens. Transponder Snails scattered throughout the forest were transmitting live footage to over a hundred monitors.
Dozens of staff sat at their terminals, monitoring every feed. Among them were Marine officers from Headquarters, brought in by Zephyr, as well as scientists stationed at the test base.
After all, this wasn't just a graduation assessment.
It was also the first large-scale field test of the Marine Science Division's prototype combat robots.
"AD-71 Rhino robot defeated a prospective graduate two minutes ago. It sustained only minor damage to its limbs. Overall performance: excellent."
"AD-21 Hippo robot has continuously defeated three prospective graduates. It also sustained heavy damage and has triggered its self-repair mechanism, currently returning to base on foot. Overall performance: excellent."
"AD-43 Chimpanzee robot was defeated after thirty minutes under the encirclement of two prospective graduates. Its chip has been retrieved. Overall performance: good."
Reports continued to roll in.
Dr. Ent adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, clearly pleased.
"Admiral Zephyr, you see?" he said, turning with a smile.
"There were always people in HQ who said our robot development was just wasting resources with zero battlefield value. But clearly, this technology has real promise."
AD model robots weren't too expensive to produce—and more importantly, they could already be mass-produced on the assembly line.
Compare that to the prospective graduates participating: handpicked from Headquarters Elite Camp, molded over several years with enormous effort and resources.
Yes, humans had higher growth ceilings than machines—but in terms of average performance, the robots were now on par with Headquarters-trained recruits. And that alone made Dr. Ent stand tall.
No more fumbling when asking Headquarters for research funding. No more dodging glares from the finance department.
Zephyr shot him a sidelong glance. He didn't argue. But he didn't agree either.
"I remember when we last spoke, you said the robots weren't strong or numerous enough to make a difference," Dr. Ent continued, still smiling. "Now you've got nothing to worry about, right? Honestly, even if your students had a whole week, I doubt they could wipe out all the robots in that forest."
"Don't get too cocky, Doc."
Zephyr bit his toothpick and glanced casually toward one of the upper monitors.
"I've never been against robot development. Hell, I've even looked forward to it."
He narrowed his eyes.
"But in my opinion… there aren't nearly enough robots out there. Not even close."
Not enough?!
Dr. Ent blinked in confusion.
There were eight AE model robots, sure—but there were two to three thousand AC model roaming the forest, and around four hundred AD models serving as the main combat force.
At that volume, how could they possibly be cleared in just three days?
But just then, a rapid flurry of urgent reports pulled him out of his thoughts.
"AD-32 Giant Wolf robot defeated by a graduate. Chip retrieved. Combat time: one and a half seconds. Overall performance: extremely poor!"
"AD-13 Cheetah robot defeated by a graduate. Chip retrieved. Combat time: one second. Overall performance: extremely poor!"
"AD-37 Rhino robot defeated by a graduate. Chip retrieved. Combat time: one second. Overall performance: extremely poor!"
...
In just moments, reports of over a dozen AD model robots being taken down came flooding in—all within seconds of contact.
Zephyr smiled faintly, not the least bit surprised.
Dr. Ent, however, was stunned. e rushed to the monitoring screen, and guided by the staff, looked at a specific monitor.
On the screen, a black figure moved like lightning through the forest.
Robots—AC or AD model alike—didn't even slow him down. With a single punch, they exploded on contact, their chips instantly harvested.
"…"
Dr. Ent's eyes nearly bulged out of his head.
"What kind of monster… Who the hell is this guy?!"
"Natsuya Nao."
This time, it was the surrounding Marine officers who gave him confused looks.
"What? You didn't know?"
What's with those reactions? Dr. Ent was baffled.
He was a scientist who practically lived in the base. Barely left the research facility, never read the papers. Of course he hadn't heard of Nao Natsuya before.
Just some kid who hasn't even graduated yet. Why would I know him? Is he really that famous?
But… if even AD model robots were getting crushed like ants, then this kid was definitely a terrifying powerhouse.
Maybe—just maybe—those AE model big guys were the only ones who could hold him back…