Keith scowled as he glared at Ryan. "And who the hell are you?!"
"Yes, sir! Ryan Ackerman, from Dauper Village in the southern region of Wall Rose!" Ren saluted and answered immediately.
Keith snorted coldly. "Oh? From the same place as that sweet potato girl? What're you here for? To eat sweet potatoes?!"
Laughter erupted from the surrounding recruits.
Collateral damage.
Ryan was a little helpless, but he quickly composed himself and said seriously, "I'm here for training! To go from giant fodder to a soldier who can fight them!"
Sensing the determination in his tone, Keith raised an eyebrow.
"Hmm, not bad. Just don't go pissin' yourself when the time comes!"
With that, he turned and left, still holding that lofty aura.
Ryan remained calm, choosing not to argue with dramatic declarations. After all, talking big was easy—anyone could do it.
In his previous world, he once shouted at the head of a knight regiment that he'd slay all the orcs.
But the first time he actually stepped onto the battlefield and saw those terrifying orcs, all over two meters tall and monstrous-looking, his hands shook so badly he could barely hold his sword. He got teased by the veterans for ages after that. He was just too young back then.
Words don't deal damage—real strength is fighting face-to-face without fear.
Keith's other abilities were still a mystery, but one thing was for sure—he was a top-tier trash-talker.
Rumor had it he used to be the commander of the Survey Corps, so he probably did have some real skills.
Another hour passed.
Aside from the 20 or so recruits who'd "seen hell" and were spared, the rest—nearly 300 people—had all been "spiritually cleansed."
Keith took another swig from his canteen, looking like he still had plenty of steam left.
He strode up to the platform before the crowd of trainees and spoke coldly:
"Recruits! The induction ceremony is over. Feeling relieved? Think you're officially part of the Training Corps now?"
Isn't that the case?
Just as the recruits were beginning to relax, the mood shifted. They realized it wouldn't be so easy.
Keith stepped forward, expressionless.
"Keep dreaming! This afternoon, we've got a 5,000-meter run. That's ten laps around the field. Consider it a little test."
"I don't care how fast you run, but the last five to finish…"
He paused, then shouted viciously,
"Pack your things and get the hell out! We don't want dead weight here!"
"What?! Did I hear that right? 5,000 meters, not 500?!"
"This is insane! People could die!"
"Seriously?! First day and we're already getting purged?!"
A wave of moaning and complaints swept through the crowd. Was it really okay to torture them this hard on day one?
Ryan also thought it was harsh. Meanwhile, Sasha gripped his hand with teary eyes.
"Ryan, please… make sure I get some food at dinner. If not, I'll starve to death!"
Only now did Sasha realize why Keith told her to run until she was down to one last breath. The others might stop after 5,000 meters—but she had to keep running.
And the worst part? No dinner.
Ryan's mouth twitched. Could skipping one meal really kill someone?
Still, as a fellow villager, he agreed to help. "Alright, I'll save you a piece of bread at dinner."
Sasha's eyes lit up. The way she looked at him—it was like she saw a loaf of bread instead of a person.
"Thank you! You're such a good guy!"
[Ding! Congratulations, host! You've received a Good Guy Card!]
Ren's head jolted slightly. Damn this system. He wasn't trying to be a good guy—if he were, he wouldn't have failed so hard last time.
Whatever. He'd just consider it karma points.
---
Later at lunch, Ryan grabbed a piece of bread and some thin soup and sat with Thomas.
As for why they weren't sitting with Eren, Armin, and Mikasa… well, Ryan didn't have a habit of third-wheeling.
Eren was having lunch with one girl and one best bro. Why would Ryan butt in? What, he wanted to flirt with eight-pack Mikasa or something? Must've read too many wish-fulfillment novels.
Speaking of which, Ryan had interacted with Mikasa a bit in the past few days. Turned out she wasn't hard to get along with at all. She'd even asked about his father's name.
But when she didn't recognize it, she looked a little disappointed?
Ren didn't overthink it. He didn't believe that the original Ryan and Mikasa Ackerman were related. He had most of the original's memories and never heard anything about relatives.
Same surname doesn't mean anything. The world has 300,000 Rodriguez—are they all brothers?
Opposite him, Thomas sipped his soup and asked,
"Ryan, aren't you worried about this afternoon's run? The last five get kicked out."
"Don't worry. It's just 5,000 meters. Just push through," Ryan replied casually.
Thomas looked exasperated. Why did Ryan make it sound like a 500-meter dash?! That's five whole kilometers!
It wasn't that Ryan didn't care—he was just used to worse. In the last world, after becoming a knight apprentice in a border regiment, 5,000-meter runs were standard training—once every morning. After three months it became 10,000 meters. After a year and a half and graduating as a formal knight? Daily 20,000 meters.
He'd spent 2 years and 3 months in that world. The total distance he'd run in training was probably a quarter of Earth's circumference. Was he proud of that?
Well, not exactly. But still.
Granted, he'd only been in this world a month, and his aura hadn't done much in terms of body enhancement yet due to some missing components.
But he'd noticed this body had impressive potential—his physical stats were improving every day even without external aid. That wasn't purely due to the aura.
Thinking back to how the original Ryan unleashed way more strength than usual in his final moments, and how he suddenly had crazy control over his body…
Maybe he had some powerful bloodline?
That meant Mikasa's strength probably came from her father's Ackerman side—not her mother's Eastern descent. Ryan had asked Mikasa about her father, but she didn't know either.
Also worth noting—Mikasa had awakened her powers nearly three years earlier than him, and she already had way more muscle than he did.
All of this ran through Ryan's head in a flash. Still, he didn't think the original Ryan's dad was anything special.
Maybe the original "Ryan" was just a freakishly gifted guy?
Well, whatever—his hardware seemed solid.
If he trained hard, maybe he could even surpass his old self from the fantasy world. Might even become stronger than a certain 1.6-meter-tall main character!
Aura didn't seem suited for fighting Titans anyway—the compatibility was low. So physical training was still the key.
---
Afternoon
The massive training ground filled with 317 recruits crowding the crude track. Many looked miserable.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't really a proper track—no rubber, no concrete. Just white lines drawn on the ground.
People jostled forward, trying to get a good starting spot.
With over 300 participants, there was no way to run neatly. As long as no one brawled, the instructors didn't care.
The field had a 400-meter loop, so 5,000 meters meant twelve and a half laps. Keith didn't care how fast you ran, just that you weren't in the last five.
Ryan stood at the back. Long-distance running wasn't a sprint. No need to rush. He was confident—5,000 meters wasn't a cakewalk, but it wasn't hard either.
Bang!
A signal flare shot into the sky. The recruits surged forward like a tidal wave, eager not to fall behind.
Ryan jogged at a steady pace, controlling his breathing, staying in the middle of the pack. No need to rush—this wasn't a sprint to the gallows.
Up ahead, he spotted Eren charging near the front, Mikasa close behind.
The others he didn't recognize yet.
Thomas was slightly ahead of him. Armin… where was Armin? Ryan looked around for a while and finally spotted him behind. Yeah, figured—Armin didn't look physically fit. But as the male lead's best friend, he'd be fine.
Just then, a girl with black twin tails running beside Ren noticed how relaxed he looked.
"You seem pretty laid-back. Why aren't you speeding up?"
Ryan glanced at the cute girl beside him. "No rush. It's only the second lap."
The girl, Mina Carolina, was a little surprised.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Mina Carolina. I mean… shouldn't you at least try to stand out? There aren't any rewards, but the instructors are watching."
Ryan glanced toward the edge of the field. Sure enough, most instructors were observing.
He smiled, "I'm Ryan Ackerman. Don't worry—after four laps, people will start to drop off. It'll be easier to pass them then."
Mina chuckled, "Won't you be tired by then?"
Ryan shook his head. Not a chance. Besides, showing off is all about timing—don't you see the protagonist is acting cool up front right now?
He wasn't trying to play the underdog hero.
He just wanted to enjoy the moment when he overtook people later and they couldn't do a damn thing about it.
Maybe he'd even hum them a farewell tune.