CHAPTER 3: The Soul Army
The next day was promising. Rexy woke up excited and refreshed, packed his bag like normal, and brought a box full of limited versions of sodas and rare energy drink glass bottles as promised. The bus felt as crowded and busy as usual, but this time he wasn't nervous.
After entering the class, Cassirino looked at the box of collection in his hand with confusion.
"What is that?" he asked bluntly.
Rexy placed the box down and grinned.
"My grand collection, full of rare bottles and cans! Experts said all of these can get up to 1 grand worth of money!"
Cassirino gasped in awe and took a closer look at the box, before dropping his jaw.
"You had the limited version of the cherry bottle ALL THE TIME??? THAT'S LIKE $2,550 ALREADY!" Cassirino said loudly.
"But I'm bringing this to the professor. I promised him I'd give him my collection, and he will teach me a fast way to be powerful, like you guys!" Rexy smiled while replying.
Suddenly the teacher opened the door and entered the classroom. Before even looking at the three, his eyes landed on the box and he smirked.
"As promised!" he said excitedly, taking the box and examining it carefully.
Clockwise looked at Rexy and speaks with a giggling tone
"The expert was wrong. My Artificial Intelligence analysis says it's at least $550,000."
Rexy looked at Clockwise with a surprised and skeptical look, and so did the teacher. They both exclaimed:
"FIVE HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS???"
Clockwise chuckled and said,
"Fortunately, yes, Rexy. You just hit the lowest trade, and Teacher, you just hit the jackpot."
The teacher thought for a moment and said to Rexy,
"I feel kinda unfair to just take $550,000, so I will lead you to the secret, most risky, but most rewarding way to be powerful ever. Deal?"
Rexy looked at him seriously before shaking his hand and replying,
"Deal! Big Boss!"
Clockwise and Cassirino chuckled before saying,
"Matey you played too much Metal Gear Solid, get some help, buddy."
He then walked to the principal's room with the three. Upon entering, they were greeted by a warm and old voice.
"Come in, Professor Ryouko."
Inside the room, decorated in old Japanese style, the walls were made of white paper, framed with wood, and beautifully designed. In the middle of the room was an old man with tied-up black hair, a long white beard, and a scar on his left eye. He wore a blue-themed kimono and had an old katana by his side. Teacher Ryouko chuckled.
"Still eating healthy and fine?"
The principal grinned slightly, showing a pearl-white set of teeth.
"Heh, you think I'm into dirty street foods? Anyways, what brings you here?"
Teacher Ryouko stepped aside and gestured Rexy up.
"I want to let these two temporarily stop their school session, since someone else will personally be teaching them in Soul Army. Cassirino Esquite and Kazuki Ryoushiru have passed my test and will be qualified soon."
Clockwise, Rexy, and Cassirino all looked at him in surprise.
"Soul Army???"
They said simultaneously. The principal looked at them for a moment before standing up with his katana. He walked toward Rexy, suddenly unsheathed his katana, and struck—but through the Virtual Reality Training, Rexy reacted and dodged narrowly. Before he could punch back, the principal stopped and sheathed his katana while smiling.
"Sorry for being rude, I was just testing your power. Seems like Ryouko wasn't lying about you. Very well, you won't have to pay the school bill or attend this school. You can come back anytime and continue."
Rexy sighed in relief and replied,
"That cut could have slit my throat off. Be careful, old man."
The principal smirked.
"I have 50 years of combat experience. I know when an enemy will dodge or not—I knew you would dodge it."
Teacher Ryouko and the three walked out of the room before Clockwise nudged him and asked,
"Rexy is joining the Soul Army, but why???"
The teacher chuckled before replying,
"You didn't notice, but in the VR training, I intentionally set his difficulty off the course. But he, as a human, still survived and got out with an above-average score. That was my test."
Rexy grimaced, remembering the VR training.
"So that's why I had to dodge a ton of obstacles while fighting enemies, while all Cassirino had to do was dodge a few flying rocks."
The teacher hopped into a huge, tech-advanced car and gestured for the three to get in.
"Welcome to my beloved car 'Quicksilver.' The name describes everything, ay? Smooth, fast, charming like the hot Brazilian bartender!"
They all got comfortable before the teacher reminded them,
"Put the safety belt on. This car is very fast."
Rexy and Cassirino put on their belts, but Clockwise struggled because of his big robotic body. As the teacher started the car, it let out a low and smooth humming sound.
"Quicksilver—554 Ready for service," the radio suddenly said.
Ryouko replied,
"Drive us to the Soul Headquarters. Don't go too fast. Ensure it's comfortable here; there are three of my students inside."
The engine started. Even slowed, the speed was horrifically faster than an average car, possibly as fast as a bullet train. The three were pressed into the soft seats from the acceleration. Clockwise's clock glass layer shook slightly, Rexy was sweating, and Cassirino was just uncomfortable from the pressure.
Suddenly there was a red light. Rexy yelped:
"WE ARE GOING TOO FAST! WE ARE CRASHING—"
The car stopped smoothly without any backlash. Teacher Ryouko replied with a smug face:
"Quicksilver's stopping mechanism is stronger than you think. It can stop perfectly and smoothly without backlash at maximum speed."
Rexy and Cassirino looked at each other in awe, while Clockwise was still pressed into the chair. The car continued driving, pushing them into the seats again. After a long drive, the teacher finally stopped. Rexy looked like he was about to throw up, and Cassirino was the same. Clockwise's hat was on his lap because of the intense speed.
Teacher Ryouko looked at Cassirino and said,
"Stay here with Clockwise. Me and Rexy will enter the tower alone."
Cassirino nudged Clockwise's shoulder slightly before asking,
"Dude, can I see your room in Soul Army?"
Clockwise, being friendly, thought for a moment before he replies
"Sure, just don't break my stuff."
Meanwhile, Rexy and Teacher Ryouko waited in an elevator to floor 55. The teacher said with a serious expression,
"Listen, do not act silly here and be honest. You will be meeting Lady Kuyo. She is the founder of this place, a well-known person. If you fail your final test, your future is forever ruined. Got it?"
Rexy straightened his face and replied,
"I won't disappoint you!"
Ryouko walked out of the elevator at floor 40.
"She wants to meet you personally. Good luck, I'm counting on you, Kazuki Ryoushiru."
Rexy nodded, a little nervous. After a little while, the elevator reached the final floor. Outside the door was a hallway with windows, leading to a grand door. Rexy took a deep breath and knocked. No reply, until a soft hand tapped his shoulder. He turned around to see a tall lady—something was off. Her skin was pale purple, as was her hair, flowing down her shoulder. She had a very feminine body. Her eyes were dim red with black outer rims. She had a small, thin demonic tail and a slight glint of a fang under her lip. Her hat had holes for her horns and was tied with bright white ties, with a preserved rose on the side. She wore a classic businesswoman black vest, modified for her tail, and was carrying a small cup of coffee.
"Sorry for the rude interruption. I usually get out for some coffee at this time, silly me hehe~"
She said before entering the door, then paused and looked back.
"Aren't you Kazuki Ryoushiru, the student of Ryouko?"
Rexy straightened his posture and replied eagerly,
"Yes, ma'am! You can call me Rexy! That's what everyone calls me!"
She chuckled softly.
"Don't call me ma'am. I don't want to be reminded that I'm old. My name is Kuyo Shiyomi. You can call me Kuyo."
Rexy relaxed after seeing her soft personality.
"Yes, thanks for letting me in, Lady Kuyo."
He bowed before entering her room. Oddly, it was just a normal living space, except it was filled with photos of her comrades. The bed was neat and cozy, the table filled with papers and documents with a strange picture of the universe. Rexy looked around in awe and asked,
"You live in your office???"
Kuyo smiled and replied,
"Yes, I put convenience above fashion and style."
Kuyo sat on her chair and gestured for Rexy to sit beside her by the window. Rexy hesitated but sat down.
"What do you think about this society?"
Rexy was about to reply with his whimsical and naive vision, until he remembered Clockwise and Ryouko's words. He replied seriously, clearly copying clockwise
"It's dangerous, not friendly. The economy is fragile, the people are lazy. But despite everything, I still have faith in it."
Kuyo saw through his lies and replies with suspicion
"This was Clockwise's answer..."
Rexy stammered, before replying
"Yeah, i was nervous, so i copied him"
Kuyo giggled before replying with a forgiving tone
"It's okay, you can try again, be honest, okay?"
Rexy nodded before clearing his throat and speaks the truth
"This world has been very kind to me, for the past decades of my life, everytime i stammer, everytime i get anxious, someone is always by my side to help me, that's why, i wished to help them in return, and make their day happy, after all, i believed that everyone will be happy till the end"
Kuyo hummed in satisfaction and said,
"You have a strong view... Either you are experienced like me, or you've had a bad time with people. Perhaps you met people like me before?"
Rexy nodded.
"Yes, I met Clockwise. He is my classmate. I heard he's from the Soul Army too?"
Kuyo smiled.
"That idiot Clockwise... I once had a small crush on him, but he is so stubborn about his loyalty to his girlfriend... so I left him."
Rexy chuckled, remembering Clockwise's words.
"He is usually grumpy and pretty stoic. He must be a protective boyfriend."
Kuyo hummed before asking another question.
"Why do you want to join the Soul Army?"
Rexy hesitated before saying quietly,
"I am too weak in the academy, and I won't survive if I stay this weak. My teacher advised me to enter the Soul Army."
Kuyo let out a small sigh and patted his head.
"Honesty is what I care about. Seems like you were honest, hm?"
Rexy didn't react much to the head pat but replied,
"I was about to lie... but I don't want to disappoint teacher Ryouko and you."
Kuyo smiled and asked the final question.
"You're interesting. Promise me you will try your best, and I will train you personally with my elite soldiers."
Rexy smiled, showing his true self.
"I am always up for a challenge!"
Kuyo smiled, and snapped her hand, before two strangers appeared from the side of the door
"Say hello to Epifanno, and Reimu"
Rexy waves nervously at them, Epifanno is the inhumanly tall, bulky guy with yellow skin, a purple shirt that barely fits him, a trouser and a fedora styled white black strip hat, he is staggeringly tall, being around 2.5 meters in length, and had to croush to even enter the room, besides him is Reimu, a man with similar hair like Rexy's, except it's pallid white, with black tip, his eye has a deep red color, alongside with his physique, being masterfully polished while remaining human, Epifanno greeted Rexy with a handshake
"You must be Kazuki Ryoushiru, i have heard about you"
Reimu pats Rexy's back before replying
"He actually just knew you after hearing what Kuyo said"
Epifanno frowns before dragging Rexy to a teleporter alongside with Reimu, and teleports them into an abandoned island
"From now on, Rexy, you will train here!"
Rexy looks around, before replying
"Ooh this is like a camping trip!"