NOVEL NEXT Chapter 62: Chapter 58 One Step At A Time
The left hand was done, so naturally, the right hand also needed to find a place to rest.
At this time, they were all asleep on their left sides, so if Ryo's right hand was to move, it would naturally fall in a sensitive area.
Although he tried his best to make his movements as gentle as possible to avoid waking up Krista, her body was very tense, and Ryo's hand ended up touching her leg. Krista made a small sound, and Ryo quickly adjusted his position.
"Ryo, your hand..."
"Go to sleep."
After a night of rest and a hearty meal the previous night, everyone was in high spirits in the morning!
After breakfast, the team began packing up and moving on.
The weather was much better than yesterday. The snow had stopped, and the wind had died down. Everyone's morale was high, and their speed was faster than the previous day, with no one leading the team.
At this point, the soldiers in the team had regained their confidence. Compared to the despair they felt yesterday, they now believed they could successfully complete the assessment.
Because of the team's strength, people who had fallen behind along the way joined them. The members were very polite and friendly, generously sharing their food and fresh water, and helping lighten the newcomers' burdens so they could keep up with the main group.
Ryo was impressed by this. Humans, by nature, are kind, and when given a good example, they pass on this goodness and form a strong force. Without his team, the 30 or 40 people who had fallen behind would have been eliminated from the training.
Ryo wasn't sure whether this was good or bad. They relied on collective strength, but without strong leadership, that strength couldn't be fully utilized. On an individual level, they were mediocre at best. Without collective effort, they were powerless against giants.
He sighed, realizing that this was beyond his control. All he could do was take it one step at a time.
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Instructor Keith and a few colleagues rode behind the team, scanning carefully for any soldiers who had fallen behind. If they found any, they would rescue them. Although these soldiers would eventually be eliminated, their lives must be saved. That was their basic responsibility. Usually, when they set out on this path, they found several soldiers who had fallen behind—some were unable to keep up because of lack of physical strength, some were injured, and others were unwell.
According to the prior agreement, once someone stopped moving forward, they were considered to have given up, and they would be eliminated from the training. Every year, about 20% of the soldiers were eliminated.
This time, however, things were strange. Aside from a few unfortunate soldiers who had fallen and injured themselves at the foot of the mountain, no one else had fallen behind. Everyone else had caught up with the main group, which was unusual.