Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

In this world, humans do not have the habit of taking a midday break. With the widespread use of spatial devices, people carry their food with them, allowing them to eat whenever they have a moment to spare.

Food can be prepared by personal robot butlers or ordered from local chefs, making it convenient and quick. With household chores taken care of by robots, families no longer need someone to stay home as a full-time housekeeper.

In this world, a family rarely has anyone at home, except when it’s time to take care of newborns.

This habit has become second nature. After the obstacle training, Instructor Dudley only allowed them to rest for an hour.

After lying around for a while, everyone finally had the energy to sit up and take out the food from their spatial belongings to satisfy their hungry stomachs.

Ruo Manni initially planned to settle for a nutritional supplement, but she noticed that Hua Deli and Mina-Olli had pulled out exquisite lunch boxes, and Dean Atchison along with other teammates were also eating real food instead of nutritional supplements.

People were enjoying delicious meals, so Ruo Manni naturally didn’t want to settle for anything less. She took out the food prepared for her by Instructor Fang: a popular local specialty from Topaz Star called leaf-wrapped steamed dishes.

Leaf-wrapped steamed dishes are made by wrapping unique ingredients from Topaz Star in fragrant leaves and steaming them, offering a nutritious and delicious combination of meat and vegetables, perfectly sized for a single bite.

These dishes taste even better when cooled and are very convenient for outdoor eating, making them a favorite among wealthier commoners. Since Ruo Manni particularly loved them, Instructor Fang had prepared several different flavors.

While eating, she curiously glanced at the food of others. As someone from Earth, she had never tried food from other planets besides the delicacies of Topaz Star.

So looking was pointless, as she didn’t recognize any of those foods. However, she figured that the food favored by wealthy young masters must be delicious.

The physical fitness of humans in the interstellar era is undoubtedly many times better than that of humans in the Earth era.

After a morning of extreme training, the new recruits were sprawled on the ground, exhausted. However, after a hearty meal and another half-hour of rest, their stamina had mostly recovered.

Of course, once they were refreshed, the stern instructor had them running laps again.

The number of laps was the same as yesterday, but there was a significant difference: today, everyone had gravity rings attached to their feet.

Instructor Dudley instructed the warriors to set their gravity rings to the second level, adding 5 kilograms of weight. The psychics only needed to set theirs to the first level, adding 2 kilograms.

After a morning of training, the recruits had already expended a lot of energy. The afternoon brought more grueling laps. Even the fittest among them, Hua Deli and Dean Atchison, struggled to run during the last two laps and needed to walk slowly.

As for Ruo Manni and Mina-Olli, their situation was even worse. By the last lap, they were supporting each other and stumbling along, moving at a pace comparable to that of a snail.

Today, Sheila didn’t play the pity card with Mina-Olli, likely because she hadn’t managed to catch up to them yet.

After spending an additional half-hour compared to yesterday, the two girls finally reached the finish line. This time, without any boys available to assist them, they collapsed together on the ground.

The training intensity for the warriors in the morning was twice as high as that for the psychics, and in the afternoon, they had to run over 150 kilometers while wearing the 5-kilogram gravity rings. It was truly exhausting.

When Ruo Manni and Mina-Olli crossed the finish line, Hua Deli and Dean Atchison, who had finished just moments before, were still feeling weak and couldn’t rush over to help the girls immediately.

The last to reach the finish line were Ninja King Ren Wuyue and Sheila, who were nearly an hour slower than yesterday’s record.

Ninja King Ren Wuyue was in relatively good condition, managing to walk to the finish himself, while Sheila had to be pulled across the line by Instructor Dudley, completely drained and unable to speak or stand.

Instructor Dudley’s expression was dark: “Aside from Hua Deli and Dean Atchison, the other eight have exceeded the time limit.”

Mina-Olli glanced at Ruo Manni upon hearing this, since they were still linked by arms, making it seem to others as if they were simply helping each other.

However, Mina-Olli knew deep down that Ruo Manni had been the one supporting her. Especially in the last half lap, most of her weight was on Ruo Manni. If it weren’t for helping her, Ruo Manni would have completed the task on time.

This way, Ruo Manni wouldn’t have faced Instructor Dudley’s criticism or lost points. But the girl… looking at Ruo Manni, who smiled at her with such calmness, Mina-Olli couldn’t determine what kind of person she really was.

Mina-Olli didn’t think Ruo Manni was trying to please her, especially since Dean Atchison was a more suitable target, as they were already somewhat familiar with each other.

Yet Ruo Manni seemed completely unconcerned about that, her purity and brightness making it hard to believe she was genuine.

After Instructor Dudley finished scolding them, the ten youths sat down exhausted. They enjoyed the sea breeze while drinking the stamina-boosting beverages they had brought and snacked on some food.

They watched the “sun” gradually sink below the horizon, the sky darkening as the lights of the training base behind them flickered to life.

However, they couldn’t continue to enjoy the view, as Instructor Dudley returned to hurry them along after less than an hour of rest.

Next, they had to head to the training hall for four more hours of training.

The warriors would practice physical techniques, while the psychics focused on meditation.

By ten o’clock that evening, the group returned to their dorm, appearing even more fatigued than the day before, with the eight companions from the physical training hall leaning on each other for support.

On the other hand, Mina-Olli and Ruo Manni, both psychics, found that since meditation is practiced through sitting, their fatigue was more mental than physical. So, even though they felt weary, they walked steadily.

When they returned to the dorm and opened the door, Mina-Olli suddenly stepped back out and tossed a package to Ruo Manni. “This will help reduce muscle fatigue if you soak it in hot water for half an hour and then take a nap.”

Mina-Olli’s tone was somewhat stiff, but Ruo Manni didn’t detect any hint of charity in her words. So, despite Mina-Olli’s less-than-warm demeanor, Ruo Manni didn’t mind, appreciating the good intention.

She smiled and said, “Thank you!”

Mina-Olli nodded, her tone softening a bit. “Good night!”

Teresa Du had left behind many potions and recipes. Although Ruo Manni couldn’t brew potions, she could certainly prepare some that alleviated fatigue and strengthened muscles for baths. After such an intense training session yesterday, if she hadn’t soaked in the medicinal bath, she would have woken up with unbearable muscle soreness.

Curious, Ruo Manni used the powder Mina-Olli gave her in her bath. As usual, she dozed off while soaking for half an hour and intended to fall right asleep afterward.

It wasn’t until she got up in the morning that Ruo Manni remembered last night’s bath. Feeling her muscles, she realized that the effects of Mina-Olli’s package were better than Teresa Du’s formula.