My Special Ability is Growing Muscles

It was their first field mission, but it was already growing to become an event that would live long in the memories of the students.

In this one field mission, they were forced to mature, both noble and commoner.

Nobles got a reality check as they became exposed to the cruelty of the wild, a grim reality that some ended up dying to. But as for the few nobles that died, they became less conceited, morphing into smarter survivalists.

If not anything, this mission reinforced the notion to them that commoners were not as useless as they thought.

Afterall, of the students that died in the wild zone and subsequently in the ruins of Blackthorn Keep, the majority of them, about 85% were nobles.

The arrogance of nobles made them far more susceptible to dying. Of course, these were the overpampered and ignorant ones.

Nobles like Adrain, Valek, and some others were also arrogant, but their arrogance was backed by their strength, superior training, and knowledge.

They may have never gone on a mission to the wild like this one, but their training back home made them well equipped for the mission.

The survivors grew during the course of the mission, becoming mature and experienced Awakened.

But it was not just the nobles who grew though, the commoners also realized their flaws and developed into even more formidable Awakened.

Most of them stayed at the same Rank, but the them of now were unrecognizable from the them of a few days ago, and in a battle against their old selves, it would not be even close, they would win easily.

This was because like the nobles, they soaked experience through the course of the mission.

Unlike the nobles, their survival instincts were stronger in the wild and in the face of danger, but as an F Rank, your survival instinct could not help you when a D Rank Wolf was about gouging you to death as breakfast.

The commoners also got a reality check, they realized that the one-man army survivalist mindset they grew up with could not cut it here.

As an F Rank, to survive an encounter with an E Rank or even a D Rank beast, the only way was to cooperate and work together.

Through the course of this mission, they learned to trust their comrades with their back to protect them while they do the same to the front.

They grew, they matured, and their combat skills blossomed under pressure.

This was exactly what Principal Aelthar and Major Pain aimed for in pushing them to their first field mission so early. Though there were casualties and the backlash would be hard, the gains so far were more than worth it.

Every day that they spent in the wild, Captain Helios who was the overall leader of the mission made daily reports back to the Principal's office.

This way, Principal Aelthar kept track of the field mission.

And finally, after what felt like forever in the ruins of Blackthorn Keep, the caravan creaked back into motion, wheels grinding over the fractured earth.

The air was different now, still heavy with the stink of blood from Blackthorn Keep and the harrowing experiences that they had there. The ruin may be behind them now, but its shadows still clung to every student.

No one joked anymore, and no one wasted breath on empty boasts.

The nobles who once sneered at carrying their own packs and complained about the long trek now walked grimly with sweat-soaked clothes, blisters splitting their heels, and dried blood on their weapons.

They knew that the instructors would not respond to their complaints, and common sense now told them that it was better to save that energy that they would have wasted on ranting to prepare for the next beast encounter.

Kairo noticed the change.

Even the pampered heirs who once tossed orders at others now bent their backs under supply loads and grit their teeth through the long trek.

Their silk cuffs were torn, their perfumed oils long since washed away by grime, but they no longer cared.

When the alternative was lying dead as a cold corpse that would end up being devoured by the beasts, a bit of stinking smell didn't seem as bad anymore.

They learned to put up with the smell.

Noting all the changes, Kairo's eyes gleamed. 'This is what Nexus Academy wanted. Not prodigies, not nobles… but soldiers'.

'But is this not too early? Is it because of the war?'

Though he knew he was too weak to think about it, the slaughter in the coliseum weeks ago never left his mind.

The journey continued, but the wilderness didn't give them peace for long.

At midday, shadows shifted in the trees, yellow eyes glinting through the underbrush as feral wilderness Wolves emerged.

Their fur crackled faintly with corrupted mana, with claws longer than daggers. An E- rank alpha padded into view, snarling low, its hide already bristling with hardened bone spurs as lightning crackled around its body.

The caravan halted instantly. The instructors remained still and watchful, but unmoving. This fight was for the students.

Getting the cue, no one complained as they responded.

"Formation!" Mira barked, her voice sharp as she stepped forward. She didn't hesitate anymore.

Three platoons shifted into guard with shields raised, bringing their weapons out just in time as the wolves charged.

Thud… thud… thud…

The ground seemed to quake with their rush. But instead of panic like days before, the students met the charge head-on with grim determination.

Whoosh!

Arrows sang from bows and mana-coated blades flared.

Valek's obsidian serpent manifested with a hiss, coiling around two wolves and snapping their spines like twigs.

Kairo erupted into a sprint and smashed into the alpha shoulder-first, muscles roaring as he forced the beast down with brute force, locking its throat before finishing it with a brutal twist.

The sound chilled the other Wolves.

The fight ended fast, faster than anyone expected, faster than even the instructors. They stood panting, alive but victorious.

Captain Helios's eyes gleamed. 'They've matured'.

When the wolves' corpses lay still, Kairo glanced around at the faces of his peers. They were no longer wide-eyed children, they'd stood their ground.

And for the first time, some even grinned through bloodied lips.

They spent the night at a new camp and continued their journey the next day. Day 5 was even smoother than Day 4 as the students showed how much they've grown during the course of the mission.

In a jiffy, it was evening again.

That evening, the campfire burned brighter than usual. For once, the laughter wasn't forced.

And for once, rations were adequately passed around. It was no longer nobles eating separately and sneering at scraps, but students sharing dried meat and water in silence that felt like respect.

Kairo noticed Selene sitting cross-legged before the flames, eyes closed, with her palms resting on her knees.

A faint aura shimmered around her as moonlight itself seemed to pool over her skin, her hair floating in the glow. Phantom silhouettes flickered around her as ghostly blades swirled in rhythm.

The phenomenon attracted the attention of the other students, then…

DING!

[Selene Duskbane has advanced to E- Rank!]

The students gasped as her aura deepened, the phantom mirages behind her solidifying with a razor edge. Her eyes opened, calm but sharper now, carrying the weight of someone who'd crossed a threshold.

Her lips curled upward in a faint smile.

Kairo met her gaze. No words passed between them, but he understood… Selene had stepped forward, joining him, Valek and Adrain in the ranks of E-.

The Monster Trio was complete.

The next day, Day 6 pushed harder.

The route turned jagged and overgrown, the soil growing sick with old corruption as from the ground itself twisted roots lashed out like spears, plantoid monsters rising from corrupted patches.

Their shrieks were wet as they attacked the wagons.

"Cut them down!" Captain Helios roared.

Students swarmed, hacking with blades, slashing through roots that bled blood instead of sap. Kairo waded through the writhing growth, muscles flaring as he ripped a root-monster clean from the ground.

They prevailed and moved forward, but danger wasn't finished.

They soon stumbled upon a band of constructs, rusted husks from ancient wars with eyes that glowed faint red, jagged blades fused to their limbs.

The instructors almost stepped in, but Mira, Selene, and Valek surged forward, rallying the platoons.

The battle was messy and chaotic, but the students didn't break.

They coordinated, shouted warnings, and pulled each other back from near-death. And when the last construct fell, the caravan rolled on without a single casualty.

Even Valek, pride still stinging from his defeat days ago, fought like a man possessed, serpent lashing, blood chains spearing through constructs.

He didn't look at Kairo, but Kairo felt his presence; he felt the rivalry burning hotter with every swing.

At sunset, the skies painted a crimson image over the wilderness. Students dragged their weary feet with dented armors, their faces smeared with dirt. But their eyes, those were harder now… sharper.

Captain Helios rode to the front of the column, his voice carrying like a whip.

"One more day!" he roared. "Tomorrow, we reach the Frontier Outpost".

"You've done well, but the final step decides everything. Hold the line for one more day, and you'll prove yourselves worthy of Nexus Academy!"

A cheer rose among the students.

It was not loud, not arrogant, but it was firm. It was a battle cry born not from pride, but survival.

Kairo clenched his fists tightly.

His body ached, his hunger gnawed, but his eyes blazed. 'One more day, just one more day. Leora… I'll keep moving forward till the end'.