Chapter 55: Put The Fear In Them
The students nodded and went running for the gym as Niall and Sanchez came over to talk to Kalli, who was cleaning her gun before putting it away.
"Don’t you think that you went a bit too far?" The Student Council President asked.
"Not at all. See how well they listen once you get the important parts through their arrogance? It’s not like I hurt them."
Sanchez chuckled. "You missed your calling. You should have been assigned the title of drill instructor. I’ve never seen one terrify an entire group of recruits quite as well as you just did."
"Thanks, I had a great teacher. I’m just glad that it worked because if I started shooting middle schoolers in the middle of the courtyard, it would not have gone over well."
Sanchez nodded, while Niall gave her a confused look.
"What do you mean ’if you started shooting’? You wouldn’t actually do it, would you?"
"Of course not."
Niall forced a slow, terrified smile onto his face.
She would have.
She totally would have shot them if they were too cowardly to agree. Well, at least one of them, and then the rest would have fallen in line.
He would have to remember to warn people about getting on her bad side, that girl was definitely not from a sheltered elite family.
She didn’t look like the sort, with her hair cut in a perfectly nondescript fashion and worn in a businesslike ponytail. She even left two long locks loose at the front, framing her face for that "Innocent Princess" look.
If anything, she looked like someone’s little sister, the sort that just kind of existed without making any waves.
But now that he had seen her being serious, he was questioning every impression that he had of her.
Kalli saw that he’d gotten the wrong impression of where her bottom-line lay, but she didn’t bother to correct him. Rumours like that would do far more work for her than any physical action could.
Unfortunately for the new students, the student council President’s impression of Kalli was the same impression that everyone else had as well.
They all thought that she was the helpful and dedicated sort, plain and unassuming. So, when the kids relayed what had happened, most didn’t believe any of it, and those who did believe them thought that it was simply her putting on an act to get the kids past their trauma and working to save themselves for once.
That was a lesson that they all had to learn, no matter what they’d done after the academy was attacked.
The students from Kalli’s class had been abandoned by the soldiers who were supposed to be saving them, while the rest of the students had undergone different sorts of horrors at the various spots where they had sought shelter.
Only these few had been guarded and kept away from danger by others.
And their pleas for understanding weren’t leading them to the level of sympathy that they thought they were going to get. Instead, the older students were happy to help "encourage" them to keep their physical fitness level up high enough to get a bonus.
"You’re young, and weaker than most of the university girls. If you don’t start putting in the work to build muscle while there is a quest, you’re going to be warriors who can’t even fight as well as the healers.
Have some shame, we’ve all got to do our part," Reggie admonished a group of kids who were just standing around while he finished his sets.
He was almost at his ninety minutes now, going for peak bonuses.
So, he would be free in a couple of minutes to supervise the newest additions.
He also had a plan for tomorrow.
Kill stealing was a thing in this world. The System measured kill counts by final hit. So, he could have the kids accompany another group, who would do their mission, then weaken some targets for them to fight.
They would have to step up and do their part, but it would build character, and then once they were adjusted, they would become more useful.
James was in their year, and he was already a valuable member of a team, so there was no reason that these kids couldn’t also be valuable assets once they got their heads in the game.
"Look at it this way, it’s your first quest, and this one you will get directly. If it gave a reward item, you’d have to go back to Kalli to claim it. Wouldn’t you rather do this one, and get the experience every day, than to go to her and explain why you didn’t?" Reggie tried.
The students nodded frantically, and Reggie began to wonder what Kalli had actually done to them.
Had she really drawn a gun on them and threatened to kill them if they didn’t behave? If so, it might be either the most epic prank in history, or a sure sign that her mind was beginning to crack under the stress.
That seemed unlikely.
If there was anyone to crack first, it would definitely not be her. Her Coordinator Class seemed perfectly suited to her, as she was quickly becoming their unofficial strategy leader. She spoke to other groups, she scared off potential thieves, and she let everyone know when there was something that they needed for a mission.
Even though she was their age, she really did feel like their supervisor in some ways.
"Alright, let’s get you all to work. There are three options to this. You can do a balanced workout, keeping no more than thirty-second breaks between exercises, or you can do all weight training, or all cardio.
Each of them gives a different bonus.
I recommend that the warriors do all weight training. If you keep the intensity up for ninety minutes, you will get two points of strength the first day, for sure.
The scale for a regular human is one to ten, and most of you are at three or four Strength right now, about half what an average construction worker is. There’s no shame in that, it’s right where you should be at your age.
But we don’t have time to grow up slow. If you do the quest right now, and then right after dawn, you can double your strength by noon tomorrow.
Then, you might have some confidence.
Don’t worry, you get the full bonus, and I’ll put in the good word with Coordinator Kalli for you."
