Chapter 13: Short term Goals

Chapter 13 - Short term Goals "Level one freshman?"

"I seriously wonder what they teach you during the first classes" She said, rolling her eyes while Kieran remained silent, awaiting an answer from her.

Sigh...

"You should call me big sister since I'm helping you this much," she said staring into his cold eyes and Kieran stared back not giving a reply, his lack of interest glaringly evident.

"Tch.... Such a fun killer."

She muttered in slight irritation before continuing with the same aura of cheerfulness,

"We recruits across all years are classified into nine levels; Level one to nine in each year, with level nine being the highest in each year. Everyone starts off at level one in each year they are and are assigned new levels through the amounts of merits or remarkable deeds they did while still in that year."

"Each level comes with its own set of benefits with the next being better than the last. Benefits like more resources being available, access to some restricted information depending on the said level and so on."

"The levelling system play a key role in surviving here, higher levelled recruits get access to more information concerning exercises and activities, giving them a head above those below them. That and some other benefits like more sophisticated dorms unlike the simple ones you currently reside in. The benefits only get better each rise in level."

"You don't know this information and it isn't told to you in classes because we rarely get commoners and the recruits of noble families are already made aware of this before they get into the camp."

" Since the camp has a rule and reputation of zero consideration of one's status, informing the commoners will be taken as a violation of that rule by the nobles, so they decided not to do so."

At this point, she had lost her cheerfulness. She made mention of the noble families and the decision of the military with disgust on her face. Kieran who was at her back couldn't see his, but he sensed the change in the air around her.

His cold face was ever present unshaken by the revelation, but his pervious rating of the camp had dropped drastically.

'Nobles. As disgusting as ever. I thought there was some sincerity behind the whole equality story but it seems that is also bullshit.' He thought to himself in disgust.

"Although, the camp made that decision to please the nobles. The military isn't totally subservient so they made information like this available part of the things available to the level one freshman just like you."

"You can find it in here in this section we currently are, I'll show you later if there's anything more you want to know. So, you shouldn't blame the military too much."

She said with her smile back in place trying not to ruin his image of the military but that only made him feel more disgust.

All she could see was his cold face which hadn't changed since the moment he approached her.

'Placing information that important in a place this large is like placing a needle in a haystack hoping for us to find it. If this is what they call an attempt, they're better off not trying.'

His image of them dropping further.

"Hmm..."

He made a sound just to let her know she was listening.

"Can't you give a more responsive reply?"

She asked, pouting her pink lips.

"Why are you helping me? I'm pretty sure your job as a receptionist helping people like me doesn't go this far. You're a noble right, so what do you want from me?"

He asked a colder tone than usual, ignoring the small tantrum she was throwing.

'I know these bastards well enough and they never go this far helping someone without asking for something in return.'

His suspicion towards her had reached a peak and he stopped following her, waiting for an answer from her.

Looking at the face which despite having not changed, still showed his suspicion and distrust towards her, she giggled like she was witnessing something cute.

"I am a noble and if you're looking for a reason, let's say I was attracted to your dashing looks."

She answered mischievously, eyeing his rather handsome face.

"You really expect me to buy that?"

His face a shade darker and is tone betraying slight traces of anger.

Finally adopted a serious face she gave him an answer she thought would satisfy him,

"If you really want to know so badly, I have hidden intensions in helping you. I'm doing so because I was bored and I happen to take this as fun. Having someone like you owe me a favour does me no benefit, you're a little too insignificant to make me want your debt."

She answered in a tone meaning every word she said.

"Hmm.... Let's go."

Kieran said no longer following the matter, having felt the usual arrogance of a noble seeping from her bones in the last statement, he naturally accepted.

"You're being so mean to your big sister! Alright, I still have to show you around."

She commented, her cheerful persona back in place with an added mischievousness as she led him further into the library.

A few hours later, Kieran walked out of the library having achieved his goal of coming here in the first place, he even gained learnt some other useful information he didn't expect to learn.

Looking back at the tall structure, he silently made up his mind to come back here regularly. Walking back to the dorm, Kieran was constantly thinking, trying to process everything he had just learnt, looking for a way he could use this information to his advantage.

It didn't take long before he got back to his dorm, looking at the number on the door that read '104', he remembered the red-haired lady he had met on his first day and he turned to look at her rom, he hadn't seen or come across her since that day, he didn't even get a good look at her face and no idea what she looked like.

Removing himself from the stray thought, he opened the door ad stepped into his dorm. Taking a sit, he stared intently at the watch on his wrist. Leora, the library receptionist had filled him on the full capabilities of the small device on his wrist.

'Either ways, it's only to become useful when the ranking system becomes active and after the first test.'

He thought before moving on to something else

He started to consider how he wanted to spend his stay here. Before the accident with his parents, his thoughts were to get a job to assist the family since they wouldn't be able to fund his education any further.

That, or his dad could pull one of his suspicious 'surprise miracles' as he always did. Now that they were gone and that option was no longer available, Kieran could see a faint chance, an extremely small opportunity in front of him and he had no intention of letting that go.

'I have two years in the bootcamp along with the mandatory two years of service, making my total stay in the military four years. I have no intension of staying further than that.'

Kieran thought, although he had previously shown interest in the military and army, he had no interest in dedicating his whole life to them while playing politics with those detestable noble families.

Although he didn't show it, he didn't believe that his parents died due to an accident. Accidents rarely happened in the slums, everything had intention back there, the fact that his house was the source of the fire just made him more suspicious.

"Burnt to ashes? Didn't go to work? They must really think I'm a fool!"

He muttered in anger, that violent urge to burn everything to burn everything to ash that he had been supressing resurfacing whispering to him, telling him to go on a rampage, to make everyone feel his wrath but he managed to control and suppress thee feeling.

'This is also unnatural, I've been ignoring it but ever since that fight, something changed. No, it felt more like something awoke in me. I need answers but I don't have the slightest idea where to start from.'

He thought to himself in frustration. All he could do was supress the feeling and wait till he found a clue.

'Maybe there might be something of help I that library, but brings me back to the first problem. My level is too low and some sections are restricted by military position and citizenship status.Even if I had the first two, the last requirement is quite a nuisance.'

'The only thing I can do right now is to learn as much as I can while trying to increase my level each year and my citizenship over my stay in the army.'

Leora had made him aware of a method of increasing his citizenship level, buying it with points but a certain amount of merits needed to be accumulated.

Both the amount of points and merits needed were large, borderline impossible to some.

To accumulate the amount needed, one needed to work themselves to the bone but he had no other choice, raising his citizenship status after he left the military was several times harder, so this method, available only to soldiers was his only way.

At this point, Kieran had a clearer goal he wanted to achieve during his stay. Raise his level, gather, as much information as he could and increase his citizenship status while he still could. He was going to milk the military as much as he possibly could.

Thinking of methods to extort the military, his eyes began to glow in the same manner surrounding him with a somewhat evil aura.

Having made up his mind and clarified his goals, he stood, preparing to make his way out. The first key to achieving any of his goals was cp. He needed to amass as much as he could before it became any harder, he had a week to do so and he had no intention of wasting any of that.

These were his thoughts as he made his way out of the room, determination silently burning in his cold aura.