The Best-Looking Guy

Sit-ups, squats, frog jumps.

The assessment events proceeded in order. Aside from rope climbing, which was rather difficult, the recruits had long since mastered the rest.

At eleven in the morning, all assessments concluded.

Morgue looked at the little notebook in his hand. Luo Ya's column was filled entirely with excellent marks, and his overall score ranked among the top three of all recruits.

He closed the notebook.

"Free time. Assemble at the training ground in half an hour!"

"Yes!"

The recruits answered loudly. Aside from a few who had performed poorly and knew they would likely be eliminated, the rest could barely contain their excitement.

They had trained hard for months for this very moment.

While the recruits had free time, the officers became busy, holding their scoring notebooks as they discussed the newcomers' performances.

Morgue sought out Colonel Rhode alone, his expression exceptionally solemn.

"Colonel, Recruit Luo Ya performed exceptionally well. I recommend that he receive focused training. If he slacks off in Chore Work, please punish him according to military discipline, but do not deliberately target him."

"Hm?"

Colonel Rhode was a little dumbfounded.

When had he ever said he would target Luo Ya?

A recruit this outstanding was someone he would treasure, if anything.

Realizing Morgue might have misunderstood, Rhode did not know whether to laugh or cry. "Sergeant Morgue, I understand what you mean. Please rest assured, I will handle things impartially."

"Thank you, Colonel!"

Morgue finally relaxed. After saluting, he returned to his post.

The 153rd Branch had limited resources. It was rare for such an outstanding recruit to appear, and it would be far too unfair if he were targeted because of someone's personal feelings.

Half an hour passed quickly.

The recruits stood in neat ranks, waiting for Colonel Rhode to issue his orders.

Rhode came before the formation and saluted the recruits. Then he took out the roster and began calling names.

"Fullbody!"

"Here!"

"Assessment result: Excellent!"

Receiving an excellent overall score not only represented personal honor, but also meant a direct promotion to Second Class Soldier.

It was a tangible benefit.

"Luo Ya!"

"Here!"

"Assessment result: Excellent!"

Luo Ya's spirits lifted. Although he had already estimated his score, he still could not suppress his happiness when it was announced publicly.

"Rokakku!"

"Here!"

"Assessment result—"

As the scores were announced, some rejoiced while others felt dejected, especially those who had fallen just short of an excellent rating.

Under normal circumstances, advancing from Third Class Soldier to Second Class Soldier would take at least three or four months, and more likely over half a year.

After all the results had been read out, eighteen of the more than twenty recruits who took part in the assessment had passed, with four receiving excellent ratings.

Colonel Rhode personally awarded every recruit Marine shoulder insignia: one stripe for Third Class Soldiers, two stripes for Second Class Soldiers.

"You are all outstanding."

After offering some encouraging words, Colonel Rhode took out two badges and walked over to Fullbody and Luo Ya, pinning them onto their uniforms.

"There is one more matter. Over the past month, Recruit Fullbody and Recruit Luo Ya have both performed exceptionally well in Chore Work. Therefore, the two of you are awarded the Chore Work Model Soldier Badge!"

Chore Work Model Soldiers!

A small red flower appeared on each of their chests.

The recruits all looked toward the pair, unable to hide their astonishment. The words "fucking awesome" might as well have been written across their faces.

Chore Work Model Soldier did not sound like much, nor was it particularly useful, but earning such recognition was no easy task.

After all, chores were filthy and exhausting. Few recruits were willing to take them seriously, much less do them well enough to earn personal praise from Colonel Rhode.

Had they even scrubbed the toilets spotless or something?

Damn, these two were hardcore!

"Clap clap clap!"

Thunderous applause erupted.

"Alright."

Colonel Rhode smiled and raised a hand.

"You must be hungry too. Sergeant Morgue will familiarize you with your new environment this afternoon. Dismiss on the spot!"

"Yes, Colonel Rhode!"

The recruits puffed out their chests and snapped their feet together with a sharp clap.

"Salute!"

As they watched the officers leave, the formation immediately relaxed. Everyone bounced about excitedly, while the recruits who had stayed outside the training ground and had not participated in the assessment rushed over as well.

The newcomers from Luo Ya's batch pounced on him, shouting excitedly.

"Luo Ya, you're incredible!"

"You actually got an excellent rating! That's unbelievable!"

"You were the brightest one in this assessment!"

"You brought us so much glory!"

Luo Ya's score was not the best. Several others had done no worse than him, but his status as a fresh-faced recruit gave him a huge advantage and made him stand out.

The newcomers were immensely proud.

Though they themselves were useless, Luo Ya was strong. As recruits from the same batch, they naturally felt honored, and maybe Luo Ya would look out for them in the future.

After fooling around for a while, Luo Ya's stomach started growling with hunger.

"Come on, let's eat."

"Haha, we'll get your food for you!"

"I heard today's lunch is especially lavish!"

Perhaps it was to celebrate, but the cafeteria food was noticeably more plentiful than usual, with extra-large chunks of Sea Beast Meat as well.

After eating and drinking his fill, Luo Ya returned to the dormitory surrounded by the newcomers, then locked himself in the bathroom.

"Whew!"

He happily took a cold shower.

Luo Ya braced both hands against the washstand and stared at himself in the mirror.

After a month of grueling training, his formerly thin body had clearly grown much stronger, with the outlines of muscles visible all over him.

The confusion in his eyes had been replaced by a sharp gleam, an edge that could only be forged through sweat and pain.

He was completely different from before.

He had truly become stronger!

Luo Ya picked up a hair tie and gathered the messy black hair that nearly reached his shoulders behind his head, tying it into a short ponytail.

With his face no longer hidden by his hair, his entire bearing looked even sharper, as though he was about to reveal his edge.

This was exactly how he wanted to look.

He longed to shine beneath the spotlight!

"Knock knock!"

Someone knocked on the door.

"Luo Ya, it's almost time to assemble."

"Got it!"

That afternoon, Luo Ya and the newly promoted Marines assembled on the field.

There was no need to train, nor did they have to do chores.

Their task for the afternoon was to follow Sergeant Morgue and familiarize themselves with the duties of official Marines. Besides regular training, there were also routine assignments such as periodic patrols.

Morgue led the group to another training ground in the branch, where quite a few Marines were practicing swordsmanship.

"Physical Training is still held in the morning. When you have no assignments in the afternoon, you will undergo special training here and learn combat techniques."

Morgue explained things to the newcomers.

Swordsmanship and martial arts were mandatory courses for all Marines. There were also several specialized paths, and Marines would be assigned to different units based on their individual performance.

For instance, those with a good feel for firearms might be assigned to the Firing Unit, while there were also the Close-Combat Assault Unit, Artillery Unit, and so on.

Some weaklings who chose to slack off would be assigned to the Logistics Support Unit, handling ammunition loading and other positions that did not require direct confrontation with enemies. It was safe, but difficult to stand out.

"Hey, Luo Ya."

Fullbody moved beside Luo Ya, nudged him with his elbow, and asked quietly, "Which unit do you want to join?"

"Me?"

Luo Ya looked at the training ground, his eyes shining.

"I want to try them all!"