Omni-Directional Mobility Gear

"Cadets! After two months of training, you have gained a basic grasp of the essential skills of a soldier. Starting today, you will begin training with Omni-Directional Mobility Gear! Proficiency with this gear is the bare minimum required of a soldier!"

At noon, all the cadets received orders to assemble. More than two hundred members of the 104th Cadet Corps stood in the camp, looking up at Instructor Keith on the raised platform. Everyone was a little excited, because today marked the start of the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear training the recruits had long awaited.

Humanity had mastered artillery technology a hundred years ago. Unfortunately, cannons had limited effectiveness against Titans. Even if a cannonball shattered a Titan's head, it would regenerate completely within two minutes. Unless they deployed large artillery batteries, humans lacked an effective means for individual soldiers to fight Titans.

Under these circumstances, Omni-Directional Mobility Gear burst onto the scene.

As humanity's strongest weapon against Titans, the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear had, from the day of its invention, heralded the end of the age when humans could only let Titans slaughter them.

The Survey Corps had undoubtedly gained a wealth of valuable experience for humanity through fearless courage and expert use of Omni-Directional Mobility Gear.

Everyone felt differently. Some were nervous, some were afraid, and others were delighted.

Eren's eyes shone, and his hands unconsciously clenched behind his back. I can finally get my hands on Omni-Directional Mobility Gear! I'll drive out every last Titan and avenge my father! I won't be trapped by the walls anymore! I'll pursue freedom!

"Now! Each squad will collect its Omni-Directional Mobility Gear in turn. Cadets! Train hard, and don't become Titan fodder. Dedicate your hearts!" Instructor Keith surveyed the cadets below with a stern expression, placing his right hand over the left side of his chest in a textbook military salute.

"Yes, sir! Dedicate your hearts!" More than two hundred cadets simultaneously placed their right hands over their hearts. Their uniforms rustled in unison, and their thunderous pledge rang out with overwhelming force.

With his outstanding performance and formidable strength, Yago had naturally become a squad leader. However, the recruit squads were unevenly organized. Every so often, a few recruits would drop out because they could not endure the training, so dividing them into squads had little combat significance. Appointing squad leaders was simply a way to make management easier.

Yago led the recruits in his squad to the wagon to collect their Omni-Directional Mobility Gear. His was Squad 34, whose members were Eren, Armin, Thomas, Mina, and two other recruits from Trost District, Ili and Maddie.

Yago was the squad leader, and Thomas was his deputy.

Soon, everyone had received their Omni-Directional Mobility Gear. Although Yago had already seen it with the Survey Corps and had even acquired a broken set from a smuggler, he still could not help feeling excited now that he truly had a set of his own.

The gear had heavy blade sheaths, sharp grappling hooks concealed inside the launchers at the waist, and a fan-driven mechanism that looked a little like a small horn. However, the gas canisters that normally sat above the blade sheaths were nowhere to be seen.

"Instructor, why doesn't our Omni-Directional Mobility Gear have gas canisters?" Eren asked in confusion. Indeed, none of the recruits' gear had gas canisters, which meant they could not use it yet.

The instructor responsible for distributing the gear looked at the puzzled recruits and said calmly, "It's to prevent accidental injuries. You recruits want to use Omni-Directional Mobility Gear before you even understand it? Take its grappling hooks, for example. Propelled by gas, they can easily pierce a granite slab. Do you think your bodies are harder than stone?"

Only then did the recruits understand. It made sense, of course. It was like military service in Yago's memories: if someone had never handled a gun before, there was no way they would immediately be handed one loaded with live ammunition to practice with. That was simply unrealistic. Huh? But what were those guns in my memories? Muskets? Yago thought about it but could not remember. That stretch of his memories was growing increasingly hazy, so he simply stopped thinking about it.

That afternoon, the recruits did not begin practical training. Instead, the instructor first gathered them for a lesson introducing the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear.

"The Omni-Directional Mobility Gear is secured to your body by your harness. Look closely. This grip is the control unit for the gear, and it connects to the blade sheath. When you aren't using it, you can hang it beneath your arm with this clip." The bespectacled instructor raised the grip so the recruits could see it clearly.

"At the grip's connector is the blade-drawing catch. Attach the grip to a blade inside the sheath, and you can draw it out. As everyone knows, a Titan's only weak point is the nape of its neck, but its skin is extremely tough. Our blades are designed for sharpness, which makes them easy to break, so the sheaths also hold six replacement blades. If a blade breaks or grows dull, replace it promptly. Press this button to discard a damaged blade." With a swish, the instructor drew two sharp blades from the sheaths, their edges gleaming in the sunlight.

The instructor lowered the blades and began explaining the grips' functions in detail. The triggers controlled the firing and retraction of the cables, while the fan at the back was driven by gas to maintain high-speed movement through the air.

By using this high-speed, three-dimensional mobility in combat, soldiers could reach the same height as a Titan's nape and look for an opportunity to kill it.

The harness distributed the wearer's weight across different parts of the body, allowing greater agility. By manipulating the straps at their waist, legs, and feet, soldiers could adjust their posture in midair.

In addition, the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear allowed soldiers to move through forests and built-up areas by gliding, swinging, and other methods, greatly improving infantry mobility and offensive capabilities in a variety of environments.

However, the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear still had weaknesses: its cables and gas supply. The long cables could easily be caught by Titans, and once that happened, the soldier's chances of survival were slim.

The gas supply was another potentially fatal issue. Since the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear was designed for individual combat, a soldier could carry only a limited amount of gas. Unless they had horses like the Survey Corps, soldiers had to rely on the gas canisters mounted on their two blade sheaths. Those two canisters could sustain roughly one to two hours of combat, and only if the soldier conserved gas. Reckless use would exhaust it even faster.

Most importantly, the manufacture of Omni-Directional Mobility Gear involved classified technology, and only specialists could repair damaged gear.

Yago was not worried about that, though, because he had a broken set he could study.

At the end of the lesson, the instructor addressed everyone very sternly. "Training with Omni-Directional Mobility Gear is extremely dangerous. I hope every one of you pays attention. Don't die on the training grounds before you even reach the battlefield. Understood?"

"Understood..." The recruits still looked unconcerned, and the instructor sighed helplessly. These brats truly had no idea how frightening it could be. He hoped they would still be smiling when proper training began tomorrow.

As Yago strapped on his Omni-Directional Mobility Gear, a surge of pride filled his heart. He drew a blade that resembled a utility knife, its surface polished enough to reflect his face. "Omni-Directional Mobility Gear. The Survey Corps!"