Year 850.
The day after the disbandment ceremony.
As the top cadet, Chen Si received a relatively easy but important assignment: taking inventory at the equipment department. It was arguably the most important department in the military. Weapons were a soldier's life; without them, soldiers were lambs to the slaughter.
Every year, this task went to the top training cadet. Eren, Mikasa, and the others were assigned to inspect the wall and maintain weapons. They would all head to the wall in Trost District to service the fixed cannons.
Before going to the equipment department, Chen Si returned to the dormitory and took out the blade he had spent three years tempering with lightning from beneath his bunk. He was confident he could make this blade as tough as Titan hardening, so it would not snap even when he struck with all his strength.
After finishing his assignment at the equipment department, Chen Si filled his Vertical Maneuvering Equipment with gas and slid his tempered blade into its sheath. Then he immediately used his Vertical Maneuvering Equipment to fly toward the wall. His fluid movements drew amazed reactions from many passersby.
"That soldier handles his equipment so well. Is he from an elite squad?" a Garrison soldier said when he saw him.
"That's Chen Si, the top cadet of this year's graduating class. I heard he even broke Levi's training records," a well-informed Garrison soldier explained.
"Wow, the top cadet. He's going to be someone important someday," another soldier marveled.
Chen Si darted freely through the streets, thoroughly enjoying himself. He felt that even with his eyes closed, he would not have to worry about falling. Soon, he reached the top of the wall and spotted everyone hard at work.
"Top cadet."
"Good morning, top cadet Chen Si."
One unfamiliar soldier after another greeted Chen Si. They all knew that, as the top cadet, he was bound to become someone important, and they were eager to get on good terms with him.
Chen Si smiled and answered each of them.
"What? Even you're joining the Survey Corps, Connie? Weren't you always saying how much you envied the perks of the Military Police Brigade?" Eren asked in surprise.
"He was probably inspired by what top cadet Chen Si said yesterday," the pretty young Mina said honestly.
"You're so noisy! I decided for myself," Connie retorted stubbornly, his face reddening slightly.
"You're not the only one. There are plenty of others, too," Thomas said as he walked over, scratching his cheek.
"Hahaha, then my speech wasn't wasted." Chen Si strolled over.
"Top cadet," Mina and Thomas greeted him.
"Good morning, Mina. You too, Thomas." Chen Si answered with a smile, as gentle and refreshing as a spring breeze.
Mina's face reddened as well.
"Um... everyone, I stole some meat from the officers' storeroom." Sasha looked utterly intoxicated.
"What?!" Everyone stared at her in horror.
"Sasha, do you want to get locked up?" Eren froze.
"Put it back, Sasha," Thomas urged.
"Idiots are scary." Connie looked stunned.
"We have less land now. Meat is precious," Mina said worriedly.
"Hehe... should I hold it and gnaw on it later, or slice it up and put it in bread... hehe..." Sasha did not hear a word they said. She was completely lost in her fantasies of food.
"I want some." Chen Si dropped a bombshell.
Everyone's eyes turned into startled little dots at his words. Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
"Well, if the top cadet says so, I want some too!"
"Me too!"
"Save me a piece."
The cadets were like students from Chen Si's previous world who had failed to hand in their homework, only to discover in their panic that the class representative had not handed theirs in either. Instantly, they felt relieved.
With Chen Si taking the lead, everyone became one of those "bad students."
"Sasha, give me the meat. I can make sure everyone gets some delicious cooked meat," Chen Si said.
Sasha was skeptical and hesitated, but then she suddenly remembered the hot chestnuts from before and excitedly handed it to him.
"Chen Si, it's not mealtime yet. The kitchen isn't open. You..." Eren had not finished speaking.
Chen Si suddenly released a thick cloud of smoke and jumped straight off the wall.
"Cough, cough!" The smoke instantly obscured everyone's vision before they could react.
Eren was the first to rush out, reaching the edge of the wall. He was worrying about Chen Si, but what he saw next left him stunned.
Chen Si had just spotted three pure Titans beneath the wall, clawing wildly at it. Two were seven-meter-class Titans, and one was only four meters tall.
Chen Si kept falling. Just before he hit the ground, he drew his blade. Arcs of electricity streamed from his body, and blue light shone from his eyes. To claim his first kill, he unleashed all the lightning in his body. Using the momentum of his fall, he flipped through the air and spun his blade, effortlessly slicing off a seven-meter-class Titan's nape along with its head.
Ding! Congratulations on your first Titan kill, player. Your 100% Ackerman bloodline has officially awakened. Electrical energy greatly increased. After the player kills one hundred Titans, the power of lightning will increase to its perfected state.
In an instant, Chen Si felt power erupt inside him like a mountain torrent. Thick arcs of electricity coiled around his body, and the blue light in his eyes shone like stars. Feeling his abundant electrical energy, he was now confident he could fly using electricity alone, without Vertical Maneuvering Equipment, and kill three Titans in succession, slaying each instantly until his energy ran out.
With his greatly increased electrical energy, he could now briefly fly without using gas. It also felt as though Divine Sense had awakened in his mind.
Chen Si closed his eyes and carefully sensed his surroundings. His Divine Sense automatically locked onto the other two Titans. His blade had just swept down, and the instant the first Titan's head hit the ground, he snapped his eyes open. His entire body became a bolt of lightning, flashing across the nape of the other seven-meter-class Titan. Without slowing at all, he charged at the three-meter-class Titan. Even as he approached, his electrical arcs scorched it repeatedly. His final slash cleaved its nape and body in half.
In less than two seconds, all three Titans were dead.
To his delight, Chen Si also discovered that killing a Titan instantly restored some of his electrical energy, offsetting the energy spent flying. A seven-meter-class Titan restored half his energy, while a three-meter-class Titan restored much less, not even a tenth. In other words, as long as the Titans were clustered together or lined up, once his Divine Sense locked onto them, he could instantly kill even twenty Titans one after another. Of course, if there really were twenty, his electrical energy would run out after he killed them, leaving him surrounded. After all, his consumption still exceeded his recovery.
In other words, Chen Si's mana bar could replenish itself. Killing a Titan effectively refreshed his skill. As long as he had mana, he was invincible. What was more, he had two mana bars: the gas in his Vertical Maneuvering Equipment and his electrical energy.
Eren stared at everything before him in shock. Bursts of blue lightning reflected in his pupils. He seemed to recall the scene from his dream, where bolts of lightning pierced through Titan after Titan. His head suddenly began to hurt, and then he could no longer remember what had been in the dream.
The others slowly came to their senses as well.
"The top cadet jumped off!" Mina shouted in horror.
Connie, Sasha, and the others ran to the edge of the wall, terrified.
The three Titan corpses were releasing clouds of steam and slowly disappearing. With his back to the wall, Chen Si looked toward the distant crowd of Titans and held up the cooked meat for Sasha and the others to see. The meat had cooked during the battle. Thanks to the special attention he paid it with his Divine Sense, the lightning had neither shattered nor scorched it.
"Chen Si, you're so strong! Even three Titans were no match for you! We'll definitely wipe out every last Titan!" Eren said excitedly.
"As expected of the top cadet." Mina's eyes sparkled.
"You're incredible! With you here, we'll definitely take back Wall Maria!" Connie said excitedly as well. His village was still at the mercy of the Titans.
Only Sasha had tears in her eyes, sobbing loudly:
"The top cadet actually used Titans to cook the meat so we could eat it! Waaaaah..." Sasha was moved to tears.
Hearing that, everyone was deeply touched and admired Chen Si's courage even more.
Chen Si heard her and thought, That's not a bad explanation. Come to think of it, the heat from a Titan's skin really could cook meat. But I'm a clean freak. That's filthy. I'll stick with electricity.
Everyone received a share of the meat and ate heartily, though some ate with great care. To them, this was delicious food the top cadet had risked his life to prepare.
"It's so good! Thank you, top cadet." Sasha took big bites as tears of happiness streamed down her face.
"Thank you, top cadet!" Everyone expressed their gratitude.
"Sasha, just call me Chen Si. We're friends. From now on, you can have as much of this as you want." Chen Si knew Sasha always liked to address others flatteringly. When others flattered him, he felt it was only natural-he really was that awesome. But he hoped Sasha and the others could be his friends without any distance between them.
Warmth filled Sasha's heart, and she cried even louder.
"Chen Si, you and Christa are the nicest people I've ever met," Sasha wailed.
"Still crying? Then I'll help myself to your meat." Connie snatched a piece of meat from beside Sasha, turned, and ran.
"You bastard, Connie!" Sasha instantly stopped crying.
As Sasha's good friend, Connie knew her well.
Everyone burst out laughing.
Chen Si took a big bite of meat and chewed heartily. This really tastes good. It seems the electricity can even improve the flavor.
As Chen Si ate, he readied himself. Come on, Bertolt. Come meet your death.