Late at night, Lin Feng sank into thought as he looked at the enlistment form in his hands.
"Three in the morning! In this weather, he wants me to assemble at the firing range behind the station at three in the morning?"
Even when he worked at the restaurant, where he had to get up early, Lin Feng had never gotten up this early.
But there was no doubt that the final note on the form read: After completing this form, please report to the firing range behind the station at three the following morning to await instructions.
They're really treating me like a vampire...
Although Lin Feng possessed the power of Alucard, the king of vampires, he still spent his days awake and slept at night like an ordinary person.
"Don't worry... I'll make sure to wake you up, Lin Feng!"
Sheele was unexpectedly enthusiastic, which gave Lin Feng quite a headache.
Early the next morning.
Night covered the land, with not the slightest trace of dawn in sight. Everything was shrouded in boundless darkness.
"Sheele! Get up! Aren't you supposed to bring me food?! You can skip it some other time, but not on the first day!!"
Sheele, who had been so enthusiastic the night before, simply would not wake up today.
It was as though the alcohol lingering in her body had spirited her soul away. Utterly speechless, Lin Feng headed alone toward the firing range at the rear of the station grounds.
"Good thing the place we rented is close by... otherwise I'd really be late."
He jogged all the way to the station, where the same guard from yesterday greeted them: Wave, the lean, muscular young man with blue hair.
The sight that greeted Lin Feng at their next meeting surprised him a little.
At three in the morning, when even the thugs and hoodlums were sound asleep along the bleak, bitterly cold streets, Wave was practicing his punches alone outside the station!
Holding a textbook stance, he had rivulets of sweat running down his forehead. Lin Feng had never imagined training at the station would be this harsh!
"Um... am I supposed to practice my punches out here like you?"
Hearing Lin Feng call from a distance, Wave, who had been training alone, could not help feeling a little embarrassed. He dropped his pained, teeth-gritted expression,
but although he wore a smile, his taut muscles did not relax for even a moment.
"No, no, I'm doing this because I want to... anyway, why are you here at this hour?"
"Uh... that's what his notice said."
Wave gave a rather embarrassed smile too.
"Captain Ogre definitely won't be awake at this hour. Just head inside and sit down while you wait!"
"He's not awake yet?!!!"
Now Lin Feng felt as though he had been duped a little, though perhaps this was an ordeal every new recruit had to go through.
He recalled how, when he first started working at the restaurant, he had also been made to do a pile of work that was not his every day.
Wave unlocked the securely fastened lock on the station's front door, then resumed his training,
while Lin Feng entered the station. Sure enough, just as Wave had said, no one but Wave was awake.
Both the chestnut-haired girl, Seryu, and Captain Ogre were fast asleep. Ogre's snores could even be heard from the central courtyard.
Wave really works hard... but I couldn't sense any of that fighting spirit in our earlier battle. He's probably an expert hiding his true abilities.
After reflecting on this, Lin Feng reached the firing range and spotted a note posted in a conspicuous place.
"Greenhorn, stand at attention in the red circle until I get out of bed!"
"How hard could that be?"
The red circle on the ground was visible at a glance. Lin Feng simply stood inside it, and at first, it really did feel effortless. But even the simplest position became uncomfortable after holding it for several hours.
At around seven thirty in the morning, the first rays of the rising sun cast a golden glow, dyeing the gray clouds on the horizon wondrous colors.
Even in winter, such a magnificent sunrise could be seen-
The dark purple haze was gradually suffused with the golden radiance of the newborn sun. The two merged, splashing across the heavens as they gnawed at each other.
Lin Feng had never seen anything like it. He had always worked inside the restaurant and rarely went outdoors to appreciate a sunrise like this.
While he was watching, entranced, Seryu and Ogre walked toward him.
"You're working way too hard! You're practically as extreme as Wave!"
"To think someone actually came to the firing range at three for morning training-now that's spirit! I've got high hopes for you!"
Ogre laughed heartily after saying this, while all Lin Feng wanted at that moment was to unleash Level Zero: River of Death and summon Danger Beasts to eat the man.
"Hold it in... I've got to hold it in..."
"You've stood there long enough. Take a break, then we'll start today's training."
Ogre handed him a suit of armor and a set of Imperial Guard air-cushioned casual clothes.
"This armor is for you, Lin Feng. The air-cushioned casual clothes weren't prepared for you, but if wearing the armor exhausts you beyond endurance, you can try changing into them."
"Captain Ogre, it's only my first day of training. Can I wear armor already?"
"Of course! You've got what it takes! I'm having you train in armor because I want to see your limits!"
"Understood..."
After issuing Lin Feng his equipment, Ogre told him to familiarize himself with the Imperial Guard's rules as soon as possible, then returned to the office where he always liked to stay.
Lighting a cigarette, Captain Ogre looked thoughtful.
"This new recruit... he really came at just the right time."
"Now I won't have to worry about finding someone to handle the areas where collecting taxes by force was difficult. That Wave fellow is always refusing to cooperate with me, after all..."
"If he performs well, I'll make him a squad leader! The other guards are all distant relatives of nobles-nothing but a bunch of useless idiots who got in through connections!"
It was not until around eight in the morning that guards began arriving at the firing range one after another to start basic training in punches and horse stances.
This once again left Lin Feng with the profound feeling that Ogre had tricked him.
Still, although he had trained a little longer, Lin Feng had to admit that these basic exercises were strengthening the stability of his lower body.
After all, a moment's carelessness on the battlefield could make him lose his balance, allowing an enemy to take his life.
[Alucard System] [Experience: 4.09 → 4.12]
This sound came from the depths of his consciousness. It seemed this combat training could completely replace hunting Danger Beasts and become a whole new part of his cultivation.
After eight, he held a horse stance for about an hour, then immediately moved on to straight-punch training.
Straight punches were followed by front kicks, then side kicks and high knees, and finally conditioning exercises focused on muscular flexibility.
After completing these in the morning, he was scheduled for a large amount of practical combat training in the afternoon. Of course, he could also go carry out missions, then return to continue these basic exercises.
He could even find an excuse to go out and slack off, because Ogre was never at the firing range in the afternoon. He was either busy with something or in his office, smoking his favorite cigarettes.