CHAPTER 4: WHO ARE YOU?

"H, How?!" 

Juon couldn't believe the beast would just give her the tag and then leave without harming any of them.

"Hm… I guess it got charmed by me and kindly gave me the tag…?" Leqaria slowly said to them like she too doesn’t know why.

What sort of charm?! Who would believe that?!

"Alright, alright, we got our first tag. We need to look for more before the time is up. We still have five hours and forty minutes left. Let's go." Heiytu reminded them.

Juon and Oguas nodded. They didn’t see her eyes when she asked for the tag. If they do, they might feel threatened by her too but their instinct told them to not look at her at that time, saving their mentality. 

If they do, they might be scared of girls from now on, especially one with dresses. And so, they just felt like they were lucky to have their first tag so smoothly. They left the area to find their next target.

"Heh! This girl is very interesting." 

Bran Hixiez, a man and also one of the teachers, commented. He was monitoring Leqaria’s group. He had four other screens in front of him. But, Leqaria's group got his attention from the beginning when she came in her frilly dress. 

He almost laughed out loud when he first saw her and cursed her for coming in those clothes. He wonders if the guards at the entrance gate had warned her of her unsuitable attire. Somehow, he thinks they didn’t manage to convince her to change or she won't be in that dress.

Yet, he got interested after seeing her stopping Silven’s punch with only one finger. He could see some powerful force was released by the boy but it would only injure someone about 20%, not entirely kill them. Since Silven was not from under his observation, he ignored the boy and stared at Leqaria instead. 

He was surprised that she managed to convince the beast to give her the tag. He wonders if she has an innate beast tamer ability. He needs to investigate more and so, he opens the recorded application form of the academy. 

All teachers were given access to look at the participants' profiles so they could determine the final result which may change the test result even if participants fail in it. But, the teachers only allow access to the participant under their monitoring only, not other participants under other teachers. This was to avoid cheating or any teacher who was displeased with their group to change other groups' student scores.

Bran stares at the profile.

Name: Leqaria Vanxie

Age: 18

Birth Date: 3410, 25th February (Leqaria chose her birth date the same day she awoke in Glaios Base)

Birth Place: Glaios Base

Address: 5th Street 10011-AC Yong Lewnest Glaios Base

Appraisal Body Data:

Physical Fitness: [A] Rank

Divine Power: Tier-2

Innate Power: [A] Rank

Potential: [A] Rank

Bran almost shouts in surprise before he swallows his voice. His eyes went to other teachers around him. He was glad no one noticed his abnormality.

'God bless her! She has Tier-2 spiritual power and [A] Rank Innate Power?! No wonder the beast fears her. But how did she get to that level? Not to mention only one in a thousand can have Divine Power and mostly at Tier-1. For innate power, the average student we get all the time was only [B] Rank or [C] Rank. [A] Rank is hard to find and only a number can be found each year. This girl… She is one of the geniuses! With high divine and innate power, she can go further than anyone her age!'

Divine power meant the person had high control of their mental power. They also can go far in mental training as well as the ability to control the God Class Mecha in the future. The Changeling, who had such high mental power that he knew, was a highly ranked General and all of them were men, never a woman. Such a shocking find makes Bran go into deep thought.

It was a long time later that he felt his back damp with a lot of sweat. She will be in danger! He must report her presence to the headmaster. She must be concealed and protected at all costs! 

He didn't realise that Leqaria haven't finished the test but already put a pass for her in his mind.

Bran knew if somebody else found out about her, they might want to kidnap her or dissect her because of her talent. They also might steal her power using all means. Nothing should happen to her. 

Especially since she has no one to protect her. That was after he realised something else in the application form. It was about Leqaria's parents. His eyes went a little dark and had a slight sympathy.

Parent Father Name: Moiusha Vanxie

Elaboration: Dead

Parent Mother Name: Setyrina Vanxie

Elaboration: Dead

If she has no backup, then the academy has to back her up. They can't let such a talent go to waste. He doesn't mind if a powerful family wants to adopt her later but he fears they would force her to marry or become a birth tool which stops her progress to become the first woman God Class Mecha. 

So, to him, no one can be trusted.

Leqaria and her team found another beast with Level [E-]. Leqaria went to sit somewhere and let them handle the beast. The boys knew she had done a good job getting their first tag so they let her have her way. 

Moreover, they can’t lose to a girl. It would bring their pride as a man to shame if anyone ever saw they were too dependent on the girl. So, after another half an hour, they manage to get the tag from the beast.

Juon and Oguas got a light scratch on their body but it was a minor one that doesn't need bandaging. Both let out a sigh of relief after they got the tag around the beast's tail which they had used their entire energy to hold the beast down while Heiytu snatched the tag. 

The beast was the size of a dog but it was fast and had six limbs with two hindlegs enabling it to walk. It was cute in Leqaria's eyes with its head that looked like a mouse and long ears. It wasn’t vicious in nature but easily frightened. And when it was frightened it would run or jump at a speed that was hard for them to capture.

Leqaria watches the boys with Juon and Oguas chase the beast to a small trap Heiytu has made. It was a net trap which might hinder the beast from running. As for where the net came from, Heiytu had pulled it out from one of his sachets around his waist. She was amazed that he was prepared for the test with many small gadgets on him.

Heiytu's calmness and intelligence impressed her again. Her tongue suddenly filled with salivas and she swallowed it. She could feel her fangs wanting to come out. Such a brilliant child must have excellent blood too. She couldn’t wait to taste it.

‘Let’s do him tonight. It’s been two weeks after all. I might go crazy like this.’

She thought silently. Her small tongue licks the dryness of her lips.

“Let’s go. We are still behind with four targets. Sigh… Can we finish this?” Oguas finally felt his effort was still weak.

To finish the task with tags of Level [E-] and Level [E] beast seems so hard to achieve. No wonder not many Changelings passed it successfully. Hades Military Academy truly was hard to enter.

Heiytu looked at the watch on his left wrist. His eyes turn gloomy. “We still have one hour and a half…” He weakly told them.

He too feels that it was impossible to pass like this. They were too slow. Finding a beast already took more than half an hour and they needed to fight them too which wasted much more time. Like him, Juon and Oguas already looked exhausted.

“Who said we need to find four more targets. We need only one left.” Leqaria told them with a chuckle.

Huh? The boys look at her with confusion.

“Here!” She suddenly threw a small pouch at them.

Heiytu caught it and opened it. He was surprised to find three more tag bands inside. The pouch was used to keep their tags and they let her hold it since they trusted her and worried if they lost it. Who knows if there were any other bullies around them.

Yes, bullies. 

They were attacked after they got their third tags. Thanks to Leqaria and her display of another strength and pressure that makes them pee their pants, the hidden group no longer waste their time fighting them and searching for their tags. Leqaria and her team won one tag from the bullies group who attacked them. 

After all, no rule said they cannot get tags from another group in the test. So, they sometimes pass some team that was crying in misery. They had to ignore those teams because they don’t have time to pity others.

“How?!” Juon and Oguas, who finally look at the extra tags, ask her with astonishment.

Leqaria let out a humming sound. “You guys probably didn’t notice that beasts are not just in the shape of animals but also the plants. I found one tree with slow movement. Ah, that one has no fighting ability. The other ones were just cute flower plants that like to hide and seek on the ground. And the last one was a gecko camouflaging itself to a bark. It was a coincidence to see them while you boys were fighting another beast before this one.”

“What?!” 

The boys were so surprised that such beasts were around them all this time. But more amazed at her ability to detect those beasts while they didn’t realise it at all.

“Miss, no, Big Sis! Did you see one more beast around?! We can finish the test with the last beast!”

Heiytu was excited because they really can pass the test soon. He also changed his call to her because he had decided he would become her underling. There’s no way he could let go of such a big thigh. She was incredible and might be more so after she entered the academy. Becoming her underling was a must if he wanted to become a strong soldier.

Juon and Oguas, who also realised Heiytu’s intention, immediately followed after him.

“Big Sis! I will follow you from now on!” 

Oguas’ eyes currently looked at her like she was his idol. He also decided. He would do anything for her from now on.

“Big Sis, please help us pass the test. If you do, I will follow you for my entire life. Life and death at your disposal.” Juon moves to kneel on one knee to her with a resolute decision too.

Seeing his action, Heiytu and Oguas went down on one knee in front of her too.

“I too will give my life and death at your disposal.” Heiytu makes his vow.

“As do I.” Oguas followed up.

Leqaria gasped at their reaction. She only helped them get four tags and she already got their trust this much? 

She felt so unbelievable. She thought it would be a while before she could gain their trust and also didn’t imagine it would be like this, where they would give her their life. 

She wonders if the world has changed a lot since then. It was like the world had gone back to the ancient time when the loyalists were born. She needs to ask Ambrion about it later.

“Okay. Just so you know, following me is hard. I would leave you behind if you’re not getting any stronger.” She told them honestly.

Well, it’s not like she would leave them in the dust but if they can’t she won’t force them. Her path to becoming a Major General was not like a 'la la la' land or an easy path. It would be full of dangerous factors like her past life. 

If there was no danger, she wouldn't be dead at that time or was forced to sleep to regenerate her ashes into a human form again. Not to mention, her friends back then didn’t know she was an immortal and they had to burn her to a crisp. It’s no wonder it took her a long time to awaken.

"Duly noted!" The three boys replied together.

Leqaria nodded at them. "Ah, as for the last beast, here you go. You can train with it."

She snapped her finger. The boys look at her with dumbfounded expressions. It was then that they felt a violent aura from behind them. They immediately jumped to the side and turned over to see, they were shocked by a rabbit beast holding a scythe in its hand.

"Death Rabbit!" Heiytu was shocked.

"Shit!"

"What?!" 

Juon and Oguas were alarmed.

"It's a Rank [D] beast! Shit! We're in trouble!"

"Do your best! The tag is on its left leg." Leqaria cheers them.

Double shit!

Rabbit's legs were strong and it had a tough kick. For a beast, the kick itself can kill them. When the rabbit swung its sycthe, which has a wide range, the boys immediately dodge it. 

Leqaria, who was near them just now, had flashed herself to sit a little far away from them. They couldn’t ask her how the beast appeared there without them noticing it because they were busy dodging the rabbit’s attacks. 

The battle was still ongoing until the monitor showed them to Vaans in the monitoring room.

"Who is that girl?" His low cold voice sounded.

The monitoring teachers shuddered at the voice and snapped their heads at him. They immediately went into shock before standing up with a salute on their forehead.

"We have seen the General!" They shouted in high spirit.

Who wouldn't when a high-ranking General and a famous one at that had come to their academy so suddenly? Their eyes show admiration toward Vaans.

Vaans salute back before he asked the same question. Bran knew who he meant since the big screen showed the group he monitored. His eyes brightened at the thought that Leqaria might be protected by the General. 

Truthfully, he hoped Vaans wouldn't ignore this talented girl. So, he walked to Vaans and stopped three metres away with another salute.

"General, I have her details here."

He gives Vaans his monitor pad with Leqaria's profile document stated on the screen. His monitor pad has an anti-spy screen protector where people from the side can't read what was on the screen unless they put the pad straight in front of them.

Vaans scanned the profile with just a glance. He understood once he saw it and it should have been the reason that Bran didn't say it out loud. Instead, the latter makes him read it. He also realised Bran's intention to protect her. But…

'Strange… To have high abilities at this age, could there be a hidden master who taught her?’

"Headmaster Megfor, I would like to apply to be a temporary teacher here. Since you have asked me to have a time out. I will use your suggestion now." He needs to investigate further.

‘After all, she could be a hidden spy from The Freelancer.’ 

No matter how many thousands of years, The Federation and The Freelancer will always be at odds with each other. They may have made a peace agreement but no one knows when another war would break out between them. After all, The Federation would never forget how many great Generals they have sacrificed within these many thousand years in the war.

So, he wouldn’t allow any unknown beings to enter their Federation without getting full details of it and since he has a lot of free time (meaning, he’s bored), he may as well go do something which can give some break time for his soldiers. But, he will only do the investigation within a short time. 

‘ One week should be enough…’ He thought.

He didn't want his soldiers when he went back to the division later to become dwindled. He still thinks his soldiers were not that powerful and wishes they can go further like his current level. 

If all his soldiers knew what he was thinking, they would give him the middle finger or curse him for his bruteness. And it was impossible to reach his level. Only a gifted person would be able to reach Vaans level, especially if they already had heaven-defying Appraisal Body Data since birth.

Vaans’ Appraisal Body Data after he was born already stated Rank [S] for all and only Rank [SS] for his Physical Fitness. His birth had given a loud exclamation to many planets, even The Freelancer was threatened by his birth. 

And since he was a child, he has already been protected. Of course, he had many dangers coming his way until he grew up and many lives had been sacrificed for him. To return the favour, Vaans had vowed to give his life for the Federal Nation. 

So, an unknown factor like Leqaria made him feel so strange because no female Changeling had ever reached such a level that was better than men of her same age. Her parents death and her abilities alone have raised many questions inside his mind.

‘I must inspect her at close range…’

While he was thinking seriously about The Federal Nation's future safety, the people around him looked at him with a stupefied expression. Some even had their monitoring pad or other objects in their hand fallen to the smooth metallic black floor.

Huh? 

What? 

Whaaattt?!!!