CHAPTER 71: EX 71. DELAY

As Leon finally took his place beside the other top cadets, the weight of countless gazes settled around them. He stood tall, expression unreadable, the golden medal around his neck gleaming under the hall’s soft lighting. The atmosphere around him was different, solid, unshakable, almost like the very ground responded to his presence.

Eden Feran glanced at Leon, his jaw tightening for the briefest moment. But he quickly looked away, clenching his fists at his side as he thought,

"This isn’t the time. There will be a time... but not now."

Standing beside Adrian, Eleanor, and the rest, Leon’s presence completed the line up four cadets who had defined the Selection.

Vanguard Rebecca stepped forward once more, her voice firm, commanding.

"As per the rules of the Federation, the top five cadets will be granted first pick of the Attack Base they wish to be deployed to. The rest of the cadets will follow in order of ranking."

Murmurs rippled across the hall like aftershocks. The Attack Branch was the dream of every aspiring Taker.

Rebecca continued:

"You all have until midnight to finalize your decisions. Accommodations will be provided within the arena until then."

The lower-ranked cadets braced themselves as she turned her gaze outward.

"Those who did not make the top five hundred... you will be assigned to Defense Bases across the Federation. Hold your heads high. Your contribution is just as critical. There is no shame in your path, only purpose."

She let her words settle before delivering her final message, her voice now laced with a quiet fire:

"You have all done well. But never forget, keep the fire of the Federation burning in your hearts."

A unified cry thundered back from the cadets:

"Yes, Vanguard!"

Rebecca gave one final nod.

"Good. You are all dismissed."

The large doors of the arena swung open. Cadets began to scatter in clusters, some celebrating, others walking with silent determination. But in every one of them, something had changed.

They were no longer hopefuls.

They were now Soldiers of the Federation.

****

Leon stepped into the room assigned to him for the night, the door sliding shut behind with a soft hiss. The room was simple but clean, functional, like everything the Federation designed. A single bed stood at the center with crisp white sheets tucked with military precision. A sleek metal nightstand sat beside it, empty except for a Federation-branded lamp. To the left, a sliding door led to a compact bathroom, the lights flicking on automatically as he approached. A single window near the ceiling filtered in the dusky light of evening, giving the whole space a dim, clinical calmness.

It was clearly designed for temporary use, a stopgap between the selection and the battlefield.

Leon looked around and gave a tired grunt.

"Looks okay,"

he muttered as he pulled off his training uniform and headed into the bathroom.

The sound of running water filled the space as Leon stepped under the stream, the hot shower melting away the aches of the day. A few minutes later, he emerged, steam curling out from behind him like mist from a furnace. Towel-drying his hair, he pulled on the nightclothes he had packed earlier, simple dark-grey pants and a loose shirt, then sat on the bed, exhaling deeply.

The first thing he did was call up his status panel.

---

[Status Panel]

Name: Leon Kael

Race: Human

Age: 19

Class: Warrior

Rank: F-Rank

Talent: {Attack} — EX Rank

Status: Normal

Health: 100%

---

[STATS]

Strength: 806

Senses: 705

Vitality: 676

Stamina: 671

Speed: 689

Aura: 701

---

[Skills]

[Echolocation]

[Mirror Split]

[Phantom Edge – Form 1: Flicker Fang]

[Phantom Edge – Form 2: Horizon Cleave]

---

[Inventory]

---

Leon swiped over to open the Talent Page.

[Attack Points: 0 / 10,000]

The big fat zero practically glared back at him.

Leon scowled.

"Tch... like a stain on a clean sheet."

He sighed and ran a hand through his damp hair.

"It’s just for today..."

He dismissed the page with a flick of his finger. Staring at that zero wasn’t helping his blood pressure.

"Still... at least I learned something useful."

He leaned back slightly, eyes narrowing in thought.

"In order to get the most out of my talent, I have to push my body to the edge, stress it out hard enough for the system to react. But with stats this high... getting stressed is easier said than done."

His lips curled into a grin, one that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

"Well, I’m sure I’ll figure something out once I reach my base."

Just then, a chime echoed through the room. Leon’s Federation-issued phone lit up on the nightstand. A new notification appeared:

---

[Notice: Cadet Leon Kael]

As the first-ranked cadet, you are required to select your preferred Attack Base.

Please make your selection promptly to allow time for the remaining cadets to do the same.

---

Leon blinked, then gave a dry chuckle.

"Oh yeah... I still had this to do."

He grabbed the device, eyes narrowing in thought as he began scrolling through the list of bases....

****

In a quiet, dimly lit room a few halls away, Adrian Peer sat on the edge of his bed, one leg bouncing impatiently. The screen of his phone blinked steadily with the same message it had shown for the last ten minutes:

"Notice: Rank 1 Cadet Leon Kael has not selected a base yet. Please wait."

"What the hell is taking him so long..."

His voice was calm, but his jaw clenched ever so slightly.

Meanwhile, across the compound in another assigned room, Eden Feran stood beside his bed, arms crossed and a glare aimed at the glowing message on his phone-screen. The same infuriating words flashed in front of him.

"Tch... fucking bastard,"

he spat. the top cadet was holding up his progress.

And Eden wasn’t the only one.

In every room occupied by the top 500 cadets, tension was beginning to build. Eyes flicked to screens with anxious glances, fists clenched, teeth ground. If the first-ranked cadet didn’t make his choice soon, every single one of them would be randomly assigned to an Attack base, and that would render the entire Selection process meaningless.

Some cadets cursed under their breath. Others groaned. A few began to panic, worried they’d end up in some no-name frontier base.

Meanwhile...

The cause of all the chaos, the centerpiece of everyone’s delayed fate, was currently lounging like a king in his temporary room, back against the wall and legs stretched out lazily on the bed.

Leon Kael sat comfortably, licking chocolate ice cream from a sleek plastic spoon with zero urgency in his posture.

His phone was glowing right in front of him, the list of bases still untouched.

He blinked once.

Then took another slow, satisfied bite.

Not a care in the world.