—

‘Thank god he’s on our squad.’

That’s what #5 and the rest of Cedric’s squad members thought as they devoured their food.

#5 couldn’t think of a better person to lead them other than Cedric now. Not only did the guy have some serious leadership skills, able to rouse their fighting spirit and help them improve by leaps and bounds in just a few instructions, but he was also insanely responsible.

He returned after their training with a week’s worth of supply. He divided it equally for everyone and they witnessed this. Apparently, somebody gave him a ticket that could be exchanged for a week’s worth of resources.

Cedric didn’t even rest. As soon as he received that, he went straight to the resource exchange center and got their supplies. He decided without asking for the team’s opinion but nobody cared. He’s the leader and all of them know that he’s better at making decisions based on what the team needs.

He wouldn’t be chosen as the squad leader if he wasn’t.

Of course, the squad was extremely grateful to receive their portion of the resources but it didn’t end there. As it turns out, the guy could cook too!

And damn does he cook well…

The food he makes is seriously even better than 5-star restaurants #5 knew, and this isn’t an exaggeration. It actually felt a bit illegal to consume such good food considering where they were, cause this food was pure luxury.

That said, their taste buds had been corrupted now because there’s no way they could ever eat other meals without comparing it to his.

On top of the food, he also brought back toiletries and other essential stuff to make their life here a little more comfortable. Seriously, #5 was starting to think that life here wasn’t so bad so long as he was under #1’s leadership.

Thinking about this, #5 wondered if the academy or the soldiers of the army ever thought that life here could be so comfortable. Yes, it’s all still terrible since hell’s just literally on the other side of the wall, but Cedric made it so much easier for them.

“The supplies you received are supposed to last you for a week. Not more or less. Exactly that. So plan out your consumption well. Of course, you are not prohibited from saving them just in case, that’s yours anyway. You do what you want to do with it.

However, since I’m aware that your needs are met, I am expecting an equal amount of effort as well. We can’t be caught lacking.”

“I know that I’m making life a bit easier for all of you here and that could breed satisfaction which could lead to stagnation. Don’t worry, I won’t let you be too complacent. After all, I have several tools I can use to keep you motivated.”

#5 and the rest of the squad could only smile wryly at his words. Of course, they all thought of this as well, but once again, their leader was a few steps ahead of them.

Well, that will suck. But hey, they’re not exactly here for a vacation anyway. So this was to be expected. They’re here to see the real state of their world and experience what its real responsibility is like. So this shouldn’t be surprising.

After eating, the squad returned to their respective rooms and used the rest of their free time resting. They don’t have as much time as they would like but they’ve been warned so whatever.

As tempted as he was to take a short nap, #5 didn’t do so. The rude awakening earlier was terrible and he didn’t want to experience it again. He instead opted to clean himself a bit, not completely because he knew they’re gonna get dirty later again, and distracted himself by planning out how to divide his supplies for an entire week.

He did plan on conserving the packed rations for emergency use, but there’s no way he could pass warm and freshly cooked meals, especially since it’s available and Cedric pretty much implied that he’s willing to cook for the squad. This bit of luxury wouldn’t hurt. At least he’d have something to look forward to and keep him motivated.

Unknowingly, it took #5 the remaining time of their rest to do all of his planning. The alarm shook him out of his stupor and knowing that they were about to be summoned, he kept his stuff and left his room to participate in their training.

**

“…alright, Formation C! Move it!”

Cedric barked in a strong voice as he commanded his squad. His presence was like a giant, towering above all of them and showing unmistakable authority.

The squad members couldn’t help but to be swayed by his momentum, following his orders like their life depended on it.

They’re learning Squad Formations right now. It’s apparently one of the assignments that Sir Silverwing gave to them. Cedric reiterated that they must familiarize themselves and memorize the formations before the end of the day. Even going as far as saying that they wouldn’t rest until they achieved that.

Frankly, there’s no reason for him to even intimidate them. By now, everybody in this squad already knows their place. Their prides were already humbled and learned their lesson the hard way. They also knew that Cedric was doing what was best for this team so without his intimidation and threats, they would rise and follow his orders.

As they practiced their formations, the squad warily observed their audience. It’s none other than the hell puppies – as Cedric calls them. The big, three-headed one was here too.

They were still scared by their puppies but not as much as before. What Cedric put them through earlier this day and the fact that they traded hits with the puppies shattered the nightmarish illusion they had.

Sure, the puppies are still stronger, faster, and larger in numbers compared to them, but with Cedric’s help, they realize that they’re not infallible. They bleed and thus could be killed.

In their eyes, these puppies are no longer nightmares on legs. Instead, they are sparring partners, one that wouldn’t hesitate to tell you how much you suck by tearing a piece of your flesh, but great training partners nonetheless.

The squad was slow at the beginning. They hesitated a lot and stumbled to follow his orders. That’s to be expected since this is new to them. However, under Cedric’s leadership, they learned quickly.

He gave them bits and pieces of advice. He didn’t tell them everything, only enough for them to figure out the rest. This is the best way to teach them. The things they learn and understand on their own will always be better than outright telling them what to do.

Cedric didn’t want mindless puppets to follow his order. If he did, he would’ve just created those. He wants them to be obedient, sure. But their ability to think for themselves must be preserved because they would work better that way.

There were times when Cedric would whistle and order the hell puppies to attack them. As expected, the puppies didn’t show any signs of restraint. They sniffed out the holes in the formations and mercilessly attacked them.

They punished the squad heavily for any flaws they displayed. And as vexing as that was, Cedric explained that this was a good thing. Because if the real demons on the opposite side of the wall did this to them instead, they wouldn’t leave until it killed at least one of them.

At the very least, they are in a controlled environment right now. The hounds will hurt them badly but won’t outright kill them. They’d be healed instantly too.

Each time their defense failed, they would stop to discuss what happened. Cedric would let his team discuss what happened and how to fix it. He would chime in and add a hint or two and let them figure out the rest.

Slowly but surely, they were learning. The flaws were being mended and the hounds are finding it more and more difficult to break their defense.

After lunch, they moved on to offensive formations. Cedric kept using the same strategy to help everybody learn the formations quickly and thoroughly.

At some point, even the squad members who had awful stamina forgot their exhaustion. Well…not completely, they still feel tired but miraculously, they discovered that they could still move somehow. What really made them motivated was the fact that they could feel themselves improving by leaps and bounds.

It was an explosive growth that none of them expected to happen. Even without access to the system, they could feel the changes happening to their bodies. And that’s what kept them going.

Time passed by without them noticing since it’s always dark here. It was only when Cedric revealed to them that it was already close to midnight that they learned how much time they already spent training.

He called it a day, and made them food. After eating, he told them to clean themselves and get some rest because tomorrow, they will do the same.

Sufficed to say, as soon as they finished their meals and cleaned themselves, they passed out on their beds. Not even minding how badly their body hurts.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep