Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

Ruo Manni had already “foreseen” the interstellar disaster that the Gumera Star Region would face in a few years. Now, having learned that she would certainly be forcibly conscripted into the military after graduation, her choice became clear: she would opt for the path most beneficial to herself.

Her impressive results in the mech combat assessments boosted her confidence significantly. After all, she had achieved these results without any specialized combat training and was unprepared when she was sent to the assessment area.

Just imagine how strong her overall combat capability could be if she received professional training!

The systematic training provided by the military academy is on an entirely different level compared to self-taught cultivation. In the academy, there are numerous sparring partners and various real combat opportunities that cannot be matched by training alone at home.

Just like in the recent assessment, no matter how skilled she was at grinding monsters in the game, facing a Level 4 warrior would reveal that her combat power was not just slightly inferior; it was a different story altogether.

In fact, with her strength as a Level 5 novice telekinesis user, if she had the opportunity to practice in real combat with others, she wouldn’t have been so awkward at the beginning.

Today’s assessment began in a forest map, which allowed Ruo Manni to showcase her strengths as a telekinesis user, quickly enhancing her overall combat capability and facilitating rapid growth. It was only after entering the desert map that she managed to hold on until the end.

Had it started in the desert map, she wasn’t even sure she could survive a few hours in the assessment.

“Teacher, you yourself said I have dual C potential, and becoming a mech combat master has better prospects, so it doesn’t matter to me to study in the mech combat department. Since the empire needs mech masters, I’ll go for it,” Ruo Manni stated.

Plans can’t keep up with changes, so it’s best to adapt to them rather than struggle with indecision.

After yesterday’s combat assessment, Mentor Fang had a deep understanding of Ruo Manni’s combat abilities and was not surprised by her quick decision. She and old Lin had leaned towards this choice anyway, though she said with a hint of regret:

“Your talent in mech manufacturing is also outstanding; it’s a pity to give it up.”

For a gentle girl like Ruo Manni, the identity of a mech manufacturer might suit her better.

“I was told by my teammates in the map assessment that although there are no formal regulations at the Xuan Gu First Military Academy, students with the ability can apply for dual studies, which is quite common among the cadets,” Ruo Manni informed Mentor Fang, indicating that she wouldn’t give up on learning mech manufacturing.

After listening, Mentor Feng didn’t respond immediately; she took some time to consider before saying, “The study and training schedule in the mech combat department is very tight. If you also try to learn mech manufacturing, the pressure might be quite heavy. However, since you are determined, we won’t oppose it. We can assess the situation later. For now, focus on the current assessment and, based on your current performance, work hard to see if you can get into the mech combat department for free.”

Mentor Fang was also worried about the costs; if Ruo Manni pursued dual studies, her tuition would exceed two hundred thousand credits per year. However, she refrained from bringing this up at the moment.

Ruo Manni, on the other hand, wasn’t concerned about this, as she believed she could easily earn enough credits for both programs through her involvement in the combat realm.

“Two of the three assessments are done, and tomorrow is the ranking match. Manni, give it your all and aim for the top ten.” Having made her choice and knowing her capabilities, Mentor Fang could only encourage her.

The third assessment, the ranking match, is the most challenging of the three, lasting over ten hours.

The participants are those ranked within the top ten thousand, and opponents are randomly assigned by SkyNet, chosen from the top twenty thousand based on total points from the first two assessments.

Each candidate participating in the ranking match must complete twenty rounds, with each round limited to twenty minutes. If a candidate cannot defeat their opponent within this time, the one with the least health loss when time runs out wins.

The next day, there is also a challenge match where all eliminated candidates can challenge those ranked in the top ten thousand. The winners of these challenges can earn one-tenth of the points from the challenged candidate. For those who have been eliminated, this presents a chance to come back.

However, there are limits; each candidate can only be challenged up to five times.

The final results will be based on the combined scores from the three assessments and challenge matches, with the top ten thousand candidates becoming new students in the mech combat department of Xuan Gu First Military Academy.

For Ruo Manni, who had only been reborn for less than half a year and had virtually no practical combat experience outside of leveling up in the combat realm, the ranking match was her weakest link.

If it weren’t for the second map PK match where she learned a lot of practical experience from Neptune, she wouldn’t have known how to deal with her opponents at all.

To prepare for the ranking match, Ruo Manni practiced late into the night, even skipping the combat realm for the first time since its launch.

That night, she only slept for four hours. The next day, she logged onto SkyNet half an hour early to carefully review the rules for the ranking and challenge matches.

Unlike the map PK match, where candidates fought unarmed, each candidate in the ranking match could choose three weapons. After careful consideration, Ruo Manni chose a long sword, flying daggers, and a long whip.

Half a month ago, Ruo Manni’s telekinesis level advanced to mid-stage level five. In the combat realm, she used her telekinetic abilities to control four flying daggers to defeat monsters, dealing about two hundred points of damage, which was slightly higher than the one hundred fifty points from her swordsmanship.

Not only had Ruo Manni mastered the telekinesis technique for manipulating objects with ease, but she had also developed many creative applications for her telekinetic “hands.”

In the combat realm, she refined her telekinesis into invisible threads that invaded the minds of magical beasts, causing them to become momentarily dazed for two to three seconds.

However, this technique couldn’t be used on humans due to the laws of the Gus Empire, which prohibit telekinetics from directly attacking human minds unless in life-or-death situations.

Thus, Ruo Manni kept her mental attacks as a last resort and came up with other strategies. For example, during yesterday’s map assessment, when she was being chased, she used telekinetic threads to trip her opponent, creating obstacles to slow them down.

But tricks are just tricks; they can only have a limited effect. Her telekinesis wasn’t yet capable of dealing direct damage, so Ruo Manni chose the flying daggers, the most suitable weapon for a mid-level telekinetic.