There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL) novel Chapter 391

Chapter 391: Chapter 383. Taste of Poison

"Yes, yes--you can whine all you want," Zein responded nonchalantly to the cry of lament that his kids produced.

The guides sighed in their premature excitement. The younger ones especially pursed their lips in an attempt to look pitiful. Nadine chuckled inwardly and shook her head. "What kind of training would it be, Captain? It must be different from before, right?"

"Right," Zein nodded, assessing the guides one by one. "As you know, we will start marching to the Deathzone in two batches; in June to establish a headquarters, and in August. In other words, there’s not much time anymore for us to prepare."

Now that Zein had mentioned the Deathzone, the guides became more serious, straightening their back and stopping their whining. Even those who weren’t chosen to go there kept rapt attention.

They already knew that the first batch was sent to establish a safe zone; a headquarters where they would rally their forces and expand little by little. Thus, the first batch would face the most danger, with no place to fall back into, where they had to enter the unpenetrable darkness and be surrounded by toxic air. That was why Zein had chosen his best pupils to go with him for the first campaign.

That being said, it was imperative for all of the chosen guides to receive the training. Depending on how the campaign progressed, there might be a time when all guides needed to be mobilized.

"You don’t have to go through rigorous endurance training anymore--I think you all have built sufficient stamina to follow the espers around," Zein continued. "What you still lack, instead, is also what you need to have the most--defensive skills."

Some of the guides’ widened eyes had sparkles on them now. Defensive skills. Skills that set Zein apart from the other guides; skills that made him thrive as a combat guide.

"How to dodge attacks efficiently, how to utilize shields better, and of course," Zein raised his palm, where a white knife materialized, and promoted even more sparkling eyes. "How to handle a weapon so you don’t have to be passively waiting for a rescue."

"So...so you’ll finally allow us to use weapons, Captain?"

"Eventually."

"Whaaaat--"

"Sush--listen to him first," Nadine scolded the overly eager younger guides, who thought wielding weapons was cool just because Zein looked cool while doing it.

She bet they would revisit this eagerness when they finally did the training and had to kill a miasmic beast for real. Even the rookie espers sometimes had a difficult time on their first hunt. And where did they think those callouses and scars in Zein’s fingers came from? Would they still be so energetic after their skin peeled and chaffed and bleeding from weapon training?

"You seemed to be excited, but I have to remind you that attacking is your last option," Zein told them sternly. "An inexperienced attempt more often only leads to even more accidents, because it prompts you to abandon parts--in not all--of your defense."

"So you’re telling us we should focus on mastering how to dodge and deploy shield properly first," Nadine concluded.

"Exactly," Zein nodded. "I will still let you train with weapons once a week, but you’ll have to train in the other two twice a week each."

"Like what you usually do, Captain? Dodging projectiles and such?"

"Yes. We’ll employ the espers who will stay in Althrea to provide the training. There--Alice has put the training schedule for all of you."

Their gaze shifted toward the screen, where there were two timetables. Just as Zein had mentioned, their endurance training had been replaced with reflex training and shield utility. There was something different between the two timetables, however.

"Captain, are those schedules divided between those who stay and those who will go to the Deathzone?" asked Nadine.

"Yes."

"So...only those who join the campaign will receive simulation training? The other doesn’t have to do it anymore?"

Zein glanced at the screen with a rather grim expression that stirred tension among the guides. "This simulation will be different," he said. "I’ve been letting you experience what it feels like inside various dungeons, but this time," he swept his gaze across the room, "you will experience what it would feel like inside the Deathzone."