At the beginning, David Thompson was completely unaccustomed to it—either he couldn’t fall asleep, or he had nightmares, and just when he wanted to sleep, he would be gently awakened by Laser. After a few days of this cycle, he finally learned how to control himself to enter deep sleep and get the most restful rest. But the good times didn’t last long. After enjoying a week of this, although he still got eight hours of sleep, there would be one to three attacks during those eight hours. In other words, he had to maintain a certain level of alertness. It seemed contradictory, but Devil James said there was a balance to be found in this, and David Thompson had to discover it himself—and he had to succeed.

David Thompson felt like crying but had no tears. Was this training for a mobile suit pilot or for an assassin? But Devil James was not one to reason with. In moments of danger, human potential is fully unleashed. It only took three days for him to get used to this kind of sleep. This wasn’t just about training to sleep—the most direct effect was that whenever he encountered danger, David Thompson would develop an indescribable premonition.

A battle-hardened veteran often has this kind of feeling, and occasionally some mentally gifted geniuses can do it too. They call it the sixth sense, but for David Thompson, this was the result of real training.

But all of this was just basic training. The first month had only just ended, and the next phase of training was about to begin!

At that time, David Thompson had only one feeling: how wonderful last month’s life had been!

Chapter 13: The Blazing Devil’s Forest

Originally, David Thompson thought that after all the physical training, the next step would surely be the mobile suit training he loved. But he was disappointed, because the training was still focused on his own body. According to Devil James, if his foundation hadn’t been so poor, he wouldn’t have wasted a whole month. This was a heavy blow to David Thompson. At school, his physique was definitely above average, and even if he joined the army, he wouldn’t be considered weak—yet he was given a “too poor” evaluation.

The second part of Volume One’s physical training was mainly about adapting to the environment and real combat with his own body—not piloting a mobile suit, but fighting with his own blood and flesh!

The training ground had disappeared, replaced by a primeval forest. Looking at those bizarrely shaped trees, David Thompson’s first reaction was that this was like shooting an adventure movie—except the price was his life. If he made one careless mistake and got wiped out, he’d really be dead. Although Devil James said the scenario was arranged according to his strength, after the first stage, David Thompson no longer believed it. If he hadn’t been strong enough, and if he didn’t have so many attachments, he might not have made it. If he were a new machine, he’d rather crash himself to death. Having come this far, there was no way he could give up. Besides, David Thompson vaguely felt that if he could really survive and leave this place, he would make unimaginable progress.

“Master, this is the Devil’s Forest, one of the planets conquered by our Maya civilization. Its technological civilization is relatively backward, but it possesses very powerful combat strength. There are two types of life forms here: plant-based and animal-based. You will need to survive here for one week.”

Little James’s mechanical voice sounded.

“Oh, so there are plant-type and animal-type monsters. What are their strengths and weaknesses? What about my equipment?”

He and Devil James were now at the entrance to the forest. The sudden change to an outside environment gave David Thompson a bit of a sense of novelty, but after a month of training, curiosity about the unknown had been relegated to second place. The top priority was survival!

“You will need to discover your opponents’ strengths and weaknesses yourself. To connect theory with practice, your only weapon is an Alpha alloy knife, which matches the technological level of your planet. At the same time, your dietary system is now open. If you do not get enough nutrition, your combat strength will decrease…”

“Stop, stop, I know what you’re going to say next!” Damn it, if my combat strength drops, that’s game over!

“Then I wish Master success in passing the test.”

Devil James flapped his wings in a seemingly respectful manner, then shook his head a few times and disappeared, leaving an Alpha alloy knife on the ground.

Picking up his only weapon, David Thompson deeply despised his so-called “servant.” To be a master like him was truly one of a kind—his sense of artistry was truly fierce.

“Test begins. Please enter the Devil’s Forest within three seconds. Countdown starting: three…”

As soon as the voice sounded, David Thompson didn’t hesitate and dove headfirst into the forest at high speed. This damned machine really didn’t give him any leeway—not even an extra minute.

The moment he rushed into the forest, his vision immediately darkened, and all contact with the outside world was cut off. David Thompson stood perfectly still, cautiously sensing everything around him. This would be a true test of survival!

Although he hadn’t received any formal training, he had read plenty of books and watched plenty of movies on the subject. In an unknown environment like this, the first thing to do was to find a safe place!

After a few seconds, David Thompson got used to the lighting here. It was indeed very dim, and seemingly bottomless. These plants were nothing like anything on Earth—so many different kinds. After a month of terrifying training, David Thompson slowly kept his mind at a suitable level of alertness, and gradually leaned against a huge, unknown plant. This plant had no branches or leaves; it looked more like a giant, dark green radish—the uglier, the better, really.