Cosmic Armed Legends

Confused Future

"Reyno, what are your plans after graduation?" Charles asked with a smile. "Don't spend all your time playing virtual armored games, guys. That stuff won't put food on the table. You're not really thinking of joining the military after graduation, are you?"

Reyno nodded at his childhood friend, "I'm considering it, but nothing's set in stone yet."

"Good Lord!" Charles exclaimed dramatically, covering his forehead. "You're really mistaking the game for reality. Those Earth Federation machines are nothing like the game, they're super exhausting to operate, and there's no future in it. Besides, we ordinary folks can't compete with the Lunarians or Martians."

Reyno didn't argue. This was indeed the harsh reality. It was now the year 2999 AD, and humanity had long since ventured beyond the solar system. Although Earth remained humanity's mother planet, it had long since ceased to be the political and economic center. Even within the solar system, its status was lower than that of the Moon people and Martians. Compared to the Moon's advanced technology and Mars' robust physique, Earth had no notable advantages.

To adapt to interstellar warfare and exploration, antimatter-powered interstellar warships had become mainstream. Once planetside, however, armored warriors were the primary force, as no one was better suited to various combat situations than humans themselves. Armored warriors had gone through many iterations by now, and even ordinary people could pilot them, though their performance was always mediocre at best.

"Listen, buddy, high school graduates have no future. If you want to join the military, I won't stop you, but at least try for a military academy. Otherwise, you'll only end up as a logistics soldier, never even touching an armored suit."

Charles looked at his friend helplessly. Although he didn't particularly like virtual armor games, he had watched a few times and knew Reyno was quite good at them. However, in his view, armored warriors were just cannon fodder. They looked cool, but in reality, the job was grueling and unrewarding, like infantry in ancient warfare—utterly without prospects.

Reyno shrugged helplessly. It wasn't that he didn't want to attend a military academy, but exams simply weren't his forte. In this day and age, military academies had the highest entry scores, and the three major European military academies were completely out of the question—those places were where the cream of the crop gathered.

To put it simply, if Reyno joined the military after high school graduation, passing the physical and assessments, he'd start as an ordinary soldier. With years of hard work, he might become an armored warrior, but only as a corporal. If he was lucky and earned some merits, he might reach captain by his forties. On the other hand, graduates from the three major European military academies entered the military as lieutenants. Regardless of position, their rank alone was enough to make others envious. Each year's top students could even directly enter the interstellar warship command, with the rank of major—a position an ordinary armored warrior could never achieve in a lifetime of struggle.

But this was reality. Armored warriors were like the infantry of old, while those piloting interstellar warships, even ordinary crew members, were high-ranking officers.

Reyno was quite open-minded about this. Everyone had their strengths, and compared to piloting interstellar warships, he preferred the more masculine role of an armored warrior.

However... military academies remained his eternal pain. He considered himself reasonably intelligent, but the entrance exams were all theoretical, and he had no appetite for rote memorization.

"Haha, no rush, we still have half a year. Whether I make it or not, I've got to give it a shot. What about you? What are your plans?"

"Heh, I don't have your lofty ambitions of military glory. I want to be a journalist, preferably in celebrity gossip news. I'll specialize in secretly photographing beautiful women. Don't worry, when I make it big, I'll definitely send you a free set of celebrity nudes!"

The two friends burst into lewd laughter, arms around each other's shoulders. Youth was about pursuing one's dreams. Reyno knew his friend's personality—he loved digging deep into things and had a good way with words. It would be a waste if he didn't enter that field. Although their interests differed, it didn't prevent them from being best friends. After more than a decade, Reyno's goal was military academy, while Charles aimed for a liberal arts college.

After they parted ways, perhaps stirred by Charles' words, Reyno was in no hurry to head home. All around him, maglev cars flowed ceaselessly. How cool, he thought, if only he could afford one.