Sam and Mikasa were no longer just people who had surpassed the wall.
They were birds soaring freely above it.
Existences who didn't even spare a glance at the humans struggling to climb from below.
Perhaps from the very beginning, someone like him had never even been in their sight.
That realization hit Reiner like a stone, and his focus wavered.
"…Ha."
The sharp sensation that had enveloped his body, from his toes to his head, dulled.
And in its place—
The crushing weight of seeing an unbreakable wall.
What had all his training been for?
He had pushed himself to the brink, again and again—
But in the end, nothing changed.
—Tsss…
Maybe it was that hopeless thought that slowed his speed.
"…Idiot."
Annie passed him without hesitation, muttering as she went.
Reiner was laughing one second, despairing the next.
What the hell was he even doing?
She shook her head in exasperation.
* * *
At the breakneck speed I was moving, my vision started registering the world in snapshots, like a series of still photographs.
I couldn't afford to miss a single frame.
My head whipped around constantly, calculating every inch of the space ahead.
For the first time, I felt what it was like to have a headache from moving, not studying.
But I pushed past the throbbing pain, keeping close behind Mikasa.
"Damn it, I should've just started first."
She had this habit—always letting everyone else take off before she leisurely began.
Maybe it was confidence, the kind that came from knowing she could catch up whenever she wanted.
And the annoying part? She always did.
That's why, this time, I waited. I didn't move until she did.
I thought we'd be at a similar pace.
I'd never gone all out before either.
But reality hit me hard—I was barely keeping up.
"Just how much has she been holding back all this time?"
I had confidence in my maneuvering.
This wasn't something you could brute-force with raw strength or sharp eyesight alone.
The most important thing was recognizing and controlling that strange sensation—
The feeling of your whole body working in harmony, from your toes to your head.
Mikasa had already mastered it.
—Tssss!
I pushed my gas output to the max.
Heat radiated through my waist as the gear blazed to full power.
For a second, I thought I was closing the gap—
But then Mikasa cranked hers up too.
And just like that, the distance widened again.
"Tch… damn it."
There was no way to catch up.
We both had the sense for movement.
We both had max output.
We both knew how to use momentum.
But the difference between us—the reason she was ten meters ahead—
Was precision.
Her anchor placements.
Her body control.
That's what created the gap I couldn't close.
The distance between us remained the same, never closing, never growing.
Until—
"First place, Mikasa Ackerman! Second place, Sam Yang!"
We crossed the finish line.
As soon as my feet hit the ground, a flood of cheers and praise from the instructors washed over us.
"Haha! Sam, at this rate, you're gonna be faster than half the damn Scouts!"
"This sharp kid. With just your practical scores, the Military Police Brigade is practically guaranteed for you."
I forced a smile as I accepted the instructors' praise.
Mikasa, as usual, remained expressionless, enduring their compliments with her usual detached demeanor.
"…A little disappointing."
I didn't mind losing in direct combat against Mikasa.
The strength gap between us was too vast—it was inevitable.
But I thought the ODM gear battle would be different.
It wasn't just about raw strength and reflexes.
Yet even in this domain, Mikasa had completely overwhelmed me.
I felt the sheer, overwhelming power of the Ackerman bloodline.
And the worst part?
There were two more just like her.
One in the Survey Corps.
One in the Military Police.
A memory surfaced—something I once read in Attack on Titan.
Levi's combat strength was said to be greater than that of a single Titan Shifter.
If Mikasa, who was slightly behind Levi, was already this strong…
Then Levi had the power to take down at least two Titans on his own.
'I need to avoid fighting any Ackermans at all costs.'
If I only had to deal with Mikasa, I might stand a chance.
But if Levi joined in?
Even if the entire Warrior Unit fought together, we wouldn't escape unscathed.
And if we also had to face strategists like Erwin, along with hardened veterans of the Survey Corps…
I couldn't guarantee the safety of any of us.
A full-scale battle was out of the question.
I rubbed the goosebumps on my arms and quickly turned my gaze away from Mikasa.
"Ugh, still…"
I really didn't want to lose in ODM training.
I hadn't won anything in practical training.
Would my life have been easier if I had reincarnated as Mikasa?
Or Levi?
Or even Kenny?
…No, no way. That's a bit much.
Even without inheriting a Titan, being an Ackerman was a tempting option.
But considering my only choices would have been a very strong girl, an old man, or a dwarf…
I wasn't exactly thrilled about that.
Sure, they were insanely strong, but still…