That evening, Ryan had already exchanged greetings with Eren—they now officially knew each other.
Later on, another boy with a blond buzzcut moved in. His name was Thomas Wagner, and with that, all four roommates were present.
They would be living together in this dorm for the next three years.
To be honest, Ryan had no memory of who Thomas was from the anime, but since he was a roommate, Ryan hoped he'd be strong enough to live a bit longer.
In a world like this, that was as good a blessing as any.
"Damn it, how the hell do you wear this belt?! I can't even get the pants on!" Eren growled in frustration as he fumbled with his new uniform. The uniform of the training corps really was a pain to wear the first time—especially those belts.
But they were essential. Once they started using the Omni-directional mobility gear, those belts would help maintain posture and balance in the air.
Ryan took his time, carefully adjusting the belts and fitting into the uniform. "Don't stress, Eren. I just finished putting it on myself—I think I did it right. Let me walk you through it."
"Thank god, I was losing my mind!" Eren perked up. He'd been at it for over ten minutes, messing up the belts several times, and was running out of patience.
Right now, Eren was still a little hot-tempered.
Meanwhile, Armin had already finished and was helping Thomas get dressed. Thomas chuckled awkwardly, "Came in all excited to be a soldier, and now I can't even figure out a damn uniform. This is rough. Guys, please don't ever tell anyone about this—I'd die of embarrassment."
Thomas had a mellow, easygoing personality. He was a decent guy to be around.
Under Ryan's guidance, Eren finally got everything on properly and looked energized. "Thanks. Let's just pretend this never happened."
The four of them chatted for a while. Thomas boiled a pot of cheap red tea with hot water he'd brought back and poured a cup for everyone.
As Ryan sipped the tea—it was actually pretty decent—he learned Thomas was from the Trost District, a walled city in southern Wall Rose.
You could say he was a city kid. His father was a carpenter—not wealthy, but certainly better off than Ryan. He said he joined the military out of interest.
"So, why did you guys enlist?" Thomas asked, setting down his cup.
"To see the outside world," Armin answered casually.
"To wipe out all the Titans!" Eren said with conviction.
"Count me in. That's my goal too," Ryan added.
Eren blinked in surprise, looking at Ryan with wide eyes. It was rare—almost unheard of—to meet someone who shared his dream.
Ryan knew Eren had enlisted just to join the Survey Corps and eliminate Titans. He had the same goal, though his motivation was simpler.
He just needed something to do.
The original "Ryan" had also dreamed of joining the Survey Corps and fighting Titans. His father had died two years ago while hunting deep in the forest, a consequence of the refugee influx after Wall Maria fell.
The root of it all was the Titans—taking Wall Maria had forced humanity to give up massive territory. Unfortunately, Ryan had died before he could even enlist.
After transmigrating into his body, Ryan—who had survived two years as a knight in another world—wasn't the kind of guy to hide away just because he hadn't seen a Titan yet. Besides, staying in the rear wasn't necessarily safer.
He didn't understand this world in full, but he was already stronger than most.
There was no room for cowardice. If you didn't fight, you had no chance at survival. No matter how terrifying Titans were, you wouldn't know until you fought them.
Eren seemed genuinely pleased. He'd arrived on the first day of enlistment and been here four days. He'd talked to a few people, but no one had shared his goal. At best, they didn't mock him outright.
"Ryan, what made you think that way? Aren't you from inside Wall Rose?" Armin asked curiously.
"I'm a hunter. After my father died two years ago, I've been living on my own. The forest I used to rely on is vanishing. I have no home anymore."
That was the truth. Whether it was the old Ryan or the new one, he had nothing left.
Of course, Ryan couldn't talk about transmigration, so he shared some of the original boy's past with them.
"You've been living and hunting alone since you were ten? For two years?" Thomas was stunned.
He didn't know much about hunting, but even he could imagine how hard that was—especially now that so much of the forest had been cleared.
Eren and Armin looked at Ryan in surprise too. They had been underage—less than twelve—and had spent the last two years helping with land development.
It was a tough life, but at least they had a steady supply of food. That was better than hunting alone.
Ryan just smiled and didn't say much more. The original boy had been incredibly strong. Even with some help from the villagers, surviving alone as a ten-year-old hunter was no small feat.
Some people use all their strength just to survive. That described him perfectly.
As a transmigrator, Ryan genuinely respected him. That boy died because of his stubbornness—clinging to the identity of a hunter to protect the forest he loved.
If he'd chosen to join the land reclamation project instead, he might still be alive.
"Let's do this together—join the Survey Corps and fight Titans!" Eren exclaimed, holding out his hand.
"Deal." Ryan shook his hand firmly, sealing the agreement.
It might've seemed like a naive promise, but both of them meant it.
After all, Ryan was only sixteen himself. Even if he'd once been a warrior, he was still a teenager.
And not particularly well-educated—hardly mature.
Few people realized it, but that very first night, they already saw eye to eye. Even if their motivations were a little different.
Eren: "My goal is freedom! Freedom! FREEDOM!"
Ryan: "So… no compromise, huh?"
Armin was quietly happy for Eren. Thomas just smiled and said nothing. Joining the Survey Corps still sounded crazy to him. How could humans possibly defeat Titans?
Ordinary people probably couldn't—but freaks might have a shot.
The next day, the instructors gathered everyone on the training field and gave instructions about uniform wear, standing posture, and most importantly, the heart salute—right fist clenched, held in front of the left chest.
Ryan took a look around the ring-shaped valley training ground. There were over 300 recruits present.
It was the last day of enlistment.
Training hadn't even started yet. The induction ceremony would be held tomorrow, and then training would begin immediately.
They'd only get two days off at the end of each month. This was full-blown hell training.
Elimination rates, injury rates, even death rates were all high. Honestly, if a little over 200 made it to graduation, that would be considered good.
The cadet corps was a military unit—it wasn't a joke.
They were training soldiers who would fight Titans. Whether or not those graduates had the courage to join the Survey Corps was another matter entirely—but the training would be brutal.
Earlier, that bald man on stage—who called himself Keith Shadis—had said he'd drill them into the ground. He was going to make sure they really understood what military training meant.
There wasn't much else to do that day. Ryan tidied up his bed. Thomas had the bunk above him. Eren was in the bottom bunk beside him, and Armin—the cute boy—was above Eren.
The four of them cleaned the room again. They were lucky—many others had to cram into massive shared dorms.
The next day, the skies were clear and the sun shone brightly.
All 317 recruits stood in formation in their uniforms on the parade ground. Today was the induction ceremony. After today, training would officially begin.
About a dozen instructors stood at the front. Then, a middle-aged man in uniform—bald and grim—stepped up onto the platform and shouted:
"Today marks the induction ceremony of the 104th Cadet Corps. I'm Keith Shadis, the poor soul assigned to supervise you brats. Let me make one thing clear: I don't welcome any of you!
Right now, you're just livestock—food for the Titans!
In the next three years, we'll train you to fight them. After that, whether you remain food, become walls to protect humanity, or rise as Titan-slaying heroes—that's up to you!"
Once he finished, he told all recruits who had personally witnessed Titans eating humans to step forward.
Ryan glanced around. About twenty people moved to the side—including Eren and Mikasa.
As for the nearly 300 left?
Well, let's just say… they were about to experience Keith's "gentle care" and question every life choice they ever made.