Cloud Finally Sheds His Ex and Builds a Body
Cloud had finally shaken off his lingering attachment to his ex and savored the delicious thrill of sculpting his body piece by piece. Now he turned his eyes to the hulking comrades with their massive muscles and started asking them for tips on building strength. Besides running, he began incorporating heavy strength training into his routine. Doing so, he poured his heart into military life and, after eight weeks of basic training, emerged reborn as a new man. Gazing at his far stronger self, he felt immense satisfaction. He immediately dashed to the Tiron Tavern to show off and, in a special twist, wanted to explode all the pent-up sexual desire he had held back for so long. He needed to prepare properly, he muttered to himself. Yet, unlike his cheerful comrades heading home with big grins, he had to stay behind in the barracks, morose as ever. For him, who would soon take command of one squad, the next four weeks of twenty-man commander training still awaited. When most of the recruits graduated, he reported to a new training facility, powerless, to begin the twenty-man commander program. Unlike the tent barracks, this was an indoor quarters life. Out of the two hundred recruits, only twelve were selected as twenty-man commander candidates. In the stuffy, awkward atmosphere of the indoor quarters, the recruits dropped their bags and a middle-aged instructor walked in. “Good day, lads! From today onward, I’ll be your squad leader instructor. First, I’ll pick the squad leader candidate from among you. The squad leader candidate will represent all of you here for the next month, delivering orders from superiors or leading the group. Sometimes you’ll have to take full blame for squad mistakes and get exhausted in the process, but I’ll make sure you receive the proper rewards, such as the honorable armor stamped with our training school mark at the graduation ceremony. Understood?” “Yes!” The instructor scanned the twelve lined up on his left and right. “Gather on the parade ground immediately, without any equipment, just bodies! If you’re even a second late, you’ll start with group punishment!” “Yes!” The twelve recruits, still holding the bags, scrambled to the parade ground after the heavy punishment. The instructor appeared with three period soldiers. They handed over a sheet of paper and read the names aloud, shouting, “Cloud recruit! Smith recruit! Step forward!” The first to be called, Cloud, stepped out. Under the instructor’s orders, the young man named Smith and Cloud faced each other, fists clenched. “Of these twelve, the last one standing will become the squad leader candidate. The only rule is bare-knuckle fist fighting! No surrender allowed! Aim to avoid the opponent’s vital points as much as possible! If the fight looks too dangerous or one-sided, the instructor will stop it on the spot under his judgment and decide the winner by points! Ready, start!” Thanks to the thorough body maintenance he had done over the past weeks, Cloud’s strength far surpassed his previous level. Moreover, the witch’s power that responded to his healthy body helped him display power far beyond what a normal person could muster. As a result, every single one of the twelve recruits gathered on the parade ground proved no match for Cloud. The squad leader candidate seat fell to Cloud. “You sure know how to fight.” After finishing dinner and heading back to the quarters, one recruit approached him and said that. Looking at his face, he was the guy Cloud had fought last in the afternoon’s matches. He possessed a strikingly androgynous appearance, curly blond hair, flawless white skin, and a small, delicate face that would look exactly like a woman’s if he applied makeup. A truly handsome flower boy. “Fighting techniques? What’s your name?” “Oh, I’m Tess. I’m from Crenca in the northeast. I’m glad we’re training together.” His voice was so feminine it was creepy. When he extended a hand for a formal handshake, Cloud lightly clasped it. “Are you saying you know what techniques I used?” “Yeah. Meeting someone who gives off the same vibe as me here is a surprise. So I was happy. Let’s stay in touch, Squad Leader.” With an inexplicable smile, he left at once. “Someone who gives off the same vibe?” Cloud stared blankly at his retreating back and muttered faintly. “This guy, does he think I’m… gay…” Anyway, Cloud skipped the quarters and headed straight to the library. Now that his body was mostly complete, he was starving for knowledge. He had heard that a healthy body and a healthy mind create a healthy brain, and that healthy brain wanted to accumulate knowledge. Up until now he had only farmed, so he had no idea about military matters. He decided to study to become even stronger internally. From then on, every evening he visited the library to devour military-related books and hero tales, while during the day he diligently attended lectures on strategy and tactics. Soon, after just two weeks of training, he aced the mid-term exam in every single subject. His head was sharp enough to absorb massive amounts of knowledge in a short time. He earned the most outstanding score among the twelve twenty-man commander candidates. Before long, within the training facility, Cloud was known as the recruit who was both brilliant and skilled in martial arts. What had started as a way to get over his ex ended up turning out even better than expected. Cloud himself was secretly amazed. One day, after afternoon training and before dinner, the recruits inside the quarters were busy polishing the equipment they had used during training. Meanwhile, three period soldiers dragged Tess outside and cornered him. “How’s it going? Ready for tonight?” “N-no…” Tess, because he looked so pretty, had a notorious reputation among the soldiers who enjoyed male-male relationships. Everyone was dying to spend the night with him. The three period soldiers who had appeared today were the same. They had been chasing him every day, but Tess had always turned them down. Thankfully, they had gone away easily each time, but seeing the alcohol stench on their breath today, he realized they probably wouldn’t back down as easily as usual. “You keep rejecting me every time? Listen, I resolve my sexual frustration through war, but lately it’s too peaceful. No fun, no thrill. So I need something to relieve the boredom. And you’re the one who doesn’t want it?” “S-sir, please. I’m a man, I like women. So…” “We just want to know more about Tess tonight. Can’t you understand our feelings?” The period soldiers twisted their ugly faces. “Want me to make sure you can’t come to the unit from tomorrow?” “T-that…” Tess answered with a troubled expression. In truth, Tess wanted to fight back fiercely. But the military law was clear. Recklessly attacking a superior would result in punishment, and even if he didn’t get punished, the enraged period soldiers might use their connections inside the unit to harass him even more viciously than before. Moreover, the bond among soldiers who desired male love was extremely strong. They had their own regular gatherings within the unit. If the majority wanted, killing one person was incredibly easy. But there were also humans who ignored all of the above and lived freely. “Hey!” All three period soldiers turned around. “Who are you? Oh, it’s the hotshot Cloud, isn’t it?” “Just look at this brat! Get lost already?” “This kid has no respect for his seniors!” The period soldiers surrounding Tess glared and advanced. All of them had over three years of military experience and basic martial skills, and since the afternoon training had just ended, they were already wearing weapons and armor. In contrast, Cloud held nothing but a rag that had been used to polish the recruit’s armor. “This insolent brat thinks he’s hot shit.” A fist flew. It was fast and precise. Cloud instinctively raised his arm, and at the same time the witch’s power activated. Time slowed as he seized the chance to counter. He planted one foot as a pivot, spun like a top, and slammed his fist into the opponent’s face. One of them wrapped his face and fell backward. Then, sharp and short thwack sounds echoed from all around, followed by the flash of blades. The two standing men had drawn their swords. “Recruits dare to strike superiors? We won’t let you off!” Both attacked with simultaneous thrusts. Cloud quickly rolled between them and dodged. The sword tips missed him, and Cloud, who had swiftly appeared from behind, grabbed one ankle each of the two men and lifted them straight up. The two men lost balance and collapsed forward. “Ouch!” “Aaaah!” In an instant Cloud had dropped all three, then jammed the rag he was still holding into the mouth of the man he took to be the leader. “Want to continue?” “Mmmph! Mmmph!” His terrified expression showed as he shook his head frantically.