Max Jäger Never Rests

'2nd Platoon has the Western Ridge….'

The remnants swarming toward that line were far too many for Erika's 2nd Platoon to hold back on their own. If things went wrong, the encirclement would be breached — and it could spiral into a catastrophe.

I stared down ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at the radio for a moment, then shook my head. Communication was impossible right now. From the moment we'd entered the Ashen Forest, the mana the orcs had draped over the area had jammed everything into dead silence.

"Lieutenant, is something the matter?"

I was still weighing it when Hannah — always the first to catch the change in my expression — asked with worry in her voice. The smiles that had been plastered across the platoon members' faces, still drunk on victory, drained away as well.

I whispered just loud enough for her to hear.

"Corporal Hannah. Try to sense how many orc groups are moving toward the Western Ridge."

I had decided to rely on Hannah's Mana Sense, which reached farther than even my Minimap. Granted, at this distance the information she could pick up would be thin — but thin was better than nothing.

At my order, Hannah closed her eyes for a moment — then gasped and called out in alarm.

"This is…! I can feel an enormous amount of orc energy. And… fighting — there's a battle happening over there…."

I deliberated, my mind racing. The 2nd Platoon was in crisis. From here, I had two options.

Option one: ignore it. It was the most reasonable, safest choice. Our mission was already complete — a flawless success, no casualties. Anything we did beyond that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was busybody territory. Whether the 2nd Platoon got wiped out or not was Erika's and Seraphina's problem to answer for. All we had to do was wait for the main force at the rendezvous point as planned.

'…But that's the kind of thinking only someone who doesn't know this world's rules would have.'

If this world were nothing more than an ordinary game, I would have picked option one without a second thought. Instead, I shook my head and struck option one from my mind entirely.

This world wasn't just any battlefield. It was a stage running the Harem Overload All-in-One Mod — an adult cheat mod. The point wasn't merely to survive; it was to maximize the rewards.

I replayed my level-ups so far in my head. Every time I distinguished myself in battle, my level rose along with a flood of EXP. The bigger the achievement, the greater the experience gain. Viewed that way, the 2nd Platoon's crisis was nothing less than a sudden quest dropped in my lap, just begging for me to run the numbers.

More achievements meant more EXP. More EXP meant a higher level, and a higher level meant more skills. In the end, it all came back to benefit me.

'Owing someone a favor or two wouldn't hurt, either.'

Erika's name carried weight too. She was the daughter of House Stahlberg, one of the most prominent noble families in the Empire. Putting her in my debt was worth more than raw EXP alone.

And lastly, I remembered how my first night with Hannah had granted me three levels at once. The mod's core rule was crystal clear: conquering women earned experience.

Not that I was some thirst-crazed lunatic chasing every woman in sight, but… Erika, honestly, even I had to nod along. Sure, I couldn't quite picture that fierce woman pinned beneath me, whimpering and gasping — not yet, anyway. But who knew about the future? Debts like this would pile up one by one until they became impossible to ignore.

Of course, there was risk too. My own 3rd Platoon was exhausted, and combat meant casualties were possible.

'But no reward comes without risk.'

I recalled the enemy's numbers I'd glimpsed through the Minimap earlier. If we struck their flank by surprise, the odds were good. The math checked out — maximum gain for minimum losses.

With my decision made, I rose slowly to my feet. The eyes of the resting platoon members converged on me.

"Break's over! Everyone, grab your gear!"

My shout jolted the soldiers upright in a scramble.

"Ah…."

"Damn it… I thought we were done…"

"What on earth does he want us to do now…?"

The platoon members, who'd believed the mission was over, groaned their complaints. I understood the feeling all too well. As a Korean, I'd served my full term as a sergeant and been discharged — I wasn't exactly a stranger to soldiering. You're resting after finishing the job, and then they call you out to dig trenches again? The curses practically write themselves. But this time, we needed to move.

I looked over my grumbling platoon. Dragging them along by force would only tank morale, so I decided to give them proper motivation instead.

'Charming Speechcraft.'

"Listen up, 3rd Platoon!"

Ring—

The shoulders of the complaining soldiers flinched at my shout. Every eye turned to me.

"As of right now, we are moving out to support the 2nd Platoon!"

A murmur spread through the ranks.

"The 2nd Platoon…?"

"Aren't they holding the Western Ridge…?"

"Why do we have to—"

I didn't hesitate.

"Why should we go help the 2nd Platoon? Good question. Then let me ask you one back — how did we win today? What made it possible to demolish that massive camp without losing a single man?"

I met the eyes of each platoon member, one by one.

"It was because the 1st and 4th Platoons held the enemy head-on, and the 2nd Platoon cut off their retreat while putting their faith in us! This was never our victory alone! The 2nd Platoon is fighting right now — this is not the time to be lounging around!"

And I didn't stop there. I threw out the most practical bait of all.

"And don't forget what follows a great victory — the spoils! A fat bounty straight from the Regimental Commander and sweet, glorious leave are waiting for you!"

The effect was immediate. The glares of the grumbling soldiers transformed in an instant. The fatigue and resentment that had been so blatant vanished, and in their place, pride, camaraderie, and raw greed for the bounty began to smolder.

"…He's right! While we were blowing up bombs and coming back, the other platoons were fighting for their lives!"

"If we go help now, doesn't that make our功劳 even bigger? If we're at it anyway, might as well hit the jackpot for real!"

"The bounty! The leave! Let's go, you bastards!"

The atmosphere flipped in a heartbeat. Sergeant Gunter's voice boomed over it all.

"Everyone, follow the Lieutenant! Anyone slow ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gets to run laps around the parade ground when this fight's over!"

"Uraaaaaa!"

I nodded, satisfied.

"Good! From this moment, we support the 2nd Platoon. We move to the Western Ridge at maximum speed. Don't fall behind!"

"Yes, sir!"

Not a single soldier questioned the order anymore. We readied our rifles once more and started running.

Hannah and I led from the front. Even as we cut straight through the forest, we kept checking my Minimap and her sensing ability at intervals, guarding against any threat that might materialize.

As the distance shrank, the situation on the Western Ridge began feeding into my Minimap too. It was anything but good. The green dots were steadily being pushed backward, while the red dots — slowly, but inexorably — pressed closer and closer to the defensive line. At this rate, the 2nd Platoon's line would break, or they'd take devastating losses.

From that point on, I used the Minimap to calculate the optimal route. Thanks to that, the 3rd Platoon closed in on the Western Ridge with far less trouble. By then, the crack of gunfire and the sound of screaming had grown sharp enough to ring in my ears.

"Right up ahead! Pick up the pace!"

We charged up the final slope in one go — and the battle unfolding on the ridge spread out beneath us at a glance.

Just as I'd feared, the 2nd Platoon was on the verge of collapse. The orcs had locked thick, sturdy shields together in front of them and were pushing a wave assault straight through the hail of bullets.

"Damn it, the bullets aren't sticking! Do something about those shields!"

"Grenades! Anyone got grenades?!"

"Hell…! We used them all earlier! There's nothing left!"

The soldiers crouched behind trees and rocks, shoving their muzzles out with looks of pure despair in their eyes. Wounded men lay groaning here and there across the line.

"Medic! Get over here and look at Felix! Took an axe to the shoulder!"

"My arm won't move either! Someone get a tourniquet…!"

At the center of the 2nd Platoon stood Erika. Her red twin-tails were a mangled mess of dirt and sweat, her uniform torn in a dozen places. Pistol in hand, she was screaming herself hoarse.

"Don't you dare fall back! Hold the line! They're nothing but stragglers! Kill every last one of them!"

But her cries weren't reaching the fear-frozen soldiers.

'A few minutes later, and this would have been a massacre.'

I clicked my tongue inwardly. Erika's eyes burned with sheer stubbornness. By any rational measure, retreating to preserve what remained of her strength would have been the better call — but whether pride had clouded her vision or not, she couldn't make the reasonable judgment.

'Is she planning to get all her men killed?'

I furrowed my brow and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fired off Status Analysis at the orcs closing in on the line, one by one.

'Status Analysis.'

Information windows flickered past my eyes without pause. Axe men, throwers, warriors, shieldbearers — data on every kind of combat orc imaginable scrolled by in a rush. Most of it was useless. My pupils darted left and right like mad as I opened and closed worthless windows, one after another.

And then, at last, I found it.

'There he is!'

Success. I'd found the core of it. That centurion was the axis around which the entire assault turned.

"Klaus!"

"Yes, Lieutenant!"

"Eleven o'clock, behind the shields — the one in the horned helm! Do you see him? That's our man! Take his head off!"

"Understood!"

Klaus settled into his stance for a brief moment — then fired instantly.

BANG!

The shot cracked across the ridge. The bullet punched precisely into the space between the eyes of the horned-helm orc directing the vanguard. As the massive body toppled, a hairline fracture split open across the orcs' solid shield wall. We didn't miss that gap.

"Assault! Hit their flank!"

At my command, the soldiers of the 3rd Platoon burst out as one, rifles blazing.