Chapter 4
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: The hopeless squad (1)
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My throat itched for a cigarette.
I wasn't even a heavy smoker in my original life, but...
I used to light up a stick or two when things got complicated, but now, combined with this god-awful situation and my Chain Smoker trait, it was creating a synergy from hell.
‘The stats are good, all of them are decent.’
So why does every single one come with an extra penalty?
First, Sergeant Bell Mayer.
Her Endurance stat was outstanding. Which meant she was incredibly stable on the battlefield.
Moreover, Endurance was the hardest stat to raise among all stats.
The fact that it was clearly listed as ‘outstanding’ meant that, by the numbers, Bell Mayer was an almost ideal squad member.
But just look at the garbage penalties attached.
[Dissociative Amnesia]
[Depression]
[Mana Rampage]
On top of the chance of losing a day’s worth of memory or falling into depression, she enters a Mana Rampage state if she fails to manage her stress.
What good is high Endurance when she’s a walking bomb?
Then there’s Roxana Elim.
She’s a heart patient. I didn't even need to check her stats from the start.
I'm not foolish enough to recruit a soldier who could drop dead at any moment.
At least Claude Raine’s situation was a bit better.
No, let me correct that. He wasn't just a bit better. Lieutenant Claude Raine was a talent I absolutely had to take.
And there was a reason for that.
The combat power was a whopping 90. It was only one step away from the MAX stat.
‘As expected, a war hero is on a completely different level.’
Lieutenant Claude Raine was a setting: a veteran warrior who had rendered great merit in past wars against the barbarians.
A veteran and war hero, stuffed into a ‘trash’ squad?
His stats were so outstanding that I didn't understand it at first, but... I soon realized the tragedy surrounding his past.
[Demoted one rank for assaulting an officer].
It wasn't just simple insubordination; it was assault. Even a war hero, or rather, a grandfather war hero, couldn't be saved from that.
Even if it was a game world, proper military law would be in effect.
"To make Master Sergeant at 31, he was treated with respect. I wonder why he committed insubordination."
I couldn't shake the feeling that his [Alcoholism] trait played a big part in it.
See, alcohol is the root of all evil.
You should smoke cigarettes healthily, like me. The Bible says not to get drunk, but it doesn't say not to smoke.
"Ha, my headache is getting worse."
It was my karma.
The karma for getting greedy over new traits and adding a bunch of garbage ones myself. The only consolation was that I hadn't brought over the worst of the traits.
Even though it had only been a few hours since I woke up as a blonde officer instead of a gamer in a room, I could feel myself becoming deeply assimilated into this world.
Whether it was because of my adaptability or because I had lived in a similar environment for a long time, I didn't know.
That was why this situation was so frustrating.
"I'll just go outside and ask someone for a cigarette. Since it's the army, there must be at least one person."
Since Hearts of General had cigarettes as a supply item, there was a high probability they would be distributed here too.
With that thought, I left the room and headed toward the main building, which was teeming with people.
Very thankfully, a smoking area in the form of an open lot caught my eye.
Just in time, a group of three men was gathered. And between their fingers, they were definitely holding cigarettes.
‘Please let them be of lower rank than me.’
But I didn't need to worry.
The men gathered in the lot were not non-commissioned officers or commissioned officers, but regular soldiers.
One stripe was two people.
Two stripes was one person.
They were probably a private and a sergeant, one rank above.
I was an officer, after all. I couldn't go begging for a cigarette with no dignity in front of soldiers.
I approached the soldiers naturally and tried to catch their attention.
"So I grabbed that bitch's ass and—!"
"Kahaha!!"
"This guy is really crazy!"
"Ahem."
"Gah! Damn it! You scared me!!"
I caught the soldier, who was shouting in excitement and about to fall backward, by the waist.
"You should be careful."
"Wh-what, offi—..."
The soldier's slightly tilted gaze lingered on my epaulettes for a moment, then he snapped to attention, stiff as a board.
"Glory to the Fatherland!!!"
His sleeves flapped with a sharp sound. If the division commander had seen this, he would have handed out vacation certificates on the spot; it was a perfect salute.
I returned the salute with the same sharp gesture and said,
"Glory to the Fatherland. You can finish smoking your cigarette, it's fine."
"It's okay!"
The other soldier also looked a bit uncomfortable and quickly hid his cigarette behind his hand. The one who seemed relatively at ease was, as expected, the sergeant.
His name was Rex.
He oozed the aura of a senior soldier who knew the ropes.
"Ah, Lieutenant, you're the new squad leader assigned to our unit, right?"
"That's right. My name is Enok Levandel."
"May I call you Squad Leader Enok?"
"Hm, of course."
I readily accepted Rex's answer.
Originally, the first people a new lieutenant should get on his side are the soldiers, right after the top commander.
That makes it easier to use them later. And it prevents unnecessary gossip.
We had exchanged greetings, so it was time to get to the main point.
"By the way, Sergeant."
"Yes."
"Could you lend me a cigarette?"
Nicotine.
Give me nicotine!!
The sergeant stared blankly for a moment, then took a cigarette from his pocket and placed it in my hand.
With a *flick*—a crisp sound I felt I'd heard somewhere—the cigarette lit up.
"Sssshhh— pfff."
White smoke enveloped my lungs, and my mind and body calmed down. Ah, now I can finally breathe. The stuffy, constricting stress was swept away in an instant.
If used correctly, the Chain Smoker trait actually made stress management easier.
In extremely stressful situations, smoking significantly increased satisfaction compared to normal people.
Of course, the probability of respiratory diseases also increased, and in situations where you couldn't smoke, stress would be doubled.
But who cares?
Those penalties are something to worry about when they happen.
For now, stress management is more important than health.
Jeez, I only added about three traits, and it's already like this. If I had shoved in a few more penalties into the Mental stat, what would I have done?
Just imagining it made my blood run cold.
"Squad Leader?"
While I was thoroughly enjoying the taste of my daily smoke, a soft voice came from behind.
I turned my head to see silver hair. It was my squad member, Lumia Blue.
"Sergeant Lumia."
"...So you're a smoker."
"Yes, I just got assigned, so I haven't been able to get any supplies."
"If you had told me, I would have brought you a pack."
Lumia glanced back and forth between me and Rex, then furrowed her brows slightly, looking displeased. I realized, for some reason, that she really disliked Rex.
"The Company Commander is looking for you."
"Ah."
I took one last deep drag, then flicked the butt into a metal bucket being used as a trash can.
A clean shot.
"Thanks, Sergeant. You saved me."
I thanked Sergeant Rex, since he had lent me a cigarette.
Rex smiled, crinkling the corners of his eyes, and nodded slightly in response.
"See you later~ Squad Leader."
...??
What is this? It feels strangely unpleasant.
It's true that newbies were often looked down upon by soldiers, but Rex's gaze felt like he had found an interesting new toy.
Was it directed at me, or at Lumia?
Maybe it was both.
Whatever it was, it wasn't an attitude to show to a superior, so I was about to say something when—
"Squad Leader, this way."
As if she wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, Lumia tugged at my sleeve.
‘That's very blatant. Did something happen between them?’
I instinctively realized that Sergeant Rex, who lent me the cigarette, wasn't as good of a soldier as I thought.
Speaking of which, how long is she going to keep pulling me?
I said to Sergeant Lumia, who was still holding onto my sleeve.
"Sergeant, I can walk on my own now."
"Ah... Huh?! M-my apologies."
At my words, Lumia hurriedly let go of the sleeve she had been gripping. Anyone could see she was flustered.
"Sergeant, is there something between you and Sergeant Rex?"
I went straight to the point, and Lumia backed away in surprise. Her eyes said, 'How did you know?', and I almost laughed out loud.
‘Her face and actions give everything away.’
Honestly, I liked that she was straightforward, but Lumia's face turned pale in an instant.
"No. Squad Leader, I didn't mean to disrespect you..."
"Excuse me?"
"I'm sorry!"
Lumia bowed her head deeply and apologized at a ninety-degree angle. What? I didn't do anything.
"Sergeant Rex is the worst of all the soldiers. He relentlessly bullies soldiers of lower rank, as well as fellow sergeants, and even officers if he thinks they're beneath him."
Lumia's violet pupils trembled slightly. She was clearly anxious.
"He has a vicious personality, so Squad Leader, it's better not to get close to him."
"Is Sergeant Lumia being harassed by that soldier?"
"Ah... That's not..."
Lumia trailed off. It was a confirmation.
Sergeant Lumia was an incredibly beautiful woman, with a face and voice that were second to none. When I first saw her profile, I almost mistook her for a noble.
A fragrant and beautiful flower.
Which means there would be many flies buzzing around her.
Sergeant Rex was probably one of them.
Well, that didn't mean I was planning on doing anything special.
Personal relationships are for individuals to resolve, and if Lumia doesn't ask for help first, stepping in would just be nosy.
"That's fine then. Where is the Company Commander?"
"Ah! He said he'd be waiting in our squad's barracks. This way, please."
As I brushed it off without a care, Lumia quickly led me inside the main building.
A long, brick building of a deep gray color.
The main building housed not only the squad barracks but also the company headquarters, various staff departments, and the battalion commander's office all in one building.
The interior was also very antique.
As expected of a battalion commander who likes decoration, the wallpaper and lighting were all arranged to create a neat and beautiful atmosphere.
If this building existed in 21st-century Korea, it would definitely be famous as a trendy cafe on SNS, not a military barracks.
"Where are the squad barracks?"
"We have to go underground. This way, please."
Underground...
For the barracks assigned to me in this magnificent building to be underground.
‘I must be part of a really hated squad.’
It's not like all squad barracks are underground, and my quarters being assigned to a separate building away from the pretty main building was probably for the same reason.
I decided to just resign myself to it.
After all, I was planning to leave this crappy unit naturally after building up some merit for a year.
If I got worked up over the location of the barracks, my promotion would go down the drain.
‘In that regard, I need to make a good impression on the Company Commander I'm about to meet.’
Getting along and appealing to them are two different things.
I should approach with a slightly weaker attitude than I did with the battalion commander, a mix of proper procedure and flexibility.
After all, from a field commander's perspective, it's more convenient to have a subordinate with some leeway.
While the performance evaluation is done by the battalion commander, the one who recommends the promotion is entirely the company commander's authority.
For me, both were rabbits I absolutely could not afford to let slip away.
"Enok Squad Leader, this is our squad's barracks."
"..."
After going down about four flights of stairs, the basement floor appeared with an atmosphere completely opposite to the beautiful upper floors.
A basement hallway lit only by dim lights instead of natural light. I'd believe it if someone told me it was a prison.
Wow, the air could be this different just one floor down?
‘Maybe the reason all my squad members are so messed up is purely because of the environment?’
It's serious enough that it's a plausible inference from a modern perspective.
Seeing my expression rapidly darken, Lumia tried to put a spin on it.
"I-It looks like this, but it's quite cozy, and we decorated it ourselves, so the inside is quite livable..."
"Get out of the way!!"
At that moment, an unknown shout came from inside the barracks.
Followed by the sound of heavy footsteps. I reflexively pulled Lumia towards me.
KWANG!
Just as I thought, a menacing-looking man kicked the door open and burst out.
"Hah? And who's this now."
A deep scar running across his entire face and a V-shaped pattern of three lines painted on his epaulettes. He was a non-commissioned officer, not an officer.
"Lieutenant? Ah, so you're that bastard's... the new squad leader?"
The very war hero I had thought was the best of my squad.
It was Sergeant Claude Raine.
"Ah, my name is Enok Levandel, the new squad leader..."
"If you're thinking about a meeting or whatever, get lost. Don't even look for me."
He cut me off sharply, gesturing crudely.
Definitely.
He was going to be a harder man to deal with than I thought.