Chapter 5
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: The hopeless squad, Assemble (2)
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“Sergeant!! Are you planning to disobey orders again? If you keep this up, you’ll be disciplined again!”
As Sergeant Claude Raine kicked open the barracks door, an enraged voice followed right after.
I turned my head to look inside the barracks. A man with slight wrinkles around his eyes was shouting his lungs out.
Three diamonds engraved on his epaulets.
Captain rank.
He was the company commander.
Claude Raine let out a *whoosh*, a sigh, turned around, and walked down the hallway as if I didn’t even exist.
“Discipline me or whatever, do whatever the hell you want, damn it.”
The curse he muttered under his breath stabbed my ears. I stared blankly at the staircase where the sergeant had vanished in an instant.
What the hell did I just see?
Even after seeing it with my own eyes, the situation was too unbelievable to accept.
Of course, it wasn’t completely unheard of for a seasoned non-commissioned officer to stand up to a company-grade officer. It was rare, but it happened.
But doing it so blatantly like this?
—Demoted one rank for assaulting an officer.
A single line from Claude Raine’s personnel file flashed through my mind.
‘He was a real badass when he did it.’
He didn’t smell of alcohol, so he was clearly sober.
A real war hero’s guts were on a different level.
As if a storm had just swept through, I stood there in a daze, and Lumia, standing beside me, fidgeted anxiously.
“I-I’m sorry, Platoon Leader. I’ll make sure to tell Sergeant Claude properly…….”
“It’s fine. I already checked his file and have a general idea of what kind of person he is.”
Honestly, what could a staff sergeant do against a master sergeant?
Especially when that master sergeant was a combat veteran who had been demoted from a Warrant Officer.
The water was already spilled, anyway.
Since it was beyond my ability to fix right now, this wasn’t the time to worry about Sergeant Claude.
I acted as if nothing was wrong and entered the barracks, snapping to attention and saluting the company commander.
“Glory to the Fatherland!”
“Glory.”
The company commander’s face was flushed red. Though he looked furious, he properly returned my salute and let out a sigh.
“Phew…….”
“I apologize.”
The apology shot out of my mouth immediately.
It was an automatic reaction, my mouth moving before I even thought about it.
By anyone’s standards, I didn’t really have anything to apologize for, but in these situations, it’s always better to bow your head first to avoid giving anyone a reason to pick a fight.
“What do you have to apologize for? You just got here yesterday.”
“I am assuming my post as platoon leader starting today, so the disturbance that just occurred falls squarely under my jurisdiction, doesn’t it?”
“……Forget it. There’s no need to say things you don’t mean just to score points.”
The company commander clicked his tongue at my response.
“Captain Arendt Schultz. I am your company commander.”
“My name is Enok Levandel.”
“You seem quite calm? Most people would be a bit more surprised.”
“I’ve already read the file on the Claude Raine incident.”
I didn’t expect it to be this bad, though.
I turned my head slightly to look at the wide-open barracks entrance.
“You’ve read the file.”
“Yes.”
“And it didn’t make you think anything?”
“Now that I’m here, I’m starting to feel like he’s going to be even harder to manage than I thought.”
I told him exactly what I was feeling. Captain Arendt’s eyebrow twitched.
“Hmm……”
His face was all sharp angles, the kind of face that screamed ‘soldier’ to anyone who saw it.
If Claude Raine gave off a wild, savage impression, this guy seemed rigid and steadfast.
Based on his words and demeanor just a moment ago, I had a strong hunch he was the by-the-book, FM-style company commander.
“Well, whatever. Now that a platoon leader has finally been assigned to the 5th Platoon, I wanted to get everyone together to talk, but… look at the mood.”
The company commander sighed in exasperation, and a woman sitting on the couch inside the barracks shrugged her shoulders in agreement.
“It’s not like that old man is acting out for the first time. I don’t get why he just doesn’t retire already.”
A perfectly cut, short black bob. Even though the lighting wasn’t very bright, the red irises embedded below her eyebrows were vividly clear.
‘That person I saw in the file……’
I easily recalled her name.
She was Sergeant Bell Mayer, one of my squad members.
“You don’t have to be so scared, Platoon Leader. He’s always been like that, blowing up in anger. It’s not like he does it only to you or the Company Commander……”
She stood up, slapping the dust off her knees, and I got a full view of Bell Mayer’s appearance.
She was about 15cm shorter than me, but what caught my eye was her figure, which stood out even through her baggy work uniform.
Gulp.
I swallowed dry saliva without realizing it.
‘No, this won’t do.’
I quickly wiped the thoughts from my mind.
If I got caught for something like this, I might be seen as a creep.
“Anyway, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Bell Mayer, and you can just call me Bell.”
Bell smiled as she spoke in a lively voice.
I thought she’d be some strange person, suffering from depression and various mental illnesses, but she was quite the opposite.
“My name is Enok Levandel.”
“You look even better up close, hehe.”
Her voice had a strangely sticky, suggestive tone to it that made me feel weird the more I listened.
At least it didn’t seem intentional… If I weren’t a man of such strong mental fortitude, I would have been completely swept away by that one line.
Is this a soldier or a succubus?
“By the way, where is the last member, Private Roxana Elim?”
As I quickly changed the subject, Captain Arendt answered this time.
“She’s at the infirmary. It’s best not to worry too much about that child. Just a few days ago, she pushed herself too hard in training and collapsed, getting carried out after only two days.”
“……She seems to be trying hard, but it doesn’t look easy. I feel so sorry for her every time.”
What the hell?
Then why don’t they just discharge her and leave her be?
Even the South Korean military, famous for rarely discharging people even when they’re sick, would unanimously agree to a medical discharge for a patient in that condition.
‘No wonder it’s a doomed country.’
It makes sense that it’s destined to be destroyed within the game.
They’re so desperate for manpower that they can’t afford to discharge even the near-invalids.
‘Damn it.’
I had a million things I wanted to say, but there was no point in voicing them.
If I were planning to complain, I would have done it from the start. Since I’ve already decided to go along with it, it would be ridiculous to start objecting now.
“That’s how it is.”
“I see……”
Right, even if one person is a ghost soldier, it doesn’t change anything.
I just need to prove my abilities and prepare for the great war that will break out in five years.
Captain Arendt seemed to catch on to my feelings and shook his head as he spoke.
“Let’s just let the Claude Raine incident slide. Even if I discipline him, he’ll just go to the brig for a bit and come back like it’s nothing.”
“So you’re just going to let it go?”
“I have no choice.”
The captain’s face looked complicated in many ways. Strictly speaking, he was the one who got stuck with the garbage squad under his command.
He’s just as unlucky of a guy as I am.
But his FM-like personality didn’t waver. He quickly changed his expression and extended his hand to me.
“Welcome to the 2nd Company, 5th Platoon Leader.”
“Thank you.”
This was the start of my second military career, which certainly couldn’t be called smooth sailing.
It had been a week today since I was sucked into the game ‘Hearts of General’ after unlocking a wrong mode.
My room, which had been empty except for the most basic furniture, was now filled with all kinds of books and texts.
It was because I had realized the biggest weakness I had after possessing a character in this world.
There were a total of five military occupational specialties in Howojae. One of them is only unlocked in the late game, so we’ll exclude that.
Infantry, who use muskets and bayonets.
Cavalry, who ride horses and are armed with pistols and swords.
Artillery, who use cannons.
And finally, the Magic Corps, which I belong to.
To put it simply, it felt like they just turned wizards into a military specialty, so as someone who was a modern-day citizen until just a few days ago, I couldn’t help but be clueless.
I knew the tactics and military magic names for the Magic Corps that you could learn in the game, but that was it.
It was obvious that I had no idea how real magic worked or how to use it.
A magic officer who enlisted of his own free will but can't use magic?!
If they found out I couldn’t even use magic on top of being assigned to a strange squad, I’d be treated like an idiot in an instant.
I had already blabbed so much to the battalion and company commanders; if they found out, I was done for.
That’s why, for the past two days, I’ve been holed up in my room acquiring knowledge, aside from doing the daily officer wrap-up and simple interviews with my squad members.
Fortunately, thanks to my Insomnia trait, my sleep time was drastically reduced by force, so I was able to finish reading all the books I brought in two days.
Now that I have the theory down to some extent, it’s time to move on to the practical.
‘First… focus your mind. Feel the flow of the mana core near your heart.’
I slowly chewed on what I had read in the book and placed my hand over my heart. It was a ritual called ‘Activation.’
To awaken the dormant mana core.
Soon, I felt a hot energy from my heart. An energy that flickered like a soft flame.
This must be the ‘mana core.’
The only organ that produces and stores ‘mana,’ the special energy consumed when using magic.
It’s an intangible organ that doesn’t exist in or can’t be detected by normal people, but for a magic corps soldier, it’s as important as the heart.
‘If you’ve felt the mana core, pull up the mana stored within it. Don’t spew it out; exhale it slowly and naturally, like breathing out.’
“Sssuuh… Hooo.”
As I took a deep breath, the mana that escaped the core instantly wrapped around my body.
It was a strange sensation I was feeling for the first time in my life, but at the same time, it felt strangely familiar.
‘Then, reassemble it into the form you envision. Along with its physical properties, grant it one of the five attributes that exist in nature.’
The first thing that came to mind was the ‘Fire Ball,’ known as the most basic of basics.
In the actual game, it was also the most frequently used magic when you first joined the Magic Corps.
‘Form is a sphere… Physical property is explosive, attribute color is red.’
Fire Ball Lv. 1
[Magical Damage / Explosive Impact]
The moment I visualized it, a massive flame appeared before my eyes.
A real ‘Fire Ball.’ I had actually used a magic I’d only ever seen in the game.
“Huh?! What the hell?!”
I was so startled by the magic manifesting so quickly that I shouted out loud.
As if that was the trigger, the Fire Ball, now fully formed as a spell, shot off into the empty air.
“Huh?”
I realized something was wrong and tried to stop the casting, but the magic had already left my hand.
“Shit, I’m screwed!”
BOOOOOM!
[Room completely overturned]
With a deafening noise, the entire room was turned upside down.