Chapter 65
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Hell Week (1)
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A few years ago, there was a program that swept the nation. It was a TV variety show that gathered former special forces members and made them compete against each other. During one of the segments, they were asked which training was the most difficult.
At the time, without fail, every single one of them from the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force said the same thing: Hell Week.
I was no different.
My squad and I were dropped in a snow-covered mountain with no food, our stomachs growling in hunger. We conducted multi-day training exercises under the scorching summer sun, unable to sleep a wink.
It was so hellish back then. Even as someone who didn't believe in God, I felt that if hell was anything like that environment, I would rather find religion than ever have to go there.
Still, when I finally commissioned after enduring that shitty training, I thought I would never have to do anything like that again...
Who knew I'd have to go through it all over again in the world of Hearts of General?
"Is, is everyone okay? Does anyone feel unwell?"
"Y-yes, ma'am. We're f-fine."
Every time someone opened their mouth, a plume of white vapor escaped. Even though it was summer, with the sun beating down brightly after spring had passed, a bone-chilling cold swept through the area.
The northernmost region of Ukran, 'Byaltok', bordering the Cernaos where the 3rd Magic Battalion was stationed.
It was already a cold climate in the northern hemisphere, but we had been dropped right in the middle of the most treacherous terrain of all: the Karpath Mountains.
"If you feel like you're getting hypothermia, retreat deep into the cave to warm up. Remember, you can use magic, but under no circumstances can you be detected... Hoooh... You can't be detected."
"Y-yes, understood... I'll inform the soldiers that w-way."
Lumia's teeth chattered uncontrollably. It was a purely physiological reaction. Even bundled up in winter gear, the cold was seeping in. Just because she was a Red Mage didn't mean she had any special resistance to the cold.
"I'm going to check on the 1st and 2nd Platoons deployed below. Roxana, how are you holding up?"
"I'm fine, Captain. Don't worry about me."
Surprisingly, Roxana was in perfect condition. Since her heart was essentially a mana core, mana constantly flowed through her body, so it seemed she had a constitution that wasn't greatly affected by the cold.
"It's nice to see this body being useful for once."
"That's good to hear."
I stood up as I spoke. The squad currently resting inside the cave was Sergeant Erwin Ruse's 3rd Platoon.
The remaining three platoons were deployed to the south, west, and east, using the cave as their base.
I had also rested sufficiently, so I needed to move between each platoon to assess the current situation and formulate a strategy.
The objective of this training was survival, plain and simple.
We were to be dropped on a desolate, snow-covered mountain with no known allies, and we had to survive for a total of 72 hours without any external support or supplies. On the surface, it might seem easy, but the reality was different.
The survival conditions included a crucial rule: we absolutely could not be caught by the Battalion Commander or the Chief of Staff.
We couldn't easily start fires, either. Using magic to raise our body temperature or hunting wild animals had to be done with extreme caution. The moment we used magic for any reason and were detected by Chief of Staff Yosef or Captain Soni, who were on patrol, a barrage of spells would rain down on us instantly.
If that happened, we had to abandon our position and move immediately.
For now, the top priority was to avoid using magic as much as possible.
Just last night, Bell Mayer had tried to start a fire with magic because it was so cold and ended up being tracked, causing a huge commotion.
I left the cave and headed east, where the 1st Platoon was deployed. Soon, a restrained voice reached my ears from not too far away.
"Stop, stop, stop, Griffin!!"
"Phoenix."
There was no mention of an infiltration team, but if it was Soni Chepelin, she would have no qualms about deploying an infiltration team. To prepare for that, we had established a code phrase for the entire company.
"Who goes there?"
"Company Commander."
"What is your business?"
"Inspecting the sub-units during training."
"Identity confirmed."
Swish. A soldier in a pure white winter uniform stood up from his position in front of me. He had stuffed leaves all inside his thick winter gear.
"...What is that for?"
"The platoon leader said this makes it a little less cold."
It acts as a form of insulator. Not a bad temporary solution.
"Where is Platoon Leader Claude?"
"He is currently conducting reconnaissance with Corporal Hamel."
"And the other troops?"
"They're dispersed in two-man teams according to their positions."
I followed the soldier's gaze and spotted another person aiming a gun at me from a short distance away. I hadn't noticed him earlier because my attention was drawn to the soldier in front of me.
Even though only blank rounds were being issued for safety reasons...
If this were real combat instead of training, and I imagined a weapon loaded with real bullets pointed at me, it sent a chilling feeling down my spine.
Regardless, their vigilance was impeccable.
In this world where the concept of magic is commonplace, it's entirely possible for situations to arise where they'd be disrupted by hallucination magic or potions.
Claude was fully prepared for even those kinds of scenarios.
"Everything seems fine here. Any injured personnel or anyone reporting anything unusual?"
"None. The platoon leader's method is quite effective."
"Is that so...? I should spread the word to the other platoons. Make sure to tell the platoon leader that the company commander stopped by when he gets back."
"Yes, understood!"
It seemed they had been clearly instructed not to salute during training. As expected of Claude Raine. When it's time to be serious, he does it right, just like a war hero.
Considering that the 1st Platoon is usually the most elite in a company, Claude's platoon was more than qualified to be the elite of our company.
I was extremely satisfied. I moved on to the location of the next unit.
The unit deployed to the south, adjacent to the 1st Platoon, was Bell Mayer's 2nd Platoon.
No one came out to greet me as I approached, so their state of alert was a bit lacking compared to the 1st Platoon, but they weren't completely unprepared.
Troops were hiding in pits all over the place.
More accurately, they were closer to igloos than pits, but they were a perfect match for the geographical feature of the snow-covered mountain.
"Platoon Leader Bell?"
"Ah, Captain!"
Bell Mayer poked her head out of one of the igloos. Unlike yesterday, when she was trembling from the cold, she looked relatively comfortable.
"What do you think? My idea. It's easier to retain heat when you're inside one of these."
"It's excellent. But if it's made only of snow, wouldn't it be easy to collapse?"
"Hehe, no way. Don't tell me you've forgotten what color of mage I am?"
"Ah."
I took a closer look at the igloo. Even if it was packed snow, it would normally crumble under pressure, but the surface and inside of the igloo were frozen solid.
As expected of a 1st Class Blue Mage.
She had used her specialty, generating a minuscule amount of mana that wouldn't be detected to create water, and then froze it to support the inner and outer surfaces.
"It's a perfect observation post. But you won't be able to spot enemies approaching from behind, so it would be better to deploy troops to watch your rear."
"Ah...! I didn't think of that...!"
"It's fine. We still have a full day left to endure. When we reorganize later, please ask the other platoons to build similar positions."
"You can count on me!"
Bell Mayer chuckled and shrugged her shoulders.
I was worried that the extreme stress and cold might have caused her memory loss to return, but honestly, her condition wasn't bad at all.
For now, the 2nd Platoon seems fine too.
'The last one left is the 4th Platoon... but this one is a bit tricky.'
Unlike the other platoons, each led by a leader with their own style of leadership, the new guy, Sergeant Hilton Kalia, lacked charisma compared to the others.
It was only because his relationship with his squad members wasn't bad that he managed to hold onto his platoon. If the troops had been a little rougher, Platoon Leader Hilton wouldn't have been able to easily control his platoon.
And such a lack of leadership is magnified in these extreme situations.
With a slightly worried mind, I approached the 4th Platoon's position.
I had gotten close enough, but unlike the 1st Platoon, where a soldier immediately popped out, I heard no voices at all.
'What is this?'
It wasn't like the 2nd Platoon, waiting in dugouts or trenches. There wasn't even anything remotely similar.
The moment I sensed something was wrong...
BANG—!!!
A gunshot loud enough to shatter my eardrums echoed across the snow-covered mountain.
"Damn it...!!!"
My body moved before my mind could process it. I began to charge through the deep snow, chasing the source of the sound.
BANG! BANG!!!
More gunshots followed.
It wasn't just one shot; there were several. This meant it wasn't an accident. What was going on? What was happening?
It could be the enemy. That would actually be better. In any case, it meant Platoon Leader Hilton's 4th Platoon had spotted the enemy early and was responding.
But what if it wasn't? Whatever it was, it was the worst-case scenario. Even if they were just blank rounds, the sound was loud enough to echo across the entire snow-covered mountain, so Chief of Staff Yosef or Soni Chepelin might have already detected their position.
"Platoon Leader Hilton!!! 4th Platoon!!!"
"...Captain!!! The Captain is here!"
Finally, my voice must have reached them, as a soldier in the distance lit up and shouted.
The faces of the scattered soldiers all turned toward me at once, and beyond them, I could see a massive, shimmering figure.
The first thing I saw was a mass of pure white fur covering its entire body. The next thing I saw were two thick legs supporting its weight on the ground.
Just by looking at it, it was at least 3 meters tall, with a build twice the size of a bear.
And standing right in front of this furry giant, facing it head-on, was Platoon Leader Hilton.
"C-Captain!!! Captain!"
"GRAAAAAAAH—!!!"
A native creature of the snow-covered mountain, a 2nd Class Beast.
It was a Yeti.