Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: From Human Shields to Assassins
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Lee Saewol had been banging his head against the dormitory corridor wall for an hour straight.
The supervisor was in a foul mood because of the sudden surge in workload from tightened security orders from above, and Lee Saewol had failed to take the brunt of his anger, hurling curses at him instead.
Moon Serim from A-Class 1 fidgeted restlessly as she watched Lee Saewol standing rigidly next to the water cooler.
"S-Saewol. Should I get you some water? You must be exhausted......"
"D-Don't...... tell me...... what...... to do......"
Veins bulged on Lee Saewol's neck as he forced the words out.
Moon Serim's hands shook as she turned away, then she quickly tore off some tissue from the bathroom and wiped the sweat from Lee Saewol's brow.
"Saewol, l-look. Just watch my kick once, please. I think I nailed it! I shoveled meat into my mouth like crazy and built up my leg muscles!"
Moon Serim, who suffered from severe essential tremor, had been taught a few leg-kick techniques by Lee Saewol to subdue opponents.
'Fucking bastard. Get lost, please. I'm dying here—what the hell.'
Lee Saewol cursed him with his eyes, but Moon Serim kept kicking at the air enthusiastically right beside him as he banged his head. She spun around for a roundhouse, then lifted her leg for nine consecutive strikes into empty space.
She even ran, planted a foot on the wall, and launched into a flying kick.
Having flawlessly executed every kicking tip Lee Saewol had taught her, Moon Serim's eyes sparkled as she approached him.
To Moon Serim, Lee Saewol always wore a sullen expression or a scowl. The rare smiles he showed were only when she succeeded at a difficult move. He'd always grin alongside a "Fuck yeah, you got it."
She was confident she'd shown a perfect move just now. She'd practiced like mad.
Hoping even the tiniest smile might grace Lee Saewol's deeply furrowed face, Moon Serim watched his expression intently.
"Crazy...... bitch......"
Lee Saewol's lips twitched upward in a smirk.
"Good...... job......"
Now get the fuck out, please.
Confirming Lee Saewol's smile, Moon Serim beamed and dragged kids from other classes over, making them demonstrate the little body techniques he'd taught them.
Even a slight lag could turn them into lab rats for analysis experiments post-awakening, so Lee Saewol had patched their weak spots with tips and skills in his spare moments.
Kids from various classes put on a kicking show in front of Lee Saewol as he banged his head, at Moon Serim's request.
"Does this really cheer Saewol up?"
"He looks pissed."
"Nah, his face is just flushed from the blood rush, right?"
"Fuck? I think Saewol said something like that earlier......"
Even Seol Doyun, who had passed out from drug fatigue and been sleeping, was dragged out by Moon Serim.
The moment he emerged, he was met with Lee Saewol's blazing glare full of fury. Seol Doyun glanced around.
Lee Saewol was standing there with a dying face, head to the wall, while the kids put on a kicking spectacle right in front of him—an utterly bizarre scene.
"Doyun. Y-You try the stuff Saewol taught you too. Then he'll smile, right?"
"Hmm, he's probably cursing us out inside."
Seol Doyun covered his mouth and chuckled softly.
His eyes suddenly caught the red mark near Lee Saewol's nose.
Seol Doyun grabbed tissue from the nearby bathroom and stuffed it into Lee Saewol's nostrils.
"What the hell are you kids doing in the corridor?"
The supervisor, who had been patrolling the lower floor, came up and spotted the gathered children.
"Fuck, you think I go easy on you lately and you can just slack off? If you fuck up, it comes back on me right away. Tsk, goddamn brats. You lot—line up next to Lee Saewol."
The kids spotted the supervisor and tried to bolt back to their rooms, but they were caught and forced to line up single-file beside Lee Saewol, banging their heads.
* * *
After Noah joined as vice-captain, the 3rd Army spent the entire week doing nothing but drills and mental conditioning. Endless repetitions of boring basic fitness dogshit training.
After a week, Noah stopped coming daily and only visited once a week, on Fridays.
"It's Friday today?"
"Uwaaaaaah!! Bug day!!"
Friday.
The hellish 3rd Army vice-captain, pretty thug Noah in sunglasses, was coming. She rarely showed her face otherwise, but when she did, she whipped them like slaughtering a pig.
Early morning at 7 a.m. Everyone rose sharp as knives, scrubbed themselves clean, and formed neat ranks in pristine condition.
As Dun, disguised as Noah, entered, the soldiers snapped to attention.
"Attention!"
Captain Kash barked short and sharp, terrified by Noah's arrival.
Crack.
Everyone slapped their hands precisely to their sides.
"Salute to Vice-Captain Noah, who has graced us today!"
"Good morning, sir!"
Dun crossed his arms and took a sip of the strength-weakening lemonade in his hand.
Slurrrp.
In the perfect silence, only the sound of Dun sucking through the straw echoed, looking somewhat dissatisfied. The soldiers swallowed hard in tension. What fresh hell would he unleash today?
Dun pulled his mouth from the straw and raised one eyebrow.
"Your ranks are a bit off."
Chills shot up the soldiers' necks. One drowsy-eyed soldier, bleary from waking too early, had stuck out slightly from the line.
The soldier next to him swiftly smacked the sleepyhead's skull.
"Wake the fuck up, you bastard!!"
The dozing soldier spotted Dun, paled, and scrambled back to his spot.
Expecting head-banging punishment for the screw-up, but Dun spoke.
"Everyone, sit down for now. I'll share what I've been mulling over all week. You too, Captain."
Dun plopped onto the floor and unrolled a large sheet of parchment.
Unsure how to sit, everyone huddled around him in a cluster. But none dared relax—they all knelt rigidly.
"The 1st Army is mostly elite knights who can handle cavalry, and the 2nd is packed with magic swordsmen, mages, or archers."
The parchment showed five circles symbolizing the armies. Dun circled 1 and 2, tapping them emphatically with his pen.
"These guys are worth building strategy around. Just weed out the arrogant ones who can't cooperate, and they'll move well."
"What's our 3rd Army's specialty, sir?"
"That's what I'm about to explain. Listen up."
Dun drew a thick line separating 1 and 2 from 3, 4, and 5.
Then he tapped 3, 4, and 5 one by one with his pen.
Screeech.
"The bottom ones are pure garbage."
Dun didn't just strike through 3, 4, and 5—he slashed X marks over them repeatedly.
"Pardon?"
At the echoing question, Dun tossed his pen onto the parchment and spoke.
"Garbage—that's you lot. No defining traits, total mishmash, impossible to strategize around. All you know is basic swordsmanship. Wait, actually, thinking about it, there is one thing you're good for."
"Wh-What is it, sir?"
"Human shields."
Shock rippled through them as they stared at Dun. With his chaotic personality, he'd absolutely use them as meat shields. Unsure how to react, they just stammered.
"Sob, ugh."
One young soldier with a fragile spirit started crying from the back of the group. They'd endured harsh drills believing they'd improved, but it was all just to become human shields......
"But that's your current state. What I'm about to show is your future. And for reference, this plan was devised with Her Highness the Princess and got her approval."
Dun rummaged in his pocket and unrolled another sheet. It too had five circles.
"1st Army: cavalry. 2nd: mid-to-long-range strike force. 3rd: assassination squad. 4th: supply horde. 5th...... I'll explain 5th right before the assault."
The 5th was divided into five smaller circles. Dun slashed lines over it.
"We're the assassination unit?"
"Yeah, you look super agile scrambling to run from me. Suits you pretty well, actually."
Ahem.
Awkward coughs echoed here and there.
"By the way, when did you scout the 1st through 5th Armies and devise this plan?"
"I come once a week, remember? I check situations and adjust as I go."
3rd Army Captain Kash murmured in quiet admiration at Dun's initiative.
You really can't judge a book by its cover. He looked so slippery, but Princess Primavera's strong endorsement had its reasons.
"Wow, I always just thought about rebelling but never acted—guess he's actually doing it."
"Captain Kash, that's why the 3rd Army ended up as human shields—with thoughts like that."
"S-Sorry, Vice-Captain Noah. Feel free to speak casually...... sir."
But competent aside, he was pretty damn scary.
"But how would an assassination unit even be used? Just killing the Emperor? He has a separate special guard unit that's been trained as assassins since childhood, from what I hear. Can we really match them with late training?"
One soldier studied Dun's diagram and explanation, then voiced his serious concern.
"Y-You think I haven't compared your level to the Emperor's guards? Question's fine, but if you're just gonna whine about how it'll fail and tank morale, shut it. I'm tailoring this exactly to your combat level."
"Yes, sir!"
"What if you question my plan?"
"We'll drop dead!"
F-Fear-based dictatorship!
The 3rd Army soldiers answered mechanically, sweating bullets.
"We don't have time to baby each one of you. Trust me—the one recommended by your revered Primavera—and follow. I'll do my utmost to keep you alive too."
"Understood!"
Their thunderous reply drew a grin from Vice-Captain Noah.
No clue why, but seeing Noah's smile felt like a reward, skyrocketing their morale.
He was utterly detestable and terrifying, yet reliable.