Chapter 10
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: The Inter-Squad Competition
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...
When he slowly opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was an unfamiliar gray ceiling.
The soft feeling at his back was a bed.
Kyle looked at the blanket covering him and instantly knew he was in the infirmary.
"...Did I lose?"
The experience was so foreign that Kyle muttered to himself without realizing it.
"You awake?"
Kyle turned his head at the sound of a voice from his side.
A medical officer in a white coat approached Kyle and spoke.
"Wow... you're built like a tank. Anyone else would've had a couple of shattered ribs."
"..."
"Whoa, there. You should stay lying down for now. Nothing's broken, but that doesn't mean you're fine."
Kyle, who had been sitting up, furrowed his brow.
A throbbing pain, as if he were being stabbed in both sides with a knife, shot through him.
The medical officer said.
"Take it easy during training for a few days. I'll let your squad leader know, so don't worry about it."
But Kyle shook his head at his words.
"...I'm fine. If I skip training for something like this, they'll tell me to cut it off."
"...Huh?"
*You're pretty banged up, you know?*
The medical officer swallowed the words that had risen to his throat.
Because the young man was already off the bed, limping out of the infirmary.
"Now that's one tough kid."
It had been a while since he'd seen one like that.
"...Ugh."
Leaving the infirmary, Kyle let out a groan and winced.
But more than the pain, what came to his mind was his spar with Demian.
*'...I remember getting hit in the right side.'*
He was certain he hadn't collapsed then.
But he had no memory of what happened after.
It seemed that while he hadn't fallen, he had likely lost consciousness from the first blow.
*Throb!*
"...Damn it."
Pressing lightly on his right side sent a jolt of pain through his entire body.
How could such a small body deliver a punch like that?
*'There was no one like that back home...'*
Kyle was from Tundron, a cold northern city. For generations, many of the kingdom's famous generals had hailed from there.
The cold, harsh environment and high altitudes naturally forged strong bodies and great stamina.
Even in Tundron, Kyle's strength and physique were exceptional.
Because of this, he had received many offers from shady characters since he was young.
And as a curious youth, he had lived among them, experiencing countless fights.
*'...Damn it, bringing back bad memories.'*
Kyle bit his lip hard.
Of course, that experience had been a blessing in disguise, as it had made him come to his senses and decide to enlist.
However...
*'I thought no one here would be a match for me... To think I'd lose so disgracefully.'*
His thoughts grew complicated.
With an expression as complex as his thoughts, Kyle entered the barracks.
"...Huh?"
"K-Kyle."
As Kyle entered the barracks, the lively atmosphere instantly turned cold.
A few of the guys eyed Kyle warily and slowly backed away.
But Kyle's gaze fell on Demian, who was sitting at the far end of the barracks.
*Swish.*
As the boy who had been looking out the window turned to look at him...
"Hoo."
Kyle exhaled sharply as if he'd made a decision and strode toward Demian.
The air was thick with the feeling that something was about to happen again.
Demian watched impassively as Kyle approached him with a menacing air.
"..."
He didn't seem stupid enough to pick another fight after being so helplessly defeated...
But Kyle stood before Demian, his eyes wide, and called out to him.
"...Demian!"
"What?"
*Thud!*
At that moment, a loud noise echoed through the barracks.
Demian looked at Kyle, a baffled expression on his face at the sudden turn of events.
"...?"
The young man had suddenly dropped to both knees and bowed his head to him.
*'...What is this guy doing?'*
Demian's eyes widened as he looked at Kyle. But Kyle, seemingly unconcerned, spoke to him.
"It is my defeat. From now on, I will serve you as my leader!"
"...All of a sudden?"
"It is only natural to show respect to a strong warrior. You are... the youngest person I have ever fought, but also the strongest."
"..."
The situation seemed to be taking a comical turn, but Kyle's expression was dead serious.
Seeing this, the others around them also looked at Kyle with puzzled expressions.
They had never expected the lion-like man to act this way.
But looking at Kyle, Demian gave a small smile and stood up.
"You don't need to call me leader. Just call me Demian. Let's get along."
Demian extended a hand to the kneeling Kyle.
At that, Kyle stood up, grinning, and took Demian's hand.
"Likewise, Demian. I look forward to working with you."
And so, the small disturbance in Squad 1 came to an end.
* * *
A week had passed since they enlisted.
Although there had been some minor incidents at first, training of such intensity had begun that those events were all but forgotten.
"Don't stop! If you stop now, your legs will lock up! Run! Run! Just focus on the back of the man in front of you and run!"
"Hah! Hah! Hah!"
The soldiers, gasping for breath as they ran, looked as if they were about to die.
After a session of intense training, the day always ended with a run like this.
Running on an empty tank was pure torture.
"Aargh, I can't do it anymore!"
But the soldiers who had somehow endured finally collapsed to the ground, groaning.
Brian looked at the fallen trainees, then spoke to Demian.
"Get the men together and return to the barracks."
"...Yes, sir."
*Is this the kind of annoying chore they picked a squad representative for?*
*No perks to speak of, just a ton of errands.*
Demian grumbled to himself as he looked at his collapsed squad mates.
*'Still... it's a pretty systematic training regimen.'*
From strength training to the basic shield and spear techniques soldiers needed to know, and finally, endurance training.
The well-organized schedule helped Demian calm his own heart, which felt like it was about to burst.
He had been trying to get through the training on pure physical strength, avoiding the use of mana as much as possible.
"Alright, let's get inside and wash up. If we're late, we'll be stuck with cold water again."
"Ugh... can't have that."
The soldiers, who had once dallied and ended up with a cold shower after the hot water ran out, hurried back to the barracks and headed for the showers.
With forty squad members moving together, it was quite crowded, but after a week, they were getting used to it.
"Hey, anyone who asks me to pick up the soap is a dead man."
"The guy who kept sprinkling soap powder on my head while I was washing my hair yesterday! You do that one more time and I'll pull out all your hair, so watch it!"
"Hehehe, you're the idiot for falling for it."
"What!"
They say that whenever you get four or five guys together, things get noisy, and that was certainly true.
The shower room was raucous, but this too was a way to relieve the stress of training.
Demian just chuckled, finished his shower quickly, and stepped out.
"Squad 1 representative. Squad Leader Brian is calling for you!"
"...?"
An administrative clerk ran up to Demian, who was changing, delivered the message quickly, and left.
*'Why the sudden summons?'*
*I'll find out when I get there.*
Demian pulled on his boots and headed for the administration office where the officers were.
A few soldiers were already standing there in front of Brian.
They were clearly the representatives from the other squads.
"...?"
"...What's with this kid? Ah, my mistake. I meant to think that, not say it out loud."
Demian looked at the guy who had just slapped his own mouth.
He had narrow, slanted eyes and was quite tall. But for his height, he was very thin, though solid muscle could be sensed beneath his clothes.
At a glance, he had a very agile-looking build.
*'It'd be an interesting picture to see him go up against Kyle...'*
Demian stared intently at the man, who seemed to be the complete opposite of Kyle in style.
At that, the man scowled and spoke to Demian.
"What are you looking at?"
"Just wondering how much narrower those eyes of yours can get."
"Pfft!"
Another squad representative standing nearby couldn't hold back a laugh at Demian's surprise counterattack.
Just as the narrow-eyed man's face twisted in anger...
"Quiet. Do you know where you are?"
Brian said, looking at the squad representatives before him.
At that, the narrow-eyed man muttered, "We'll see about this later," under his breath and looked at Brian.
"I've called you here because there will be an inter-squad competition in one week. Your respective squad leaders will announce it again, but it's an important mid-term evaluation between the squads, so prepare well."
"Yes."
"Yes, understood."
"Understood."
The others in front replied. Demian then asked Brian.
"What exactly does the competition entail?"
"Shield and spear techniques. Simply put, you'll be divided into attack and defense teams for a group match."
The others, who had simply been responding, nodded with an "Ah" of understanding.
Demian's question had given them a clearer picture of the situation.
Seeing this, Gerard, the Squad 3 representative on the far right, turned his head to glance at Demian.
*'So that's the one... the guy named Demian.'*
The one Apel from his squad had mentioned.
Gerard, who had already experienced that incredible people existed regardless of age, didn't find it strange that Demian was a squad representative.
After all, if Apel had wanted it, he would have very likely been the representative for Squad 3.
"Alright, you're dismissed."
At Brian's words, the squad representatives filed out of the administration office. And at that moment...
"Hey, you."
"..."
As if he had been waiting, the narrow-eyed man called out to Demian the moment they were outside.
Apparently quite angered by the earlier remark, the man stood in front of Demian with an irritated expression.
"Don't you know your place, you little brat?"
"Seems to me you're the one who can't read the room."
"...?"
The narrow-eyed man turned his head to the side.
The response had come from his side, contrary to his expectation.
Gerard, who was standing there, approached the narrow-eyed man.
"We're all squad representatives here. You were the one who was rude to him first just because he's young. Why are you picking a fight right outside the administration office?"
"Mind your own business and get lost. Unless you want to get your ass kicked and go crying to the officers."
"I wonder who'd be the one getting his ass kicked."
"You, obviously."
The narrow-eyed man bared his teeth and growled. Gerard looked at Demian and said.
"Let's just leave this idiot and go."
"Sounds good to me."
Demian nonchalantly agreed with Gerard and started walking.
Behind them, the narrow-eyed man's face contorted as if he were about to lunge, but with the administration office door slightly ajar, all he could do was grind his teeth.
Fighting among soldiers was grounds for disciplinary action, after all.
Demian stopped walking and suddenly turned his head.
"Hey, what squad are you in?"
"What?"
"I asked what squad you're in."
"Squad 4."
"Squad 4... Good, I'll remember that."
The narrow-eyed man scoffed at Demian's words.
"The fuck? What are you gonna do if you remember?"
"You'll see."
Dragging out a pointless conflict wasn't good for anyone.
There were plenty of ways to pay him back.
Demian turned and started walking again. Gerard, beside him, spoke up.
"I'm Gerard, the representative for Squad 3. I've heard a lot about you from Apel. You got first place in the practical exam, right?"
"Apel is in Squad 3?"
"He's in our squad. He probably would've been the representative if he wanted to be... but he said it was too much of a hassle, hehehe."
"...I'm jealous."
"Hm?"
When Gerard tilted his head, Demian just shook his.
"Thanks for stepping in earlier. You probably saved me some trouble."
"He wouldn't have dared to attack anyway. He's afraid of disciplinary action too."
But the problem was that some guys didn't give a damn about disciplinary action and would charge in anyway.
Demian exchanged a brief farewell with Gerard and entered the barracks.
And he spoke.
"Everyone, listen up."
"...?"
"What's going on?"
As the squad members looked at Demian, he continued.
"In one week, there will be a group competition against the other squads using shield and spear techniques. In that competition, we will, without fail... take first place."
"Hehehe, of course!"
Kyle answered spiritedly. In contrast, the other guys had expressions that said, *'Do we really have to go that far...'*
But Demian wasn't finished.
"And there's one thing you especially need to remember."
Demian's gaze swept over the squad members as he spoke resolutely.
"We will completely crush Squad 4. Especially their squad representative."
Faced with Demian's gaze, which held a strange sort of stubbornness, everyone could only swallow silently.