Chapter 9
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Establishing the Pecking Order
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Time flew by.
After what felt like only a few days of preparation, the day of arrival was suddenly upon him.
“...This is it. The beginning.”
Though he had only recently returned, standing before the training center, Demian felt a strange sense of nostalgia.
It was like standing at a starting line once more.
But this was a necessary step toward his goal.
‘This time...’
In his past life, his dreams had crumbled before they could even take shape, but this time would be different.
‘This time, I will be the one to devour the Empire.’
He would not be swept away by their catastrophic march; he would stand against them and consume them in turn.
Steeling his resolve, Demian entered the training center and headed for his assigned rookie unit.
3rd Training Company, 1st Platoon.
This was the unit to which Demian was assigned.
Of course, it would change once he was transferred from the training company to the main forces.
‘Looks like Apel was assigned to a different platoon.’
He was the only person his age Demian knew here. It felt oddly disappointing not to see him.
Demian entered his assigned barracks and set down his simple luggage.
“Welcome. I’m Brian, your platoon leader, and I’ll be living with you for the next month. As of this moment, unpack your belongings at your designated spots. And let me be clear: any food, drinks, or other personal items—especially cigarettes—are to be turned in immediately. If you’re caught with them, you’ll be punished on the spot.”
At the platoon leader’s sharp, glaring eyes, a few of the recruits flinched and began to surrender their contraband.
It was obvious they’d bought the items right outside the training grounds.
‘...Idiots. If you were just going to hand them over, you shouldn’t have bought them in the first place.’
Then again, they probably hadn’t planned on surrendering them.
But the platoon leader’s intense gaze had clearly intimidated them.
Demian scanned the faces in the barracks.
‘...That bastard looks like he’s still hiding cigarettes.’
He could spot a few who had brought in forbidden items but hadn't turned them in.
It didn't matter, though.
It wasn't like smoking a cigarette or two would be a problem.
‘On the battlefield, we were desperate for them.’
Come to think of it, he had smoked quite a bit in his past life...
‘Ugh, this time, I swear I won’t touch them.’
With a resolve like a New Year's resolution, Demian looked up at the platoon leader who had stopped in front of him.
“Hm, nothing out of the ordinary. You pass.”
“Thank you.”
“...How old are you, anyway? You look pretty young.”
“Thirteen.”
“Thirteen?”
For a moment, Brian’s eyes wavered.
He had heard there were a few very young recruits among the successful applicants, but he hadn't expected someone this young.
At Demian's words, some of the other recruits snorted in disbelief.
“Fucking hell, what has the world come to? Now even brats are looking for a future in the army.”
“How easy does he think life is, joining the army at thirteen? Heh heh heh.”
I've memorized those bastards' faces.
I’ll have to teach them that getting hit by a kid hurts just as much.
Ignoring them, Demian waited for Brian’s inspection to finish.
The 1st Platoon Leader, Brian, seemed to have noticed everything, as he stopped in front of a recruit Demian had suspected of hiding contraband.
“What’s in your tunic? Out with it. Now.”
“Huh? What do you mean...”
“Out with it, now!”
At Brian’s booming command, the recruit flinched and hastily pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his tunic.
Brian’s brow furrowed.
“I’ll warn you one last time. If I have to find it myself, you can expect to be running laps around the parade ground all night!”
Brian glared at a few other recruits.
His eyes said he already knew.
Completely cowed by his intensity, they began to surrender all their forbidden items.
They had managed to hold out once, but not twice.
Among them was a particularly massive recruit...
“...Damn it all to hell.”
The man muttered curses under his breath as he pulled out not only cigarettes but also a small flask of liquor.
Naturally, Brian heard him.
“What did you just say?”
“I didn’t say anything!”
Watching them get whipped into shape right from the get-go, Demian let out a small chuckle.
“Heh heh heh.”
This was better than a comedy.
After the eventful inspection and a brief period of organization, the platoon leader looked down at a list he was holding.
He had already done a headcount, so this must be a roster with basic information on the platoon members.
“Alright... now I need to appoint a temporary platoon sergeant to manage the soldiers when I’m not here... Oh? We have a soldier who passed with outstanding scores. Who is Demian?”
Brian looked up at the soldiers.
He hadn’t expected the top scorer from the practical exam to be in his platoon.
‘Is it that big guy?’
Although it was annoying that he had tried to hide contraband, exceptional skill could often make up for such things in the army.
Brian’s gaze naturally fell on the massive recruit. But...
“...?”
The big guy just blinked, as if to ask why he was being stared at.
“I am Demian.”
The voice came from the other side.
Brian turned his head to the right and saw a young-faced boy with his hand raised.
“...You’re Demian?”
“Yes, I am Demian.”
Demian answered with military crispness.
Brian’s eyes widened in shock.
“Didn’t you... say you were thirteen?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“...”
Could a thirteen-year-old really pass the exam with the top score in practical skills?
A fundamental question flashed through his mind.
But it was awkward to just stand there silently after calling him out.
Brian looked at Demian with a troubled expression. But then...
“...Fucking hell, that’s ridiculous.”
A temporary platoon sergeant, whether temporary or not, had the authority to give orders to the soldiers in the platoon leader’s absence.
And a brat like that was going to be the platoon sergeant?
“Sir, I believe the platoon sergeant should be a soldier with proven leadership. I don’t know what tricks that guy pulled, but if a brat like him becomes platoon sergeant, it will destroy our discipline.”
“...Oh?”
At those words, Demian looked at the man.
He had no interest in being a platoon sergeant—it sounded like a pain in the ass—but this bastard was really asking for it.
A smirk played on his lips.
Demian retorted coolly.
“I think I’d still be better than a muscle-bound idiot who looks like his brain is made of muscle.”
“What did you say?”
The large man shot up from his seat, and Brian’s brow furrowed.
“Is your name Kyle?”
“Yes, it is.”
“If you belittle a comrade by calling him a brat or anything similar one more time, it won’t end with a simple warning. However...”
Brian turned to Demian and the other soldiers.
“Kyle does have a point. The position of platoon sergeant carries authority. If you can’t demonstrate leadership to the soldiers, discipline can indeed falter.”
“Then how about this, sir? Let me and that bra—... I mean, that kid, have a duel. The winner becomes the platoon sergeant.”
“...Are you sure about that?”
Brian looked at Demian.
In truth, Kyle’s suggestion was the cleanest way to establish a pecking order.
While the army required strategic thinking and other skills, there was no denying the need for absolute 'strength'.
As Brian questioned Demian, Kyle, on the other side, smirked.
“Heh heh, if he wins, everyone else here will accept it. Anyone have a problem with this ‘duel’?”
Kyle looked around at the other soldiers.
Demian, in turn, looked at him.
‘So that’s Kyle.’
He’d heard the name before.
It had come up a few times during the 3rd Training Center’s exams.
He was rumored to have effortlessly tossed a boulder into the air that others struggled just to lift.
He was also said to have led the charge, breaking through the instructors at the end of the long-distance run.
‘He must be confident in his strength...’
As proof, none of the other recruits voiced any objections to Kyle’s words.
Demian stood up.
“Fine. I didn’t want to be the platoon sergeant, but... if you insist, I suppose I have no choice.”
“Heh heh, I think you misunderstood me.”
“No, I understood perfectly. All I have to do is crush you, right, hulk?”
“H-Hulk?!”
Kyle’s eyes widened as he glared at Demian.
At this, Brian put on a serious expression and addressed them.
“Alright, everyone, follow me to the training ground.”
This could be interesting.
Suppressing a smile, Brian led the platoon to the training ground.
Once they had gathered...
“Given the difference in weight class, weapons are permitted. You may use any of the training weapons.”
“Heh, a weapon? I don’t need one.”
“And you?”
“I’ll also fight without a weapon.”
Brian looked surprised at Demian’s response, but he quickly recovered.
“Very well. No striking vital points, and the duel ends immediately if one person surrenders. Any other questions?”
“None. Let’s just get this started.”
“None from me.”
After they both replied, Brian nodded and said,
“Begin.”
As the duel started, Kyle cracked his knuckles and casually rolled his neck.
Seeing his thuggish posture, Demian let out a chuckle.
“Stop posturing and come at me, hulk. You look like some back-alley thug flapping around.”
“You’ve got a sharp tongue for a kid. Just remember, it’s that tongue of yours that’s going to get you beaten like a dog today, so don’t feel too sorry for yourself!”
Kyle shouted and charged toward Demian.
He was heavily muscled, but surprisingly fast.
‘He has a right to be confident.’
His level was quite decent, even among the soldiers of the war-torn era.
But that was all there was to it.
“Hup!”
The moment Kyle’s fist shot toward Demian’s face...
*Whoosh!*
“...!”
Kyle’s eyes wavered slightly as the punch, which he had been certain would land, cut through empty air.
‘He’s not that fast...’
What was that just now?
It was as if he knew exactly where the punch was headed.
“You little shit, you must have picked up some cheap tricks somewhere...!”
Kyle clenched his teeth and began throwing a flurry of punches.
Each time his hammer-like fists cut through the air, a whooshing sound followed.
But none of his punches even grazed Demian’s clothes.
“What is this...”
Brian, who was watching the duel, couldn’t hide his astonishment.
It was hard to comprehend what he was seeing.
The way the small boy evaded the giant’s fists seemed almost... 'natural'.
“Hyaaaah!”
Kyle roared and threw another punch at Demian.
*Whoosh!*
But once again, his fist met nothing but air.
A look of despair began to creep onto Kyle’s face.
It felt like he was fighting a ghost.
“You... you bastard!”
Finally, Kyle screamed, spread his arms wide, and rushed at Demian.
If he couldn’t hit him, he would just grab him and slam him into the ground.
But as Kyle charged...
*Swoosh.*
Demian effortlessly twisted his body to the side, evading him and moving behind Kyle.
“...!”
To Kyle, Demian’s strange footwork made it seem as if he had vanished right before his eyes.
“W-Where are you?!”
Kyle frantically looked around.
And in that instant.
“Right here.”
“...!”
At the quiet voice, Kyle spun around toward the sound.
As if waiting for that exact moment, Demian struck Kyle’s side with his left fist.
*Thwack!*
“Guh!”
Demian’s fist slammed squarely into his right side.
Right where the liver was.
‘Unless he’s exceptionally tough... he won’t be able to take that.’
Moreover, it was a punch infused with mana.
He might have even broken a rib or two. But...
“Grrrrrrrgh!”
The man, who had been about to double over and collapse, turned his bloodshot eyes on him and forced himself to stand straight again.
Demian looked at him with a dumbfounded expression.
‘...He’s tough.’
Wow, that genuinely surprised him.
But while he had straightened his back, he was still gasping for breath, unable to breathe properly.
*Swish.*
Demian turned his gaze to Brian.
“...”
Brian stood there with a stern expression, as if to say the duel wasn't over yet.
He knew it too.
If he interfered and ended the duel prematurely, the pecking order would never be settled.
*Clench.*
Demian turned back to Kyle.
Kyle’s face was beet red as he glared at Demian.
The pain was so intense he couldn’t move a single step, but he was somehow enduring it.
‘I’ll give him credit for his grit.’
But...
*Thump!*
Demian stomped the ground hard and closed the distance, diving into Kyle’s range.
Kyle desperately swung a punch...
‘Left side...’
*Swoosh.*
Demian ducked lightly to the right, dodging Kyle’s fist.
And there was his opponent’s wide-open left side.
*Clench!*
Demian drove his coiled fist precisely into the opening.
*CRACK!*
“Guuuhh...!”
With a sound like a sledgehammer hitting a wall, Kyle’s body completely gave way.
*Thud.*
Kyle collapsed and didn’t get up, completely unconscious.
The platoon members who had been watching stood with their mouths agape, staring at Demian.
How could such power come from such a small frame?
Demian slowly scanned the surrounding platoon members and asked,
“Anyone else want a turn?”
No one answered.