My Platoon is Fucking Hopeless – Chapter 2

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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I took a deep breath. I wouldn’t know until I saw their stats. Even if the evaluations on the documents were disastrous, I wouldn’t know their actual capabilities until I saw them in action.

I mean, even Napoleon had health problems before becoming emperor. Some records even said he had mental illness.

Perhaps these soldiers were diamonds in the rough?

Mental illness could be treated with consistent care and attention.

“Status window!”

I recalled the window I had closed earlier. As expected, the unit management screen, which had been blank just a moment ago, was now filled with four faces.

HOG’s personnel management system had a rather complex and sophisticated mechanism.

It wasn’t for nothing that it had maintained its unchallenged position as the hardcore strategy simulation game for over a decade.

Usually, to maximize subordinate stats before the start of the war, three conditions had to be met.

First, understand the tendencies of the soldiers, non-commissioned officers, and officers under your command and provide appropriate ‘training solutions.’

The battlefield was all about efficiency. How efficiently you trained and improved the skills of your unit members determined their stats at the start of the world war.

A soldier left alone was nothing more than a common foot soldier.

But with the right training solutions, you could turn them into a Lu Bu, capable of single-handedly charging and taking down enemy commanders.

That was the power of training emphasized in HOG.

Second, gain ‘practical experience.’

Before the war broke out, you had to assign missions focused on exterminating nearby bandits, criminals, or magical beasts.

This increased the chances of obtaining relics from magical beasts or criminals and, of course, steadily built up practical experience.

Of course, training was important. But it was a given that practical experience was even more important.

One real-world experience was far more effective in improving subordinates’ proficiency than a hundred training sessions.

The more practical experience they had, the greater the ‘Veteran’ bonus they received upon entering combat.

And lastly, increase ‘loyalty’ to the commander.

Have you heard of the term “morale bread?” It referred to the troops’ morale dropping to zero, causing them to flee upon entering combat.

In short, it was an “unconditional surrender.” A situation where they abandoned fighting, regrouping, their weapons, and even their allies and just ran away.

Not only did it fail to stop the enemy, but it was also like having a hole punched in the defensive line. Once a morale bread happened, the battle was as good as lost.

Therefore, to prevent this morale bread, the loyalty of subordinates to their commander, the player, had to be high.

Appropriate training solutions.

Abundant practical experience.

Loyalty.

If these three elements were satisfied, any useless platoon could be transformed into a weapon of war.

So it wasn’t time to give up yet.

Who was I?

A player who had played HOG for over 10,000 hours, a well of stagnant oil. My pride wouldn’t allow me to despair over a useless platoon and run away crying.

Besides, I didn’t think I could run away anyway.

“First, I need to check their stats.”

Just as I was about to check Lumia Blyue’s stats,

Knock, knock.

The sound of someone knocking on the door was clearly audible. It was followed by a clear voice.

“Second Lieutenant Enoch Levandal? Are you still asleep?”

Before I could even wonder who it was, the word “Second Lieutenant” caught my attention.

Was it one of my platoon members? Or an adjutant?

As I was momentarily stunned, unsure of how to respond, the voice continued,

“…Um. Then, excuse me.”

The firmly closed wooden door opened. The sunlight, which I hadn’t seen due to the lack of windows, shone brightly, and silver hair shimmered in the light.

“Ah.”

“Oh.”

“You were… awake?”

Even more beautiful than in the document, and at the same time, with a cynical impression. Her tightly pressed crimson lips and amethyst eyes, gazing at me, entered my view all at once.

She was Sergeant Lumia Blyue.

“Yes,”

I replied curtly to Lumia. It wasn’t intentional. I was just flustered and reacted instinctively.

It was a character from the game, after all. I hadn’t yet figured out how to treat or talk to them. So I was just blurting out whatever came to mind.

“Um… I apologize. If I had known you were awake, I wouldn’t have barged in.”

“It’s fine.”

It was still awkward.

“So, what brings you here?”

“Oh, it’s nothing much!! Since it’s your first day here, the Battalion Commander has summoned you!”

A proper, crisp reply, unlike the hesitant and slightly relaxed tone from earlier. I hadn’t even corrected her. Why the change?

But the important thing wasn’t Lumia’s changed attitude. A meeting with the Battalion Commander. Those words made my mind go blank.

I was already stuttering in front of Lumia, a mere platoon member, and now I had to face the Battalion Commander?

I was a veteran myself. Even if this was the world of HOG, it was natural for a newly assigned Second Lieutenant to attend a meeting with the Battalion Commander.

I also knew very well that a Second Lieutenant’s first impression was usually determined in that meeting.

‘I can’t approach this simply as a game element. From now on, I have to be careful with every word and action.’

Interaction.

The time when I could simply grasp the situation from behind the monitor was long gone. Now, I had to observe, understand, and utilize everyone who reacted to my words and actions.

Of course, I couldn’t forget that I had to induce those reactions to get what I wanted.

The current situation was the same. If I messed up my first impression with the Battalion Commander, a terrible military life awaited me.

Besides, with my platoon members in such a state, there was no need to make an enemy of the Battalion Commander.

The cooperation of unit commanders like the Battalion Commander was 100% necessary for smooth game progression.

“…….”

“Um, excuse me, Second Lieutenant Enoch. You must attend. It’s a sort of ceremonial event that all Second Lieutenants participate in.”

“No, it’s not that I’m not going to participate…”

I gathered my thoughts for a moment. I took a deep breath and regained my composure.

Come to think of it, there was no need to overthink it. A meeting with the Battalion Commander was something I had done countless times in the military.

He wouldn’t ask any particularly difficult questions.

Besides, since I was a veteran in the HOG world, I knew it inside and out. Even if he asked about international affairs or the military, I should be able to respond to some extent, right?

It wasn’t like I had been possessed in a game I didn’t know; there shouldn’t be any questions I couldn’t answer.

“Would you mind guiding me to the Battalion Commander’s office? I’m not familiar with the layout yet.”

“Ah…! If that’s the case, no problem!”

Fortunately, Lumia readily agreed. I shouldn’t judge people solely based on documents, but she definitely seemed like a better person than what was written in the remarks.

“Then follow me.”

I followed Lumia’s lead and stepped out of the shabby room. It seemed the area where my room was located had been neglected for quite some time.

The hallway was dusty, and cobwebs hung in the corners.

It felt like they had hastily cleaned only my room because a new officer was arriving. And it seemed like I was the only occupant.

The treatment of newly appointed Second Lieutenants was crap here as well.

“Um… Second Lieutenant?”

“Yes, Sergeant Lumia.”

“Have you seen our platoon’s personnel files?”

Of course, I had.

As I nodded instead of answering, Lumia sighed. Did she know what was written in the remarks? Well, it would be strange if she didn’t, considering how blatantly it was written.

Seeing my reaction, Lumia averted her gaze and stammered,

“Um, well… don’t worry too much. If you submit a disagreement to the higher-ups…”

“It’s fine.”

“Huh?”

“You never know until you see them for yourself.”

I couldn’t change the platoon without the Battalion Commander’s approval anyway. And there was no reason to give up on them just because their files were strange if their stats were good.

As I said before, I hadn’t even opened their stat windows yet, so I couldn’t prematurely judge their capabilities.

A total stat sum of over 300 was quite decent. Plus, there was a possibility of various traits synergizing.

“You never know until you see them… for yourself.”

Lumia mumbled something, but I dismissed it. As soon as we exited the building, a magnificent Western-style building appeared before me.

A long, rectangular, gray brick building. The roof was finished with red paint along the slope, giving it a distinct European architectural feel.

I glanced back at the building where my quarters were. It was a wooden structure, completely different from the brick building.

Honestly, it looked like it would collapse if I kicked the wall hard enough.

‘Sigh…’

The difference was stark, and it was rather bitter. I clicked my tongue and asked Lumia,

“Is the Battalion Commander’s office in there?”

“Yes!? Ah, yes, that’s right. It’s the headquarters building.”

Ah, the headquarters. That made sense. It would house various offices, not just living quarters.

I nodded and replied to Lumia,

“This is far enough for the guidance.”

“Yes, I understand. For your information, the Battalion Commander’s office is on the second floor!”

“Thank you, Sergeant.”

“Glory to the Motherland.”

Snap. Lumia brought her heels together, placed her right hand on her chest, and bowed her head slightly. It was a sharp movement.

I immediately recognized it as a salute and returned it in kind. It was simple enough to follow.

‘I didn’t even know the saluting method. It would have been a disaster if I had met him without knowing this.’

A new Second Lieutenant staring blankly at the Battalion Commander? It would be appropriate to say, “Like platoon, like platoon leader.”

‘I absolutely can’t let that happen.’

My goal was to save this crappy nation from the world war that would break out in five years and then return to reality in style. I had no intention of misbuttoning the first button.

‘Nothing to lose by trying.’

Leaving Lumia standing there looking at me, I confidently entered the headquarters building.

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