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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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“Sergeant!! Are you going to disobey orders again?! One more time and you’re getting another disciplinary action!”
A furious voice followed Sergeant Claude Rain as he kicked open the barracks door. I turned my head to look inside the barracks.
A man with slight wrinkles around his eyes was yelling at the top of his lungs.
Three diamonds on his epaulets. A Captain. The Company Commander.
Claude Rain sighed, turned around, and walked out of the barracks, completely ignoring me.
“Do whatever the f**k you want, give me disciplinary action or whatever.”
The muttered curse reached my ears. I blankly stared at the stairs where the Sergeant had disappeared.
What had I just witnessed?
Even after seeing it with my own eyes, it was hard to believe.
Of course, it wasn’t unheard of for a seasoned non-commissioned officer to talk back to a Company Commander, though it was rare. But to openly defy him like that?
Demoted one rank for assaulting an officer.
The sentence from Claude Rain’s personnel file flashed through my mind.
‘He was a man of action.’
Judging by the lack of alcohol smell, he was sober. A true war hero had a different level of audacity.
As I stood there dumbfounded by the sudden storm, Lumia, who was standing next to me, fidgeted anxiously.
“I, I apologize, Second Lieutenant. I’ll make sure to have a word with Sergeant Claude…”
“It’s fine. I already have a general idea of what kind of person he is from his file.”
Honestly, how could a Sergeant control a seasoned Sergeant Major? Especially a veteran Sergeant Major who had been demoted from Master Sergeant.
The milk was already spilt. It wasn’t something I could resolve with my current authority, so it wasn’t the time to worry about Sergeant Claude.
I entered the barracks as if nothing had happened and saluted the Company Commander.
“Glory to the Motherland!”
“Glory.”
The Company Commander’s face was red and blue. He seemed furious, but he returned my salute properly and sighed.
“Phew…”
“I apologize.”
The apology slipped out before I could think. It wasn’t something I needed to apologize for, but in situations like this, it was better to lower my head first to avoid unnecessary trouble.
“What are you apologizing for? You just arrived yesterday.”
“Since I was appointed Platoon Leader today, the commotion that just occurred is entirely my responsibility.”
“…Forget it. There’s no need to say things you don’t mean just to score points.”
The Company Commander clicked his tongue at my reply.
“Captain Ardent Schultz. I’m your Company Commander.”
“I’m Enoch Levandal.”
“You seem rather calm, considering how surprising that was.”
“I’ve already seen Sergeant Claude Rain’s file.”
Though I hadn’t expected it to be this bad. I glanced at the wide-open entrance of the barracks.
“You’ve seen his file.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And you didn’t think anything of it?”
“Seeing it now, I think he’ll be more difficult to manage than I expected.”
I told him exactly what I felt. Captain Ardent’s eyebrows twitched.
“Hmm…”
His face, with its sharp angles, was the very image of a soldier. If Claude Rain had a wild impression, Captain Ardent seemed stern and resolute.
Judging by his words and appearance, I had a strong feeling he was a by-the-book Company Commander.
“Anyway… now that the 5th Platoon finally has a Platoon Leader, I wanted to have a chat with everyone… but with this atmosphere…”
As the Company Commander spoke with a sigh, a woman sitting on the sofa inside the barracks shrugged and chimed in,
“It’s not the first time that man has acted on his own. I don’t know why he doesn’t just retire.”
She had straight, black, bobbed hair. Despite the dim lighting, her red eyes below her eyebrows were clearly visible.
‘The one I saw in the files…’
I easily recalled her name. Sergeant Belle Meyer, my platoon member.
“You don’t have to be so scared, Second Lieutenant. That’s how he expresses his anger. He’s not just like that to you or the Company Commander…”
As she stood up, dusting off her knees, I took in Belle Meyer’s overall appearance. She was about 15cm shorter than me, but what caught my eye was her figure, visible even under the baggy uniform.
Gulp.
I swallowed unconsciously.
‘No, no.’
I quickly erased the thought from my mind. I didn’t want to be seen as a creep.
“Anyway, nice to meet you. I’m Belle Meyer, and you can just call me Belle.”
Belle smiled as she spoke in a cheerful voice. I had expected her to be strange, given her depression and other mental illnesses, but she was surprisingly… normal.
“I’m Enoch Levandal.”
“You’re even more handsome up close, hehe.”
Her voice had a strange, suggestive tone that made me increasingly uncomfortable.
It didn’t seem intentional… If I weren’t someone with strong mental fortitude, I would have been completely captivated by that single remark. Was she a soldier or a succubus?
“Where is Sergeant Roxana Elim, the other member?”
As I quickly changed the subject, Company Commander Ardent answered,
“She’s in the infirmary. It’s best not to worry too much about her. She pushed herself too hard in training a few days ago and collapsed after two days.”
“…She tries hard, but it doesn’t seem easy for her. It’s always a shame to see that.”
Seriously? Then why wasn’t she discharged? Even the South Korean military, notorious for not discharging soldiers easily, would unanimously discharge someone in her condition.
‘This is why it’s a doomed nation…’
No wonder it always ended up being the nation that was destroyed in the game.
Their military power was so lacking that they couldn’t even afford to discharge personnel who were practically patients.
‘Damn it.’
I had a lot to say, but it wouldn’t do any good to voice it. If they had wanted to find fault with me, they would have done so already.
Since I had decided to adapt to a certain extent, it would be ridiculous to object now.
“I see.”
“Is that so…?”
Yes, even if one member was a ghost soldier, it wouldn’t change anything. I just needed to prove my abilities and prepare for the great war five years later.
Captain Ardent, seemingly sensing my feelings, shook his head and said,
“Just let the matter with Sergeant Claude go. Even if he’s disciplined, he’ll just come back from the brig without a care.”
“So you’re just going to let it go?”
“There’s nothing we can do.”
The Captain’s expression looked complicated. After all, he was the one who was stuck with the useless platoon under his command.
He was just as unlucky as I was. Still, his by-the-book personality didn’t waver, and he quickly changed his expression and extended his hand to me.
“Welcome to the 2nd Company, 5th Platoon Leader.”
“Thank you, sir.”
It was the beginning of my second military life, one that would certainly not be smooth sailing.
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It had been a week since I was sucked into the world of Hearts of General due to unlocking the wrong mod.
My room, which had been empty except for the most basic furniture, was now filled with various books. This was because I had realized my biggest blind spot after being possessed in this world.
There were five military branches in HOG. One was unlocked later in the game, so it was irrelevant for now.
Infantry, who used muskets and bayonets.
Cavalry, who rode horses and were armed with pistols and swords.
Artillery, who used cannons.
And lastly, the Mage Corps, to which I belonged.
Simply put, it was like turning mages into a military branch, so as a modern man from just a few days ago, I naturally knew nothing about it.
I knew the names of military magic and tactics and strategies for the Mage Corps that could be learned in the game, but… I had no idea how real magic worked or how to use it.
Shocking, bizarre) A mage officer who voluntarily enlisted but doesn’t know how to use magic?!
I was already in charge of a strange platoon, and if it became known that I couldn’t even use magic, I would instantly be treated like an idiot.
I had boasted so much to the Battalion and Company Commanders; if they found out, it would be my downfall.
So, aside from the daily officer reports and brief meetings with my platoon members, I had been holed up in my room for two days, acquiring relevant knowledge.
Fortunately, thanks to the Insomnia trait, my sleep time was drastically reduced, allowing me to finish all the books I had brought in those two days.
Now that the theory was more or less complete, it was time to move on to practice.
‘First… concentrate. Feel the flow of the mana core near your heart.’
I slowly ruminated on what I had read in the books and placed my hand over my heart. This was the ritual called ‘Activation.’ Awakening the dormant mana core.
Soon, I felt a warm energy emanating from my heart. A gentle, flickering energy like a flame. This was probably the ‘mana core.’
The only organ that could produce and store ‘mana,’ the special energy consumed when using magic.
It was an intangible organ that ordinary people didn’t possess or even sense, but it was as important as the heart to a mage soldier.
‘Once you feel the mana core, draw up the mana stored within it. Not forcefully, but naturally, like exhaling.’
“Inhale… Exhale.”
As I took a deep breath, mana flowed from the mana core and instantly enveloped my body. It was a strange sensation I had never felt before in my life, but at the same time, it felt strangely familiar.
‘Then recombine it into the form you envision. Give it physical properties and imbue it with one of the five natural elements.’
The first thing that came to mind was ‘Fireball,’ known as the most basic of basics. It was also the most frequently used spell in the early stages of the game when playing as a Mage Corps member.
‘Shape it into a sphere… explosive physical property, and red color for the element.’
Whoosh!
As soon as I envisioned its form, a large flame appeared before my eyes. A real ‘Fireball.’ I had actually cast a spell I had only seen in the game.
“Whoa!! Sh*t!”
But I hadn’t expected the spell to materialize so quickly. Startled, I shouted, and as if triggered by my voice, the fully formed Fireball shot towards the ceiling.
“Huh?”
Sensing that something was wrong, I belatedly tried to stop the spell, but it had already left my hand.
“I’m screwed!”
BOOOOOM!!!
With a tremendous roar, the entire room was turned upside down.
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He literally cooked himself