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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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The transport carrying Karl slowly ascended into the sky. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread as he watched the ground recede. Even with the Ion Buster implanted in his body, the fact that he was headed to the infamous Hel-Lugal didn’t sit well with him.
The reason Commander Zeile, Karl’s father, sent his son to the Hel-Lugal training camp was obvious. Few places boasted such ironclad security. Even Karl, a master of escape, would have little recourse there.
You’re relentless, Father. Did you really want to keep your son on a leash until the very end…?
Karl pictured his father’s stubborn face. He had resisted for five years, but he couldn’t sway his father’s mind. …In a way, it was a regrettable and bitter outcome.
“I’m sorry.”
Ellis, sitting across from Karl, hesitated for a moment before apologizing. He glanced at his rigidly upright knight friend, who had been watching the blue sky gradually darken outside the window. There was an undeniable sense of guilt on her face.
“Don’t be sorry. You’re just following the Commander’s orders. …I understand.”
He’d spent enough time in the military himself to understand that. But despite her strong exterior, she was surprisingly sensitive and introverted, often agonizing over trivial matters.
“Ellis, your personality hasn’t changed a bit. …But your tits look great, by the way.”
“You’ve gotten much more brazen, young master.”
At her words, Karl chuckled lewdly.
“Being sexually frustrated for so long kind of messes with your head, you know? I can’t help but notice boobs whenever I see a woman.”
“Sigh…. Young master…, please maintain some decorum. For the Commander’s sake, at least.”
“Hmph, that old man sends his precious son to a shithole and then…. Alright, alright. I get it. …You’re great and all, but you need to work on your jokes. No matter how pretty a woman is, men aren’t interested if she’s boring, right? You need to be a little more playful. Flash a little cleavage now and then.”
“It’s fine if I’m not popular.”
“You’ll end up an old maid.”
“That’s. Fine. I’ll. Handle. It. Myself.”
As Ellis’s tone grew sharp, Karl wisely shut his mouth. She barely managed to restrain herself from hitting this annoying little shit who was so good at provoking her and then dodging the consequences.
Silence fell over the transport. It entered the scanning bay of a ten-million-ton class battleship floating in space. As the ship docked, Ellis unbuckled her belt and stood up. Karl, who still had a long way to go, remained seated, watching her.
“See you later, Ellis.”
“Take care, young master.”
“Learn some funny jokes before I come back. I’ll be testing you. Got it?”
Ellis left the transport without replying. Karl watched her disembark through the window. The transport began to lift off and quickly returned to space.
Countless twinkling stars against the black curtain—. He was leaving his beloved home after only a day, embarking on another uncertain journey.
To the infamous Hel-Lugal, no less—.
Well, fuck, it’s a place where people live, so I’m not going to die, am I? Especially not the Commander’s son?
Karl tried to stay positive. And he’d been in the military long enough, so he could handle a training camp.
The transport began preheating for a space jump.
The scattered stars stretched into streaks, and the spaceship instantly tore through space.
To a faraway place—.
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Hel-Lugal, the prison planet where the empire’s most heinous criminals were confined.
True to its notoriety, the Hel-Lugal Training Camp was filled with equally formidable individuals. In a bad way, of course.
Among those approved for enlistment in the Imperial Army, anyone with a criminal record was automatically sent here. Those with borderline qualifications, those without connections, and those who were simply unlucky also ended up here. Very rarely, some were transferred here after causing trouble at other training camps.
In any case, most of them were penniless, so naturally, the treatment of the trainees was abysmal. In other words, both the prison and the training camp were infamous. …Well, what sane cadet would want to come to a training camp on a backwater prison planet—!
Karl finally arrived at the Hel-Lugal Training Camp, the worst of the worst.
He disembarked at the station, crammed among numerous other trainees. As expected of Hel-Lugal, many of the trainees had nasty-looking faces. Frankly, they looked more like they belonged in the prison next door than in the Imperial Army.
Wow, fuck, this is going to be fun, fuck—.
Karl sighed deeply and shuffled towards the training camp along with the other trainees. Perhaps because it was before they officially entered, the rough-looking instructors hadn’t started cursing yet. Probably because there were still civilians around the station. Perhaps there were orders from above to improve Hel-Lugal’s shitty image.
So, the numerous trainees walked in a long line, like prisoners. For such a distance, they would normally be transported by vehicle, but as expected, Hel-Lugal’s shittiness didn’t disappoint.
“-If you go to Hel-Lugal twice, it’s better to just bite your tongue off and die.“
Karl had a former colleague who had trained at Hel-Lugal, and he had asked him about it a few times. The answer was always consistently, It’s fucking awful. And that it was better to die than go there twice….
God, please don’t make me disrespect my father.
But he had a bad feeling that he would be cursing his father throughout his stay here. The gloomy weather made it even worse.
The trainees, marching like prisoners, finally entered the training camp. The high, thick walls, the color of crushed rotten spinach, combined with the gloomy weather, amplified the ominous and dreadful atmosphere.
Fuck, I’m back in a training camp—.
Having already experienced boot camp once, the reality of his second enlistment finally hit Karl. How could he describe that utterly shitty feeling—!
“You fucking bastards, move it! Fucking hell, I almost died of boredom waiting for you slowpokes—!”
As soon as the trainees entered, a buzz-cut instructor launched into a colorful stream of curses, establishing dominance. The trainees’ eyes widened at the sudden onslaught of profanity.
“Get in line, you fucking dogs—!”
The instructors yelled, ordering the trainees to form lines on the parade ground. They were made to stand in formation, regardless of gender, and face the platform at the front.
A while later, a figure who appeared to be the camp commander emerged, accompanied by other officers. He looked to be in his 40s. Being stuck in this godforsaken training camp meant his career was going nowhere, so his face was etched with bitterness. Perhaps that’s why he wanted to play king here and work these trainees to the bone.
A dull and uninspiring speech followed, and the entrance ceremony ended. The instructors divided the randomly assigned lines into smaller groups.
Of course, this time they separated men and women. Putting hormonal young men and women together might lead to a population explosion, and they wanted to prevent that unfortunate incident.
Of course, those determined to have sex would find a way, so boxes of condoms would appear later. But if anyone got pregnant, the couple responsible would be immediately expelled. And not just expelled, but sentenced to prison labor as well. Two years of unpaid work at Hel-Lugal prison.
Contraception was essential to avoid that shitty fate. Still, one or two idiot couples managed to pull it off every year.
Karl, assigned to Group 5, entered the barracks building, rubbing shoulders with faces that smelled sour. The outdated barracks, where everything was manual, not automatic, were a nightmare.
The reason for this was ostensibly to teach survival skills in any situation, but he couldn’t accept that. If the ship blew up, everyone would die anyway, so what was the point of abandoning the comforts of civilization? And it didn’t seem like their survival skills were improving noticeably anyway….
“Hurry up and stand in front of your lockers, you bastards—!”
The Group 5 instructor glared fiercely and yelled at the scrambling trainees. Once the trainees had each claimed a locker and stood at attention, the instructor told them to unpack all their belongings and wait.
A subtle silence fell over Barracks 5 as the instructor left. Most of these guys had already tasted the sweet and bitter flavors of society, so they knew the importance of the initial power struggle.
But for now, they were just sizing each other up, no action yet. They had just arrived and settled in; they didn’t know what kind of shitty punishment they would receive if they started fighting already.
Of course, it was only a matter of time. Putting a bunch of rough guys together in one place, it was strange if a power struggle didn’t erupt.
Just then, a loud commotion erupted from the hallway.
Fight! Fight!
The sounds of things breaking and shattering began to echo.
Well, aren’t they eager.
Karl snorted at the sound.
…And Group 5’s initiation wouldn’t be far behind.
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This is not what I expected at all from this novel