IBAOAWIJM 04

Episode 4

“It doesn’t look fun at all, but you’re so positive. I’m scared I might die in the war.”

Krushel said with an expression that looked practically like he was dying. But did Derek not understand his feelings? He tilted his head with a look of incomprehension.

“Dying in war is the greatest honor, isn’t it? Cheer up. We’re soldiers now.”

A sentence that collected every word that stabs at a person’s heart. Saying something like that is also a talent.

“If you die, it’s all over…”
“Haha, as expected from a family that protects the imperial family, your patriotism is amazing. I respect that.”
Ion, spotting signs of an argument, quickly intervened and ended the conversation. And silence descended once more.
This time, it was the instructor who broke the silence.

-Broadcast to all barracks. Uniform and equipment issuance will take place shortly. Please assemble in the small parade ground in front of your barracks. That is all. End of transmission.

“Since there are a lot of people anyway, it’ll take a long time to gather, so let’s wait slowly and then go.”

Ion, who had no military experience, suggested a dreadful course of action.

‘Oh, are you crazy?’

In a training unit, you could get an earful even if you ran out immediately, and here they were suggesting dawdling. It was truly shocking, but that wasn’t the end of it.

“I think the same.”
“A noble must have composure. I’m learning.”
These insane noble bastards were praising that opinion as if it were brilliant.

‘You guys! Trying to slack off from the very beginning of military training, are you completely insane?!’

It was a struggle to hold back harsh words.

“I think it would be better to go out quickly instead. We need to get points, right?”

Since I couldn’t just run out alone, I made a suggestion. But the only responses were from these lazy nobles.

“I’m too tired, let’s rest a bit more. It’s not like they’d give points just for standing in line first.”
“Right. And if you stand in the front row, you stand out. The back is better.”
Headaches surged at the words of Taylor and Pluto, who had introduced themselves as coming from baronial families.

‘These insane bastards. This is the military!’

The future that would unfold if we went out late was so obvious I couldn’t give up.

“Can’t you just trust me this once and go out now? I have a bad feeling about this.”

“You could just go out alone first…”
“If you insist that much, let’s all trust Mr. Palan. It’s not a big loss to go out a little earlier anyway.”
As expected, our hyung Ion.
Even though he’d suggested a strange opinion at first, he listened carefully even to the words of a mere viscountcy heir.

“If you think so, alright.”
“Let’s finish quickly and come back for a nap.”
Since the words of the current room’s #1 in rank were absolute, everyone got up from their seats and went out into the hallway.

‘What the hell is this?’

Surprisingly, it seemed everyone had the same thought, as the hallway was extremely quiet.

“Which company, which platoon?”
As we stepped outside, an instructor wearing a red cap with two diamonds glared at us with menacing eyes.

“Company? What are you talking about…”
“We haven’t been briefed yet!”
I barely managed to stop Krushel from making a slip of the tongue next to me and provided the model answer.

“Guess the info hasn’t been passed down yet. Barrack floor and room number.”
“First floor, room 7!”
“Rooms 1 through 4 are 1st Platoon. So you guys are 1st Company, 2nd Platoon. Got it.”
“Understood!”
“Line up in four columns behind the flag corresponding to your platoon.”
Following his words, I looked at the ground to see flags for each platoon.

“It’s over there. Follow me.”
Leading my confused roommates, I went to the flag for 1st Company, 2nd Platoon and lined up.

“Cadet, what’s your name?”
Perhaps liking my action, the instructor came over and asked for my name.

‘Sigh, I didn’t want to stand out.’

Being among these damn noble young masters, just acting with common sense makes you a top-tier ace.

“Palan Oklo!”
“You seem to have had an interest in the military. Make the most of this opportunity to show a great performance.”

‘Instructor, what are you talking about?’

Having an interest in the military?
You’d have to be insane for that to be true.

“I… I will strive to show you my best effort.”

“Good. By the way, has it been about a minute already?”
The instructor glanced at his watch and raised the corners of his mouth. That expression was so villainous it reminded one of… a devil.

-Broadcast to all barracks.
He picked up a loudspeaker and spoke in a much heavier voice than before.

*-If you do not come out within 15 seconds, everyone will receive a 5-point demerit. For reference, I will explain the points later, but they are directly linked to your grades, so judge wisely. That is all.*

Thud thud thud thud thud!!!
As soon as his words ended, the sound of footsteps.
Cadets who had been engaged in a standoff inside the barracks were rushing out.

‘They’re trembling at the mere mention of demerits.’

Well, who would want to be assigned to the front lines?
The cadets poured out in numbers that made you worry about a stampede accident.
If there was something noteworthy, it was that a few rooms that had come out early were separated from the group.

“Is it right to only come out after the instructor speaks twice?!”

A vicious voice and expression that made you doubt if he was the same person.
With the red cap on top, my hair stood on end with PTSD.

“If you lack the awareness of being a soldier, it’s the instructor’s job to engrave it into your bones. All late cadets. Down for push-ups.”

At the instructor’s words, the noble cadets, though clearly showing their displeasure, placed both hands on the ground out of fear of demerits.

“You come up on ‘one’ saying ‘soldier’, and on ‘two’ saying ‘spirit’. If not done properly, you will receive demerits. One!”
“Sol… soldier.”
The cadets moved with creaking stiffness.
It must be awkward.
Most of them probably lived like emperors in their own families.

“Cadet, what’s your name?”
An instructor who stopped before one cadet squatted down, made eye contact, and asked.
“Rekia Ochen”
“Right, Cadet Rekia.”
The instructor nodded as if understanding, touched his cap a few times… and then exploded.

“Can’t you even hold it straight!!! Is this your living room?! Go deeper! Do it now!”

A roar fired at point-blank range.
His subsequent actions were even bolder.
Thump!

“I waited here for you trash, worse than garbage, for a minute! Me, waiting for the lowliest cadets in the military! You’ve truly lost your minds!”

He simply stepped on Rekia’s back, who was in push-up position.
Unable to withstand the force, Rekia eventually collapsed, and the instructor clicked his tongue seeing that.

“You get a demerit. Get back up and do it properly.”
Following the instructor’s words, the assistant trainer following him wrote down a name on paper.
It really was a demerit.
Then the instructor glared at the other cadets and let out another roar.

“You haven’t even reached ‘two’! Who’s coming up?! Two!”
“S… spirit!!”
Perhaps overwhelmed by the atmosphere.
The cadets began performing the movements instinctively, now beyond just fear of demerits.

“The voice is weak! Do you think you can communicate with allies on the battlefield with a voice like that?! One!”
“SOLDIER!!”
“Two!”
“S… SPIRIT!!!”
“You don’t understand what ‘weak’ means?! ONE!!!!”
“SOLDIER!!!!”
.
.
Almost 30 repetitions of the punishment.
Fortunately, my roommates and I, having come out early, avoided this harsh treatment.

‘Just imagining being in that situation… makes me dizzy.’

Just the thought makes me feel suffocated.

“Since today is the first day, I’ll stop here. From now on, pull yourselves together and apply yourselves. Understood?”

“Yes.”
“Understood.”
“Got it.”
Various replies.
These noble young masters remain hopeless even after receiving punishment.

“We will now move to the uniform supply warehouse. Each platoon will form up in four columns. Do it.”

Are humans truly creatures of adaptation?
The formation was completed much faster than during the entrance ceremony.

“1st Company, 1st Platoon, follow me.”
Our 2nd Platoon followed at the tail of the 1st Platoon that set off first, heading towards the warehouse.

“If we hadn’t listened to Mr. Palan and came out late, we would have been in real trouble.”
Krushel spoke to me with the expression of someone who’d just had a near-death experience.

‘Right, you do know. That’s a relief.’

I hope this opportunity helps them get their act together, though I wonder if they really will.

“We were just lucky. And I think it’s better to try as hard as possible in the training unit.”

“That seems right. It’s only two weeks anyway, and whether we go to the front or rear is decided here.”
Ion nodded in agreement with my words.

‘Right, that’s a good mindset. Should’ve had it from the start.’

No, it’s not even five weeks, it’s just two weeks.
Only enough time for a taste.
Honestly, this much is worth just thinking you’re dead and pushing through relentlessly.
The enlightenment of my roommates has never been so welcome.

“But isn’t it a pity? To only receive 2 weeks of the original 12-week officer training. According to my father, many memories are made here.”
Derek’s insane nonsense that habitually came out.
That’s not even worth listening to, so it’s fine to just move on.

“Arms up, straighten your backs.”
After arriving at the warehouse and getting measured with a tape measure, we received two sets of uniforms and other gear bundled up.

‘There’s a disgustingly large amount.’

From socks to underwear.
Probably meaning we should only wear these from now on.

“Ugh, you expect me to wear this cheap clothing? Are you insane?”
“It’s not silk! My skin is sensitive! Don’t you have anything else?!”
The noble young masters who still haven’t gotten a grip.
They were demanding silk clothing from the soldiers distributing the uniforms.

“Cadet, you don’t like the uniform?”
The instructor’s kind visit.
Since the cadets now had fear engraved from the earlier punishment, raising their voices like before was impossible.

“N… No, sir!”
“Then once you’ve received it, return. Why are you loitering!”
“Y… Yes, sir!”

‘He’s not giving them punishment for this?’

Seeing that even nonsense about silk clothing is being overlooked, this instructor is clearly an angel.
There’s one problem.
Even angels have their limits, and our purely evil noble young masters are on a level that would make Satan weep.

“I’ll pay extra, so change this to silk lining. The materials or tailoring, just tell our family and they’ll do it…”
“Cadet.”
The instructor firmly grabbed the shoulder of the cadet trying to add options to the uniform.
And then brought his face close.

“DOWN FOR PUSH-UPS!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“I will now explain the 2-week process and training unit rules.”

After changing into uniforms, we moved to the auditorium building without even time to rest.
Fortunately, there were chairs to sit on, so my body was comfortable.

“Is someone dozing off while I’m speaking?!”

A roar that erupted even before the explanation began.
At that voice, a dozing cadet jerked his head around, snapping awake.

“Assistant trainers, from now on, immediately issue demerits to any cadet found dozing off.”
At the instructor’s words, the waiting assistant trainers began to move.
Only then did the cadets straighten their backs and focus.
Only after confirming they were somewhat ready did the instructor speak again.

“Since we’re on the topic, I’ll inform you of the demerit criteria first. I think you all know, but the training unit ranks you based on a point system.”

A structure where you have to worry about grades even in the military.
It couldn’t be more despicable and vulgar.

“On the day before completing the training unit, cadets can choose their desired unit based on their rank, so I don’t need to explain its importance.”
Perhaps because it’s related to their own futures.
The cadets’ ears perked up sharply.

“Demerit criteria include falling behind in training, disobeying orders, violating rules within the barracks, etc. Looking at how you cadets acted today, I think just avoiding demerits would put you within the top ten.”

I wholeheartedly agree.

‘Seriously, it might be easier than I thought.’

This is a bit harsh to say, but these bastards are literally all useless.