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CHAPTER 06
‘In the original, when the heroine witnessed another trainee’s death and was shocked, Ishina didn’t understand her at all. Even so, he tried to comfort her—but she quickly realized he couldn’t empathize with her in the slightest.’
What were the lines Ishina and the heroine Dalin exchanged back then?
“I-Ishina… you don’t seem sad at all… am I mistaken…?”
“Hm. Is there any reason I should be sad, Dalin?”
“B-but… someone died…”
[Dalin, overwhelmed by fear, instinctively stepped back. Somehow, the man before her no longer felt like the always-kind senior Ishina she knew.]
“Yes, they died. So what?”
I clearly remember the next part after that—that was the moment that truly etched Ishina into readers’ minds.
[Ishina gently curved his deep green eyes into a soft smile and spoke in a kind voice. Yet his gaze was fixed directly on Dalin.]
“I have someone far more precious to me, you know?”
That was how Ishina became popular: a character who appeared kind on the outside but didn’t treat others as truly human, and who considered only Dalin special.
‘But that doesn’t matter to me right now. What matters is whether Ishina is a terrifying superior or not….’
Whatever schemes Ishina might have in his mind had nothing to do with me. In any case, he didn’t scold his juniors, so as a superior, he was probably decent enough.
Besides, at this point in time, he probably wasn’t as much of a “hidden mastermind” as in the original story. Since the original heroine hasn’t even enlisted yet, he’s not 100% “dark,” right? Maybe about 70%.
“Ishina-nim, may I ask why you called us?”
As I asked that, Ishina smiled his signature gentle smile and said in a kind voice:
“Mm-hm, there’s a special training scheduled this afternoon, so hurry up and get moving.”
Don’t say that kind of thing so nicely, damn it.
“Everyone assembled?”
Brave scanned the row of us standing in formation. He was one of Leon’s peers, always grinning in the same casual, carefree way.
“Winter, Altair, Yuri. Did you bring what I told you earlier?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Plato. Did you check the personnel count?”
“Yes, all accounted for.”
After carefully confirming a few details, Brave finally spoke.
“Alright, it’s about time for this month’s training again. Today we’re going down to the lake at the base of the mountain.”
Why do I have such a bad feeling about this?
“We’re conducting water training.”
SH*T!
The faces of my fellow trainees went pale, but Brave only snickered unpleasantly at our reactions.
“You’re in for a rough time today.”
‘Damn it, don’t say it with a smile like that, you psychos….’
The walk down the mountain itself wasn’t difficult.
Our unit was stationed deep in the mountains, and I still remembered how we’d been hauled up here like cargo in a cart when we first arrived.
‘How much stronger have I gotten since then…?’
I couldn’t even estimate how much my body had improved in just a month.
At last, the lake came into view in the distance.
That place where we were probably going to be buried today.
If it was “water training,” there were many possibilities—but the first thing that came to mind was…
Swimming.
I was screwed. I can’t swim.
I didn’t know whether Sarubia originally could swim or not, but it didn’t matter—because I definitely couldn’t.
“Alright, recruits. Basic swimming instruction begins.”
Louis, the senior who had taught us swordsmanship, stepped forward.
“First, take off your shoes. They take too long to dry when wet.”
A bad feeling crept in as we obediently removed them.
‘Damn it… please don’t let this be what I think it is.’
At least tell us before throwing us into the water…
For the record, my bad premonitions since enlisting had never been wrong.
“From now on, you will stay in the water for ten minutes.”
Why do the seniors standing behind Louis feel like they’re approaching us?
I stared blankly, denying reality—but reality crashed down without warning.
‘Damn it!’
As I was shoved into the water by a senior’s hands, I made my 116th vow to desert after this training ended.
“Hey! Hold for ten minutes—go!”
“Watch your buddy!”
Voices echoed above my head, but I was too busy flailing to even process them properly.
My body kept bobbing up and down as freezing water poured into my nose and mouth. The sensation was so cold it made me curl inward, unable to open my eyes properly.
“Hey! Stay on the surface! Relax your body and lie back!”
Plato shouted harshly.
Damn it, easy to say. Who can relax after being thrown into water like this?
I tried desperately to stay afloat, kicking my legs, but instead I felt myself sinking more and more.
“Sarubia, relax!”
Someone grabbed me from behind. Instinctively, I tried to grab their clothes, but I couldn’t break free from the firm hold stabilizing me.
“Open your eyes! I’ve got you—you’re not sinking! Relax your body!”
“Haah… haah…”
Only then did I come to my senses.
I stopped flailing and slowly relaxed my body. I really wasn’t sinking.
When I opened my eyes, I saw my fellow trainees in the same state—either floating with effort or struggling wildly.
“You can’t swim, can you?”
The voice right behind my head belonged to Linia.
“Too long ago… I forgot… cough!”
I swallowed so much water that I immediately started coughing uncontrollably.
“Right! When saving someone drowning, you hold them from behind like this! If you grab them from the front, they might latch on and drag you both down!”
In a slightly calmer state, I looked toward Louis, who was giving instructions from above.
He was checking a pocket watch, alternating between us and the time.
“Linia, are you good at swimming?”
“Better than you.”
He said it like it wasn’t impressive, but he was stabilizing me fairly well.
“Having one eye is more inconvenient in water than I expected.”
Linia said this while touching the scar over his eye with one hand.
I didn’t ask why he lost it. It felt like something better left unspoken.
“I’m going to let go now. Try floating on your own.”
“Huh?”
“Eventually you’ll have to do it alone anyway. I’ll help, so don’t worry.”
“…Thanks.”
Meeting Linia in this damn place was probably the luckiest thing that had happened to me.
As my eyes grew damp, I noticed Aquila floating right next to me.
…So he was right here the whole time while I was struggling—and didn’t help. Ha. What a considerate guy.
Well, whether he’s the male lead or not, it doesn’t matter anymore.
‘But seriously, you could learn some basic teamwork, you socially malfunctioning bastard.’
Supported by Linia, I floated while silently complaining about Aquila’s complete lack of cooperation.
“Good. Looks like everyone can float now.”
Louis smiled in satisfaction.
‘Please let this be the end of today’s training.’
Other units were practicing swimming farther out. Please, let us stop here…
“I don’t want to swim.”
“Let’s try a round-trip swim across the lake.”
‘Damn it.’
And just like that, I really did complete a round-trip swim across the lake that day.
“This is happening again… damn it…”
“How many days until discharge?”
“7 years, 11 months, 8 days.”
“Damn it.”
I grabbed my head in despair.
Counting down the days had become part of our daily routine, even if it only made things worse.
“Come sit.”
We quickly took our seats in front of Plato, noticing other trainees already gathered.
‘What now…?’
“What is it this time…?”
“Alright, time for a Level 3 monster memorization test.”
‘Phew, so it’s not a formation punishment.’
But that didn’t make the others happy—their faces darkened.
“Sarubia, you first.”
Plato pointed at me.
I swallowed nervously.
‘If I mess up, I’m dead… I’m dead…’
