I Became an Officer in Another World in Just 5 Minutes - Chapter 14

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 14

As expected, when people are squeezed, results come out, and a sound that overwhelmed the surroundings burst forth.

“We have to march the same distance anyway, so do you want to go back empty-handed!”

“No sir!!!!”

“Then will you be satisfied with 1 point?!”

“No sir!!!!!!”

“Good! Our only goal is to be the best squad! Even if we feel like dying! Humans don’t die easily, so we’ll walk until we collapse! Understood!”

“Understood!!!!”

‘Damn, isn’t there a mouse hole somewhere.’

My face was burning red, and no matter how much I wanted to hide it, I couldn’t.

“Invincible, means 3rd Battalion. Invincible!”

“3rd Battalion!!!!!!”

I guarantee it, we succeeded in seizing the initiative with the loudest voice among the three battalions.

‘This should at least be average, right…?’

I don’t care about anything else, I just really hated the 1st Battalion representative candidate who started first.

“The cadets’ passionate enthusiasm, this instructor felt it very well.”

After all preparations were finished, the instructor who came up to the platform spoke in a voice as if he was moved, but that’s just sick.

“So that our military can show how brave we are through this training! That is all! Each battalion commence march training!”

With the instructor’s signal, the march training that would separate the front and rear began.

“3rd Battalion, everyone forward march!”

Since it was important who entered first.

Before anyone could say anything, we quickly departed and charged ahead.

“Since we have to walk for a long time, maintain your pace.”

“Come on, everyone can do it!”

“Don’t drink water from the start saying it’s hard, endure as much as possible.”

The squad leaders stuck to the sides to boost morale, and I walked at the very front of the formation looking at the map.

‘The key is to go without any dropouts today, but is that possible.’

The march plan that the squad leaders and I put our heads together to create was simple.

Push hard on the first day to drastically reduce the distance, then gaslight them from the second day saying we’re almost there.

I don’t know the technical terms, but anyway, psychological approach was involved.

‘It would have been perfect if we could only move at night.’

Unfortunately, that plan was scrapped due to the risk of having to switch day and night.

“Military song during march. Song title, Victory March! One, two, three, four!”

“We are the great Empire’s blade!!”

“With fearless courage we shall annihilate the enemy!!”

The battalion members began singing military songs to the beat that Ion started.

I couldn’t help but be surprised at that sight.

‘Why are they good at this, did they really practice?’

The military songbook I hastily got from the instructor yesterday and distributed.

I asked each squad leader to have them practice since we’d sing during the march, but I didn’t think they’d actually do it.

‘This is awkward.’

Why?

Because I don’t know the military songs.

‘Well, I was busy. I had to study too.’

It’s not like they give extra points for memorizing military songs, so wouldn’t it be strange to do it.

“Ahem.”

Since I didn’t know the lyrics at all, I had to desperately lip-sync and pretend to sing along.

And so time passed.

Unlike the initially spirited departure, the march continued in a very quiet atmosphere.

“Bored?”

Before I knew it, an hour had passed since leaving the training camp.

If my roommates were next to me, we could at least chat while walking, but there wasn’t a single person to talk to at the very front.

‘But I can’t exactly go to the back either.’

While I was fighting my own battle, the procession entered the city center near the training camp.

“Young men, you’re working hard marching.”

“Honey, I heard this time they’re all noble young masters, how can you talk like that!”

“Those kids over there are all nobles…?”

Since the route was always the same, the townspeople watched us like an annual event.

“Ugh! That looks delicious. Can’t we rest here a bit before going?”

“It’s a dessert shop! Should we buy some, I brought money.”

All kinds of restaurants came into view as we entered the city center.

Among them, what caught the noble young masters’ attention was the cake shop.

‘Since they only give us healthy food with no desserts, they’re going absolutely crazy.’

By the way, desserts, especially cakes, are food that could be called the soul food of nobles without any exaggeration.

“You’re working so hard, everyone rest a bit before going. There’s lots of delicious food here.”

“Noble lords, this is bread freshly baked this morning, please at least try the taste.”

Merchants tempting us from the side.

It seems they know we’re nobles and are planning to boost their sales.

‘Damn flies, trying to mess with us.’

When we barely had enough time to walk looking straight ahead, temptation approached from the side, so naturally order became disrupted.

‘If we get delayed here already, we’re screwed.’

I had to somehow regain control of the atmosphere.

“Attention!!!”

I really never wanted to do this again, but like at departure, I raised my voice and shouted.

“If you can’t overcome the mere temptation of sugar right now, you’re welcome to go into the shops!”

As if they expected me to say it wasn’t allowed, question marks appeared on the cadets’ faces.

‘These spoiled brats want to do something more when you tell them not to, so if I speak directly it’ll only have the opposite effect.’

At times like this, a threatening approach with a knife is needed.

“However! I, and the cadets who want to finish this march, will continue straight ahead!”

Did the strength and emotion in my voice get through?

Not only the cadets but even the townspeople’s gazes focused on me.

“And when we arrive, we’ll resent them. The cadets who couldn’t endure the mere temptation of sugar and abandoned their comrades to sit down.”

“Right, if you want to eat so badly, just go. We prepared so hard over the weekend, and you lose your mind over just one cake, tsk tsk.”

“Not being able to resist one piece of food is no different from being a beast.”

With the squad leaders chiming in from the side, the cadets who had been eyeing the cake broke out in cold sweat.

“N…no, it’s not like I wanted to eat it that badly.”

“I just said it looked delicious. We also prioritize the march.”

Having succeeded in regaining control of the atmosphere, the disrupted formation quickly returned.

“Those who want to eat cake can stay here, we’re departing.”

I stepped forward without hesitation, and naturally, no one stayed behind to eat cake.

‘Threats are right for these spoiled brats.’

You can’t treat them well and respect them.

They just get cocky enjoying how great they are, but have no concept of following others’ words.

“Military song during march. Song title Invincible Soldier! One, two, three, four! We are!”

“We are!!”

“The Empire’s!”

“The Empire’s!!”

“Brave blade!”

.

.

It had been several hours since we started walking while singing that outdated military song.

When I came to my senses, we had arrived in front of Dolbawi Mountain, the 10-kilometer point.

“The current situation is… Whew.”

Though I had only checked the 1st Company, 1st Platoon, about 10 percent of the 32 members didn’t look well.

“Paran, should we rest a bit before continuing?”

Ion, who had been following behind, approached and asked.

“There do seem to be people who need rest. This is a dilemma. Would it be better to rest?”

“But if we rest now, won’t we fall too far behind? Our current pace is already slower than planned.”

I was also concerned about that aspect, so I couldn’t easily decide to rest.

‘If we rest already, people will keep expecting breaks throughout the march.’

When you’re doing something, you should just keep going.

Resting makes your body slack.

“Let’s just depart… No, wait. Since we’ve reached the first checkpoint, let’s rest for 10 minutes. We need to think of countermeasures too. Take a break! Drink water!”

After brief consideration, thinking that stragglers might emerge at this rate, I decided on a rest and gathered the squad leaders.

“Could each squad tell me how the situation looks right now?”

“1st Company, 1st Platoon has four members struggling right now. They’re the ones we expected, but at this rate, it’ll be hard to avoid dropouts.”

“1st Company, 2nd Platoon has three.”

“3rd Platoon has five, and one of them is even saying they want to drop out now, so I don’t know what to do.”

Reports came in one after another.

If it were just a few people, I’d abandon them and go, but with dozens involved, the decision wasn’t easy.

‘If I try to take care of all the low-stamina guys one by one, saying I’ll bring everyone along, it’ll definitely fail.’

Everyone going in together only looks pretty on paper; reality is cold.

‘Think. I need to find a way.’

A method to maintain our current pace without creating stragglers.

It seemed like a problem with no answer, but if I couldn’t find a solution, it would be disaster.

“If people with energy could help carry some bags while we try our best…”

“We’re already doing that.”

“There are complaints too. Why should they struggle carrying bags for people who’ll drop out anyway?”

Opinions flew back and forth rapidly.

While desperately racking my brain among all this, miraculously, one method came to mind.

“Let’s just create one more platoon.”

“What…?”

“Why all of a sudden?”

The squad leaders tilted their heads.

“The problem is that people with low stamina can’t keep up, right? So we can create a platoon that follows while resting sufficiently along the way. The main force goes as the main force.”

“But then we’d still be late waiting for those cadets at the destination, wouldn’t we?”

Jerome said with an expression of incomprehension.

But I’m not an idiot—how could I not know that?

“No. They can catch up by not sleeping as much as they rest during the march.”

“That… that way.”

Jerome, understanding the plan, trembled slightly in his voice as if shocked.

“They’ll close the distance that builds up while we’re sleeping and ultimately arrive together.”

You might think I’m too ruthless, but this is a march with lives on the line.

‘This is what’s best for everyone.’

We need to get those 2 bonus points and somehow get to a good place.

What could be more foolish than finishing the march warmly and harmoniously, then going to the front lines to get stabbed and die?

‘I have only one goal given to me; I don’t need to think about anything else.’

Best platoon.

If I could achieve just that, I’d be confident becoming even a demon.

“That is the most realistic approach. I’m in favor.”

Ion, who had calculated and reached a conclusion, agreed with my opinion.

The others couldn’t oppose it either, knowing in their heads that I was right.

“Derick.”

“Yes, hyung.”

“Even if you have to walk all night, please rejoin the main force somehow before departure the next day. I’m asking you.”

In some ways, this was a more important role than mine in this march.

There was no one more suitable for that position than Derick, who was packed with steel stamina and military spirit.

“I’ll drag them along somehow.”

“I’m counting on you.”

Having decided on the squad leader, we selected those with low stamina during the remaining rest time.

“Just because you’re in this platoon doesn’t mean you can drop out. Follow along with responsibility.”

The low-stamina platoon with Derick as squad leader had 35 members.

Among them was Krushel from our dormitory room.

“I’ll go ahead and wait for you, hyung.”

“Alright, I’ll definitely follow, so don’t worry.”

A brief farewell.

Praying that no stragglers would emerge, we finished our rest and departed again.

*    *    *

“Are you going to drop out like this?! Right now your comrades are waiting ahead!”

It was already the second day since the march began.

As time passed, the number of members in Derick’s platoon had grown to 50.

On top of that, yesterday’s sleep time was barely one hour.

Many of the original 35 members wanted to drop out, but Derick didn’t let them go easily.

“Get it together! It’s not even running, just walking—if you collapse from that, are you even a soldier?!”

“It’s… it’s too hard…! I feel like I’m dying!”

“For a moment of comfort, you’ll go to the front lines? We’re almost there now?!”

An angry voice that didn’t seem like the usual Derick.

He hadn’t been like this from the start, but dealing with cadets who kept collapsing saying it was too hard had worn his patience to the bone.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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