I Became an Officer in Another World in Just 5 Minutes - Chapter 9

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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 9

Am I seeing things because I’m under some kind of hallucination?

No, it’s too realistic for that.

About the size of a baseball, with green sealing paper wrapped around the magic bomb.

And even if I looked with my eyes wide open, there was no safety pin to be found.

‘Damn damn damn damn damn.’

I almost had a mental shutdown, but maybe because the situation was too urgent?

My mind became calm instead.

‘Run…? No, it’s already too late.’

Hundreds of thousands of options that came to mind in the face of death.

I had to find the one option with the highest chance of survival among them.

“Get down!!!!”

‘What get down! Are you telling me to die!’

I ignored the instructor’s worthless words and racked my brain over and over.

‘I have to live, I must live.’

At this moment, my thinking speed rivaled that of a supercomputer.

The moment I came up with the best method at the end, I acted without any hesitation.

“Please!”

Instead of creating distance, I actually grabbed the magic bomb that had fallen to the ground with my hand.

If it exploded right now, it would be instant death without question.

Yes, this was a kind of gamble.

‘Don’t explode, don’t explode, please.’

After putting all my arm strength into it, I threw the magic bomb toward the back where there were no people.

Whiiiiish!

The magic bomb left my hand and shot out in a straight line.

Before it even touched the ground, time ran out and it exploded spectacularly.

Kwaaaaang!!!

‘Really…’

Silence that came after the loud noise.

Only one thought came to my mind.

“I almost died.”

As the tension that had risen to the extreme was released, I felt like not only the strength remaining in my body but even my soul was draining away.

“Haa.”

Miraculous survival, and I wasn’t the only one who survived.

“Bro…brother!!! Brother, you’re really crazy!”

Derick, who had been right next to me, hugged me desperately with an expression on the verge of tears.

“Th…thank you. I survived thanks to you.”

“If that had exploded…”

.

.

The candidates around me all expressed their gratitude toward me.

If it hadn’t been for me, they would have died or been seriously injured.

‘It wasn’t an action I took to save people, but I guess the result is what matters.’

Killing two birds with one stone, isn’t that good?

“Candidate.”

While I was responding to countless handshake requests, the instructor who had been handling the situation approached.

“Candidate Paran!”

“The candidate did not respond to the situation as this instructor ordered.”

I naturally expected him to say something like ‘excellent’ or ‘amazing’, but it was completely off the mark.

“Therefore, I will deduct 1 point from the candidate for failure to follow orders.”

‘What? Is this guy crazy.’

I saved him from having to take off his military uniform, and he was repaying kindness with enmity.

“No, what the hell is that supposed to mean right now.”

“He saved people and gets points deducted instead of bonus points!”

Not just me, but the candidates also glared at the instructor with eyes that said this was ridiculous.

‘There are times when these guys take my side too.’

Even though they were failures, they were all nobles by status, so I felt they were somewhat reliable.

“However.”

The instructor, who had been receiving contemptuous looks, broke the brief silence and opened his mouth again.

“I cannot deny that it was the best judgment the candidate could make at that moment. Since he saved many lives as a result, it was very excellent overall.”

Was he giving both carrot and stick together?

His words were changing as easily as flipping his palm.

“Thank you!”

“Since it was exemplary behavior, I will award 3 bonus points accordingly. So that you don’t lose the quick judgment you just showed even after commissioning.”

“Understood!!!”

3 bonus points coming in after a 1-point deduction.

Looking at the result, I was relieved thinking it was fortunate to gain 2 points.

‘But what the hell kind of bullshit is this.’

Deduction followed by bonus points.

I guarantee he’s thinking he was cool right now.

“And the one who threw the magic bomb at his fellow candidates…”

Since praise time was over, the instructor’s voice and expression changed menacingly as his head turned.

At the end of that gaze, the bomb terrorist was trembling, scared out of his wits.

“Hii…hiik! I’m sorry.”

He bowed while breaking out in cold sweat, but this wasn’t the level of mistake that could be overlooked with something like that.

‘You should… get beaten up.’

*    *    *

“I’m tired.”

Since there was an accident during training, I thought they’d let us rest today.

As expected of the training camp, there was no such thing.

‘No consideration, no compassion, really hopeless.’

The fortunate thing was that we were taking classes in the auditorium, so it wasn’t physically demanding.

But even this was quite an ordeal, fighting off drowsiness.

“Ah, can everyone hear me well.”

After all the candidates entered the auditorium and a moment passed.

A man with an unfamiliar face came up to the platform and brought his mouth close to the amplification magic device.

“The gray-haired candidate at the very back there.”

“Can…Candidate Barus!!!!!”

“Nice voice. Can you hear me well?”

“I can hear you well!!!!!”

“Good. If there’s an instructor here, give that guy bonus points. Very excellent.”

“Under…stood.”

The instructor answered with a displeased expression to the man’s bonus point order.

‘That’s just because of his three-hour PTSD, but he’s getting lucky with it.’

What damn good luck that guy has.

“I could give you that level of voice if you asked me too.”

Ion, who was becoming obsessed with points, looked at Barus with jealous eyes.

And honestly, I was thinking something similar too.

‘I acknowledge that luck has to follow you, but why does that go to that mouth.’

Lieutenant Barus is honestly a candidate for point deduction, not bonus points, isn’t he.

But what could a mere candidate do by harboring complaints?

The person on that platform is ultimately the one in charge.

“It’s nice to meet you all. I’m Lieutenant Zavein, teaching tactical studies at the training unit.”

Clap clap clap clap!

The candidates applauded at the first normal greeting they’d seen in a long time since enlisting.

‘There was a reason the instructor couldn’t say anything about giving bonus points.’

The current instructor’s rank is first lieutenant.

Compared to a lieutenant, it’s basically like the difference between heaven and earth.

“Maybe it’s because all the candidates this time are from noble families, but I can sense a refinement I haven’t seen before.”

Does being a lieutenant give you that kind of composure?

It really felt like having a university professor in front of us.

“Since today is the second day, you probably did drill formations. I heard the running was canceled. Is that right?”

Jaebin asked while looking at the candidate sitting in the front row.

“That’s correct!”

“Since it’s after drill formations, everyone seems to have their military bearing down pat. You don’t need to be so rigid in my class. Relax a bit, but just don’t fall asleep.”

The instruction not to fall asleep could be interpreted differently as meaning you’ll get points deducted if you do.

“We don’t have much time, so let’s start class right away. First, please receive the textbooks being distributed now.”

At Jaebin’s words, the assistant instructors distributed books about two finger-widths thick to the candidates.

<Basic Military Tactical Theory>

“This is the book you’ll study for three days. Originally it’s a two-week course, but you know why it was shortened without me having to explain, right?”

At Jaebin’s words, I unconsciously lifted the book to check its weight.

‘We’re supposed to… finish this in just three days?’

It was nearly impossible, no, just plain impossible.

“By the way, I have no intention of doing things half-heartedly just because we’re short on time, and in three days we’ll have an exam based on the book’s contents. You can lose up to 10 points there, so it’d be good to keep that in mind.”

At first I thought he was a nice person.

But he started dropping bombshells one by one.

‘His high rank isn’t for nothing. He speaks kindly, but he’s just the same kind of demon.’

He might even be more vicious.

“Then let’s start right away. Chapter 1 is about the correlation between terrain and tactics, but the beginning is useless, so turn to page 7.”

Rustle rustle rustle!

The sound of pages turning filled the auditorium at Jaebin’s words.

“Terrain is one of the three core elements that must be considered when planning tactics.”

Scratch scratch.

At the mysterious sound, I turned my head to see Ion diligently taking notes on Jaebin’s words.

‘Elites really are different.’

There’s always a reason why good students excel.

“Think about it. If there’s a cliff, is it safer to be on top or below? Obviously on top, right.”

“…”

“But the enemy knows this fact too. So what decision should a field commander make? Any candidate who can answer?”

Flash!

Ion raised his hand with pro-gamer level reaction speed.

“You there, candidate, would you like to answer?”

“Candidate Ion, we must plan tactics to occupy the high ground faster than the enemy.”

“Correct. But what if the enemy’s forces are clearly superior? What should you do then? If you charge ahead and clash, you’ll definitely lose.”

“Uh…”

An additional follow-up question.

Ion, who hadn’t thought that far ahead, was left speechless.

“It’s okay. Just answer with whatever comes to mind.”

“I… don’t know. If we can’t take the high ground, whether there are other alternatives.”

“That’s understandable. Please sit down.”

At Jaebin’s words, Ion sat down weakly with a disappointed expression.

“Are there any candidates who would like to answer this?”

Maybe nothing came to mind for anyone.

No one raised their hand.

‘What to do if you can’t take the high ground? Hmm.’

My head isn’t that great, but I desperately tried to think it through.

‘If we can’t take the high ground, the battle becomes disadvantageous. And if it’s disadvantageous…’

Flash.

As soon as I thought of a plausible answer, I raised my hand without hesitation.

“Oh, candidate. Would you like to answer?”

“Candidate Paran, if we give the high ground to the enemy, we should retreat to where that terrain’s advantage disappears.”

“Retreat.”

Jaebin stroked his chin with a thoughtful expression.

‘Not good enough?’

Honestly, by military standards, it might not be a good answer.

This inefficient, brutish group only has charging on their minds.

But fortunately, the lieutenant was an enlightened soldier.

Clap clap clap!

“It’s not the answer the instructor had in mind, but it’s excellent.”

Jaebin finished thinking and applauded, and at that moment, an inexplicable thrill rose up.

“Instructor, please give that candidate bonus points.”

“Thank you!!!!”

After the thrill came the reward, and I shouted with the loudest voice I’d used since enlisting.

‘Teacher, I love you.’

If there is a god, he must surely look just like this.

“To overcome numerical disadvantage, you must have flexible thinking. Everyone make sure not to forget that.”

Flexible thinking.

Words that really don’t suit the military.

“Moving on, we have mountain warfare tactics, and since the Western Front, which is the main theater of the current war, is mountainous terrain, memorize it all.”

About thirty pages of content.

I thought he’d at least explain something, but after saying to memorize it all, he moved on.

‘If it’s important, shouldn’t you teach it…?’

The teaching method was a bit strange.

“Oh, speaking of which, candidates, do you know about what happened yesterday regarding the war?”

At Jaebin’s words, the candidates shook their heads.

‘Until we came in, the situation definitely wasn’t very good, but did something happen?’

I knew that the existing Western Border had collapsed due to a surprise attack, and fighting was ongoing at the newly established defense line.

Of course, just because territory was pushed back a bit didn’t mean we were at a disadvantage.

‘The real war hasn’t even started yet.’

The Adits Empire, and the Raikhan Empire that I belong to.

There are several other kingdoms besides these, but naturally the two empires dominate the continent.

So even though the first attack came, both empires have too much to lose to fight with everything they have.

‘They’re definitely negotiating at the top.’

Diplomacy between the two empires to avoid total war.

I had even read a newspaper before enlisting that said talks were continuing without progress because what each side wanted was too different.

“You might be greatly disappointed when you hear this, but do you still want to know?”

Jaebin asked while looking at the candidate in the front row, who nodded without hesitation.

“If the candidate wants to know, I should tell you. I heard that His Majesty recalled the ambassadors stationed at the border due to the Adits Empire’s excessive demands. How about that? Are you surprised?”

‘What… what did he say?’

My eyes widened at this completely unexpected news.

And this wasn’t just me.

“Th…then does that mean war is really starting?”

One candidate asked with a trembling voice.

“Probably so. His Majesty has also ordered war preparations. All we need to do now is go out and fight.”

‘That’s the hardest part!’

There probably isn’t anyone who would say “go out and fight” so casually.

“According to rumors, they demanded a 50% stake in the Orkan Mine, which is ridiculous. Don’t you think so?”

‘What’s the Orkan Mine now.’

This guy must not have been interested in geography, as he has absolutely no related knowledge in his head.

“I believe the Velburn Ducal Family manages that mine… Is there anyone from the Velburn Ducal Family here?”

Jaebin asked with a hopeful expression, and Ion raised his hand.

“All the Empire’s nobles really are gathered here. As someone from the Velburn Ducal Family, what do you think of the Adits Empire’s demands?”

At Jaebin’s question, Ion opened his mouth without much deliberation.

“It’s insane talk. If they actually made such demands, going to war would be the right choice.”

A voice filled with disgust.

He truly seemed angry.

“The higher-ups must think the same as the candidate, so they’re preparing for war now. Please sit down.”

Ion sat down, and unable to contain my curiosity, I casually threw out a question.

“Is that place really that important?”

“Thirty percent of the mana stones used in the Empire come from the Orkan Mine. A 50% stake in that place… you could say they have no intention of negotiating.”

Mana stones.

An essential material for crafting magical tools, more expensive than gold of the same weight.

‘So this guy’s family manages a place like that?’

I already thought he was born with a golden spoon, but this is on a completely different level.

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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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