The Mad Spearman of the Northern Front - Chapter 47
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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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The Mad Spearman of the Northern Front (47)
“Huff… huff… huff…”
Only the sound of ragged breathing filled the training ground.
There were some who were gasping so hard they could barely breathe, but as time passed little by little, most seemed to come back to life.
“…Phew.”
And Arteon, standing before them, removed his helmet and let out a small breath.
Sweat droplets from his hair fell to the ground, but his eyes remained unchanged from the beginning.
Arteon spoke.
“Feels good to work up a sweat, doesn’t it?”
“…”
Naturally, there was no response.
Arteon chuckled and said to the soldiers.
“Let me introduce myself once more. I am Arteon, the new commander of the 3rd Platoon.”
There was no applause, no words of welcome.
Well, that was only natural.
At least the fact that their gazes weren’t mocking or dismissive proved that his actions over the past two hours hadn’t been in vain.
‘Now I need to drive the point home.’
It was bothersome to do this every time, but right now there was no choice.
Arteon looked at the soldiers and spoke.
“As you can see, I’m young. Time flows equally for everyone. But the density and quality of that time is incomparably richer and superior to yours.”
Arteon spun his spear lightly.
At the movement of the spear that moved as if it were part of his body, several soldiers let out small gasps.
The smiling Arteon suddenly emanated a sharp aura.
Whoosh!
“…!”
Instantly, the soldiers flinched and stepped back.
It was as if he had suddenly become a different person. But Arteon continued without hesitation.
“I don’t have time to drag this out, so let’s limit it to just 3 people. The method doesn’t matter. Whether you use weapons, unarmed combat, or even arm wrestling. Anything is fine.”
“But, that’s…”
“Are you serious?”
Grain asked with a stern expression.
Arteon nodded.
“Even if I die, there will be no disciplinary action. I promise on a soldier’s honor.”
But there was something that needed to be wagered on this side too.
“However, if you lose to me after this time is over, you will obey all my orders from now on without question. If you disobey orders, you’ll be immediately disciplined and transferred to another platoon.”
“…What if you lose, sir?”
“I’ll cleanly dust off my hands and leave.”
This was the first time they’d encountered a superior making such a radical proposal.
Most would just think to suppress them with rank.
Was he saying he would prove himself through skill?
Step.
“1st Squad Leader, Sergeant Bartell. Will we use practice spears or real spears?”
“Real ones, of course.”
“…Someone could die.”
“Then that would be the end of my fate. I repeat, even if I die, there will be no disciplinary action. I’ve already spoken to Sergeant Volgren about this, so don’t worry about proof.”
“Then I’ll use spear technique.”
Bartell said, gripping his spear.
Along with him, the soldiers quickly distanced themselves and formed a circle around Arteon and Bartell.
Arteon nodded.
“Come.”
“Hup!”
As soon as Arteon’s words fell, Bartell charged forward.
Quite fast movement.
Bartell’s spear thrust toward Arteon.
Swish!
But his spear futilely cut through empty air.
The eyes of the soldiers watching from around slightly wavered at the sight of Arteon dodging without any large movements.
This was because Bartell’s thrusting was famous for its speed even within the platoon.
But that was only the beginning.
“Hyup!”
Bartell, having retrieved his spear, swung it aiming for Arteon’s legs.
An irregular attack that kept his gaze on the upper body while targeting the lower body.
It was quite a decent attack, but.
Swish!
Arteon lightly lifted his leg to dodge Bartell’s spear.
After that.
Swish! Bang! Swish, swish, slash!
There were several more attacks, but Arteon dodged them as if it were nothing.
‘Pretty… decent?’
Had he learned spear technique from outside before coming here?
His fundamentals were too solid to have learned only here.
The type who had become strong through many real battles with a good foundation.
But there were still far too many unnecessary movements.
Arteon spoke.
“Don’t you have anything more to show?”
“How long are you going to keep running away like a rat!”
The excited Bartell shouted loudly.
Hadn’t he been cutting only empty air for 5 minutes now?
It was understandable that he’d be angry, but.
‘His mental state isn’t good.’
As he got excited and his movements became larger, Arteon’s eyes narrowed.
Bartell bit his lips tightly and thrust his spear.
“Hyaaaah!”
A bursting battle cry.
The rapidly extending spear blade aimed for Arteon’s heart.
But at that moment.
Clang!
The two spears collided, and from the impact, snow from the frozen ground scattered and fell like snowflakes.
Bartell’s eyes shook greatly.
He barely managed to hold back a scream that almost burst out.
‘What is this strength…?’
He thought it was just a light parry, but he felt an impact that could tear his palms.
But the problem was.
“Chest.”
“…?”
What Arteon had done wasn’t simply blocking his attack.
By striking the spear to the side, he intended to break Bartell’s balance.
And as a result.
Swish, swoooosh!
Arteon lightly gripped his spear in reverse and thrust the spear shaft, not the spear blade, into Bartell’s chest.
Thwack!
“Argh!”
A scream that he had been gritting his teeth to suppress burst out.
His two legs that had been firmly planted on the ground lifted off the floor and floated into the air.
Crash!
Watching Bartell fly nearly 10 meters away, the 3rd Squad members unconsciously gulped.
‘That, that’s…’
‘Is that even possible…?’
Sending a person flying 10 meters with a single thrust.
Bartell, who seemed to have fainted and couldn’t even get up.
Arteon looked at the soldiers and said.
“Next.”
“…There’s no need for a third round. Let me finish this.”
Grain, who was serving as temporary squad leader, stepped forward and clenched his fists.
Arteon planted the spear he was holding into the ground.
“Combat Arts?”
“I don’t want to kill you, Squad Leader. If you think you’re going to die, surrender.”
Grain lightly raised both hands toward his chin and took a stance.
“…Boxing?”
“You have quite a good eye. Most people don’t know.”
“A little.”
How could he not know?
His past life.
Boxing was the specialty of that Red-haired Comrade he had cherished.
‘…That bastard’s fists were really fierce.’
With bare fists, there was no one in the platoon, or even the entire company, who could beat that guy.
At this time period…
‘He probably hasn’t come to the Northern Region yet.’
He just hoped that guy would live doing what he wanted without coming to the Northern Region…
‘I’ll definitely go find him later.’
Arteon smiled faintly while reminiscing about old memories.
Then he immediately clenched his fists and looked at Grain.
“Come on.”
At that moment, the atmosphere around them seemed to rapidly turn cold.
Unlike Bartell, Grain didn’t rush in immediately.
As if probing, he approached little by little, closing the distance.
Whoosh!
He quickly threw his left hand toward Arteon’s face.
Whoosh! Swish! Swoosh!
The sound of air being torn as he threw his punches.
Movements that appropriately mixed feints.
His gaze, the movement of his shoulders, and even his actions of lowering his body as he moved.
But the probing phase ended quickly.
“Be careful from now on.”
Grain brought his fists close to his chin and crouched his body as if he had figured out Arteon.
And then…
Whoosh!
A charge that came like a spring.
The moment the distance closed instantly, Arteon threw a punch toward him.
Whooom!
Grain ducked his body to the left and dodged Arteon’s punch.
Along with that, his left fist swung toward Arteon’s side.
Thud!
A concise but destructive punch.
Arteon pulled his arm back and blocked his punch.
With a rather tingling sensation, Arteon’s gaze fixed on him.
‘…A Liver Shot?’
A punch precisely aimed at the ‘liver’.
If he had allowed it, he would have lost his breath and collapsed at that moment.
Since his body wasn’t fully trained yet, he had to be careful of such attacks.
“Your reactions are quite fast. But…”
Grain’s eyes flashed.
His fists flew again.
This time, three honest jabs without feints.
Arteon deflected the first two attacks and blocked the third with his arm.
“…”
Though they were jabs, they were punches with considerable weight.
The impact traveled up to his shoulder.
Then Grain widened his eyes and said.
“Don’t mistake enduring for victory!”
He lowered his center of gravity.
Then he approached closely, twisted his body, and stomped the ground hard.
Swoosh!
His target was an uppercut.
Grain, who had caught the perfect timing, aimed for Arteon’s chin with speed too fast to follow with the eyes.
But did he know?
That this was what Arteon had been aiming for.
It wasn’t that Grain had broken through.
‘…Got you.’
It was that Arteon had drawn him in.
Whooom!
The uppercut, with the recoil from his knees and waist fully transmitted from his toes that pushed off the ground, sliced through empty air.
Grain’s pupils shook greatly as he thought he would shatter Arteon’s jawbone.
‘How, how…?’
How could he dodge this?
But his thoughts didn’t continue for long.
Smack!
“Gah!”
Stars seemed to flash before his eyes as Arteon struck Grain’s face directly with his palm.
With the sound of his nasal bone breaking with a crack, blood poured out from both nostrils.
Grain quickly brought his head forward after it had been thrown back to look at Arteon, but.
“If we drag this out, you might get hurt, so let’s end it here.”
Arteon’s voice clearly pierced his eardrums.
Along with that, his fist.
‘This was how it was done, right?’
Lightly grazed Grain’s chin with a tap.
Not a very strong hit.
But at that moment, something amazing happened.
Thud.
Grain’s body collapsed to the ground like a puppet with severed strings.
“…Huh?”
His consciousness was clear, but his legs wouldn’t move.
Arteon let out a small breath at Grain’s bewildered state.
‘It worked perfectly.’
What he had learned from Red-haired Comrade had taken effect.
Arteon looked down at Grain and said.
“If I were to attack you right now… I could render you combat ineffective within 3 seconds.”
“W-wait…!”
He tried to get up somehow, but his legs wouldn’t obey.
The panicked Grain struck his thigh hard, but Arteon looked at the surrounding soldiers and said.
“Is there another soldier who wants to test this? There’s one last chance remaining.”
“….”
But no one else stepped forward.
After all, hadn’t the two strongest people in the platoon been defeated without being able to do anything?
Grain belatedly stood up with trembling legs.
“Do you concede?”
“…I concede.”
He soon bowed his head and acknowledged his defeat.
As Arteon had said, if he had attacked when Grain collapsed, it would have been over.
Arteon nodded at this.
“Then from now on, anyone who disobeys orders will face disciplinary action and transfer to another squad, regardless of reason. Anyone with complaints, speak up now.”
“….”
“…No complaints.”
When Grain answered as representative, Arteon nodded.
Then Arteon said.
“Our 3rd Platoon will train intensively and prepare for the coming war. And next time… when the battle to reclaim Elvarfiel Lake takes place.”
Arteon looked at each of the soldiers surrounding him one by one.
And he spoke his thoughts clearly and without hesitation.
“Our 3rd Platoon will stand at the very front of that battlefield.”
This was both a conviction to achieve the goal they must advance toward and a pledge.
“Let’s dive into hell together.”
And at that declaration.
“…Yeeeeees?!”
For the first time, the soldiers welcomed Arteon with a passionate reaction.
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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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