Chapter 5

Chapter 5

“Here we go!”

With a shout of determination, the recruits lifted stones the size of a human head.

The stones weren’t particularly large, but they weighed over 30 kilograms.

‘It’s obvious they’re trying to weed out the overly eager rookies.’

It was a simple yet challenging test.

Especially since the stone was round without handles, it was easy enough to lift it to waist height, but difficult to get it up over the shoulders.

“Hup!”

But Damian, gripping the stone firmly with both hands, exhaled shortly and lifted the stone above his head.

“Ooh!”

“What the...!”

“That kid... not bad!”

Most of the other candidates were men in their late teens to early twenties.

There was no one as young as Damian.

The surrounding onlookers were surprised when Damian, whom they expected to fail, succeeded. However...

“Still, he’s just a kid.”

“The military isn’t so easy that someone as young as him could just waltz in, haha.”

Damian chuckled at the guys openly mocking him.

‘They’ll be the first to run when the war breaks out.’

The only reason those guys were trying to join the military was simple: it was a stable job where you could receive regular paychecks while spending time in training.

But five years later, when the Empire’s conquest war turned the continent into a bloodbath, the story would be entirely different.

Every day would be a matter of life and death on the battlefield.

“Pass!”

Having passed the first test, Damian prepared for the next one.

After all, it was just a few physical exercises followed by a final test on the history of the kingdom.

The process itself wasn’t particularly difficult, but since the number of recruits was limited, one couldn’t help but be concerned about the competition.

Already, some of the candidates were giving Damian wary looks.

‘I understand how they feel.’

More than half of them would likely fail and return home.

Ignoring them, Damian focused on preparing for the next test. But then...

“Hey.”

“...?”

A boy suddenly approached Damian.

He looked noticeably younger than the other candidates.

Perhaps about the same age as Damian?

The boy approached Damian with a grin and said,

“You’re an interesting one, aren’t you?”

“...?”

But why did he seem familiar?

There was something about his face that Damian felt like he had seen before.

It was a face he couldn’t place, yet it felt familiar.

Damian stared at him for a moment, and then...

“Huh, huh!”

Damian involuntarily gasped. The boy tilted his head in confusion.

“...What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“You... Is your name by any chance...?”

“My name? It’s Apel.”

Apel... Vanstreol.

‘It’s him.’

He had run into someone he hadn’t expected at all.

* * *

Apel Vanstreol.

How could Damian not know him?

This damn guy was the most successful commoner Damian had ever known.

He became a general and earned a count’s title at the mere age of thirty—a legend among legends.

But why did Damian refer to him as a damn guy?

Isn’t it obvious?

‘Because I’m... so damn jealous!’

For Damian, Apel was someone to look up to, almost like an idol.

He had only seen him once, but his face was etched into Damian’s memory.

It was just that Apel’s face now was much younger and rounder than the serious, sharp features Damian remembered from his past life, so he hadn’t recognized him at first.

‘I always thought he was a sharp and serious guy.’

Seeing him like this, he seemed a bit different. But that didn’t matter...

‘I’m speechless.’

Damian never expected to meet him here.

The Third Training Center, which he had chosen to reconnect with an old comrade, turned out to be where Apel’s journey began.

‘Is this... another twist of fate?’

He didn’t know how his relationship with Apel would develop, but one thing was certain.

‘There’s no reason to get on his bad side.’

With a curious expression, Damian asked,

“My name is Damian. But what’s so interesting?”

“You really don’t know?”

Apel glanced around before stepping closer to Damian and whispering,

“You’re training in magic, aren’t you?”

He spoke in a hushed tone.

Damian’s expression hardened slightly at his words.

‘So that’s why...’

There was no law saying commoners couldn’t train in magic, but it was extremely rare for them to do so.

Unless they came from a very wealthy family or had a unique backstory, commoners simply didn’t have the means to learn magic.

When Damian let out a small chuckle, Apel extended his hand to him.

“There aren’t many people our age here. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.”

Damian shook Apel’s hand, and Apel grinned.

“Let’s make sure we both pass and get in together.”

“Sure, you too.”

Of course, even if he didn’t say it, Apel would definitely pass.

He might even end up being the top candidate among all the recruits here.

Watching Apel walk away, Damian turned back to focus on the next test.

‘So... what’s the next test?’

Damian checked the list, and then...

“...Oh, this?”

A 15-kilometer endurance run.

A straightforward test, but there was a reason why this 15-kilometer run was considered a bit special.

“Candidates, we will now begin the second test! Please gather at your designated training grounds according to your number!”

Due to the large number of candidates, the 15-kilometer run was conducted across four different training grounds.

Damian headed toward the training ground corresponding to his number.

There, an instructor standing on the platform shouted to the assembled candidates.

“The time limit is 1 hour and 30 minutes! You must complete the course within that time.

While minor collisions with other candidates are permitted during the run, you are strictly prohibited from punching, kicking, or otherwise attacking other candidates. Additionally, leaving the designated track will result in disqualification, so be mindful of that!”

After the instructor asked if there were any further questions, no one responded.

After all, most of them were already well-informed about the test.

Moreover, there was an interesting aspect to this endurance run.

‘Minor collisions are allowed, but no attacks, huh...’

Damian could already see it clearly.

The ‘instructors’ disguised as candidates participated in the test.

The candidates standing at the starting line waited anxiously for the signal to begin.

Damian, however, was casually stretching his wrists and ankles.

“Oh? We’re in the same group?”

“Apel.”

“Let’s do our best.”

Apel, who had approached him, lightly tapped Damian’s arm and spoke. Damian nodded in response.

Then the test began.

Whistle!

With the sound of the whistle, over fifty candidates started running simultaneously.

The training ground was quite large, but with over fifty people running together, it felt a bit chaotic.

Thud thud thud!

At that moment, several groups began to sprint ahead.

‘Starting right from the beginning, huh.’

They were the instructors Damian had noticed earlier.

These instructors quickly moved to the front and started forming a wall.

“Huh?”

“What are they doing?”

Some candidates, not fully understanding the situation, looked confused, but...

“...Sigh, it’s starting.”

“That must be the so-called ‘Wailing Wall.’”

The candidates who had anticipated this scenario watched the instructors with serious eyes.

Though it was called a long-distance run, the real challenge was...

‘You have to overcome the instructors’ interference and complete the 15 kilometers within 1 hour and 30 minutes.’

Most candidates failed this test because they couldn’t shake off the instructors and didn’t finish within the time limit.

The situation was likely the same in the other training grounds.

Everyone had probably come up with various strategies to tackle this.

The instructors’ interference during the run was an old tradition at the training center.

“Sigh, they say breaking through that wall is the real test. Running 15 kilometers in 1 hour and 30 minutes is just the basic requirement.”

“Do you know about this?”

“Well, it’s pretty well-known. But it doesn’t really matter. I’ll just follow along slowly, conserve my energy, and overtake them at the end.”

Apel shrugged as if it was no big deal.

Hearing this, Damian looked at the instructors ahead.

Indeed, as Apel suggested, it was a viable strategy to conserve energy by following behind and then sprinting past the instructors as time ran out.

‘That’s certainly a valid approach.’

But...

“...It’s not for me.”

Damian couldn’t stand the idea of waiting and watching, playing it safe.

Everyone might have their own strategies, but...

“This is my strategy.”

“...?”

Apel tilted his head at Damian’s quiet mumbling. But then...

Whoosh!

“Huh?”

Apel couldn’t hide his surprise as he watched Damian suddenly sprint forward.

The test had just begun, and Damian was already charging ahead?

“...Is that guy insane?”

Apel’s gaze was fixed on Damian’s back as he rushed towards the instructors.

* * *

The enlistment tests, held every quarter, drew a large number of participants.

The capital alone had five training centers, each working to strengthen the nation’s military power by training soldiers every year.

“How many do you think will pass this time?”

“Well, over two hundred candidates passed the first practical test. We’ll probably have to cut that number in half.”

“Heh, half? If we really wanted to, we could fail almost all of them, couldn’t we?”

A large instructor chuckled, but his senior instructor shook his head.

“Don’t be too harsh. We need to pass the promising ones. Let’s aim to pass at least ten.”

“Yes, yes, understood.”

The large instructor nodded and glanced back.

Unless all the candidates worked together to charge at them, it would be difficult to break through their line.

This test wasn’t just about endurance. Besides...

“Honestly, they all seem pretty average. Getting ten through might be tough.”

The large instructor said as he looked at his senior.

Of course, that made sense.

They were instructors who had been training here every day for over two years.

Leaving the designated track would result in disqualification.

Breaking through the wall the instructors formed while adhering to the rules was no easy task.

The rule against attacks wasn’t really for the instructors’ safety but to protect the candidates.

The large instructor smirked.

“By the end, when they’re desperate, they’ll start charging at us. It’s the same every year.”

Every year, it happens the same way.

But even so, less than 50% of the candidates usually passed the endurance run.

The senior instructor nodded at the large instructor’s words.

“Let’s pace ourselves. The real challenge comes in the last ten minutes.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Yes.”

The other instructors agreed with their seniors. But then...

Thud thud thud thud.

“...?”

Suddenly, the sound of rapid footsteps made the large instructor turn around.

Something was definitely running towards them...

“...Huh?”

“What’s with that crazy kid?”

The large instructor frowned as he and the others turned to see a young candidate charging towards them like a bull.

The large instructor chuckled.

“This year, we’ve got a spirited one.”

“...Don’t hurt him, just give him a little scare. Teach him that charging ahead recklessly can get him hurt.”

“Heh, I’m not sure what’ll happen if he runs into my steel shoulder... but I’ll take it easy.”

He had been wondering how to pass the time, but he didn’t expect someone to come charging at them right from the start.

The large instructor grinned as he moved closer to the oncoming candidate. And then...

“Kid, if you keep running like that, you’ll get knocked out right at the start. Nothing personal, but... you’re going to the back!”

Hup!

As the large instructor lunged to shoulder-check the candidate...

Whoosh!

“...Huh?”

Damian deftly dodged, spinning around the instructor and leaping past the others in front, saying,

“Excuse me.”