Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The training in the first week was mostly independent training within each platoon.

Since they had not yet fully adapted to the training camp, there was no need to force interaction with other platoons.

However, the atmosphere changed in the second week.

This was partly because of the upcoming platoon competition in a week, but more importantly, it was to establish the fundamental purpose of a military unit.

Competition and victory.

No matter how much you try to dress it up with good words, the military and its soldiers exist to fight.

And if they fight, they must win.

That is the reason for the military’s existence.

“If the first week was about individual shield and spear techniques, then starting from the second week, you’ll learn how to coordinate these techniques in formation. Even though this is a group exercise, those who excel individually will receive additional points, so do your best!”

At the instructor’s words, the members of the 1st Platoon looked at him with serious expressions.

Everyone was eager to get good scores in the training camp so they could join the branch of service they desired.

Damian quickly moved after hearing the instructor’s explanation.

‘It looks like they’re going to teach us the triangular formation.’

The triangular formation is an offensive formation meant to break through enemy lines, with the key point being that the person at the front needs to be strong.

This formation, which resembles a powerful arrow being shot, is very destructive, but if the front collapses, the rest of the formation can quickly fall apart as well.

‘But on the flip side, if the front is strong, it can unleash explosive power.’

The instructor explained the positions of the soldiers and how to hold their shields and spears in the face of an enemy attack.

“When the lead enters like this, it’s crucial to immediately push the opponent away with your shield and create space.”

The instructor strongly pushed away the assistant who had volunteered for the demonstration with his shield.

As the assistant, who was holding a shield, was pushed back, he quickly slung the shield over his back and grabbed his spear with both hands.

“This is the basic posture after charging in the triangular formation. There’s more to learn, but for today, let’s quickly go over just this much. Now, split into two groups and quickly form the triangular formation!”

“Kyle, you go over there. I’ll take this side.”

“Hehehehe, this time I won’t lose.”

Damian chuckled at Kyle’s words and turned his body.

“Alright, everyone gather around.”

The 1st Platoon split into groups of twenty.

Looking at the platoon members on his side, Damian spoke.

“As the instructor said, in the triangular formation, it’s most important for the person at the front to push the enemy back with their shield after entering. But I’ll give you a tip, so listen carefully.”

“...?”

“A tip?”

A tip, while we’re all learning together?

What does this guy know?

“Have you done this before?”

“My father used to be a soldier, so I learned it from him.”

“Ah... I see.”

“No wonder, something seemed different.”

At Damian’s words, the others all nodded in agreement.

If that was the case, it made sense.

Everyone paid close attention to what Damian had to say.

And after hearing Damian’s plan...

“Hahaha, this sounds fun!”

“That’s clever! Now that I think about it, there’s no way that wouldn’t be a weak point.”

“Let’s crush them, hehe.”

The others burst into laughter after hearing Damian’s strategy and quickly prepared their formation.

Damian placed the stronger soldiers right behind him and arranged the shorter ones on the flanks.

If the shorter ones were placed in the center, they might not be able to do anything.

“The ones on the outside, hold your shields a bit higher. Make sure your heads are at least covered.”

“Got it!”

“Okay!”

With the formation quickly organized, Damian looked at Kyle’s formation ahead of him.

They were in a defensive rectangular formation, but it didn’t matter.

They just needed to break through.

“Let’s go. Don’t slow down. We’ll finish this in one shot.”

At Damian’s words, the others gulped and nodded.

Their hearts were pounding, as if this were a real battle.

“Begin!”

At the instructor’s shout, Damian glanced at the others.

When everyone nodded, signaling they were ready...

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

Damian’s triangular formation began to move forward, step by step.

Since this was their first time coordinating, there was a bit of awkwardness...

“Left foot! Left foot! Left foot! Left foot!”

But with the count being called, they advanced steadily without breaking formation.

Damian’s lips curled into a smile.

‘For a first attempt, this is...’

Not bad at all.

Their willingness to follow along showed their determination.

And as they gradually approached Kyle’s rectangular formation...

“Speed up!”

“Left! Left! Left! Left! Left!”

At Damian’s command, the twenty-man triangular formation surged toward Kyle’s rectangular formation.

As they picked up speed, Damian, at the front, drew his shield close to his body and began to gather his magical energy.

During strength and endurance training, they hadn’t used magic, but...

‘This situation is different...!’

And at the moment when Damian, at the front, made contact...

“Push!”

The soldiers behind Damian pushed him forward.

With that momentum, Damian kicked off the ground and charged into the opponents.

Boom!

“Aaagh!”

“Oof!”

With a powerful collision, the soldiers Damian hit were flung aside.

Damian had struck not the shield of the enemy in front of him but the gap between the soldiers.

This is the basic principle for breaking through an enemy line.

When you charge into such an ambiguous spot, the two soldiers will inevitably experience a moment of hesitation.

‘W-who should block this?’

‘Should I do it?’

Even causing this brief moment of doubt is a success.

Even if they do react, they won’t be able to muster 100% of their strength. Moreover, if they hesitate for even a split second and fail to respond in time...

Boom!

This is how you break through.

“Push them back!”

As he pushed in, Damian shouted loudly.

“Haaah!”

“Heave-ho!”

The soldiers who had pushed in alongside him thrust their shields forward with both hands, creating space between them and the enemy.

And at that very moment.

“Now!”

“Haaaah!”

The soldiers on the sides gripped their spears and thrust them between the enemy’s legs.

Working in pairs, they thrust their spears between the enemy’s legs and twisted them like scissors.

“Aagh!”

“What the—what is this!”

As the enemies tripped over the spears, their formation collapsed in an instant.

Kyle, who had been preparing for an attack from the center, was left staring in shock at the unexpected turn of events.

“W-what the heck is that?”

“We weren’t taught anything like that!”

“What are you doing! Push them back quickly!”

Kyle urgently shouted and flung himself at the advancing soldiers. But...

Crash!

Damian blocked him and grinned.

“Hey, your formation is wrecked.”

“Damn it!”

Kyle’s face turned bright red with the thought that he’d lost again, and he pushed against Damian.

He couldn’t afford to lose face by failing to push back at least this guy.

But just as Kyle braced himself to push with all his strength...

Swoosh.

Damian smoothly shifted back and then twisted to the side, shoving Kyle away.

“Ugh!”

The movement was so natural that Kyle couldn’t even react before being pushed aside, crashing into another soldier.

The instructor, watching this, shook his head in amazement as he looked at Damian.

‘He’s even more impressive than I’ve heard.’

This was a common reaction among instructors seeing Damian for the first time.

He displayed such an overwhelming performance that it was hard to believe he was in the same group as the other soldiers.

‘He doesn’t even have outstanding physical attributes...’

If you compared physical attributes, Kyle would undoubtedly be the best among the recruits this time.

His strength, speed, and agility were unmatched.

Yet Damian had completely overpowered Kyle using nothing but technique.

“Stop!”

But amazement was one thing; as an instructor, he had a job to do.

When the instructor shouted, the soldiers who had been entangled in combat paused and looked at him.

“The attacking team wins. Next, we’ll switch roles, so everyone get ready!”

“...Yes, sir!”

Kyle’s defensive formation seemed somewhat frustrated, but they quickly became eager for their turn to attack.

This is the essence of competition, after all.

In the next round, Kyle’s formation was essentially Kyle’s solo performance.

Although there were some awkward moments, Kyle single-handedly broke through the entrance.

“Stop!”

However, they were somewhat ineffective after entering because they didn’t secure space properly.

“The soldiers, excluding Kyle, need to practice shield charging more. It’s not just about using brute force; timing is key.”

“...Understood.”

“Whew, Damian’s team seemed to have done well earlier.”

“Is there some kind of trick to it?”

After the session ended, everyone began reviewing their tactics, reflecting on what they had learned.

‘This is a good trend.’

When such an atmosphere is created, improvement is inevitable.

In this sense, Damian’s influence was more than just that of a platoon leader.

But then...

“What’s with those guys?”

“Hehehe, looks like they really got dragged through the mud.”

“Isn’t that the 1st Platoon, where that kid is the platoon leader?”

Suddenly, the 1st Platoon members, who were reviewing their formation, heard murmurs from nearby and turned their heads.

“Oh, they did say we’d start crossing paths more as the training grounds overlap from now on, right?”

“And with the platoon competition coming up in a few days... But what did those guys just say?”

“Did they just call him a kid?”

Knowing all too well who they meant by “kid,” the 1st Platoon members’ expressions twisted in anger.

But as the soldiers passing by saw the 1st Platoon’s reactions, they sneered.

“What, we call the kid a kid because he’s a kid. Got a problem with that?”

“How low does your platoon have to be to have a thirteen-year-old as your platoon leader? Pfft, what a bunch of losers.”

At such absurd provocation, the 1st Platoon members were beyond anger, left with stunned expressions. But at that moment...

“Just ignore them. It’s not the fault of the kids who can’t tell right from wrong and just follow along. The real problem is the guy who’s stupid enough not to realize he’s unfit to be platoon leader.”

The slant-eyed soldier at the front, who seemed to be leading the group, glanced at Damian as he spoke.

It was clear who was in charge just by looking at him.

But Damian ignored him.

He wasn’t foolish enough to fall for the provocation of some insignificant soldier.

He would just crush them during the platoon competition anyway.

Damian turned away, showing no interest. But then...

“What the hell did you just say, you piece of shit!”

“You’re dead when we meet in the platoon competition, you bastard!”

“Get ready to be utterly destroyed! Especially you, with the slanty eyes! You, at the front!”

“...Huh?”

The soldiers, who had shown little enthusiasm even after Damian emphasized the importance of beating the 4th Platoon, suddenly...

‘Did they get triggered by the provocation...?’

Damian widened his eyes and looked at them as Kyle huffed and spoke.

“Those bastards are from the 4th Platoon, right?”

“Uh, yeah... That’s right.”

“Those scumbags!”

As Kyle shouted, the other platoon members glared and spoke to Damian.

“We’re going to kill those bastards!”

“We’ll feel satisfied only after we break their limbs!”

“When we meet the 4th Platoon, go in with the mindset of killing them!”

Damian scratched his head at the sight of his platoon members suddenly bursting into fiery determination.

It was an unexpected turn of events, but...

‘Maybe...’

This could actually be a good thing?