Chapter 21

Chapter 21

A path densely lined with trees on both sides.

Fog blocking the view.

As they continued up the slightly sloped uphill road, Erkal gradually came into sight.

From the entrance, they could see obstacles and the appearance of Erkal’s defense force.

“Is this Erkal?”

Kyle looked around as he got off the carriage.

Even after entering the village, there were hardly any ordinary residents of the territory visible, except for the soldiers.

Damian also looked around.

“...Is it because of the monsters?”

The phrase “lacking vitality” perfectly described the scene.

Though a few people could be seen here and there, they all shrank away and quickly fled the area.

Most of the people in Erkal make their living by entering the Bronselian Forest to gather herbs.

It’s a highly dangerous job, but they don’t have many other choices.

Ironically, perhaps because the place is so dangerous, the quality and quantity of the herbs were substantial.

‘In the case of Amancho, it accounts for 60% of the kingdom’s total production.’

Amancho is a herb with a peculiar toxicity.

If eaten as is, it causes high fever and diarrhea, but if properly processed, it becomes a highly effective painkiller ingredient.

Moreover, many other valuable resources come from the Bronselian Forest.

For this reason, the kingdom could not afford to abandon the Bronselian Forest.

“Let’s go to the unit.”

“Okay.”

Damian, after briefly scanning the surroundings, headed towards the location of the Neokalitz unit.

Unlike Erkal’s defense force, the Neokalitz unit’s base was located inside the city.

Thud, thud, thud.

When they arrived in front of the Neokalitz unit.

“...Huh?”

Kyle looked at the unit with a puzzled expression.

“Is this really a place where people live?”

The unit wasn’t very large.

Moreover...

“...One hit, and it looks like it’ll collapse.”

The walls were cracked.

There was no one guarding the entrance.

Inside the unit, there wasn’t a single person walking around; only an eerie and gloomy atmosphere filled the place.

It was a situation where entering felt awkward.

But then...

“...?”

A faint smell of blood carried on the wind.

Recognizing the familiar scent, Damian turned his head to look behind him.

“What’s wrong?”

“They’re coming.”

Though the fog obscured the view, they soon began to emerge slowly.

Thud, thud, thud.

Soldiers with bloodstained weapons slung over their shoulders.

Some, injured, were being supported by their comrades as they walked.

“...”

There was even one being carried on a stretcher, having met their end.

On their shoulders was a bloodstained insignia.

Under the image of two crossed swords, the word “NEO” was engraved, and next to the letters, angel wings extended downward as if embracing the symbol.

It was the Neokalitz unit.

Gulp.

At the horrific sight, Kyle unknowingly swallowed his saliva.

Damian, standing beside him, merely looked at them with sunken eyes.

Their eyes had not lost their killing intent.

Though they walked as if nothing was wrong, the hands gripping their weapons trembled slightly.

Their legs dragged heavily with each step they took.

Damian understood their situation better than anyone.

He had been in their shoes in the past.

As they entered the unit,

“...Phew!”

Kyle let out a big breath.

He had been holding his breath, overwhelmed by the intense tension and pressure.

“Why do they all look like that? They look like... ghosts.”

“You’ll have to get used to it. This is what this place is like.”

In an era of peace.

This is one of the few intense battlefields left.

Their lives are a daily struggle for survival.

Suddenly, he recalled something he had once said to his subordinates.

—What do you think is the most important thing for a soldier?

—Carrying out orders?

—Well, isn’t it to take down the enemy? Damn it, even if I die, I’ll take at least twenty of them with me!

The boisterous replies from his subordinates.

Damian had hit the back of the head of the one who said he’d take twenty down even if he died.

—Ouch! Why did you only hit me?

—Because your answer was the worst.

Everyone may have different thoughts.

But Damian believed there was only one correct answer.

—It’s to not die.

Do not die.

Never take your life lightly, and find a way to survive and return.

Damian always emphasized ‘not dying.’

No matter how much merit you achieve, if you die, it’s all over.

‘...Even though they all died anyway.’

You have to unite your strength to not die.

You carry out tactics to not die.

To not die...

‘You have to become stronger.’

Damian watched the Neokalitz unit as they entered the base.

He spoke to Kyle.

“Let’s go too.”

“R-right now?!”

The atmosphere was too unbearable.

Seeing Damian already walking towards the base, Kyle swallowed his words and hurried to follow him.

* * *

“Damn it, those fucking defense unit bastards!”

Bang!

He threw his helmet into the corner.

Even that didn’t relieve his anger, and he continued to curse under his breath.

But no one stopped him.

Not because he was a senior or scary.

It was because they all felt the same way.

There was a serious problem with this operation.

“They clearly said the orcs were a single unit in size.”

“Damn it, a single unit my ass!”

An Ork is a monster similar to an Orc but of a higher rank.

And a single unit typically refers to around twenty individuals. But...

“There were over thirty Orks alone. And there was even an Ork Mage!”

One Mage added to the unit effectively doubles the force of an Ork unit.

It was practically two and a half Ork units in terms of strength.

Since reconnaissance was entirely the responsibility of Erkal’s defense force, they were all the more infuriated.

“They’re not the ones going out there, so they always do things half-assed. This isn’t something we can just let slide.”

“I’m going to go and wring the necks of those reconnaissance bastards today!”

His anger has not subsided.

“Toad is about to lose his arm. If he doesn’t get treatment in time, he’ll be discharged immediately.”

Discharged.

Hell, that sounds great.

But it didn’t apply to the members of the Neokalitz unit.

Most of them were here as an alternative to severe punishment.

Voluntary discharge was impossible.

It was either rot in prison for the rest of their lives or roll around in this hell.

The only tiny glimmer of hope was that the Neokalitz unit was paid extremely well.

Their salaries were several times that of ordinary soldiers.

Many had people they needed to support, so they chose this hell over prison.

But if they ended up like Toad, who was about to lose his arm and face forced discharge...

“There’s nothing he can do after being discharged.”

“Damn it, he’ll just be abandoned.”

That’s why they had to save him no matter what.

The reason was simple.

Next time, it could be them.

“...First, call the medic and send someone to the temple in Adeland. Ask them to urgently send a priest.”

“Captain, do you know how much those religious bastards charge?”

If a priest came, they could definitely save Toad’s arm.

However, since it was such a severe injury, at least a mid-level priest was necessary.

One treatment can cost dozens of gold coins.

Especially if it’s an emergency, you might have to offer up a whole year’s salary.

At that, the one called the captain pulled out a small pouch from the locker.

Jingle.

“20 gold coins. Add it to the pool.”

“What? Isn’t this the money you were saving for your mother’s surgery?”

“They said her condition has slightly improved, so she doesn’t need surgery immediately.”

He spoke calmly, but everyone knew it was a lie.

They were close enough to know each other down to the number of forks in their houses.

The others bit their lips in response.

“Damn it, I’ll pitch in too.”

“Me too. It’s not much, but...”

Two gold coins, three gold coins.

These guys, who usually squandered their earnings on entertainment in this hellish place, somehow managed to gather this money.

Then, the youngest, who had been standing in the corner, cautiously approached and offered a few silver coins.

“M-me too...”

“Use that to buy yourself some new boots, kid. I noticed the soles were worn out.”

“Yeah, get yourself a good pair, not the garbage they supply. Those boots are your lifeline.”

The unit members tried to dissuade him, but the youngest placed the money he was holding onto the pile.

“It’s because of me that Corporal Charlson got hurt. Please let me contribute.”

It seemed the one they called “Toad” was actually Corporal Charlson.

Hearing this, another senior member wrapped an arm around the youngest’s neck.

“Good kid.”

“By the way, how old are you again?”

“Eighteen.”

“You’ve already been here for over a year, huh.”

Surviving in this hellish place for that long was an achievement in itself.

The senior who was collecting the money smiled broadly.

“Alright, I’ll allow it. I’ll go ahead and send someone to Adeland right away.”

“I’ll check if we have the necessary herbs.”

Everyone moved to help their comrade.

But at that moment...

“New recruits have arrived!”

A strange voice came from outside.

* * *

“I had forgotten.”

Tarion, the captain of the Neokalitz unit, found a piece of paper in the messy pile of documents.

The deployment notice for new recruits.

He had completely forgotten due to the battle.

Swish.

Tarion looked at Damian and Kyle.

The tall one looked quite sturdy, appearing to be of some use.

The one next to him...

“Thirteen years old?”

The age written on the personnel file.

Deep wrinkles formed on Tarion’s forehead.

The youngest here is eighteen years old.

And now a kid five years younger has arrived?

“Volunteered... Volunteered, huh.”

Is this a new way to commit s*****e?

He couldn’t understand what was going through the heads of kids these days.

At that moment...

“This guy graduated first in his training camp.”

Kyle spoke, having recognized the thoughts behind the officer’s expression.

Tarion looked at Damian again.

“This place is different from a training camp.”

“I know. That’s why I’m here.”

“You know, and yet you came? Huh... Well, there’s no stopping someone who’s determined to die.”

Tarion shouted towards the door.

“Dianal!”

“Yes, sir!”

As if waiting outside, a man rushed in.

Grayish hair.

A sharp gaze matched with his short haircut.

His appearance was friendly yet charismatic.

His well-built muscles were visible even through the thin innerwear.

“Take these two, assign them a spot, and put them to work cleaning.”

“Understood.”

Dianal replied and looked at Damian and Kyle.

“Follow me.”

He led them outside and into the barracks.

Inside the barracks, Dianal spoke.

“Here, rank doesn’t matter. It’s all about seniority. And the man you saw earlier is our captain. Forget terms like platoon leader or company commander. It’s just captain and unit leader here.”

His tone was far from kind.

Dianal pointed to a few lockers in the corner of the barracks.

“Pick any of those to use. You won’t be using them for long anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

Unable to hold back, Kyle asked Dianal.

He could tell something serious was going on, but this seemed too much for his first day.

Dianal looked at Kyle with sharp eyes.

“Do you remember that I said seniority is determined by when you arrive?”

“You just said that.”

“I’ve been in this unit for over a year. And I’m still the youngest. Do you know what that means?”

“How would I know that...”

Before Kyle could finish speaking.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

Dianal kicked Kyle’s shin with his boot.

Though Kyle had good reflexes, he couldn’t react in time and took the hit without resistance.

Kyle glared at Dianal with wide eyes.

He was about to shout something, but...

“That means everyone who came after me is dead.”

Dianal’s eyes gleamed coldly.

Gulp.

Even though he was the youngest, he had survived over a year in this hell.

He was nothing like a regular soldier.

Overwhelmed by Dianal’s gaze, Kyle forgot the pain in his shin and just stared at him.

It felt like the strange pressure emanating from Dianal was swallowing him whole.

“Unpack your things and clean the barracks thoroughly. I’ll give the next instructions after that.”

Dianal turned and walked out of the barracks.

Kyle, with a bewildered expression, spoke.

“What the hell kind of bastard is that?”

“Hahahaha...”

But as Dianal left, Damian began to chuckle, his shoulders shaking.

Kyle asked in surprise.

“What’s so funny that you’re laughing like that?”

“It’s just... nothing’s changed.”

Damian looked at the spot where Dianal had exited, recalling old memories.

—