The Immortal Genius Spear knight (Chapter 10)
When he slowly opened his eyes, the first thing that came into view was an unfamiliar gray ceiling. The soft feeling on his back indicated that he was on a bed. Looking at the blanket covering his body, Kyle immediately realized that he was in the infirmary.
“…Did I lose?”
Faced with this unfamiliar experience, Kyle muttered to himself without realizing it.
“Did you?”
At that moment, a voice from beside him made Kyle turn his head. A medical officer wearing a white coat approached Kyle and spoke.
“Your body sure is tough. Any other guy would’ve had a couple of broken ribs.”
“Whoa, whoa! It’s better if you just stay lying down. Even though nothing’s broken, it doesn’t mean you’re fine.”
As Kyle tried to sit up, he winced, feeling a stabbing pain in both sides, as if being pierced by a knife.
The medical officer continued, “You should avoid intense activities for a few days. I’ll inform the platoon leader, so don’t worry about it.”
But Kyle shook his head in response. “I’m fine. If I skip training because of this, they’ll tell me to pack up and leave.”
“Huh?”
The medical officer swallowed the words rising in his throat. Before he knew it, Kyle had already gotten out of bed and was limping out of the infirmary.
“Such a tough guy.”
It had been a long time since he’d seen someone like that.
***
As Kyle left the infirmary, he let out a groan, furrowing his brow. However, what came to his mind before the pain was the sparring match he had with Damian.
‘I remember getting hit on my right side…’
He remembered not collapsing at that moment. But after that, his memory was blank. Although he hadn’t fallen, he likely lost consciousness from the first strike.
‘Damn it.’
As he lightly pressed on his right side, a wave of numbing pain surged through his body.
‘How could someone that small throw a punch like that?’
‘Even in my hometown, there wasn’t anyone like that…’
Kyle hailed from Tundron, a cold northern city. Traditionally, many of the kingdom’s famous generals hailed from Tundron as well. The harsh environment and high mountainous terrain forced the people to develop strong physiques.
Kyle had always stood out even in Tundron, known for his strength and build. Because of this, he had received numerous offers from shady characters since he was young. Out of curiosity, he had even lived among them for a time, experiencing countless fights.
‘Damn it, bad memories are coming back.’
Kyle bit his lip hard. Of course, those experiences had prompted him to straighten up and decide to enlist, so in a way, those events were a blessing in disguise for him.
However…
‘I thought no one here could be a match for me… To lose in such an embarrassing way…’
His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. With a complicated expression reflecting his tangled thoughts, Kyle entered the barracks.
“…Huh?”
“K-Kyle.”
As Kyle entered the barracks, the once lively atmosphere instantly turned cold. Some of the men began backing away, casting wary glances at Kyle.
But Kyle only had his eyes on Damian, who was sitting at the far end of the room.
When Damian, who had been staring out the window, turned his head to look at Kyle…
“Hoo.”
Kyle exhaled deeply, as if making a decision, and began striding towards Damian with determined steps.
The tension in the air suggested that something was about to go down again. Damian, watching Kyle approach with a grim atmosphere, thought to himself that.
“…”
Kyle didn’t seem like the type to be foolish enough to ask for another fight after getting beaten so thoroughly…
But Kyle, who stood in front of Damian, called out to him with fierce eyes.
“…Damian!”
“Why?”
Thud!
At that moment, a loud sound echoed through the barracks.
Damian looked at Kyle with a startled expression. Kyle had suddenly dropped to his knees and bowed his head before him.
“…!”
‘What’s with this guy?’
Damian widened his eyes and stared at Kyle. However, Kyle seemed unfazed as he spoke to Damian.
“I admit my defeat. From now on, I’ll follow you as my leader!”
“Suddenly?”
“Showing respect to a strong warrior is only natural. Even though you’re the youngest person I’ve fought, you’re the strongest.”
“…”
The situation felt somewhat comical, but Kyle’s expression was deadly serious. The others around them looked at Kyle in confusion, as they hadn’t expected someone like him to behave this way.
But seeing this, Damian smiled faintly and stood up.
“You don’t need to call me ‘leader.’ Just call me Damian. Let’s work well together.”
Damian extended his hand to Kyle, who was kneeling.
In response, Kyle stood up and grinned, shaking Damian’s hand.
“Likewise, Damian.”
And thus, the small commotion within the first platoon came to an end.
***
A week had passed since they joined.
Although there had been a few minor incidents initially, the intensity of the training that began afterward made those events almost forgettable.
“Don’t stop! If you stop now, your legs will stiffen, and you won’t be able to move! Run! Run! Just keep your eyes on the back of the person in front of you!”
“Huff! Huff! Huff!”
The soldiers, gasping for breath, looked as though they were on the verge of death. After already undergoing intense training, the final segment was always a run, pushing them to their limits.
Running after exhausting all their energy was absolute torture.
“Ugh, I can’t go on anymore!”
But somehow, the soldiers managed to hold on, eventually collapsing to the ground, groaning in pain.
Seeing the worn-out soldiers, Brian turned to Damian and spoke.
“Get the soldiers back to the barracks.”
“Yes, sir.”
‘Did they choose me as the platoon leader’s assistant just to give me these annoying tasks?’
‘There aren’t any benefits, but they sure make me do a lot of errands.’
Damian grumbled to himself as he looked at the fallen platoon members.
Still, the training is pretty well-structured.
From strength-building exercises to basic skills like shield techniques and spear techniques, and finally, endurance training for overall fitness, the schedule was well-organized. Damian’s racing heart gradually calmed down.
He had been trying to refrain from using magic during training and was relying solely on his physical strength.
“Alright, hurry up and wash up. If you’re late, you’ll have to use cold water again.”
“Ugh, no way.”
The soldiers who had previously experienced the unpleasantness of taking a cold shower due to their tardiness hurriedly returned to the barracks and then rushed to the showers.
With so many members of the platoon moving together, it was quite crowded, but after a week, they had gotten used to it.
“Hey, if anyone asks someone else to pick up the soap, they’ll be dead.”
“And whoever keeps sprinkling soap powder on my head when I’m washing up—do it again, and I’ll pull out all your hair!”
“Hehehe, you idiot, you got what you deserved.”
“What did you say?!”
The saying that things get rowdy when three or more men are gathered was spot on.
The shower room was noisy and chaotic, but this, too, was a way to relieve the stress from training.
Damian just chuckled and quickly finished his shower before heading out.
“Platoon 1, platoon leader’s assistant! You’ve been summoned by Platoon Leader Brian!”
“…?”
As Damian was getting dressed, an administrative soldier came running and quickly relayed the message before leaving.
‘What’s this sudden summons?’
‘I’ll find out soon enough.’
Damian put on his boots and headed to the administrative office where the officers were.
When he arrived, several soldiers were already standing in front of Brian. At a glance, they seemed to be the soldiers from other platoons.
“…?”
“What’s with this kid? Oh, oops, I meant to just think that in my head.”
The soldier who had unintentionally voiced his thoughts smacked his lips and looked at Damian. He was tall, with narrow eyes, and was quite thin, but despite his slender frame, Damian could sense well-developed muscles underneath his clothes.
He had a body that looked very agile.
He’d make an interesting contrast if I paired him up with Kyle.
Damian stared at the soldier, who seemed to have a style completely opposite to Kyle’s.
Noticing Damian’s gaze, the soldier furrowed his brows and spoke.
“What are you looking at?”
“I was just wondering how much narrower those eyes of yours could get.”
“Ha!”
One of the other assistant platoon leaders couldn’t hold back a laugh at Damian’s sudden retort.
Just as the narrow-eyed soldier’s expression darkened…
“Be quiet. Do you know where you are right now?”
Brian’s voice interrupted them as he addressed the assistant platoon leaders.
The narrow-eyed soldier muttered under his breath, “We’ll see about that later,” and then turned his attention back to Brian.
“I called you here because there’s going to be an inter-platoon competition in a week. The platoon leaders will give you more details, but this is an important event, so prepare well.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Understood, sir.”
“Got it.”
The others responded, and Damian asked Brian.
“If it’s a team match, what exactly will we be doing?”
“It will involve shield and spear techniques. In simple terms, it means dividing the team into offense and defense for the match.”
The soldiers who had just been nodding along now nodded with understanding after Damian’s question clarified the situation.
Seeing this, Gerard, the platoon leader of the 3rd Platoon who was standing on the far right, turned his head to glance at Damian.
‘So that’s Damian, huh?’
He was the guy that someone in his platoon had mentioned. Gerard wasn’t surprised that Damian was serving as a platoon leader’s assistant, especially since he had already experienced the presence of someone extraordinary, regardless of their age.
In the 3rd Platoon, Apel could have very likely become the platoon leader’s assistant if he had wanted to.
“Alright, you’re dismissed.”
At Brian’s words, the platoon leaders’ assistants left the administrative office. And the moment they stepped outside…
“Hey, you.”
The narrow-eyed soldier from earlier called out to Damian as if he’d been waiting for this.
He seemed quite upset, as he approached Damian with an irritated expression.
“A little brat like you doesn’t know how to read the room, huh?”
“It seems like you’re the one who doesn’t know how to read the room.”
The narrow-eyed soldier tilted his head to the side.
The response came from beside him, not from Damian, which was unexpected.
It was Gerard, who had walked up to the narrow-eyed soldier.
“Even though we’re all platoon leaders’ assistants, you were the one who was rude first, just because he’s younger. Why are you picking a fight in front of the administrative office?”
“Mind your own business and keep walking. And don’t go running to the officers to snitch.”
“Who do you think is going to get beaten?”
“Of course, you.”
The narrow-eyed soldier bared his teeth and growled. Gerard looked at Damian and said.
“Let’s just leave this idiot alone.”
“Shall we?”
Damian responded playfully to Gerard’s suggestion and began to walk away.
The narrow-eyed soldier looked like he was about to pounce at any moment, his expression twisted in anger, but he only ground his teeth, restrained by the fact that the door to the administrative office was slightly open.
A fight between soldiers would lead to disciplinary action, after all.
Damian suddenly stopped and turned his head.
“Hey, which platoon are you in?”
“What?”
“I asked which platoon you’re in.”
“The 4th Platoon.”
“4th Platoon, got it. I’ll remember that.”
The narrow-eyed soldier snorted and laughed mockingly.
“What? And what are you going to do after you remember?”
“You’ll find out.”
Extending this unnecessary conflict wouldn’t do anyone any good.
There are plenty of ways to get back at him.
Damian turned back around and started walking again. At that moment, Gerard, who was beside him, spoke.
“I’m Gerard, the platoon leader’s assistant for the 3rd Platoon. I’ve heard a lot about you from Apel. I hear you got first place in the practical skills test?”
“Is Apel in the 3rd Platoon?”
“Yes, he’s in our platoon. Normally, he would’ve been the platoon leader’s assistant, but he turned it down because he said it was too much of a hassle.”
“That’s enviable.”
“Hmm?”
As Gerard tilted his head in curiosity, Damian shook his head.
“Thanks for stepping in earlier. Thanks to you, I avoided a troublesome situation.”
“He wouldn’t have dared to actually fight. Even he’s afraid of getting disciplined.”
But the problem is that sometimes there are idiots who don’t care about discipline and just want to fight.
Damian exchanged a light farewell with Gerard and returned to the barracks.
He then spoke.
“Attention, everyone.”
“What’s going on?”
As the platoon members looked at Damian, he said.
“A week from now, there will be a team match involving shield and spear techniques against the other platoons. We are going to take first place.”
“Haha, of course!”
Kyle responded confidently. However, the older soldiers seemed less enthusiastic, as if they didn’t think it was that important.
But Damian wasn’t finished.
“And there’s one more thing to keep in mind.”
Damian glanced around at the platoon members and said firmly.
“We’re going to completely crush the 4th Platoon. Especially their platoon leader’s assistant.”
The determined look in Damian’s eyes gave off a strange sense of stubbornness, and everyone just gulped silently.
