The immortal genius spear knight (13)
The sudden crawling training put the entire 4th Platoon on high alert.
“Ugh… I feel worse after sleeping.”
“Damn it, someone put some ointment on me. Ah… it hurts too much.”
“I got pricked by a sharp rock. Damn it, why was there such a stone right where I was crawling…”
The members of the 4th Platoon, whose elbows and knees were all scraped up from the crawling training, couldn’t hide their annoyed expressions and each grumbled a word.
Naturally, the atmosphere in the barracks was terrible.
“Jeez… everyone shut up. Why are you all whining so early in the morning?”
“Hey, I’m just saying it hurts because it does, why are you being a jerk?”
“Damn it, does the platoon leader think he’s a senior? He’s acting like he’s in charge.”
The atmosphere turned hostile in an instant. But then…
“What’s all this noise!”
The 4th Platoon Leader entered the barracks, shouting loudly.
The platoon members, who had been glaring at each other moments ago, sighed and turned their heads away.
The 4th Platoon Leader looked at his platoon members.
‘…This isn’t a good start.’
There’s still not enough time for strong camaraderie to form.
Especially with training like crawling that leaves injuries, the stress on the trainees increases significantly.
‘That’s why we usually do crawling training in the fourth week when some camaraderie has formed…
By that time, everyone understands that it’s tough for everyone, and a supportive atmosphere starts to form.
But right now, with no unity, they’re just quick to vent their frustration and anger at each other.’
“I know you’re all hurting from the crawling, but try to handle it with a bit more composure. We still have a lot of training to go through together.”
“…Yes, sir.”
“Yes.”
They responded, but without much sincerity.
The 4th Platoon Leader thought about scolding them again, but decided to just leave them be for now.
An awkward silence filled the 4th Platoon barracks after the leader left.
But in contrast to that…
“Hey, hey, I got scraped here! Give me some ointment!”
“Jeez… Man, you should’ve worn the protective gear properly. You had it on wrong.”
“Oh… I didn’t know I’d end up on my knee like that, damn it.”
“Let me see your wound. I’ve got some good ointment for scrapes.”
“Oh? Give me some too!”
“Heh heh, get in line!”
When a soldier with some good ointment for scrapes shouted out, the wounded platoon members crowded around him, lining up.
Seeing this, Kyle let out a small laugh.
“Heh heh heh, those guys… It’s just a scratch, what do they need ointment for?”
“You okay?”
“I was perfect.”
“Though I did use up all my supply socks. But no regrets. Hahaha!”
“If you need more, just ask, I’ll give you one of mine.”
“They’re too small.”
“Socks stretch when you stuff them in, so it’s fine.”
“Heh heh heh, but Damian, where’d you learn that trick?”
“From my late father. But he always stressed one thing.”
“Never get caught.”
At Damian’s serious words, Kyle couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Ha ha ha! Now that’s a wise saying! A father’s advice should always be taken to heart. Hahahaha!”
He patted Damian on the back with a hand as big as a pot lid, and with each hit, it felt like his bones were being crushed
‘Is this guy trying to get back at me for what happened last time?’
Damian glanced at him, but Kyle seemed unaware.
Anyway, Damian checked the upcoming training schedule in the unexpectedly good atmosphere.
‘This week is all about shield and spear techniques.’
It made sense; these were the best training exercises for recruits whose physical strength wasn’t fully developed yet.
‘It’s also the most important training.’
The Kingdom’s Spearmanship is quite an exceptional spear technique.
Some people looked down on it, comparing it to the spear techniques of certain noble families.
But after learning it himself, Damian realized that if you could master it to the end, it could rival most renowned spear techniques.
‘The problem is that most people only learn the basics and then give up.’
For Damian, who had been dragged to the battlefield without any preparation, the Kingdom’s Spearmanship was his only way out.
After training like his life depended on it, he managed to achieve slightly better results than others, and meeting “him” allowed him to grow even more.
‘I wonder if his personality is still the same.’
If Damian had to describe his master in one word, it would be ‘a personality disaster.’
He was a sadistic teacher who never taught anything easily and instead focused on how to make his students suffer more.
Of course, thanks to him, Damian was able to survive the brutal battlefield.
‘I’ll see him again, someday.’
Damian stood up.
Just then, the 1st Platoon Leader, Brian, walked into the barracks and looked at his platoon members.
“Is everyone alright?”
“Yes, we’re fine!”
The surprisingly cheerful atmosphere and the loud responses made Brian look at them with a bit of surprise.
‘I heard the 4th Platoon is completely shattered.’
But compared to them, the 1st Platoon wasn’t much different. No, in fact…
‘They seem… closer, somehow?’
It was almost like the atmosphere you’d expect to feel near the end of training, yet it was only the second week.
Heh,
Could this atmosphere also be related to that guy?
Brian looked at Damian.
Damian stood silently, meeting Brian’s gaze.
Brian spoke.
“Today’s training will also focus on preparation for the team competition. Make sure you’re ready.”
“Understood.”
Brian nodded at Damian’s response and left.
Soon after, the 1st Platoon, having finished their preparations, headed straight to the training ground for the team competition practice.
But on their way there…
“Hey, hey, there’s the 4th Platoon.”
“Whoa, damn, look at their faces.”
“Their vibe is intense.”
The 1st Platoon recruits stuck out their tongues as they looked at the 4th Platoon’s murderous atmosphere, as if someone might kill at any moment.
“Would we have been in that kind of mood too if we didn’t have our protective gear?”
“Yeah, it would’ve been tough without the gear. Even with it, we still got injured. Imagine how bad it must’ve been for those who didn’t use any.”
Their bodies were already exhausted from training, and with injuries causing constant pain, it must’ve been mentally draining as well.
The 1st Platoon could somewhat understand, but it seemed that the 4th Platoon blamed all their troubles on the 1st Platoon.
“Keep an eye on them. We’re going through this hell because of those bastards.”
“Damn bastards, they’re laughing it up while we’re suffering.”
“But why do those guys look fine when they did the same crawling training?”
“They must’ve used some sneaky trick.”
The 4th Platoon Leader, with his torn, sharp eyes, redirected all the anger within the platoon towards the 1st Platoon.
That was the only way he could unite the 4th Platoon.
“There are only a few days left. During the platoon competition, we’ll crush those bastards and take first place!”
“Yeah!”
“We’re gonna be number one!”
As he watched his platoon members rally together once again, the sharp-eyed leader merely glared at Damian as he passed by.
Life in the training camp was going smoothly.
But at night, while everyone else was asleep, Damian walked out and moved to a deserted spot.
‘In two days… the platoon competition.’
It could be considered the first real test of the training camp.
Training hard is something everyone does.
But it’s also crucial to produce results during the process.
In the training camp, everything is scored and ranked based on such results.
But there was another reason why the platoon competition was particularly important to Damian.
It was because the platoon competition played a significant role in determining the trainees’ overall scores.
‘It’s probably the same everywhere, but…’
In the 3rd Training Camp, trainees are scored on their basic training attitude and enthusiasm.
Of course, if you excel at something, you get a higher score.
But the platoon competition is more like a midterm exam.
The score you get there depends on how well you perform, and it can significantly affect your overall score.
“Somehow, I need to be in the top five.”
The top five trainees with the highest scores during the training period get to choose one weapon of their choice from the 3rd Training Camp’s armory.
Of course, even the best artifact among them is just a C-grade.
Most of the choices are just decent weapons or accessories with one-time protective spells.
However, hidden among the artifacts that no one else would choose was something incredible.
‘I wish I could get that.’
Damian didn’t know the exact details, having only heard about it from a subordinate who had also trained at the 3rd Training Camp.
All he knew was that it was a dull, unassuming black ring.
But he knew exactly what its ability was.
‘When you inject magic into it… it makes your body disappear for a moment.’
To be precise, it casts an invisibility spell that makes your body transparent for about 1-2 seconds.
But the fact that it’s a continuous effect, rather than a one-time use, makes it more like an A-grade artifact rather than a C-grade.
‘Treasures can be found rotting anywhere.’
It would be foolish to pass it by knowing its potential.
But to obtain it, he needed to secure first place.
Initially, he just aimed to be in the top five.
‘Apel might notice it.’
Since Apel can use magic, he might be able to detect the presence of the artifact.
If by any chance Apel chooses an item from the armory before Damian, it could cause trouble for him.
*Swish,*
Damian relaxed his body and focused on his magic training technique.
‘Just a little more…’
Even after entering the training camp, Damian never skipped his daily magic training.
He was now on the verge of reaching the 2-star level of the Delft Magic Training Technique.
And then…
*Woooooong.*
A small light began to flicker around Damian’s body.
Finally, the last day of the second week arrived.
The day of the platoon competition had come.
Though it had been a short time, the recruits from each platoon gathered at the training ground, their eyes filled with confidence thanks to the intense training they had undergone.
“Phew, this is going to be interesting.”
“We’re going to win anyway, right? Hehe.”
Kyle laughed quietly as he looked over at Damian on the other side.
Damian was wrapping sticky bandages around the handles of his shield and spear.
Kyle stared at him, not just because of the bandages.
“…Damian.”
“What?”
“You seem different somehow. Is it just my imagination?”
Damian widened his eyes and looked at him.
Kyle’s eyes were serious as he looked him up and down, tilting his head in puzzlement.
“You’ve changed somehow… but I don’t know how.”
Then he spread his palm over Damian’s head and said,
“Maybe you’ve grown taller? It is a growth period, after all.”
“Kahahahahaha! Hey, Kyle, Damian’s already tall.”
“Yeah, you’re just ridiculously tall.”
“But it’s a growth period, so he could grow more. Ahahaha!”
The other platoon members burst into laughter at the mention of the growth period.
Though Damian looked a bit bewildered at their reactions, what truly surprised him was Kyle’s sharp observation.
‘Does this guy know it instinctively?’
Are people from the North naturally more sensitive to magic?
It was just last night.
Damian had successfully reached the 2-star level of the Delft Magic Training Technique.
As a result, his magic capacity had increased, and the amount of magic he could output at once had also grown.
This meant that his physical abilities had improved, and he could exert more power with his magic than before.
“Kyle.”
“Hmm?”
Kyle tilted his head in confusion as Damian spoke to him with a more serious expression than usual.
Damian looked at him and said,
“I want us to win this platoon competition by a landslide.”
Kyle chuckled softly at that, then turned to look at the other platoon members and said,
“Our Platoon Leader here says we’re going to win this competition overwhelmingly. Did you all hear that?”
“Of course!”
“We’re definitely going to win!”
As he looked at the highly motivated platoon members, Kyle grinned at Damian.
“Everyone’s in agreement.”
“Then let’s go.”
And just then…
“1st Platoon, move out!”
As the instructor called out, Damian’s eyes began to gleam with determination.
