When you ride a carriage from the capital of the kingdom where my hometown is located and travel east for four days, you will encounter a massive and majestic double-layered fortress. This place is the closest land to capital and the ancestral home of the Ming-wang (royal) family led by Balkan. It is known as the Hwisen Fortress, referred to as the gateway by the common folk.
“We’ve arrived. Take this.”
As the carriage, which had been traveling for quite some time, came to a stop, Balkan pulled out a small vial from his pocket.
“What is this?”
“The old fox told me to give it to you.”
[Partial Polymorph Elixir]
▶ Allows the user to change the color of their pupils and hair at will.
▶ Duration: [Unlimited]
The effect lasts indefinitely until the user cancels it.
Violet had probably informed Balkan about the elixir’s properties, as he looked at me with a yellowish grin.
“You seem quite prepared. Let’s see how long you can endure. You’re quite confident.”
“It’s difficult to live up to expectations. But I’ll definitely survive.”
“Arrogant. You won’t even last a day before becoming a corpse. Hey!”
Balkan called over one of the knights who stood near the castle gate, hurling insults at me as I ingested the elixir.
“Lord Balkan…?! Where have you been for the past month…and who is this guy?”
The knight, out of breath, pointed at me. Balkan, still grinning, smacked my rear end.
“He’s the one I brought back. An exceptionally wicked fellow. Throw him into Cell Block 3.”
“Cell Block 3? There might be an opening in Squad 5. But what exactly is this piglet’s crime?”
“Let’s see. Assaulting a noble, murder, rape, fraud, robbery, treason against the state, conspiracy… Every possible crime in existence.”
Balkan was determined to pin every sin on me.
“What kind of scum is this!”
The enraged knight kicked my stomach without mercy. Balkan’s exaggerated words were meant to intimidate me, even though he knew they were overblown.
“Ugh…”
I struggled to breathe as the relentless kicks continued.
“…”
When I glared at Balkan, he shrugged and stopped the knight who was about to draw his sword.
“He’s not even worth executing. Don’t dirty your blade on him; just take him away.”
“Should I put him in Cell Block 3 as you suggested?”
“Yes. They’ve been requesting reinforcements in Cell Block 3. Apparently, they lost a quarter of their manpower due to a recent invasion.”
As the knight grumbled, he approached me, ready to drag me away.
“Understood. Lucky you, you wretched piglet. Scum like you should be gutted. Come with me!”
Without further ado, the knight grabbed me by the collar and hauled me into the castle gate.
I turned my head slightly, catching Balkan’s amused gaze. I silently vowed to get back at him later.
‘You’ll see later too.’
The Hwisen Castle, located in the far east of the continent, has fewer territorial citizens compared to its size.
That’s because the moment the barrier is broken, this place will be the first to fall into the hands of the monsters. ‘It feels like the front line. That’s why the territorial citizens get benefits such as tax reductions.’
Anyway, where does the famous military group composed of prisoners stationed here stay?
“From today, this will be the house where you, a trash-like guy, will live.”
This place, which is virtually the same as an empty land without any infrastructure built.
It’s the space between the inner and outer walls of the Hwisen Castle, which is double-built to prevent the invasion of monsters.
‘It can’t be helped. We have to separate the prisoners and the general public…But seeing it directly, it’s terrible.’
As soon as I arrived at the garrison, a pungent stench hit my nose. The smell of the blood of monsters and humans mixed and rotting.
But what made me uncomfortable more than that was the faint mist that filled beyond the outer wall.
The mist, called Mistra, is a phenomenon created by the collision of the mana of the barrier installed by the first family of Meteor Sword and the magic of the magic tower.
And.
The monsters that are entrenched in the magic capital always reveal their appearance through the gaps in that mist.
“As I mentioned earlier, you’ve been assigned to Cell Block 3. That’s where you’ll reside from now on. Crawl in there on your own.”
clank.
The knight pointed to a peculiarly patterned bracelet on my arm.
[Sealing Bracelet]
▶ Completely seals the magical power of wearers with a grade of 3 stars or lower.
An artifact designed to prevent the imprisoned Ming Royal Guard members from causing trouble with their mana manipulation.
‘It was a work of the Magic Tower. This one.’
Why 3 stars is because prisoners with more power than that are not conscripted into the famous military group, but are executed on the spot.
After all, prisoners are just consumables to buy time, so it doesn’t matter if their magic is sealed.
“You survived because you’re weak. Now that our business is done, head to the barracks. The others there will ‘kindly’ fill you in on your duties.”
He emphasized “kindly” with a smirk. “If you can’t endure it, desertion might be an option. If you’re capable, that is. Oh, that wretched sword of yours will be the only thing shortening your life, so take care.”
Passing him, I entered the barracks, where a foreboding figure suddenly blocked my path.
“A new recruit?”
While the position of squad leader was typically held by regular soldiers, the role of battalion leader overseeing them was traditionally filled by a Ming Knight.
Given the Ming Royal Guard’s black insignia, this individual likely managed the entire Cell Block 3.
“Yes.”
“Your crime? Who brought you here?”
“…Just a petty criminal. Lord of the Ming Royal Guard brought me.”
“Your personal belongings seem to consist of that wretched sword. Nothing remarkable, but we must follow the procedure.”
He nodded as he brought a ring with mana-detection abilities toward my body.
“Since there’s no reaction, you probably don’t possess any dangerous items. Your name?”
“Jin… Ah, Jin.”
“Jin? Your name is the same as the second son of a bitch of the main house. Unlucky bastard. Your place is in the 5th team. Get out of the way to the end room.”
The battalion leader, without even bothering to learn my name, pushed me aside as if clearing away trash.
Soon after, when I stood in front of the sign that said [5th team], I felt a presence inside.
“What, a new recruit?”
A man who opened the door and appeared looked up at me. A man with a face like a rat that had been taken out.
“Oh. It’s a new recruit. Take the new recruit.”
There was no need to suppress the rudeness anymore, so I just blurted out what I wanted to say.
Then the rat narrowed his eyes and smiled.
“A new recruit who talks down to me from the first meeting? A guy with a pretty strong personality has come in. Guys! A new recruit has come!”
“What? A new recruit?”
“We weren’t informed about this.”
“Big guy, huh?”
“Compared to our captain, he’s lacking, but still.”
Voices echoed from behind the rat-faced man. Glancing around the room, I saw approximately ten soldiers.
These men would be my comrades, accompanying me on this journey.
“Come on in, don’t just stand there. This will be your home from now on, so make yourself comfortable.”
As the rat-like man led me inside, a dingy interior filled with the smell of sweat and an unidentifiable stench greeted me.
There were no comfortable beds or anything of the sort here.
The cheap brick walls seemed ready to crumble, and torn pieces of cloth served as makeshift curtains, fluttering in the wind.
‘Just as rundown as I expected.’
I had anticipated this much.
Though more like a stable than a house, it was still livable.
Taking a seat, I glanced at the men lying on straw mats nearby. They began speaking to me.
“What’s your name, newbie?”
“Judging by your well-fed appearance, you must have been living it up outside. Were you a rich kid?”
Contrary to my expectations, these people were quite welcoming.
As I answered their questions vaguely, I noticed the silent figure sitting in the corner.
“Who is that person?”
“Ah, he is our 5th team’s squad leader, Buta. He’s a quiet guy. He’s the strongest in the 3rd squad in terms of strength.”
Moose, who introduced himself a while ago, the rat-like man, answered the question.
‘‘That guy is Buta.’’
▶ But it won’t do for our reliable leader, Mr. Buta. Don’t cry after getting beaten up for nothing.
As I repeated the name several times, remembering the content written in the status window, the rat smiled and continued to speak.
“And Buta and his hometown friend, this Moose, is the vice squad leader of the 5th squad. If you just trust Buta and me, it won’t be too hard to survive in this hell. Just trust us and follow us.”
“Have you been here for quite a while?”
“I haven’t exactly counted, but it’s probably been about 3 years. The two of us are almost the longest-serving here.”
Moose, who proudly spoke while pounding his chest, sat down on the floor.
“Seeing the Ming Royal Guard here is different from what you expected, right?”
“A little.” Originally, I should have gone through a formal induction ceremony upon entering. But these guys seemed to have no interest in that.
“We’re different from the other squads. We’re too busy surviving in this damn place to waste our energy on unnecessary formalities. Don’t you think?”
“Sure, that works for me. So what do I do now?”
“You’re lucky. Today happens to be our Squad 5’s off day. No grueling training or duty. Just lie down and rest.”
The rat, who finished speaking, lay down on the straw mat.
There was no sign of military discipline to be found, but weapons leaning against the walls here and there proved that they were also soldiers.
‘There doesn’t seem to be any high-end artifacts or armor that are enchanted. Judging by the dried red blood here and there, it seems they don’t often take care of it.’
As I sat down and quietly observed the surroundings, the rat who got up from his seat and came over lightly tapped my shoulder.
“Rest when you can. You’re a rookie, you probably don’t know yet, but in this damn place, rest is the most important rule.”
“…Okay.”
Since I was tired from the journey of the past three days, I didn’t refuse and lay down on the straw mat.
As I looked out the window through the torn curtain, the day was slowly getting darker.
‘The start is from now on.’
With my tension not relaxed, I closed my eyes with the sword I received from Balkan in my arms.
*******
Squeak-
With the light friction of metal, there was a smell of iron. As I slowly opened my eyes in the darkness, I lightly twisted the corners of my mouth.
‘It’s started.’
I never believed the rat-like man’s story about no induction ceremony.
‘The blood that was dried on the weapon is a dark red color.’
The blood of the demons that the knights deal with is red, but the blood of the lower monsters that the soldiers mainly deal with is blue.
So, I was pretending to be asleep and watching the situation, and as expected, the situation started to turn.
“Is that guy really asleep?”
“One strike should do it. I’ll handle this.”
Between his narrow eyes, the rat-like man concealed himself in the darkness, raising his sword high.
Schwaaack!
The blade flashed down, aiming for the spot where I lay.
“What are you doing?”
Rolling to the side like lightning, I evaded the rat’s strike and drew my own sword. His face twisted in surprise.
“Did you really wake up?”
“I asked you what you were doing.”
“Can’t you see? It’s an induction ceremony.”
The soldiers from Squad 5, gripping their weapons tightly, now glared at me with unsettling eyes.
Not just a simple induction ceremony.
Typically, an induction ceremony involved breaking one or two objects. But these soldiers seemed genuinely intent on killing me.
Sensing their aggression, I swiftly unsheathed the sword Belkan had given me.
“Are you planning to resist? Just die!”
Schwrring! The rat’s sword aimed for my throat.
- [Genius of Battle] is activated.
▶The user shows the most optimized movement for battle within the ‘possible’ range.
As soon as the notification that the trait was activated was heard, my body moved on its own.
And then.
Crack!
The rat’s sword that cut through the air hit the wall.
Thud!
Almost at the same time, the hilt of my sword struck the rat’s jaw.
