When the morning training was completed, it was finally time for breakfast. The soldiers all gathered together in the same dining hall.
The village women worked in the kitchens and helped to serve the food. The stew had generous portions of meat and vegetables, and there was bread and cheese. It was the kind of meal that Poro was not accustomed to.
When he was working as a farmer, he drank soup with bits of dried meat and wild vegetables. But now, there were mountains of bread in front of them. While it was no king’s feast, it was clearly rather luxurious.
“Scoot over.”
A voice rang and someone sat down and began to eat. It was a woman with chestnut colored hair. She wore the same military uniform as Poro.
“I haven’t seen you before. Are you new?”
“…That’s what I was going to say to you.”
“I tagged along with general Ekbert’s unit. I enlisted before you, you know… I was recruited in Zeneji port.”
Poro glanced at the woman once and continued with his good. He thought she might say something else, but she also focused on her food.
A little curious now, he turned to look at her.
She appeared to be about twenty. Her hair was tied up in the back, revealing a face with freckles.
“Is something the matter?”
“Sorry. It’s just that you don’t see many like you here.”
“Just so you know, I am a soldier. And I’ll kill you if you look at me the wrong way.”
“Don’t worry.”
When he finished eating, Poro stood up and spat out with irritation.
“There are rules against brothels and gambling. So strict it appears in my dreams. You’d be lucky to be discharged in the army for breaking the rules…some are put to death.”
“And yet I’ve seen plenty of people ignore them.”
“Is that an invitation? You’ll have to look somewhere else.”
He glared at her and then turned on his heels.
Poro was here for revenge. Not to make a one-night mistake.
After returning his tray, he noticed that the plate hanging from his neck was glowing.
‘Notice: Classroom lectures from 9:00 to 11:00 today. After lunch, combat training. From now on, you’ll be paired with Meshe Kurosa and Sel for military duties.
Special Note: A send-off party for the village Hero will be held tonight at 18:00. Attendance is mandatory.’
He had never heard the name before. Poro turned his head to the woman he had been sitting with.
“Finally figure it out?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wanted to know if you were a dog in heat or a foolish cow.”
“Hey.”
He held back the anger.
She gulped. People stared.
It was forbidden to fight each other in the army.
“I don’t know why you entered this army. It has nothing to do with me. And I will continue to not care about you at all. Just do not get in my way. Otherwise, I will help you as much as my orders dictate. You can be satisfied with that, bitch.”
She too was enraged, but she managed to have enough restraint to stand back before striking him.
Others came to intervene, just as Poro walked away.
He had no time to waste on this foolishness.
Time was best spent accumulating experience. He had to raise his level.
There was no time for women or friends or rest.
Before he knew it, Poro was swinging a wooden sword behind the house.
His movements were still unstable, but he had definitely made some progress. Still, a lot of that was due to the Skill he had acquired.
With every level, the soldiers were given points they could use to buy skills. Poro had acquired Weapon Mastering, as he had been instructed.
It allowed him to learn movements without the aid of an instructor. By swinging swords and thrusting with spears, he slowly learned how to use them.
As a farmer, he had never wielded more than hoes and knives. But like this, he could match a veteran swordsman in just a few days.
After finishing his hundredth swing, the jingle rang in his ears. He saw that he had reached Level 10, and he sighed with relief.
“Progress is becoming slower…”
The more you rose, the more points were required to reach the next level.
Eventually, this kind of training would not be enough.
‘Ten minutes before the lecture begins. Gather in the lecture hall.’
The notification appeared.
The lectures were boring, but you still gained experience from them. More importantly, they contained valuable information about the military.
Would he have to sit with that woman again?
Poro wondered as he wiped away the sweat and headed for the lecture hall.
Thank you for the chapters.