17 -13 Squad (6)
The enemy was not concentrated in one place. That was something that only rookies would do.
Expanding the angle as much as possible is a basic strategy in a fire battle. Therefore, the area where our allies poured bullets into the enemy was very wide.
Allied gunfire rushing behind the shield. Some of it pierced the shield and stuck to the ground.
“…Guh!”
No matter how keen your senses are, they’re useless against an endless stream of bullets. I lay flat on my stomach, waiting for our allies to finish firing.
Can we subdue all enemies with this shooting?
..It’s not likely. As expected, when the barrage of allied gunfire ended, the command was shouted again.
“Charge baaack!!!!”
Forcibly attacking to eliminate the enemy.
My necklace shone. I tightly gripped the shield with a hole in it. Then, I took a deep breath and…
—I ran straight towards them.
“aaahhhhh!!!”
“Diee-e-e-e-e!!!”
“Shiiiiibaaall!!!”
Hundreds of soldiers lined up, their footsteps in sync, letting out mixed screams. Among them, I was one.
One among the crowd.
Nothing special.
Gunfire erupted once again. Unlike before, the sound diminished. In that sound, I saw the barrel aimed at me.
I immediately threw my shield. The bullet soared into the sky, deflected by the shield flying forcefully yet again. Fingers reaching for the trigger also flew into the air.
“Screaaam!!!!”
Human screams. Before it ceased, another barrel was pointed at me.
I swiftly moved to the side. Autumn leaves brushing against my feet. The fleeting light of a flare grazed the blade of the knife extracted from my waist.
Calculating the trajectory.
Straying from a straight line.
Tu-dadadadada!!!!
The gunshots were only directed at me. It seemed like they hit, and hit properly.
Passing through the trees. Turning not in a straight line but a curve. Feet running downhill along a ridge.
“What the fuuuck?! How can you be so fast?!”
Human curses could be heard. For a moment, the gunfire stopped. The sound of changing magazines faintly reached my ears.
Now.
I immediately changed direction. Sliding as if on a sled, descending directly down the slope. Helping myself by grabbing onto the rock in front of me.
For an instant, my body floated in mid-air. The back of a soldier’s head wearing a helmet came into view.
And…
The seam between the neck and the body armor.
Bright white flesh caught my eye.
Thump!
There was no scream. Instead, a creaking sound emanated from the twist in the wrist. There was no time to appreciate such things.
From Noble mtl dot com
“This, this f*ck?!?”
“That crazy bastard!”
I quickly hid my body behind other soldiers who had drawn their weapons. Using the soldier with a pierced throat as a shield, I crouched lower.
A pistol was holstered. I extended my hand. I intended to grab it and shoot them.
But before that, Avakusa’s voice resounded.
“f*ckerr!! Don’t kill him!! The neck will fly!!”
In the enraged tone, the shield thrown flew straight into one soldier’s head. Powerful enough to cause a concussion.
Quang!
The human soldier crashed heavily onto the ground. Clutching his head, he rolled over. With urgency, the last one swiftly turned the barrel of his gun.
Gunshot reverberated and spread. Short flames erupted from the pistol he pulled out.
However, it narrowly missed Avakusa’s side.
“Cut him up!!!”
Not with a knife, but with bare hands.
His writhing muscles clashed with the soldier, his helmet crushing him. Blood splattered out from beneath the bulletproof helmet.
Avakusa’s snorting breath expelled as he tossed the corpse aside. He immediately cleared the body that had landed on top of him.
“Don’t grab the gun. You little sh*t. You can get caught in a trap.”
“…What the hell are you talking about?”
“It’s true. Elves are all tough, and Elliot Moot is the toughest among them. It’s better not to get into any controversial activity in front of him.”
An armored elf passed by beside him. For a moment, it felt like their helmets and gazes met.
“Look. He’s watching.”
“…Crazy bastard.”
An expletive burst out. Stealing someone else’s gun on the battlefield is not allowed, apparently.
What kind of soldier is this?
“We are an army of criminals. Don’t forget that we are a Punishment Legion.”
“…Tsk.”
Avakusa slumped down dejectedly. Human screams began to be heard. Once the frontline advanced, the Punishment Legion started pursuing the retreating crowd.
“Turn aroooouuund!!!!”
At the sound of the shout once again, my pendant flickered. I drew out the sword stuck in the neck of the human soldier.
The helmet rolled off. I faced the empty eyes of the lifeless body.
…I felt no special emotion.
Just the thought that I killed to survive.
Perhaps it’s because I’m accustomed to simulations. Or maybe it’s because my life has become the most precious thing.
“You’re not nervous, I guess. You little sh*t.”
“…No, I’m not.”
To be eaten or to eat.
That’s what war is, I suppose. I gently closed the empty eyes of the lifeless body.
The pendant started flickering once more. I put the knife back into my waistband.
“Hand over the shield.”
“It’s mine. You bastard. Either use that torn one over there or grab one from a corpse. You owe your life to me, you bastard.”
“Tsk.”
He picked up any of the discarded shields and immediately started moving his feet.
I ran alongside the soldiers. The reason was simple.
—To survive.
…
“Elliott Moot.”
“Yes.”
At the commander’s call, 13th Platoon leader Elliott Moot looked up.
The battalion commander handed him a drink. He glanced up at the newly reclaimed forward base.
As if trying to scare, the soldiers had already fled from the forward base at high speed.
The enemy’s casualty count was twelve.
Compared to that, more than fifty had died on our side.
Elliott Moot casually touched the traces of bullet marks engraved on his armor.
Indeed, humans.
The more they fought, the more mismatched the results became.
“It was an impressive performance. Single-handedly tearing apart five human soldiers.”
“…I just repaid the trust. Most of it was thanks to the armor you provided, sir.”
“Well, I don’t think so. Even though clothes seem important at first glance, what use are they if you can’t wear them properly? It’s because you’re capable of handling that armor that it’s useful. If it were someone else, it would undoubtedly be useless.”
“…”
Elliott Moot didn’t respond. He simply bowed his head slightly, expressing gratitude.
Become stronger and rise higher.
To be of help to the battalion commander, like my father.
“I’ll reward you separately later. Thanks to you, the 4th Platoon is running smoothly.”
“…Thank you.”
“And one last thing.”
The battalion commander, Vesmoph Ritten, raised an eyebrow. His face was filled with curiosity.
Elliot Moot’s expression was unfamiliar.
“Among your squad members, were there three particularly useful individuals?”
“…Yes?”
“There was one guy who jumped into enemy territory first. He was a young lad. Wasn’t he one of the dragonkin I mentioned before? He had excellent skills. He single-handedly destroyed four enemies with just a shield and a sword.”
Four enemies.
One less than himself.
“Ah, Abakusara, that was his name. Didn’t he defeat three enemies as well? Although he didn’t hand over a gun… impressive achievements. Is he another one of the lieutenant’s subordinates?”
Clearly, it was praise. However, for some reason, Elliot Moot couldn’t accept praise as praise.
“Benzence, yes, that was his name. He was excellent at knife fighting. He evaded the gun in front of his eyes and won close-quarters battles against human infantry. He defeated more than ten members from the 13th Division…”
An inexplicable discomfort.
Elliot Moot asked tentatively.
“How about me?”
“You were outstanding. Truly a real soldier.”
With those words, Elliot Moot managed to calm his rapidly rising emotions.
…But still, there was a lingering uneasiness.
Abakusara. Benzence.
…And Drakan.
He briefly pondered on those names. No, don’t mind them. After all, they were just criminals serving mandatory military service.
They were walking a different path than his own. They will either die here or become free men in a few years.
“I will try harder.”
Elliot Moot folded his emotions away. He didn’t need to worry about them.
They were just fleeting emotions, anyways.
…Move forward as if nothing happened. Just do better.
…
I returned to the barracks. My body was exhausted. Crossing the threshold of life and death felt like aging my entire body.
Even Abakusama, a physical monster, skipped today’s exercise. After a simple dinner, I collapsed onto my bed.
“At least things will be quiet for a while.”
I sat up on the bed.
The human soldiers. All they did was threaten the resistance and run away.
The question of why lingered in my mind. What were they aiming for with these small-scale attack operations?
I asked Abakusa for information, but he just snorted.
“If I knew that, would I still be here?”
Well, that’s true.
After the war ended, we were rewarded separately. It was a direct reward from the Battalion Commander Besmof Litton.
We received a prize in front of everyone. As representatives of the excellent record of the 13th Squad, we were given 100 silver.
“Do it like now.”
It was a lot of money for our lives. I shook my pockets lightly.
100 silver.
Only four of us survived. Nearly half of the men who were laughing and joking were killed.
Among the dead was a guy who followed Abakusa around calling him “Hyung-nim.” But Abakusa didn’t care.
“He was a two-faced bastard. Those guys are plentiful. People who stick to the strong and try to do anything for them.”
“Weren’t you close?”
“We were close. He was a subordinate.”
He spoke in a gruff voice as if he were used to this situation. I divided the silver into exact quarters.
As I handed over 25 silver pieces, Abakusa glared at me.
“What kind of tricks are you playing now, you little sh*t?”
“I’ll divide what I received fairly. If you don’t like it, take it.”
“I never liked the way you do things!”
Abakusa laughed, and I shared it with the other two. Edan, the bald one, was the most grateful.
“25 silvers can buy five cakes! Thank you! Drakan!”
Doesn’t this guy only have s*x on his mind?
Benzens also thanked me lightly. It could be said to be a good thing, but it was just an act to gain favor.
Through this war, I realized that the more comrades I had, the higher the chance of survival.
I needed people like Abakusa to support me. If we were in the same squad, we would have to be together, and if I treated them well, I would easily gain their favor.
I saved the remaining 25 silver. This would be the war fund to use when I got out of here.
Time passed quickly even after the ambush. We repeated labor and rest as if nothing had happened.
Two reinforcement troops came in, but one went to the infirmary while working, and the other was transferred to another unit. He was caught stealing Abakusa’s money.
It was a place where criminals lurked. I became more familiar with it and trained myself regularly.
There was only one thing I could rely on, as Avacusa said, and that was my own body. Fortunately, the weapon I had was of the highest quality, so I just needed to train with it.
And then, suddenly.
Elliott Mutt brought some good news.
“Starting today, firearms will be issued to the entire punitive force.”
It had been three months since I arrived here.
I was reunited with firearms once again.