27
Count Teran asked Minhyuk.
“Where on earth can you get a large quantity of rare metal weapons and high-level potions?”
“That’s my business. You just need to pay for it.”
Minhyuk’s answer could have easily offended the listener.
However, flattery poured out of the mouths of the nobles sitting around him.
“To have secured the purchasing channels for such rare items, I am impressed by your ability, Commander!”
“You are definitely different from an ignorant person like me!”
Someone even had tears in their eyes.
“The commander’s intention to provide good equipment and potions to the soldiers is a heart that can only come from someone who thinks of the people as his own children! I am truly touched!”
Even those sitting far away shouted out loud to get Minhyuk’s attention.
“Now I understand why His Majesty the Emperor favors the Commander!”
Minhyuk, who had never received such treatment in his life, laughed inwardly.
It wasn’t that the people in front of him were funny, but the world that had created them was funny.
When he was Choi Minhyuk, a factory worker living in a Gosiwon, the world didn’t treat him like this.
‘I could get addicted to this.’
Minhyuk finished his meal amidst the flattery of the nobles, which was so sweet that it was almost sickening, and then moved back to the civil war conference room.
The nobles who had been dining near Minhyuk earlier stood around him as if they had formed a force centered around him.
Count Teran whispered to Minhyuk.
“If you would grace the Blue Rose gathering tomorrow morning with your presence, it would be an honor for all the members of our family. Let’s talk about the sponsorship in more detail then.”
.
.
.
The meeting of the ministers ended late at night.
Minhyuk gave Drake a few orders.
“There’s something I need you to do by tomorrow evening.”
“Anything you say, Commander!”
General Drake addressed Minhyuk with respect.
He was his teacher during swordsmanship lessons, but within the expeditionary force organization, Minhyuk was his superior.
“I need you to select 4,000 troops from the expeditionary force. I know time is of the essence.”
“Don’t worry, preparations have already been made to some extent. I’ll select the most capable soldiers in Asdel.”
Minhyuk instructed the general to arm the 4,000 troops who would be deployed to the expeditionary force and have them assembled at the southern gate by tomorrow evening.
“Also, have all the potions in the military’s possession moved to the southern gate.”
“Understood.”
General Drake had a rough idea of what Minhyuk was planning to do.
It was clear that he intended to give the soldiers intensive field training outside the territory of Kaho.
“If I may ask, if we use up too many potions during training, we may run out during the expedition. The military’s supplies aren’t exactly abundant, and given the time constraints, there’s a limit to how many we can have the alchemists produce.”
“Don’t worry about that. We’ll have more than enough potions prepared before the expedition departs.”
***
The following evening,
4,000 soldiers were assembled at the southern gate.
They stood in formation, awaiting inspection by the commander, not making a sound.
Creak-
Only the faint sound of crickets could be heard from the direction of the swamp.
Among the soldiers gathered there was a man named Hans, who was twenty years old this year.
He had cleaned sewers from a young age to feed his family in place of his deceased father.
And as soon as he turned 18, the age at which he could enlist in the military, he became a soldier in the Asdel Empire.
He had been in the guard for two years.
He had performed well in the training assessments conducted every six months, and as a result, he was selected for this expeditionary force.
He saw this as a golden opportunity to rise through the ranks.
If he distinguished himself on the expedition and rose quickly in rank, his salary alone would be enough to feed his family.
‘But what kind of person is the commander?’
When he had first heard the rumors about Minhyuk, he had thought he was some kind of gigolo who had seduced the princess and turned his life around.
But his curiosity about the commander grew.
Hans discreetly glanced sideways at the crates of potions stacked up like a mountain.
It was obvious why the commander had gathered the soldiers with the potions at the boundary of Kaho’s territory.
It was clear that once the inspection was over, he intended to send the soldiers into the danger zone for field training.
Thump-thump
His heart pounded.
It was the pounding of excitement, not fear.
He was an imperial soldier in name, but he had never been outside the territory of Kaho.
All he had ever done was engage in boring training, striking straw dummies with wooden swords.
But he had worked hard.
He had always believed that his time would come.
However, today the opportunity has finally arrived.
Dong-
Dongdong-
The war drum sounded.
It was the sound of the drum that announced the commander’s arrival.
***
Minhyuk’s carriage arrived at the southern gate.
During the day, he met with the nobles and collected donations.
Not only the Blue Rose, but also all of Asdel’s influential noble gatherings came to collect money.
Inside the carriage were several boxes filled with 10,000-krone gold coins.
‘I have secured enough money, so now I need to buy time.’
The soldiers gathered in front of the city gate caught Minhyuk’s eye.
In Minhyuk’s hand was the military sword he had received from the emperor.
＜You have been awarded the position of commander of the expeditionary force by the emperor.＞
＜You will have 4,000 troops under your command, led by General Drake.＞
＜If your troops are successful in hunting, your return time will be credited.＞
General Drake greeted Minhyuk.
“I have prepared everything as you instructed.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
The inspection began immediately.
Minhyuk looked closely at the soldiers’ equipment.
All of them wore ordinary cowhide armor with steel plates.
The weapons were also ordinary steel.
Minhyuk knew this well from using the steel dagger.
If you swing it a few dozen times against a swamp viper, the blade will be ruined and unusable.
‘The better the equipment, the higher the combat effectiveness.’
Minhyuk looked at the stacked potion bottles and asked General Drake.
“How many bottles of green and pink potions do you have?”
The quartermaster standing next to the general answered Minhyuk’s question.
“8,000 bottles of green low-grade potion, and 4,000 bottles of pink low-grade potion!”
Since there were 4,000 soldiers, each could be given 2 bottles of green potion and 1 bottle of pink potion.
Minhyuk climbed onto the city wall.
Then all the soldiers looked down at him.
The soldiers could also see Minhyuk properly.
Fiery red hair and a muscular build.
It was much different than what they had imagined.
Minhyuk opened his mouth to the soldiers.
“The reason I have gathered you all here tonight is to select a special forces unit!”
Su-gun, su-gun-
The soldiers, who had been silent, roared.
“You’re selecting a special forces unit?”
“We can become part of the special forces, too?”
Everyone had thought that the special forces positions would be filled by the children of nobles.
That’s because members of the special forces, who would be entrusted with the most important missions, could receive a huge reward if the expedition was successful.
If a commoner was chosen for the special forces and distinguished themselves, they could not only rise in rank but also receive a noble title.
The soldiers were excited at the chance to turn their lives around.
Shhh-
The soldiers’ clamor died down as the officers cracked down on them.
Then Minhyuk continued speaking.
“Regardless of rank or position, the top 200 performers in tonight’s training will be selected for the special forces. That is all!”
Training began immediately.
Every soldier was given two green potions and one pink potion per person.
The soldiers were divided into dozens of teams and received instructions on the training from the officers assigned to each team.
“You will enter the swamp and hunt basilisks. It’s up to you whether you hunt alone or in groups of three or four. Don’t forget. This evaluation is to assess your individual abilities. Kill the basilisks and collect their heads. The 200 people who collect the most heads will be selected for the special forces!”
And then he said the most important thing.
“If you are bitten by a basilisk and use up one green potion, leave the swamp immediately! The commander has ordered us to finish off anyone who uses up both green potions!”
The soldiers understood why Minhyuk had set that rule.
It was to protect their lives.
If you used one potion and left the swamp immediately, you had a chance of surviving even if you were bitten by a basilisk again.
However, if you were bitten by a snake after using up both potions, you would lose your life without even making it to the expedition.
“Any questions?”
“No!”
“Let’s begin now!”
Rumble-
The soldiers exited the shelter’s perimeter.
And they stood before the swamp.
Some hesitated, while others swallowed the pink potion that allowed them to see in the dark and boldly entered the swamp.
Some went in alone, while others went in with their backs to each other in groups of three or four.
Clang-
Clang-clang-
The soldiers who had entered earlier began to swing their swords.
The basilisks had appeared.
When Minhyuk hunted in the swamp alone, dozens of snakes would attack him from all sides.
However, the swamp was now teeming with soldiers.
Even if the snakes attacked someone simultaneously, they would only be able to attack with two or three at a time.
The soldiers could handle that much with ease.
After all, they were 4,000 of the most capable people chosen from the entire Asdel army.
Clang-
Clang-clang-
The soldiers’ swords sliced through the necks of the basilisks.
From Noble mtl dot com
Minhyuk looked down from the top of the castle gate.
Messages began to pop up before his eyes.
＜Your soldier has defeated a swamp viper.＞
＜20 seconds of return time has been earned as a reward.＞
＜Your soldier has defeated a swamp viper.＞
＜20 seconds of return time has been earned as a reward.＞
＜Your soldier has defeated a swamp viper.＞
＜20 seconds of return time has been earned as a reward.＞
.
.
.
＜Return time in possession: 3 hours, 13 minutes, 40 seconds.＞
20 seconds were earned per snake during the night.
As 4,000 men entered the swamp and killed hundreds of vipers, the return time in his possession swelled to 3 hours in the blink of an eye.
Splash, splash-
As the snakes nearby began to dry up, the soldiers began to move clockwise toward the west gate.
In the process, they killed all the snakes that pounced on them.
As the effect of the pink potion wore off, the soldiers raised their torches.
And brandished their swords with their other hand.
Those bitten by the snakes immediately drank the green potion and escaped the swamp.
Those with excellent martial arts continued to hunt without being bitten by the snakes.
Swish-
Swish, swish-
The soldiers’ training continued until just before dawn.
After the training was over, the vipers around the castle were nowhere to be seen.
＜Return time in possession: 16 hours, 10 minutes, 20 seconds.＞
Minhyuk’s return time had been earned for over 10 hours.
It was currently 8 pm on Saturday in the real world.
He had secured enough return time to stay until noon on Sunday.
Until now, he had been frustrated because of the lack of return time, but now he felt like he could finally breathe.
‘Finally, I can get away from Saturday.’
General Drake brought a soldier before Minhyuk.
“This is the soldier who came in first place in this training. His name is Hans.”
Hans had caught 17 vipers.
Minhyuk looked at his sword.
Even though he had only hunted 17 vipers, the blade was completely ruined.
“If you had a good sword, you could have caught more.”
At Minhyuk’s question, Hans shouted with a snap of military discipline.
“Yes! That’s right!”