Ahn Sungho approached the back where the officers and the zombie squad were located. Then, he spoke in the loudest voice he had ever used.
“Each squad will select one trainee! We will repeat unlimited PT exercises, and the squad of the trainee who lasts the longest will be allowed to rest first!”
‘Heheh! As expected of our Sergeant Major!’
There was no one as physically capable as Ahn Sungho.
Ahn Sungho had realized that if things continued this way, Squad 5 would lose their future prospects. It wasn’t that he was specifically favoring Squad 5, but he thought they deserved a chance in the afternoon as well.
“Ow! Instructor! Do we really have to do this?”
The platoon leader with short legs and the resulting bulky pants was distinctive.
The leader of Platoon 6 expressed the officers’ reluctance on their behalf.
“Only one person needs to do it. I’ve arranged this deliberately to show the trainees the strength of the officers.”
“Oh? Really?”
“The trainees have already exhausted all their stamina. Just show a disciplined form for 3 minutes, and the officers’ prestige will rise. This is my advice.”
“Wow! The star of the battalion, as expected?! The plan is no joke!”
The officers, including the leader of Platoon 6, smirked cynically.
Defeating the exhausted trainees wouldn’t be much of a problem.
Winning was a given, and the important thing was to show that they, too, had put in the effort along with them.
“Let’s go! Leader of Platoon 6!”
“Show off the leg muscles you’ve trained so hard!”
“Haha! Officers! I’ll be back!”
Platoon 6’s leader and Park Jinsung lined up in front of the platform, albeit belatedly.
Click, click, click.
Ten representatives of the trainees and one officer representative.
The rest of the trainees got the opportunity to sit upright and watch a show that wasn’t quite a show.
‘Huh? The aces from each room are missing?’
Upon closer inspection, the aces of each squad were absent.
Byun Kiyoung was preparing for the afternoon test, and Kim Seyun gave up participating to support Park Jinsung a bit more.
‘Good. This is an opportunity. I need to slow down the pace as much as possible to buy Squad 5 some rest time….’
“The rule is simple. The first trainee to complete the movement will have the chance to choose the next movement. If you can’t follow the movement, you’re out. The last one standing wins.”
Park Jinsung’s plan to slow down the pace flew out the window. The reason was the grin on Platoon 6’s leader, who still had plenty of stamina.
‘Maybe I need to change my approach.’
“Even if the accuracy of the movement is poor, you’ll be eliminated. Regarding accuracy, I will make the judgment arbitrarily. Any questions?”
“No!!”
The eleven representatives shouted their orders with discipline.
“If there are no questions, we’ll start immediately. The first move is… Hmm! Full body twist, prepare!”
Ahn Sungho announced a movement of the highest difficulty to start with.
The already exhausted representatives awkwardly lay on the ground.
“Four times! Begin!”
“Haha! In this state, we could even eat rice cakes!”
The unusually short legs of the leader of the sixth platoon moved the fastest left and right.
Eventually, the leader of the 6th Platoon, having finished twisting his entire body first, immediately directed the next action.
“Ha-ha! Number 1! Jump high twice!”
Knowing the next action was an absolute advantage under the rules.
Even more, limiting the number of times increased the probability of proposing the next action.
Even more on top of that.
Twisting the entire body was an action done lying down, and jumping high required standing up. Naturally, there would be a speed difference due to the large gap between the preparation poses.
Even more on top of that.
The leader of the 6th Platoon was so full of energy it was bursting.
“Argh!”
“My, my legs!”
Just the flow from twisting the entire body to jumping high made half of the representatives drop out.
“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”
The leader of the 6th Platoon had plenty of leisure to enjoy a hearty laugh. It was okay to just enjoy imagining how to end it, whether like this or like that.
It was bound to be.
“Number 11! Squat jump 4 times!”
“Ha-ha-ha… Huh? What?!”
Unexpectedly, the next action was suggested by someone beside the leader of the 6th Platoon.
Whisk, whisk, whisk, whisk!
It was an unbelievable speed.
In the very moment the leader of the 6th Platoon was enjoying his hearty laughter, Park Jinsung had finished performing the high jump.
For the leader of the 6th Platoon, experiencing Park Jinsung for the first time, it was truly unheard-of, non-standard hardware.
“Hehe. Number 9! Squat jump 4 times!”
“Wait, hold on! Hey!”
Park Jinsung performed the next action without even giving the leader of the 6th Platoon time to tackle. It was as if a PT exercise video had been fast-forwarded several times.
“Ugh.”
“I can’t, I can’t do anymore…”
All the remaining representatives ended up slumping down on the spot. Still, only the leader of the 6th Platoon, who had been full of energy, managed to forcibly keep up.
“Yap. Number 4! Squat and stretch 4 times!”
“Already?!”
“Number 1! Jump high twice!”
“Ah, hey! Park Jinsung!!”
The scene repeated with Park Jinsung leading and the leader of the 6th Platoon clinging on.
Like the last two contenders for the Golden Bell Challenge.
“Number 11! Squat jump once!”
“Number 11, number 9, number 4, number 1… Could it be, this routine!”
The leader of the 6th Platoon caught on to the devil’s routine and his eyes flipped in surprise.
“Number 9! Squat and spin in the air once!”
“Just a moment, just a moment, just a moment!”
“Number 4!”
“Ugh.”
“Number 1!”
“Ughhhhhhh…!”
The leader of the 6th Platoon’s short legs noticeably slowed down.
Park Jinsung, who had merely turned his head slightly to the side, pronounced in a barely audible voice.
“Heh-heh. Going for the last one…?”
“What, what?!”
“Number 11 number 9 number 4 number 1! Number 11 number 9 number 4 number 1! Number 11 number 9 number 4 number 1!!”
“Ughhhhhhh!”
“Number 11 number 9 number 4 number 1! Number 11 number 9 number 4 number 1! Number 11 number 9 number 4 number 1! Number 11 number 9 number 4 number 1!!”
The torment that would even make Mobius weep was perfectly executed by Park Jinsung’s body.
“Gah, gak.”
Eventually, failing to control his breathing, the leader of the 6th Platoon hit his head on the ground. Park Jinsung’s victory was confirmed in the gasping for oxygen like mad.
‘Crazy guy….’
Ju Ye barely managed to keep her chin from dropping endlessly.
It was a physical condition so terrible it could be mistaken for an Edeya. Still, it was probably lower than Ahn Sungho, but this guy was also not at the level of an ordinary high school student.
Ju Ye then remembered the incident that occurred during their first meeting with Park Jinsung.
‘Could it be even then.’
The battle between the strongest lineup of the 3rd Company 1st Platoon 1st Squad and the nobodies of the 2nd Company 10th Platoon 3rd Squad.
The moment Park Jinsung was about to pounce on Ahn Sungho, Ju Ye inadvertently imagined a terrible scenario.
The reason was unknown to her.
Ju Ye ordered the squad to pounce on Park Jinsung, and the strongest squad in the battalion was defeated ridiculously due to failing to manage the timing.
‘No. No matter what, it’s not just the physique.’
It still didn’t make sense to her.
Right after pouncing on Park Jinsung, the bracelets made by the medic and Ju Ye’s Edeya were destroyed.
Who could have broken them?
‘It was strange…’
Encouraged by Ahn Sungho’s reaction, she even thought maybe Park Jinsung had done it.
However, since Park Jinsung’s actions thereafter were minimal, she quickly forgot about the incident.
‘Anyway, it seems his stamina is on par with Ahn Sungho.’
Ju Ye nodded as she watched Park Jinsung move along with the zombie squad.
“Captain… ugh, th-thank you….”
“Quickly go and eat. You need to eat fast and rest quickly.”
They somehow made it to lunchtime.
Thanks to Ahn Sungho’s instructions, the zombie squad was the first to eat. Park Jinsung diligently nagged their meals like a mother bird for the regeneration of the zombie squad.
Shivering!
“Ugh.”
“I need to eat.”
The zombie squad members lacked even the strength to hold their spoons. Their hands trembled as if with Parkinson’s, leaving splatters of soup all over the tables where the zombie squad sat.
It was hard to tell if they were even eating, looking nothing like the lively beings they were supposed to be, but rather like outdated, lifeless zombies.
Had the school nurse seen this scene, she would have cried and exempted the zombie squad from training.
“Captain…”
“Ugh. Because of us, the captain’s stamina…”
“Don’t talk, everyone. Just lie down and sleep now. Don’t think about what comes next.”
There was just over an hour left until the afternoon training.
For the first time, Park Jinsung laid down to rest during the break.
“Sigh.”
A heavy and deep sense of fatigue slowly but surely enveloped Park Jinsung’s entire body.
The recent fierce battle with the leader of the 6th Platoon had been effective.
The leader of the 6th Platoon was unexpectedly good at keeping up, forcing Park Jinsung to apply the Ahn Sungho style of leg destruction.
“It’s a bit hard.”
From the first guerrilla march, carrying a military pack of 80 kilograms front and back, holding sleeping bags in both hands for mountain marches.
From the first day until now, always trained individually during breaks.
Never missing PT exercises, always performing them in the correct posture.
Completing morning jogs and obstacle courses in the shortest period possible.
“Hooo.”
Park Jinsung had subjected himself to more than just hard labor.
It was not just natural to be tired; it would have been more natural to just collapse.
“If only.”
If only… there hadn’t been the battle with the giant bug…
If he had been able to properly recover his stamina on the evening of the third day, as planned!
“Hooo.”
Things had gotten a bit out of hand.
Park Jinsung raised his left arm as if to grab the fluorescent light attached to the ceiling.
Shivering!
His left arm trembled slightly, no different from the symptoms of the other zombie squad members.
* * *
Until now, the north had the barracks, the east the obstacle course, and the west the Edeya scoring rocks.
What then remained to the south?
Beside the road leading to the hellish mountain march was a small building.
Though small compared to the barracks or other training grounds, it was by no means a shabby place.
Ahn Sungho opened the entrance, large enough to be called a gate.
“As of the current time, we will begin the final training.”
“Aaaaaaaah!!”
Apart from its high ceiling, the structure had no distinctive features.
Just when some might have mistaken they had to perform a sword dance here, the floor shimmered with light reflected off it.
A pool was inexplicably set in the vast space, chilly enough for breezes to wander through. Still, it wasn’t so small that 367 people couldn’t squeeze into it.
“Hmm. It’s incredibly shallow.”
Yet, its depth was akin to that of a children’s pool. Even the shortest person wouldn’t find it reaching beyond their chest.
“This training carries the highest score. Those with low scores might be able to turn the tables with this training.”
Ahn Sungho moved to the front of the pool and adjusted his combat hat.
The word RANGER emblazoned boldly on his back couldn’t have looked cooler.
That sturdy back alone made the otherwise unbelievable schedule seem acceptable.
Current time: 02:00 PM.
After checking the time, Ahn Sungho took a short breath and turned back towards the trainees.
“Let me explain the rules. First off.”
“Ho-ho! From here, let our battalion commander do the explaining.”
A voice, oily as if slicked with grease, reverberated off the building’s ceiling.
“You’ve worked hard, Instructor Ahn Sungho.”
The highest-ranking officer of the Haeun High Special Training Battalion made a belated appearance at the training ground.
“Salute!”
“Ho-ho. What need for salutes among us? It’s fine, instructor.”
“…Yes, sir.”
“Attention, everyone!”
The principal, emerging from the entrance, unnecessarily rotated the trainees towards him, naturally bringing the zombie squad from the back to the front row.
‘Huh. They’re exhausted, just like the disgrace of our battalion.’
The principal, ignorant of the reason behind the zombie squad’s exhaustion, couldn’t care less.
‘Ho-ho. To think all these are my subordinates!’
The principal stood with his hands behind his back, trying to look dignified, but only his protruding belly, straining against the belt, suffered.
“Hem-hem? As of now, I, the battalion commander, will disseminate the rules of this training. The pool you see in front of you is an artificial pond created for trench warfare. All 367 of you will be thrown in, and scoring will be based on the order in which you’re pushed out.”
Whispers spread among the trainees.
Normally, fights would be organized by room or adjusted by number to be fair.
Simply being pushed out by the crowd could hardly lead to a satisfactory score.
“Silence! This isn’t just any trench warfare. It’s a combat simulation incorporating the use or absence of Edeya. The timing for using and withdrawing Edeya will be directly controlled by me, the battalion commander.”
The principal’s supplementary explanation only added to the confusion.
It was clearly a system unrelated to scoring.
It was a rule that unilaterally favored certain special Edeyas. It could not be considered a fair test.
“Ho-ho-ho. Boys, if it gets too much, just drop out, okay?”
That such a fight was the highest-scoring training during the guerrilla phase.
It completely disregarded the efforts of the instructors and drill sergeants who had been diligently training the trainees.
Park Jinsung and the principal’s eyes met at the very front.
“It’s normal to filter out the trash right away.”
“Ha-ha-ha…”
Park Jinsung’s face darkened as if it would rot on the spot.
He discreetly surveyed Ahn Sungho and the instructors.
Click.
Really, truly, as expected.
The training content was different from what had been originally planned.
The principal, who had been sulking at Park Jinsung, had arbitrarily changed the rules.
“The battalion commander will lead! Everyone, align!!”
The principal had personally made the effort, with his portly belly in tow, specifically to submerge Park Jinsung and Squad 5.
Leave a Reply