Future Knight

Chapter 78

The conscripts’ eyes, gazing at the corpses, held no trace of hope.

Their minds were filled with the despairing thought that they would soon end up the same way.

No matter how much one might accept death as a part of life, the thought of ending up like that was terrifying.

Soon, they saw a makeshift barricade and numerous tattered tents atop the hill.

They had finally reached their destination.

However, it was a place one could hardly believe was meant for soldiers.

It looked like a refugee camp.

“Is this really a military unit?”

Although he had some inkling from the ragged weapons and armor handed to them, this was beyond his expectations.

This unit, stationed within arm’s reach of the Green Elves, was a forsaken one without even a name.

They were the ones abandoned before the enemies’ swords and arrows.

In battle, they were the first to be thrown into the fray to create chaos.

Their role was to disrupt the enemy formation with their lives on the line, paving the way for the heavily armed regular soldiers and knights to sweep the enemies away.

This tactic was extremely inhumane, but it was very effective.

In the absence of battle, they served as human barricades.

Stationed between the enemy front and the main camp, they delayed the enemy’s advance with their bodies.

The soldier leading the conscripts handed them over to the soldiers guarding the place.

From today, Kang Chan belonged to this place, and his revenge had already begun.

“I’ve finally come here. Jaina, are you watching?”

Kang Chan looked up at the sky, picturing the face of the beloved Jaina.

“Until those bastards are all dead, I will never stop. Never…”

Breathing in the suffocatingly heavy air of the battlefield deeply into his chest, Kang Chan resolved once more.

While Kang Chan was steeling himself, the senior soldiers who received the new recruits roughly shoved them into the designated barracks.

“Get into the barracks, quickly! Can’t you move faster, you lazy bastards?”

Kang Chan, pushed along with Loki, entered the tent that was hardly worthy of being called a barrack.

Inside, emaciated conscripts awaited the new arrivals.

Their gaunt appearance made it clear they hadn’t had a proper meal.

“So, these are the serfs conscripted by force?”

Kang Chan met the eyes of those who seemed devoid of any hope.

To Kang Chan, they looked more like war refugees than soldiers.

“Wow, how long has it been since we got new recruits?”

“Wow, they’re both damn pretty!”

Whistles and cheers erupted from all sides.

In a place where women were nowhere to be found, it was only natural that two new recruits as handsome and fresh-faced as them would excite everyone.

After all, it is said that as long as a man has the strength to lift a spoon, he will have such thoughts.

Emaciated and dried up, they approached Kang Chan and Loki with lecherous eyes.

Kang Chan sighed inwardly at the sight of them.

He foresaw a situation where he would have to engage in a brawl even if he didn’t want to.

“Sigh… It seems there are always guys like this in the military.”

As Kang Chan sighed inwardly, a man who seemed to be the leader approached Loki and asked.

“Hey, are you really a man?”

“I’m a man.”

“Really? I can’t believe it. I need to check myself.”

As the man’s lecherous hand reached for Loki’s private parts, Kang Chan grabbed his wrist.

The man glared at Kang Chan, who held his wrist, and scowled.

“Oh? What’s this? Let go of my hand.”

Kang Chan stared at him silently.

“Do you know who I am?”

“Who are you?”

“He is Fibro, the highest-ranking senior in this barrack.”

“So what?”

“Wow, this guy needs a beating to come to his senses?”

Fibro swung a punch at Kang Chan’s face.

Despite his emaciated frame, the punch was surprisingly powerful.

However, Kang Chan easily caught his punch and, holding both of Fibro’s hands, attempted a headbutt.

“Yaaaah!”

But the headbutt that Fibro believed would knock the arrogant recruit unconscious was stopped by the recruit’s knee striking his solar plexus.

“Ughhh!”

Kang Chan leaned in close to the agonizing Fibro and spoke in a low tone.
“If you keep bothering me, I’ll beat your belly until you crap yourself.”

“Gasp!”

Fibro felt terrified by Kang Chan’s words and stepped back.

‘I’ve been through countless life-and-death situations, always close to death itself, yet I feel fear from just his killing intent…’

He was flustered.

‘What, what is this guy? Why are my legs shaking?’

His already thin legs trembled, making him look even more pitiful.

When Kang Chan, looking annoyed, roughly shoved Fibro, the frail man flew five meters and crashed among his comrades.

Thud!

“Kehek!”

Dozens of soldiers stared at Kang Chan, their jaws practically dropping.

Kang Chan, who had effortlessly sent Fibro flying, asked a soldier who was staring blankly at him from the side.

“Where are our spots?”

“Oh, yes? Ah, yes! This way!”

Born as a serf’s child and having lived a life no different from that of a slave, he instinctively knew how to deal with the strong.

“This spot is the best.”

To Kang Chan, all places looked the same, but he didn’t bother to nitpick.

“Thanks.”

Kang Chan threw his belongings down carelessly at the spot he was guided to and lay down on the bed.

Seeing him, Loki followed suit, throwing his stuff around and lying down on his bed just like Kang Chan.

The veteran soldiers, unable to say anything, just watched them blankly, fidgeting.

Kang Chan and Loki leisurely enjoyed an afternoon nap.

While the new recruits in other tents were subjected to all kinds of harsh treatment from the veteran soldiers.

Evening came.

Loki, who had been starving all day, got excited at the mention of food.

However, dinner was just a rock-hard piece of rye bread and a watery cabbage soup.

The bread was so hard that it was embarrassing to even call it bread.

The sound it made when it hit the serving tray was like stones clashing.

Moreover, the cabbage soup was just boiled cabbage in salty water.

It was merely for replenishing salt and softening the inedible rye bread.

Loki asked the soldier serving the food while holding the rye bread.

“What is this?”

“What do you mean? It’s bread.”

“Bread? This is just a rock.”

“Just eat what you’re given!”

“What did you say?”

“You look like a rookie. Where do you get off glaring like that?”

As Loki was about to get angry, the soldier who had guided him earlier forced Loki to bow his head and apologized on his behalf.

“I’m sorry! He’s a rookie and doesn’t know anything yet.”

“Ugh! Do you guys want to go without food for days? Do you train your rookies properly or not? Do you think I have time to argue with a newbie?”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I will train him thoroughly!”

“I’m watching you guys. Next!”

As Loki walked away, still fuming, he growled.

“Ugh… That guy’s not even worth a punch….”

“Shh! Quiet! The person with the most power here is that guy in charge of the food. Just eat what you’re given if you want to go back home alive. And soak the rye bread well in the cabbage soup. It’ll break your teeth otherwise.”

“Is there no meat?”

“Meat? Do you think we’d be eating this if there was? The only meat here is from the green elf corpses over there, and who would eat that? Though there are some crazy ones who do.”

“Hmm, this is nowhere near enough….”

Although he was now a small human, Loki was originally an ogre, and this amount of food was far from sufficient.

But the senior soldier, unaware of this, said.

“You should be grateful for what you get. They only give us this trash twice a day.”

“Really? Only twice?”

“It’s best not to move around too much. You’ll just get hungrier.”

“…….”

While Loki seriously contemplated whether he should eat the green elf meat.

Kang Chan handed his piece of bread to Loki.

Thud!

“What is this?”

“Eat it.”

“And you?”

“I just took some pills.”

“Ah, pills?”

“Do you want one too?”

“Hmm…”

Having experienced it once, Loki, like Zikyon, had grown to dislike the pills.

Loki seriously pondered whether he should take the pill or not.

“Hey, Fibro! I heard two pretty girls came to your barracks?”

“Gasp!”

When the soldier mentioned the recruits, Fibro flinched, prompting Brunnen to ask with a puzzled look.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

“N-No, nothing…”

“What happened to those pretty ones? Did you deal with them already?”

“Well, you see…”

As Fibro recounted the story of the new recruits to Brunnen, Brunnen looked incredulous.

“Is that true?”

“I’m telling you, it is.”

“So, what are those guys doing now?”

When Fibro pointed to his barracks, Kang Chan and Loki were sprawled comfortably on their beds.

“Those damn bastards!”

Seeing the recruits lounging around while even the veterans were merely sitting and resting, fire sparked in Brunnen’s eyes.

“I’m going to get those guys right now!”

As an enraged Brunnen made a move to rush over, Fibro desperately grabbed him, feeling as though he was about to stir up a hornet’s nest.

“Hold on, wait! Just wait a minute!”

“What do you mean, wait? Even if they’re good fighters, can we leave them like that?”

“…”

Fibro couldn’t say a word.

“Look at the other barracks! Are there any guys like that?”

In the other barracks, the senior soldiers were heavily hazing the new recruits.

“Let’s gather the guys and teach those disrespectful chicks a lesson.”

“Got it.”

With Brunnen’s encouragement, Fibro regained his courage and began rounding up soldiers from the surrounding barracks with Brunnen.

“…?”

Kang Chan, lying on his bed deep in thought like an end-of-term sergeant, sensed a crowd approaching and slowly opened his eyes.

In front of him, nearly thirty soldiers were glaring at him as if ready to kill.

Still lying down, Kang Chan asked.

“Do you need something from me?”

Kang Chan’s arrogant attitude sparked fury in the soldiers’ eyes.

“Look at this bastard’s tone.”

“A senior’s here, and he’s lying down?”

“Man, we came here just in case, but it’s true.”

“He’s completely lost his mind.”

“You’re dead today! Spit!”

The rough-looking soldiers started to surround Kang Chan, ready to lynch him.

But Kang Chan, unfazed, slowly sat up and pointed at someone.

“You there!”

“Eek!”

The person he pointed to, hiding behind others, was Fibro, who flinched.

“Did you gather these guys?”

Kang Chan’s use of the word ‘guys’ poured gasoline on the fire.

“Guys!”

“That son of a bitch!”

“Beat him up!”

All thirty soldiers rushed towards Kang Chan at once. However, at that very moment, a loud bell rang, stopping them in their tracks.