I Became the Academy’s War Hero

Chapter 2: Eugene Carter (2)

“What a reckless, if not downright suicidal, proposal, Colonel Carter.”

Lieutenant General Alvin, commander of the Special Task Forces, leaned back in his chair, glancing sidelong at Belfor.

“Wouldn’t you agree? It’s been seven years since that incident. Seven. Even if you hadn’t neglected your training, that’s enough time to lose your edge. But you didn’t just slack off—you completely let go. And now you want to return to active duty as a soldier? That’s a bit of a stretch.”

Eugene firmly shook his head.

“I have that right, General. I am one of the 119 who carry the emblem of having brought the greatest honor to the Empire.”

He gently brushed his fingers against the hexagonal medal fastened to the front of his uniform.

“One of 164 now, actually.”

“Ah, is that so? Quite the increase, I see.”

The Special Task Forces Commander scratched his forehead awkwardly and gave a small nod.

“…Well, that’s true. By Imperial regulation, a recipient of the Medal of Honor may return to the army at any time if they so wish. But—are you sure about this?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean—are you truly ready to fight again as a soldier?”

“Of course.”

“No. I’m not so sure about that. What do you think, Colonel Belfor?”

Belfor cast a contemptuous glance at Eugene’s body.

“I’m obviously against it… but what can I do? If the man insists on dying on the battlefield, I suppose we ought to let him have his way.”

“Hmmm…”

As the Special Task Forces Commander hesitated to give an answer, Belfor, who had just thought of a convenient idea, quickly cut in again.

“Or how about this? We could give former Colonel Carter an opportunity for verification.”

“Verification?”

“The new semester at Karbenna is about to begin. Rather than throwing him straight into the frontlines, we could have him serve at the academy—let him be evaluated as a commander or a strategist…”

A quiet chuckle escaped Eugene.

“Now that’s the best thing I’ve heard all day.”

“…What?”

“As expected, you’re the only one who ever worries about me, Belfor. Let’s do that.”

Eugene clasped Belfor’s hand and gave it a light shake, his composure utterly unshaken.

That bizarre reaction made Belfor’s expression twist in disbelief.

What the hell is he saying?

Did the drugs fry his brain so badly he can’t think straight anymore?

Karbenna? That’s not some neighborhood daycare—it’s a death zone!

He knows damn well how Special Task Forces veterans are treated there!

As Belfor faltered in shock, the Special Task Forces Commander stepped back into the conversation.

“So what you’re saying is, you wish to return as an instructor at Karbenna first?”

“That’s correct. As for rejoining Special Task Forces operations, we can discuss that later, General.”

“Alright then. Do that. I’ll send a messenger ahead, so coordinate the details with Karbenna’s administration.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“If that’s all, both of you are dismissed.”

Eugene gave a crisp salute before staggering toward the exit.

Belfor, still dumbfounded, hurriedly saluted and followed after him.

Just a few steps out of the Special Task Forces office, a familiar voice called out.

“Are you out of your damn mind? You’re really taking the instructor post at Karbenna with that wreck of a body?”

“You were the one who suggested it first.”

“That was supposed to be a wake-up call for your stupid ass—!”

“I’m perfectly sane, Belfor. Worry about yourself. This time, you won’t be able to smooth over the Eber Suppression Operation like last time.”

“What? How the hell do you—”

That was the last conversation the two ever had.

As he watched his unsteady old comrade disappear down the hallway, Belfor clicked his tongue in disbelief.

“So he’s been preparing for a comeback after all? He even knows the latest Special Task Forces movements.”

But that won’t be nearly enough.

Even the Karbenna we knew back in our day was paradise compared to what it’s become now.

“…Well, I guess a den of madmen deserves a madman to match.”

Muttering lightly to himself,

Belfor turned and vanished in the opposite direction.

There were exactly ten days left until the start of the new semester at Karbenna.

The next morning, at dawn.

Inside the private quarters assigned to me until the Karbenna dispatch, I continued my simple personal training routine.

“Huff…!”

My thumbs and pinkies trembled violently.

Exhaling, I barely managed to push myself up—five hundred reps. I had finally hit my target number.

Relief washed over me, and I collapsed flat onto the floor.

“I’m gonna die…”

I really needed to be careful not to expose my limits.

Letting out a faint sigh, I looked at the status screen in front of me.

[Current Standard Schedule: Physical Training (1/200), Academic Research (0/100), Mock Battle (0/80)]

It was a sight I used to see all the time in-game, but I never imagined I’d face it in real life.

Well, technically, this wasn’t real life—but still.

“If not for this damn curse, I’d easily be in the top twenty overall rankings.”

My eyes drifted toward the middle section labeled [Possessed Abilities].

Incurable Curse [Mana Heart ―90%]

※ This trait cannot be removed.

If cars have engines, then for mages, it’s the Mana Heart.

The source of magical power—and the origin of all skills and traits.

To have that mighty force forcibly restricted because of a mere curse from an S-rank demon beast… it must have driven him insane with frustration.

That despair and rage must have eventually turned inward, toward his own arrogance.

But even if he regretted it a hundred times, what could he do? Reality wouldn’t change.

In the depths of despair, Eugene Carter ultimately decided to blame the world.

This world made me like this. I did nothing wrong.

He probably couldn’t have survived without such self-justification.

I could understand how he felt, but still…

“That was way too much.”

If his opponent had been an SS-rank demon beast like Mastema or Aporia—

No, even if it had at least been an S+-rank like Asmodeus, I wouldn’t have said anything.

But how does someone with this base stat get ambushed by Sabnak, one of the lowest S-rank beasts?

If I had been the one training him, I would’ve crushed that thing in the opening move.

“…Well, it’s still more than plenty.”

I flipped open the evaluation documents lying on the office desk.

It was a personnel record I had received from the administration office.

Exceptional strategic intellect, overwhelming and unparalleled traits, excellent leadership and charisma, slightly lacking stamina, neglects effort and overestimates talent.

That was about it for the summary evaluation.

Nothing special.

Even so, he had so much innate talent that his overall superior reviews weren’t bad.

Of course, the evaluations from subordinates were terrible.

Though his military achievements had earned him rapid promotions, even without the incident seven years ago, further advancement would have been unlikely.

In any case, the two key traits that defined Eugene Carter were genius and results. And now that both were gone, it was true that his future was effectively over.

‘So that’s why they called him the fastest has-been in history.’

That could just as easily mean he’d once burned brightly at his peak—a life not entirely without merit, depending on how you looked at it.

But I doubt Eugene Carter himself ever thought that way.

Anyway, that aside—

“…Even a half-rotten fish is still better than none, but I didn’t expect the balance to be this broken.”

I had already done a few quick checks, and it was clear—this was still an absurdly strong setup for a has-been.

He had lost most of his peak abilities, and his physical condition was worse than that of an average cadet, but—

Some of his abilities still ranked within the top one percent.

Even after years of degradation bordering on regression, his average physical stats were still above C-rank, and he possessed over four unique abilities.

Among them, one stood out above all the rest.

Mana Devourer EX

Consumes the target’s mana.

※ The mana consumed can be converted into your own power.

Mana Devourer.

Among the 80-plus traits in MAGA, it ranked near the very top.

Most traits’ rankings fluctuated wildly as the meta changed, but Devourer had consistently remained high-tier from the very beginning.

It wasn’t difficult to use, its utility was limitless, and it carried virtually no risk.

Even after raising countless characters—including main protagonists—not once had I ever seen a starting build with Devourer as its innate trait.

“The more I read this, the more pissed off I get.”

To think he lost to that piece of trash Sabnak while having such a busted ability…

I grumbled lightly and sat on the edge of the desk.

I had a good grasp of both the specs and the current situation now.

Not the best conditions, but far from unworkable.

Above all—

Unlike in the past, when I was merely the player, now I could intervene with them directly.

For that, I first needed to do my part well.

To survive, at the very least.

Knock, knock.

Just as that thought crossed my mind, a knock came at the door—as if on cue.

“Colonel Carter, may I come in?”

“Mm.”

Creak—

A woman in formal uniform stepped inside and bowed as soon as she saw me.

“It’s an honor to meet you. I am Angela, servant of Karbenna.”

“That was fast.”

“The carriage is ready, sir. Please, let’s go.”

I grabbed the cane leaning beside me and stood up.

“Could you handle the documents?”

“Yes, sir.”

As Angela gathered the scattered papers and slipped them into her bag, I straightened my uniform.

“Then, allow me to guide you.”

Angela strode forward, carrying the document bag in one hand.

“Angela, was it?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Walk a bit slower. My movement’s still not great.”

“…My apologies.”

Clatter, clatter.

Inside the carriage bound for Karbenna.

The uneven rhythm of wheels rolling over the ground and horses’ hooves echoed in my ears.

Unbothered, I calmly organized the dozens of plans spinning through my mind.

From March, when my official duties at Karbenna would begin, my time attack would start as well.

Fast-forwarding might work in gameplay—but six years in reality was no short span. Even I couldn’t predict every variable that would arise in that time.

‘Let’s focus on surviving the dreaded third year first.’

If even one of this mode’s main characters died, the mission would end in failure.

For now, I needed to prioritize my own survival—but playing it too safe wouldn’t save them.

They were hard enough to control even as a player; in reality, they’d probably be even more unruly.

If necessary, I’d use force. If necessary, I’d reason with them.

In that sense, a well-known reputation was a double-edged sword.

“…Looks like I’ll be dealing with a pack of hyenas for a while.”

Turning my head, I glanced out the window.

As we approached the river’s mouth, distant bridges came into view.

With a whip crack, the carriage picked up speed.

Crossing the Adens River that separated the Imperial Capital from Karbenna, we rode on toward the academy grounds.