Chapter 315

Meanwhile, the assistant instructor who was hiding outside the administrative office and eavesdropping smirked.

‘The squad leader has been decided.’

Usually, in the first week, the squad leader position is given to the first trainee.

Then, if a strong-willed trainee steps up or if no one volunteers, the instructor appoints someone.

When a professional athlete joins, they always make that trainee the squad leader.

They’re strong, used to organized life, and their natural physical abilities make them exemplary in training.

Professional athletes are usually older and even famous, so no trainee dares to disobey.

Son Jin-hyeok was worried because of his young age, but it turned out to be unnecessary.

He speaks well, has great strength, and even won people over by offering to sign autographs first. Plus, he’s incredibly smart, right?

This batch might turn out well…

Nah. There’s no way these clueless trainees will. The instructor shook his head.

Moreover, when a celebrity enlists, the training intensity increases several times. There were even orders from the division commander to push Son Jin-hyeok even harder. Rumors of pressure from an all-powerful authority figure accompanied this.

The instructor, with an evil smirk, quietly walked away to the administrative office.

***

Just 4 weeks.

Jin-hyeok, who has been pushing his body to the limit with grueling daily training.

His simple plan to enjoy a comfortable boot camp seemed to be going smoothly, along with the suppression of the barracks’ atmosphere.

“First squad! Push-ups!”

Bang! Crash! Boom!

“Feet on the footlocker!”

“Who didn’t flush after taking a dump?!”

“Cigarette butts were found in the bathroom!”

“It’s the regiment’s responsibility!”

Man, the seniors must be disappointed.

Even though it was punishment, Jin-hyeok showed some composure by cracking dad jokes in his mind.

Ughhhh…

Squeakkkk…

“Who’s making that noise?!”

“What’s the squad leader doing?!”

“The squad leader’s fault is bigger!”

Suddenly?

No, Instructor, what the hell? You guys pushed me into being the squad leader, and now you’re yelling at me? This is so unfair!

‘I’m a medalist! A perfect SAT scorer!’

I miss my mom!

Almost in a handstand position, his face turned red as if it would burst, sweat dripping from his neck down to his chin and tickling his nostrils.

Sniff sniff.

Efforts to push away sweat droplets were noticeable everywhere.

“Who’s sniffing like a dog?!”

Ah, the punishment is bearable, but the instructor is too scary.

‘Tes hyung, why is the world like this to me?’

Meeting strange comrades and living a trainee life filled with punishments.

It was an entirely unexpected turn of events.

But who can I blame?

This is the military. Not the Special Warfare Training Unit, but the harsh old boot camp I’ve never experienced even in my past life.

A place where youth, stripped of freedom, has its personality and human rights trampled, engraving endurance.

‘Cold, hungry, sleepy… I miss my mom.’

Mom, mom, mom…

In the deep night of the boot camp barracks, sleep-talking calling for mom could be heard everywhere.

Mooooom!

In another squad, someone even screamed in their sleep.

Hearing that, Jin-hyeok’s heart wavered.

Drip drip…

Even the night rain poured down sadly, unsettling the youth.

It’s the epitome of patheticness.

‘Sigh… Let’s think of it as a rite of passage. Everyone goes through it.’

He pulled the blanket over his forehead.

Peek… His foot stuck out.

‘Ugh! Annoying!’

The military sucks, seriously!

*

The comrades are unreliable, but…

Basic military training was like child’s play compared to Jin-hyeok’s usual training.

Not that he took it lightly. Son Jin-hyeok always gives his best.

Even when racing with his younger siblings by the riverside track, he sprints at full speed.

He practiced basic drills on the still-cold training ground. He also relearned bayonet skills.

“Hey, you brat! Do it properly!”

“Who’s messing with their combat boots?!”

Why do the instructors talk like that?

They push their lower jaw out a bit and yell, but their diction is crystal clear.

‘Do the instructors from the 20th century only target me?’

The curses were directed at the comrades who made mistakes, but their gazes were fixed on Jin-hyeok.

So, he trained even harder, more tense.

The fact that the rifle wasn’t the K1 he handled in his past life was also unusual for Jin-hyeok.

The official name is SAR2A5. This assault rifle, with a design similar to the K2 rifle, was developed and improved by Saint Technica, and is praised for its higher accuracy and significantly reduced recoil during rapid fire. It’s also nearly 20% lighter than the K2, making it highly welcomed by combatants.

The long-awaited marksmanship preliminary training helped with breathing control and focus.

Tick. Tick. Click.

When the sound of triggers being pulled could be heard everywhere, the instructor’s harsh commands followed.

“Make sure no marbles fall from the barrel!”

You can’t leave out the forward lean in marksmanship preliminary training.

Though the training goal was to learn shooting postures for different ranges… maintaining a posture with the rifle parallel to the ground while bending the waist took longer. Hence, many comrades complained of back pain.

‘Oh my, I can’t believe I’m actually going through this training.’

It’s punishment disguised as training.

But it seems ‘ruthlessness’ is a must for instructor selection, as they show no intention of lowering the training intensity until someone dies.

When someone seemed about to collapse, they allowed a break.

“Forward march!”

“Backward march!”

Yeah, moving is better.

“Don’t swing the muzzle when retreating! Always keep the muzzle forward!”

“Don’t drag your feet!”

Somehow, the instructors seem to be getting more vicious.

“Two hundred fifty-four, march!”

Very occasionally, they gave commands that matched the training purpose.

*

After finishing the preliminary training, they moved to the shooting range.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The thick smell of gunpowder made memories of past service even clearer, and the tension in the shooting range was palpable.

“Zeroing shots are single shots, three rounds each, under the control of the range officer.”

“After the first round of shooting, retrieve the target and have it checked by the senior instructor.”

“Adjust the sights as instructed by the senior instructor. It’s not easy… Everyone has been trained for this.”

The instructors must be tired too.

Even though they’re following the script like parrots, the comrades have that ‘what’s he saying?’ look.

‘It’s been so long since I fired live rounds.’

At the research institute, I handled research guns a few times, but with many eyes watching, I never got to fire live rounds. How disappointing that was.

Holding the magazine, Jin-hyeok gently touched the exposed live round with his index finger.

The familiar feel of the 5.56mm standard round was welcoming.

What’s the design like? It’s a design and color I’d like to sneak a peek at.

My heart races, eager to shoot.

It’s definitely going to be fun.

Thump thump…

[Shooters ready, commence firing.]

As if waiting, a comrade from another lane fired.

Bang bang bang!

This is going to be fun…

Damn, who fires all three zeroing shots in one go?

Jin-hyeok tightly closed his eyes.

[All lanes cease fire. Safety on. Remove magazines. Bolt back. Instructors, heads down.]

The range officer’s smooth commands followed.

How much experience does it take to be like that?

Sigh… It’s not good to sigh at people, but looking at these comrades, I can’t stop sighing.

Military life is messed up, messed up.

The instructors’ eyes were bloodshot.

How embarrassing must it be to be punished in front of the trainees.

[Who’s firing in bursts? Didn’t you check the safety?]

Perhaps because of the loudspeaker, the range officer never raised his voice.

Jin-hyeok bit his lip to hold back laughter.

At the shooting range, you’re never supposed to show your teeth, but this is the military, arriving years earlier than in my past life. Of course, I need to be more careful.

But still. After all that training and practice, the trainees still don’t listen. I can’t believe someone actually fired all three zeroing shots in one go.

‘Sigh… One of the burdens of military life is your comrades. And my comrades are just the worst.’

Listening to the instructors’ whispers, even if they’re not public service workers, such incidents often happen during basic training.

The company commander, acting as the range officer, didn’t look happy either.

The loudspeaker’s voice carried a murderous vibe.

[Assistant shooter, who’s not checking the safety? You too, head down.]

[Shooter, why aren’t you down?]

[F***, just all of you, heads down, you little shits.]

The company commander rarely raised his voice but occasionally had sudden outbursts.

Hormonal issues?

Jin-hyeok just kept being careful to stay unnoticed.

[Squad leader trainee. Why aren’t you down?]

Standing alone, he got noticed.

Ah, he said everyone down?

F***, f***, f***. It’s so damn uncomfortable with the helmet on.

Military life really makes you swear more.

*

After a storm of punishment, they regrouped and completed the first zeroing session.

Hoping no more troublemakers would appear.

[Change targets.]

“Change targets.”

Seeing his comrades’ targets, Jin-hyeok shook his head.

Some didn’t even form a group, with only one or two holes.

‘At this distance, even throwing a rock would hit.’

Sigh… Being a trainee, even sighing has to be cautious.

The senior instructor looked puzzled at Jin-hyeok’s target.

“Squad leader trainee, why are two shots grouped in the center, but one is off?”

“I adjusted after the first shot!”

“Oh… Is that so?”

The senior instructor nodded.

Sometimes, during reserve training, there are seniors who, after the first shot, check the target 25 meters away with sharp eyesight and adjust their aim accordingly…

“Good eyesight. Adjust accordingly.”

“Yes! Understood!”

… Son Jin-hyeok was once such a reservist.

He took the target marked with directions and numbers in red pen.

[Adjust sights.]

“Adjust sights!”

As the range officer commanded through the loudspeaker, the trainees repeated and the training continued.

[Shooters to position.]

“Shooters to position, ohooo…”

Is that guy here after doing pansori?

[Trainee adding melody to the end, who’s that? Here for rice planting? Instructor, give punishment.]

Still, they finished shooting without any accidents and proceeded with safety checks.

[Bolt back two-three times, then forward.]

“Bolt back two-three times, then forward!”

[Rifle on shoulder.]

“Rifle on shoulder!”

[Why is only trainee number one repeating? Repeat the company commander’s orders.]

“Yes!”

[Yes?]

The company commander and instructors seemed to be gritting their teeth.

Jin-hyeok also clenched his jaw. It’s like these comrades are deliberately slacking.

[Phew, rifle on shoulder.]

“Rifle on shoulder!”

[Safety on single.]

“Safety on single!”

[Fire at will.]

Bang!

[Which bastard…]

Damn, these troublemakers. The instructor, with a grimace, bit his lip.

It was obvious what command would come next.

[Instructors. Full gear, assemble at the training ground.]

***

After running 40 laps around the training ground in full gear, the instructors were even more furious.

“Hey, you idiot!”

The boot camp instructors, filled with venom, were scarier than the Special Warfare Training Unit instructors Jin-hyeok remembered. The instructors he knew didn’t swear like that. Maybe the trainees’ level made the instructors’ temper worse.

“Kid! You’re here to play!”

“Who’s showing their teeth?!”

“Do you want to die?!”

“Do you want to die?!”

“This is the military! Got it?!”

Later, I heard that instructors swear more when training public service workers. Maybe it’s because they enlist late but get discharged early, causing jealousy? Believe it or not.

Still, I heard that when famous people are among the trainees, the training atmosphere softens, but it didn’t seem to apply to this batch.

“Gas! Gas! Gas!”

“Take off gas masks! Execute!”

“Execute! Ughhhh!”

Cough cough…

Chemical warfare was also torture for Jin-hyeok.

Even though they used weaker CS gas than in NCO training, his eyes, throat, and exposed skin burned and stung.

“Ughhhh!”

“Ughhhh, save me!”

“Ughhhh, I’m sorry!”

“Mom…”

Jin-hyeok felt the same as his comrades.

Gasp… Save me… Still, out of last pride, he didn’t scream or run out. He’s the squad leader. He has to set an example.

“First squad! Dismissed!”

How can one express the pain of chemical warfare training?

Only deeply feeling the preciousness of clean air.

“Ughhhh…”

“Ughhhh…”

Trainees exiting the chemical warfare chamber bent over, crawling on the ground, tears and snot flowing. Thick drool was inevitable.

‘Whew, I’ll live. Hehe.’

Looking up at the blue sky, the instructor raised his voice.

“Any trainee want to experience gas again?”

Jin-hyeok raised his fist.

“Trainee number one!”

“That’s the squad leader! To your position!”

“To your position!”

The comrades looked at him like a pervert, but strangely, it was addictive.

Jin-hyeok joined the next group and went into the chemical warfare chamber again.

“Take off gas masks! Execute!”

Ughhhh…

“Prepare for impact! Sing the military song!”

Ughhhh…

“The military song! A real man!”

Ughhhh!

“Start the military song! One! Two! Three! Four!”

Ughhhh…

The comrades were out of it.

Jin-hyeok had no choice but to muster courage.

“Awesome! Ughhhh…”

“Manly! Ughhhh…”

Ughhhh…

‘Ah, why did I volunteer to do this again?’

I analyzed it as wanting to enjoy clean air even more.

“Let me out! Ughhhh…”

Some comrades tried to push the instructor and escape, but it was futile.

“Love is hot! Love is hot! I’m the man! A cool man!”

Finishing the military song, Jin-hyeok laughed like a fool.

Hehe… Cough cough…

Drooling from his wide-open mouth.

‘I sang a different song, but the instructor didn’t say anything.’

Well, this is how we adapt to each other.

Isn’t that what the human world is about?

Cough cough…

The longer I wear this camouflage uniform, the more I feel like I’m losing my mind.