“If you can't do it, quit getting worked up and go back inside.”
“…Fuck.”
Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang stood there huffing by himself before backing off. He probably hadn't expected me to react like this. He must've assumed that if he intimidated me, I'd obediently crawl for him.
Before I regressed, that was exactly what I'd done.
What had I been so afraid of back then?
Anyway.
Putting him in his place did make me feel a little better, but it would be a shame to just leave it at this.
Before I regressed, after pressuring his squad members like this, he'd gone beyond simply acting as Squad Leader and behaved as if he were the commander.
Swearing at us was a given, and whenever a battle wasn't going well, he'd even smack us across the backs of our heads.
If I wanted to pay him back for all that, I really ought to beat him a few times.
Isn't there some way?
Actually, there is.
The final combat portion scheduled for tomorrow.
It consists of sparring matches between Private Second Classes.
If I get paired with Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang then, I'll be able to attack him legitimately.
Those sparring matches group people of similar ability, so under normal circumstances I'd be matched against another Private Second Class, but things are a little different now.
The Modang Station incident.
Taking that into account, they might pair me with someone else. And there's a perfectly good chance that someone could be Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang.
“How much does everyone know about Zabriks?”
Hoping that would happen, I asked the squad members again.
They were looking at me as if I were their savior.
“I know they're wild-dog-type monsters.”
“They're about 1.3 meters long.”
“I heard their claws are extremely sharp. They can tear through combat uniforms in no time.”
“And if their teeth get you in the wrong spot, they can even chew through bone.”
One by one, they began speaking. A short, stocky woman beside me joined in as well.
“They have strong offensive power, but their defense is weak.”
Private Second Class Kim Jeong-mi. She was in the same 3rd Company as me, and even belonged to my 3rd Platoon.
“And what does our Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho know about them~?”
Her voice and manner of speaking were both soft and gentle. Gentle enough that I almost wondered whether she was hitting on me.
That was why I found this so absurd.
She hadn't been like this before I regressed.
If anything, she'd completely ignored me.
Whenever I so much as opened my mouth, she'd say things like, ‘What do you even know? You're not even any good. Just stay quiet and follow along. And don't run your mouth for no reason.’
She'd practically treated me as if I didn't exist.
“I know the same thing. Watching out for their claws and teeth while exploiting their weak defense is our best option.”
“Right, right.”
She even clapped her hands and enthusiastically agreed with me.
It wasn't completely impossible to understand.
One wrong move could get someone seriously injured, and our evaluation scores were on the line, so she'd probably wanted to entrust things to whoever was most capable.
But hadn't openly taking digs at me with things like, ‘Looks like someone's going to ruin this for all of us,’ been a little too much?
No matter how terrible my skills had been, I was still capable of pulling my own weight among a bunch of Private Second Classes.
Remembering the Kim Jeong-mi from back then, I simply couldn't look favorably upon her now.
She kind of disgusted me.
“What about you, mister? Don't you know anything?”
When I gestured toward him with my chin, Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang, who'd kept his mouth shut the entire time, spoke.
“They've already said everything. What else is there to say? Let's just hurry up and pick the Squad Leader.”
He was still hungry for the Squad Leader role. He'd probably get bonus points compared to an ordinary squad member, and people like him enjoyed keeping others beneath them and pushing them around.
That was probably why.
“Personally, I don't think Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang is a bad choice.”
Someone spoke.
That started it.
“I think so too.”
“Hmm, having someone strong hold the center definitely makes combat easier.”
“Yeah, I hate to admit it, but I have to. I think Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang should be the Squad Leader.”
The squad members cautiously voiced their opinions.
They were right.
Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang was horrible as a human being, but judged purely as a comrade to fight alongside, there weren't many better choices.
Like someone had said, strength was everything in this line of work.
“Hahaha. Yeah, that's more like it. You should've said so from the start.”
Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang spoke in a somewhat heated tone, as though making sure I heard him.
I ignored him and said what I had to say.
“Fine. Then let's make Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang the Squad Leader for our first attempt.”
If my first opportunity was about to disappear, I had to make the most of the second one.
“First Squad Leader? What the fuck are you talking about?”
“We get two chances, so obviously we should pick two Squad Leaders.”
“Fuck, are you saying you don't trust me?”
I asked in a flat tone.
“Are you confident you can get a perfect score? No matter where the Zabriks come from or how many there are, are you confident you can execute your tactics perfectly and get a perfect score?”
“!”
“Seeing as you couldn't answer immediately, I guess you're not.”
“I've been putting up with you since earlier, but now this?!”
“Why is it so noisy over there? Instead of holding the meeting you're supposed to be having, what are you all doing? I clearly warned you. If you go even one second over, there'll be no exceptions.”
Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang had been raising his Great Axe in a fit of rage, but Second Lieutenant Noh Yeong-il's shout stopped him dead.
He really was an entertaining guy.
Every single thing I said turned his face beet-red and made him boil with rage.
“Anyway, for the second attempt, I'd like to be Squad Leader.”
I continued slowly.
“I have a very good tactic in mind. If Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang is going to win with strength, I'll win with my head.”
No sooner had the words left my mouth than the squad members reacted as if they'd been waiting for them.
“Oh. I'm in favor.”
“Me too. Even if the tactic isn't great, I feel safe because it's Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho. You took down three Garoks all by yourself in an unexpected situation.”
“Right, right.”
I hadn't even told them what my tactic was.
All I'd done was volunteer, yet everyone willingly went along with it.
Suddenly, I became curious.
How would they have reacted if I'd said this before I regressed?
I let out a small laugh.
It was obvious.
I'd have been lucky if a stone hadn't come flying at my face.
Meanwhile, our discussion time was almost over.
“We'll have thirty minutes of discussion time for the second attempt too. I'll explain my tactics then.”
“Understood.”
“Then, Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang, tell us. Specifically, how are we going to fight?”
Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang thumped his chest.
“What's there to explain? All I have to do is stand wherever the Zabriks are. Then it's game over.”
The process of choosing the Squad Leader had been slightly different, so I'd wondered whether anything else might change.
Nope.
He was exactly the same.
A simple brute who knew nothing except how to use his strength.
“You said you're going to win with your head? Fine, then. I'll show you exactly what a difference in level looks like.”
A difference in level, huh.
This is the first time I've heard something like that without feeling even slightly nervous.
“All right.”
The entire thirty minutes of discussion time had passed. Second Lieutenant Noh Yeong-il came over to us.
“Did you finish your meeting?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Who did you choose as Squad Leader?”
“Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang. Me, sir.”
“Understood. We'll begin immediately.”
He extended his index finger and pointed toward an area where trees rose sparsely from the ground.
“The Zabriks will be summoned around there. Of course, you'll have to determine their exact location yourselves. Same goes for their numbers.”
In ordinary training, they would've told us their exact location and numbers, but this was closer to a test.
That meant we had to handle everything ourselves.
If they were going to tell us everything from the start, they might as well have tailored our tactics for us too.
“Then do your best.”
With that, Second Lieutenant Noh Yeong-il left.
Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang raised his Great Axe and stepped forward.
“Those with close-range specialties split to my left and right. Those with ranged specialties move between them. We advance with me at the center.”
That's unexpected.
I thought he wouldn't change at all, but I guess he finally has.
Before I regressed, he hadn't even bothered with a formation this basic.
He isn't saying anything, but he must be a little nervous inside.
“I'll draw all the aggro and do all the tanking, so don't you bastards try anything stupid. Just keep firing arrows and bullets. Swordsmen and Spearmen, deal with anything that circles around us. Got it?”
His way of putting it was shitty, but from a squad member's perspective, there was hardly anything more reassuring.
At the very least, this wasn't a bluff.
The squad members already acknowledged Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang's strength, so they obeyed without complaint.
We moved forward for a while, scanning our surroundings.
Rustle.
The sound of bushes brushing against something came from somewhere nearby.
Now that the battle had started, I showed him the bare minimum of courtesy.
“Squad Leader, there are Zabriks nearby.”
“What do you mean, there are? I can't see or hear anyth― There they are!”
Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang had been about to scoff and ignore my warning when the wild dogs burst through the bushes, making him hurriedly turn.
Zabriks.
There were twelve of them, exactly the same number as before I regressed.
“Come at me!”
Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang charged straight toward them.
He was already a huge man, and with him shouting on top of that, all twelve Zabriks chose their target at once.
“Grrrr!”
They lunged at him with teeth like daggers bared.
Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang looked almost pleased.
He swung his Great Axe without hesitation.
CRACK—!!
Along with the sound of something shattering, one Zabrik went flying into the distance.
Its side had caved in.
No.
It had burst open.
A jet of blood erupted like a fountain, tangled with coils of intestines spilling out alongside it.
Even considering their weak defense, that was terrifying destructive power.
“Whoa.”
“Holy…”
The squad members stared blankly at the sight with their mouths hanging open before belatedly carrying out their own roles.
Arrows and bullets flew from the rear line, while those wielding swords and spears moved around the flanks to get behind the Zabriks.
Of course, that didn't mean they were easy to kill.
In exchange for their weak defense, Zabriks were extremely agile.
They dodged the arrows and bullets, slipped past the swords and spears, and counterattacked instead.
“Agh!”
“D-Damn it!”
Screams rang out.
The squad members were being bitten and torn apart.
And through all of it, Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang was just swinging his Great Axe around by himself.
What a complete mess.
Even though I'd roughly known how this would turn out, it still came as a fresh shock.
This is exactly why the Squad Leader's role is so important.
Nothing works if everyone just does whatever they want.
SHNK.
I swept my extended sword horizontally.
One of the Zabriks that had charged toward me as the formation collapsed died on the spot.
Its head hung raggedly from its neck.
Then I ran toward the rear.
Toward the Archers and Gunners, who were comparatively more vulnerable to the monsters' attacks.
“Grrrrrr!”
Their claws and teeth weren't a threat to me at all.
I'd killed so many of them that I could see every move coming.
Which direction they would slash from.
How they would try to bite and tear me apart.
SHNK—!
I thrust my sword straight forward.
A Zabrik lunging at me with its maw wide open was impaled deep through the torso and died on the spot.
“Gack.”
Then I pulled out two daggers and threw them at the two Zabriks mauling the Archers and Gunners.
I didn't have any related Ability yet, but the feeling remained in my hands, allowing me to hit one in the head and the other near the neck.
Killing them instantly was too much to ask, though.
I charged again and slid across the ground, driving my blade into the belly of the bastard that leaped over my head.
I tumbled across the ground with the remaining bastard, then stabbed it through the heart with my final dagger.
Freed from danger, the Archers and Gunners stared at me dumbfounded for a moment.
Kim Jeong-mi was among them.
Whether she'd been bitten or clawed, her thigh was turning red with blood.
Of course, that was none of my concern.
“What are you doing? Aren't you going to fight?”
“Y-Yes…!”
I turned around again.
Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang had stopped swinging his Great Axe for a moment and was staring in my direction.
Even from this distance, I could see his eyes trembling.
“Damn…”
He was supposed to be the one leading the battle, yet somehow I'd become the one doing it.
Funnily enough, even the squad members were relying on me more now.
“Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho! Please come over here too!”
Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang's face hardened.
I adjusted my grip on my sword.
It was time for a massacre.