Published at 5th of February 2023 10:16 am

Chapter 41: Indoor (3), Camp Roberts

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

The efficiency of “Lesson” increases as the number of targets decreases. Gyeol was the reason why Yura trained hard even on weekends. She endured training that tested her limits both physically and mentally.

Now it’s shooting training. Eight large targets were lined up at a distance of 10 meters. Each target has ten numbers written on it. Among them, you need to shoot multiples of 7. It is a shooting while moving, and you cannot stay in one place for more than 3 seconds.

Multiples of 7, multiples of 7. Yura muttered incessantly.

Gyeol ticked the stopwatch and blew his whistle.

“Hey, you dog-like whore! It’s a mistake for a bitch like you to be born! Damn, why were you even born! Aren’t you sorry for your parents?! Or is your mother also a prostitute like you?!”

A middle-aged man sticks to Yura and pours out all sorts of swear words. He even shoved her hard. Yura bites her lip. Taang! Her first shot missed. Fire again, fire again, fire again. Before the three seconds have elapsed, she fires four shots and takes two steps to aim again. Her hands shook. The man still screamed. His breath stinks, and Yura feels confused. Is 42 a multiple of 7? Her feverish head is blank, and her thoughts cannot proceed. Shoot. She leaves an uncertain afterglow as she moves.

Next target. Shaky eyes quickly scanned the entire target.

19? Nope. 25? Nope. 63?… … 7 times 9. That’s right. I have to shoot. Did I shoot? Or did I miss again… … Ah, three seconds!

Gyeol moved in sync with her and marked her scores. It was a scoring that starts with 100 points and it reduces with each mistake she makes. A point is deducted for each missed shot. When stopped for more than 3 seconds at one place, points are deducted for every 1 second.

Points are deducted even if you shoot the wrong number. Points are deducted even if you do not shoot the right number. When Yura passed her second target, her score dropped to 79 points.

Crap. Her bullets ran out. Yura pulled out the used magazine with one hand, and pulled out her spare magazine with the other.

“oh!”

She missed again. Yura felt like crying. Gyeol again deducted 5 points. Over her head as she hurriedly picked up the magazine, the man’s foul-mouthed curses poured down like a waterfall.

Unconcerned, she ran to the next target, leaving two numbers to shoot.

She did miss the targets at first, but she got better little by little. Had her progress been the same until the end, the final score would have hit 0.

“47 points?”

“Yes. 47 points in 1 minute 19 seconds. Good job.”

“Sigh… … .”

Yura squatted down, covering her face. Her shoulders trembled slightly.

SNIFF.

She wiped her tears with her fingertips. The man who had cursed her was very sorry.

“uh… … I’m sorry, Miss Yura. You know that’s not what I meant, right?”

“I know. It’s because it’s hard. I’ll be fine after a while. Not the first time anyway”

Gyeol also slumped beside her and held out his handkerchief to Yura, which she accepted silently to wipe her tears and squeeze her eyes shut.

The middle-aged Indian man who was helping her train, sat down next to Gyeol. Cough, Hmm! He coughed a dry cough. Gyeol had a knowing smile on his face and rummaged through his pockets. What came out was a pack of cigarettes. He slammed down, then he held out to the older man. A middle-aged man sighs and pulls out one. He ignited the cigarette.

The tip of the cigarette burned noticeably. The middle-aged man breathed in smoke and stopped breathing until he was worried and uttered a puha. Then grumbling words.

“I came here because I heard I could smoke cigarettes, but I couldn’t go on like this. I was told to prepare a lot of swear words, so I wondered what was going on……. Yura is the one who’s having the hardest time. To be honest, I was scared what if Yura shoots me.”

It was a statement of half joking and half seriousness. Cigarettes burned out. But Gyeol didn’t bother to answer back. What was needed was a quiet time. A few minutes later, Yura, who had dried her tears, asked.

“What is the practice for?”

Shortly after, Yura added.

“Look, I don’t hate it at all. I’m just curious……. I think it’s more important to be able to shoot the target from a distance…….”

Then she coughed. Cough cough. Because of the wind that changed direction, she inhaled the cigarette smoke. The middle-aged man moved away with an embarrassed look.

Gyeol answered with a soft smile.

“It’s a training to maintain calm and judgmental when you’re in a hurry. Yura, you’re a combat team leader. You’ll be the squad leader when the platoon is formed. If you get confused in real life, not just you, but the entire squad will be in danger. I want to prevent it.”

“I see…”

Yura wiped her face again with the handkerchief, then she returned it back to Gyeol after washing it. Then she stood up with a shout and SLAP. YAP! She slapped herself in the face.

She remained there with her eyes shut for a while. When she opened her eyes again, there was something different than before in those pairs of teary eyes. The middle-aged man burst into laughter. Pretending not to know, Yura said.

“I’ll try harder. What’s next?”

She ran and rolled hard. Shooting exercises were also repeated a few more times. She’s really good at enduring it. Gyeol saw her potential, her need to meet the expectations and it is also the effect that her consumption has been reduced due to the influence of “teaching” .

At dusk, Yura was completely exhausted. Gyeol offered to help, but she refused. The reason was that she didn’t want to show weakness around him. She seems to care more about the eyes of people from other organizations than her allies. It was evidence that she understood her own role well.

“Oh, something must have happened.”

A middle-aged man who was one step ahead of them made a surprised sound.

People crowded near the base of the Winter Alliance. They were standing as if they were dividing sides, pointing fingers at each other, and raising their voices. Gyeol left Yura to the middle-aged people.

“Take your time. I’ll go check it first.”

The atmosphere changes rapidly as he approaches.

One was the Winter Alliance. Familiar faces light up quickly. There was a burst of cheers.

The other is the「Damul Promotion Association」. Winter recognized Lin Hwa-soo’s subordinates. When they met eyes, everyone seemed to be afraid. And in addition they retreated tumultuously, the women, children, and the elderly who were in his organization were also scared of him.

What are the non-combatants doing here?

The two deputy captains who were caught between the two groups approached him.

“You’re just in time, Captain, but I was going to send someone…….”

Jang Yeon-cheol welcomed Gyeol’s arrival very much. There were bullets of sweat on his forehead. Min Wan-ki also pretends to be calm, but his hands were shaking thinly. Because he was at the forefront as a deputy captain. It wouldn’t have been easy for a typical scholar to stand in front of a bunch of struggling big and brawny guys. In other words, both deputies demonstrated their responsibilities well.

Gyeol then asked.

“What’s going on here? May I ask you to explain?”

When Jang Yeon-cheol was about to answer something, a boy jumped out from the group of「Damul Promotion Association」.

“That man took our Mong!”

He should be just about ten years old but his teary small eyes were filled with endless hatred. A woman who seems to be the mother of the child rushed out and embraced the child, then she repeatedly bowed her head several times to Gyeol.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

Gyeol extended his hand to the little boy but the boy’s mother hurriedly pulled her son back with a horrified expression. So Gyeol has no choice but to pull back his hand to reassure them.

“Wait a minute. I’d like to hear the full story. I won’t cause any harm. I promise.”

It is not that she blindly believed in Gyeol’s promise, but it is because she can’t go against Gyeol’s words, so she just stood there as if nailed. It is highly possible that she had only heard the bad rumors about Gyeol since she’s also a member of

the「Damul Promotion Association」.

The boy jumped out of his mother’s arms. Gyeol knelt down on one knee and brought himself to the eye level of the boy.

“Hyung doesn’t know much, but what is Mong? Is that a puppy?”

“It’s a puppy! My mom said it was my sister!”

He gets a sense of what’s going on. Gyeol asked again.

“I see. By the way, who took Mong?”

“That man!”

Looking in the direction the child was pointing, there was a man with a puzzled expression. The surrounding people scattered. Gyeol beckoned the man over.

“Come this way.”

The man approached with an expression as if he had been treated unfairly. Gyeol then tried to reconfirm the man’s name.

“I don’t know if my memory is correct, but your name is Yoo Jae-heung… … right?”

Then the man’s expression brightened.

“That’s right, little captain. You remember it right.”

It’s not that the man was particularly special. It’s just that Gyeol tried to memorize the names of all the members of the「Winter Alliance」 as much as possible. It was one of the tasks for good leadership. Anyway, the other party seems to have mistaken his actions. Gyeol asked again.

“I’m asking you, did you take this child’s puppy?”

Yes or no, he expected a simple answer, but a long explanation came pouring out.

“Ah, actually, there was a bit of a misunderstanding… … .”

A person who needs self-justification has a long way to go. Gyeol wanted to frown, but persevered as best he could since something minor like that could be used against him if he did like that.

“That is, in summary.”

Gyeol, who listened to the lengthy explanation to the end, cut out extra unnecessary parts.

“You thought the owner of the puppy was gone and took it, yeah?”

Yoo Jae-heung smiled and nodded his head.

“You’re right. A dog is walking alone, but no one is around it… … .”

The boy shouted suddenly.

“lie! Mong was with me! You took it away! You bastard!”

“Ugh! Being a kid from an adult, where did you learn to be a jerk!”

Yoo Jae-heung raised his voice. He then points his finger at the boy’s mother.

“Educate your children correctly! Because home education is shit, this division is not born because you can’t properly guard a dog! A gourd that leaks from the inside leaks from the outside. Okay?!”

A murmur of dissatisfaction spread from the「Damul Promotion Association」. However, the voices were very small, it seems Gyeol was their bane. Man, seeing this,Yoo Jae-heung’s momentum increased even more. He seemed to believe that a louder voice would win. Gyeol caught his pointed finger.

“uh? Little Captain?”

Yoo Jae-heung, whose runaway has stopped, notices. Gyeol pulled his hand down and asked calmly with a straight face.

“I will ask again. When Jae-heung brought the puppy, there were no people around, right?”

“Yes, that’s right! So then I… … .”

“Stop there. From now on, please answer as simply as possible.”

Jae-heung looked uncomfortable when Gyeol cut off his words, but nodded his head. Gyeol turned around and asked the child’s mother to cover her son’s ears for a while. This is because one can anticipate the answer to the next incoming question. It’s just that he couldn’t help but ask to confirm.

“Then what did you do with the puppy?”

“uh… … I was also trying to find the owner, but you know what? Because our circumstances have been dire… … .”

“Short, please.”

“… … I boiled it and ate it.”

The answer was muttered out in a small whisper. How much the child would have cried when he heard that his pet dog had been eaten. The child’s mother closed her eyes tightly. To the extent that she referred to her dog as her little sister to the child, the attachment on the mother’s mind must have been considerable.

“Yoo Jae-heung. You know what you said doesn’t make sense, right?”

Gyeol titled his head slightly, his voice gradually chilled.

“From the beginning, your words were strange. If no one was around when you took the puppy, how did this kid point out to you, Jae-heung? What do you think is the probability that an unknown child points you out as a dog thief?”

“A dog thief!? You are talking too much!”

“Then shall I call you a liar? or a scammer? Either way, I hate them as much as thieves. Let’s take your pick.”

Then the dog thief makes a frustrated expression. He put his hand on his waist, looked at the ground and was silent for a while. Eventually, he uttered his words with a small sigh.

“Little Captain, that’s not the case.”

“What did I do wrong?”

“We are on the same side!”

He pounded on his chest saying it was bursting inside.

“I am not that stupid. I’ve been around in moderation, so you have to take my side in moderation! uh? Both sides of people are looking at us. What is this? Embarrass me? This won’t do you any good as the captain!”

“What else could be bad for me?”

“Who would follow a captain who doesn’t protect his people? Yes? Just one dog, if you punish me like this even for such a trivial thing, who will later trust the captain for something really important… … Well, that’s what I mean-”

He clenched his hands and chattered enthusiastically.

“Speaking of which, does it make sense to have a dog in this refugee camp? People don’t even have enough food to eat, so what’s the point of dog food? Humans and dogs, dogs and humans? How does a sane person see that? It makes everyone who sees it curse. The boy has to put up with it!”

“… … .”

“Yes. I did something wrong. But the world has changed. Be flexible at times like this, huh? This is my body, I have to decide and take care of it, hey- this person is my captain! and offer allegiance. huh? isn’t it? So, boss, let’s get them off the ground and we’ll talk to ourselves again. Yes? It’s because you’re making me lose face.”

“You can stop.”

Gyeol stopped him.

The child was crying. He didn’t hear the part about eating, but he noticed. Why did his mother cover his ears? Why do the faces of the people around him look like that?

Gyeol fell to his knees in front of the child and the mother.

“Sorry.”

A low squeak spread out from both sides.

But without a care, Gyeol lowered his head even more, so that his head was close to the ground.

“I apologize instead of him. I’m really sorry.”

I’m going crazy, wow, I’m really going crazy. It was Yoo Jae-heung next to Gyeol who muttered this. He tried to pull up Gyeol, telling him not to do this and losing his face. But his protest was a pointless effort.

The stalemate continued like this for a long time, and after a while a man stepped out from the chaotic group of

「Damul Promotion Association」.

“My, my, that’s enough, please stand up and let’s see.”

Gyeol answered.

“I’m apologizing to Mong’s mother and older brother, not to the Damul Promotion Association.” [ T: Mong is the puppy.]

“I am Mong’s father.”

“… … .”

Gyeol rose up and brushed his knees. He throws out his words even without looking at the cause of the problem.

“Yoo Jae-heung.”

“What, what is it?”

“I will give you a choice.”

“Choice… … What?”

“Yes.”

The words that followed were loud enough for everyone around them to hear clearly.

“Would you like to leave 「Winter Alliance」 or get hit by me? Pick one or the other.”

Yoo Jae-heung, who had been doubting his ears and blinking his eyes, made an absurd expression.

“I beg your pardon?”

“I think I’d like to just tell you to leave, but if I did, you would be killed right away. So I’m giving you a choice. Choose. If you don’t choose within 10 seconds, I’ll take it that you’re out of the alliance.”

“No, wait! Wait! Captain! Little Captain!”

The astonished dog thief hurriedly hung on, but Gyeol was already looking at his watch. It was something he bought at PX when he just became an officer.

Like Gyeol said, it would be difficult to survive if expelled from the alliance. Other organizations must have been watching this too.

10 seconds. From the beginning, the short time felt even shorter. The moment Gyeol took his eyes off the watch, Yoo Jae-heung made a choice with a scream.

“Hi! I’ll get hit… … !”

Gyeol hit him right away. Blood splattered along with his teeth.

He hit the man as brutally as possible. The purpose is to fully mark this one time punishment in the heart of all the people. He didn’t mean to kill the man, so he put his circumstances in his hands. If he were to hit the man seriously, the man might just die in one hit. In moderation, it is good to put the man to have difficulty in walking or eating for about a week. The combination of 10th grade 「Close Combat」 and 「Insight」 calculated the optimal intensity and number of times appropriate for him to hit.

Yoo Jae-heung, who had been beaten for about three minutes, cried like a child.

“Okay, okay! Well done! I won’t do such a thing anymore.”

Whaa. Gyeal took a breather. The stone in his chest rambled. He wants to get angry. Suppressing the desire in his heart, he said to Jang Yeon-chul, who was looking from the side with bewilderment.

“Take this person with you. If you need any medicine, please let me know later.”

“Yes? Ah yes!”

Jang Yeon-cheol hurriedly ran. People who are usually friendly with Jang Yeon-cheol and those who want to benefit from being close quickly joined him and helped him.

Yura arrived a little later than Gyeol, so she, who had been watching so far, hesitantly approached and took notice of Gyeol.

”You are not really mad, are you?

[T: Yura probably means to ask if Gyeol was affected(angered) by the incident. To make this clear, sometimes one needs to fake anger to exert pressure or seriousness. Thank you for listening to my ramble.]

“Do I look like that?”

Relieved by his calm answer, she smiled brightly.

“When you knelt earlier, it was so cool. You are indeed the Little Captain. Don’t mind that weird guy on our side or whatever. I felt cold inside when the captain hit him. I think it should be the same for everyone. ”

“Thanks for your understanding. Go in and rest first.”

She gave her thumbs up to Gyeol as she went back.

As the winter cools down with the evening wind, Min Wan-ki stands side by side.

“You hit him severely.”

“No. It was necessary for once. I hope this will serve as an example to strengthen internal stability.”

“I won’t forget the little captain’s inaugural speech. I will tell it to Deputy Jang as well.”

After a brief pause, Min Wan-ki spoke.

“I don’t think it was intentional, but it seems that our conjecture on this matter coincides.

Among the incidents of dog chasing and dog stealing, there was one significant thing though.

It makes no sense to raise a dog in this camp.

Yes. No one can raise a pet. Because feeding pets was a luxury. Therefore, the ‘Mong family’ should be regarded as having a high rank within the 「Damul Promotion Association」.

Why did Mong’s father step out only at the end? It’s mother came out much earlier.

It was an incident, staged to share the appearance of the ‘unjust victims’.

In the end, 「Damul Promotion Association」 also wanted to be substantial. They must have been even more desperate than before since the status of the already hostile Gyeol had risen.

Yoo Jae-heung was a fish caught on bait. Of course, his own selfishness is also the cause, so there is no room for his salvation.

Thoughts soon became “teletype” strings.

Gyeol’s expression was one of nonchalance.

“It was a boring play. I hope this kind of matter doesn’t repeat after today.”

“I will pay attention. The captain beats that man so well, so I think everyone will control themselves for at least a while. Oh, can I smoke one?”

Min Wan-ki asked for a cigarette. Gyeol then lit the fire.

***Review of the work***

1. Since Salt in the Wound is going to the army, I can’t rest comfortably…

2. A day off doesn’t mean the writer really takes a day off. It’s time to accumulate the materials needed for the novel.

3. Please reflect on those who call writers monsters.

Why am I a monster?

Ten fingers, ten toes, ten legs… An ordinary Korean reserve sergeant…

Please call me a human writer from now on.

[T: Dear human author, ‘ten legs’?

The ‘Salt in the wound’ must be a Korean name.]

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