The Army 3

Ding!

[You have pressed 'Yes'.]

[Transporting to the Dungeon... ]

At the same moment the [System] informed his choice, a cold tingling sensation hurriedly crept from his toes to his belly and it went all the way to his shoulder and the back of his head—resisting him from moving.

A sudden wind then swarmed to his back, covering his whole body and the mattress of his bed. And like a creature had reached out, wiggling tentacles of shadows wrapped him up and started pulling him beneath the unknown.

"Hey, newcomer." An unexpected tap to his shoulder broke the process.

[Transport has been halted!

Do you wish to try again? Yes / No ]

"You haven't eaten dinner yet, are you?" one man asked him out.

"... Ah, yes..." Eddra answered. He felt a bit tipsy from being showered by an abrupt nonnative sensation.

"You better move now, before they close the canteen," said the man as Eddra blank mindedly looked at him while he walked away from the bunk bed.

...

Eddra placed the wooden bowl on the empty table. There were only a few soldiers left along with him at the canteen, silently eating the food provided.

'That felt weird,' he later commented, remembering the sensation he had experienced a short while ago.

'Even when I used the [Active Skill]... They were oddly similar in a way.' He brought a spoonful in his mouth. 'I mustn't act stupid again. When the time comes, my actions might be the death of me.'

Ding!

[You have gained an EXP!]

'And the [System] is giving me this randomly... Do I perhaps gain an [EXP] whenever it is pleased with my decisions?—'

"What are y'all still doing here?" The loud call made Eddra turn his head in its direction. He had not finished eating the food he brought on the table. Eddra hadn't taken four spoonfuls.

"Why's this place's still open?" It was the major he was familiar with, booming when he saw the numbers of soldiers left behind.

Shoving aside the guarding knight by the entryway of the ten, he hoarsely called, "Where's the head operating this eatery?"

"Shush! I hear ya yapping again from the kitchen," an angry high-pitched reply was then heard at the back of the counter. Shortly later, a huge woman revealed herself. "They hungry, so they eatin'!"

Luke, the knight major, however, did not give the slightest care. He reddened in his annoyance and bolted— "A hundred push-ups. Every single one of you."— leaving the canteen and the surprised soldiers behind him.

Although his orders were stern, the soldiers remained slowly finishing their meal, as if it was a normal scene that would happen every time and they were aware of it. Eddra knew about this too but forgot from the shock that dwelled in him.

With one standing up from his seat then taking back his bowl on the huge lady by the counter, Eddra stood along with the others in unison and did the same thing.

Seeing the knight major was waiting outside with his arms crossed, they immediately got on the ground, positioning their hands and extending their legs back then started counting on their loud chants.

"Double the number," was the devil's orders.

Ragged breathing, some were even resting their bodies on the ground while the most wasted ones started vomiting the night meal they had eaten. Almost no one really completed the two hundred push-ups.

Almost.

Eddra lost count when he did the hundred. He kept on doing it though, waiting for the knight major to stop him.

"All of you are dismissed. This kid is an exception."

He remained from his position, holding on all fours, while he raised his gaze at the man he would name a short devil. His sweat flowed from his forehead to his cheeks and as it fell from the ground.

"What are you looking at? Keep doing the task I commanded you."

Eddra lowered his head, cursing the short devil in his mind. 'This piece of shit. If only you knew how happy I was when you died—'

"I heard you volunteered, cried for your mother to enlist for the army. What are your plans, kiddo? You wanna be praised by the royal blood that bad?"

Releasing a sharp air from his mouth, Eddra tighten his chest and shouted as a reply, "No, Sir! I don't have such intention in mind."

"Then, what are your plans?"

Eddra pushed himself back up. He was irritated to himself that he hadn't thought of any answer to the question the whole time. Using the least knowledge he had in his head, Eddra came up with an answer.

"I wanted to acquire a land of my own, Knight Major! As a knight, Sir!" Huff. That was actually the smoothest thing he had said throughout his entire life.

'Do I really shitty want to?'

"Oh..." was the knight major's reply and he went silent.

Eddra gritted his teeth. What was good about forcing him from experiencing his life again? Curse the [System] for its acts. How could a foreign, obviously out of this world, be bestowed to him? What were its real intentions? If it was the matter to make him a hero, Eddra was least interested.

'And here I am. Getting swayed and thrilled to the new features.'

"... Good luck to you then," the major soon snickered, "Tomorrow will be the welcoming for the newcomers. Don't be late."

Eddra brought his chest near the ground and pushed himself back again, only to see the leaving footsteps of the annoying short devil.

'Not welcome. More like to let us experience our first day of torture.'

Giving in from the soreness that was forming in his arms, Eddra laid his belly on the ground, not minding the soil stuck on the one side of his face.

"... I can go back now, can I?"

...

The three hundred newcomers had arrived before the sun had risen of which were commanded to line up into ten rows. Eddra blew out gently while he remained his straight posture. He happened to be behind the person at very front in the second row. And one after the other, the knight major would ask for their names.

Adequate. Eddra knew he was correct. The welcome ceremony for the newcomers such as himself was none other than congratulating the first day of their torture experience.

The nobility status of the few ones was trashed out because the knight major did not give a shit about it, and he also impelled their spoiled asses to stop their whining and spatting of which only contains nonsense things since they had already entered the army.

Eddra had remembered a few faces, of course. The most person he could never forget was the man who first befriended Eddra, the son of a merchant and the chatterbox that almost had every information about the famous people and influencers, either nobles or commoners.

Although Eddra found it simply irritating at the time the noisy one approached him, it was worth listening to the information that was coming from his rattling mouth.

"Matt Pierse. Born at the Duchy of Rosemane, Sir!" Eddra heard someone introducing himself from afar.

"Oh? From the same state as I am. Don't embarrass me then," was knight major comment.

Eddra could not see where the short devil was heading at the moment, because they were not allowed to create any movements nor leave their gazes on the person's back at the lead position from them.

"Tell me your name."

"Hanx Salvaggi. County of Salvaggi, Sir."

Nonetheless, Eddra knew he was getting near his location just by concentrating on the sounds of the weighty footsteps echoing at the open area.

"Who and where?"

"... Why would I tell a com—"

The noise of someone choking out and rasping for his breath then ringed throughout the place.

"Feel that? This commoner just beat the hell outta you, blockhead. Next."

"I am—" A man beside Eddra started but was interrupted immediately.

"Not talking to you. The other one at your left."

Knowing the major was talking about him, Eddra then introduced himself, still looking straight from the back of the person at the leading position.

"Eddra Isaac. Grand Dukedom of Piethe, Major."

"And?"

"... And what, Sir?"

"Whose family where you from?" He instantly felt his brows flinched together from the annoying man's words.

The major knew why Eddra refused to state his full name since it would be a mess and it would draw attention for his family name was known by every highborn and commoner.

'This occurred last time as well.'

The major would ask more after he answered this question. The devil was simply teasing Eddra, and he had also made him the biggest talk of the army for months because of this.

'Fuck. I wanna kill this rotten fart.'

"Orhom, Sir. The first son of Rique Orhom who is the nephew of the King. Eddra Isaac Orhom. Did my answer satisfy the Knight Major?"

"Yes. Quiet an unforeseen event that we have royal blood in presence."

Eddra swore he could hear the major smiling from the tone of his reply.

"Listen, soldiers," the major called out with his hands on his waist when he moved at the very front then faced them with a big smile painted on his lips. "We will now start your everyday training within a second!"