'Enhance existing skill, Weapon Mastery!'
Enlightenment came like a bolt of lightning.
My body moved on its own.
Ding—
['Weapon Mastery' sk—]
I shoved the system window aside and cut the throttle at the same time. I pulled back on the stick and kicked the rudder all the way down.
Clank—! Screeeech!
The aircraft shook violently. The slats screamed as they shot out, and the lump of metal that had been flying at hundreds of kilometers per hour slammed on the brakes in midair as if skidding.
My insides lurched forward, the safety belt crushing my rib cage like it would shatter it.
And the two enemy planes accelerating to bite onto my tail couldn’t handle their own speed and shot past above my head like arrows.
Overshoot.
The two red dots on the [Minimap] rolled right into the center of my vision. And in that fleeting instant—
'Now.'
[Activating skill 'Bullet Time (Lv.2)'.]
With a sharp ringing in my ears, the world’s time stretched out sluggishly, as if it had sunk into mud.
I pulled the trigger without hesitation, aiming at the tail of the first one.
Dudududut—!
Tracer rounds spat from the nose and main wings, slicing through the air to pierce the enemy aircraft’s fuselage and scatter sparks.
Before it could even explode, I kicked the rudder pedal in a short jab and twisted the nose sideways.
Screeeech.
The sight line slid naturally to the left, catching the wing root of the second plane as it finally reacted and tried to scatter.
Kwaaaang—!
At the same moment the first enemy plane burst into a ball of flame, I pulled the trigger.
Dudududut—! Kwakwang—!
The 20mm high-explosive shells tore the second enemy aircraft to pieces.
[Skill 'Bullet Time' has ended.]
Time regained its original, furious speed.
"Two."
The two enemy planes, engulfed in crimson flames, spewed long trails of black smoke as they plunged side by side toward the sea.
[Remaining daily uses: 0/2]
But it wasn’t over.
Beep—! Beep—! Beep—!
The oil pressure warning light flashed like mad. The coolant leak in the right wing had long since passed the limit.
"Fuck, hold together!"
Three enemy planes left.
When their two comrades were shot down in an instant, they seemed flustered, spreading their formation and pouring crossfire into me.
Tadadadang—!
Cracks spread across the canopy glass, and holes were punched all through the right wing. The smell of gunpowder and burning oil filled the cramped cockpit.
[Skill 'Indomitable Spirit' is active.]
[Suppressing extreme fear.]
My body moved before even the instinct that wanted to live.
The aircraft flipped over.
I shoved the nose down and dove into a Split-S maneuver.
Dodging the trajectory of the pouring tracer rounds by a paper-thin margin, I rolled again.
Four fighters tangled in a spiral were plunging toward the blood-red morning sea.
But the engine temperature had already broken past the red line long ago. If I raised the throttle any more here, the engine would blow.
'This is the limit.'
I had no choice but to lower the throttle. The aircraft, having lost acceleration, lurched heavily.
And the enemy plane behind me locked perfectly onto my tail. The red dot on the [Minimap] pursued me in a straight, unwavering line. It meant he had finished aiming.
Just as I was about to prepare for emergency ejection—
Wooooong—! Kwaaaang—!
Above my head, a massive roar tore down through the thick sea fog and shook the sky.
Countless green dots poured down on the [Minimap] like a shower.
Tadadadadang—! Kwakwang—!
The enemy plane biting onto my tail was riddled into a honeycomb and exploded under the merciless strafing fire that plunged down from above.
Shuuuuung—! Shuuung—!
The Empire’s main fighters, bearing black crosses, swept past on either side of me and charged toward the remaining enemy planes.
Bzzzt—
A radio transmission mixed with static flowed through my headset.
[This is the commander of 1st Squadron, 5th Fighter Wing. Your vanguard action in the defense was magnificent, Lieutenant Colonel Jäger.]
A relaxed, deep voice unique to a veteran.
[Welcome to the service. We’ll clean up the remaining trash.]
No sooner had the transmission ended than the two surviving enemy planes tucked tail and began to flee. Imperial formation aircraft fiercely pursued them, embroidering the sky with tracer rounds.
And the remaining two allied fighters turned their noses and stuck close to either side of me.
As if escorting my battered aircraft as it rattled and vomited coolant, they formed a perfect V formation.
Beyond a rough leather flight cap, I could see the allied pilot flying wing-to-wing with me raise his thumb in my direction.
Only then could I loosen the strength in the hand that had been gripping the control stick as if to break it.
*
The result of the battle was an overwhelming victory for the Empire.
Half the base had burned and the runway had been cratered, but the loss of the most important asset—fighter strength—was minimal.
The enemy commando squadron that had launched a surprise attack under cover of the dawn sea fog failed to get even a single plane back across the sea alive, thanks to my insane “short-term enlistment” that bought time and the pilots of the 5th Fighter Wing who scrambled immediately afterward.
Chiiiiik—
When I opened the cockpit canopy and crawled out, the mechanics and ground crew who had rushed over from all directions were staring at the aircraft with their mouths hanging open.
There were dozens of bullet holes in the fuselage alone. The engine cowling was blackened by heat, and the right wing looked so precarious it might snap at any moment.
I had flown in that condition, destroyed three enemy planes on my own, and returned alive.
And I was a damned Army ground-pounder.
"L-Lieutenant Colonel Jäger……!"
Lieutenant Colonel Heinrich, who had rushed over in a jeep, stammered as he looked back and forth between my appearance and the rattling fighter. Beside him stood the brigadier general who commanded the 5th Fighter Wing.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Heinrich von Hermann]
[Emotion: This madman is messing with fighters now, not just anti-aircraft guns?]
"How on earth… did you push the aircraft to that state and shoot down three enemy planes?!"
Heinrich’s mouth wouldn’t close.
The wing commander standing beside him also looked back and forth between the rattling fighter and my face with an expression of disbelief.
I fully shut off the engine and hopped down from the cockpit. Then I replied as if it were nothing.
"It helped that I’d read the flight manual a few times before. When I was on the verge of death, my body moved on its own."
One hundred percent pure bullshit.
But with the results being this overwhelming, there was no one who could refute it. My shameless snake-oil pitch was neatly packaged as miraculous instinct.
"T-this is insane…."
This time, the wing commander opened his mouth.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Wolfgang]
[Affiliation: Imperial Air Force 5th Fighter Wing]
[Rank: Brigadier General (Wing Commander)]
[State: Shock, awe, desire]
"L-Lieutenant Colonel Jäger. You… I know this isn’t something to say to a man who just barely survived…."
"……Please, speak."
"Have you ever thought about coming to the Air Force…?"
[Emotion: He’s far too talented to leave rotting away in the Army! To pull off aerobatics like that after only reading the manual—could he be a genius blessed by the heavens?!]
[Hidden Desire: Wants to bring Lieutenant Colonel Jäger into the Air Force by any means possible.]
*
Click.
I closed the barracks door and collapsed onto the bed. When I closed my eyes like that, I had the illusion that the memories of the aerial battle were unfolding before me again.
The crimson dawn that had filled my vision.
The aircraft’s vibration that seemed to tear my ears apart, and the chilling arcs of the red tracer rounds that had poured in while biting onto my tail.
And the sparkling gazes of admiration that had poured over me the moment my feet touched the ground.
Honestly, I still hadn’t really calmed down. So this was what it felt like to fly through the sky.
'……I’m tired.'
I roughly stripped off my clothes and rubbed my stiff neck.
[Weapon Mastery] and [Indomitable Spirit] had forcibly awakened me into an elite pilot, but actually enduring tremendous G-forces while yanking the control stick around had all remained as fatigue in my body.
The limits of my flesh were still there. Sleep came rushing in. My eyelids felt like they weighed a thousand, ten thousand pounds. Slowly—
.
.
.
'Ah.'
As soon as I opened my eyes, I checked the clock. Quite a bit of time had passed.
[You defended the base from the enemy’s surprise air raid and shot down multiple enemy aircraft.]
[You have obtained experience as a reward.]
A system window, which I had no idea when it had appeared, was floating in front of my eyes.
'Still no level-up.'
I wasn’t even disappointed anymore. As my level rose, the required experience had long since increased exponentially.
Knock knock.
And with perfect timing, a messenger’s voice came from outside.
"Lieutenant Colonel Jäger. The corps commander is calling for you."
The Empire’s war hero, the comet of aerial warfare who had shot down enemy aircraft single-handedly.
In reality, I was still just some poor bastard who had to run without question when a superior called.
How long did I have to live like this?
*
Inside the command tent at headquarters.
Standing before the enormous situation board was Lieutenant General Albert, one of the core leaders of the Imperial Air Force.
This operational area was under his jurisdiction.
"You called for me, Corps Commander?"
"Sorry when you ought to be resting. But I couldn’t simply let your achievement pass without saying anything."
Lieutenant General Albert gave his adjutant a look, and soon a steaming cup of the finest black tea was placed in front of me.
"I’ll ask directly. Lieutenant Colonel Jäger. Do you truly have no intention of transferring to our Air Force?"
Here we go again.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Albert von Greif]
[Affiliation: Imperial Air Force 2nd Air Corps]
[Rank: Lieutenant General (Corps Commander)]
[State: Amusement, greed, regret]
[Emotion: If Wolfgang’s report is true, this bastard is an insane genius. I want to pry him away from the Army no matter what.]
Lieutenant General Albert was completely serious.
"Compared to the Army’s trenches rolling in dust and mud, the clean uniforms and barracks of our Air Force would suit you far better. I could personally organize an independent flying detachment just for you."
To be honest, looking only at the conditions, it was tempting enough to waver.
Rather than rolling through mud and becoming a bullet sponge like the Army ground-pounders, the Air Force—eating good meals and sleeping at a rear base with a runway—suited my nature far better.
But that was only how the picture looked on the surface.
The power pipelines I had built. My connections among the military leadership, headed by Marshal Ludwig, and the reliable backing of my subordinates—all of it had taken root in the Imperial Army.
And I’d change my affiliation to the Air Force here?
Not only would the protective shield of the generals who had been watching my back disappear, I would also be separated from my hands and feet like Hanna, Seraphina, and Elise, becoming an isolated island.
I would become Max Jäger Starting Over from Zero.
Having come this far already, there was no reason to press the reset button. It wasn’t as if I’d get TS’d every time I pressed it.
"I am deeply grateful for such an extraordinary offer, Corps Commander."
'Captivating Eloquence.'
[Skill 'Captivating Eloquence (Lv.3)' is activating.]
Albert’s expression hardened slightly as he sensed the refusal.
"However, I am infantry by origin, a man who has rolled on the dirt all his life. My heart is only at ease when my two feet touch the ground. The sky should rightfully be ruled by true heroes such as yourself, Corps Commander."
[The effect of skill 'Captivating Eloquence (Lv.3)' is applied to the target.]
Lieutenant General Albert smacked his lips regretfully.
"Haha. Goodness, the commander-in-chief certainly knows how to grab hold of a talented man and never let go. Very well, very well. I won’t press you any further."
A clean surrender.
And then the lieutenant general got to the main point. The atmosphere sank heavily in an instant.
"Lieutenant Colonel, look at these photographs."
Lieutenant General Albert tossed several black-and-white photographs onto the table.
They were photographs of the wreckage of the enemy planes I had shot down before dawn today.
In the photographs, on the burned tail section of the fuselage—
In the place where the traditional emblem of the United Kingdom should have been, there was a crudely painted-over mark.
"A red star."