Several more days passed like that. The 3rd Platoon had become a completely different unit. Rumors spread like the wind, and the soldiers began to submit to me.
Late at night, after all training was finished, I collapsed onto my barracks bed, utterly exhausted.
Then a familiar sound rang in my ear.
Ding—
[You have succeeded in establishing platoon discipline and taking complete control of command authority.]
[You have acquired experience points as a reward.]
[Your level has risen to 4!]
[You have acquired 1 new skill point.]
“Oh.”
I grinned. My fatigue vanished in an instant. As expected, all that suffering had been worth it.
[Skill Points Possessed: 1]
[Please select one of the options below to acquire your reward.]
1. [Enhance Existing Skill]
2. [Acquire New Skill]
This time, it was slightly different from before. To familiarize myself with it, I checked each option for a moment.
After checking, there was nothing particularly special. [Acquire New Skill] was an option that let me choose a new skill, just like last time, and [Enhance Existing Skill] was a function that strengthened a skill I already had. It was exactly as written.
Then it was time to think. During my last promotion, I had chosen [Status Analysis] over [Bullet Time].
What about this time?
Two skills were shining on the [Acquire New Skill] list.
The first was the skill I had seen before, but unfortunately had been forced to give up.
1. [Bullet Time]
Detailed Description: Upon activation, you enter a state of hyper-acceleration in which you perceive the flow of the world, excluding yourself, as slowed to 1/10 speed for up to 3 seconds. Usable once per day. The number of uses increases as the level rises.
The second was a skill I was seeing for the first time.
2. [Charismatic Speaker]
Detailed Description: During conversation, you exert a subtle influence on the other party’s subconscious, making them listen more closely to your words and accept them more positively. You receive a bonus in all verbal interactions, including persuasion, negotiation, and command. The effect is maximized when making proposals related to desires the other party is hiding. The effect grows stronger as the level rises.
Both were abilities I wanted.
[Bullet Time] went without saying. It was the ultimate survival skill, one that could guarantee my life even if a battle broke out tomorrow.
[Charismatic Speaker] was also an ability that couldn’t be better suited to a commander. I could have taken control of the 3rd Platoon much faster than the week it had taken, and it would surely be useful for coaxing troublesome superiors like Seraphina.
But I hesitated. There was something I had learned from the experiences of the past week.
What mattered more than force or eloquence was information.
‘…If I’d known what that bastard Kurt was thinking from the start, things would’ve been much easier.’
Until the fourth day, I hadn’t known his true intentions. Even when I used [Status Analysis], it only said he was harboring discontent. Then, on the fourth day, the information about him inciting work slowdowns appeared.
If [Status Analysis] had been a higher level, I would have seen through him immediately.
I shifted my gaze to the first option, [Enhance Existing Skill].
[Would you like to enhance the skill “Status Analysis”?]
Without hesitation, I pressed the “Yes” button floating in the air.
[The level of the skill “Status Analysis” has increased. (Lv.1 -> Lv.2)]
[You can now grasp the target’s [Emotional] state, and discover [Hidden Traits].]
The sensation of the skill being enhanced seeped into my head.
‘Shall I test it?’
I immediately used the newly enhanced skill on myself.
‘Status Analysis.’
[Name: Max Jaeger]
[Race: Human]
[Affiliation: Imperial Army 7th Infantry Regiment]
[Rank: Lieutenant]
[Status: Satisfaction from achieving a goal, slight fatigue]
[Emotion: Outwardly calm, but deep within lie anxiety about survival and uncertainty about the future]
[Hidden Traits: Possessor, Harem Overlord Integration Pack, Minimap, Indomitable Mind, Status Analysis (Lv.2)]
“Huh…?”
I laughed in disbelief. A skill that even saw through my anxiety and uncertainty? The emotions that the [Indomitable Mind] skill had forcibly buried were displayed right there. Reading them myself was… an extremely strange feeling. To be blunt, looking into my own inner self was not exactly a pleasant experience.
I shook my head and drove away my idle thoughts. What mattered was the skill’s performance. Now I could see emotions and hidden traits. There was even information that I was a “Possessor” and that I had downloaded the “Harem Overlord Integration Pack,” as well as the skills I had received as privileges.
But I felt that this alone was insufficient. After all, I was far too much of an irregular. I needed other people to test it on. Just then, I saw two soldiers on patrol outside the barracks window. On the minimap, two green dots were also moving slowly.
I walked over to the window and looked outside. First, I fixed my gaze on the soldier walking in front and activated the skill.
‘Status Analysis.’
[Name: Hans]
[Race: Human]
[Affiliation: Imperial Army 7th Infantry Regiment]
[Rank: Private]
[Status: Boredom from patrol, drowsiness]
[Emotion: Longing and worry for the younger sister he left behind in his hometown]
[Hidden Trait: Absolute Pitch]
‘…Absolute pitch?’
I almost burst out laughing. It was a trait that would be of no use whatsoever on a battlefield. [Emotion] was at least better. On the surface, he looked like nothing more than a sleepy rookie, but I could learn that deep down, he desperately missed his family. There was definitely more information visible than before.
I immediately shifted my gaze to the soldier following behind him.
‘Status Analysis.’
[Name: Friedrich]
[Race: Human]
[Affiliation: Imperial Army 7th Infantry Regiment]
[Rank: Corporal]
[Status: Dissatisfaction with his junior, jealousy toward a peer who was promoted before him]
[Emotion: Anger and helplessness regarding his own situation, impatience to distinguish himself]
[Hidden Trait: Born Gambler]
This one was a little interesting. On the surface, he was a veteran soldier silently making his rounds, but inside, jealousy and impatience were boiling over. The trait Born Gambler, combined with those attributes, could either become a ticking time bomb that might explode at any moment, or a problem solver in a decisive moment.
‘Fascinating.’
I had only scanned two people—no, three including myself—and it was already interesting. This went beyond the simple concept of seeing information. It was on the level of stripping a person bare and peering into their desires and weaknesses.
From the look of it, that guy Hans would easily crumble if I appealed to family love and sentiment, while Friedrich would throw away his life if I stimulated his desire for glory. It was information useful not only for command, but in many other ways as well.
‘This is really pretty good…?’
*
The next day, I headed to the company command barracks with the weekly training report in hand. I casually returned the salutes of the soldiers I encountered along the way and stepped inside the command barracks. Captain Seraphina was standing in front of the operations map, studying something intently.
“Lieutenant Max Jaeger, reporting the weekly training results of the 3rd Platoon.”
A soft rustle came from the friction of her uniform. Her body turned away from the map in a graceful arc. The taut uniform traced a sleek curve along her slender waistline, and cold blue eyes were revealed between the cascades of silver hair.
“Very well. Let’s hear it.”
Her voice was cold yet clear. I began my report without delay.
“We exceeded all weekly training objectives: physical conditioning, marksmanship improvement, and proficiency in squad-level tactical maneuvers.”
Seraphina’s brow twitched faintly. Without even looking at the report, she stared straight through me. I did not avoid her gaze and quietly activated my skill.
‘Status Analysis.’
[Using the skill “Status Analysis (Lv.2)” on “Seraphina von Reinhardt.”]
[Name: Seraphina von Reinhardt]
[Race: Human]
[Affiliation: Imperial Army 7th Infantry Regiment]
[Rank: Captain]
[Status: Confirmation and satisfaction regarding the changes in the 3rd Platoon, high evaluation of Max Jaeger]
[Emotion: Outwardly cold, but inwardly surprised and intrigued by results beyond expectations]
[Hidden Trait: Mana Overload — A chronic internal injury. The mana within her body is rampaging uncontrollably, causing extreme pain. She is suppressing it with strong mental fortitude, but unless there is a fundamental solution, it is destined to gradually worsen.]
‘…Mana Overload?’
I swallowed dryly. It was information I hadn’t expected at all. The part that had originally been displayed as “suppressed fatigue” for Seraphina was now written in far greater detail, and it was beyond anything I had imagined.
It was none other than [Mana Overload], and a chronic internal injury at that.
[Mana Overload] was one of the debuffs in [Heart of the Empire: Chronicles of the Eagle]. In the game, it was a rare trait—and a curse—granted only to a very small number of hero units.
In short, it was a complete garbage trait. Characters who had it periodically suffered damage-over-time as their health decreased, had a certain probability of falling into abnormal status conditions, and took major debuffs to their stats. On top of that, it came plastered with all sorts of other disadvantages.
[Mages suffering from Mana Overload cannot escape pain even in sleep. Their dreams often blaze with the flames of uncontrolled mana.]
For a moment, the in-game description of [Mana Overload] came to mind. Pain like thousands of tiny needles stabbing along the blood vessels at once. An unpleasant numbness spreading throughout the body, interfering with sleep and concentration. When it worsened, the pain burrowed into the organs, twisting them, and the bones began to ache deep within. In the end, one would either become incapable of using mana or be reduced to a wreck.
In other words, even at this very moment, Seraphina was enduring extreme pain from the mana inside her body running wild as it pleased.
And she was suppressing that with sheer mental fortitude…?
I looked at Seraphina’s face again. What entered my eyes then was her skin, pale enough to seem almost bloodless. Her nickname, the Ice Witch, was not something she had simply been born with. It was probably because she was devoting every nerve to suppressing her pain and controlling her body.
“The rumors about you are quite something, Lieutenant.”
Watching her speak without the slightest change in expression, I even felt a sense of awe.
But I did not show it and waited for Seraphina’s next words. Even knowing this, there was nothing I could do. Not right now.
I answered as calmly as I could.
“You flatter me.”
“They say you brought the men of the 3rd Platoon to heel in one week. I even heard you frightened them by bringing up the Eastern Front.”
“It was a necessary measure.”
“Yes, the method does not matter. As long as the results are certain.”
Seraphina seemed pleased with my answer and gave a brief nod.
“Now that I have confirmed your ability myself, I will give you your next mission.”
“Just give the order.”
She spread a map out on the desk.
“Recently, allied reconnaissance teams have gone missing in the Ashen Forest. To determine the cause, your 3rd Platoon will conduct a search reconnaissance of the area tomorrow morning.”
The Ashen Forest. It had been one of the places where the fighting against the orcs had been fiercest. Things were at a lull now, but it was still a dangerous area where small units from both sides clashed in tangled skirmishes.
“Understood.”
At my immediate reply, her eyes trembled faintly. The enhanced [Status Analysis] did not miss even that fleeting emotional shift.
[Emotion: Satisfaction at his compliance as expected, faint relief that he has not noticed her pain]
“Be careful. There is a high chance this is not a simple case of getting lost.”
“I will keep that in mind. Loyalty!”
With those words, I left the barracks.
At dawn the next day, the 3rd Platoon began marching toward the Ashen Forest.