3. Enlistment (1)
The very first thing done at the Enlistment Administration Office is verifying that the person is who they claim to be.
In the past, this verification process took a very long time, but these days it has become quite simple.
The reason being that it can now be verified through blood and mana.
There is a reason why the enlistment application requires a thumbprint stamped in blood.
Once they verify whether the blood and the mana contained within it match the applicant, they move immediately to the next location: the physical examination center.
Jayden, too, briefly underwent the examination in the long line before proceeding immediately to the physical examination center.
There, they check eyesight and disabilities, and one might think the physical examination is too simple for what it's called, but this wasn't everything.
The real examination takes place at the training center.
Mana inspections, detailed physical specifications, and more are all examined there, while simultaneously judging whether these kids can endure extreme training.
Precisely because the training and schedule are so grueling, many drop out midway.
If that were the end of it, the Northern Army's notoriety wouldn't be so great.
“Physical verification complete. Grade 1 normal.”
“Yes.”
After Jayden checked his physical examination form and nodded, another staff member immediately came out and told him to hand over his identification card and personal belongings.
Only after this process was complete could one officially enter the Northern Army Training Center.
The moment he handed over his ID and all his belongings, he received a number tag; for the entire duration of his training center life, this number would replace his name.
“You have been assigned number 1223. From now on, this number will replace your name. Do you agree?”
“Yes.”
“Very well. Whatever you did outside, whatever status you held, that status cannot be used until your discharge. Do you agree?”
“Yes.”
“Verification complete. Your belongings will be transferred to Northern Command, and you may retrieve them on your discharge day.”
The guide placed his identification plaque and belongings into a small box and pushed it aside.
As the guide called for the next child, Jayden moved under the guidance of another staff member.
Trainees who had completed all procedures at the Enlistment Administration Office and received their numbers began gathering in the outdoor drill ground.
Approximately two hundred trainees had gathered, all children with numbers in the one-thousands.
Most likely, since the Leonhardt Domain had been drafted starting from the one-thousands, they had been assigned such numbers.
‘Quite a variety.’
From children kicked out of orphanages to illegitimate children, prostitutes' children, and street beggar gangs, all kinds of children were gathered there.
All of them had applied to the Northern Enlistment Administration Office just to survive.
Because at the very least, if they applied here, they would have food to eat.
No matter how hard it was, as long as they were given food and money to survive in the future, these were children who would attempt even the most dangerous tasks.
Unlike the majority, whose eyes were filled with ferocity, a few noble-born children could be seen; the cleaner-looking children were usually such cases.
Children who had learned mana breathing techniques and family swordsmanships but whose houses were losing influence or being pushed out had come here to find their own path to survival.
“You will now move to Northern Command. Any questions?”
At the sharp-looking man's words, everyone kept silent and stared blankly.
The man nodded lightly and began to lead them.
Some children were intimidated by the heavy atmosphere, while others trembled in fear.
They had steeled themselves on the way here, but now that the moment had arrived, fear began to consume their bodies.
To get to the Northern Army Training Center, the children boarded large mana vehicles and headed toward where the mana train was.
“A mana train….”
Jayden muttered, gazing at the massive mana train visible in the distance.
The general technological level of society was similar to the 1800s and 1900s of the real world, yet this world was a strange place where items from the 2000s also existed.
At the center of that phenomenon was mana, and it was precisely because of this that the major noble houses used swords and magic instead of guns.
“Everyone aboard the train.”
At the sharp man's words, the children silently boarded the train.
Inside the train, armed escorts carrying guns patrolled here and there.
Simply awakening one's mana meant one wouldn't be seriously hurt by guns.
Even if they couldn't deflect the bullet itself, they could react and dodge the moment someone tried to shoot.
Even just perfectly reaching the second stage, the realm of physical strengthening, allowed one to react to flying bullets to some degree.
Precisely because of this, the power of guns was not absolute as it was in the real world.
Moreover, there was a decisive reason firearms had lost their power in this world: monsters.
These creatures were born with a certain amount of mana, and their hides were so thick they could hardly be considered animals, making it difficult for guns to demonstrate their power.
However, even such guns were still formidable against ordinary people, and as if to prove it, those aboard the train were more than capable of intimidating children with guns alone.
Because of the escorts deliberately moving in a threatening manner inside the train, the children traveled toward Northern Command with terrified expressions.
They were given food and allowed to sleep enough, yet everyone could feel in their bones that this was the last happiness they would experience.
As if to prove it, the moment they arrived at Northern Command after several days, the expressions of the escorts who had been silent until now began to turn savage.
“Get out, now!”
“I'll crush the ones who come out last.”
“What are you doing! Is this bastard resisting? Huh?”
“Run! You motherfuckers!”
When they deliberately spewed coarse words while ordering them to disembark, the children began running quickly with frightened expressions.
Once all the children were outside, the sharp-faced man shouted at them.
“Form up in four columns. Now!”
“Stop dawdling?”
“You wanna die!”
“You got no head? You're supposed to stand over here!”
“Get a grip, you bastard!”
The moment the order fell, they began teaching the children what a four-column formation was together with curses.
“We are heading to the training center now. Those who fall behind will learn what hell is, so keep up.”
The sharp-faced man spoke and took the lead, while escorts on both sides spewed curses with vicious expressions as they herded the children.
Jayden felt as if he had returned to the military of the real world and inwardly thought it was utter shit countless times.
He had served in the army in the real world and commanded troops against monsters in his previous life, but rolling around at the bottom like this always felt like absolute shit, no matter when he did it.
Thus, forcibly creating an atmosphere of terror, they boarded large mana vehicles and arrived at the Northern Command training center.
“Ack!”
“Is that all you can do!”
“Ack!”
“This little bastard, so weak! Get down!”
Here and there, children could be seen rolling around under the instructors.
They were putting nine-year-old children through training that even adults would find grueling.
Of course, since they were children, they seemed to be making some allowances, but they were still performing basic disciplinary exercises like sitting down, standing up, and dropping to the ground.
Moreover, children who absolutely couldn't keep up were separated out and being thoroughly worked over.
They had only brought children who were more or less normal, no matter how lacking their physical abilities, so if they worked them hard enough, they would keep up.
And as if to prove it, the children who had been separated out rejoined the group with eyes full of venom and worked harder than anyone.
“Now! Focus.”
Watching their fellow recruits groaning in pain here and there, the frightened children quickly looked to the sharp-faced man.
“We go together only up to here. From now on, I will introduce the instructor who will train you. Everyone focus.”
When the escort said so, exchanged light greetings with the approaching instructor, and disappeared, greater fear began to grow in the children's eyes.
The disappearance of even the person they sort of knew made them even more terrified.
“Nice to meet you. I am Instructor Salmosa. I am pleased that I will be living with you at the training center from now on.”
The children's expressions stiffened as they watched Instructor Salmosa, who said he was pleased while his expression twisted even more viciously.
“These are the assistant instructors who will aid me. If you simply do as you're told from now on, they will become kind instructors to you, so I hope you get along well with them.”
Saying so, he introduced the instructors one by one.
After the instructors who had introduced themselves as Yellow Viper, Red Viper, Blue Viper, Green Viper, Black Viper, and so on stepped back, Instructor Viper spoke again.
“It does not matter what kind of lives you lived in the past. From this moment on, you are nothing more than trainees. If you endure this place, you will become fine juniors! If you cannot, you will leave this training camp as losers.”
As he said that, Viper swept a cold gaze over the crowd and placed both hands on his waist.
“This instructor promises to make every one of you into excellent soldiers. Even if you are not good, so long as you have the will, you can become an excellent soldier. So never give up. Trust this instructor and follow him. Understood?”
“Ack!”
Jaden answered quickly, having read the situation, but the children who had been staring blankly only looked at him with expressions that seemed to say they had no idea why that guy had suddenly answered.
“Everyone except Trainee 1223, down.”
“Get down, you bastards!”
“You think this is your house?”
“Get your heads on straight!”
As all the dazed children dropped down and were showered with curses by the instructors, Jaden fixed his gaze firmly on Viper.
Perhaps pleased with Jaden, Viper gave a slight nod before continuing his explanation.
“From now on, you will be divided into squads. There will be twenty-five squads of ten people each, and from now on, you should think of that squad as a single body. Even if one person makes a mistake, the entire squad will be punished, so if you don’t want to be a nuisance to your squadmates, move smartly.”
The moment Viper finished speaking, Jaden was the first to find his place.
Perhaps because they liked how quick-witted he was, the other instructors also gave Jaden small nods with approving expressions before starting to grind down the other children.
No matter where you went, there were always people who could not understand what was being said and moved sluggishly, and those children naturally became targets for the instructors to vent their anger on.
“Is the army your living room?”
“Get down, you bastard!”
The instructors were cursing and working them hard, but even so, there were still children acting stupid.
Perhaps deciding that such children needed to be properly run ragged, Instructor Viper spoke in a low, heavy voice.
“From now on, everyone except 1223 will run to that flag over there, touch it, and return here. First hundred. Run!”
At Instructor Viper’s words, the children began running like mad. That left only Viper and Jaden behind, but Instructor Viper said nothing at all to him as he stood there alone.
After the instructors had worked them extremely hard from the very first day, the children, utterly exhausted, stood in their assigned squads, and the instructors began teaching them basic drill and the like.
Naturally, among the children were some who did not understand, and one of them was in Jaden’s squad.
“When we sit, ‘we are.’ When we stand, ‘one.’ Sit!”
“We are!”
“Stand!”
“One!”
“Sit!”
Because of his squadmate, who could not understand no matter how many times it was explained, Jaden received punishment several times. Grinding his teeth inwardly, he struggled through the training camp entrance ceremony—written as entrance ceremony, read as getting run ragged.