In the end, since I was last in line, I was given no chance to choose anyone.
The able-bodied men had been left in just the right number.
Still, as luck would have it, I was able to take under my command a named military officer with a purple name floating above his head.
——
[General Information]
Name: Yue Jin (樂進) Courtesy Name: Wenqian (文謙) Grade: SR
Command: 70 Martial Might: 75 Intelligence: 37 Politics: 41 Charm: 55
Affinity: 0/100
——
“I am Wenqian, Squad Leader!”
“Right. I’ll be counting on you.”
Yue Jin cupped his fist toward me and bowed his head.
An SR-grade officer was far higher in grade than the dubo standing up there on the platform.
The reason he hadn’t been chosen might have been because he was far shorter than everyone else. Being ugly on top of that was just a bonus.
In the worldview of Misam 8, where looks were also considered part of one’s ability, he must have seemed like a shabby man.
The rest of the able-bodied men were all peasant soldiers, each holding a crude hand halberd.
“Orders have come down, so all squad leaders, gather!”
When Xiahou Dun, who had somehow gone up onto the platform, shouted, the squad leaders, myself included, gathered in one place.
“All newly organized squad leaders, listen up! You will follow my adjutant to Dongwuyang, where the seat of Dong Commandery is located. There, you will undergo simple training and be assigned as regular soldiers to fight against the Black Mountain bandits who have invaded Yan Province, so steel yourselves!”
“Understood!”
Here and there, the able-bodied men who had just become squad leaders cupped their fists with solemn expressions and shouted.
Everyone seemed tense about their first battle.
“Squad Leader Ian!”
“Yes?”
“You don’t seem nervous at all.”
[ Xiahou Dun’s affinity has increased slightly. ]
[ You have reached 20 affinity with Xiahou Dun! ]
[ You have obtained 50 yuanbao. ]
Oh. Nice!
“What is there to be nervous about?”
‘The tutorial just ended and the field opened up, that’s all.’
“Haha!! You’ve got some nerve! Good! You set out first!”
Xiahou Dun tossed a wooden tablet at me.
“Dongwuyang is seven days north of here. I’ll give you a deadline of ten days, so arrive within that time and hand this wooden tablet to the Military Affairs Aide!”
[ A faction quest has occurred! ]
[ The First Trial ]
[ Description: By Xiahou Dun’s order, deliver the wooden tablet to Dongwuyang’s Military Affairs Aide. Be careful, as remnants of the Black Mountain bandits who invaded Yan Province appear along the road to Dongwuyang. ]
[ Objective: Deliver Xiahou Dun’s wooden tablet to the Military Affairs Aide ]
[ Reward: 100 yuanbao, 200 merit points, Xi Zhicai’s affinity ]
[ Time Limit: 10 days ]
‘It’s a week away, but he’s giving me this much leeway?’
What did that mean?
Well, I’d find out once I went.
“I accept the order and will arrive in Dongwuyang within fourteen days!”
“I said ten days, you fool! There are quite a lot of Black Mountain bandit remnants in Yan Province right now, so take care of yourself. If you die, someone will be terribly saddened.”
Xiahou Dun roared with laughter and waved his hand. It probably meant I should get going.
I turned around and faced my subordinates.
“You heard him, right? We’re setting out ahead of the main force as a detached unit. If you have any belongings, hurry and pack them before coming out.”
At my words, one peasant soldier stammered.
“S-Squad Leader! Are you saying it’s really just the five of us setting out first? If w-we run into bandits on the way, they won’t even leave our bones behind!”
“That’s right! How could peasants like us possibly stand up to Black Mountain bandits who’ve lived by the blade…”
As the peasant soldiers trembled in fear, Yue Jin, who was beside them, shouted harshly.
“A strict order has been given by our superior, so why are there so many complaints! If you’re going to be like this, all of you throw down your weapons and go home!”
The peasant soldiers, whose discipline was brought under control in an instant, shut their mouths, and Yue Jin came over to me and cupped his fist.
As expected, a named officer was different.
I could leave managing the soldiers to Yue Jin.
“Squad Leader, do not worry! Though our force consists of only the five of us, if bandits appear, we will risk our lives to protect you!”
“I’m fine, so just don’t die. For now, finish arming yourselves and gather here again in one hour.”
“Um, Squad Leader. What is one hour?”
“……?”
As I pondered the meaning of what the soldier had said, it suddenly came to me.
This was the late Eastern Han.
An era where the day was not divided into 24 hours, but calculated by the twelve earthly branches.
“…Half a shichen. I mean gather here again after half a shichen.”
“Aha! I’ll keep that in mind, Squad Leader!”
***
I moved to a secluded place where there were no people.
For none other than a ten-pull gacha!
Gacha was best enjoyed in secret, after all.
“This time, it’d be better to pull equipment rather than generals, right…?”
Whether I liked them or not, they were comrades I had to spend at least a week with.
I absolutely refused to watch them die.
I wasn’t worried about Yue Jin, a named officer, but I wanted to put the peasant soldiers in the best equipment possible.
If I gave them high-grade armor and weapons, they should at least pull their own weight.
“Then let’s go for the ten-pull!”
When I pressed my finger firmly into the air, the familiar system window appeared before my eyes.
[ Current yuanbao held: 2,880 yuanbao ]
After checking the various rewards I had received from affinity, achievements, and so on, my currency totaled 2,880 yuanbao.
The gacha price in Misam 8 was 160 each. For ten pulls, 1,600.
With the currency I had, I could only do a ten-pull once.
That meant my chances of getting the equipment I wanted were lower.
However, because I had something to rely on, I swiped my finger downward as if scrolling.
Sure enough, just as I expected, a brilliantly shining banner appeared right in front of me, waiting.
[ Special Benefit for New Users! Limited to 4 Ten-Pull Draws! ]
[ Cost: 1,600 yuanbao > 1,280 yuanbao (20% discount) ]
“A 20% discount is the standard newbie package.”
On top of that, if I did four ten-pulls, I could guarantee an SSR-grade pull, so there was no better choice.
Without hesitation, I pulled for equipment.
The results appeared with flashy effects.
[ You have obtained N-grade Hole-Ridden Straw Shoes! ]
[ You have obtained N-grade Old Short Spear! ]
[ You have obtained R-grade Tough Leather Armor! ]
……
[ You have obtained SR-grade Studded Leather Armor! ]
——
[Equipment Information]
Name: Studded Leather Armor (頭釘皮甲)
Grade: SR
Martial Might Correction: +3
Durability: 150/150
Special Effect: None.
Description: Armor widely used from the early Joseon period to the end of the Korean Empire. Brass nails were driven into the inside of the armor to fix pieces of leather in place. It is highly effective at blocking arrows.
——
“I did twenty pulls, and only one SR-grade item came out?”
I gnashed my teeth at the absurd odds, but since I got three pieces of leather armor that would be good for the three peasant soldiers, I was fairly satisfied.
“And an SR-grade defensive item came out too, so I should give this to Yue Jin.”
Having fortunately obtained the number of equipment pieces I wanted, I arrived at the gathering place with light steps.
***
“Squad Leader! You’re here!”
The moment Yue Jin and the three peasant soldiers saw me, they hurriedly snapped to attention.
Instead of greeting them, I set the armor and weapons I was holding down on the ground.
“Here, supplies. You three change into this leather armor. If you want to use what you had, keep using it. If not, switch to these weapons I brought.”
“H-Huh! Are these really supplies?”
“This is my first time seeing armor made of leather!”
“Actually, I’m on good terms with someone pretty high up, so I got top-grade goods.”
‘It’d be a little awkward to say I got them from gacha, after all…’
The peasant soldiers excitedly picked up the armor and put it on.
“Wenqian, you use this.”
“Huh!”
Yue Jin, who had unconsciously received the weapon, widened his eyes.
“Ahh… This cool and weighty sensation…”
I drew the ring-pommel saber from my waist and gave it to Yue Jin.
“What in the world is this black blade…!!!”
Yue Jin drew it from its scabbard and stroked the smooth blade of the ring-pommel saber in admiration.
“I have another weapon, you see. It’s a good one, so use it well.”
“Is it all right for me to receive something this precious…?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? I’m taking care of my own people, that’s all.”
It was just dumping leftovers.
[ Yue Jin’s affinity has greatly increased. ]
[ You have reached 20 affinity with Yue Jin! ]
[ You have obtained 30 yuanbao! ]
Male officers gave less currency, huh.
I’d make a note of that.
“We set out as soon as everyone finishes changing. Let’s get to Dongwuyang as fast as possible.”
“Understood, Squad Leader!”
**
Had we walked for about half a day in the direction Xiahou Dun had told us?
At last, beyond the hills, bandits wearing yellow scarves on their heads appeared.
[Black Mountain Bandit Remnants (N) x 20]
“S-Squad Leader. There are a lot of enemies. Will we be all right?”
It was my first time facing twenty people, but…
“Judging by the way they’re dressed, they don’t seem to be regular troops. We’ll be enough.”
“I, Yue Wenqian, have confidence in my martial skill, so I will take the lead and open a path!”
As soon as Yue Jin finished speaking, he gripped the ring-pommel saber tightly and ran toward the Black Mountain bandits.
—Slice!
When Yue Jin swung his saber, three or four Yellow Turban bandits fell at once.
[ 1. Defeat enemies. 50/50 (Achieved) ]
[ You have obtained 200 yuanbao. ]
[ You have obtained merit points! +20 ]
Huh?
My body, which had been about to draw my sword and run out, flinched to a stop.
Yue Jin had cut down the Black Mountain bandit at the front, and along with the quest completion notification, merit points had come in.
‘Auto-hunting is insanely good…’
“Kraaaagh! How dare you block the Squad Leader’s path! I’ll cut you down!!”
Like a fish in water, Yue Jin dug into the middle of the enemy formation and mercilessly cut down the Black Mountain bandits.
—Clang!
—Kakang!
“Damn it…! What the hell is this armor…!”
“Neither swords nor spears are going through!!”
The crude weapons swung by the Black Mountain bandits failed to pierce the Studded Leather Armor Yue Jin was wearing and all bounced off.
On the other hand, Yue Jin was brutally slicing up the enemies with the ring-pommel saber I had given him, so the group of Black Mountain bandits fell into total disarray and fled, only to be caught by me and completely annihilated.
“Squad Leader. We have wiped out all the enemies!”
Yue Jin spoke fiercely, drenched in blood.
“Good work. For now, how about going to the stream and washing off the blood?”
“If not for the armor and sword you bestowed upon me, we would not have won so easily!”
[ You have reached 80 affinity with Yue Jin! ]
[ You have obtained 90 yuanbao! ]
It even gave me currency on top of auto-hunting?
With a satisfied smile, I praised Yue Jin’s achievements.
“Keep taking the lead and cutting down enemies from now on.”
“I shall obey your command, Squad Leader!”
Yue Jin’s eyes were burning with loyalty.
I nodded in satisfaction and turned around.
“Hm? What are you guys doing over there?”
The peasant soldiers had approached the corpses and were doing something.
“We are collecting trophies that will prove our merits.”
One of the peasant soldiers held up something gruesome he had removed from a corpse.
“……Mm.”
A sight that was difficult to put into words unfolded before my eyes.
The peasant soldiers were outright humming as they looted the corpses of the enemies.
When I looked at Yue Jin in disbelief at the sight, Yue Jin also said he would help and brought his blade to a corpse’s head.
—Slice.
“It really is a chaotic age… A true chaotic age.”
I forced myself to turn my gaze away and swallowed dryly.