Becoming a Swordmaster by Reading Chapter 48

Because the war was still in full swing, it was impossible for the entire battalion to gather for a large-scale competition.

This was because someone had to stand guard duty, and another had to leave for a supply operation.

Of course, with good coordination, it was possible to minimize the number of personnel on guard duty and postpone the supply operation for a few days.

But even so, it was practically impossible for nearly 300 people to all gather and hold a competition.

This was even more so because there was no guarantee that this competition would end in just one day.

In fact, the 3rd Infantry Platoon had to invest a full day to select the strongest soldier in their platoon.

For that reason, the rules of this competition proposed by Roden were as follows.

1. Each platoon freely selects two representative players.

2. A total of 16 representative players compete in a tournament format.

3. Players who draw matching stones numbered from 1 to 16 will face each other.

4. However, only soldiers of squad leader rank and below can participate in this competition.

5. Also, if a player inflicts a severe injury on their opponent, that person will be disqualified and their crime will be judged by military law.

They were extremely efficient and rational competition rules.

For that reason, the platoon leaders of each unit who received these rules felt their blood boil.

Because the moment had come when they could prove that their platoon was the strongest in the fairest way.

Furthermore, Adriel added fuel to this atmosphere.

Not only would he award a Steel Brooch (equivalent to a commoner's one-year living expenses) to the individual winner, but he also announced that he would grant good wine and fresh meat to the platoon that produced the winner.

The fact that they would be given three days of personal maintenance time made it impossible not to be tempted.

But there was one benefit that excited each platoon more than these rewards.

And that was that the platoon that produced the winner could decide the regular training schedule.

In other words, it meant that if the platoon that produced the winner so desired, it was possible to remove stretching, massage, cold water compress, and nine hours of deep sleep from the training schedule.

The atmosphere of almost all the units was already chaotic due to the introduction of the new training method.

All the platoons that received the order to participate in the competition went into an uproar.

“We have to win! We can't keep doing this kind of training forever!”

“Damn it! I was waiting for something like this!”

“I can't lose, even for the sake of pride! We are the strongest platoon!”

Just like that, from the day the order was given, each platoon made a fuss to select representative players to participate in the competition.

Some platoons selected their representative players easily, but that was rather the unusual case.

Most of them held their own internal competitions, just as the 3rd Infantry Platoon had done.

It was unavoidable, as everyone and their brother thought they were the strongest.

***

“The representative players of our platoon are Bohunek and Taher!”

The 1st Infantry Platoon Leader, Diego Mantovani, had just finished all the internal competitions and raised his voice like this.

At this, the 1st Infantry Platoon responded.

“Waaaaah!”

“As expected of Bohunek!”

“You have to win, Taher!”

Diego watched this scene of the 1st Infantry Platoon and nodded his head with a pleased expression.

At the same time, he thought.

‘The victory in this battalion competition will be ours. It has to be.’

When the news that the battalion competition would be held was delivered.

From then on, the platoons that were likely to produce the winner were narrowed down to two.

The 1st Infantry Platoon and the 2nd Light Cavalry Platoon were these two.

Certainly, the 1st Infantry Platoon had many strong fighters.

It was only natural, as the unit had been organized from the beginning with the purpose of making the 1st Infantry Platoon an elite force.

Above all, Diego was known as the most skilled among all the platoon leaders belonging to the transport battalion.

Not only was he the earliest to reach the level of a 2-star, but the Mantovani family was also renowned as a traditional military family.

In fact, the 1st Infantry Platoon had been the transport battalion's strong card until the 3rd Infantry Platoon came into prominence.

For that reason, in operations where important supplies had to be moved, the 1st Infantry Platoon was always selected first.

But,

‘Recently, the situation has suddenly become strange.’

The prestige of the 3rd Infantry Platoon had grown too large.

In particular, Roden was at the center of it.

Because it was Roden who had shown the best performance in every major operation recently.

Furthermore, after the supply operation a little while ago, a rumor had circulated that Roden had reached the level of a 3-star.

For Diego, this fact was bound to be even more concerning.

Because his title as the strong 2-star knight among the transport battalion's platoon leaders had become precarious.

‘But what I don't understand more than anything is the 3rd Infantry Platoon's training method that the Battalion Commander wants to introduce.’

In fact, what Diego was most proud of was not his own strength.

It was the strength of the 1st Infantry Platoon.

And Diego was convinced that this strength came from his own outstanding and systematic training method.

And yet, he was told to introduce the 3rd Infantry Platoon's training method.

To Diego, this was no different from a humiliation.

Diego believed that it should be the other way around.

That his training method should be introduced to the entire battalion.

‘So it must be our platoon that produces the winner in this competition. And through this, the entire battalion must be made to follow our platoon's training method.’

Diego genuinely believed that this was the way for the transport battalion to become stronger than it was now.

And at the same time, he was convinced that there was no one who cared for the transport battalion as much as he did.

It was when Diego was engrossed in such thoughts.

“It seems you've finally succeeded in picking two representatives, 1st Infantry Platoon Leader.”

Such a voice was heard, and Diego turned his head.

The strongest competitor in this competition was standing in that spot.

“2nd Cavalry Platoon Leader.”

It was none other than the 2nd Cavalry Platoon Leader, David Trapp.

Diego confirmed David's confident expression and continued to speak.

“What brings you all the way here? You must be free?”

“Of course I am. Because in our platoon, as soon as the battalion competition order came out, the two representatives were selected unanimously.”

“……Colin and Jason.”

“Khaha. So you know their names too.”

It would be strange not to know Colin and Jason.

Because they were soldiers who always walked around in plate armor as if they were knights, with their huge builds.

No matter how much a soldier procured and wore their own personal armor, no one would say anything, but expensive plate armor that even nobles would find it burdensome to buy.

It was something that didn't make sense, common sense-wise.

But the one that had made this impossible thing a reality was none other than the Trapp family, famous for being a wealthy family.

That was right.

Colin and Jason were soldiers who were sponsored by the Trapp family.

And the reason the two were sponsored was none other than this.

Because the head of the Trapp family had sent Colin and Jason as a kind of bodyguard to

protect his only son who was participating in the war.

Even making them wear plate armor.

So it was only natural that Colin and Jason were famous.

Furthermore, the two were considered the strongest candidates for victory in this internal competition.

Because the armament of plate armor itself was no different from a cheat in a fight at the level of common soldiers who could not use aura.

It was not difficult to see why the two representatives of the 2nd Light Cavalry Platoon could be selected so quickly just by thinking of the existence of the plate armor.

‘If our platoon doesn't win, it will be because of the plate armor sponsored by this guy's family.’

As Diego thought this, he opened his mouth towards David.

“You seem quite confident. If you're so sure of victory, how about this? How about Colin and Jason participate in the competition without their plate armor? Or maybe just take it off for the final match?”

Diego spoke with the conviction that his subordinate would definitely reach the final.

At that, the corners of the mouth of David, who had been laughing loudly until then, turned cold.

Then he took a step towards Diego and spoke.

“Even if they take off their plate armor, Colin and Jason won't lose to your subordinate, but just know this one thing.”

“……”

“That innate wealth is also a skill.”

David left these last words and then disappeared from the spot.

Diego watched David's back and muttered.

“Arrogant bastard.”

It was a moment when the upcoming battalion competition became even hotter.

***

All the platoons selected their representative soldiers and submitted the list.

And a few days later.

The battalion competition finally began under the supervision of Adriel.

“Win, 3rd Archery Platoon!”

“2nd Infantry Platoon! We can do it!”

Perhaps because it was a competition in which the entire battalion was competing, the cheering from the start was different.

However, just because the cheering voice was loud did not necessarily mean that the soldier of that platoon would perform great feats.

In the end, what was most important was skill, and the skilled soldiers gradually began to stand out.

The fact that the soldiers of the 1st Infantry Platoon and the 2nd Light Cavalry Platoon respectively won in the first four groups that competed was proof of that.

“As expected, the winner will come from either the 1st Infantry Platoon or the 2nd Light Cavalry Platoon.”

“I don't care which side wins. I just hope we can stop that training method.”

“By the way, no matter who wins, they're going to get rid of that training method, right? Right?”

“I guess so. None of the platoon leaders like it.”

“Especially the 1st Infantry Platoon Leader and the 2nd Light Cavalry Platoon Leader, you don't have to worry. They have pride in their own training methods anyway.”

For that reason, there were cases where people would set aside the results of the competition and have such conversations.

But as the next four groups competed, the atmosphere changed.

“The winner is soldier Nedhab of the 3rd Infantry Platoon!”

Nedhab had easily subdued Bohunek from the 1st Infantry Platoon, who was one of the strong candidates for victory, in just one minute after the match began.

It was an upset.