IGMB 05

Chapter 05

The Journey to Earn Ten Billion (4)

Even though the drill instructors had carefully demonstrated how to wear the uniform, there were still recruits struggling with it.
It made sense—most had only heard about military uniforms and never actually handled them before.

The older man who had shared night watch with me was wrestling with those damn khaki pieces of fabric, unsure how to put them on.
We’d shared that first night’s sentry duty, so I felt a bit of camaraderie.

Guess I should give him a hand.

I’m not such a bad person.
A little kindness won’t kill me.

“Sir.”
“Yes?”
“You can’t wear the elastic band like that. It shouldn’t show on the outside—tuck it inside the combat shirt and fix the end so it stays put.”
“L-like this?”
“No, not like that.”

Frustrating.
Seeing him reminded me of my own first time—I’d even fumbled with bootlaces. The memories came flooding back.

After helping my sentry buddy, a few other recruits who had been watching me from the side began to send out their own SOS.

“If it’s okay, could you check mine too?”
“Me as well!”
“Can you show me how to fasten the buckle properly?”

These greenhorns…
I almost snapped, but then reminded myself it was natural not to know, so I bit back my irritation and stayed patient.

I was about to give them a quick crash course when a furious voice rang out from the hallway.

“What were you doing when the instructors showed you how to change? You’re all too slow. From now, you have ten minutes. The barracks that finishes changing fastest and assembles on the parade ground will get extra break time during afternoon drill. I’m timing you—begin changing, now! Understood?”

“Yes, understood!”

And along with that break time came another reward that only I knew about.

[Normal Quest Generated]
Change into uniform with your barracks mates as quickly as possible and earn the instructor’s reward (extra break time).
Monetary Reward: 3,000,000 won.

Finally—a quest!
I’d been waiting for this.
Break time alone wasn’t tempting, but add a quest? Whole different story.

“Alright, everyone—listen up!” I jumped to my feet and shouted, drawing all eyes to me.

“I’ll teach you the quickest way to get into uniform. Watch and follow exactly, got it?”

The recruits blinked at me in surprise.

“They said we can rest, right? Don’t you want that break?”

And I want the money, too.

One by one they nodded, murmuring, “Yeah, we want to rest.”

Deal sealed.

“Okay, start with the top!”
Time to unleash all the military know-how I’d stockpiled.

The instructor gave us only about ten minutes, but soon recruits from our barracks began stepping out, finished. The instructor tilted his head.

“Already done?”
“Sir, isn’t this the first time an entire barracks finished within ten minutes?”

He only nodded silently.
Including the walk to and from the locker room, even seasoned soldiers would be cutting it close. For fresh recruits on only their second day to manage it must have seemed unbelievable.

He eyed our perfectly aligned formation suspiciously, then gestured to the assistant instructors.
“Check that their uniforms are worn correctly.”
“Yes, sir.”

So they were going to double-check.

Fine by me—we were confident.

The assistants split left and right, inspecting every recruit.
When they finally reached me, they reported back, astonished.

“No issues.”
“What? You checked properly?”
“Yes, sir. All correct.”

The instructor had probably tossed us an impossible mission with the lure of a break, expecting to discipline us and save time in one go.
But…

Not with me here.
That cheap trick wouldn’t work.

I flashed a triumphant smile at the instructor, who swallowed his frustration.

As I’d expected, he couldn’t take back his promise.

“Barracks Five will have a thirty-minute break starting at 15:00.”
“Thank you, sir!”

A quest-completion notice popped up.

[Normal Quest Cleared]

Day 2 of my re-enlistment.
Not a bad start.

Back at the barracks, we packed our civilian clothes and personal items into cardboard boxes, writing our home addresses so they could be shipped.

All around, I heard quiet sobs—fear of parting, regret, and longing for family and friends mixed into tears.
The man next to me sniffled, holding them back.

Everyone’s sentimental, huh.

I couldn’t even remember whether I’d cried at this point the first time around.

Calmly, I wrote my address and stuck it to the box.
With that done, we headed to the parade ground for drill training, leaving the tears behind.

Today’s drill was basically the easiest level imaginable—call it Stage 0.5.
Still, maybe because it was the first time in full uniform, everyone seemed more flustered than yesterday.

Shouts from instructors rang out everywhere.
We watched from the shade as other recruits got chewed out, relieved it wasn’t us.

“If it weren’t for you, we’d be the ones getting yelled at right now.”
“Thanks, man.”
“Can we be in the same squad when we get to boot camp? It’d be easier with you around.”

Some were already hoping to team up with me later.
I felt a little guilty, because I already had someone else in mind as a squad mate and couldn’t promise anything.

I just gave the polite stock reply: “Yeah, it’d be nice if we’re together.”

After about thirty minutes, we finally joined the drill training ourselves.
Having watched beforehand, our Barracks Five adapted faster than the others.

We spent the rest of the day turning left, right, and about-face dozens of times before finally reaching dinner.

Ugh, tasteless.
Not because the training killed my appetite—just because the food was bad.

I thought back to yesterday when I’d praised the mess hall food on camera and felt instant regret.
But money was on the line, so I forced it down.

I’d already decided: from re-enlistment to discharge, I’d be a man obsessed with money.
That’s the whole point of coming back.

Did we get to relax after dinner?
Of course not.

The military never lets recruits idle—especially before assignment to a permanent unit.
To keep us from slacking, they kept giving orders.

That evening’s task was a psychological test to check our mental state.

[Q. I am prepared to sacrifice myself for my country.]
[Yes]
[Neutral]
[No]

I disliked every question, but with prize money at stake I ticked “Yes.”

Patriot, huh.
A wry smile crept across my face.

After turning in the questionnaire, I thought the day was finally over.

Surely we can rest now…

I had no idea that was a flag.

—“All personnel, assemble in front of the barracks immediately. Repeat, assemble immediately.”

Not five minutes after I’d sat down, the call came again.
Grumbles filled the air, but when instructors are present, you keep your mouth shut. No one wanted extra push-ups at night.

They gathered us for more physical exams—apparently some checks weren’t done.

“Front row, line up and move to the auditorium. Proceed.”
“Proceed!”

It felt endless.
Even without intense training, I was already exhausted.

This nonsense ends tomorrow, right?

Tomorrow, those who pass will move on to boot camp; those who fail will go home.
Never thought I’d actually look forward to boot camp.

Late that night, after all the exams, we had our final breakfast here.
Even a day later, the food was still terrible.

Foolish to expect otherwise.

While we waited in the barracks, an instructor came in.

“Step forward when your number is called.”

He read out the numbers of those being sent home.
Compared to other barracks, ours had few early discharges—maybe two people.

The rest of us, myself included, were officially bound for basic training.

As the roll call ended, a quest-clear notification appeared.