IGMB 10

Battle with Sleep (1)

The first week of basic training at the recruit camp was drawing to a close.
During that time, a new worry had started to nag at me.

“There really aren’t as many chances to earn merit points as I thought.”

If I racked up five points or more, a bonus of five million won would accumulate.
But ever since that day I belted out marching songs on the parade ground, I hadn’t earned a single extra point.

Meanwhile, other recruits had quietly stacked up one or two points each, quickly catching up behind me.
I couldn’t possibly grab every point for myself.

“And of course all the points rain down when I’m not around.”

What bad timing.
This was a crisis I hadn’t planned for.
I’d been sure I could hit five points easily, so the setback stung.

Not that missing one quest meant losing the entire chance at a billion won, of course.
Still, there was a reason I obsessed over every quest.
It’s not like you can dig in the dirt and find five million won lying around.

And if I could stack up enough points to snag a 2-night, 3-day reward leave later, all the better.
It was all gain for me.
The problem was simply that points weren’t piling up the way I’d hoped.

Even while eating, I kept brooding over it.
Seohwan, glancing at me, gave a wry smile and asked,

“Thinking about another round of drill training this afternoon? I hate it too.”

It sounded like he was trying to sympathize.
But that wasn’t what bothered me.
Still, I couldn’t exactly explain about quests and billion-won bets, so I just played along.

“Yeah, something like that.”

“By the way, after drill we’ve got a fitness test. What’s that about?”

“Just a basic physical test. You went to a sports college—you probably know better than me.”

“Sure, but I’ve never done one in the army.”

“Nothing special. Sit-ups, push-ups, a long-distance run, a flexibility check. That’s it.”

Army fitness tests don’t really mean much.
There aren’t even merit points for doing well.
So I wasn’t worried.

“Another exhausting day ahead.”

I was already short on sleep, like always in the army,
and adding physical fatigue only made me drowsier.

This morning I’d almost overslept,
unable to wake even as the bugle kept blaring.

“Better stay sharp.”

Even if I know the future, this is still the army.
I can never take the situation lightly.
The army is the kind of place that always defies common sense.

When we first started proper drill training after arriving at the recruit camp,
the instructors’ sharp voices had rung out everywhere.
But now that the trainees were getting the hang of it, the sessions went by in a surprisingly good mood.

After finishing our final drill practice, we returned to the barracks to change into training clothes for the fitness test.
They felt far lighter than our uniforms—
and having the body of my twenty-year-old self again certainly helped.

“Back when I re-enlisted, all I could think were curses.”

Still, regaining youth wasn’t all bad.
And if I played my cards right, I could also walk away with that huge billion-won prize.
I intended to squeeze every benefit I could from my wager with the Grim Reaper before discharge.

Once we’d warmed up a bit, Instructor Joo Yong-hyuk called out.

“Attention, everyone!”

“Attention!”

“Today’s the fitness test. Show your absolute limit. Understood?”

“Yes, understood!”

Our 3rd platoon started with sit-ups.
Most of the guys had lived pretty sedentary lives,
and it showed.

I, on the other hand, had always kept up some exercise—
I’d enjoyed physical activity and played in a regular basketball club.

But in our platoon, one guy was on another level.

“Ready… start!”

We had one minute to do as many sit-ups as possible.
Around thirty reps I began to feel the strain,
but I still had some room.

By the 50-second mark I figured I’d done about 57.
Enough.

The guy next to me, though, kept snapping up and down as if he wasn’t satisfied.
The instructor counted down:

“Five, four, three, two, one—stop!”

Thud!

Seohwan collapsed onto the mat with a long exhale.

The recorders reported each trainee’s numbers.

“Number 45: fifty-seven reps.”

“Fifty-seven. Next, number 44.”

“…One hundred reps.”

“What? One hundred? You counted right?”

“Yes. Perfect form the whole time.”

The instructor had surely seen Seohwan’s blinding speed.
It wasn’t hard to believe he’d cracked triple digits.

“Number 44: one hundred reps!”

Gasps of amazement rippled through the group.
But Seohwan only sounded disappointed.

“I could’ve done twenty more. The mat was too hard.”

A hundred is plenty, you beast.

Seohwan kept standing out, not just in sit-ups but in push-ups as well.
Twenty years ago he’d never failed to earn top-soldier status,
so it wasn’t surprising.
Back then, the sergeant major had even pressured him to apply as a non-commissioned officer.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the same thing happened this time.

After several events, only the long-distance run remained.

“Run past the guard post until you see an instructor with a flag—that’s the turnaround. Come back here. Finish no matter how long it takes. Understood?”

“Yes, understood!”

“Good. Then…”

The whistle shrilled.

Some recruits burst out at full speed right away—
even Platoon Leader Han Gang-tae.

“Push that hard at the start and…”

“They’ll be exhausted soon,” Seohwan said aloud, matching my thoughts.

He jogged in step with me, still as steady as ever, and glanced over with a small smile.

“Guess battle buddies really are on the same wavelength.”

I chuckled.
It was natural—we just clicked.
Not everyone did, but Seohwan and I always had.

After discharge, though, we’d lost touch.
He was one of those people I’d always wished I’d stayed close to.
It felt good to have another chance.

“I’ve regained not only youth but friendships too.”

Maybe re-enlisting in the past wasn’t all bad—
though the army was still the army.

Passing the guard post, the countryside outside the camp spread out before us:
broad fields, mountains, a small stream, and fresh country air.

It might not look like much, but just being “outside the army” felt meaningful.
The clean air was a bonus.

Seohwan looked even brighter.
“This run’s great—we get a little escape from camp.”

“You’re not even out of breath?”

“Me? This is nothing.”

I was already panting, but he looked fine.
I’d bet anything he’d take first place—no one else came close.

Keeping up with his pace felt like an achievement in itself.

Before long we caught up with the early sprinters,
faces flushed and gasping.
Han Gang-tae clearly regretted his reckless start.

Seohwan flashed a grin at them.
“We’ll go on ahead.”

We eased into the lead, as expected.

Following the path, we finally spotted Instructor Joo Yong-hyuk standing with the flag at the turnaround.
He nodded knowingly when he saw us.

“Just as I thought—you two are first and second. You’re halfway there. Keep it up. Say hi to Corporal Park Gil-young on your way back.”

“Yes, understood.”

Even now, the instructor’s jokes never let up.

Turning back, I felt a brief surge of energy from the thought of being halfway done.
But it didn’t last.

“This is brutal!”

The course was longer than expected.

Seohwan, on the other hand, said something ridiculous:
“Now I’m finally warmed up. Geumseong, you okay?”

“I feel like I’m dying.”

“Not much left. Look, you can see the guard post.”

When I’d first arrived, that guard post looked like the gates of hell.
Now it seemed like heaven’s door.

We finally stumbled back through and entered the parade ground.
Then Seohwan suddenly sped up, using his last burst of energy.

“I’m going ahead, Geumseong. Catch up if you can.”

“Yeah, yeah, go on. Whatever.”

I planned to take it easy—
it’s not like there were points for winning.

…Or so I thought.

[Ding! A normal quest has appeared.]
Finish first in the long-distance run.
Reward: 3 million won added to your total.

The moment I saw the sudden quest, I couldn’t help but shout:

“Hey, Kang Seohwan! Stoooop!!!”