~Chapter 08~
. War of Nerves
The barracks were so spacious they felt almost empty.
The combat unit’s quarters were long, warehouse-shaped buildings filled with bunk beds.
Even though they were bunk beds, most people used them alone, with plenty of space between each one.
That just showed how short they were on manpower.
Even though it was the afternoon, there were barely ten people inside.
Maybe because of that, the senior members welcomed us with open arms.
“Welcome, rookies.”
“Tommy, you’re finally free from being the youngest!”
The red-haired young man they called Tommy glanced at us and sighed quietly.
“Ah, kids, huh.”
“You’re only three years older than them, Tommy.”
“Didn’t you say three years’ difference was like heaven and earth before…?”
Tommy pouted.
The big guy next to him pointed at him and said,
“This is Tommy. He’s your direct senior.”
“Nice to meet you. Ask me anything you don’t know.”
Tommy smiled and held out his hand.
Ronan and I shook his hand one by one and gave brief introductions.
Then Tommy took us out of the barracks and around the fortress, explaining the facilities.
It was a shabby fortress, but it had everything you needed.
A forge and armory, a dining hall and food stores, and surprisingly enough, even a library.
“Almost nobody goes there though. Maybe Vice-Commander Barnard once in a while?”
The magic unit’s lodgings were spread across several buildings.
The highest one was Vice-Commander Barnard’s quarters, and below that the senior members stayed according to their years of service.
Altogether, seven buildings were used by the magic unit.
“The rookies who came in with you are probably over there. See the lowest one? The warehouse-shaped one like ours.”
“Why does the magic unit use so many buildings?”
“Because, unlike us, they have a lot of people.”
Tommy clicked his tongue as he answered Ronan’s question.
“The combat unit, including you guys, is 56 people. The magic unit? 214.”
“Two hundred…?!”
“Quite a difference, huh? But what can you do? Nobody wants to die young. We’re all destined to die here anyway.”
“Then why did you volunteer for the combat unit, Senior?”
“Se…nior?! Say that again? Senior? Huh? Huh?!”
Tommy, newly freed from being the youngest, was so moved by being called “senior” that he stayed cheerful all the way to the mess hall.
At least, until we ran into the magic unit recruits.
“Oh, Tommy! Heard you’re not the youngest anymore? Congrats, man.”
“Piss off, Hagen.”
Tommy flipped the finger at the big guy named Hagen, who had greeted him so warmly.
But instead of getting angry, Hagen and the other magic unit guys just laughed as if they found it hilarious.
“What’s this? Acting tough in front of the newbies?”
“He’d be worm food if it weren’t for us.”
“Don’t tease him too much, guys. You’ll make our Tommy cry.”
As they laughed, Hog stood awkwardly among them, looking uncomfortable.
Ronan, unable to hold back, twitched as if to speak up, but Tommy shook his head and whispered,
“Don’t bother. That’s just how those guys are. Let’s go. Eat.”
Even in the dining hall, the combat unit and the magic unit sat separately.
The ones serving food were also from the magic unit, and sure enough, the portions were different.
“Unbelievable, these guys… cutting us short on food.”
“Get used to it. We don’t have the manpower to run our own kitchen.”
Even without Tommy’s explanation, the difference in numbers was obvious.
Our side of the hall was half-empty, while theirs was packed.
“And this is supposed to defend the fortress?”
“It does.”
Tommy nodded at Ronan’s question.
“Annoying as it is, it’s their magic that makes it possible.”
“Was it always split into two units like this?”
“No. Not at first. It happened after Vice-Commander Barnard showed up.”
Barnard had started tattooing runes onto those without them, building his own faction.
On that base, he proposed creating a magic unit to the commander, Siruela, and even proved himself in defending the fortress.
So Siruela approved, and the Guardian Corps split into two.
The problem was, anyone without runes—or anyone wanting to be safer—flocked to the magic unit.
That’s how the imbalance arose.
“Why not just assign people by force?”
“Right? But the Commander doesn’t want that.”
Tommy sighed at Ronan’s question.
“The Commander always says, ‘Your own will is what matters.’ That’s it.”
“He’s right, though.”
I agreed, and Tommy clicked his tongue.
“Yeah right… thanks to that, only we’re dying. Anyway, eat before it gets cold.”
What nonsense.
Siruela’s words were right.
It’s just that Tommy didn’t understand their true weight yet.
A week was given for adaptation.
We followed Tommy and the other seniors, learning the combat unit’s duties one by one.
Tracking snow worm trails or standing guard along the barrier walls were the main ones.
Tracking, especially, was dangerous—because it meant going outside the fortress.
At any time, snow worms could attack.
“That almost never happens.”
Tommy said as he cleared away snow with a stick while leading us.
“Snow worms come in swarms. At most, you might find one or two stragglers. That’s about it.”
“The swarm that attacked us was at least ten strong.”
“They were probably stragglers piling up. Around the border, that doesn’t happen. If there were that many tracks, we’d be on a hunt already, but there haven’t been any…”
He tilted his head.
“Anyway, the timing of the swarms is fixed.”
“When?”
“Snow.”
He stabbed the stick into the ground and pointed to a red mark on it.
“When it piles up to here, that’s when they come.”
“You can tell by the snowfall?”
“Snow worms move fastest inside snow. Until it gets this deep, they stay relatively quiet. But once it passes this height, they swarm all at once—like an avalanche.”
Thankfully, the snow hadn’t piled up anywhere near that yet.
There wasn’t much to do, but considering the vast area and how few we were, the shortage was obvious.
After a few days, I could fully understand why the combat unit complained so much.
By the fourth day, we were already moving around without any senior with us—just Ronan and me.
“Can’t you do something with your magic?”
“I could, but then I’d be the only one working.”
“…Good point.”
“And I don’t want people knowing I can use magic yet.”
“Hog might have told someone.”
“I doubt it. If he had, I’d already have been called in by the Commander or the Vice-Commander. Besides, Hog doesn’t seem like that kind of guy, right?”
“It’s not that. Hog’s situation isn’t good.”
“What? Why?”
“Seems the seniors have been bullying him. Breaking in the rookie, I guess…”
“What? Why did you stop talking like tha—”
Ronan froze mid-sentence, staring at something.
I followed his gaze toward the corner of a building.
There was Hog—getting beaten by seniors smaller than him.
“What the hell?”
“Hey, aren’t those your buddies?”
“What are you looking at? Get lost.”
The magic unit bastards barked at us.
But they weren’t the least bit intimidating.
“Don’t stop me.”
“Who’s stopping you?”
Ronan stepped forward.
Not only was I not stopping him, I was ready to push him forward.
“Look at that? You picking a fight?”
“Perfect. One punching bag wasn’t enough anyway.”
“Rune-less trash daring to act up.”
Vrrrrrm.
Mana began to shimmer around their fists.
It was only raw mana—barely more than “imbuing.”
Every time I saw it, I couldn’t help but sigh.
If that was all they could do, their rune work must’ve been sloppy.
Figures.
What would idiots like them know properly?
“Don’t be scared.”
I whispered from behind Ronan.
『 The Contractor casts a spell. 』
Opening the book, I quickly chanted.
“<Light and lighter, run—Haste>.”
A buff to lighten the body and boost speed.
“<Tough and solid, cover—Hard Skin>.”
A buff to harden the skin and protect the body.
“<Keen and sharp, sense—Sensor>.”
A buff to heighten the senses.
Three reinforcement spells, all cast on Ronan.
All were only first-circle spells.
Normally, they wouldn’t amount to much…
『 The Contractor’s perk amplifies spell power. 』
With the book’s perk, it was a different story.
“…!”
Ronan felt his body change and glanced at me, clenching his fist.
I nodded and said,
“Careful with your strength.”
“I’ll try.”
The moment he finished speaking, Ronan shot forward.
“Wh-what…?”
Buff spells scale with the target’s natural ability.
For someone like Ronan, already strong, the effect was multiplied.
Fwip.
He closed the distance in one step.
“Wha—?!”
His fist shot upward.
The guy he hit was lifted clean off his feet by the uppercut, flying back before crashing to the ground.
Thud.
“What the hell?!”
“How did he…?!”
“You bastard!”
The others charged, their mana-coated fists lashing out.
Ronan dodged and blocked with ease.
It wasn’t the buffs—just his own ingrained skill.
Or maybe instinct.
His movements were as fluid as water, smooth and precise.
It was a joy to watch.
He kicked their thighs and shins, knocking them off balance, then drove fists and feet into their jaws and stomachs.
Even with mana-enhanced fists, they couldn’t withstand him.
One by one, they collapsed with groans.
Crack.
Ronan mercilessly smashed the last guy’s jaw, knocking him out cold.
Only after the last one lay unconscious, eyes rolled back, did Ronan lower his fists.
I couldn’t help but blurt out my honest feeling.
“Damn, that was satisfying.”
Ronan immediately rushed to Hog, who was crouched down.
“You okay?”
“T-thank you! S-sorry, I… I caused trouble…”
“No, it’s not you. It’s these assholes.”
He nudged the fallen magic unit guys with his foot.
“Knocked out good. Worth casting those buffs.”
“Didn’t you say you didn’t want people to know you use magic?”
“They won’t know.”
Mana in fists looked the same, and they wouldn’t even imagine I could use magic.
So no problem.
“Why are they doing this?”
“J-just… that’s how the magic unit is. They b-break in rookies, and if y-you can’t use magic, they d-don’t even treat you as a person… S-sorry… If only I’d been a-assigned with you guys…”
“No, no. I said it’s not your fault.”
“Wh-what do we d-do now?”
“It’ll be fine.”
I patted Hog’s shoulder confidently.
“Don’t worry.”
But the very next day—
“Esric.”
Gardner came looking for me.
“The Commander wants to see you.”
