Chances to Another Life

13. Duel? This Is Military!

What do people think of when they hear the words soldier and military? Of course, superior physical skills and warfare. A group of people brave enough to die in defense of their country.

Unfortunately, I am not patriotic. This isn't even my country. However, I couldn't possibly put on a reluctant expression, because the threat of the military officer named Rasen seemed to be serious.

"I hope you mean it, because otherwise you could get hurt at any time... even worse than that." Rasen had not yet finished his long speech about how we should behave in the military.

Meanwhile, I began to twitch uncomfortably as Max continued to stare at me vengefully. I didn't even know what I had done to make him so angry. Come to think of it, I should be the one to hold a grudge against him.

So I stared back at Max openly. I didn't want to have anything to do with him. I would just do my job, help Adellia and Cedric get closer and then return safely to my world. But that was certainly no easy task.

After finishing his long, inaudible speech, Rasen pulled out a piece of paper and scanned it.

"To warm up, we will have a duel on this first day! One on one! Imagine how exciting that will be!" I'm sure he was the only one who thought it was exciting.

Whispers began to spread among the cadets, who weren't expecting this either and weren't prepared for it. I wondered if I was going to be knocked unconscious and beaten.

Rasen then ordered us to sit in a circle on the large field, leaving more than enough space for two people to fight.

"All right, I'll choose. Prepare yourselves," he said with sparkling eyes.

Surprisingly, I didn't feel nervous or panicked, unlike the first time I saw the barracks. Whether it was my hunter's instinct or what, I was able to take the situation in stride.

Willem, who was sitting next to me, rubbed his hands together, probably to calm his panic. "I pray I'm not the first," he whispered to me.

I agreed. This was the first time I would have to deal with people other than those in the palace, and I needed to find out just how the people here could be.

If there's someone with the power to breathe fire, I'll definitely be finished without even putting up a fight.

Besides the nervous whispering and wondering, there were also young men who said bitterly that they were looking forward to this. That was Max's gang. People hang out with people like them.

I'm sure they were among the troublemakers, bullies, and wall scrawlers with obscene graffiti like the ones in my old neighborhood.

I'd always avoided those kinds of punks, but Max didn't seem to let me off the hook.

"First round, Ben and Xavier!"

The two announced young men walked with sure steps to the center of the field. Ben turned to us briefly with a wry expression on his face, probably wondering why he had to first.

Rasen told them to shake hands before starting.

"The fight will be stopped when one surrenders or is seriously injured," the military officer said. I wondered what would happen to me of these two possibilities.

The fight began. The two young men fought hand-to-hand with techniques I had never seen before, but one thing was certain: after several minutes, neither of them had fallen.

Blood was dripping from both sides. Ben kicked his opponent into the wire fence. The bottom line was that Ben won because Xavier was vomiting blood. In my vision, the young man didn't use any strange moves, even his attacks seemed light and non-lethal, but he managed to defeat his opponent.

The tension grew even more after the first fight. From that alone, I knew that these were no ordinary people.

Rasen opened his paper again, he looked at the cadets and we locked eyes, I felt like I was being turned to stone when I saw his pitch black eyes.

"Next up, Willem vs. Max!"

I spontaneously raised my eyebrows. On the one hand I was thankful that Max wasn't fighting me, but on the other hand I felt sorry for Willem, who was already on the field.

The chatter around me grew louder, apparently Max had a bad reputation among the cadets.

"Is he that bad?" I asked Liam.

Liam nodded his head. "He doesn't take kindly to anyone he doesn't like, even the soldiers. Rumor has it that he killed once, but it was covered up by his family, who were high nobles," he whispered.

Then I understood where that brat arrogance came from and why he was so casual with Adellia. I was sure it wasn't just a rumor because he had almost killed me too.

I became more and more worried about Willem, I could even feel the bloodthirsty aura emanating from Max. He was like a wild animal.

When Rasen declared the fight to begin, Willem was already staggering with a torn lip from Max's punch. Willem counter-punched around the man's stomach, then kicked in a circular motion. The attack was beautiful and looked deadly, but Max was able to block it and was only pushed back.

As the situation intensified, all that could be heard was the sound of thudding, kicking, and bodies dragging on the ground.

I can't really watch this kind of thing. I can't even watch boxing. But for some reason, my body was getting hot right now. I felt my adrenaline rush and I concentrated on watching the fight while hugging my knees.

Max finally fell, his temple bleeding profusely, but he got back up quickly. Let me tell you something, both of them were in bad shape, as if they were bathed in blood. However, neither of them showed any signs of giving up.

Willem seemed to be an expert with his feet as he launched several kicks with ease. Some of them hit Max's chin so hard that his head snapped up and I could even hear the cracking of who knows whose bones.

Max, however, cackled like crazy. With Willem's next kick, Max managed to grab the young man's leg and twist it with his arm muscles.

The other cadets gasped, Willem screamed in pain, and I gaped in disbelief. Afterward, Willem fell down clutching his twisted right leg.

Max raised his arms like a true champion. No one gave him applause like Ben, I got the impression people were getting scared of him. Only his gang mates congratulated him.

The paramedics quickly brought Willem, with a cold-eyed Rasen back on the field.

"Willem won't be able to walk for some time," Liam said, biting his finger.

"That's unfortunate. That cruel beast looks like it would have really killed Willem if it hadn't been dismissed by Rasen's superiors," Frans said, gesturing at Max.

I saw Max deliberately pointing at me after being given a brief lecture on who-knows-what by Rasen.

"Get out of the way, damn it," he yelled. Kicking my colleagues for not clearing the way for him. I got kicked too and I swear Max grinned at me with his gums bleeding.

"You're after this," he said quietly.

Ow, apparently I was threatened by a stinky boy. I threw back a sarcastic smile. "Way to go, Mr. Max," I said. Liam then shook me after Max walked away.

"Don't mess with him, Joe. I don't want anything to do with that lunatic," he squeaked.

I didn't want to either. But I'm not a coward who's afraid of a brat. I'm a 27-year-old man, I'll make him understand the horror of life.

Once the situation was conducive, Rasen let out a long sigh.

"Next, please do not intend to kill your opponent. You are still cadets, not military officers. I don't want your parents to come here crying because their son died a silly death." Rasen warned seriously.

The cadets were silent in unison. There was no denying that his aura was very pressing and intimidating. However, I could hear Max's scornful snickering.

"We continue," Rasen continued. "Joe vs. Rey."

I quickly stood up, my colleagues patting me on the back in encouragement. I never thought it would be my turn so soon.

And then... I almost forgot about the existence of this young man named Rey who looked like an innocent teenager, aka he was Max's friend when we met me in the library.

I don't know everyone here, and I was already relieved that I didn't fight Max. But instead, I'm dealing with that boy's friend.

I'm sure this Rey is just as crazy as that brat because they're friends. That innocent look of him couldn't cover up the insanity.

"Senior Rasen, is it okay to use objects as fighting tools?" he asked.

What did I say!

Rasen nodded immediately. "Whatever, the important thing is not to kill each other," he replied without empathy.

Rey then took out a dagger from his pants. It was medium-sized with a brilliantly shiny blade, as if it was ready to slice me into sashimi. He looked at me, while I was already in position.

"Start!"

Let me tell you, I never took martial arts classes. I managed to dodge his stab solely because Solace gifted me with this dexterous body.

If I'd been a second late, I'm sure my skull would have cracked.

Rey attacked brutally, his steps sure and steady, let alone with the intention of stabbing him!

I kept dodging and didn't have time to retaliate. I tried to find an opening, but Rey's movements were minimal and impactful.

If I were still the old Joe, I might have flown away with just a slap from my opponent.

At times like this, my eyes could still glance around. Is there anything I can use as a weapon?

"You underestimated me, huh? How can you not focus like that?" he said quietly.

He pushed his dagger with both hands toward my chest. I did a somersault and managed to hit his wrist. I salute him for being able to speak in the middle of a fight, I myself was completely out of breath.

I used the distance created to grab a handful of dirt. This was the only way I could think of to immobilize him.

Rey advanced to attack, and so did I. I then threw the handful of dirt right into his face. Rey suddenly stopped with his eyes closed.

Haha! Feel it! I thought to myself.

I successfully punched his temple. However, I was in pain, and I realized that my stomach had been stabbed by a dagger.

My nearsightedness was cured as soon as I entered this world, but now I doubted my eyesight again.

I was sure Rey was dispelling the dirt that entered his eyes a few seconds ago, but now, he was holding his dagger and stabbing me with a carefree face covered in dirt.

"Hehehe. You're petty too, huh!"