[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero":3,"chapter-i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-chapter-23":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","I Became the Academy’s War Hero",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1531730,1990,"Chapter 23 : Loving My Comrades, Loving My Country (2)","i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-chapter-23",23,"\u003Cp>Chapter 23: Loving My Comrades, Loving My Country (2)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The officers’ private quarters, located on the 4th floor of the Special Task Force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the fifth room, three men were seated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dragging a chair toward the table, Eric Belfor sat down casually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the wall beside the window, the emblem of the Special Task Force was boldly engraved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Walter and Eugene continued their silence, cracks began to form on Belfor’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you’ve got nothing to say, I’ll take it as there’s nothing to discuss. Let’s pretend none of this happened.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At those words, Walter began glancing at Eugene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eugene slowly closed his eyes and opened his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I made good use of that Red Iron Ore, Belfor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…You suddenly contacted me, begging for it, so I had no choice but to send it over.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He crossed his legs and took on an arrogant posture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, tell me then. What kind of nerve made you send that official letter in the first place?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, I sent it to ask a comrade for a little help.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You really haven’t changed… still as shameless as ever.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You already know roughly how things work internally, don’t you? Let’s start from there, shall we?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that, Belfor rubbed his lips and let out a hollow laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…You really think that makes sense?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What part doesn’t?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You, of all people, know how the Special Task Force is doing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly why I’m suggesting this. You, with your experience in personnel management, should understand best.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t a wrong point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Imperial Special Task Force had been suffering from manpower shortages for over ten years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While the beasts continued to expand their influence, the Imperial response was painfully inadequate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the Emperor’s absence, as chaos gripped the Imperial Court and the nobles seized control, the beasts steadily expanded their territories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even when all military efforts were concentrated on subjugating the beasts, victory could not be guaranteed—yet the ruling class only cared about protecting their own interests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder things weren’t working out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Belfor was one of the few who understood this all too well. Once, he had lamented the decline of the times, but that, too, was a story from the past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regrettably, too much time had already passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand you’re all fired up after seven years away, but…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sighed deeply and spoke with a serious expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’d appreciate it if you’d stop meddling in the Special Task Force, Carter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Belfor calmly voice his opinion, I tried to conceal my expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I expected him to be a bit more confrontational, though.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, I could roughly understand what was going on in his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Walter was in an ambiguous situation and had little choice but to cooperate with me. But Belfor’s case was completely different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His position in the Special Task Forces wasn’t exactly weak, and as a Colonel, his rank was considerably high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he grew too old to fight on the battlefield later, there was always a Plan B waiting for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether he transferred to an educational post or into administration, he’d have plenty of paths forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Karbenna was an exception, but most academies never rejected talent from the Special Task Force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could easily coast along in the middle without stirring trouble—no reason to make waves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Not everyone’s like Eugene Carter, after all.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Changes to the system, the Empire’s future—none of that held much meaning for the current Belfor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He might once have been a proud soldier of the Empire, but in this endless war against the beasts, that old fervor and sense of duty had surely faded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What mattered to him now was, at most, his own safety and stability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Well, that’s even better.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I smiled faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he were still the same patriotic youth as before, I would’ve had to approach from that angle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even without that, there were plenty of ways to handle this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t underestimate ten years of MAGA experience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Walter hesitated, unsure how to broach the subject, I decided to speak first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re not entirely without ambition yourself, are you, Belfor?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Be honest. This is basically your last chance, isn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What is?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Promotion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eric Belfor—ten years of service, currently thirty-four years old. By normal standards, still a promising age. But that only applied outside the Special Task Forces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The average age of personnel in this division was over eight years younger than that of the general Imperial Army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Considering that Lieutenant General Alvin, the current head of the Special Task Forces, had only just passed forty, it wasn’t hard to see how precarious Belfor’s situation was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he failed to produce clear results in the upcoming Eber Suppression Operation, the chances of him ever being deployed to a major battlefield again would vanish completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, Walter would have ignored an official letter like the one I sent—but his uncharacteristic humility now probably stemmed from that same reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘And the fact that he even let us in despite us no longer being part of the Special Task Forces speaks volumes.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Belfor stay silent at the mention of promotion, I decided to drive in the wedge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t you want to be recognized as the greatest contributor of the Eber Suppression Operation?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The northern border town of Eber had long suffered beast invasions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from the border skirmishes, it was one of the most troubled cities in the Empire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the invasions dragged on, most residents had fled to two nearby cities, barely maintaining their livelihoods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only ones remaining in Eber now were Imperial garrison troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So far, over two hundred thousand Imperial soldiers had already been deployed there. Most of the beasts had long turned into carcasses, leaving only stragglers behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And yet, they’re still holding out. It’s strange, almost unnaturally so.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At my brief summary, curiosity began to flicker in Belfor’s eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I recalled the report I’d skimmed in the carriage earlier and continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s still one named beast that hasn’t been dealt with—Rogis, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Yeah. The A-rank beast Rogis.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once that bastard’s dead, it’ll all be over.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…And your basis for that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he already had some suspicion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least he wasn’t dismissing my words outright as nonsense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wasn’t Rogis declared missing after September 11th, Year 76?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Belfor nodded, his gaze shifting slightly to the right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There was another named beast that went missing around that time—Mitosis.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Now that you mention it, yeah. But what about it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Think carefully about what each of those two beasts’ main abilities were. Then you’ll understand what I’m getting at.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Belfor slowly closed his eyes, rubbing his chin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rogis and Mitosis… one specializes in corruption and buffing, and the other in replication… Wait, don’t tell me—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes suddenly widened in realization.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rogis swallowed Mitosis, and now it’s spreading replication buffs to the surrounding beasts?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Correct.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Is something like that even possible?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not common.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But from now on, it would become common.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beasts in Apocalypse Mode easily transcended human understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Belfor rubbed his forehead, muttering that it finally made sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They wouldn’t show up for weeks, but as soon as we start preparing to retreat, those damn cockroaches start crawling out of nowhere.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So that’s why they kept appearing no matter how many we killed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Belfor recalled previous battles, his expression gradually darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…But how do you lure out a high-ranking beast that hasn’t shown its face for six months?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s a way to find out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And that is?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Belfor’s tone remained indifferent, but his eyes were full of anticipation—as if saying, ‘Spit it out already.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at that moment, I chose to stay silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A silent signal: If you want to hear more, cooperate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Belfor shook his head with a deep sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Come to think of it, every one of the 16th class members seemed completely helpless against you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did they?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You sly bastard… Fine. I’ll cooperate. That’s what you want, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He slowly stood up, preparing to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once he was ready, Belfor pointed at me and shouted,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’d better make damn sure this works, Carter. If you back out later, I’ll kill you myself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, how terrifying.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Hmph. Then let’s go have a talk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A talk? With who?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In response to Walter’s question, Belfor and I answered at the same time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Special Task Forces Commander.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving the Imperial Special Task Forces Headquarters, the three of us headed toward the outer official residence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the capital’s residential district, there were three such compounds, including the one attached to the Special Task Force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This particular compound housed the residences of the Special Task Forces Commander and the Defense Commander.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smooth-talking the guards into letting us through, Belfor strode confidently into the compound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crossing the wide road—broad enough for three carriages side by side—we arrived at the inner training ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond the gentle slope further in, a small two-lane shooting range came into view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kwahjik!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sharp sounds of bullets piercing through wooden boards rang clearly across the field.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The solidly built man standing tall at the firing line was none other than Lieutenant General Alvin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He held a black musket firmly in his outstretched left hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his right hand gripping the handle, his index finger rested lightly on the trigger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what fired from that barrel was not a gunpowder bullet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the muzzle that released the magic bullet, faint trails of mana vapor drifted out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Even more impressive seeing it in person.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of only two in the Empire, and just nine in the entire world, to bear the title of Marksman of Magic Bullets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lieutenant General Alvin Caldwell turned his head at the sound of approaching footsteps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three of us immediately stood at attention and saluted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lowered his musket naturally, resting the barrel downward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After acknowledging our salute with a nod, Alvin asked in a booming voice,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What brings you all the way here on such a precious weekend?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We came to ask a favor, sir!” Belfor replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slipping the musket onto his back, Alvin stepped out of the shooting lane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We hurriedly followed him toward the entrance of the training field.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When we met again barely five minutes later, we started to salute once more—but Alvin waved his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s enough. Let’s head inside. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it, Walter?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It has indeed, sir!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the VIP room, the space was filled with ornate decorations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seven leather chairs embossed with the Imperial crest surrounded a pale gray marble table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before we could even sit down, the Commander spoke first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, Carter. Getting used to academy life yet?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Half and half, sir.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see. Then I assume you’re here to talk about that other half today?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, sir.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Belfor carefully placed the official document—the one outlining the proposal—onto the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm… I can already guess why you’re here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Alvin quickly skimmed through the contents, a shadow gradually fell over his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An uncomfortable silence lingered for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After glaring coldly at the paper for several seconds, he turned his sharp gaze toward me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rip!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before I realized it, the document had been torn neatly in half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the other two, who were visibly startled, I maintained a steady poker face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that, Alvin let out a mocking snort and remarked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve got some nerve, Carter—coming to me with a proposal like this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From his eyes, a faint but undeniable killing intent seeped out.\u003C\u002Fp>",1905,"2026-06-06T06:11:51.613Z",1,"novelbin.me","0dd580b17766182b79825f58f7383b03aafd331350966194b9179a6a7a5981b6","i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-chapter-24","i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-chapter-22",163,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-cover.jpg"]