Chapter 128

Episode 8: Recruit Training / Chapter 128: Establishing Troops (3)

TL: emptycube / ED: Obelisk

Choi Hyuk, who brushed himself off and stood up, was the first to use the right to establish troops.

Accompanying him, it was inevitable for the Berserkers to reorganize as well. As he wanted to establish troops to launch independent military operations in the great universe, he needed a massive increase in personnel.

Choi Hyuk was an overseer who managed five colonized lands by himself. Among all the overseers, he possessed the vastest territory. Although the average population of each colonized land was significantly lower compared to the colonized lands of other overseers, still, the combined population was over 100,003,000.

However, Choi Hyuk wasn’t interested in managing his territory. He was still only interested in leading the over 20,000 elite Berserkers into ferocious battlefields. However, as there was a need for more soldiers to maintain public order in his territory, Baek Seoin had recruited people separately as well. They were Berserkers known as the second and third string. As their numbers weren’t small, their numbers reached 200,000 after the war. As Choi Hyuk wasn’t interested in increasing the size of his organization, this number was the maximum Baek Seoin could manage. When even this was insufficient, he would cooperate with minor clans to maintain public order.

Although they were known as second and third-string Berserkers, officially, their positions were ambiguous. There was a need to grant them a proper status during the reorganization this time around.

“We need to increase our military forces to at least 600,000.”

“That many?”

“Definitely. If we want to capture a planet or destroy higher ranked Kahur Kabkuns, we need at least this many. However, it’s only 600,000 when considering superhuman warriors. In the past, 600,000 would only be enough to capture a few countries, how could we capture an entire planet with this number?”

“That’s true, but our troops only need to fight. With the trifling matters, such as the administrative processes and supplies, being handled by the alliance, do we even need 600,000? Where will we even recruit that many people? I say this clearly, we don’t need weak warriors.”

“Still, after enduring the tidal wave of monsters this time, all of humanity has advanced significantly, so recruiting that many won’t be too difficult. Also, the El Tribes, which recently became alliance members, are also targets of recruitment.”

“Still, 600,000 is too many. If that’s the case, then, even if we include all the second and third-string Berserkers, we still need to recruit double our current numbers… That’s not good. It could harm our culture.”

“Since there will be more frequent expeditions from now on, don’t we need forces to protect our colonized lands?”

“Then let’s reorganize them separately and not into the Berserkers. There’s also no need to reorganize the second and third-string members into the Berserkers either. The only important traits are that they are skilled and that they possess a mentality that doesn’t care if they die in a fight. Let’s only go with elites. To be honest, if you want to go around the universe, you need to at least be a lowest-ranked warrior. 200,000… No, let’s go with 100,000.”

“That’s too small…”

“No, I even yielded a lot with this number. 100,000. I can go lower if possible, but I won’t go higher. Let’s launch a massive recruiting campaign and try to assemble all the war-maniacs of Dragonic.”

“… Haa…”

Baek Seoin let out a sigh. In reality, he never thought Choi Hyuk would accept 600,000 from the beginning. It was simply a trick to start high before compromising. Originally, the number he expected they would compromise on was 200,000.

‘But… To cut that number in half.’

Baek Seoin counter-argued,

“The scale of missions will increase in the future… How will we cover an entire planet with only 100,000 people? Although it’s not a planet, tens of millions of people participated in the Cayenne Star capturing operation.”

“That’s why I’m saying we pick warriors who can do the work of 200 or 300 people. Also, why do we need to cover an entire planet? We just need to kill everything in sight. 100,000 is already too much when just smashing and killing things. I really yielded a lot. What I need are Berserkers who don’t die even in situations where it seems like they will. If we pick a lot and a lot die every time, what’s the point? The number of applicants will drop as well.”

“…”

Baek Seoin eventually raised a white flag.

“Ah, understood. Then, please pay a bit of attention towards the Berserker school so that we can consistently recruit new warriors.”

“That’s something I’ll leave to you. You can distribute the budget however you want.”

“No, not that. I’m asking you to go and give lectures. Do you know how many people with potential enroll because they admire you? If you’re going to lead troops and not fight by yourself, you also need to focus on training new recruits. Even if we gloss over the past by saying it was run as an experiment, now that we are going to run them more diligently, please show a little interest in them?”

Choi Hyuk flinched at Baek Seoin’s words. The top executives of the Berserkers had all given lectures after being pressured by Baek Seoin. Among them, Ryu Hyunsung pretty much lived in the school as teaching seemed to suit him. However, Choi Hyuk, who was busy with training himself, had never gone to the school.

Yet, like Baek Seoin had said, if he needed his own army, he couldn’t neglect his warrior training school. In the end, Choi Hyuk nodded.

“Okay.”

**

“Hyungnim, hyungnim. Let’s enroll in the Berserker school.”

“What now? I’m already exhausted.”

“Ah, those are words ignorant of the world. Don’t you know there’s now a right to establish troops?”

“Doesn’t that only matter to the guys who call themselves clan leaders? What does that have to do with us enrolling in the Berserker school?”

“No, no, hyungnim. The status we earthlings have held in the alliance until now was nothing more than a neighborhood watch in a town on the countryside. Since we’re a part of the regional troops of the Virgo Cluster, though we are considered as independent troops with the right to take independent military action, in the end, we’re simply regional troops. Ones that slave away in various regions following the orders of a district magistrate.”

“… So?”

“But, independent troops, which were created with the right to establish troops, are formal armies that are ranked by the alliance. Think about it. Regional troops are weak and are pretty much a service job, but what about formal armies? Won’t they have benefits? I mean, we even gave soldiers pensions on Earth. In places like the US, they even paid for their children’s education.”

“So… You want to earn more Mission Points? I’m fine. You do that on your own. Independent troops or whatever… and the Berserker school? Although I don’t know what they have to do with each other, either way, I heard their lessons are harsh. I heard that there were so many deaths during the training that more died than regular colonizers. Is money of any use when you’re dead?”

“Ah, hyungnim, don’t be like that and listen to me. Didn’t you contemplate whether to stick to the president or Choi Hyuk last time?”

“I did. And I followed your words and chose Choi Hyuk. That’s why I went through hell. I fought against monsters for the first time in my life.”

“Yes. Yes, you did. But did you suffer any losses? To be honest, if we didn’t progress here, do you think we would have endured the tidal wave of monsters this time? You know that the number of casualties in Choi Hyuk’s colonized lands is much lower than other colonized lands, right?”

“… Well, that’s true. Since the front lines were like holes in a sponge… Didn’t they say those who weren’t skilled were too slow to escape in time? They were slaughtered when they encountered a 1-star monster. That… I did well to listen to you.”

“Yes. This is the kind of world we’re living in. Hyungnim. The world these days isn’t a world where you can live by trying to spare yourself. What I’m saying is, even if it’s a bit dangerous, becoming stronger is a way to increase your chance of survival. Rather than trying to avoid the dangers of this world all the time, isn’t it better to jump into it and live in style? Trust me. We need to join the independent troops. It’s not simply a problem of earning more Mission Points and living better. We will gain the backing of the alliance. Right now, we can’t take a step out of Dragonic without the approval of the overseers, right? Even if we wanted to, the fee to use the portal is insanely expensive. And continuing to stay in outer space isn’t logical. But when we’re part of the formal army, do you think they won’t let us enter a city in the alliance? As long as we join the independent troops, hyungnim, we’ll be nobles. Nobles. What this means is we can enjoy even a small bit of the authority the overseers exclusively possess. And the future, hyungnim? A world where all the peasants living on Dragonic will go out and die. A time where they say ‘Welcome warriors of the independent troops’ will come. Hyungnim, don’t you want to live in style?”

“Koff, koff. Ah, well. If I can live like that, it’ll be great bu-“

“That’s why we need to join the independent troops. If we want to do that, we need to go to the Berserker school. The Berserker school is like a royal road leading to the independent troops the Berserkers will create.”

“What? You’re going to join the Berserkers? Are you crazy?”

“Hey, hyungnim. We worked well together until now. We put our backs against each other and protected each other. If we were scared, we would flee together. Like this, we became stronger faster than anyone else and survived.”

“That’s true.”

“It’s the same when we go there. As long as we do whatever it takes to survive over there, our lives will become easier afterwards. After enduring hardship once, it’ll get easier. Or are you going to be a fool, trembling and begging to live?”

“What? Fool? You bastard.”

“No, no, I didn’t mean to say that to you. Haa.”

“Bastard, watch your mouth… Anyways, I get it. Since you’re going that far, let’s do it.”

“You made a good decision, hyungnim!”

“But not Berserkers, okay?”

“Haa, okay. I get it, hyungnim. I do.”

Strength in itself was a spell.

Even people like them, who were quite different from Choi Hyuk’s ideal Berserkers, applied to be Berserkers. Each possessing their own desires, warriors from all over Dragonic gathered.

**

{The ‘Berserkers’ have been registered as independent troops of the alliance.  1 high-ranked warrior (6-star), Choi Hyuk, 8 middle-ranked warriors (5-star), 3,174 low-ranked warriors (4-star), 85,317 lowest-ranked warriors (3-star) as well as 10,000 probationary warriors belong to this troop. Their fighting power is evaluated at C- rank.}

The total number of casualties from the tidal wave of monsters reached 500 million… It was the greatest number of casualties since the advancement evaluation. 500 million out of 2 billion. Before, it would have been such an absurd number that people would have burst into laughter, but it was the reality the earthlings were living in right now. Especially after the expedition left, the front lines were pushed back ceaselessly and gaps opened up in their front lines, allowing monsters to trample the rear. During times like those, non-combat-oriented colonizers were massacred. Due to this, the voice urging for the reformation of earthlings gained power.

Paradoxically, the earthlings’ fighting power improved through this terrifying war. Compared to before the war, where there were 7,000 low-ranked warriors (4-star) and 700,000 lowest-ranked warriors (3-star) in the total population, currently, there were 10,000 and 1 million respectively. Although many warriors had died in the battle, the numbers had increased significantly. When looking at the ratios, the number of low and lowest-ranked warriors increased by the same rate. However, since the death rate for lowest-ranked warriors was actually overwhelmingly higher than low-ranked warriors, advancements were so common that it felt like the person sleeping next to you had advanced to the 3-star level overnight. It was simply that intense of a war.

During this time, not only Lee Jinhee and Ryu Hyunsung, but even Baek Seoin, Bae Jinman, Handke, the newly joined Kim Honghyun, Richard’s aide Leah, and Zero had all advanced and became middle-ranked warriors.

Was it because they had experienced this war? Countless warriors applied to be Berserkers, who were notorious for being an organization of crazy war-maniacs. Not only that, but even the El Tribes, who now had to serve in the military after joining the alliance, lined up to apply. It was because Choi Hyuk’s independent troops were appealing to them as well.

As a result, 3,000 low-ranked warriors (4-star) became affiliated with the Berserkers, and they were even able to reach 80,000 lowest-ranked warriors (3-star). In reality, they accepted all low-ranked warriors, but they rejected some lowest-ranked warriors after evaluating them. They strictly assessed one’s fighting senses and their potential for future growth rather than their current stage. Even Choi Hyuk attended the evaluation after being pestered by Baek Seoin.

Also, in the same way, they accepted 2-star warriors whose talents were especially eye-catching as probationary warriors. This too was because of Baek Seoin’s strong insistence that they needed to always be prepared for the future.

Among those who weren’t picked and from the second and third-string Berserkers, they established a formal army consisting of 300,000 members assigned to maintaining public order and defending the colonized lands. They were called the ‘supervising troops’. Although everyone opposed that name (Lee Jinhee even said loudly, “Hey! Why is the name of the unit maintaining public order the supervising troops?!”), Choi Hyuk went through with it. The supervising troops were not independent troops and were left affiliated under the Virgo Cluster as regional troops.

That was how the first independent troop established in Dragonic, the ‘Berserkers’, received the C- rank.

The establishment of troops from each overseer and sovereign, as well as clan leaders who had a bit of power, followed soon after.

Complete control of Dragonic and establishing independent troops. With these, the earthlings once again entered a new era.

Due to the great changes that had occurred almost every year, the earthlings could now quickly familiarize themselves with these changes.

Rather than feeling fear or anxiety, the number of people who felt excited gradually grew.

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