Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 37

Weapon-Eating Bastard – Episode 37

All the evaluations for the Student Brigade were over.

32 dead.

78 seriously injured.

Numerous minor injuries.

Only seven classes throughout the entire Student Brigade passed the evaluation, and only five of them succeeded in their missions.

Negative opinions about the harshness of this quarter’s evaluation grew inside and outside the Student Brigade, but the controversy subsided as the main family responded firmly.

“…Therefore, since there was a clause in the contract about transferring personal rights from the beginning, there was no problem according to the special law.”

“What are the follow-up measures for the casualties of this evaluation?”

“We are handling it as generously as possible. We guarantee full medical expenses for the seriously injured and provide compensation equivalent to those who died in action as a special case for those who have suffered sequelae [long-term consequences] that make recovery impossible.”

Lee Tae-shin nodded quietly as he received the documents from Head Butler Choi.

“How was the treatment for the deceased?”

“We have made it mandatory for each Musadae [elite warrior training academy] deputy commander or higher and at least 20 warriors from the family to attend the joint funeral. We have also sent a request for cooperation to the Council of Elders.”

“Keep reporting on the progress. You’ve worked hard.”

Head Butler Choi bowed his head plainly.

“And… here are the data on each dungeon that was gathered this time.”

Head Butler Choi turned on the projector connected to the office. At the same time, several additional files were placed on Lee Tae-shin’s desk.

“There is definitely an effect.”

Lee Tae-shin muttered incomprehensible words as he looked at the numbers on the screen.

Those numerous data points, which were unique but did not seem to be anything special, seemed to have some kind of meaning for Lee Tae-shin.

“The Forest of Anthropomorphism. It was in a dangerous area.”

“Yes. It is located at the northern end of Gangwon Province.”

Lee Tae-shin’s gaze turned to the video at the very center of the screen.

The video taken by the youngest, Lee Cheol.

It was a very short video.

It only showed the video device being activated inside the cocoon, the appearance of the egg, and the monster walking out of it.

“Short.”

“It was reported that this is how much of the video was restored, but it seems to be an edited video. There must have been a battle in reality.”

Head Butler Choi carefully examined Lee Tae-shin.

Lee Tae-shin took a sip of the tea that Head Butler Choi had brought and said quietly.

“He’s an interesting kid.”

Lee Tae-shin spoke in his usual indifferent tone.

However, Head Butler Choi, who had served him for a long time, read a deep interest in his expression.

“What do you think?”

“Although it was a somewhat excessively unconventional plan, he eventually overcame the difficult task with his wit, so it is a great achievement.”

Head Butler Choi continued with a worried expression.

“However… I am concerned that the youngest young master has been neglecting orthodox tactics and strategies since the naming ceremony.”

It was a valid concern.

Orthodoxy and textbooks are not old-fashioned and frustrating, but rather the wisdom of the sages accumulated over time.

However, Lee Cheol has always shown unconventional deviations from orthodoxy.

Ingenious moves or variations are always pushed back by orthodoxy.

Those who have tasted unconventionality from an early age are bound to collapse on firmly built orthodoxy.

“Even you see it that way.”

“……Yes?”

Head Butler Choi blinked.

Lee Tae-shin shook his head.

“Unconventionality, variations. They are merely showing his boldness. All of this is moving under his plan. He knows orthodoxy, so he will know how to wield ingenious moves.”

Lee Tae-shin pushed the documents onto the desk.

“The fact that not only the students but also the instructors followed this unconventional plan without objection proves the youngest’s leadership. In fact, no information was leaked, and the plan was perfectly successful.”

Of course, it is annoying that he only succeeded in the mission and did not think about the aftermath.

Really, he is an interesting kid to watch.

“Increase the number of overall evaluations as well as this evaluation and raise the level. So that they can quickly gain practical experience.”

“Yes, I will take care of it.”

Lee Tae-shin turned his head back to look at the screen.

Head Butler Choi quietly stood by Lee Tae-shin’s side.

“Soon, the other kids will start paying attention to the youngest.”

“Since the relationship with the first young master is a publicly known fact, they will not be able to directly approach the youngest young master.”

“Indeed, will they?”

Lee Tae-shin looked out the window with a meaningful look.

The sound of wind chimes echoed faintly in the distance.

* * *

Time flew by like an arrow after the shocking quarterly evaluation in many ways.

Joint funeral and changed Student Brigade evaluation system.

In line with that, the training became more harsh and the education schedule became tighter.

Many students dropped out, were held back, and fell behind.

But that was not the case for all classes.

“…Young master. You know we finished our last evaluation yesterday and came back, right?”

Kim Han asked in an awkward voice.

As the end of the year approached, the first year of the Student Brigade had completed most of the scheduled training, education, and quarterly evaluations.

“Yes. So I gave you a break yesterday, right?”

“No, I mean….”

Kim Han took a long breath once again and shook his head.

“No, it’s nothing. I thought it would be like this.”

The students, including Kim Han, smiled bitterly and stood up from their seats.

“Now that the last evaluation of the year is over, you may want to rest a little, but don’t forget. The promotion exam is still left.”

At the end of the year, a strange tension begins to linger in the Student Brigade.

This is because the promotion battle, the last exam for promotion to the next grade, remains.

“I can’t stand seeing anyone in my class being held back. Got it?”

“Yes! I understand!”

Kim Han shouted, his eyes shining.

“You know, but it seemed like you experienced mana exhaustion in this evaluation? Kim Han. You memorize Guguels [multiplication tables] all day today.”

“Yes, yes?!”

As always, the 5th class students were gathered at the training ground.

Even though there were no regular classes or training after the evaluation, the students were voluntarily continuing their training.

‘They’ve become stronger.’

It’s already been almost a year since I started living in the Student Brigade.

While many children left, the 5th class did not have a single dropout except for the children who dropped out at the beginning.

They were still lacking children.

Even Kim Han, Choi In-ha, and Kim Bo-seong, who were training the hardest and achieving results, were a little lacking compared to the children of the 1st class.

Kim Han lacks mana skills, and Choi In-ha lacks mana. Kim Bo-seong’s overall combat skill proficiency was low.

But they became stronger.

Not only the body but also the mind.

Instead of being frustrated by their shortcomings, they learned to fill them.

“Young master. You were here.”

At that time, Lee Jeong-ho, the 5th class instructor, approached me.

“What’s going on?”

“There is something to be communicated. It’s about promotion.”

“Okay. I’ll go now.”

I looked back at the students who were training and followed Lee Jeong-ho.

* * *

In the Student Brigade’s conference room, instructors including the class leaders of each grade and each class were gathered.

As I walked towards the 1st grade class leaders, Lee Seo-hyun, who was sitting in the front row, called me.

“You’re here? Here, sit here. I have something to say.”

Lee Seo-hyun crossed her legs and patted the seat next to her.

It’s a pity to see a girl who is no different from a noble lady doing this.

“You did pretty well in this evaluation?”

“Yes, I heard that the 1st class was also great.”

“Hmm, right? No, that’s not it.”

Lee Seo-hyun touched her neatly tied back hair with an unusually sullen expression.

“Why are you acting unlike yourself?”

“Haa, I’m worried about whether to tell you or not. I’m afraid of what my mother will say if I keep resisting like this.”

Lee Seo-hyun shook her head and opened her mouth with a firm expression.

“…You’re going to have a headache from this promotion battle.”

“What?”

“My little sister and little brother… I mean, my sixth sister and seventh brother were called to my mother’s room a while ago. After that, rumors spread that both of them were meeting with 2nd graders and 1st grade students.”

I understood what she was trying to say.

I chuckled.

“Why, are you trying to make me fail my promotion battle?”

That was impossible.

I had already achieved too many achievements in the Student Brigade, and my grades were so overwhelming that they were neck and neck with Lee Seo-hyun.

Even if some kind of mishap occurred in the promotion battle, my promotion was absolutely confirmed.

“It’s obvious that it won’t work, but I’m scared because I don’t know what they’re going to do. I don’t know if you don’t feel it because you’re such an eccentric, but both my little sister and little brother are very scary people.”

I know it well.

Once, I was afraid of them too.

“You’re a little late to warn me.”

“Huh?”

“There have been annoying things since the first evaluation.”

I leaned deeply against the backrest.

I was grateful that Lee Seo-hyun told me, but it was something I had already expected and was experiencing.

The 5th class had been receiving minor checks since the first quarterly evaluation.

Poor equipment was provided during the evaluation, and there were frequent cases of quarrels in other minor areas outside of training hours.

In severe cases, instructors deliberately omitted educational content or discriminated against other classes in education.

‘A while ago, someone approached Bo-seong.’

It was a story that Kim Bo-seong quietly told.

An unidentified person approached him and asked him to interfere with the 5th class’s evaluation.

There is only one reason why these things are repeated.

It is to check the success of the underdog.

There is no way they will just sit back and watch the second generation of a family without a background or decent power beat the children of a large force.

‘Especially since I’m in this 5th class.’

It will be at the probing level now.

They are deliberately touching my nerves at the level of childish pranks to see how far is okay and how far they can check.

And that calculation was more likely to be watching my father’s reaction than mine.

“It won’t be like that so far. They said they contacted the students directly?”

“I understand, so don’t worry.”

And since Lee Seo-hyun said it, it can be seen that the probing is over.

“I’ve told the kids in my class to some extent… you know?”

“Yes, I know. The 1st class is quite a complicated class.”

“Thank you for understanding. I will compete fairly with you and win. I warned you, so please don’t get caught up in strange things. I’m going to get the top spot this time and make you call me older sister.”

Lee Seo-hyun’s eyes were burning.

“Stop it. That won’t happen. And why are you so obsessed with that title?”

While we were talking, the class leaders and instructors of the 2nd grade arrived, and the Student Brigade leader entered the conference room.

“The reason I called you today is not different. As of today, this year’s quarterly evaluation is over, so I will inform you of the details and schedule related to the promotion of this class of Student Brigade.”

Promotion battle.

It was an exam for students in the Student Brigade to advance to the next grade.

The grades of the evaluations that have been repeated in the one-year course are combined with the results of this promotion battle to determine the promotion and retention of the students.

‘This promotion battle will be a little different.’

Even if there was no warning from Lee Seo-hyun, everyone thought so.

The situation had changed since the quarterly evaluation. It would be stranger if the promotion battle remained the same.

“This promotion battle will be held at a fixed gate. It is the Y-7 gate located about 3km north of Gaeseong.”

The Student Brigade leader said with an indifferent expression.

‘Gate?’

A fixed gate refers to a gate that remains without disappearing for some reason even after stabilization.

Since monsters or abnormal phenomena do not occur in fixed gates, it was virtually empty land that was only spatially isolated.

“The promotion battles for the 1st and 2nd graders will be held here in the same way. The period is 3 days. Inside the gate, there will be nameplates with the inscription ‘Sungmu’. The students will also each have a nameplate, and if they lose it, they will be treated as dead and must come out.”

The Student Brigade leader showed the class leaders a hexagonal thin piece of wood with the inscription Sungmu.

“There are no other rules. Get as many nameplates as possible. You can form a team or move individually.”

It may seem like it’s better to form a team unconditionally, but that’s not true.

If you form a team, you will have to share the nameplates you get, and naturally the amount each individual acquires will decrease.

“Anyway, this nameplate is the goal of this promotion battle. It would be right to express it as a battle for supremacy.”

The conference hall buzzed.

“I have a question.”

The class leader of the 2nd grade, 1st class.

I don’t remember the name exactly, but he was a talented person from a collateral line.

“Speak.”

“There is bound to be a difference between 1st and 2nd grade students. And how can it be evaluated in the first place for us to compete with students who are one grade lower?”

Until last year, the curriculum in the Student Brigade was like this.

1st graders receive basic education and prepare for combat.

2nd graders are put into actual combat and work.

3rd graders experience practical work such as entering the Six Gates or becoming trainees in the Musadae.

Therefore, the difference between each grade was quite large.

“That’s a valid point. That may be the case in combat. But this training is not just about winning by being good at combat. You know why, right?”

The Student Brigade leader smiled.

I looked at the Student Brigade leader and chuckled.

“So it comes out like this?”

The nameplate held by the Student Brigade leader shone brightly in the light.

I leaned against the backrest and watched the students become agitated.