Dante didn't have much time to himself. After the army retreated, the general gave another speech to soothe their minds and cause the soldiers to feel cheerful, as they had won. The soldiers cheered and ran off to make merry, while the general laughed.
The non-combat members of the army had the job of collecting ally corpses from the battlefield in order to cremate them, so they wouldn't be fed on by vultures. This was the least they could do for their fellowmen who died in battle.
As for the opposing army whose corpses made up 95% of the battlefield, no one would come and pick them up. Not only were they commoners, but the surviving troops also didn't have any spare manpower to engage in such luxuries.
Trust me, the job was a terrible one. Not only did it stink due to the blood and corpses, but the vultures were fierce and would glare at you if you tried to shoo them away from a corpse, which to them was their food.
Even worse, some of the enemy corpses were not corpses. They were groaning and moaning in agonized pain as they were severely crippled and bleeding out, spending their moments in agony.
The worst part was those ferocious and hate-filled people who lay in wait, pretending to be corpses, only to deal a fatal blow to those who came to search. While watching their prey clutch their bleeding throat as they bled out, they would screech with near eldritch laughter filled with craziness and joy.
However, all they had done was kill a non-combatant who was here to do an honorable task. Naturally, they couldn't care because that was usually what hate did – blind you to the reality of the situation.
The people he or she hated were currently celebrating and having a good time, unbeknownst to him or her. This was usually the aftermath of major battles, but here the casualties were low because the majority of the civilians were thoroughly killed and did not need to be double-tapped.
If it had been a proper army, this would have happened a lot more.
Dante was summoned to the tent of the upper echelon along with some other soldiers, people he had identified during the battle as having performed well. As such, he could guess what this summons was for and couldn't help but feel slightly expectant.
The General of the Indra Kingdom's army was called Garth, and he was quite a powerful-looking person. Seated at a makeshift table strewn with maps, battle reports, and scrolls, he was a figure that exuded an aura of tough and seasoned experience.
Dante's gaze was drawn to the general's weathered face, marked with the lines of countless battles and years of command. His salt-and-pepper beard framed a stern jaw, and his eyes held a piercing intensity that seemed to bore into the very souls of those who met his gaze.
General Garth's armor, unlike that of the soldiers, was a work of aesthetics and function combined. The armor bore the scars of past conflicts, each mark a testament to the man's resilience and skill on the battlefield.
A flowing crimson cape billowed behind him, adding an air of regal authority to his rugged appearance.
His hands, calloused and scarred, rested on the table as he perused the documents before him. The fingers that had once held swords and shields were now the architects of strategy and the guiding force of armies.
General Garth's presence commanded respect, and even the battle-hardened soldiers in the tent stood a little straighter in his presence, including Dante. The man just had that aura.
"Soldiers, you have shown valor and determination on the battlefield. Your actions have not gone unnoticed." General Garth's voice rumbled through the tent, each word weighted with gravitas.
ραΠdαsΝοvel.cοm Dante felt a surge of pride as the general's gaze swept over him. It was a validation of his efforts and a recognition of the role he had played in the recent victory.
"The enemies we face are formidable, and the challenges ahead are great, but it is through the dedication and bravery of soldiers like you that we shall emerge victorious." the general continued before standing up and coming before the men.
"Report your names, your age, and your army!" He barked suddenly, glancing at the person from the leftmost side.
"Unbenson, 34, Swift Riders!"
"Frank, 27, Master Marksmen!"
"Livia, 23, Master Marksmen!"
"Fiora, 22, Master Marksmen!"
"Dante, 21, Warriors of Indra!"
"Kain, 27, Warriors of Indra!"
"Bea, 26, Warriors of Indra!"
"Liam, 38, Vanguard Shock Troops!"
"Lockheart, 42, Vanguard Shock Troops!"
The ten of them reported their details to the general one by one as his eyes lay upon them. They were seven men and three women, and they had performed above their expectations during the battle, enough that in the chaos of many bodies clashing, the general could still pinpoint them.
"Good." The general nodded with satisfaction.
"I shall hereby give you two choices. One is to freely switch your army to the one you want, and you will undergo a sort of 1-week training to adapt quickly before we march again, or you can be promoted within your current army."
The general turned and moved to sit down before focusing on his documents, which were battle reports. "Make your choices within the next ten minutes."
The ten soldiers were surprised and shared looks among each other, wondering what choice they should make. Meanwhile, Dante was gazing at the notification that appeared before him from the world.
[Player Dante, you have completed your first battle in the Rising Star World and are qualified to make some choices. You can choose to change the army you're affiliated with and start from the bottom or remain in the current auto-allocated army and raise one rank. Please make your choice.]
Dante didn't even spend a second thinking about it before he stepped forward and spoke resolutely. "General Garth, sir, please promote me!"
The General raised his head with interest. "Oh? Dante, right? I saw you on the battlefield, from your initial struggle to eventually becoming the guardian angel of your fellow brothers. Can you tell me why you made this choice?"
Dante nodded. "Two reasons, sir. Firstly, I obviously excelled where I was placed and will likely excel more in the future. Why should I change to something I am unfamiliar with and risk becoming mediocre? Secondly, with a higher rank, I can better organize myself during battle and prevent even more casualties."
General Garth nodded with a smile. "Alright, that makes sense. Henceforth you have been promoted from a recruit foot soldier to a squad leader. Head to the commander in charge of your army and let him arrange a squad for you to lead."
Dante saluted and left the tent without looking at the others, not interested in the choices they would make.
He then checked his SDi as he walked over.
Player Name: Dante
Player Race: Human
Kingdom: Indra
Rank: Squad Captain (10 kills by each squad member to advance)
Morality: Neutral
Strength Index: 250 (500)
Agility Index: 250 (500)
Dexterity Index: 250 (500)
Intelligence Index: 250 (
500)
Constitution Index: 250 (500)
Vitality Index: 250 (500)
Bionic Level: 1
Psionic level: 1?
As he stepped out into the camp, he could hear the distant sounds of soldiers celebrating and sharing stories of the battle. It was a stark contrast to the grim task of collecting the fallen that had gone on earlier.
His first stop was the makeshift command center of the Warriors of Indra. The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, casting a warm, golden glow over the camp.
Soldiers moved about with purpose, preparing for the next phase of the campaign. Dante's strides were purposeful as he made his way to the commander in charge of his army.
The commander was a stern-faced man with a scar running across one eye, a testament to his own battles fought. He looked up from his maps as Dante approached, a mixture of curiosity and assessment in his gaze.
"Newly promoted, I see." the commander remarked, his voice gruff yet tinged with a hint of approval.
"Yes, sir!" Dante replied, his back straightening instinctively as he stood before the experienced officer.
"What's your name, lad?" The man asked while sizing up Dante.
"Dante, sir." Dante replied calmly.
The commander nodded and stood, extending a hand toward Dante. "Welcome to the ranks of squad leaders, Dante. I'm Commander Varian. Your promotion is well-earned, and I expect nothing less than your best."
Dante shook the commander's hand firmly, feeling a hint of determination. "Thank you, sir. I won't let you down."
Varian's scarred face broke into a rare smile. "I believe you won't. Now, let's discuss your squad."
Dante followed Varian to the side where the reports of the soldiers from the after-battle reports came in. Apart from this, he was also to meet the assembled troops tomorrow morning to pick out his squad.
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