Operation: Save a Certain Sergeant from the Class of '78
Once Sanchez had adapted to military life, the unit settled into a relatively peaceful routine.
Wait a second.
"Relatively peaceful?" That’s impossible.
From what I’ve learned in my three and a half years here, military life is never peaceful. That phrase is a logical impossibility!
So, according to my calculations... now! With Sanchez fully adjusted to the unit, three months having passed, and new recruits arriving today...
"Another incident is about to start!"
And sure enough, as if on cue, something did happen.
“What did I even do?!”
Well, the new recruit, Dory, was being a little rude to Benny.
But I wasn’t worried about Benny at all. Karon, who was standing next to me, also just looked at Dory with a faint expression of pity.
“You, who do you think you are?”
Because Benny’s devoted apprentice, Sanchez, immediately came rushing over.
“How dare you be disrespectful to my master.”
“Master...?”
Dory’s eyes darted back and forth between Sanchez and Benny, trembling with confusion, before he began stammering out apologies to Benny. He must have apologized a few dozen times before running off in terror.
From that day on, every time Dory saw Benny, he’d let out a panicked "Eep!" and steer clear of her.
‘I can guess exactly what he’s thinking...’
Since Sanchez had called Benny his “master,” Dory must’ve concluded that Benny was some incredibly powerful figure.
I shook my head.
‘Well, at least the recruit seems to have adapted. That’s good enough.’
And so, life in the unit returned to its usual rhythm. Truly peaceful days.
***
Discharge Countdown: 2,003 Days.
“What... what did you just say?!”
I asked, my voice shaking, as I stared at Blue, one of my peers from Beta Platoon, whom I’d run into while running errands at the company HQ.
The news Blue had just delivered was so shocking that I couldn’t believe my ears.
“Yup, we’re doing a battalion march.”
I stood there with my mouth open like an idiot, staring at him.
‘Damn it, I thought things would stay quiet for a while after that new recruit Dory showed up!’
But of course, peace never lasts in the military.
“A march... you’ve got to be kidding me....”
No matter how I thought about it, it didn’t make sense. Why would a unit tasked with defending the borders against monsters need to practice marching?
While I was visibly fuming, Blue kindly explained.
“Well, in case a war breaks out with another nation, we’d be deployed too. So basic training like this is necessary.”
According to him, the Border Defense Army conducted a battalion-wide march once every two years. Back when we were recruits, the march had been canceled due to some disputes among the higher-ups, but now it was back on the schedule.
Our battalion would be marching along the border, with another battalion temporarily taking over our posts while we were away.
‘A march....’
Sure, this was mentioned in the original story. Though honestly, "the original story" had become such a distant concept to me that I’d almost forgotten about it....
Blue handed me a roll of bandages as he spoke.
“These are compression bandages. I got them from the medics.”
“What are they for?”
“They said wrapping your feet with these would help.”
As expected, having an informant among your peers makes military life much easier.
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In the end, I stuffed the bandages into my pocket and trudged back to the platoon....
***
When I returned to the platoon, chaos was already underway. News of the march had clearly reached everyone.
“A march?! Cough, cough!”
Taro, who had barely shown his face in recent weeks, suddenly appeared, dark circles under his eyes, wailing like a ghost.
“Damn it! Pack your gear! Pack your gear now!”
He was tearing at his own hair, shouting orders at the juniors with the desperation of someone reliving the time a dragon appeared and we were sent on an emergency monster extermination mission.
Sure, this march wasn’t as life-threatening as that incident, but the bleak future ahead of us was undeniable. Damn it.
When I entered the women’s barracks, Yuri glared at me with her usual icy expression and snapped, “Where have you been? Help Benny pack her gear immediately!”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Strangely, I felt a sense of déjà vu.
Even so, I diligently helped Benny prepare her gear. This was her first march, just like mine. But unlike her, I had a bit more experience from monster hunts, so I could offer some advice.
“Benny, you’ll need more socks.”
“Is this enough?”
“No, more.”
“How about now?”
“More!”
“...Now?”
“Even more!”
Socks are essential during a march. Benny looked a little overwhelmed but followed my advice, stuffing socks into her bag until she seemed like a sock merchant.
“What about biscuits? I packed this many. Is that enough?”
“More.”
“...This much?”
“Pack more! Keep going!”
We spent a long time struggling with the packing until Benny’s gear had ballooned into an enormous bundle.
Looking at the massive pile, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
‘Am I really going to have to carry all this during the march?’
On top of the gear, everyone had to carry their respective weapons. For once, I regretted being assigned a rifle. If I had a sword, at least I could strap it to my waist.
‘I want to desert so badly right now....’
With everything packed, I stepped out of the barracks. There was still some time before the march started, so I decided to head to the mess hall to grab some snacks. I’d need to recharge my energy.
Considering how irritable I got when my blood sugar dropped, this might be the time I finally surpassed Blair and Topio in sheer unpleasantness.
‘How was the march described in the original story again?’
Most of what the protagonist Dalin experienced in the original novel was much tamer than what I faced in reality. Monster hunts in the book lacked any real tension, casualties were glossed over, and there was no mention of the grueling training sessions.
‘Of course, that’s probably because the original was rated for all ages....’
If the brutal reality of our battles and injuries were depicted in detail, there’s no doubt the story would’ve been slapped with an 18+ rating. Real life here was nothing short of gory and grotesque.
Still, even in the sanitized original story, the march was given significant focus.
The male leads took great care of Dalin during the march, explaining its intricacies beforehand and supporting her whenever she got tired.
‘Winter even warned Dalin about potential dangers during the march.’
Winter, who practically worshipped the word "rules," had listed all the precautions Dalin needed to take.
He’d said something like:
“If you encounter monsters while exhausted during a march, you could end up dead or seriously injured. Always stay alert, even when you’re tired.”
‘What else did he say...?’
My memory of the original story was vague, but I think it went something like this:
“There was a time when one of my peers died during a march. Normally, they could’ve handled such monsters alone, but things went sideways.”
“Is a march really that dangerous?” Dalin had asked, her voice trembling.
“My peer died while saving a junior from a monster. But that was an exceptional case, so there’s no need to worry.”
After that, there was some dialogue highlighting Dalin’s concern for others.
“Winter, are you okay?” she had asked.
“What?” Winter replied, puzzled.
“He was a close friend of yours, wasn’t he? I’m more worried about how you’re feeling than anything else....”
‘Yeah, it was something like that.’
I should definitely take care not to get into any accidents during this march... Wait a minute.
‘Winter’s peer died?’
Hold on. Wait.
My brain was struggling to process this information.
Think carefully.
Most Arkons who join the Border Defense Army die during their recruit training period. Even those who make it through training can still die during their time as privates, particularly while on guard duty.
But once you become a sergeant, you generally don’t have to worry about your own survival anymore.
So, I’d always assumed Winter’s "peer" was someone who had died before I enlisted, some other recruit from his time.
But...
“None of my peers have ever died, so I’ve never experienced a big loss.”
That’s what Winter had said recently while we were on guard duty together. None of his peers had died up until now.
Which means... the peer who dies during this march is either Altair or Yuri.
Either one would be a devastating loss. I’ve grown fond of both of them in my own way.
‘I have to prevent this.’
At least I know for certain that someone will die during this march.
Since I have some knowledge of the original story, now’s the time to twist its events. Isn’t that the privilege of being a reincarnator?
‘First, I need to figure out who it is.’
Were there any other scenes in the original story featuring Altair or Yuri?
I racked my brain, but it was hard to recall anything specific. It had been so long since I’d read the original novel, and I hadn’t analyzed every line in detail.
Plus, Dalin’s time in the army took place after Yuri and Altair had been promoted and reassigned to different units, making it even harder to piece things together....
‘Is there really no way?’
To alter the story, you need to know the details. And right now, I just didn’t have enough information.
As I clutched my head in frustration, an idea struck me.
“Wait a second. If it’s about memory....”
It was time to revisit something I’d been avoiding ever since I learned about its cost.
“That candy that sharpens memory....”
That’s exactly what I needed right now!
If I could get my hands on it, I’d be able to recall the original story in vivid detail and use that knowledge to navigate what’s to come.
Even if it meant sacrificing ten fingernails, I was going to find that artifact.