Kill The Dragons - Chapter 26

Second years have squad and general lessons.

General lessons covered the basic theories. All the second years would be gathered in class to listen together.

Kuro and Han sat next to each other. They could spot the other new transferees from other squads on desks further away.

“There’s Dimitri.”

Kuro whispered. Dimitri was very tall. He stood out even from a far distance.

“Now, let’s start class.”

An unfamiliar teacher said while walking in. Hologram screens lit up all around the room.

“Today we will go over the common werewolf minion monsters that travel by land.”

A werewolf of gray fur appeared on the screens. Han and Kuro’s eyes grew wide. It was their first time directly seeing the minion forms like this.

“They are about two to three meters tall. Rarely, you can come across one that grows to be four meters tall. They have high agility and fast recovery, so it is impossible to defeat them with light damage weapons. They do not have much intelligence, but are natural born hunters, and so move in a tactical way.

“Do silver weapons work against them?”

Someone jokingly asked. The youths of the class laughed. The teacher shrugged his shoulder.

“It is possible to slow down their recovery with silver, but the end results are negligible. The easiest way to stop their self recovery is by firebombs.”

The teacher continued his lessons on werewolves. He explained basic tactics against them and their natural habits.

Minion is the generic name for the basic mob soldiers that are controlled by the dragon race.  They heed the dragons’ commands.

“The only minions with intelligence are of the Elu race.”

“Elf?”

Kuro mumbled.

The screen projected someone who looked no different than humans. It was just that their ears were pointed, their bodies skinny, and the sclera of their eyes had no irises to them.

Their overall appearance gave a chilling feeling.

“The Elu race act as mid commanders from within the dragon army. The dragons do not personally command every mob, the mid commanders are in charge of taking care of the minor commands.”

“Teacher, since they’re able to use psychic skills, does that mean normal physical weapons do not work against them as well?”

“That is a good question. Look at this.”

The teacher played a video clip. The image quality was poor, but it was a clip of the Elus and human soldiers fighting.

They were armed with heavy weapons that exploded out flames. They opened fire and each attack made a huge hole in the ground. In the midst of the bombardment was a single Elu who had summoned a psychic shield.

“Elus are able to resist general weapons like dragons. However, they do not have an infinite amount of psychic energy like the dragons. Watch what happens to them when they run out of psychic energy.”

The Elu who had not been able to continue resisting for a long period, got blown up into tiny pieces by the bombing.

It was a horrifying clip. Its organs and blood had been spewed out everywhere. Kuro covered his mouth to resist throwing up. Lessons ended. Han and Kuro’s data bracelets vibrated with an order of squad seven to assemble. They were ordered to come to the shooting range.

“Allied Forces, Demian Jeshik, R-2 gun.”

Han and Kuro were handed out their own gun. It was made of cold metals; Han could feel his heart calming down.

“This would be useless against dragons, but they are still useful against minions,” Kato said.

Kato called a fellow squad member and trained Kuro and Han individually.

“Shoulder your gun; your shoulder and arms are your support. You won’t be able to hit anything if you shake.”

Han was able to shoot the center point with his gun several times. This was his first time shooting a gun, and 18 out of the 20 shots had been a successful shot.

‘Han has better focus. On the other hand….’

Kuro’s shots were a mess. He could not breathe properly and his body continued to tremble. The muzzle of his gun kept rising up and down, while trembling.

“Kuro, continue to shoot until you’re able to hit 16 out of 20 times.”

The squad member said to Kuro. Han peered up to the drill instructor at the control tower. The instructor seemed to only care about the safety of the shooting range.

‘It seems the senior squad members are in charge of teaching their juniors.’

Han continued to practice shooting in various positions. He was not used to shooting while moving, and made lots of mistakes. But, all shots while stationary were superb.

“This is surprising. Han is the useful kid instead of Kuro? Kato.”

The assistant team leader said to Kato. Kuro could not manage to even hold the gun to aim properly. The assistant leader grew irritated and began scolding Kuro.

“We’ll never get anywhere at this rate. Try to focus. Don’t just stare on like an idiot, put some strength into your shoulders.”

“Uuh, yes.”

Kuro’s face looked pale. His hands had grown clammy, and the gun felt slippery in his hands.

BANG!

He had fired by accident. The muzzle shot into the ground.

“HEY! You damn b*****d! Can’t you do this properly?”

The squad members around them shouted after the shock. They kicked Kuro and made him stand once more. His shoulders trembled as he tried his best to catch his breath.

“Cough. S-sorry.”

Kuro’s huge eyes looked in shock. He had scared himself and his heart was beating wildly. His squad members had hit him but it didn’t hurt at all.

“Stop.”

Han tried to stop his squad members. He helped Kuro up. Kuro looked anxious and sorry.

“Get lost, newbie. This kind of b*****d deserves a beating. Only then would they manage to get a hold of themselves.”

Kato watched the group from far away.

“Bullying isn’t going to make Kuro any better. Is there a reason to get so mad just because he made one mistake?”

Han’s calm tone flamed the squad’s anger.

“A newbie’s place is to keep quiet. Do you even know anything?”

“I know Kuro better than you.”

“Are you that black boy’s boyfriend?”

“My intentions are not to throw around such vulgar personal insults.”

It seemed a fist fight would break out any time now. The drill instructor glared to Kato. Kato stood in between the squad and Han.

“Stop. Han is right to some level. This is only the first time, so it’s natural to make mistakes. Han, you should show more respect toward your seniors. You’re of the same rank, but everyone here has more experience in squad 7 than you. If you’re unhappy with the instructions, do not complain, and come talk to me about it.”

Kato mediated. He had also been judged as a good squad leader candidate. He had talent to lead people.

Han offered a handshake to his squad and apologized. Han and Kuro gradually adjusted to their squad as they trained together. Han and Kuro’s difference in skill was too great.

‘Han’s training results are superior to Kuro’s in all aspects.’

Kato felt bitter. Reality was too different than what he expected. He took Kuro to his team to add another talent to the squad, but the one to distinguish himself had been Han.

“However Kuro is superior in psychic drills. What we need is a superior psyker.”  The assistant team leader said.

In year 2, all the squads competed against one another. They obtained points after winning in squad battles.

The number of squad members to battle is based on whichever number of members is in the smaller squad. There are all sorts of competitions, and psykers are useful in all types of battles.

There was no evening training today. The students that had gathered in the assembly hall were cheering while watching a screen.

“Today there is a competition with squad 3 and squad 9. Today’s competition will be capture the flag.”