Overwhelming Firepower

In many places within Norvaegard, people were starting to prepare for war. Despite not needing to, many people wanted to join the war.

In Norvaegard, one of the ways to gain nobility was to show one’s worth in battle. Even those of the humblest of origins can become something as long as they show their skills in battle.

For commoners, war represented both danger and opportunity. A farmer’s son who distinguished himself could return home as a knight, while a sufficiently remarkable achievement might earn him land and a noble title.

The younger children of noble families also saw the war as an opportunity. Those unlikely to inherit anything from their parents could establish houses of their own through military achievements.

As a result, recruitment offices throughout Norvaegard became crowded.

Farmers, hunters, craftsmen, mercenaries, and young aura users arrived carrying whatever weapons they possessed. Some wished to protect the kingdom. Others sought wealth, fame, or the chance to rise beyond the station into which they had been born.

Even those without knowledge of battle were accepted and trained. Norvaegard, being a land of warriors, had a belief that as long as you had guts and resolve, anyone could wield a weapon.

Training grounds were established outside every major city. Retired soldiers were called back into service as instructors, while veterans recovering from injuries were placed in charge of the new recruits.

Those who had never held a weapon learned how to march, follow commands, and maintain formation. They trained with spears, swords, shields, and rifles from sunrise until their bodies could no longer continue.

During their training, a few talented young recruits suddenly awakened either their aura or their mana core.

Such awakenings were rare, but they were one of the reasons Norvaegard accepted anyone willing to endure the training.

Many commoners possessed talent without ever realizing it. They had spent their lives farming, hunting, or working within workshops, never receiving the instruction or resources needed to awaken their power.

The pressure of military training sometimes provided the necessary opportunity.

When a recruit awakened an aura, the instructors immediately removed them from ordinary training and placed them under an experienced knight. Those who formed a mana core were sent to military mages who would determine their affinity and teach them how to create their first circle.

Their previous status did not matter. A farmer’s child who awakened a powerful mana core received the same opportunity as the child of a noble. From that moment onward, only their ability and achievements determined how far they could rise.

Stories of such awakenings quickly spread. More people entered the recruitment offices, hoping that they might possess some hidden talent of their own.

Of course, even without an aura or mana core, a person could still be trained to crew an airship, operate artillery, or serve within one of the newly created Fenrirs.

Norvaegard had begun to change what it meant to be a warrior.

In the past, ordinary soldiers could do little more than support aura users and mages during battles between powerful enemies.

Now, the kingdom possessed weapons that allowed those same soldiers to destroy fortifications, shatter magical barriers, and kill opponents far stronger than themselves.

Those with steady hands and sharp eyesight were trained to use rifles or aim artillery. Recruits familiar with machinery were sent to the airship crews or taught how to maintain steam engines.

The talents they were looking for had expanded to include more than just those with supernatural abilities.

Among those recruits was Chris, a farmer’s son whose talent might never have been discovered in an earlier age. He had come to the Capital to enlist, hoping to change his fortunes and help his family.

Chris possessed neither an aura nor a mana core.

He had never held a sword before arriving in the Capital, and the only fighting he had experienced consisted of chasing wild animals away from his family’s fields.

During the first assessment, his performance was painfully ordinary.

He lacked the strength needed to wield a heavy weapon, his movements with a spear were clumsy, and an instructor knocked him onto his back within seconds during close-combat training.

Chris stood and rubbed the dirt from his clothes.

He had not expected to become a great knight immediately, but he had hoped to show some kind of talent.

”Next assessment!” an instructor shouted.

The recruits were brought toward a shooting range where rows of wooden targets had been placed at different distances.

An instructor handed Chris a rifle.

”Have you used one before?”

”No, sir.”

”Then listen carefully. Brace the stock against your shoulder, look through the sights, and control your breathing before pulling the trigger.”

Chris followed the instructions. The rifle felt strange in his hands, but its purpose was easy enough to understand. He pressed the stock against his shoulder and aimed toward the nearest target.

”Fire.”

The rifle kicked against him. Chris stumbled half a step backward as smoke briefly blocked his vision. When it cleared, he saw a hole near the center of the target.

The instructor looked at the target before handing him another round.

”Again.”

Chris reloaded the rifle in a way that made it look like he had done it numerous times before. His way of breathing was the most noticeable.

Unlike the other recruits, the way he breathed as he focused and fired was similar to only one other person the instructor had seen, and that was none other than Lucen Thornehart.

Chris pulled the trigger. The second bullet struck the center of the target. The instructor narrowed his eyes and handed him another round. He then pointed toward a smaller target considerably farther away.

”Hit that target.”

Chris did not hesitate, as his movements were becoming slightly better than before. The way he reloaded, the way he focused, how he breathed, every single thing about him made it look like he was a veteran of a hundred battles.

Chris squeezed the trigger ever so gently. Despite the greater distance, the bullet struck near the center of the target. The instructor remained silent for several seconds before speaking.

”Head back to the barracks and wait for your name to be called.” After saying those words, the instructor left.

Chris watched the instructor leave without understanding what had happened. ’I guess I’ll just need to wait in the barracks for now.’

Chris returned the rifle to the soldier responsible for the weapons and headed toward the barracks.

The other recruits who were tested at the same time as him became interested in Chris and approached him as they walked back to the barracks alongside him.

”How are you so good with the rifle?”

”This isn’t your first time, right?”

”Do you have any advice on how to get better?”

One question after another came at him. Chris tried his best to answer each one of them. When they arrived at the barracks, there were already several other groups waiting as well.

After barely getting away from the group of recruits, Chris sat in a corner and started thinking about what happened in the assessment.

The second he held the rifle, it felt rather calming. When he was told to shoot something, everything else around him seemed to disappear. His breathing slowed, his hands steadied, and his attention focused entirely upon the target.

While he was thinking to himself, Chris noticed that the chatter had disappeared, as everyone was now quiet. He looked around and spotted several people entering the barracks, one of whom had silver hair and ruby-red eyes; it was none other than Lucen Thornehart.

Every recruit hurried to their feet and saluted.

”At ease,” Lucen said.

His gaze moved across the barracks before settling upon Chris. The instructor beside him pointed in Chris’s direction.

”That’s him, Young Lord.”

Chris swallowed as Lucen approached.

”You’re Chris?”

”Yes, Young Lord.”

”I was told you handled a rifle like an experienced soldier despite never touching one before today.”

Chris did not know how to respond. ”I only did what the instructor taught me.”

”I see... Come follow me. I want to see how good you are.” After saying those words, Lucen exited the barracks. Chris, who was momentarily stunned, quickly followed suit.

Lucen led him back to the shooting range, where a rifle and five rounds had already been prepared.

He pointed toward five distant targets.

”One shot for each.”

Chris raised the rifle. Once the stock touched his shoulder, his nervousness disappeared. Five shots echoed across the field. Every target was struck.

Lucen examined the results before looking back at him. ’Hoh, pretty good. A sharpshooter, and unlike Catherine, this guy is just a normal person.’

Lucen turned to the instructor. ”Have him transferred to Ironhold tomorrow.” He then turned his attention back to Chris.

”Well, congratulations. From here on out, you’re part of Thornefang.”

Chris was stunned by those words. He had entered the Capital hoping to simply become a soldier. Instead, on his first day, not only did he meet Lucen Thornehart, but he was also personally chosen to join Thornefang.