"Come on! Move your assess ladies, you all walk slower than my grandma."
Lieutenant Carl shouts at all the soldier of platoon 37th. He was riding on a horse while the soldier was marching on foot.
The soldier carried at least 30kg of baggage, plus another ton of weight from their armour.
It has already passed half a day ever since they marched out from Julian Empire early in the morning, and they haven't stop until now.
The afternoon sun shines bright and hot at the Latiti Plain. It could be the change of season, because Xiao can't feel any cool breeze blowing like the time he first arrived in this world, at this plain.
Most of the soldier was already feeling exhausted. They were drenched in sweat as if they just took a bath.
The marching supposed to be the easiest part of any mission, but the lack of training has all the soldier gasping for air as if they were about to die. Instead of walking straight, they walk as if they are dragging their body, each step sink heavier into the ground.
"Alright! Stop!"
Lieutenant Carl raised his hand and ordered the platoon to stop. He then looks around the place, which has a few large trees covered a small area.
"Seeing as you ladies are walking like you just down a barrel of ale, break time for 30 min!"
Upon hearing that, all the soldier literally fell to the ground and let out a sigh of relief.
The platoon quickly set up a camp in the area. After that, all of them literally just took a nap inside their tent. Only Private Jake, the earnest one, stay awake as guard duty.
Xiao and Owen paired up in the same tent. While Owen was excited to receive a real iron sword and armour, which then train with it elsewhere, Xiao reviewed the mission brief in the tent.
"2 more days to go before we reach the Yellow Leaf Forest, our mission is to make a simple record of the animal living in that place."
Xiao looked at the bottle of ink and feather pen provided to each of them.
"Still, why do we soldier have to do the recording? isn't this a job for a scholar?"
Xiao pop opens the ink bottle and tries to write something on the scroll. He was struggling to write as he still practising to write in Bergan language.
(Unless dangerous animal or beast live in that place, that's why we are provided with armour and sword.)
Xiao thinks about the mission as he continues to practise writing. He then stops and took a looked beside him. A set of iron and leather-made armour that he had taken off to relax, and a straight iron sword with a leather sheath.
(To think that I used to struggle to even lift an iron sword, let alone put on this heavy-ass armour, I really come from a long way.)
Xiao slightly pulls up the sword from sheath and exam the sword edge, thinking about how he has come from a high student holding a pen, to a soldier holding a sword.
Xiao sheath backs the sword and returns to his writing practice.
(Back to the mission, I don't think it's as simple as it sounds, there will undoubtedly be dangerous beast living in there as well, so there will be combat for sure.)
Xiao thinks back when he got bite to death by the pale wolf, right after stepping foot into this world. This means everything will happen without warning, especially the danger one.
The platoon did not encounter any monster or beast on the way here, only a few herbivore animals and sometimes a small village. Xiao deducted that maybe monsters will only appear at night in this Latiti Plain.
(Although I now have the Gamer Eyes and the undying skill, it never hurt to be too careful.)
Xiao and the rest of the platoon soldier continue on their own thing until Lieutenant Carl came out from his tent, having just wake up from his sleep.
"YAWNN!"
Lieutenant Carl lets out a big yawn before he got greet by Private Jake. He then instructs Private Jake that it's time to move out.
"Alright, times up, get your filthy ass up and let's get moving!" He yelled out loud and proceeded to climb up his steed.
The platoon packs up and continues their marching again.
The march towards their destination continues for another 3 days, which has already exceed the expected time. It was because the platoon kept taking breaks on the way.
Nevertheless, the platoon arrives their destination, the Yellow Leaf Forest, safe and sound, without entering any combat situation throughout the marching.
"Alright ladies, we've arrived, and this is goodbye from me, my role is to accompany you all until here, the rest of it, just listen to my trusty right hand here." Lieutenant Carl told us while pointing at Private Jake, who showed a proud smile as he received praise.
Before Lieutenant Carl leaves, he turns back and warning us one last time.
"I know this is just a simple mission, but remember, no one leaves until you all complete all the point that I've informed Private Jake. Whoever thought of abandon the assignment will be treated as treason against the empire, do I make myself clear?!"
"Sir! Yes, Sir!" The whole platoon immediately saluted and replied loudly.
"Good, now have fun, ladies."
Satisfy with the respond, Lieutenant Carl rides his steed away from that place, leaving rest of the whole 24 soldiers of the 37th platoon saluting on the ground.
As the sight of the Lieutenant slowly disappears through the horizon, the attitude of platoon instantly change.
The platoon soldiers start to do their own thing, some talking, some taking out cards as they are about to start for another round of poker.
Private Jake was still in a daze by the praise he received from Lieutenant Carl.
Even Owen took out his sword and began training right away. Xiao looked at his own platoon members and shook his head in disbelief.
(Seriously, why the hell did these guys join the army in the first place? The paid ain't that good, and they rob your freedom too, and I know it sure ain't hell about patriotism. I don't even know where did they come from beside Owen.)
So, the 37th platoon ended not doing anything on the first day of their mission. They literally set up a camp on the spot where Lieutenant Carl part way with them, and each doing their own thing for the rest of the day.
Until the next day, with Private Jake keep ordering the platoon to carry out the mission, they unwillingly start to go from point to point and start doing the recording.
The first few points were still proceeding as usual, where everyone does the recording as told. Now, only a few continue with the task, the rest was sitting under trees, chatting and taking a nap.
(Screw this stupid assignment, I'll just use draw instead.)
Among the one still carry on with the assignment was Xiao. He was using his Gamer Eyes to see through the name of the animal and record it down.
Although Xiao can read and speak out the name, thanks to Lily's magic and Gamer Eyes, writing still is challenging. So he gives up on writing and uses draw instead.
The platoon followed Private Jake instruct on the direction. He followed the instruction written in a scroll by Lieutenant Carl.
"Alright, I suppose we finished record for this part. By following the instruction of Lieutenant Carl, the next point is further in from here, let's move!"
Private Jake called out, the platoon then proceed to follow him deeper into the forest.
They went deeper and deeper into the forest. The scenery of the tree with yellow leaves has gradually changed into only branches as they venture deeper.
The sound of animals and birds that still can be heard earlier has gone softer. The sunlight got blocked by the large trees, leaving only a dim environment.
"Is it just me or does the environment become darker?" Xiao asked Owen who was beside him.
"Hmm...now that you mention it, yeah, looks like we venture quite deep into the forest," Owen answered while looking around on where they are.
"More like a jungle we have gone into, just look at the size of the tree," Xiao pointed a big old tree as he speaks. The tree was so big that it may require 10 people to surround it, not to mention its height has covered the sky with multiple of its branches.
The one that Xiao pointed was just one among the many more surrounding the area, some even bigger than the other.
(Are we still in the Yellow Leaf Forest? Looks to me that we might enter into another zone already.)
Xiao's sense was telling him something was wrong, that they should turn back to where they came from. Before Xiao still determines the situation, he got disturbed by Private Jake's voice.
"Alright, here's our next point." Private Jake ordered the platoon to stop.
Everyone stops walking immediately, followed by the sound of their footsteps, entirely gone from the place, leaving a tranquil environment.
Everyone realizes how quiet their surroundings were, so subtle that even the sound of wind can't be heard.
(This atmosphere.....it's too quiet, something ain't right. It feels like as if.....as if we are the only one here.)
Xiao's hand has already placed on the handler of his sword, his guts were screaming danger to him and that they should leave this place immediately.
"Jerry? What's wrong? Why do you have an arrow on your..."
The sudden sound from Private Tom's voice draws everyone's attention to him. Both Private Jerry and he were walking behind everyone else, so everyone turns their back to see what's going on.
They can't see Private Jerry as he got blocked by Private Tom large body. From Private Tom reaction, he looked at Private Jerry with confusion at first, gradually that turned into a horror expression.
There was an arrow piercing into Private Jerry's head, his eyes were already rolled up as blood gushing out all over the place.
A scream came out from Private Tom. He falls back to the ground, followed the already dead Private Jerry lifelessly slam down to the ground.
"TOOT! TOOT! TOOT!"
Without even waiting for everyone to react on what just happens, horns' sound can be heard blowing from all direction.
"THE HELL JUST HAPPEN?!"
"WHAT"S THIS?!"
"SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!"
Everyone panicked, while some still in a daze to react on what just happened, others begin to shout and look around places aimlessly.
Finally, realizing the situation they were in, Private Jake scream out of his lung the word everyone fears the most:
"AMBUSH!"