"Ugh!"
A breath that had been stuck in his chest burst out.
"Huff. Huff. Huff."
His chest heaved up and down as if he'd been running all day.
'Am I dead?'
The feeling was strange.
It was like he was half-asleep, his senses dull and his head splitting.
Then, a strong shock hit the back of his head.
*slap*
"What the hell is a rookie doing sleeping on duty?!"
Roan rubbed the back of his head and turned around, his vision still blurry.
A big, muscular man with a square jaw.
Roan couldn't see clearly due to his blurry vision, but he knew who it was.
"Pete?"
It was definitely Pete.
A senior soldier from the Rose Unit of the 7th Division, his first unit assignment 20 years ago.
'Didn't he die in a monster hunt 20 years ago?'
Roan was confused.
"You staring at me?!"
*slap*
"Ouch."
A terrible pain shot through him.
'Damn. Can you still feel pain even after you die?'
His head moved to the side.
Then he suddenly noticed his right hand and body.
He had a slender figure.
His hand was soft and clean.
'What? Do you get younger when you die?'
Everything was a mystery.
Just then, someone approached Roan anxiously.
"Roan. Are you crazy? Why are you sleeping?"
A soft, scolding voice.
Roan slowly turned his head to look at the owner of the voice.
"Phil?"
Roan had his mouth in an O shape. He was even more surprised now than when he saw Pete.
"Why are you here… no, wait. You died?"
Phil hadn't died.
He couldn't die.
After becoming the Duke of the Lines Kingdom, he never appeared in dangerous places like the battlefield.
But most of all, what he couldn't understand was that Phil had gotten younger.
It was like Phil aged 20 years in reverse.
"Are you crazy?"
Phil slapped Roan's cheek with a worried expression.
*slap*
Suddenly, Roan felt his hazy mind clear up.
It was like the fog in his head was lifted.
His dulled senses became sharp again, just like before.
Then, the scene in front of him became clear. He herd the sounds from everyone around in the barrack laughing at him.
'Is this the Rose Unit barracks?'
It was definitely.
It was the barracks used by the Rose Unit 20 years ago.
Another slap hit Roan's cheek.
It wasn't a slap from a soldier in the Lines Kingdom.
The people here weren't soldiers, they wore no uniforms.
They were all familiar faces gathered from the vilages nearby.
"20 years ago, comrades from the Rose Unit? What's going on here? Am I dead?"
Roan was confused.
But his thoughts didn't go any further.
"What the hell!"
Pete slapped Roan again.
"Ugh."
Roan quickly lifted his hands in a boxing guard. Instinctively, he protected his vital area.
Fortunately, Pete's slaps stopped.
The door to the military barracks opened, and a middle-aged man with a stern expression appeared.
"What are you doing?!"
A chilling voice.
Roan didn't need to look up to know who it was.
'Sergeant Thane.'
His head was spinning.
'I'm not dead.'
He pinched the inside of his thigh.
It hurt.
'I'm not dreaming.'
Roan's heart pounded.
'I'm not dreaming. Am I?'
His mind was a mess. He looked at his arm and bit as hard as he could.
Intense pain.
'It's not a dream.'
If it wasn't a dream, there was only one possibility.
'Did I go back in time?'
It was hard to believe, but it was the most likely possibility.
If not, it meant that his entire 20-year life was a dream.
'Whatever it is, I'm still alive.'
That was enough.
Roan slowly got up from his seat and returned to his place.
Thane frowned, but didn't say anything.
Now wasn't the time for that.
"Get ready. Our unit is going through the village and then heading to the Padian Plains."
Suddenly, everyone's faces twisted in disgust.
"Oh, no. The village of Aiel."
"I wanted to go to Baron Castle and have a good time, but…"
"Didn't you like that tavern last time?"
"Yeah, the owner was great."
The older soldiers chatted among themselves to ease their disappointment.
Thane clapped his hands.
*clap*
"Everyone, be quiet and move quickly! Oliver, take care of the new recruits."
"Yes sir!"
Oliver, who was tall and slender, approached Roan after answering in a loud voice.
"Everyone, get your helmets and armor on."
At his words, Phil and the other new soldiers began to put on their armor.
Oliver stared at Roan with a menacing expression.
"You idiot. Get your gear on quickly. I'm watching you..."
He didn't finish his sentence.
Roan put on his armor with incredible speed and then quickly packed his belongings.
'What the hell is this guy? How is he so skilled?'
He couldn't understand it.
Oliver was speechless.
Just by watching him pack, Oliver felt like he was watching a master.
'I've been doing this for 20 years.'
Roan smiled bitterly to himself.
Oliver wanted to say something else, but he couldn't find anything to criticize.
He turned away with a disappointed expression.
Just then, Roan heard Phil's voice.
"Roan."
A soft whisper.
Roan turned around and saw Phil pointing at his bag with a pitiful expression.
"Just like 20 years ago."
It was the same as before.
Phil was still timid, clumsy, and small.
He always asked Roan for help.
Roan walked over to Phil and grabbed his bag, shaking his head.
'Can someone who was once a commander of the Lines Kingdom become a duke… just by looking at him now, it's hard to believe.'
'He was lucky. He became a disciple of the spearmaster, Earl Reil Baker, and his life changed…'
Suddenly, Roan's eyes widened.
'Wait a minute!'
Roan's eyes widened in surprise.
'It can't be.'
His heart pounded.
'No way!'
Roan's eyes widened even more.
His fingers trembled slightly.
"Roan, are you okay?"
Phil's face showed concern, but Roan ignored him.
'If I've really gone back in time, I know what's going to happen next!'
He didn't remember every little detail, but he knew the major events that had rocked the world.
He could write a report on the wars, battles, and important events of the past 20 years that would impress even the most knowledgeable generals.
'I'm back!'
Roan's heart pounded with excitement.
"I remember everything clearly!"
His heart pounded.
"I can do it!"
His eyes burned with a passionate fire.
"This time, I can do it!"
Roan's face flushed red.
"This time, I can truly become a general. A general who commands the world!"
A smile appeared on his face.
"No, wait!"
His knowledge, experience, and memories were not enough to be satisfied with the title of general.
*snap*
He clenched his fist.
"At least I should become a lord!"
He had always dreamed big.
In his previous life, his goal was to become a general.
In the end, he became a simple soldier.
In this life, his goal is to become a lord.
"If I can become a general, why can't I become a lord?!"
Besides, he had an advantage that he didn't have in his previous life.
He knew what would happen in the future.
"First, I have to…"
He recalled the memories of 20 years ago.
His first battle.
That intense memory.
Suddenly, Roan's face hardened.
"Fuck."
He remembered it.
His first battle, a cruel and bloody experience.