Andrew, the commander of the refugee camp’s security force, sighed.
The refugee representative had complained that he was giving too much preferential treatment to the security guards.
In fact, it wasn’t wrong.
For example, the best supplies were given first to the soldiers who needed them.
Or distributing food rations to the soldiers first, except for the sick.
In a way, that was natural.
Because soldiers always had to risk their lives.
Not only receiving supplies immediately, but also hunting, scouting, and other work, soldiers were out there risking their lives at any moment.
But if they didn’t give such preferential treatment, naturally the soldiers’ dissatisfaction would skyrocket.
That’s why he allowed as much convenience as possible within acceptable limits.
At the same time, he always emphasized that if they went too far in their misdeeds, even what they were enjoying now could all disappear.
But he never expected them to openly cause an incident like this.
“Was I too complacent?”
Of course, they didn’t just pick anyone to be a soldier.
Although it was true that they didn’t have much leeway, they at least picked people who were capable.
In other words, they picked people who could be controlled.
But the soldier who caused the problem this time, Lowell, turned out to be more cunning than expected.
In front of those stronger than him, he always showed his best effort with a smile.
On the contrary, in front of those weaker than him, he revealed his true colors.
And the victims were usually powerless patients or children.
As a result, it took a while to notice the damage.
“What happened to Lowell?”
“As you said, we’ve locked him up in jail for now.”
“Good, after discussing with the refugee representative, we’ll hold a trial right away.”
“Yes! I understand.”
“The problem is who will fill the vacancy…”
Maintaining the military force was the most important task.
If even one person was missing, the burden on the other soldiers would be too heavy.
But this time, as well as other times, they had to be very careful in their selection.
They had already lost the trust of the people due to this incident.
If the same problem occurred here again, who knows what might happen then.
If things went wrong, they could really be divided.
With monsters right on their doorstep, if division occurred among the people, it would be no different than being dead.
Knowing this well, the choice weighed heavily on him.
“There’s no choice. The answer is already decided anyway.”
“…Shall I call him?”
“There’s no need to go far. He’ll be at the training ground right now.”
“Yes, I understand.”
A moment later, the soldier who had gone out on orders returned with that man.
He had gained quite a bit of fat, and his hair was shaggy.
He wasn’t a likable-looking man, to put it mildly.
But Andrew didn’t care about appearances.
What’s important for a soldier isn’t their looks.
It’s their skills and trustworthiness.
This man had caught his eye around two weeks ago.
Ugly Hans, pathetic Hans.
That was the nickname people in the refugee camp called him.
And it wasn’t wrong.
Putting aside his appearance, his actions were truly pathetic and ugly.
While everyone else was diligently working on their assigned tasks, he alone didn’t do anything and just played around, growing fat, so people mocked him with that name.
However, honestly, there was a question.
Naturally, since Hans didn’t work, he could only receive very little food rations.
But how on earth did he maintain that plump body?
Andrew clicked his tongue.
‘That’s not what’s important right now.’
It was suspicious, but upon investigation, no evidence of theft was found.
And as if he had a change of heart, he started training at the training ground two weeks ago.
At first, they didn’t pay attention.
They thought he would give up soon enough.
But unexpectedly, he came out and trained diligently every day.
As a result, he had lost a considerable amount of weight.
Furthermore, crucially, he was the one who stopped the rampage of the security guard Lowell a week ago.
If it weren’t for Hans, they wouldn’t have known that Lowell was distributing rotten food to the weak.
“He’s got more guts than I thought.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing. More importantly, I’d like to make a proposal.”
“G-go ahead and speak.”
He directly stood up to a powerful security guard for the sake of a child.
Also, upon further investigation, it was said that he even shared his own food with the child.
He had definitely changed his behavior.
Moreover, what stood out even more was his skill.
Lowell’s personality aside, his talent and skill were the best in the security force.
But Hans easily blocked Lowell’s attack.
Furthermore, at that time, Hans had only been training for a mere week.
That’s when he realized it.
The fact that Hans also had tremendous talent.
Although he still had quite a bit of fat, compared to when he first saw him, it was truly a complete transformation.
And above all, he had the guts to stand up to someone stronger than him for the sake of a child.
Then the answer was already clear.
“You, have you ever considered working in the security force?”
* * *
I was surprised.
While I was training at the training ground as usual, a security guard suddenly called for me.
I was worried that I might be arrested again, but I never expected to receive such a proposal.
Actually, it wasn’t a bad offer.
Normally, they would be little more than errand boys, but in wartime, security guards had considerable authority.
The benefits they received were also quite substantial.
However, there were downsides as well.
Security guards were the ones who went outside to obtain food.
Just outside the palisade, numerous monsters were swarming, aiming for people’s lives.
“I have one request.”
“What is it? Tell me.”
“I want to learn swordsmanship directly from you, Commander.”
“Learn swordsmanship directly from me? That’s an interesting request.”
So, I made a proposal.
It was to receive training directly from the security commander, Andrew.
Even if he was past his prime, he was a former knight.
His level was different from ordinary soldiers.
Naturally, if I could receive training directly from Andrew, I could become even stronger than I am now.
Andrew readily accepted the proposal.
And so, I became a member of the security force.
“I’ll teach you twice a week. How about that?”
“That’s fine.”
“Excellent. Then I’ll assign you a senior tomorrow.”
“I understand.”
The security force operated in pairs.
Naturally, I was the junior, and the senior who would come tomorrow would become my partner.
Then, today was the last day I could relax.
But it wasn’t bad.
Although it was cheap, I could be supplied with armor and weapons.
I could also go outside and directly fight monsters.
Above all, if I kept working, people’s perception of me would change quite a bit.
And I could even receive training directly from Andrew.
It was nothing but gains.
After finishing my private meeting with Andrew, I immediately went outside the training ground.
As expected, the kid was there.
“You’re quite late today, Uncle!”
“The commander called for me, so I went and came back.”
“The commander?”
“Yeah, starting tomorrow, I’ll be working as a security guard.”
“Wow! Just like the Royal Knights!”
“…It’s not quite at that level.”
The kid’s eyes sparkled as he spoke, and I smiled bitterly.
The Royal Knights were beings similar to heroes, to put it simply.
As the monster invasion began, the continental people felt their limits.
They realized that the response of a single nation could never win.
So, the greatest heroes representing each race gathered in one place.
That was the Royal Knights.
Naturally, they were no different from the fantasy version of the AvengXXX, so after the Royal Knights were established, humanity continued to achieve victories.
But for some reason, except for a few, the Royal Knights were wiped out.
And the story of this game was about the protagonist, who became the new commander of the fallen Royal Knights, gathering talented individuals to rebuild the Royal Knights.
Of course, it was still just an adult game in the end.
“Why on earth were the Royal Knights wiped out?”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing, anyway, do you want to play hide-and-seek today?”
“Sure! Uncle is it!”
The reason why the previous Royal Knights were annihilated wasn’t even revealed.
I was curious about that, but there was no need to worry about it now.
It’s not like I could stop it anyway.
After playing with the kid for a bit, I started my full-fledged training from then on.
As my middle finger and thumb collided, the surrounding scenery turned gray.
Soon, everything stopped.
“Then, shall we start right away?”
I immediately started doing push-ups.
It had already been a week since I started training using time stop.
Although it was only a week, the effect was much better than I had expected.
First of all, because it was accompanied by extreme stamina consumption, it was much more effective than just exercising normally.
It felt like exercising with sandbags attached all over my body.
Of course, on the first day, I fainted from exhaustion.
But now, a week later, I was enduring it to some extent.
Looking at that, training through time stop seemed to result in faster growth as well.
As proof, even though I had only trained for a mere week, I had noticeably lost a lot of weight.
Of course, my face was still ugly.
What was important now wasn’t my face, but how much stronger I could become.
“Just you wait, you damn bastard. I’ll definitely make it back alive.”
The problem turned out to be bigger than expected.
Andrew, the commander of the refugee camp’s security force, sighed.
The refugee representative had complained that he was giving too much preferential treatment to the security guards.
In fact, it wasn’t wrong.
For example, the best supplies were given first to the soldiers who needed them.
Or distributing food rations to the soldiers first, except for the sick.
In a way, that was natural.
Because soldiers always had to risk their lives.
Not only receiving supplies immediately, but also hunting, scouting, and other work, soldiers were out there risking their lives at any moment.
But if they didn’t give such preferential treatment, naturally the soldiers’ dissatisfaction would skyrocket.
That’s why he allowed as much convenience as possible within acceptable limits.
At the same time, he always emphasized that if they went too far in their misdeeds, even what they were enjoying now could all disappear.
But he never expected them to openly cause an incident like this.
“Was I too complacent?”
Of course, they didn’t just pick anyone to be a soldier.
Although it was true that they didn’t have much leeway, they at least picked people who were capable.
In other words, they picked people who could be controlled.
But the soldier who caused the problem this time, Lowell, turned out to be more cunning than expected.
In front of those stronger than him, he always showed his best effort with a smile.
On the contrary, in front of those weaker than him, he revealed his true colors.
And the victims were usually powerless patients or children.
As a result, it took a while to notice the damage.
“What happened to Lowell?”
“As you said, we’ve locked him up in jail for now.”
“Good, after discussing with the refugee representative, we’ll hold a trial right away.”
“Yes! I understand.”
“The problem is who will fill the vacancy…”
Maintaining the military force was the most important task.
If even one person was missing, the burden on the other soldiers would be too heavy.
But this time, as well as other times, they had to be very careful in their selection.
They had already lost the trust of the people due to this incident.
If the same problem occurred here again, who knows what might happen then.
If things went wrong, they could really be divided.
With monsters right on their doorstep, if division occurred among the people, it would be no different than being dead.
Knowing this well, the choice weighed heavily on him.
“There’s no choice. The answer is already decided anyway.”
“…Shall I call him?”
“There’s no need to go far. He’ll be at the training ground right now.”
“Yes, I understand.”
A moment later, the soldier who had gone out on orders returned with that man.
He had gained quite a bit of fat, and his hair was shaggy.
He wasn’t a likable-looking man, to put it mildly.
But Andrew didn’t care about appearances.
What’s important for a soldier isn’t their looks.
It’s their skills and trustworthiness.
This man had caught his eye around two weeks ago.
Ugly Hans, pathetic Hans.
That was the nickname people in the refugee camp called him.
And it wasn’t wrong.
Putting aside his appearance, his actions were truly pathetic and ugly.
While everyone else was diligently working on their assigned tasks, he alone didn’t do anything and just played around, growing fat, so people mocked him with that name.
However, honestly, there was a question.
Naturally, since Hans didn’t work, he could only receive very little food rations.
But how on earth did he maintain that plump body?
Andrew clicked his tongue.
‘That’s not what’s important right now.’
It was suspicious, but upon investigation, no evidence of theft was found.
And as if he had a change of heart, he started training at the training ground two weeks ago.
At first, they didn’t pay attention.
They thought he would give up soon enough.
But unexpectedly, he came out and trained diligently every day.
As a result, he had lost a considerable amount of weight.
Furthermore, crucially, he was the one who stopped the rampage of the security guard Lowell a week ago.
If it weren’t for Hans, they wouldn’t have known that Lowell was distributing rotten food to the weak.
“He’s got more guts than I thought.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing. More importantly, I’d like to make a proposal.”
“G-go ahead and speak.”
He directly stood up to a powerful security guard for the sake of a child.
Also, upon further investigation, it was said that he even shared his own food with the child.
He had definitely changed his behavior.
Moreover, what stood out even more was his skill.
Lowell’s personality aside, his talent and skill were the best in the security force.
But Hans easily blocked Lowell’s attack.
Furthermore, at that time, Hans had only been training for a mere week.
That’s when he realized it.
The fact that Hans also had tremendous talent.
Although he still had quite a bit of fat, compared to when he first saw him, it was truly a complete transformation.
And above all, he had the guts to stand up to someone stronger than him for the sake of a child.
Then the answer was already clear.
“You, have you ever considered working in the security force?”
* * *
I was surprised.
While I was training at the training ground as usual, a security guard suddenly called for me.
I was worried that I might be arrested again, but I never expected to receive such a proposal.
Actually, it wasn’t a bad offer.
Normally, they would be little more than errand boys, but in wartime, security guards had considerable authority.
The benefits they received were also quite substantial.
However, there were downsides as well.
Security guards were the ones who went outside to obtain food.
Just outside the palisade, numerous monsters were swarming, aiming for people’s lives.
“I have one request.”
“What is it? Tell me.”
“I want to learn swordsmanship directly from you, Commander.”
“Learn swordsmanship directly from me? That’s an interesting request.”
So, I made a proposal.
It was to receive training directly from the security commander, Andrew.
Even if he was past his prime, he was a former knight.
His level was different from ordinary soldiers.
Naturally, if I could receive training directly from Andrew, I could become even stronger than I am now.
Andrew readily accepted the proposal.
And so, I became a member of the security force.
“I’ll teach you twice a week. How about that?”
“That’s fine.”
“Excellent. Then I’ll assign you a senior tomorrow.”
“I understand.”
The security force operated in pairs.
Naturally, I was the junior, and the senior who would come tomorrow would become my partner.
Then, today was the last day I could relax.
But it wasn’t bad.
Although it was cheap, I could be supplied with armor and weapons.
I could also go outside and directly fight monsters.
Above all, if I kept working, people’s perception of me would change quite a bit.
And I could even receive training directly from Andrew.
It was nothing but gains.
After finishing my private meeting with Andrew, I immediately went outside the training ground.
As expected, the kid was there.
“You’re quite late today, Uncle!”
“The commander called for me, so I went and came back.”
“The commander?”
“Yeah, starting tomorrow, I’ll be working as a security guard.”
“Wow! Just like the Royal Knights!”
“…It’s not quite at that level.”
The kid’s eyes sparkled as he spoke, and I smiled bitterly.
The Royal Knights were beings similar to heroes, to put it simply.
As the monster invasion began, the continental people felt their limits.
They realized that the response of a single nation could never win.
So, the greatest heroes representing each race gathered in one place.
That was the Royal Knights.
Naturally, they were no different from the fantasy version of the AvengXXX, so after the Royal Knights were established, humanity continued to achieve victories.
But for some reason, except for a few, the Royal Knights were wiped out.
And the story of this game was about the protagonist, who became the new commander of the fallen Royal Knights, gathering talented individuals to rebuild the Royal Knights.
Of course, it was still just an adult game in the end.
“Why on earth were the Royal Knights wiped out?”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing, anyway, do you want to play hide-and-seek today?”
“Sure! Uncle is it!”
The reason why the previous Royal Knights were annihilated wasn’t even revealed.
I was curious about that, but there was no need to worry about it now.
It’s not like I could stop it anyway.
After playing with the kid for a bit, I started my full-fledged training from then on.
As my middle finger and thumb collided, the surrounding scenery turned gray.
Soon, everything stopped.
“Then, shall we start right away?”
I immediately started doing push-ups.
It had already been a week since I started training using time stop.
Although it was only a week, the effect was much better than I had expected.
First of all, because it was accompanied by extreme stamina consumption, it was much more effective than just exercising normally.
It felt like exercising with sandbags attached all over my body.
Of course, on the first day, I fainted from exhaustion.
But now, a week later, I was enduring it to some extent.
Looking at that, training through time stop seemed to result in faster growth as well.
As proof, even though I had only trained for a mere week, I had noticeably lost a lot of weight.
Of course, my face was still ugly.
What was important now wasn’t my face, but how much stronger I could become.
“Just you wait, you damn bastard. I’ll definitely make it back alive.”
