Chapter 1047: Tests
A ripple of noise moved through the crowd.
The army had always drawn from official residents, and the requirements had only grown tighter over time. The last open recruitment—available to all residents regardless of status—had been during the fight for the throne. Why was Roland doing it again?
Even Good, who had arrived only recently, had heard from his uncle about what army life offered. If he could get into the First Army, livelihood was no longer a question. Food, clothing, shelter—all supplied. A pension for his family if he died in service. And the food was not oatmeal and dry pancakes: there was fillet, jerky, butter, served without limit. Set against the disadvantage of possibly dying in the line of duty, it was, by any reasonable measure, a perfect arrangement.
No—it is a perfect arrangement.
If I could secure all that, isn’t it already worth more than the value of my life?
Good had seen too much during the crossing from Wolfheart to Graycastle. Bodies left on the roadside like discarded things. Crows dancing on them. Sometimes a human life was worth less than a patch of grass. If joining this army—the one that had defeated the Church of Hermes—meant safety and a future, it was better than serving as a squire under some minor knight, where the next battle could scatter everything.
The Second Army was also an option. Conditions were not quite as good, deployment might mean another city, and they had not been in any major battles he had heard of. Still: far better than nothing.
Either way, the army was the best path forward for someone in his position.
Good and Sanko looked at each other, then at Bucky. “Uncle!”
Bucky hesitated. His face worked through something. “I’d better not,” he said at last, with a rueful smile. “The foreman went out of his way to hire me. It wouldn’t be right to break that agreement.”
“Today’s only registration,” Sanko said. “You can decide when the results come out.”
“Then I won’t have the willpower to refuse.” Bucky shook his head. “Go on. I’ll wait for good news.”
Sanko opened his mouth, then felt Good’s hand on his shoulder.
“Let’s get in the line,” Good said.
Sanko looked back at Bucky for a moment, then nodded.
The registration area was already chaotic—many applicants could not read, which slowed everything—but the black-uniformed guards moved them efficiently, separating those who had finished signing up from the crowd. As word spread, city residents who had not been there at the start came in waves, until the area nearly flooded. Eventually the organizers had to close the passage and announce continuation the next day. Even then, dispersing the crowd took time. Many stayed to watch how the test would be conducted.
Good was grateful for having arrived early.
On the other side of the registration desk, small groups of candidates were being taken into the tent by guards—ten at a time, he counted. The tent was enormous, nearly a hundred paces across in each direction, large enough to hold far more than that. The slow pace meant something. Either the tests took longer than expected, or more happened inside than the outside suggested.
Shrill cries emerged from the tent.
The faces of the applicants still waiting went rigid.
“This—” Sanko shrank his neck. “They’re not testing how many beatings we can take, are they?”
“If it were beatings, the cries would be regular.” Good kept his voice low. “These are random. Sporadic. I think they’re being frightened.”
“You seem very familiar with this.”
“I’ve only heard of it from others.” A slight pause. “I’m experienced at both beating and being beaten.”
Then came the sound of vomiting.
The crowd’s faces went from rigid to grey.
When the first batch finally emerged, the arithmetic was grim. One out of ten remained inside. The nine who came out could barely stand—and they looked physically capable, every one of them.
No time to wonder what the test involved. A guard called his name.
“Good!”
“Here.” He clenched his fists and walked in.
The tent was divided by curtains into separate areas. The arriving candidates sat in sequence before a man in uniform. The stools were strange—too high, requiring tiptoe to stay seated comfortably. Sanko, he was glad to see, was in the same group.
“I’m in charge of this test,” the officer said. “You don’t need my name. Most of you will be eliminated before the end. And if you pass this, it’s only a first step. There is far more to learn before you’re a soldier.”
Second Army? Some reserve force? Either way—if the pay is enough to give Rachel and me a better life, I’m trying.
“The rules are simple,” the officer continued. “Place your feet on the footboard and hold that position for five minutes. Whatever you see, stay on the stool. If your feet touch the ground, you’re done.”
The candidates looked around at each other. That’s all?
The officer’s expression didn’t change. He pulled the curtains aside.
A wall of white light hit Good with no warning.
When it cleared, he was floating in open sky.
“Ah—ah—”
Shrill cries from the others. Toneless thuds. Good’s body wanted to thrash, every instinct screaming that the ground was impossibly far below and he was about to hit it—but the faint pressure beneath him, the invisible solidity of the stool, dragged his reason back from the edge.
Still sitting. Still sitting.
What followed was worse.
He didn’t stay floating. The clouds began to rise around him, which meant he was falling—and the sensation was beyond description. His heart climbed to his throat. Every part of his brain registered the alert: extreme danger, extreme danger—while his reason countered: there is a stool under you, there is a stool under you. Between the two signals, Rachel’s face appeared in his mind.
The white light dissolved. The tent reappeared.
“Not bad.” The officer surveyed the survivors. “You’ve passed the first test. Your group performed better than the previous batch.” A pause. “There are several more. I hope you’ll stick to the end.”
This was only the first?
Good’s hands were shaking. His back was soaked, as if he’d been pulled from a river. The fall he’d just experienced had not been the end—after it, there had been climbing, near-vertical ridges, a sensation of skimming along cliff faces with the rocks close enough to touch. Each time, the stool was a rumor his body refused to entirely believe.
He tilted his head and looked both ways.
Half the stools were empty. Sanko was not in his.
Chapter 1047: Tests
Translator: TransN Editor: TransN A noise came from the crowd.
The army had always recruited soldiers from the official residents, and the qualification requirement had steadily become increasingly tighter. The last open recruitment to all the residents was carried out during the fight for the throne. Why did Roland suddenly do it again?
Even the new immigrant Good had heard from his uncle about the favorable treatment given towards those in the army.
If he could get enrolled into the First Army, he wouldn’t have to worry about his livelihood anymore—not only were food and clothing supplied by the army, his family could also get the benefit of a sum of pension if he were to, unfortunately, pass away. And the food served to the soldiers consisted of not only oatmeal and pancakes, but other rare food like fillet, jerky, and butter would be served without limitation! Except for the disadvantage that one might lose their lives in the line of duty, it could actually count as a perfect job.
No, it is a perfect job!
If I could get so much, isn’t it already worth more than the value of my life?
During his exile from the Kingdom of Wolfheart to Graycastle, Good had witnessed far too much suffering and adversity: whole groups of people fell dead on the roadside just like animals; crows danced on the bodies happily, enjoying their rich meals… Sometimes, a human life wasn’t even worth as much as the grass growing by the roadside.
Besides, even the Church of Hermes, which had once conquered the greater half of the Kingdom of Wolfheart, was defeated by the King of Graycastle. If
he could join this powerful and mysterious army, it might be safer than being a squire under a knight.
It was also not a bad choice to join the Second Army. Although the overall conditions might be a little poorer than that in the First Army, and he might be dispatched to another city, at least it was much safer, since he had not heard of the Second Army being involved in any major battles.
In other words, if he could join an army, no matter which one it was, it would become the best path forward for an immigrant like him.
Good and Sanko were both excited. They looked at Bucky and said, “Uncle!”
Bucky hesitated. He pondered over it for a while and said with a bitter smile, “I think I’d better not go… In order to hire me, I guess the foreman must have had to go to a fair amount of extra effort. I shouldn’t break my agreement with him.”
“Today is only for signing up our names. It doesn’t mean we’ll pass.” Sanko tried to persuade Baji, “You can decide when the result comes out.”
“Perhaps then I won’t have enough willpower to refuse.” Bucky shook his head. “Go ahead. I’ll wait for good news from you in the square.”
Sanko wanted to say more, yet was held back by the shoulder by Good. “Let’s join in the queue.”
Sanko looked back and finally nodded. “Let’s go to apply first.”
A lot of the applicants could neither read nor write, which made the situation a bit chaotic. Those who finished signing up were taken to another location by the black-uniformed guards, to be separated from the crowd. After hearing the news, more and more city residents came to sign up. The swarming applicants almost flooded the corner of the square. The organizer finally had to close the passage to the registry and announce that the recruitment would continue the next day. Even then, it took a long time for the crowd to disperse. Many remained around the tent as they wanted to see how the test would be carried out.
Good could not help but feel lucky for arriving early for the registration.
On the other side of the registration desk, a few more candidates came into the tent under the guidance of the guards.
Good noticed that even though the tent was almost 100 steps long and wide, which was big enough to take in almost all the applicants, not more than 10 applicants were allowed to step in at one time. It meant that the test might be much more complicated and difficult than he had imagined.
Sure enough, not long after, shrill cries came out of the tent. Hearing that, the facial expression of the applicants waiting outside of the tent turned solemn.
“This…” Sanko shrank his neck and said, “This isn’t a test to see how many beatings we can endure, is it?”
“If they were being beaten, the cries should be repeated at regular intervals,” Good said in a low voice. “Since these cries are random and sporadic, I guess they were only frightened.”
“Is, is it? You seem to be familiar with this…”
“That’s because I’m experienced at both beating and being beaten.” Good sighed slightly. “I’ve only heard of it from others.”
After a while, the sound of someone vomiting could be heard.
The crowd’s faces turned ghastly pale.
“What is this test about?”
“Um…” Good went into silence. “It would be a miracle if I knew what it’s about.”
When the first batch of testees was finally brought out, Good was startled. “Only one of the 10 is left inside, which means the failure rate is 90%? Besides, why do they all look so weak, as if they can’t even stand still? Judging from their figures, they should be physically strong.”
Yet there was no time left for him to wonder why it was like that.
A guard called out his name, “Good!”
“Yes!” Good clenched his fists and strode inside the tent.
The space inside wasn’t too big, and it seemed to have been divided into several areas using curtains. According to their sequence of walking in, the line of testees sat in order in front of a man in a military uniform. The stools they sat on were a little strange, as if they were designed to make people uncomfortable, because people had to stand on tiptoes in order to sit on it. To Good’s relief, Sanko was in the same batch as him.
“I’m in charge of this test,” the man in uniform said. “You don’t need to know my name because most of you will soon be weeded out. Even if you’re lucky enough to pass this test, it’s merely the first step. In order to join the army, you still have much more to learn.”
“Is this a recruitment for the Second Army… or for a reserve which is newer than the Second Army?” Good thought to himself. “Whatever it is, as long as the payment is enough to offer Rachel and me a better life, I’m going to try it.”
“Here are the rules,” the guy in uniform said. “All of you put your feet on the footboard and keep that posture for five minutes. No matter what you see, you’re to stay on the stool. Of course, if your feet touch the ground, it also means you fail the test. Now prepare to start.”
The testees looked at one another. “So simple?”
The officer sneered. Without replying, he pulled aside the curtains around them.
Suddenly a streak of bizarre white light overwhelmed Good.
When he came back to himself, he found that he was floating high in the middle of the sky.
“Ah———ah———”
Shrill cries sounded again, and at the same time some toneless thuds were heard. It aroused a burst of panic. Subconsciously, Good wanted to struggle with his limbs, in the vain attempt to escape from being smashed into pieces, but the slight touch of shivering under his butt immediately brought him back to reality.
He was still sitting on the stool!
But what followed was even more terrible.
He did not keep floating for much longer. Soon the surrounding clouds began to rise, which meant he was falling—the sensation that the rapid fall brought to him was beyond description. Good felt his heart almost rise to his throat. His brain warned him of extreme danger, yet his reason told him that under his butt was an invisible stool! Under these two contradicting thoughts, Rachel’s face appeared in his head eventually…
…
The white light disappeared, and what appeared in his field of view was the tent again.
“Not bad.” The officer clapped his hands. “You’ve passed the first test, and your performance was much better than the previous batch. Anyway, there are still several tests awaiting you. I hope you can stick to the end.”
Is this only… the first test?
Good swallowed his own saliva. He found that his hands were trembling heavily and his back was icy cold. It was like he just got out of a pool of water.
Damn it!
That fall was not the end. Afterward, through his view, he saw himself climbing a few more times, and he even skimmed over steep cliffs along mountain ridges. He felt that he might crash onto the rocks at any time!
“Simple?” Good remembered the sneer on the officer’s face when he entered the tent… “No, God must have blessed me for me to still be sitting on the stool at that moment!”
Good tilted his head and looked both sides—half of the stools were empty and Sanko was nowhere to be found.