Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 6 (Part 1)

Running on the training ground every morning was tough. Most of the kids weren’t used to waking up early, so at first, only about 16 of them showed up.

The kids who couldn’t get up?

They got beaten severely that day.

The instructors took turns making them do drills and beating them, and they were made to do push-ups whenever they had free time throughout the day.

From the very next morning, not a single person was absent from the training ground. No one was late either. It was disheartening to see violence solve everything.

Three days into dormitory life.

Today was Rodin’s fifth birthday.

He hadn’t told anyone, but he felt good about growing older.

Another day passed.

After lunch, the instructors brought clothes. These were clothes made to the measurements taken on the day they arrived at the dormitory.

The instructors just handed out the clothes and disappeared.

The clothes had numbers on them, so there was no confusion about whose clothes were whose.

“Clothes!”

As soon as he received his clothes, Hedler excitedly changed into his gym uniform.

The tight-fitting uniforms they had been wearing were quite uncomfortable. Every time they moved their limbs, the clothes felt like they were pulling tight.

But the gym uniforms were different. The slightly oversized gym clothes allowed them to move freely without any restriction.

“Me too.”

“I should try mine on too.”

Following Hedler, Lant and Cory also changed into their gym uniforms. The uniforms they had been wearing were quite uncomfortable, but now they felt much better.

On the other hand, Rodin carefully laid out the clothes marked with “108” on his bed. He counted the pieces and neatly folded the extras for storage.

There were three gym uniforms, three sets of underwear, one pair of shoes, and a hat with “108” printed in the center.

“I’m going out for a bit.”

“Going to wash up again?”

“Yeah.”

“How many times a day do you need to wash? Your skin’s going to peel off.”

Hedler grumbled as if he couldn’t understand. Lant and Cory agreed with him.

But Rodin’s expression didn’t change. He couldn’t understand why they hated washing so much.

Rodin showered twice a day at the dormitory. Once after morning exercise and once before bed.

It wasn’t a troublesome activity for him. And as Hedler feared, his skin wasn’t going to peel off.

More than anything, showering was enjoyable. No matter what others said, he didn’t want to reduce the number of showers.

Rodin went to the communal shower and washed up. As usual, the shower room was empty, so he didn’t have to wait in line.

After his shower, he put on the new underwear and then the gym uniform. He felt light as a feather.

—

The next morning, the jogging continued as usual. The only difference was that their uniforms had changed from the formal ones to gym uniforms.

After breakfast, all 52 members of the third class gathered on the training ground. They stood in four rows from numbers 57 to 60 at the front, and the rest lined up behind them in numerical order.

The instructors called this formation a “four-column formation.”

The induction ceremony lasted all morning but there was nothing special about it.

The Riyaz Kingdom’s Special Forces Training Center was managed by a committee, which consisted of one chairman and five members.

The person in charge of today’s induction was a committee member named Elrov, who talked alone all morning. Because of him, the other members could only introduce themselves briefly before leaving.

But Elrov didn’t say anything important. Despite his long and tedious speech, the main point was “do as you’re told.”

“After lunch, gather on the first floor of the central building. Today, you will have the slave marks engraved on your heads.”

“Sl-Slave?”

“Ah!”

The mention of the word “slave” brought Rodin back to reality.

He was a slave who had been sold for money. No matter how well he was treated, his status wouldn’t change.

So it was only natural to have the slave mark engraved. It was more surprising that they had gone over a month without it.

‘Right. I am a slave.’

The Riyaz Kingdom recognized slaves. It was the country with the most thriving slave trade among the 13 United Nations. Naturally, there were a lot of slaves.

Rodin had seen slaves a few times while living in the countryside. Merchants who visited rural villages to trade daily necessities always used slaves as porters.

‘But I didn’t see any slave marks on the first and second classes.’

Usually, slave marks were engraved in the center of the forehead. They were placed in a prominent location so that slaves couldn’t hide their status.

Additionally, it was easier to control slaves if the mark was close to their brain.

Slave owners received a rod connected to their slaves, and if they broke it, they could activate the slave mark at any time.

When the head exploded, death was inevitable.

Slaves would die whether they ran away or disobeyed their master’s orders.

“Don’t worry. You are to become special forces of the Riyaz Kingdom. The slave mark will not be engraved in a visible place.”

With that, Elrov turned his head back and tapped the back of his head with his hand.

“Your slave marks will be engraved here.”

Although the location of the slave mark had changed, it made no difference. Whether engraved on the forehead or the back of the head, if it burst, they would still die.

“That concludes the announcements. The time is up. Eat your meals and gather in front of the central building by 1 p.m. Dismissed.”

—

Hyung_Otaku2

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