Chapter 36: Effort and Change

There is a famous idiom: “Carrot and stick.”

When assigning tasks to someone, you can’t just be too kind, nor can you constantly push them. The idea is to

alternate between rewards and punishments to increase efficiency.

But there’s one problem with this:

Which comes first, the carrot or the stick?

My answer to that is:

“Don’t get so excited and rush in just because you got the opportunity, you foolish insects! Keep your positions

properly, don’t you dare forget it!”

Puh-reuk!

“Don’t kid yourselves. You each have talent, but you’re not strong. Do you really think you can mess around just

because you trust in your little talent? Does the North look like it’s easy? Do you think the usual training of the

Northern Army is a joke?”

Bang!

“Stop acting cool and messing around. Why the hell did you suddenly swing your sword like that? Can’t answer, huh?

Do you think I won’t know? I’m hitting you with my swift sword, and you’re copying me, aren’t you? How do I know?

If you’re trying to hide it, at least don’t look so flustered.”

Thud.

On the fourth day, the second round of assessments, the group presentation of leadership was about to begin.

As soon as the training ended, I looked at the four of them sprawled on the floor, and clicked my tongue.

“Very comfortable, huh? I guess you’re relaxed enough to enjoy the softness of the floor. Fine, let’s make it harder

today.”

At the announcement of the extended training, they all jumped up in shock and sat down.

Seeing them obediently following orders, I had to suppress the smile trying to escape and spoke again.

“Now, let’s begin today’s self-reflection training. First, Ilho.”

“Ugh.”

“That was a short reflection. Does that mean the training lacked depth? It shouldn’t be like this. Stay behind.”

“No, please! Even though I was the center of the team, as soon as I saw the opportunity to make a contribution, I got

excited and ignored my position, rushing in and falling into a trap. That was the cause of our loss.”

“And?”

“I realized the importance of positions and I thought that I shouldn’t get greedy. I will try to control myself better

next time.”

I nodded at Ilho’s reflection and replied.

“As you said, Ilho, you are the core of this position. The moment you leave it open, the formation falls apart.”

“…Yes.”

“But being too timid can also make you miss opportunities. Stepping forward decisively when needed is not always a

bad thing.”

“Huh?”

“So, try to hold back at least once before jumping in. That moment of patience will allow you to cool down and

prevent your impatience from getting the better of you. It might even make you realize that you’ve missed the right

timing. Understood?”

“Ah, yes!”

After giving feedback to Ilho, I moved on to Iho.

“Next, Iho.”

“I overestimated my talent for speed and tried to copy the Captain’s swordsmanship, but my movements became

tangled. I will focus on the basics and not be distracted by appearances.”

“That’s not what I said. You overestimated your own abilities, not mine. You can trust my words. You certainly have a

talent for speed. How many times have I said that? Your thrusts are exceptional.”

“R-Really?”

“Have you learned the Winter Sword style?”

“Yes.”

“Do you remember how slow the Winter Sword felt and how boring it was? Answer me honestly.”

“How did you know?”

“Your face shows it all. If you can’t use other sword styles, why don’t you try using the Winter Sword your own way,

faster?”

“Is that possible?”

“What’s impossible? Walking and running are the same, it’s just moving your legs differently. Think about it.”

“??”

“If you follow my sword style, you’re just copying someone else’s awkward imitation. But if you use the Winter Sword

your way, you’re creating your own style. Doesn’t that sound cooler?”

“Ah!”

I nodded at Iho, whose eyes were shining, and continued the feedback session for Samho and Sa-ho.

There are some like Ilho, who still find it hard to accept my words, but there are others like Iho who are more

intrigued.

However, unlike the first day, everyone followed along without resistance.

Every time I gave feedback, they must have noticed themselves getting better at fighting little by little the next day.

They probably felt the effect, as I could already see their growth with my own eyes. There’s no way they wouldn’t

notice it themselves, especially since they’re the ones handling their bodies.

‘By the way, they say even dog poop can be useful.’

No matter how trashy they are, are they still fundamentally soldiers from the North?

Ilho, who was the first to rush in, is active, bold,

Iho has sharp thrusts and flexible footwork,

Samho has a large frame and great strength,

and Saho is observant, making him a good support.

In terms of abilities, they weren’t useless.

‘Well, if they were completely incompetent, Elkhil wouldn’t have let them join his group.’

They still scream “extra” all over them.

Elkhil (I’ve forgotten what it’s short for) and Alex passed the first round of the knight exam, which had over a third of

the participants fail.

They’re not just stupid, they’re smart little thugs.

There’s a famous quote from a past U.S. president.

That guy might be a bastard, but that bastard is our bastard.

The plan I had when I realized these guys had skills during their first challenge was simple.

In short, it was ‘Your subordinates are ᅵra.’

So, I decided to use them thoroughly, and to do that, I first had to train them to listen to me.

For some reason, people have this weird nature where if you treat them well 99 times, they’ll get upset over one

mistake, but if you’re cold 99 times and warm once, their hearts melt.

So I first gave them the whip and then the carrot.

After being beaten enough, they were angry, but then I immediately praised their positive aspects and gave them

kind advice.

Their mouths, which had been about to open, were immediately shut.

They had already tasted the sweetness of the carrot, so refusing advice just out of rebellion didn’t make sense

anymore.

Even if the meal is the same and the hardship is the same,

It’s tough to roll after eating, but the meal is sweet after rolling. How delicious must the carrot have been for them?

Even if they tried to incite a rebellion under the excuse of mock training, reminding them that I was much stronger

than them kept them in check.

If they continued their nonviolent disobedience, I’d spread the fact that they were just prideful losers throughout the

entire Wintercannon.

From the moment they lost their first fight, they had no escape route.

And so, they gradually became well-trained animals in my juggling of carrots and whips.

It got to the point where…

From now on, I’ll call you Ilho through Saho for convenience.

…………That’s a bit insulting. We have names, please call us by them.

You think I don’t know you have names? You’d normally call them by numbers in the unit during operations. It’s the

same thing.

Well, if that’s the case.

And,

-?

I don’t listen to someone weaker than me.

Ugh!

They were about to complain, but quickly became obedient.

I wonder if they don’t realize they’ve already been tamed, or if they’re pretending not to know.

Either way, it was a desirable outcome.

Look, these are way better teammates than in group projects or company assignments.

The ability to beat them up when they don’t listen is a huge advantage.

‘If I had more time, I would have started with body modifications.’

A week is an incredibly short time to accomplish anything.

If I subjected them to harsh physical training, they’d end up sick, and if I tried to teach them something new, they’d

be poorly prepared and sent straight into combat.

The reason I tried to control them from the start was because of that.

Learning to water-ski is difficult, but practicing how to catch beans with chopsticks is much easier.

So instead of taking unnecessary challenges, I focused on awakening their talents and using that to improve team dynamics.

By the time of the evaluation, they might not be perfect, but they should at least have the basics down.

After all, the purpose of this evaluation isn’t to create new soldiers, but to figure out how to effectively command

existing ones.

‘I don’t know what the challenge task will be, but they won’t have us setting up large tents or doing some recreational

activity from the North.’

It will definitely involve fighting with weapons.

‘In that case, I guess it’s time to start preparing.’

When the tournament brackets were announced, Gunther said that as a commander, you need to analyze and

strategize against your opponent.

On the 4th day, returning to the barracks for rest, Ilho clicked his tongue suddenly.

Hearing this, Iho and Den asked.

“Why the sudden reaction?”

“What the hell are we doing right now?”

Waiting for this moment, Winch answered, and Den frowned slightly as he asked again.

“What do you mean? Speak clearly.”

“I’m asking if it’s right to train like dogs under Luke, even getting covered in mud until late at night.”

“…”

“Though he’s been annoying, just a few months ago, he used to call us ‘senior’ and smile at us. Now he calls me ‘team

leader’ and not only speaks formally, but also orders us to do things. If we don’t follow, we get slapped and yelled at.

If we don’t do what he says, we’ll get beat up. Is this really how it should be?”

“…”

“Damn it, I’d rather be with someone like Alex. I wouldn’t have any complaints. But why the hell did I end up with

this bastard?”

Despite usually being the one with the most complaints, Winchi’s pent-up frustration erupted, causing the

expressions of Samho and Muller to darken as well.

Saho and Haind tried to lighten the mood by forcing smiles and stepping in.

“Haha, Winchi. Don’t be like that. There are only a few days left until the evaluation…”

“$*ck it, then just quit now. We only need at least three members for the group anyway.”

“???”

“?!”

At the sudden curse, Muller, Haind, and even Winchi all widened their eyes in surprise.

It was none other than Den who had criticized him.

“What did you just say?”

“Don’t you remember what the group leader said? Don’t mutter behind people if you don’t have the courage to say it

to their face. You pathetic $*ck.”

“You $*cker!”

As Winchi reached out his hand, Den easily dodged it and grabbed Winchi’s neck instead.

Winchi, though startled, felt a chill in Den’s gaze.

He had only been trying to vent his frustration to his friend, but Den’s eyes held the intensity of someone looking at an enemy.

“If you’re going to cause trouble during the evaluation, just leave. If you’re too embarrassed to walk out on your own,

should I make you look like an $*ck right here?”

Winchi, who was grabbed by the neck, couldn’t respond.

In the tense atmosphere, Haind stepped in between them.

“Hey, hey, why are you two doing this? Den, let go. Winchi might be a bit harsh, but he could just be venting because

he’s struggling.”

“You guys are such idiots. Aren’t you ashamed of yourselves?”

“?”

Den tossed Winchi to the ground and looked around at his teammates before speaking.

“Like you said, a few months ago, he was still a junior to us. Did we even give him a proper lesson? We even attacked

him as a group of four, didn’t we? I still get pissed thinking about it.”

“…”

“And what’s this about? What if I had been in the same group as Alex? Do you know that?”

“?”

Den glanced at his hand.

“You know, when I was with Alex, I was always in the back. That guy had such an ego, he always had to be the center

of attention. Because of that, I was always lurking behind him during fights.”

“…”

“And then Luke, that $*cker, after fighting once, told me I had talent in speed and put me in the front. $*ck, I didn’t

even realize my thrust was that amazing.”

Den, who had been smiling in a somewhat bitter way, was suddenly asked by Winchi, who had risen from the

ground.

“So, what’s the point? Should we stop badmouthing Alex and just shut up until the evaluation?”

“I’m embarrassed.”

“What?”

“I asked Time. How did you get so strong all of a sudden? What kind of training did you do in the Guard? He said

something: ‘I just did what I always did, but worked harder.’”

“…?”

“You guys have eyes, right? You must have seen how Luke trained in the squad. Among us, has anyone worked

harder than him? I haven’t. And that’s why I’m pissed.”

“Pissed?”

“A guy, who was a junior just a while ago, worked hard and reached that position. What have I been doing? I didn’t

even know what I was good at, but I just assumed his hard work was some stupid fluke, and I acted like a $*ck in

front of real strong people, puffing my chest.”

The heavy confession from Den made Muller and Haind lower their heads.

Winchi’s expression softened a little, but he still asked with lingering dissatisfaction.

“So, what now? Should we leave Alex and follow Luke instead?”

“No.”

“Not ‘no’?”

“What do you mean follow someone? I’m going to try on my own now. No more piggybacking on others. It’s cooler to

wield my own sword.”

Winchi opened his mouth but just turned his head, letting out a hollow laugh.

At that moment…

“I agree with Den.”

“Muller?”

Muller, who had been silent, finally spoke.

“All this time, I’ve lived with this huge body, but I’ve never really given it my all, so there’s always been something

stuck in my chest, building up frustration. But this time, it’s different. This is the first time I’ve pushed my body to

the limit.”

“…”

“Oddly enough, even though I lost, I didn’t feel bad. It was refreshing. I didn’t know that giving everything I had

would feel this enjoyable. I couldn’t even land a blow, but I don’t regret it. I want to repay Luke—no, the group leader

—for showing me that fun. I want to fight with him to the limit during this evaluation too.”

Muller bared his teeth in a grin.

That smile seemed to be filled with freshness.

Winchi, who had been looking at his two friends with a complicated expression, gritted his teeth several times before

turning his back and leaving the place.

Haind, silently observing Winchi and then the two with different faces, almost went after him but stopped.

“What’s going on? I thought you were going to console him.”

“I was going to.”

“???”

“But here, I think leaving him alone might make him crack his shell on his own.”

Den, who had already been smiling brightly, snickered.

No matter what, they were still friends.