My Platoon is F**king Hopeless

“All troops, disperse and wait! Messengers, quickly assess the terrain of your assigned areas!”

Upon Major Ivan’s instruction, the soldiers scattered in a fan-shaped formation.

Even if they were using muzzle-loading muskets, their accuracy couldn’t compare to modern rifles.

With the difficulty of visibility at night, accurately aiming and killing the target was impossible.

Therefore, it was essential to construct a dense field of fire. As long as a blind bullet hit its mark, that would be enough.

Fortunately, Major Ivan, who was in charge of on-site command, seemed to be a seasoned officer with considerable experience and knowledge in such tactics.

Even from my modern perspective, the unit deployment wasn’t bad. The messengers were skillfully positioned for quick and efficient control of fire.

‘He looks young, but he’s quite experienced.’

Of course, given that the battalion commander is a ‘major,’ the combat power or scale of the unit felt like it might be considered second-rate compared to other units.

That’s why I was assigned to the wingtip with the least expected enemy activity.

“Do you think the enemy will come this far?”

“I’m not sure.”

When I asked, Major Ivan replied nonchalantly.

We had set up a temporary command post about 50 meters away from the frontline where the combat platoons were deployed.

Mages were only responsible for rear-fire support and engaging enemy mages.

Moreover, we needed to react immediately to Major Ivan’s orders as battalion commander and have a broader view of the battlefield.

This allowed us to wait in a relatively safe location.

“The main attack point is not expected to be a fierce battle, and even if some bandits escape, it wouldn’t be easy for them to reach here, which is at the end of our encirclement.”

Indeed.

Although the fortress was captured faster than expected, the strategic objectives remained unchanged.

The mission was to eliminate the bandit group that attacked Belgorod Fortress and either rescue the remaining forces or retake the fortress.

The reason a magic battalion was included was to prepare for the possibility that the fortress might fall to the bandits.

If they were to fortify inside the fortress, the plan was to thoroughly bombard them with magic before retaking it.

“According to the size of around two hundred, it seems most of those fleeing are just a few bandits from the main assault.”

An adjutant standing next to Major Ivan added. She seemed to share similar thoughts.

“But isn’t your platoon only two people?”

She asked curiously.

“Well, for now, yes. There are more, but there are reasons.”

“Oh… I apologize. Usually, a magic platoon has about five members. Seeing only two was unusual.”

“There’s no need to apologize.”

“Adjutant, avoid unnecessary chatter.”

“Yes, sir!”

At the sharp command, she quickly stood at attention.

As they say, physiognomy is science.

Major Ivan, at first glance, looked like a strict FM officer. He seemed even tougher than Captain Arrendt.

However, if his fundamentals were solid, he should be able to advance smoothly to the rank of captain.

Then, suddenly—

Bang! Bang! Sharp gunshots echoed faintly from afar. Loud cheers mixed in occasionally.

“Battalion Commander! Gunfire ahead!”

A messenger running frantically approached, and Major Ivan waved his hand to stop him.

“I know, I heard it too.”

He answered indifferently while loading his pistol. The main force that entered the fortress and the surrounding forces had engaged in combat.

“Spread the word to each unit. Stay calm and respond appropriately. Squad leaders and senior sergeants must keep the positions of adjacent squads in mind.”

The more chaotic things became, the more anxious the soldiers at the front would get.

To prevent any mishaps due to immature judgment, Major Ivan issued additional orders.

“Honor to our homeland!”

The messenger saluted and immediately rushed back to the frontline.

Now, it was likely that bandits who were retreating or fleeing would appear.

I should also start preparing.

“Sergeant Bella Meyer, over here.”

Mages generally handle all five elements, but often specialize in one attribute.

One reason Sergeant Lumina Blué was excluded from this battle was because she specialized in the ‘fire’ element.

On the contrary, Sergeant Bella Meyer was a water mage, specializing in the blue element.

Being in the mountains, water attributes were safer than fire attributes, which posed a threat of fire.

“Initiate.”

Following my order, Bella Meyer opened her mana core. Mana spread rapidly, enveloping her body.

The strong scent of mana tickled the nose.

A faint blue light flickered in the dark night, and even Major Ivan watched her with a somewhat amazed look.

So did I.

‘Crazy, I heard she had great endurance, but she doesn’t need to maintain anything; her mana quantity is overwhelming.’

After reading books on mana, magic, and related topics for two days straight, I had gained some insight.

I could clearly tell how absurd it was what Sergeant Bella Meyer was displaying now.

“Sergeant Bella, do not deploy any magic until I give the order.”

“Understood.”

She nodded and replied. I calmly observed the situation.

Bella’s magic was truly a last resort. A few retreating bandits would be easily handled by the infantry deployed at the front.

Bang! Bang!

Sharp gunshots echoed again. This time, they were closer. Probably from the 3rd platoon forming the encirclement nearby.

“It seems there are more fleeing enemies than expected.”

“Seems so.”

Given that adjacent units had also started firing, there was a high probability that enemies would flow in this far.

‘At least I’ll get some real combat experience. Since it’s just bandits, it’s good practice.’

I had already realized that the situation I was in was reality disguised as a game.

But the objective was certainly not realistic.

The condition for clearing this ‘world’ was to establish the Okhraine Duchy as a great nation in history, despite it being on the brink of collapse.

To achieve an unrealistic goal, I needed more experience.

This battle would likely be the first step toward that.

“Battalion Commander! Urgent report from 7th squad, which is holding the first line of defense! An estimated group of enemies approaching from 200 meters ahead!”

A messenger appeared through the darkness after a while, breathing heavily from running around.

Due to poor visibility at night, these messengers ran desperately.

“Permission to open fire. From now on, each unit can respond based on its own judgment!”

“Immediately relayed!”

Not long after he left to deliver the message, gunshots were heard from our camp.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

‘It feels like being at a shooting range.’

Such a thought crossed my mind. It was natural since everyone was equipped with single-shot rifles.

The rifles currently used by the soldiers of the 18th Infantry Regiment were the excellent Summefield rifles.

Their muzzle-loading mechanism allowed them to be used even in concealed and protected positions.

But it didn’t take me long to notice something odd.

“The gunfire won’t stop.”

Clearly, our mission was to eliminate the remnants. Moreover, this wasn’t just Major Ivan’s battalion’s task.

The wingtip of the left flank.

It wasn’t just a wingtip; it was actually a formation consisting of two battalions.

Even though it was considered a secondary force, it shouldn’t have been easy for panicked bandits to break through.

Bang! Bang!

The gunfire continued unabated.

Shouts, gunfire, and screams mixed together, making it difficult to understand the exact situation.

‘Something’s wrong…’

It seemed others noticed it too.

When our eyes met, Major Ivan stood up abruptly and asked.

“Captain Enok, do you have any magic that illuminates the front?”

“Magic that illuminates the front…”

I could easily recall a spell.

Flare.

A basic red magic that shoots flames into the sky to act as a light source for a certain period.

It was also a tactical spell frequently used in nighttime battles.

“Lumina! Cast Flare!”

“What?! Magic? But the squad leader forbade it-.”

“Cancel that! It’s not a damaging spell! Quickly cast it!”

“Ah, ugh…”

“What are you waiting for! Hurry and cast it!”

Seeing her hesitate, I shouted loudly, and Lumina startled and cast the spell.

Mana poured out from her mana core, creating a sun-like spherical flame.

“Flare!!”

With a flash, the flame shot up into the air. It shone as brightly as the rising sun.

Suddenly, the battlefield hidden in darkness became clearly visible.

“!!!”

More than a few bandits were retreating. Dozens of heavily armed bandits were charging fiercely towards the encirclement.

In fact, they weren’t even retreating.

The tip of the deployed wings.

The thinly spread-out force.

The relatively less skilled secondary force.

They were trying to break through the weakest part of our formation.

They weren’t fleeing; they were launching a sharp attack to penetrate our encirclement.

“Damn it! Sergeant Bella! Fire!!”

“Understood! Water Bomb!!”

As the order was given, Bella’s prepared magic was unleashed.

The intense battle had begun.

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