Chapter 2 Part 5

Jeong Tae-ui wanted to first put down his luggage and find his room before meeting the colleagues with whom he would share life and death, but he silently followed Tou, who was walking ahead with his bag. Perhaps this was the natural course of action here.

But one thing was easy. Aside from a total of nine superiors, everyone else was an equal colleague.

Perhaps they might assert their seniority over a newcomer, but if the relationship was fundamentally equal, it would be easier to move around. Besides, though it was probably a joke, it seemed like one or two could even be killed and sent out.

…He himself was more likely to be the one killed than the one doing the killing. He just had to be careful.

Even when he was at the Military Academy, his scores for basic combat training and practical adaptation were neither good nor bad, just average.

If he wasn’t confident he could defeat all approaching enemies, the best strategy was to stay out of sight, quietly preserve his life, and endure for half a year before leaving.

While turning a couple of corners in the hallway, he could tell where the Multimedia Room and the Library were located. He also spotted a makeshift food vending machine in one corner. Occasionally, he passed by people, but no one paid them any particular attention. There were glances, as if recognizing an unfamiliar face, but it was nothing more than basic caution.

“I thought it would only have East Asians since it’s the Asia Branch, but I guess not.”

Jeong Tae-ui mumbled this after a Westerner brushed past him a few steps away, and Tou made a gesture of turning his head.

“It’s like that everywhere. Whatever branch you go to, there are various races mixed together. ‘Asia Branch’ means it’s located in Asia, not that it only accepts Asians. Still, proportionally, there are more East Asians here compared to other branches or headquarters. Half are East Asian, after all.”

As he spoke, they arrived at the Free Sparring Room.

Pushing open a large iron door, probably twice the size of a normal one, they stepped into a spacious area that could easily be a gymnasium. In fact, the facilities weren’t very different from a regular gym, except for a few more intimidating-looking training machines.

Inside the sparring room, forty to fifty people appeared to be exercising individually. Some were sitting in groups of three or four, chatting, and a few even looked like they were lying down asleep, but most were clinging to exercise equipment, seemingly trying to build their basic physical strength.

“They say it’s free time, but so many people are here. They’re quite diligent.”

“If you don’t want to die, you’d better gain even a shred more stamina before next month. Though there’s only half a month left. If those Europe Branch bastards take you down, I’ll kill you first with my own hands.”

Tou, feigning a clenched fist, surveyed the sparring room and then walked towards a group of six or seven men. Although they were gathered, they maintained a reasonable distance from each other, doing their own things, yet it was close enough to tell they were a cohesive group.

Jeong Tae-ui inwardly nodded. They were probably on the same team. And, he predicted, they were also teammates with Tou, who was approaching them.

The group also noticed Tou and Jeong Tae-ui approaching. One by one, they stopped exercising or talking and turned their gaze towards them. Specifically, towards Jeong Tae-ui’s unfamiliar face.

“Tou, did the guy who went out for a smoke even leave his cigarette pack behind?”

“Seriously. That guy, who chain-smokes at least three cigarettes every time he starts, why is he back so quickly?”

The men who were chuckling and talking also had their eyes fixed on Jeong Tae-ui. Not just their group, but other men nearby were also casting curious glances.

“He’s a new guy, and I was told to bring him and build a strong bond. So, I brought him. Our team’s new member.”

While Tou exchanged a few words with them, Jeong Tae-ui nonchalantly looked around.

The age range was generally mid-twenties to early to mid-thirties. The youngest-looking guy in that corner would have just barely outgrown being called a kid, and the oldest-looking man doing sit-ups over there would be pushing forty if rounded up. It seemed like those in their late twenties were the most numerous.

While a thirty-year-old might not outmatch a twenty-year-old in sheer physical strength, combat technique wasn’t something obscured by stamina, so age probably didn’t matter much.

As Tou had said, half were East Asian, with the rest being Caucasian and Black. He couldn’t tell the overall demographics, but judging only by the people currently in the room, it seemed there were slightly more Black individuals than Caucasians. However, it was hard to draw a clear distinction like that, as a considerable number appeared to be of mixed heritage at first glance.

Everyone seemed to be diligently training their bodies whenever they had time, not wanting to die, so regardless of height, they were all in decent shape… Fortunately, no one matching Jeong Tae-ui’s sexual preferences was visible. Though that could also be considered unfortunate.

Well, that’s fine. He was only going to be here for half a year anyway, so even if there was someone he liked and wanted to approach, it would just be troublesome. It was better to live quietly and without incident before leaving.

“Hmm, Tae-ui? Are you… twenty-five, perhaps?”

One of the men, who had been sitting on a pile of mattresses leaning against the wall, jumped down and approached. Behind him, the other men chuckled, and Tou, who had briefly introduced Jeong Tae-ui, took a couple of steps back.

Jeong Tae-ui looked at the man approaching him from the front. With his ears, he took in the surrounding sounds and atmosphere.

It wasn’t bad. The laughter, the curious glances—they contained no hostility or mockery. These were sounds of people enjoying a minor event. One could even say there was a certain friendliness infused in it.

The man in front, observing Jeong Tae-ui with a playful smile, was tall for an East Asian. Now that he looked closely, he might be mixed-race. … This guy is the leader.

Jeong Tae-ui inwardly gave a wry smile. Whether it was his previous place or this one, societies formed by men always had similar aspects. One of them was that they invariably sought a leader, even among their colleagues.