The Vastness of Magical Destiny

Chapter 106 - 106 2 Half-Beastmen

?Chapter 106: Chapter 2: Half-Beastmen Chapter 106: Chapter 2: Half-Beastmen Baoling was training a squad of soldiers with great enthusiasm. It had taken sixty recruits five days to clear the overgrown wasteland behind the houses under his direction. According to infantry training standards, Baoling then took another two days to turn it into an extremely rudimentary training ground, but at least the land was leveled, and wooden targets had begun to take shape. Baoling was confident that from this training ground would emerge the first qualified infantry soldiers of the Caucasus.

As an outstanding soldier from the Myron Duchy, known for its infantry supremacy, Baoling was naturally very selective, but he had to admit that the physical condition of these Half-Beast soldiers was far superior to that of ordinary Mortals. Even compared to the strongest selected from Mortal soldiers, they still held an advantage. However, Baoling was frustrated by the Half-Beast soldiers’ training curriculum, which was quite disappointing; what Mortal soldiers could accomplish in one day, the Half-Beast soldiers needed at least three days to complete. This kind of training was undoubtedly a torture for Baoling, but he had no choice but to complete the task given to him by the Lord before his departure—before the Lord’s return, Baoling had to present him with a presentable infantry squad.

Although the Half-Beast soldiers’ capacity for learning was poor, their innate gifts, coupled with exceptionally hard training, allowed them to quickly adapt to Baoling’s training methods. After mastering basic movements such as line-up, salute, march, and rifle raise, they soon moved on to basic infantry stabbing training. In this respect, the Half-Beast soldiers performed much better than they did in line-up and discipline training. Their formidable physical strength allowed them to fight Baoling in hand-to-hand combat for several rounds—something any other ordinary soldier would struggle with. This brought a big smile to Baoling’s face, as any head trainer would be satisfied seeing such prowess from his students.

Recruiting and training a small batch of soldiers was the task Komer had left for Baoling before leaving the Caucasus. Although Komer had not specified who the recruits should be, when a large number of Half-Beastmen left the Mountainous Area to settle on the outskirts of Ugru Town, Baoling naturally targeted these fellows who lacked means of livelihood after coming down from the mountains. Especially when Baoling, leading several fully-armed Half-Beast soldiers, patrolled Ugru Town with pride, the glory not only made those Half-Beastmen envious to death, but even some Mortal Indigenous People of the town felt tempted.

When the notice for recruiting soldiers for the Lord’s Guard was posted outside the town’s only two Taverns, those who came to sign up almost broke down the door. The Lord’s Guard, to speak nothing of the salary, was a name dazzling enough to brag about—an extremely honorable profession indeed.

However, a temporary limit of only sixty recruitment slots disappointed many, and the stringent criteria set by Baoling meant that very few Mortals made it into consideration. Almost all recruits were tall Half-Beastmen nearing two meters in height, those who had escaped the strict watch of the Mine owners and crossed the towering Volt Mountain Range, which in itself demanded much greater physical robustness than ordinary people. But this did not mean that there were no Mortals among the natives who were fit for the job. At least three people successfully broke through the Half-Beasts’ encirclement to be short-listed, and Baoling was quite interested in them. Two down-and-out Adventurer warriors and a Mortal from a hunter background became the odd ones out in the first batch of recruits. Under the resentful gaze of the Half-Beastmen, they joined the ranks of the future veterans of the Caucasus Guards alongside them.

The Mortal warriors quickly demonstrated their capacity and adaptability, which was different from that of the Half-Beastmen. Although they were far less physically strong than most selected Half-Beastmen, they were much quicker to adapt, and their willingness to learn was the main reason Baoling recruited them. At least, the archery skills possessed by the three were not something the Beast Warriors could master.

In any case, the arrival of the new Lord had already brought changes to Ugru Town. In just over one month, business in Ugru Town improved significantly. Although the frightening influx of more than one hundred thousand Immigrants had not arrived yet, and the residents of Ugru Town were unaware of what the arrival of these Immigrants meant, the buildings that were rapidly constructed on the outskirts of the town over the month had made them feel the change in life. Although these buildings were nothing more than crude wooden towers or stone houses stacked with stones, the increase in population had indeed brought about many benefits that were undeniable facts.

There were clearly many more game and medicinal herbs available at the Small Town Market, and Traders from other places, attracted by the scent, visited the town much more frequently. The Tavern began to host more Half-Beast patrons, who were hunters that had migrated from the nearby forests. With legal identification, they no longer worried about spending in the town for fear of worrying checks and searches. Their greatest pleasure was to enjoy a few drinks of inexpensive Rye Beer at the Tavern after selling their game, savoring the relaxed atmosphere. Grain-distilled spirits were too luxurious for them unless they hunted large game like bears or tigers; otherwise, they would not easily indulge in a drink. The business at the town’s forges was booming; the Half-Beast hunters were willing to spend money on their tools of livelihood. They not only demanded excellent quality but also required the smiths to forge special patterns and emblems according to their instructions, praying for an abundance of game on each hunt.