Chapter 463.1: These Commanders Are Real Fucking Assholes!

Although he had only served as a ‘boot camp instructor’ for less than half a month, the number of newbies who had died at the hands of Battlefield Cheerleader was in the thousands.

The forum was filled with cries of despair, and his title of ‘newbie killer’ had been firmly cemented.

All that was left was for Light to issue him a proper achievement.

Unfortunately... No matter how many eagles one shoots... One of them was bound to get through one day and peck your eye.

No matter how steady your ship, it might hit a hidden reef some day.

Just one day after Battlefield Cheerleader completed the legendary feat of killing 3,000 newbies and was praised by the Triumphant Times as their God of War, a crudely made artillery shell came down from the sky and finally brought justice upon him...

After the deafening blast and the harsh buzz of white noise, he quickly lost connection.

By the time he logged back into the game, more than five hours had passed.

The moment Battlefield Cheerleader woke up, his eyes snapped open, nearly giving the doctor stitching him up a heart attack.

The nurses standing around the bed were stunned when the bandage-wrapped mummy suddenly opened his eyes. They whispered in hushed awe.

"... My god, he actually woke up."

"Dr. Lester said there were at least 12 fragments lodged in his body. Those barbarian’s bomb landed less than 20 meters from him!"

"Is this what they call an awakener?"

"It must be... I heard their physical endurance is far beyond normal. Any other man would’ve died instantly."

"But awakening isn’t all good. I heard awakeners have trouble having children."

A quiet, bookish nurse suddenly blushed and murmured, "Isn’t that... A good thing?"

The others all turned to stare at her in shock. Flustered, she turned red and quickly slipped out the door.

With great care, the doctor named Lester tied off the final stitch, tossed his tools into a tray, exhaled deeply, and looked at the man lying in the hospital bed. "You’re awake."

From his features, he didn’t seem to be a Wislander, nor from the Sunset Province. He was most likely from a region in the west occupied by the Army.

Battlefield Cheerleader glanced at the ceiling, then at the bandages on his body, and slowly opened his mouth. "This place is...?"

"A field hospital in defense zone G53. The medics at the front couldn’t handle wounds like yours, so Commander Cowley arranged for a vehicle to transfer you here."

Lester chuckled as he added, "To be honest, when I first saw you, I thought you were done for. You surprised me and actually pulled through."

Battlefield Cheerleader nodded in understanding, not really listening to the second half of the doctor’s words. He relaxed his shoulders and rested his head back on the pillow.

They were around 20 kilometers from the frontline, relatively farther back.

Still, even though he was off the frontline, he wasn’t in a hurry to return. There would be no more newbies rushing in to kill themselves for the next few days.

According to their plan... The Storm Corps would put on a symbolic feint the next day and they would conclude their entire newbie training operation.

And after that... It’d be time for Spring Water Commander’s Plan C!

𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Nearly 2,000 newbies had joined the game recently. Each had died at least once, with some dying up to three times!

With those deaths behind them, they had enough combat experience to actually function like real soldiers.

"... I’ve removed all the shrapnel I could reach and stitched the wounds. Is there anywhere else you're feeling discomfort?" Lester asked.

He had a favorable impression of the soldier named Pangolin. An awakener who wasn’t even a Wislander, yet had achieved results on the battlefield that even impressed the locals.

For someone like Lester who was born into a servant race, this kind of heroic tale felt like something out of a fantasy novel.

Battlefield Cheerleader closed his eyes and mumbled, "My head’s a little off."

"Likely a mild concussion. Get some rest and try to recover quickly." Lester patted him on the shoulder with a grin. "You’re all over the radio these days. Don’t you dare die on me now."

Battlefield Cheerleader smiled faintly and gave a nod.

Dying was not an option.

He still had a mission to complete.

As the doctor left, Battlefield Cheerleader lay flat on the bed, relaxing his muscles, debating whether to log off and rest or stay online and count sheep in a daze.

It was still late at night in the real world. Waking up mean that he had nothing to do for some time.

Come to think of it, Ideal City supposedly had gaming consoles. We can even play virtual reality games within the game.

That dumb mole’s studio had even ported Battle Royale into the game...

Wait a minute... Doesn’t that mean if we move to Ideal City, we can literally play 24/7 without any health issues?!

Just thinking about how Ample Time had already started living that kind of luxurious life made Battlefield Cheerleader’s fists clench.

Damn it!

Compared to Spring Water Commander, that guy was the real hidden lucky bastard!

While he was busy grumbling in his head, a tall, curvaceous woman with long dark brown hair burst into the tent.

She carried a tray with a bowl and spoon, apparently something she’d gotten from the field kitchen.

Battlefield Cheerleader turned his head toward the entrance and instinctively blurted, "You are...?"

The woman’s face filled with panic. She quickly placed the tray on the bedside table and walked over to him. "You lost your memory?"

Amnesia?

Battlefield Cheerleader froze for a second, then gave an awkward smile.

Impossible.

He had blacked out for a while, and yes, his head was banged up, but not enough for him to forget things.

In fact, he had been able to log in again two hours ago. The only reason he didn’t was because he was trash talking online and shitting on all the newbies. Along with several name-calling matches with Spring Water Commadner...

The only reason he didn’t immediately call out to her... Was because he forgot her name.

Something like... Penny?

Her fiery gaze made him a bit embarrassed, but Penny didn’t shy away. Instead, she curled her lips with pride. "The doctor said you should eat something. I made you some beet soup at the mess. Are you hungry? I can feed you."

Battlefield Cheerleader’s heart immediately lit up.

JACKPOT!

That was a 100% realistic VR game. Even someone as steadfast as Battlefield Cheerleader couldn’t help but feel his heart stir.

A reward from the devs!

I can’t possibly waste Light’s kind intentions, can I?

But just as he raised his neck and glanced at the bowl, his agreement got stuck in his throat.

Floating in the bowl was a black, gooey substance. It had clearly separated from the watery liquid below, and some greenish foam floated on top, probably parsley flakes.

No matter how one judged it... Whether in appearance, aroma, or taste, it was hard to believe it was food.

If placed in an experiment lab, no one would question it!

Penny, clearly aware of her dish’s terrifying presentation, blushed slightly and offered an explanation. "Maybe I overcooked it a bit, but it’s definitely edible."

Overcooked was an understatement.

The damn thing looked like it had been carbonized!

Battlefield Cheerleader coughed awkwardly. "My... My head hurts a little. I don’t really have an appetite. Mind giving me some time alone?"

His time wasn’t up yet.

To be sent off by a bowl of goo would be more humiliating than being killed by a random noob.

Penny, clearly missing the polite rejection hidden in his words, gave him a look of concern, sighed, and set the bowl down on the table. "Alright... Rest up, then."

"And remember to eat it while it’s still warm."

With that, she left the room.

Battlefield Cheerleader let out a breath of relief, but no sooner had the tent flap closed than it was lifted again.

This time it was his superior, Cowley, entering with a concerned expression. "Feeling any better?"

"A bit."

Seeing his bandaged subordinate, Cowley couldn’t help but sigh, "Hard to imagine you’d end up this badly injured."

Battlefield Cheerleader shot him a helpless look.

Even a janky rocket launcher was still a rocket launcher.

Against enough explosives... No amount of skill mattered.

Cowley’s eyes landed on the tray and the ominous black bowl. "What’s that?"

Battlefield Cheerleader coughed. "Miss Penny brought it from the mess hall. Said it’s beet soup. But I’m not really hungry, maybe you want to try it?"

"Penny made that for you? Not bad! She’s quite popular on the frontlines. Lots of young guys call her their dream girl," Cowley gasped in surprise. Then he smirked, wiggled his brows, and picked up the bowl. "I’ll taste it for you."

Battlefield Cheerleader wanted to stop him. If Cowley really died from eating that, he would lose his only backup in the Army!

But Cowley moved fast. In one fluid motion, he scooped up some of the sludge and slurped it down.

Battlefield Cheerleader stared in disbelief.

Instead of spitting it out, Cowley’s eyes welled up...