Chapter 07
(Pov: Wilhelm)
I jolted awake as the blaring sound of an alarm clock shattered the stillness of the room. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I groggily sat up in bed, only to be met with the realization that I was no longer a corporate slave. I was no longer an ordinary person or human at that. I was now in the Marines, and my new roommates were getting up from their beds.
"You must be the new guy," one of them said as he saw me.
I nodded, trying to appear friendly and approachable. "Yeah, that's right. I'm Wilhelm. Nice to meet you all."
All of them were staring at me since I was pretty young compared to them. Them being curious was expected; after all, I was an anomaly. I need to also be better at keeping up my facade at all times. I must get glasses and condition myself to be the 'real' Wilhelm only when my glasses are off.
'Not taking inspiration from anyone at all,' I thought as they introduced themselves individually, and as they did, I made mental notes of their names and characteristics. It was important to familiarize myself with my new comrades, to understand their strengths and weaknesses, and to establish connections that could benefit me in the future.
As the roommates went about their morning routines, getting dressed and preparing for the day ahead, I followed suit. I quickly put on my uniform, ensuring every button was adequately fastened and every crease was sharp and precise. Attention to detail was crucial in the Marines, and I was determined to excel in every aspect.
With my uniform in place, I grabbed my belongings and joined the others as we made our way out of the dormitory and toward the mess hall for breakfast. The atmosphere was filled with a mix of anticipation and camaraderie as conversations and laughter filled the air.
I grabbed a tray and moved along the line, selecting my meal for the day. As I found an empty seat, I noticed my roommates had gathered together, chatting and exchanging stories. It was an opportunity for me to further integrate myself into their circle, to build trust and rapport.
I approached them, a smile playing on my lips.
"Mind if I join you guys?"
They looked up, momentarily surprised by my initiative, but quickly welcomed me with open arms. We spent the meal getting to know each other better, sharing anecdotes and laughter. I made sure to contribute to the conversation, blending in seamlessly while maintaining my carefully crafted persona.
My schedule was different from theirs as they were all seaman recruits. As a chore boy, I was to report for morning training and then report to Mike for the day's tasks. In contrast, seaman recruits had to do much more training after the morning, along with learning about sailing and the history of the Marines. It was basically a school with military training at the same time. They were telling me how hard some of the theory classes were. But I wouldn't know how hard the classes were since the ordinary people in this world could bearly read the newspaper. My roommates weren't the best scale to judge the difficulty of the classes.
After breakfast, we all had to stand outside in the training area in the yard. It was pretty cold out as the sun was bearly up. In the middle of the field stood a group of people waiting for us. Our instructors were a group of middle-aged men, all wearing coats of justice. Regardless of how hypocritical the Marines were, I had to admit they did look immaculate, wearing justice on their backs.
There were hundreds of us, so the instructors broke us into groups having us do different tasks in batches. I was the only 14-year-old here, but I wasn't given any additional treatment, not that I needed it, or so I thought. We had to carry weights over our heads and run 200 laps around the field for our first task. I had underestimated the power even the ordinary people in this world had. Even if I had an adult body, I don't think I could run 200 laps normally, let alone 200 with weights.
'Yea, but I was no normal person. I had a system, not to mention Hamon Energy. Speaking of which, I seem to have forgotten to check the mission panel yesterday. Open mission panel.'
[Opening System Mission Panel]
[Congrats On Joining The Marines]
[Gain 1,000 SP]
[Gain 5 Attribute Points]
[Gain Hamon Breathing Mask x1]
[Modifying Mission Panel]
[Change Complete -
Host's Missions Will Be Issued Based On Catching Pirates]
[Iussing Daily Task -
Complete The Morning Training
Reward: 5 SP
Punishment: None ]
'Hamon breathing mask, exactly what I needed to start,' I thought, thanking the system for being so thoughtful. Joining the side of justice, I needed to catch pirates for SP. Simple enough.
'I get 5 SP daily, meaning it would take me about six years to save up enough for stand arrow. I am too weak now to hunt pirates, so I must rely on the daily mission. I would only be 20 when I unlock my stand power. I can work with that.'
Clicking on the Hamon breathing mask prompt, [Wether To Receive Hamon Breathing Mask]
[Yes / No]
Pressing yes, a mask appeared in my hands. The mask featured a horizontal slit that allows the wearer's mouth to be partially exposed, covering the lower half of the face, from the nose down to the chin. Some additional openings or vents facilitate airflow on each side of the mask. The mask is secured to the wearer's face through various means, such as straps or fastenings that wrap around the back of the head. These ensure a snug and secure fit, allowing the user to perform precise movements and engage in combat without the mask becoming a hindrance.
'According to my training manual, I need to breathe in a specific way to create ripples throughout my body. The mask will help me limit my breathing and help correct it. The question is, do I wear the mask for most of the day or only during training? I need to learn Hamon quickly so it can assist me, so the faster I learn, the better, so most of the time, I guess,' I thought while putting on the mask.
Putting on a weird-looking mask was strange, but I couldn't care if the others found it odd, as it didn't harm my facade in any way. As I picked up the smallest boulder-like weight, I could bearly lift it.
'If I needed to guess, it's about 50 pounds. Fuck, this shit is heavy. I could bearly hold it with my arms, let alone move with this. I couldn't even lift this over my head. Damn it.'
As I struggled to hold the weight, my group instructor saw me and said I could run without holding the weights. Hearing this, I dropped the weight while being out of my breath. The mask limited my breathing significantly. I felt like I was going to pass out. Nevertheless, I started running with the group even if I was in the very back. Also, running was a strong word; I was quickly walking at best.
Each inhale was a desperate gasp as I struggled for breath while exhaling felt like a futile release of precious air. My chest tightened, constricting with an unyielding force that left me feeling helpless and trapped. The sensation of being unable to breathe was suffocating, an overwhelming weight pressing down my chest. But seeing all the others ahead of me was infuriating. How could weaklings like them be better than me? I knew I was weak compared to the strong in this world. But these regular-ass marines had more strength than me. I could accept being weak but being weaker than these worms was different.
'I wished to be God. God. Fucking God.' As I was on the borderline of having a mental breakdown, I felt a ripple course through my body. My cells were pulsating with an electrifying current, awakening dormant power within. It was like a rush of adrenaline, flooding the body with a renewed sense of strength and agility. But that didn't last long as I fell face-first on the ground and heard a rush of footsteps.
As I was losing consciousness, I swore to get stronger. I was already willing to spend decades of my life in the Marines for greater power, but now I was given a reality check. I had a system and the possibility of gaining infinite power but what of it? Right now, I was weaker than those damn seamen. I would have started crying if not for completely losing consciousness.