Chapter 13: Awkwardness
Black Earth Plains, Battlefield Frontline.
The black smoke from burning corpses rose like a demonic pillar, piercing the sky.
Although the battlefield had undergone preliminary treatment, the number of corpses hadn't decreased much. There were too many bodies; just categorizing them would take a long time.
In front of an iron pot, Su Xiao stirred the contents with a ladle. Inside, a seafood soup bubbled and gurgled. This was a convenient meal prepared by Xia, already processed and only needing a short boil.
The unique aroma of seafood wafted through the air. The human soldiers near Su Xiao kept glancing over, swallowing repeatedly, but no one dared to approach and ask for some or try to take it.
Su Xiao ladled out a large bowl. The seafood soup was rich and smooth, exceptionally delicious. He had no idea what ingredients Xia had used; he only recognized a few, like shrimp tails, clams, and soybean sprouts.
After downing a large bowl of seafood, Su Xiao exhaled a breath of hot air. After killing for an entire day and night, he finally got to eat some hot food.
Su Xiao ladled out another large bowl. The first few sips only tasted fresh, but then a strange fragrance lingered in his mouth, making it impossible to stop, bowl after bowl.
[You are consuming 'Secret Recipe Seafood Soup.' Restores 1 point of Stamina per second.]
Seeing this notification, Su Xiao was quite surprised. He hadn't expected this to be a restorative food, and one that restored Stamina at that.
After several large bowls of seafood soup, sweat appeared on Su Xiao's forehead, and his fatigue actually receded somewhat.
"What's that smell?"
A robust man walked up to Su Xiao. He wore a suit of blood-red armor and sat cross-legged across from Su Xiao without any restraint. Behind the man were several soldiers with sharp eyes.
The man took off his helmet, picked up the ladle from the pot, and ladled soup into his helmet, drinking very boldly.
"Lord Legion Commander, let me first—"
A soldier behind the man quickly stepped forward.
"It's fine. Do you think I'll be poisoned?"
The man waved his hand, raised the helmet, and took several big gulps. His tightly furrowed brows relaxed.
"This kind of delicacy... Did you make it?"
A smile appeared on the man's face as he looked at Su Xiao.
"No, a friend prepared the ingredients."
"Oh."
The man took a few more big gulps.
"I saw your performance on the battlefield earlier. By the way, I'm Carlos, your Legion Commander."
"Mm. Hello, Lord Legion Commander. I'm Bai Ye, a third-class soldier."
Su Xiao nodded. Seeing his reaction, Carlos raised an eyebrow. Ordinary soldiers would usually grovel before him, but Carlos didn't actually care about others' attitudes or races. He only valued ability. Without ability, no matter how high one's status, they were still useless.
"When did you enlist?"
"A few days ago."
"Reason?"
"I know how to kill people. The army just happens to let me use my talent, so I came."
Hearing Su Xiao's reply, Carlos burst into laughter.
"I thought you were going to say you fight for the empire."
Carlos casually tossed the helmet in his hand to the soldier behind him. That soldier immediately untied his water pouch, cleaned the helmet, dried it, and respectfully handed it back to Carlos.
Carlos took the helmet, put it on, and stood up.
"You're a squad leader from now on. As for the soldiers under your command, find them yourself. There are many scattered units on the battlefield. Two hundred men max. No poaching. As for your credentials, we'll deal with that after the war."
With that, Carlos walked toward the more forward lines. He had just been passing by and was attracted by the aroma.
It had to be said, Carlos had a unique personal charisma and was powerful. Su Xiao had a feeling he wasn't a match for this man.
As soon as Carlos left, Su Xiao received a notification from Reincarnation Paradise.
[Tip: The Hunter has obtained an official position in the Dragon Soaring Empire. Current Position: Squad Leader.]
[Dragon Soaring Empire Military Ranks: Third-Class Soldier, Second-Class Soldier, First-Class Soldier, Squad Leader, Platoon Leader, Company Leader, etc., totaling thirty-six official positions.]
[Tip: As the Hunter has obtained an official position in the Dragon Soaring Empire, Battle Merits are being tallied...]
[Battle Merits will be calculated based on enemy kills, destruction of enemy fortifications, killing enemy officers, and other values.]
[If an enemy officer is killed, the Hunter may choose between Battle Merits / Reincarnation Paradise Merits.]
[Battle Merit tally complete. Current Battle Merits: 1436 points.]
[Battle Merits can be exchanged for items at the Quartermaster.]
...
Su Xiao hadn't killed any enemy officers on the battlefield. As for these 1436 Battle Merits, they all came from killing ordinary soldiers.
If Su Xiao wasn't mistaken, killing an ordinary soldier earned about 1 Battle Merit. That meant he had killed over a thousand people in this battle.
This might seem exaggerated, but Su Xiao had used Ring Break countless times before, cutting down enemies until his hands were sore, fighting for an entire day and night. When killing ordinary soldiers, he could usually finish them in one or two strikes, so this number wasn't excessive.
Moreover, this was while Su Xiao was conserving his stamina. If he had gone all out, his kill count would certainly have been higher.
After cleaning the cooking utensils and putting them back into his storage space, Su Xiao headed toward the rear of the Iron Blood Legion.
The Iron Blood Legion had already set up camp behind the front lines. Countless tents came into view, with snoring sounds coming from inside. The soldiers weren't made of iron; the survivors had already fallen asleep. They hadn't removed their armor, always ready to welcome the coming war.
Walking between the tents, Su Xiao asked a few soldiers and learned the location of the Quartermaster. He soon arrived in front of the Quartermaster's large tent. Just as he was about to enter, a young man walked out from inside, and the two locked eyes.
"Y-Y-Y-Y-You..."
The young man looked as if he'd been electrocuted. He recognized Su Xiao because he had bought a piece of equipment from him—the Minotaur Lord Arm Bracers.
At this moment, the young man was wrapped in bandages, his face pale, clearly still severely injured.
"Don't block the entrance."
A female voice came from inside the Quartermaster's tent. The young man was pushed from behind, stumbling a few steps. A blonde mature lady with wavy long hair walked out. She wore a tight leather outfit that outlined her curvaceous figure, with a very low neckline.
The blonde mature lady wore black gloves on her hands. These gloves had a fleshy feel, like the paws of a feline.
"Eh~" The blonde mature lady also saw Su Xiao not far away. She froze, and the two silently stared at each other, the atmosphere extremely awkward.
"I... almost... died."
The Minotaur Lord Arm Bracers appeared in the young man's hand. He clearly wanted to complain but didn't dare.
"This thing is pretty good, isn't it?"
The corners of Su Xiao's mouth lifted in a rather unscrupulous smile. Returning it now was obviously impossible.
"It's... okay."
The young man was at a loss for words. The fact was indeed so. After using the Minotaur Lord Arm Bracers, he had punched an enemy in front of him to pieces. The surging power within made him intoxicated.
"'Okay' my ass. How did you get hurt like this? Forgotten?"
The blonde mature lady slapped the back of the young man's head. He gave a sheepish laugh and said nothing more.
"I'm his sister."
The blonde mature lady appeared very calm. The reason was that in the current world, there was no possibility of hostility between them.
"I'm a bit curious. How did someone get an officer position? Even if the rumors say you're ridiculously strong."
The blonde mature lady seemed quite interested in Su Xiao.
"Who knows. Maybe I got lucky."
"Then congratulations. We won't return what we bought. Setting aside the side effects, that arm bracer is pretty good. But, do you have something to do?"
The blonde mature lady didn't want to continue this standoff. With an external war going on, internal conflict would be very unwise. In fact, internal conflict wasn't really possible anyway.
"You're blocking the way."
Su Xiao pointed at the large tent behind the pair.
"Cough~ Seems like it."
The blonde mature lady looked a bit embarrassed. She pulled her brother aside. Although she appeared calm, after personally sensing the overwhelming smell of blood on Su Xiao, her heart wasn't at peace. Just how many living beings had to be killed for such killing intent—dense enough to make one's hair stand on end.