Chapter 156
Rayne's expression remained completely impassive as he looked over the faces of the men standing before him.
Twenty-five soldiers.
Other than his own party and a handful of others he already knew, every face staring back at him belonged to someone who had never fought under his command.
Most of them had never even belonged to a proper squad before. They were recruits fresh out of training, soldiers nobody else had particularly wanted or forsakens sent here to die.
Only three men had previously served under another squad leader.
Unfortunately, they also happened to be the three whose files had caused Rayne the greatest headache.
The first was Monty.
A short, lanky man whose shoulders were permanently hunched forward as though he expected someone to strike him at any moment. His eyes rarely stayed in one place for long, and even now he kept them lowered toward the ground.
His crime hadn't been particularly complicated.
Caught stealing, he had chosen military service over prison, only to later attempt stealing from his own squad leader. The punishment had been severe enough to leave permanent scars across his back before he was transferred away.
Judging by the file, nobody believed he had learned anything from it.
The second was Laan.
Unlike Monty, the man possessed an excellent physique. Broad shoulders, powerful arms and enough muscle to make him useful in any battle, yet every report described exactly the same problem.
Lazy—He disliked training, he disliked guard duty, he disliked taking orders.
Whenever work appeared, Laan somehow found a reason to disappear, earning himself enough disciplinary punishments that transferring him became easier than trying to reform him.
The third hardly required another introduction. Sakar—the giant currently watching Rayne with narrowed eyes.
The earlier attempt at establishing dominance had failed so completely that confusion now lingered across the scarred man's face.
He had clearly expected Rayne to either cry out in pain or immediately challenge him. Instead, Rayne had barely reacted to the crushing grip before calmly telling everyone to collect their belongings and follow him.
He had shown each of them their sleeping quarters first.
Only after everyone had settled in had he gathered the entire squad inside the training yard for their first briefing.
Even now, Rayne doubted Sakar had given up.
According to his records, the man had once gotten into a full-blown fistfight with his previous squad leader simply because he disliked answering to someone else. Soldiers like him were by far the hardest to discipline. They viewed authority as a challenge rather than something to respect.
His history only made matters worse.
Before becoming a forsaken, Sakar had belonged to a notorious bandit group operating near the borders of the kingdom. Even after entering military service, that aggressive streak had never truly disappeared.
Apparently, he also descended from one of the migrant clans that had settled in the kingdom generations ago after fleeing a southern nation. Legends claimed their blood carried traces of the extinct giants, granting them naturally superior physiques and buffed base physical stats.
Looking at Sakar, Rayne found that story surprisingly believable.
The man's dark skin, towering frame and overwhelming build made him far stronger than someone at Level 26 should reasonably be.
Unfortunately, that same strength had also filled him with enough confidence to believe he could solve every disagreement through intimidation.
Sooner or later, Rayne knew he would have to beat that mindset out of him.
Letting his gaze sweep across the assembled squad one final time, Rayne finally began speaking.
“I imagine most of you already know what blood runs through my veins,” he said calmly, his voice carrying across the yard. “But if some of you don't, then I'll tell you now rather than let rumors do it for me.”
He paused briefly. “My name is Rayne of House Frayser.” A few expressions immediately shifted at his words. “The house no longer exists. I'm the last surviving member.”
He let those words settle before delivering the part he knew every one of them had already heard whispered when they had first gotten their new assignments.
“And yes,” he said without the slightest hesitation, “it's the same House Frayser that attempted to start a rebellion against the kingdom. I'm a member of it, but I had no hand in the rebellion. Hence, rather than the edge of the blade, I'm in the army, and from today, you all would be serving under me.”
For several seconds, a strange silence took over the men as their expressions shifted and it was enough for Rayne to understand what most of them were thinking.
How had someone from the bloodline of traitors become a squad leader?
The question practically lingered in the air, yet nobody was foolish enough to ask it aloud.
Rayne answered the unspoken question anyway.
“I'm also a spellsword,” he said evenly. “But today isn't about me.” His gaze slowly moved across the assembled squad. “You'll have plenty of time to get to know me, just as I'll have plenty of time to get to know all of you. But that's not why I gathered everyone here.”
He paused briefly before continuing. “There are a couple of things we need to get through first, and we'll start with introductions.”
A few of the recruits exchanged uncertain looks.
“I don't need your life story,” Rayne said. “Just your name and a brief introduction. Tell everyone what you think you're good at or what you want to do being here.”
His eyes settled on a young soldier standing near the front of the fifth row.
“You'll start.”
The recruit looked around in surprise before realizing Rayne was speaking to him. Swallowing nervously, the man straightened his back.
“I'm... I'm Eric, Squad Leader,” he said. “I finished training three weeks ago. I'm decent with a spear and... I think I'm good at following orders.”
Rayne simply nodded.
“Next.”
The soldier beside Eric stepped forward and introduced himself in much the same way, followed by the next, and then the next after him.
Gradually, the introductions worked their way through the entire formation.
Some spoke confidently, others barely above a whisper, while a few of the forsaken answered with obvious reluctance.
Eventually, the line reached Sakar. The giant met Rayne's eyes for several seconds before speaking in a flat voice.
“Sakar Balkar, that's my name.”
More than a few recruits glanced toward Sakar hearing his deep, gravelly voice, but the introductions didn't stop there.
The line continued moving forward as one soldier after another spoke their names. Some sounded confident, others stumbled over their own words, while a few of the forsaken barely bothered saying more than their names before falling silent again.
Eventually, the introductions reached Rayne's own party.
Kesh introduced himself with the same easy grin he always wore. Nate spoke next, drawing a few curious looks after openly mentioning he was a forsaken, while Jason simply folded his arms and gave his name without bothering to add anything else. Heins remained as brief as ever, and Bran introduced himself last as the deputy.
Only after every single man had spoken did Rayne look across the formation once more.
“Now all of you know each other's names and faces,” he said. “I suggest you remember every single one of them, because these are the people who'll be protecting your back when an enemy is trying to put a blade through it.” His smile slowly faded. “And there'll be plenty of enemies.”
Rayne allowed the silence to linger for a moment before continuing.
“It doesn't take long for a man to die. Class doesn't matter. Status doesn't matter. None of it means anything if you're simply too weak to survive.” His gaze swept across the formation once again. “Right now, you have a few weeks before you face those enemies.”
As expected, several expressions immediately changed.
The recruits who had looked merely nervous before now seemed genuinely uneasy. A few instinctively folded their fists while others exchanged uncertain glances with the men standing beside them.
Finally, Eric who had introduced himself first slowly raised his hand.
Rayne gave him a nod. “Speak.”
“Are... are we going on a quest, Squad Leader?”
“Yes,” Rayne answered without hesitation. “The whole warband is going on a death quest. Our destination is the outer edges of the Godless Ruins. If you don't know what that place is, then let me tell you now.” His voice remained calm despite the weight of his words. “It's one of the most dangerous places in the kingdom.”
The formation immediately erupted into whispers.
Some recruits visibly paled. Others began quietly asking those beside them about the ruins. Only his own party remained calm, already knowing about it by now.
Rayne simply watched them. Earlier this morning, before breakfast, he had discussed how to handle the new recruits with Bran. They had considered hiding the truth until the march actually began, but both had reached the same conclusion.
Lying to the men would only make things worse.
If they believed this was an ordinary assignment, then the first glimpse of the Godless Ruins would destroy whatever confidence they still possessed. Better they learned now than when it was already too late to prepare themselves.
The whispers continued spreading through the ranks for nearly half a minute, and Rayne decided that was enough.
Without another word, he activated [Commander's Aura].
Immediately, he felt mana surge through his body before flowing toward his throat. The sensation wasn't smooth. The pathway wasn't cleared, hence it felt sluggish as the mana forced its way through every inch before reaching its destination.
Then Rayne spoke.
“Stay silent!”
The words weren't shouted. Yet the moment they left his mouth, an invisible pressure swept across the entire training yard.
Every whisper stopped at once.
The soldiers instinctively straightened their backs. Several recruits widened their eyes in surprise, while even Sakar looked at him with a guarded expression, as though suddenly Rayne was like a predator.
Even his party stared like they were looking at a different person altogether. Rayne slowly looked across every face before continuing.
“Only speak when you're given permission to speak.” His voice remained steady, carrying an authority that worked far better than he expected. “I didn't tell you about this quest to frighten you. I told you because I want every one of you to understand exactly why your bodies are going to be in constant pain over the next few weeks.”
Rayne allowed the words to linger for another moment before slowly looking across the formation once again.
This time, his eyes settled on Eric.
Out of everyone standing before him, the young recruit looked the most nervous. His hands were clenched tightly into fists, and despite trying to hide it, Rayne could see the slight trembling in his shoulders.
He wasn't the only one.
Several of the recruits looked as though they were already imagining themselves dying inside the Godless Ruins.
“I'll make one thing clear now,” Rayne said. “I don't plan on any of you dying in the ruins.” His gaze swept across the formation. “Or anywhere else.”
A few expressions shifted at the words.
“You're my squad now,” he continued. “As long as you're under my command, I'll do everything in my power to make sure every single one of you survives. That's also why the next few weeks are going to be miserable.”
“There'll be a lot of training,” Rayne continued. “There'll be a lot of pain. Some of you will hate me for it. Some of you will curse me behind my back.” A faint smile briefly appeared on his face. “But I don't particularly care. So long as you complete your daily training and follow every command I give you.”
He pushed more mana into his voice as he spoke the final words.
“Is that understood?”
The pressure filling the training yard noticeably intensified. Almost instinctively, every soldier straightened where they stood.
“Yes, sir!”
The response came immediately. Even Sakar answered alongside everyone else.
Rayne gave a satisfied nod before glancing toward Bran. The old ranger immediately understood and stepped forward and joined him.
“Before your actual training begins,” Bran said calmly, “there's something else Squad Leader Rayne and I have decided to implement.” His eyes moved across the assembled soldiers. “Every seven days, we'll hold ranking duels within the squad.”
“You all know each other's names now,” Bran continued. “Soon you'll also know exactly where each of you stands. After the initial rankings are decided, anyone will be free to challenge someone above them in order to take their place.”
Rayne nodded. “The benefits aren't just about pride. Anyone who reaches the top five will be exempt from most menial duties.” That immediately made a few raise their brows. “You'll also receive greater consideration for future promotions and have priority when low-grade artifacts recovered from the Godless Ruins are distributed, if we find any that is.”
He paused briefly before delivering the final part.
“And your first ranking matches will begin today.”
No whispers or murmurs came this time, the pressure from his voice keeping them silent. Even so, the surprise on their faces spoke loudly enough.
The recruits clearly hadn't expected to be fighting each other on their very first day. Still, most of them clearly understood exactly how valuable the rewards were.
Nobody enjoyed hauling supplies for miles, digging trenches until sunset or being assigned every unpleasant task simply because they happened to be lower in rank.
Avoiding those jobs alone was enough motivation. The possibility of promotions and magical artifacts only sweetened the deal.
Rayne, however, paid very little attention to their reactions. Instead, his eyes remained fixed on a single man.
Sakar.
Ever since Bran had begun explaining the rankings, the giant's attention hadn't left him once.
Rayne had expected exactly that.
After reading the man's file, he already knew how someone like Sakar would react to this. Men who respected only strength naturally challenged authority whenever given the opportunity. Which was precisely why Rayne had created one.
A leader sometimes needed an example to set his authority, and Sakar was about to become one.
As expected, the giant slowly raised his hand.
Rayne looked at him. “Speak.”
Sakar's scarred face remained unreadable as he looked directly into Rayne's eyes. “Does that mean...” he asked, his deep voice carrying across the yard, “we can challenge you too?”
A ripple of shock spread through the formation. Several recruits stared at him as though he had lost his mind.
Rayne, meanwhile, suppressed the smile threatening to appear on his face.
“Yes, anyone is free to challenge me.” Then, after a brief pause, he asked. “Do you want to?”