One person looked at the two rough stone locks in front of him and asked:
"Sir... why did you give us two stone locks?"
The recruiting officer took a sip of water, his voice still deep:
"Those who are promoted to the highest rank will become first-class auxiliary soldiers and receive full pay; those who are promoted to the lowest rank will become second-class auxiliary soldiers and receive half pay."
Are there any other questions?
Before anyone else could ask anything, the conscription officer's tone suddenly turned stern:
"Start!"
"Smack!"
As he uttered those words, the hourglass in his hand suddenly flipped over, and a strand of fine sand began to flow from top to bottom.
Seeing this, the ten men dared not delay, immediately made a decision, and began to act.
[ Soaring Clouds 3773 ], whose strength and physique are not bad, naturally chose the large-sized stone lock.
In reality, a typical otaku like him would never be able to do this so easily.
But in this World of Disorder, he lifted the large stone lock with a single effort, and it even felt like he only used six or seven tenths of his strength.
Like a weightlifter he had seen, he lifted the stone weight to his chest with both hands, held it in his mouth, and waited for the timer to end.
And A Luo, who was beside him, made his decision after a brief hesitation—
Despite the power of Kapibala, the boy's thin arms and legs did not fundamentally improve.
He eventually grabbed the smaller stone lock, and mimicking his older brother, his face flushed as he forcefully lifted it to his chest.
Two guys who chose the small stone weights couldn't hold on any longer and threw them on the ground, then turned and left, feeling ashamed of themselves.
Their physical condition was so poor that they couldn't even meet the most basic requirements, so there was no room for leniency.
Two more people initially chose the larger size, but feeling they couldn't handle it, they immediately switched to the smaller size, and at that moment they were looking at the conscription officer with timid eyes, as if they had made a mistake.
Time ticked by, and the sand in the hourglass dwindled. Groans and moans began to rise from the crowd.
[ Soaring Clouds 3773 ] didn't find the assessment particularly difficult. After getting used to it, he treated it as just ordinary weight-bearing and it didn't seem like a big deal.
But A Luo, who was beside him, thought completely differently...
As the boy's breathing became increasingly rapid, the Soul Returner realized that the guy was about to lose his grip on the stone lock and was on the verge of elimination.
A Luo himself realized this, and his whole body began to tremble slightly, whether from exhaustion or fear of elimination, it was unclear.
All right.
The Soul Returner looked at A Luo, whose face was filled with regret and fear, and finally made a decision.
As a professional bricklayer who has only recently switched careers, it's highly unlikely that [ Soaring Clouds 3773 ] cares much about the NPCs in this world.
But he still wanted to help the young man beside him, even if he might be discovered, even if he might lose his qualification to become an auxiliary soldier, even if he might be beaten dozens of times.
This wasn't because he was particularly kind, but because--
According to the script [ Soaring Clouds 3773 ] wrote for himself, "From Vagabond to Grand Duke," he would always need some capable and trusted lieutenants, whether on the battlefield or in the court.
A follower who had been with him since his humble beginnings was clearly a good candidate.
Thinking of this, [ Soaring Clouds 3773 ] raised the stone lock in his hand, covering his mouth.
"Neigh~"
He whistled softly, and the Vine Dog sitting behind him twitched its ears, then, under the cover of his body, slowly began to approach A Luo's ankle.
The boy's first encounter with that seemingly silly medium-sized dog was completely different from what he had imagined.
There was no smooth hair, no warm skin, only roughness and coldness.
And that rough, cold feeling was now creeping up his calves...
Hang in there, don't worry.
[ Soaring Clouds 3773 ] mouthed these words to A Luo under the shadow of the stone lock.
The boy keenly picked up on the signal. Not being blatantly nodding, he simply blinked to indicate that he understood.
That rough, cold sensation gradually crept up his body.
In a corner where no one was watching, Vine Dog Bruce had disappeared like a tangled thread on a spool of yarn, disappearing into the uneven hem of A Luo's trousers.
The cold, unknown object coiled around A Luo's wrists and arms, relieving his unbearable muscle soreness while also gradually applying a little force to keep him from collapsing.
However, the Soul Returner didn't go too far; A Luo still looked like his head was so red it was about to explode.
Even so, A Luo's eyes never left the top of the hourglass. He stared at it with a murderous look, as if that could speed up the flow of the sand.
Finally, at the moment the last grain of sand fell, the remaining eight people let out a desperate roar, threw the stone locks in their hands to the ground, and then began to pant heavily, disregarding everything else.
[ Soaring Clouds 3773 ] glanced at the clock in the corner of the player panel. Five minutes. The only requirement for them was five minutes.
Objectively speaking, although it's quite challenging, I think I could probably do something similar in real life.
After all, the conscription officer didn't restrict the way you lift the stone weights, so even carrying them on your shoulders wasn't against the rules, and you could even save some effort by being lazy.
But in this World of Disorder, for these creatures who often go hungry and sometimes even have to steal food from symbiotic beasts, this standard is indeed not low.
The recruiting officer looked at the eight panting men with cold indifference in his eyes, as if he were used to seeing this kind of scene before his eyes.
The remaining eight people awaited his judgment.
Just then, the conscription officer suddenly pointed to two people near the edge:
"You two can leave now."
"Why... why, sir? We did replace the stone locks, but second-class auxiliary soldiers aren't unacceptable!"
The two men never expected to be the first to face judgment, and now they looked at the conscription officer with expressions of utter despair:
"Sir, please reconsider!"
"The most valuable quality in a person is self-awareness."
The recruiting officer's words were cold:
"You don't even know your own capabilities, how can I let you pass?"
"If you deliver a whole cartload of grain and only half of it arrives, are you going to tell me that half a cartload isn't so bad?"
A deathly silence fell over the room. The recruiting officer looked at the two men and asked:
"Anything else to say?"
The two dared not utter another word, but stood there panting heavily, their heads bowed, and turned to leave after realizing there was no hope.