"This job isn't as easy as you think. The rest of you, who tried to cheat during the assessment, can leave now."
The conscription officer's voice came again, and the remaining six men looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy, but none of them left.
A Luo's eyes darted away, but [ Soaring Clouds 3773 ] kept quietly encouraging him.
In fact, all that is needed to lift the boy's thin outer garment is to see the unfolded form of the Vine Dog attached to his body like an exoskeleton.
But [ Soaring Clouds 3773 ], who has experienced another world of PUA, knows that this kind of question, similar to "Don't you know what you did wrong?", is a typical example of proactive pressure.
In this situation, as long as you act as if you have a clear conscience, that's enough. As for whether you truly have a clear conscience, who knows? Even the person asking this question doesn't know.
Seeing that everyone looked so resolute, the recruiting officer pointed a finger at one of them:
Why did you pick up the stone lock later than everyone else?
The man looked at the recruiting officer with some surprise, and after confirming that the officer was referring to him, he said somewhat awkwardly:
"My lord, I'm just... I'm just a little slow to react..."
"Your reaction time is a bit slow, isn't it?"
The conscription officer snorted coldly:
"I understand. But let me ask you this: since you took it a moment later than others, why didn't you hold it a moment longer than others after the hourglass reached its end?"
Upon hearing this, the man was immediately thrown into turmoil, his entire body trembling visibly. Even between the two people [ Soaring Clouds 3773 ], cold sweat could be seen on his forehead out of the corner of their eye.
"If you know what's good for you, get lost."
The recruiting officer left those words behind, then looked away from the man and turned his gaze to the remaining five.
The elimination rate is already 50%, are we really going to continue screening people?
The Soul Returner home couldn't help but cry out inwardly in bitterness:
Wow, how come this recruiting officer is so capable?
He looked at the serious-faced native with some doubt, then at the poor fellow who had already packed his bags and left. He wondered if this recruiter had studied in the real world, especially in the human resources department of a large company. Why was he using PUA and stress testing right from the start?
If he came up with all these methods himself, then this guy is quite talented...
After the man had walked away, the conscription officer nodded to the five survivors:
"All five of you passed the test, you—"
He pointed to [ Soaring Clouds 3773 ]:
"Since you were the only one who chose the large stone lock, you are now the squad leader. From today onwards, these men are under your command. If there are any problems with transporting grain or digging ditches, you'll be the first to have your head chopped off!"
[ Soaring Clouds 3773 ] never expected that he would be promoted on the spot for doing nothing and only showing six or seven tenths of his strength.
Although he was just a squad leader, and he didn't even have nine men under his command, and his salary was only at the level of an ordinary auxiliary soldier, a small rank is still a rank. This was the first step for a hoodlum to reach the pinnacle of life!
Thinking of this, he immediately switched into performance mode, revealing a classic bully-the-weak-cowardly smile that he had recently learned from ordinary people in the outer city:
"Thank you, Recruiting Officer."
"Okay, go ahead. Follow the city wall. They'll be handing out clothes and shoes over there. Once you have your things, follow the line in. Later, the auxiliary troops' centurion will give you a speech."
"Yes!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Understood, sir!"
The five men gave a vague reply, and then, as if granted a pardon, walked behind the conscription officer.
Just a hundred meters behind him stood the towering walls of the imperial capital, and ahead, along the walls, stretched a series of tents, with many people carrying new clothes and shoes.
It seems that although second-class auxiliary soldiers only receive half the money, at least their clothing isn't being skimped on.
Just as everyone was beginning to look forward to their future life as auxiliary soldiers, the sound of a whip cracking through the air came from behind them, followed by a howl.
Everyone turned around at the same time, and saw a guy who came out from the other recruiting officers behind them.
He was all alone; it seemed that he was the only one from that group to pass through.
He was clutching the back of his shoulder, groaning as he staggered toward the roadside.
A cavalry of seven or eight men swept past him at that moment. The blood on the leader's whip was still wet. Although he had already ridden past, he turned his head and cursed angrily in Imperial language:
"You dare block my way? You deserve to die!"
The five men frowned at the sight and immediately scrambled to the side of the road, afraid of bumping into the group.
But what he feared most came to pass. In his panic, just as he was about to reach the safe area by the roadside, A Luo was suddenly tripped by his Armor-Plated Capybara. He immediately lost his balance, staggered a couple of times before regaining his footing, only to find himself on the road that the caravan was bound to take.
Seeing that the leader had already raised his whip, A Luo had no choice but to raise his arm to protect his head, hoping that the blow wouldn't be too hard, otherwise he wouldn't be able to work properly and would be beaten again, which might lead to a vicious cycle.
[ Soaring Clouds 3773 ], who had already reached the safe zone, was initially shocked upon seeing this scene, but then immediately turned to ecstatic joy.
It's good to get beaten up!
That's exactly what I want!
How can I show how good I am to my subordinates if you don't fight them?
At this moment, the Soul Returner's mind was almost completely consumed by utilitarianism. With what little compassion he had left and love for children, [ Soaring Clouds 3773 ] leaped forward and pounced in front of A Luo, leaving the other three dumbfounded.
"Smack!"
A sharp, ridged whip made of some kind of animal leather snapped violently on the back of the Soul Returner.
His already thin outer garment burst open with a "whoosh," revealing the skin beneath, and a bloody gash instantly appeared, even staining the tip of the whip in the man's hand with crimson.
"Ugh!"
The Soul Returner had long since deactivated his pain system, let out a mock groan. Upon hearing this, the three people on the roadside contorted their expressions and their bodies twitched in response.
A Luo, whom he had rescued, was now at a loss, never expecting that his adopted older brother would go to such lengths.
Before he could even shed tears and bow down in worship, the rider who had lashed out with his whip had already brought the Hoofed Beast beneath him, which was different from the one of the Second Holy See, to a halt.
The man extended his riding crop, pressing it against [ Soaring Clouds 3773 ]'s chin, his anger seemingly having subsided considerably:
"Hmph, you're quite the loyal one."
"You and he don't look alike at all, so why are you protecting this kid?"
[ Soaring Clouds 3773 ] was forced to raise his head, but said loudly:
"Reporting to you, sir, for I am a squad leader and he is my assistant!"
He had the air of a fearless, tough guy, yet his gaze met another pair of eyes in mid-air.
That man was the last in the caravan. Although he had an ordinary appearance, he possessed a reserved demeanor and an air of mystery that made him impossible to read.
At this moment, the Soul Returner looked at this person, his gaze gradually moving upwards from where they met until it stopped on the semi-transparent text box above the other person's head:
[ Practice More If You're Bad ].