Bad Born Blood - Chapter 1



Only Noblemtl

001

Our fate is decided by the Empire’s selection. Praise His Majesty the Emperor.

It was the day I finished the second screening. The director of the daycare center smiled broadly and patted my shoulder. His fingers were plump and bulgy, as if he had been stealing so well.

“You will be the greatest masterpiece of our orphanage, Luca.”

Even though the orphanage director was a greedy piglet, he had an eye for people. Three years later, when I was fifteen and became a cadet in the Imperial Guard, that statement became true.

The day I left the slums of the lower zone, I was baptized in steel. The Imperial scientists cut off my limbs and replaced them with cybernetic limbs. These were advanced prosthetics that the lower class would never see in their entire lives.

I have broken rocks and crushed metal with my bare hands, and I have been able to leap two stories high in one leap.

‘Irregulars of the 72nd daycare center.’

People looked at me and said that. It was extremely rare for someone to cross the threshold of the guard from a two-digit orphanage.

The Imperial Guard was mostly comprised of children from single-digit orphanages or noble families. However, there was no discrimination based on status in selecting guard cadets.

… … It was simply a difference in ability.

If a person with better genes grows up in a better environment, he or she will have better abilities. This is a general phenomenon.

Of course, there are often irregulars like me who make up the difference, but from the perspective of group efficiency, the occasional irregularity can be ignored.

“The people above say you’re an irregular, but what do they actually call someone like you?”

During the interview, the captain of the guard looked down at me and spoke. He continued speaking without waiting for my answer.

“… … They are called geniuses. Those who, despite their innate limitations and poor conditions, produce results that transcend universality.”

I didn’t even smile at the compliment.

“I am simply loyal to the Empire and serve His Majesty the Emperor.”

I answered, putting my hand on my heart.

“That’s a good example, Luca.”

The guard captain’s eyes glowed blue. His name was Heilas Custoria, one of the strongest soldiers in the Empire.

“… … Thank you, Captain.”

I felt intimidated for no reason. It was hard to look the captain of the guard straight in the eye.

“It’s okay to be better than others. But you shouldn’t be different from others. That is, if you want to live long.”

The interview ended with the captain’s advice.

* * *

I have to live in the Guard Training Center for four years. I received intense training that I didn’t even know how my first year as a cadet passed. When I opened my eyes in my dorm bed, training began, and when I closed my eyes with my tired body, it was already morning.

The guardsmen had to learn all the official fighting techniques of the empire, and furthermore, they had to be able to handle all military equipment. Swordsmanship, spearmanship, shooting… … these were a given, and they had to learn and master the operation of various heavy weapons and equipment to an expert level.

And every quarter, we tested the neural compatibility and limits, and upgraded the prosthetic limbs to a higher grade. It was a process of gradually increasing the output so that the nervous system could adapt to the high-performance cybernetic body. Through this series of adaptations, we became qualified to handle the full-armor body Legion exclusively for the Royal Guard.

“Today is an important day for you. It’s a kind of mid-term check-up.”

On the last day of the first year of training, the captain of the guard gathered the cadets in the underground coliseum and spoke. It was a place modeled after the ancient ruins of Earth.

Forty of my fellow cadets, including myself, stood motionless and waited for the captain of the guard to speak.

“His Majesty the Emperor… … .”

The captain of the guard pointed to the opaque glass of the upper floor. He said that the current Emperor Yuri Kratia and his family were there.

Praise the defender of humanity, the founding father, the first emperor of the empire, Dino Kratzia. Some chanted softly, as if in prayer. The founder of the empire is still revered hundreds of years after his death.

“… … You must show off your skills while I watch you.”

On the other side of the Colosseum, there was a group of condemned men. We had to fight the armed condemned men.

“You can choose any weapon.”

The captain of the guard pointed to the wall and said. There were many firearms, including spears and swords. However, only one of us chose a gun. I glanced at the peculiar guy who chose a gun and then looked away.

Kiing!

I pulled out my sword. The blade was smooth. It had a monomolecular coating, so it could cut through iron.

As a guard, you had to be proficient in all weapons, but close-quarters weapons… …especially swords and spears, were considered the most important.

Melee weapons were of little practical use in combat unless the user was highly skilled. Lower-ranking soldiers were more efficient with firearms.

That’s why the guards wielded melee weapons. They were proud of being able to take down enemies with guns using swords and spears.

Squeak!

On the other side, five armed death row inmates walked out onto the rough sandy playing field.

Soon, our cadets went out one by one to deal with the death row inmates.

I stared at the arena while waiting for my turn.

There were no deaths among the cadets. However, even when the execution of the condemned inmates was successful, there were often cadets who suffered serious injuries. This was due to a lack of skill.

Before I knew it, my turn was approaching. I saw the cadet ahead of me. He was the one who had chosen the gun.

“Are you thinking of using a gun? If you’re confident, that’s fine too.”

The captain of the guard said as he looked at the unusual cadet who had chosen a gun.

Having trained with him for a year, I know the skills of a gunman cadet. He is not a coward, even if he chooses a gun. He is a good guy.

The gunman cadet advanced into the arena.

Ta-Ang!

A gunshot rang out. If someone had a gun, there had to be a reason. The gunman cadet danced and fired with almost magical skill.

Kaang!

The bullet he fired without looking collided with the bullet fired by the condemned man. It was not a coincidence, it was a plan. He showed off his skill of blocking bullets with bullets as he advanced.

“Ah, as expected… … .”

“It’s worthy of the Kartika family.”

Admiration for their rivals flowed from the cadets’ mouths.

The gunman cadet had already reached the condemned prisoners’ noses. The condemned prisoners had already lost their will to fight and were just pulling the trigger in vain. The magazines were long empty.

Excellent. He subdued the death row inmate, proving the difference in class.

bang!

The gunman put the barrel of his gun right between the condemned man’s eyes and shot him. It was a close-range execution that was virtually no different from using a gun or sword. No, it was a more difficult method, if you think about it.

Clap, clap, clap.

A clap of hands was heard beyond the opaque glass window. The gunman cadet bowed his head and waist respectfully, leaving a deep impression on the emperor.

If you’re going to use a gun, you have to do it at least that high. The gunfighter cadet was so good that there was no room for disagreement about his skills.

“You’re unlucky, Luca. There will be many comparisons.”

The captain of the guard said, the corners of his lips twitching. I felt a surge of anger. It’s hard to say it myself, but I’m not a very good person.

“We’ll have to wait and see who’s unlucky.”

I thought I had slipped up, so I looked at the captain of the guards, but he just shrugged his shoulders and laughed.

Knock knock.

As I went out to the arena, the door closed, blocking my escape route.

Whether all the death row inmates die or I die, there are only two outcomes.

Kiiing.

I raised the sword to my face. The sound of the sword’s strike was unpleasantly clean.

‘You just have to block and dodge bullets.’

It is the basic qualification of a guardsman. However, it was not a given for us, who were just cadets. The fact that my motive was injured during this test is proof of this.

What I need now is superhuman concentration. Our cadets have chemically strengthened their nervous systems through special drug administration and several procedures. There are minor side effects, but thanks to this, we can artificially bring out extreme concentration like a revolving lantern and maintain a state of accelerated thinking.

‘I deflected bullets several times in a row during simulation training. I’m more than capable.’

But even if you succeed nine times out of ten, it’s not enough. In reality, if you fail even once, you lose your life. You have to succeed ten times out of ten to be able to use it in real combat.

“Hoo, hoo.”

Five condemned men were coming out of the arena, panting. They were terrified. They were extremely wary of the cadets who were much younger than them.

It was because of the pressure of the name of the Guard. Even though the opponents were cadets, they were oppressed by the name of the Guard.

Click, click.

The death row inmates were looking at me with guns drawn. We stood in a standoff for a while, doing nothing.

I looked over the death row inmates. They were wearing cheap cybernetic equipment that I doubt was even functioning properly. Their mechanical limbs were unbalanced due to repeated illegal modifications. Some of them were tilted to one side.

They were all people who didn’t even know the basics. If I had my bare hands, I could kill them all with my eyes closed.

However, they were armed with guns now. If a bullet hits my head or vital points, I will die. So I cannot let my guard down.

Swish.

I braced my legs and stared ahead. As I realized the situation, the battle thoughts that were obsessively imprinted on my brain accelerated rapidly.

There were several possible scenarios for the five gunmen to unfold. As I mentally overlapped the scenarios, a safe path emerged. This was the exit I had found.

Of course, this is just a prediction. If I keep moving forward like this and get shot, I will pay the price for my immaturity.

‘For now, we have no choice but to trust and move forward.’

It was only for a moment, but the thought was over. My feet lifted off the ground. And as if that was the signal, gunfire rang out.

My high-performance prosthetic legs could run faster than cars for short distances.

bang!

I’m asleep. The bullet passes by my ear as if piercing my hair. It’s quite chilling. Death is getting closer.

But the thrill of success was greater than the fear. I would be smiling now.

Ta-Ang!

The gunshots continued. I twisted my body and took a sharp turn. My left ankle creaked from the forced emergency braking. There was a sound of several parts being misaligned.

‘Ignore the little things.’

Just move for ten more seconds.

widely!

I slid and turned, and ran away, scraping the ground with my fingers. My speed barely slowed down.

I approached the condemned man on the far right. From now on, I was within striking distance of the sword. This was my territory.

My arm moves. The blade traces a trajectory.

S- Gung!

The condemned man couldn’t even scream. His severed head slid down the path. His gaping mouth just twitched like a goldfish.

Okay, I took care of one. My hormonal system is tuned for combat, so the guilt of killing is faint and fades quickly.

I rolled my eyes. If I use the corpse of the executed inmate I just killed as a shield, I can easily deal with the remaining enemies.

‘But this is a place to show off your skills.’

The goal is not to survive. The goal is to catch the Emperor’s eye. The image of the cadet showing off his skills with a gun came to mind.

‘Can I do something similar?’

I had never done it before, but now I felt like I could do it.

My senses were extremely heightened. Thanks to the expanded senses, as if the fog had cleared, the surroundings appeared in three dimensions like a radar map. Even with my eyes closed, I could clearly predict the enemy’s location and actions. The trajectory of the gunshot felt like countless lines.

The time I felt was infinitely long.

I held the sword forward and tilted it at an angle.

Ting!

The bullet hit the blade and bounced to the side.

“Kaaaah!”

The screams of others spread. A ricocheting bullet pierced another death row inmate’s eye. The screaming inmate soon fell to the ground.

‘I did it.’

There was no time to rejoice. Gunshots rang out one after another.

Ting! Teeeeing!

I swung the blade repeatedly and fired bullets. The bullets, whose trajectories were twisted by the blade, struck the bodies of the condemned prisoners one after another.

Whoosh!

My arms were moving so fast that they looked like afterimages. Electricity shot out of my overloaded elbows. My eyeballs, which had been fluttering, seemed to have dried up and stopped moving properly.

A faint smile spread across my lips. I had crossed the line. My value was rising.

‘But the nervous fatigue is too severe.’

My concentration was fading. I felt my vision slowly narrowing. After today’s battle, I would have to sleep for a day or two.

“Phew… … .”

Only the sound of my breathing spread quietly. I was the only one standing in the arena. The other death row inmates were lying on the ground with bullet holes in their heads.

I felt like I was going to collapse, but I tried to suppress my fatigue.

Clap, clap, clap.

Applause spread from above. I bowed politely to the invisible emperor.

Creak.

The closed door opened. I returned to where the captain and the cadets were.

“Isn’t there ballistic control techniques in the curriculum yet?”

The captain of the guard looked at me and said, I just found out that there is a special name for this technique.

“I just followed the example of the guy in front.”

I spoke honestly. There was no reason to hide it. I wanted to finish answering quickly and rest. I felt like I would collapse and faint at any moment. I’m not joking.

“Ilay Kartika comes from a prestigious family. That’s why he learned a lot in advance. It’s different from you, who came from an orphanage, using ballistic control techniques.”

I didn’t know what to say. Excessive humility and pride are not good to see. I needed a middle ground right now. Worldly skills? That’s one of the things I’m worst at.

“I am…….”

Before I could finish speaking, the captain of the guard tapped me on the shoulder.

“I’m not questioning you. Rather, I’m praising you. Go inside and rest. Don’t forget to get your maintenance done.”

I walked out into the hallway, receiving stares from other cadets. Before I knew it, my steps were limping. My left prosthetic leg was completely destroyed.