MBD | Chapter 1

As he exhaled with a soft “hoo—,” a white puff of smoke escaped from his lips. Whether it was from his cigarette or just his breath in the cold, he couldn’t tell.

Even though he was wearing two layers of gloves, the biting wind seeped through, dampening the sweat inside and making the cold even worse.

“Damn, it’s freezing.”

“Well, it’s winter, sir. It’s supposed to be cold.”

“They say this year’s especially bad.”

Kang Woojin, the youngest colonel in the Korean Army, pulled his coat tighter around himself as he stepped inside the guard post.

The startled soldiers inside snapped to attention and saluted him. Woojin gave them a once-over before shrugging, signaling them to relax.

Right behind him, another man followed in.

“Sunbae-nim, you’re a full-fledged colonel now. If you keep showing up at guard posts unannounced, you’re going to give the kids heart attacks. You should leave this kind of work to the lower ranks.”

“Can’t help it—it’s just in my nature. This is the last post, isn’t it?”

Woojin was the kind of guy who had to see things with his own eyes to feel at ease. Now that he had arrived at the final checkpoint, he plopped himself down on a worn-out metal chair in the corner.

“You’re not leaving?”

Major Kim gave him a wary look. Woojin pulled out his phone and gave it a little wave.

“Just one more thing before I go. A new chapter dropped.”

“That web novel thing, sir?”

“Sergeant Park recommended it. It’s good. You should try it.”

“Didn’t you mention it before? Some military novel, right? I don’t get it—why would a soldier read a military novel for fun? You’re really something else, Colonel.”

At his junior officer’s grumbling, Woojin chuckled lazily. His eyes, however, were already locked onto his screen, completely absorbed.

[I Reincarnated as a Trash Soldier in Another World]

The first time he saw the title, he almost blurted out, What kind of cringey weeb nonsense is this?

But Sergeant Park had been persistent, practically begging him to just read the first ten chapters. So, reluctantly, Woojin gave it a shot—and ended up pulling all-nighters for several days straight.

The novel was good.

Even with its fantasy elements, the attention to military accuracy, the all-too-real depictions of army corruption, the chaotic incidents, and even the heavy psychological depth—he couldn’t help but wonder if the author had spent decades in the military. There were just too many things that hit close to home.

The real gem, though, was the final boss and villain of the story—Karl Heinrich Stein, the dictator of the enemy nation.

The character was crafted so well that despite being an antagonist and a dictator, he was insanely popular.

Karl Heinrich had overthrown the emperor and even ousted the five great noble families of Eisenwald, leading a revolution that turned the nation into a powerhouse in just ten years.

The way it all unfolded felt so grounded in reality that it was hard to dismiss it as just another fantasy plot. Despite being a villain, he had an undeniable appeal.

Before he knew it, Woojin had devoured the entire chapter in one go. Clicking the screen impatiently, he smacked his lips in frustration.

“Why is there no next chapter? Someone needs to lock this damn author in a basement.”

“…Sir, I’d really suggest keeping those kinds of thoughts to yourself.”

After finishing the latest chapter, Kang Woojin slipped his phone into his pocket and got to his feet.

Work was still work, after all. He quickly checked in with the soldiers, making sure there were no issues and asking if anything had happened last night. Once the routine check was done, he stepped out of the guard post.

“Colonel, you really are a born soldier.”

“…Where’s that coming from?”

“You look like you’re enjoying yourself when you talk to the soldiers.”

“Do I?”

Woojin scratched the back of his neck. It wasn’t like he had an overwhelming sense of patriotism or anything. It was just that the strict hierarchical structure of the military suited him well.

Even if he could go back in time, he was sure he’d still end up becoming a soldier.

The two of them headed toward their Retona¹ to return to the barracks. Just as they were about to get in the vehicle—

The sky flashed.

KWAANG!

“W-what the hell?!”

Before they could even react, sirens blared. The sky turned a burning orange, then was swallowed by waves of crimson light.

Then—darkness.

It was a missile.

࿐⋆˚𝜗𝜚˚⋆

Taang! Tang! Tang!

“—Take cover!”

“Shit, fall back! Don’t give up the high ground!”

“Regroup and reorganize once we retreat!”

“AAARGH! YOU BASTARDS! CUT IT OUT ALREADY!”

Gunfire thundered all around. Deafening chaos filled the air.

His entire body ached as if it had been beaten to a pulp. Slowly, he opened his eyes—

But he couldn’t see anything.

Damn it… I fought so hard to climb up, and now this? If I was going to die, I should’ve at least died with a star on my shoulder!

No, wait. If he had died from a missile strike, wouldn’t they at least give him a posthumous promotion at his funeral?

…Not that it mattered. A promotion meant nothing to a dead man. He had no family, no partner who would claim his pension.

The reason he had even joined the military in the first place was because he had no idea how to survive on his own after leaving the orphanage at eighteen.

At least if he became an officer through the military academy, he’d have comrades—brothers-in-arms.

…Maybe he had just been lonely.

But hold on… is this really death?

Wriggle, wriggle.

Something’s off.

He was in pain, but not that much. And if by some miracle he had survived, shouldn’t he be waking up in a hospital or an ICU?

As he tried to move, something in the darkness pressed him down.

The unexpected touch made him freeze. Instinctively, he tensed up, trying to jerk away—

But then, a voice, young and soft, whispered right above his head.

“Shh.”

He felt the rough texture of dirt against his back. There was a camouflage net covering him, and through its small gaps, he could see the heavy boots of soldiers patrolling nearby.

Taking deep, steady breaths, he forced himself to think.

Only when the sound of footsteps had completely vanished did he slowly push away the net.

The sudden light made him squint, his face twisting into a grimace.

Beside him, a brown-haired boy sat crouched, a machine gun slung over his still-developing shoulders. The kid glanced around warily before exhaling.

“…Damn. I’ve only heard about it, but this is brutal.”

“……”

“Looks like we’re the only ones left. We should move to the rendezvous point.”

“……”

“…Sunbae-nim? You okay?”

The boy approached him, waving a hand in front of his dazed face. Reflexively, he pushed the hand aside and looked up.

Around him, the scenery was filled with a dense forest. Towering, thick trees stretched high into the sky, and the unusual vegetation was something rarely seen in Korea.

As he kept his mouth shut, an unfamiliar voice called out to him.

“Everhart sunbae-nim? If we stay like this, we’re all going to die. We need to move.”

Staggering as he got up, he frowned slightly at the boy’s words.

“Everhart?”

To his shock, as soon as he spoke, a voice too delicate to be his own escaped his lips.

The ground was still wet, probably because it hadn’t been long since the rain had stopped. In a puddle beneath his feet, his reflection was clearly visible.

His appearance was an utter mess, but his golden hair swayed slightly. A sharp pain throbbed in his head.

‘Huh? Wait a minute.’

Dropping to one knee, he pressed a hand against his forehead. Someone beside him was saying something, but it barely registered.

Instead, unfamiliar memories started flooding into his mind.

‘Everhart is… me?’

Everhart von Friedrich.

He was the proud eldest son of the Friedrich family, one of the Five Great Noble Houses of Eisenwald.

Alongside Everhart’s memories, Kang Woojin’s memories merged in as well.

If these memories were correct, then this was the world of I Reincarnated as a Trash Soldier in Another World, the novel Kang Woojin had been reading before he died.

Straightening up, Everhart quickly gathered his thoughts.

‘Wait a second, Eisenwald? The Friedrich family?’

The protagonist of I Reincarnated as a Trash Soldier in Another World had reincarnated in Bronia, not Eisenwald.

Eisenwald was the enemy nation, and the Friedrich family—one of the Five Great Noble Houses—was brutally crushed in the end by none other than Karl Heinrich Stein, who would go on to become a dictator.

‘Their wealth was confiscated, his parents were executed by firing squad in front of the public, his younger sister committed suicide, his younger brother was blinded in a chemical attack and later scammed until he froze to death on the streets. And Everhart… was tortured to death in Valkenz Prison Camp.’

The author had been surprisingly detailed in describing how Karl Heinrich seized power and purged the Five Great Noble Houses.

That part of the story had been so intense that it remained vividly in Kang Woojin’s memory.

The tragedy of Everhart’s family was only covered in a few short lines, but now that he was the one living it, the horror of it all was unbearable.

‘What kind of messed-up situation is this?’

The original protagonist had suffered plenty after reincarnating as a trash soldier, but considering the overall plot, that would have been a way better option.

A noble from the enemy country, doomed to fall?

‘I have to survive at all costs!’

But how?

Should he join forces with the Five Great Noble Houses and stop Karl Heinrich from becoming a dictator?

‘Objectively speaking, there’s no denying that both the Five Great Noble Houses and the Emperor are corrupt scumbags.’

Drawing on the knowledge and experience of Kang Woojin, a 21st-century South Korean Army soldier, he made the most rational decision.

Maybe it was the loneliness of Kang Woojin’s past life, but Everhart couldn’t just stand by and watch his family die in such a miserable way.

If he wanted to save them—and himself—there was only one path.

‘Karl Heinrich Stein.’

That bastard would graduate from the military academy and, in just a few years, rise to become a dictator.

Wouldn’t it be better to latch onto him and grab a position, maybe even as the Minister of National Defense or something?

If he played his cards right during the revolution that wiped out the Five Great Noble Houses, he might at least avoid a gruesome death.

Everhart slowly lifted his head.

The boy who had saved him, Weber Schmidt, ran toward him, exasperated.

“Sunbae-nim! This isn’t the time to be zoning out! Soon, they’ll—”

Bang—!