"My casting speed is 1.2 seconds too slow. I need to cut it down by at least one second.
My restriction magic is too weak—it needs to be 40% stronger.
That means using more mana, but I'll burn through my reserves. Then I'll have to expand my mana pool."
William muttered to himself in the middle of a burning forest.
Up close, he looked awful—messy hair, sunken eyes, and pale skin. He looked more like a sick patient than a soldier.
Lost in thought, he didn't notice a golem charging at him.
"William! Watch out!"
A rough voice shouted through his earpiece, snapping him out of his daze. He turned just in time to see the golem rushing in.
Instead of dodging, William's entire hand began glowing red, casting a fireball, and he prepared to face it head-on.
"Damn it!" the voice yelled again—this time from a man in heavy-powered armor sprinting toward him.
"Faster, stronger, more power…" William muttered, eyes wild like a fanatic, as the golem neared.
Just as the fireball finished charging, he fired it at point-blank range. The blast exploded, shaking the ground.
Cain, the armored soldier, reached William just in time. He shielded him from the explosion with his own body.
The shockwave hit them both—William rolled across the ground, and Cain crashed through several trees.
"What the hell!!" Cain shouted, climbing from the wreckage. His armor was scorched and dented.
William stood up, not checking for injuries. He stared at the destroyed golem in a daze.
Cain stormed over. "God damn it, William! Why are you zoning out again?"
William blinked. The situation finally registered.
"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." He bowed deeply.
"Stop apologizing and get back into the fight!" Cain barked.
"Yes!"
William returned to the battle, and the squad finished the training session without more problems.
During a short break, Cain walked up to him again.
"Do you want to explain yourself, William?"
"I'm very sorry. It won't happen again." William bowed, sounding panicked.
Cain sighed and scratched his buzz cut hair. His voice softened.
"Listen. I don't know why you're so desperate, or why you were assigned here with no real training. But you need to slow down. You're not in the right headspace."
William kept bowing, clearly missing the point.
"Yes, I'm sorry. I'll make sure it never happens again."
Cain stared, frustrated. "That's not... Fine. Just rest and be ready for the next session."
"Yes!" William saluted.
After a few minutes, the next training session began.
But in the middle of the fight, William felt his focus slipping again.
He tried to stay alert, but it didn't work. He started hurting himself to stay awake.
"Huff… Huff…"
By the end of the second round, William's world started spinning. A wave of anxiety hit him.
His breathing sped up, and his body began to shake. Trying to stay calm, he chanted the Sleepless Magic.
Slowly, his vision cleared, and his breathing steadied.
He waited, tense, but the symptoms didn't come back. He sighed in relief.
Some teammates noticed something was wrong but brushed it off as just fatigue.
After a short rest, round three began.
But this time, in the middle of the fight, the dizziness came back—much worse. William nearly collapsed.
He tried to chant the Sleepless Magic again, but it didn't work, and moments later, William fell to the ground.
***
"How's his condition, Doctor?"
"The scans show low blood pressure, a high resting heart rate, severe muscle strain, and unstable mana flow."
"All common signs of sleep loss and overtraining. But his condition is much worse than usual—it looks like he hasn't slept in days."
As the sergeant and doctor talked, William's eyes snapped open. He sat up quickly.
"Sir Sergate! Dr. Jana!" he called, moving to salute.
Dr. Jana looked surprised. "Hey, kid. When was the last time you slept?"
"Four… no, maybe seven days ago?"
"I see. Are you using any anti-sleeping spells?"
"Yes…"
"What's it called?"
"Sleepless Magic."
"I figured," the doctor muttered, falling into thought.
"Is… there a problem?" William asked, uneasy.
"No, not exactly. But this kind of spell is usually used by scholar mages. What were you doing while using it?"
"I've been training non-stop. Running to build stamina. Casting healing spells on myself. Practicing all kinds of magic."
"I thought so. You've been using the Sleepless Magic wrong. It needs a lot of mana to keep going, but you used all your mana on training."
Dr. Jana sighed. "You stayed awake for seven days, so the spell kind of worked. But it didn't protect you from the side effects."
She narrowed her eyes. "Who gave you this spell? It's rare—someone important must've taught you."
"It was Dr. Lenny," William answered without thinking.
"Of course it was him," she muttered, rubbing her forehead. "Alright. Starting now, you need at least one full day of rest. No training."
William flinched. "Doctor, I'm fine. I don't need rest—I can keep going."
"This is an order," the sergeant stepped in at this time and said firmly.
"No training until the doctor clears you."
"…I understand, sir," William replied, bowing his head.
***
Later that evening…
Cain stood stiffly in front of a desk, frustration written all over his face.
"Sir Sergate, I don't think William suited in this unit," he said firmly.
"And why's that?" The Sergeant looked up from his paperwork.
"He's reckless and inexperienced. He could drag the whole team down."
"But hasn't he shown major improvement these past few days? Give him a little more time—he might turn into an asset."
"Yes, but he's too desperate and reckless. Our unit needs discipline, not desperation."
The Sergeant sighed. "Fair enough. But, I didn't assign him—General Isaac did, and he let him skip standard training."
Cain paused. "The general is backing him?"
"All I know is he wants to save someone poisoned by a Toxcarver."
"…" Cain fell silent
"It'll be fine. The general wouldn't send a kid to his death."
"He's only been given two weeks to meet our unit's basic standards. If he fails, he goes to regular training. If he passes, he gets deployed."
Cain frowned. "Still… he does realize joining this unit won't make the cure come any faster, right?"
"Does it matter? It's better than sitting around doing nothing, isn't it?"
Cain had no answer.
"If that's all, you're dismissed."
"Yes, sir." Cain saluted and left.
Outside, in the canteen…
"Hey, Cain! How'd it go?" a few squad members asked as he walked in.
"Turns out William was personally assigned to our unit by the higher-ups."
"Damn. Are they trying to get that kid killed?"
"No. He only gets deployed if he passes our standards."
"Well, judging by his progress, he might actually have a shot."
"I just hope he doesn't get us killed," one member muttered.
"Poor kid," someone else added.
The squad kept talking as they ate.
"What do you think, leader? Will he make it?"
"…Don't know." Cain didn't answer directly. He just waved the question away and focused on his food.
***
Midnight.
Cain was still awake, tossing and turning in bed. After a while, he gave up and went out for a jog to clear his mind.
As he ran through the forest, a small white dot moving in the distance caught his eye.
He focused with his enhanced vision. It was William.
Cain frowned. William was supposed to be resting. He changed course and headed toward him.
Before he could reach him, a loud, overly excited voice rang out:
"MEDICS! We've got a runner! Don't let him get away! Charge!"
A cloud of dust rose as a group swarmed William and caught him with ease.
Cain slowed, watching the absurd scene unfold, then walked closer.
The group wore brown and white combat uniforms, each holding a long metal staff that could shift shape—one had already turned into a net, leaving William dangling.
"Oh! It's a young one!" the enthusiastic leader shouted, eyes sparkling as he stared at William.
Cain kept his tone calm.
"You're from Monster Control, right? Why are you here—and why are you treating a patient this way?"
The group turned toward him. Their eyes lit up with curiosity, then dulled the moment they noticed his uniform.
"Yeah, that's us," one of them said. "But we got reassigned. Orders were to round up runaway patients. You know… after a certain 'escape incident' with a certain 'training maniac.'"
Cain's brow twitched. "And you thought a net was the best way? He's a patient. You could've injured him."
The leader shrugged. "Looks fine to me. Guy was sprinting like a wild deer."
Cain pointed at William. "So… are you letting him down now?"
"Oh. Right."
They dropped William, dusted him off, and one even patted his back.
"Back to bed now, okay?" the leader said cheerfully.
Cain's frown deepened. "You're not even going to escort him?"
The leader grinned. "Honestly, we kinda hope he bolts again. Gives us something to chase. Way better than dying of boredom."
Cain just stared, his face blank. Their leader's expression clearly said, What? Not my fault.
They don't seem reliable at all, Cain thought.
"I'll take him back."
"Tch." The leader clicked his tongue, waved his team on, and they shuffled off without a care.
Cain and William walked in silence in the night.
Finally, Cain spoke.
"Aren't you supposed to be resting?"
"Yes."
"Then why are you out here?"
"...Training."
"Didn't the nurse tell you to stop?"
"She did. But it's fine if I only use my mana for Sleepless Magic, right?"
Cain felt a wave of exhaustion. He wasn't sure if it was from the late night or the people he had to deal with.
He didn't want to argue, so he changed the subject.
"I heard you're trying to save someone poisoned by a Toxcarver."
"But what can you do? You only have two weeks of training. Do you think you can speed up the cure?"
"Wouldn't it be better to leave it to the experienced soldiers? Instead of risking your life—and others too?"
William stayed silent. They kept walking.
Only after a second did William speak.
"…You're right," he said at last. My joining this unit won't change anything. I might even be a burden. It's selfish."
"But honestly… I don't care."
"I've always been selfish. I grew up in a noble family. Got everything I wanted."
"People bowed to me. And the ones who offended me… disappeared."
"Then, overnight, I lost everything."
"I fell into despair. Thought about ending it more than once. But I was too scared."
"It wasn't until I started treating the poisoned soldiers that I felt hope again."
"I heard their stories, saw their regrets… watched families break down—and others fight to live with nothing but willpower."
"It made me feel grateful for my life, but also helpless at the same time."
William stopped walking and looked at Cain.
"So I just want to do something. Anything. Even if it's meaningless. I just want to calm this restless feeling inside."
"So please, Captain... for the time I have left, let me give it everything I've got. I want to be useful—just once."
Cain was quiet for a long moment.
"I understand."
William let out a deep breath of relief.
Then—WHACK—Cain landed a strong chop to the back of William's head.
As William collapsed, Cain caught him before he hit the ground.
"But first," Cain said calmly, "you need to rest."