The Next Morning
I woke up.
Still alive.
Still in this world.
Still... a soldier.
I took a shower, got dressed, then sat for a moment on the rock-hard bed—more like a stone with a bedsheet, really. After mourning my life a bit, I walked to the scene where I first regained consciousness—the horse stable. The place where all this suffering began.
I had one goal: find my phone and wallet.
At the very least, if this was all a dream, maybe I could catch some signal to the real world? You never know.
I searched around, and finally... YES!
My wallet!
And... my phone!
But...
My phone was broken.
The screen was shattered.
Pressed the button—nothing.
I pinched my cheek, hoping to wake up from this dream.
Ouch.
Yup, it's real.
Still, I was kinda grateful... at least my wallet was intact.
Though... the money was in a dollar and my electronic ID card definitely wouldn't be valid in this kingdom.
Nice.
Suddenly, I heard footsteps approaching.
A guy walked into the stable.
"Hey, you're the one who got yelled at by the commander yesterday, right?" he said while laughing.
My reflex: I wanted to kick this guy.
Politely, of course. In my mind.
"That's right," I replied flatly. "So why are you here?"
"I came to get some horses. We've got horseback training today. Thought you were here for that too."
...
Wait.
Horseback training?
Me? On a horse?!
Sorry, the last vehicle I rode was a folding bike—and I fell off that.
A horse?
I don't even know the difference between a saddle and motorcycle handlebars.
After that absurd conversation at the horse stable, I was dragged—literally—by that guy to the training field.
There were already a dozen or so other soldiers there, all of them looking like they were born post-gym membership, super buff and intimidating.
And me?
Just a casualty of night shifts and instant coffee.
The commander arrived.
Heavy steps, and an aura of intimidation thicker than his armor.
Clearly, today was not my day.
And of course, he pointed right at me.
"You!"
Oh no, here we go again...
"Horseback training! Now!"
I stepped forward, body half-trembling—like a chicken accidentally wandering into a dragon's den.
A horse was brought out.
Big. Majestic. Eyes sharp as blades.
Its name was something like Zephyr... or maybe Spinebreaker the Destroyer.
I tried to approach.
The horse looked at me.
We locked eyes.
There was a silent exchange between us.
And I'm pretty sure it said:
"Weak human. I can smell your fear."
I gulped and attempted to mount.
But my body froze, and in one awkward move... THUD!
I fell.
Backwards.
Right into a pile of hay.
Which, oddly enough... saved me from deeper humiliation. Sort of.
All the soldiers laughed.
I wanted to evaporate.
But the commander just scoffed and said:
"If you can't ride it, then you'll run... while pushing it around the field!"
WHAT?!
PUSH A HORSE?!
Sir, that's a 400-kilogram animal, not a shopping cart!
But I gave in to my fate and started pushing the horse.
Each step was an insult to the dignity of modern humans.
I used to work with Excel. Now I push horses.
Degradation level: 200%
That night, I returned to my room like a zombie.
My whole body ached.
But somehow...
Behind all this suffering, there was a tiny spark of feeling alive.
Just a little.
Maybe because... at least I'm not alone in an office like before?
Or maybe... because I really want to kick that commander someday.
Who knows.