My Domain Runs on KPIs

Chapter 003

Luke stared at the hundred Orcs tearing around the training ground.

For three full seconds, his expression completely fell apart.

Then he took a deep breath.

One hundred Orcs.

Each over seven feet tall.

Every single one built like a walking pile of muscle.

And he-a physically helpless HR professional-had two days to turn this pack of wild dogs into wolves.

Luke silently encouraged himself.

You trained more than three thousand new hires back in your old life.

You’re seriously going to be scared of just one hundred Orcs?

Then he watched one Orc chase another across the entire training ground with a spiked club because the other guy had stolen a strip of dried meat.

...

Yes.

Yes, he was.

Luke let out a long breath and walked into the middle of the field.

He clapped his hands.

“Gentlemen.”

“Quiet down!”

Nothing happened.

Unlike the new employees he used to train, not a single Orc paid him the slightest bit of attention.

Fortunately, this was where Dreadiron came in.

“Dreadiron, could you get them to quiet down?”

Dreadiron turned his head and glanced at Luke.

He neither spoke nor moved.

Luke immediately added,

“It’s part of the training.”

“If you refuse to cooperate and we lose two days from now, when Grimjaw asks what happened...”

That did it.

Nothing got people working together faster than shared interests.

Dreadiron’s expression shifted slightly.

Then he looked toward the chaotic training ground.

He strode forward, walked up to the Orc who was still chasing someone with a club, and kicked him flat onto the ground.

Luke could have sworn the earth shook.

The way he looked at Dreadiron instantly changed.

“SHUT UP!”

Dreadiron roared.

“LISTEN TO HIM!”

Every Orc turned toward the voice.

The moment they realized it was Dreadiron shouting, several visibly shuddered.

The entire field fell silent.

Luke clapped his hands again.

“Good.”

“Everyone, come over here.”

Under Dreadiron’s threatening gaze, the Orcs obediently crowded around Luke.

“For the next two days, all one hundred of you will be under the command of Dreadiron and me.”

“Two days from now, you’ll fight another hundred Orcs selected by Grimjaw.”

The atmosphere changed instantly.

A hundred pairs of eyes locked onto Luke as if he had personally murdered their families.

Damn it.

The hundred Orcs Grimjaw chose would obviously be the elite of the elite-warriors from Grimjaw’s own tribe.

And he expected this bunch of rejects to fight those monsters?

Was this some kind of joke?

Just then, the squeak of wooden wheels came from nearby.

The Orcs immediately turned toward the sound.

Eight handcarts were being pushed toward them.

Each one was piled high with grain and meat.

The murderous looks aimed at Luke vanished in an instant.

They were replaced by naked hunger.

Even Dreadiron’s eyes lingered on the carts for a moment.

Luke smiled in satisfaction.

“See those?”

He pointed toward the carts.

“Everything on them is mine to distribute.”

“And I’m making all of you a promise.”

“Finish today’s training, and you’ll receive food tonight.”

“Perform well tomorrow, and you’ll receive more tomorrow.”

“And if you win two days from now...”

“There’ll be an extra reward.”

The Orcs stared blankly at him.

Several of them were already drooling.

A moment later, the entire training ground exploded with roaring cheers.

The Orcs pounded their chests and shouted so loudly that Luke’s ears started ringing.

“Quiet!”

Luke barked.

This time, something miraculous happened.

The moment he spoke, the Orcs actually fell silent.

Luke nodded.

“Now, I want ten Orcs in each row.”

He walked across the dirt, stamping ten shallow marks into the ground, then drew a line extending back from each one.

“The first person in each row stands on the mark.”

“Everyone else lines up behind him.”

“I want ten proper lines in front of me.”

Luke pointed toward the sky.

“If you finish before the sun is directly overhead, everyone gets one serving of food.”

“Start.”

By Luke’s estimate, they had about an hour.

That should be plenty of time.

Probably.

The moment the Orcs realized they could earn a meal by doing something so simple, they threw themselves into the task like they were charging an enemy formation.

Unfortunately, even though Luke had simplified his instructions as much as humanly possible...

He still ended up staring at a formation that looked like someone had thrown a hundred Orcs randomly across the field.

One row had somehow become three.

Luke closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead.

On second thought, maybe these Orcs were still slightly better than the new hires he used to train.

At least none of them were secretly playing on their phones during the meeting.

Luke went through the formation one Orc at a time, physically moving them into the correct positions.

More than an hour later, he finally managed to get all one hundred standing where they belonged.

He looked up.

The sun was directly overhead.

“Now remember exactly where you’re standing.”

Luke pointed at them.

“If any of you comes back after eating and can’t find your assigned position...”

“No dinner tonight.”

The Orcs stiffened.

“Good.”

“Go get your food.”

Nobody moved.

Instead, they looked at one another, forcibly suppressing the urge to sprint toward the carts and fight over the food.

Luke had made himself very clear.

If they forgot their positions, there would be no dinner.

One meal now or guaranteed meals later?

Even the Orcs understood that calculation.

They stood there for more than ten minutes, repeatedly checking their spots until they were certain they had memorized them.

Then-

They charged toward the food at full speed.

Luke watched them devour their meals and smiled faintly.

Give them the reward first.

Then establish the rules.

Next came the important part.

Teaching them that those who followed the rules got even more rewards.

What Luke didn’t notice was Dreadiron standing behind him, staring at the scene in disbelief.

He had never seen these Orcs behave this obediently before.

When he looked at Luke again, there was something different in his eyes.

Half an hour later, one hundred Orcs stood before Luke in ten rows.

The formation still wasn’t exactly neat.

But Luke had already accepted reality.

Considering these people probably couldn’t survive elementary school, this was already an achievement.

“Now, each group of ten will choose one leader.”

“The leader stands at the front.”

“The squad leader will be responsible for managing the others, and all squad leaders will answer to Dreadiron.”

Luke looked over the Orcs.

No reaction.

Right.

Of course.

Extra responsibilities required extra compensation.

Luke calmly added,

“Squad leaders get an extra serving of food.”

The training ground immediately exploded.

“I pick him!”

“Why him?! Why not me?!”

“Because I can beat you!”

Luke cleared his throat.

“Fine.”

“One-on-one fights until each group chooses a leader.”

He raised a finger.

“Whoever is the strongest...”

“Whoever the others are willing to follow...”

“And whoever can help make sure everyone gets fed...”

“That person becomes squad leader.”

Once Luke gave them those three criteria, the chaos suddenly gained direction.

Some groups huddled together and started arguing.

Others used a much simpler method.

They immediately began beating the hell out of one another.

A true one-on-one battle between men.

Or Orcs.

After a lively round of fighting, ten squad leaders were finally chosen.

Then Luke stopped trying to teach them anything complicated.

For the rest of the day, they practiced exactly one tactic.

Front row raises shields.

Back row attacks from behind them.

That was it.

Expecting these Orcs to understand sophisticated battlefield tactics?

Luke figured dying again would probably be easier.

“Group One, shields up!”

“Group Two, attack from behind them!”

The Orcs tilted their heads and looked at one another.

Luke stared at them.

Then sighed.

“Shield.”

He walked over and slapped the wooden shield held by one of the front-line Orcs.

“You.”

He mimed lifting it.

“Hold this up.”

Then he walked to the row behind them and mimed thrusting a weapon forward.

“You stand behind them.”

“Then attack.”

The Orcs’ eyes lit up.

Understanding at last.

Even Dreadiron’s lips twitched slightly from where he stood nearby.

Luke couldn’t tell whether he was amused or simply surprised.

Luke returned to his position.

“Front row!”

“Shields up!”

“Back row!”

“Attack!”

The front-row Orcs raised their shields.

The Orcs behind them lifted their spiked clubs-

And smashed them directly into the shields in front of them.

BANG!

The front-line Orc spun around and cursed.

The Orc behind him scratched his head.

Luke covered his face with both hands.

“Attack the ENEMY!”

“The people in front of you are YOUR OWN SIDE!”

The front-line Orc shot the other Orc an angry look.

Then he turned back and lovingly stroked his battered little wooden shield.

By nightfall-

Luke was leaning against a wooden post.

His voice was completely hoarse.

The results of Day One:

Ten squad leaders successfully chosen.

Formation discipline: barely acceptable.

Tactical coordination...

Forget it.

He didn’t want to talk about tactical coordination.

Dreadiron walked over in silence.

Then he held out a strip of dried meat.

Luke looked at it.

Then at him.

Dreadiron was quiet for a moment before saying,

“You did... all right today.”

It was the longest sentence he had spoken all day.

Luke accepted the dried meat and bit into it.

His teeth nearly cracked.

He slowly turned toward Dreadiron.

Dreadiron’s face remained completely expressionless.

Luke stared at him suspiciously.

Was this Orc trying to be friendly?

Or was he trying to kill him?

Forget it.

Luke didn’t have the energy to think about it.

He still had one more day.

The battle was the day after tomorrow.

Luke looked up at the night sky.

If he lost...

That would be the end of his life.

...

Although technically speaking, his life had already ended once.