Before going, Dr. Erskine said as he looked at the training soldiers.

"General Patton once said, 'Wars might be fought with weapons, but they are won by men'! We can definitely win this war because we have the best soldiers!"

"The Strategic Scientific Reserve is composed of various national allies. The best and brightest of the free world have gathered here! Our goal is to build the most powerful army, ever! And every army has a leader!"

"By next week, we will choose that person!"

"He will be the first super soldier!"

"Similarly, he will send Adolf Hitler to hell with his own hands!"

"..."

At the end of the two-week training-program for recruits, Colonel Philips finally revealed the 'Super Soldier' selection program.

He held Carter's score sheet in his hand and looked over at the tall and well-built Luke.

As expected, this young man from Brooklyn was still excellent.

Judging from the physical quality and the comprehensive results from various training programs, it was a well-deserved first place among the recruits of Camp Lehigh.

‘This is the super soldier the country needs!’

Colonel Phillips was very satisfied with the results.

But when his eyes accidentally landed on the thin and weak Rogers, he couldn;t help but sigh.

Despite the fact that the other party trained seriously and never slacked off, his naturally weak physique made it very difficult for him to become a competent soldier.

"I really don't know what Erskine is thinking!"

Colonel Phillips was a little annoyed.

He was under pressure from the Committee and the White House's watchful eye.

If the 'Super Soldier' couldn't satisfy the military, then his career would be over.

It was important to know that various countries had invested a lot of manpower and resources to set up the Strategic Scientific Reserve.

Now, everyone was waiting for the result!

After the meeting, the recruits were dismissed.

However, the recruits had half expected who was going to be selected and were bootlicking him.

"Boss Luke! Your performance should be the best of all the new recruits. You should be the super soldier!"

Back at the barracks, Gilmer Hodge, who had been lectured by Carter, was one of such people.

He was considered a mob character in the original plot.

He often bullied the skinny Rogers, because of his large size and hard fists.

However, this time, things were different due to Luke.

Hodge, who felt satisfaction by bullying the weak, suffered the first defeat in his life.

On the night before arriving at Camp Lehigh, Hodge tried to make fun of Rogers, but Luke stuffed his head into the toilet.

He thought his fists were hard enough, but Luke, who had beaten gangsters, cut down gangs and 'painted houses', had a lot of real life experience. It was like a sheep meeting a lion, it was a one sided massacre.

Since then, no one among the trainees would dare to mess with the Brooklyn duo.

Hodge, who was stuffed into the toilet, became Luke's faithful gofer.

He would follow him around every day, calling him boss. Just like a bootlicker! 

Luke once wondered if the guy had masochistic tendencies, or if his brain was filled with water when he was stuffed in the toilet.

(TNote: head/brain filled with water = became an idiot.)

However, he later realized that bullies like Hodge, who were afraid of bullying and bullied people, often believed in the simple thinking that 'the strong have the last say'.

Therefore, it was normal for him to act like this.

All in all, Luke seems to have turned on the King of Soldiers template and had managed to dominate the entire Camp Lehigh without realizing it.

(TNote: template/ character template = It's where you define your character's race, backstory, appearance, abilities, goals and flaws—everything you'll need to successfully place them in your game/story. For example a Character card.)

Colonel Philips not only praised Luke, but he was hailed everywhere he went in the barracks.

"Use your head and think about it. If the conditions for selecting Super Soldiers were training results and strong muscles, then couldn’t the military just pick someone from the army?"

Luke didn't treat Hodge differently just because this guy bootlicked a lot.

"Yes, Boss Luke has a point!"

Hodge had a smile as he cleaned the barracks.

"Steve, don't be discouraged! I can see Dr. Erskine thinks highly of you!"

Ignoring the fawning Hodge, Luke walked up to Rogers.

The future Captain America is somewhat depressed right now.

When he saw Luke's excellent performance and thought of his poor performance, he was inevitably a little depressed.

"I wasn't thinking about becoming a Super Soldier. But I'm starting to wonder if my choice to join the military and serve was the right choice? Maybe Bucky had a point. If you aren't destined to do something, giving up is also a kind of courage!"

Rogers sounded like he had reached a new low point in his life, and his tone was full of doubt towards himself.

Through these days of training, he finally realized how weak he was.

"I don't think so. Dr. Erskine saw you and drafted you into the military, so he surely found some good qualities in you that are worth considering! Confidence, that's the secret to success, don't be defeated by a momentary setback! A character of gold is worth more than strong muscles ..."

Luke brought up a steaming bowl of chicken soup for the soul, filling Rogers' eyes with light and fighting spirit.  

(TNote: Chicken soup for the soul = speech/story intended to encourage someone to make more effort or to think more positively.)

If he kept up the good work and said a few more inspirational sayings from the future, perhaps Captain America would regard him as a spiritual mentor.

‘So, it was possible to learn something by reading some marketing mottos…’

Luke breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Rogers's mood slowly returned to normal.

After all, Captain America was an important part of his plan.

During the 2-week training for recruits, Luke unapologetically distinguished himself and achieved excellent results.

And he did that obviously for the Super Soldier Serum.

It was just that.

However, he didn’t wish to wear the star-spangled banner uniform and take Captain America's place!

‘Even if I become a super soldier, I will inevitably be regarded as a mascot by politicians! I don't want to perform on stage and debut as an idol!’

Luke's thinking is very clear.

The military researched the Super Soldier Serum.

The real purpose was to form an invincible and powerful army.

In this way, they could march into Berlin and end the war.

According to the development of the original plot, Dr. Erskine will be assassinated, the only sample will also be destroyed, and the formula for the Super Soldier Serum will be lost forever.

Rogers' usefulness at war, as the only Super Soldier, was at most as an mascot to promote buying of war bonds - that was what the politicians thought.

If Luke replaced Rogers and donned the Stars and Stripes uniform, his ending would probably be similar.

Suppose he did it differently and saved Dr. Erskine.

The next step would be the mass production of Super Soldiers.

Luke still wouldn't have any future, because he would no longer be the special one.

Therefore, after much consideration.

Luke decided to show his excellent side and strived to win Colonel Philips' admiration and put more pressure on Dr. Erskine.

With two suitable candidates, the story may progress differently.

　　……

　　……

At dusk, Erskine went looking for Luke, who was resting in the barracks.

The German scientist didn’t beat around the bush and explained the reason for his arrival.

"Colonel Philips thinks you're the best candidate for Super Soldier. What do you think, Luke?"

Feeling that scrutinizing gaze, Luke's kept his calm..

After a moment of thought, he replied without hesitating, "What a super soldier needs to possess is not just a strong body, rather, it's knowing compassion and having a good heart!"

He could see that Dr. Erskine was testing him.

Rogers was always the right person in the other party's mind.

After the 'Red Skull' incident, the German scientist had a bit of trauma. 

Even if Luke performed well, Erskine wasn't as impressed as he was by Rogers' words at the recruiting station.

Erskine pushed the glasses on the bridge of his nose and asked with a hesitant tone, "Who do you think meets such conditions in the camp?"

"My friend Steve Rogers. His character is most trustworthy."

Luke's eyes were determined, as if he was inwardly convinced of this.

Hearing this satisfactory answer, Erskine's last doubt disappeared without a trace.

Originally, he was suspicious of Luke's involvement in the gangs and the high probability that he had blood on his hands.

He was afraid that if the other party became a super soldier, he would be like Red Skull and completely lose his sense of humanity!

Because of the effectiveness of the serum, that is what would happen.

"Very good!"

Erskine patted Luke on the shoulder and smiled approvingly.

Originally, he and Colonel Philips had very different ideas, and neither could convince the other.

Luke's answer completely dispelled Erskine's doubts.

He spoke solemnly, "You will both be super soldiers!" 

…