“Are you talking about soccer? I think I’m pretty average.”
“Really? Then let’s play some combat soccer together later.”
“Oh, Minjun? Sounds good. Come out to the training field after lunch.”
“Yes! Understood!”
Combat soccer was only possible for those who were at least corporals.
The soccer that hunters played was so intense that it made American football look tame.
And now, I’m a Corporal.
Crack.
It’s been a while since he played soccer, so his feet were itching to play.
Will some other skills I developed in that world work here too? I should test it out.
After lunch, at 1 PM, the hunters changed into athletic clothes and did various exercises.
Some hunters went to the indoor training room, while others enjoyed basketball or foot volleyball.
‘Now’s the time!’
‘Let’s go!’
A few sergeants secretly slipped back into the barracks.
“Minjun, you take care of defense. Don’t stress too much if you can’t do it.”
“Corporal Kim Minjun! I’ll do my best!”
Kim Minjun matched up with the neighboring platoon and started combat soccer with his seniors.
It’s been a while since I’ve kicked a ball; my feet are itching.
There wasn’t much to enjoy or let out steam when he was still at Isgard.
No games, no internet, no TV.
The only hobbies he had were sports like soccer or baseball.
But he couldn’t enjoy these alone, so he often gathered his followers to play.
Ah, I’m excited even before we start. I wonder how well these guys play.
As Kim Minjun went to his assigned defensive position, the match began.
The hunters displayed quick and agile movements as they passed the ball around, trying to break through each other’s defenses.
Hmm, if Kim Heungmin was playing, he’d probably fly off with just a shoulder bump.[1]
It was probably because it was soccer among hunters, but ordinary people couldn’t last 10 minutes.
That’s how rough the hunters’ combat soccer was.
“Ah! They got through!”
“Minjun, don’t be nervous and block them!”
“Yes! Understood!”
The opponent’s defense snatched the ball and passed it to the striker.
The striker quickly brought the ball toward Kim Minjun’s direction.
Paat!
“Huh?”
Kim Minjun instantly stole the ball from the dribbling opponent.
The opponent’s striker had managed to dodge three defenders, but it seemed like child’s play for Minjun to have taken the ball from him.
Thwoong!
Kim Minjun immediately passed the ball to his platoon member.
A simple and accurate movement.
“Nice! Clean, Minjun!”
“Just keep doing that!”
Thanks to Kim Minjun’s exceptional defensive skills, the 2nd platoon had an overwhelming possession rate.
“Ah… shit.”
“Why isn’t it working today?”
The opposing platoon members frowned as the score gap widened.
They had always won combat soccer against the 2nd platoon but were already losing 2-0.
“Wow, you’re good at soccer. Didn’t you say you weren’t that great?”
“Try attacking from the middle. I’ll switch with you.”
The seniors spoke with satisfied expressions.
“Yes, understood!”
Being a striker was a good thing.
“Hey! Just mark Kim Minjun!”
“Stick three people to him! Just leave the other ones behind!”
“Argh, crazy!”
In less than 10 minutes after Kim Minjun started attacking, the score was already 5-0.
When Kim Minjun got the ball, he was able to push the other hunters aside and score thanks to his overwhelming ball control.
From the opponents’ point of view, it was maddening.
“That’s insane. How can someone play soccer so well?”
“It doesn’t seem like just practicing and playing soccer all the time would get you that good.”
His team’s defenders had no chance to step in because of Kim Minjun, so they just sat down and watched the play unfold.
Good. I’ve got my groove back, so now’s the time.
As soon as Kim Minjun received the pass, five hunters from the opposing team rushed at him because he would score if he got the ball.
They had changed to a desperate strategy.
Get out of the way. If you don’t, it’s going to hurt a lot.
Laughing as if it was amusing, Kim Minjun fired a long-range shot.
Bang!
With the sound of something exploding, the soccer ball flew with a terrifying force.
“Whoa, that’s crazy!”
“Ugh!”
Although the opposing defenders tried to do something, the ball suddenly curved at a horrifying speed, and they were busy trying to avoid it.
Ah. This feeling. It’s back.
This is the Isgard-style banana kick.
Screaaam!
With its terrifying speed, the soccer ball changed direction and went into the corner of the goal.
Nice shot.
With this, it was 7-0.
“Wow. Did you see that?”
“That’s a banana kick. That’s insane.”
“How can a ball bend like that?”
The opposing hunters seemed to lose motivation when they saw Kim Minjun’s banana kick.
Ah. I should have taken it easy. The other side will be no fun now.
It had been too long since he last played soccer, so he lacked consideration.
“Wasn’t he shooting from outside the center line? Can a ball really bend like that?”
Meanwhile, the seniors watching were amazed as they continued conversing.
“We found a talent. Our platoon was weak at soccer anyway.”
“Hey. Let’s make sure to include Kim Minjun when playing combat soccer. If he’s there, we can beat most platoons.”
Soccer was also an essential skill for soldiers.
Minjun’s evaluation was rising at that moment.
***
“Ah. Combat soccer ended too quickly. Should have taken it easy.”
Combat soccer ended faster than expected.
Kim Minjun was currently sitting on the bench.
There were still two hours left for combat sports…
What to do?
“Kim Minjun.”
As he was pondering, Sergeant Lee Seungho nearby motioned toward him.
“Corporal Kim Minjun.”
“Uh, it’s nothing. Are you using the training room?”
“I use the training room occasionally on weekends.”
In fact, he had never been near the training room, but he answered politely that he was using it.
“You’re a corporal now, so don’t worry about it and use it freely.”
Ah.
Right, I was a corporal.
“Pass the next promotion test, okay?”
“Yes! I understand.”
That won’t be too difficult for him.
Next time, he might not be a sergeant but a staff sergeant.
After answering, Kim Minjun immediately headed to the training room.
In fact, he was not interested in training. What he was really interested in was the simulation machine in Training Room 2.
Oh, wow.
Was this the monster training simulation room?
It felt like he had entered a VR room.
“Let’s see. Was this how you do it?”
Humming a tune as if he were in a game room, Kim Minjun set up the system.
[Please select a monster.]
[You have selected Orc.]
[You have exceeded the maximum number of entities. The maximum number of entities you can designate is 30.]
“Ah, I wanted to have a great fight since it’s been a while.”
An error message popped up when he set the number of entities to 999.
Feeling disappointed, Kim Minjun continued to set up the simulation.
[Please set up a weapon.]
“A weapon, huh? They even implemented weapons? That’s awesome.”
So that’s why Training Rooms 2 to 5 were available only for those with ranks corporals and above.
Being able to designate virtual monsters for training was indeed impressive.
Vroom.
[The battle begins.]
As he pressed the start button, the sound of machines started, and monsters began to appear one by one.
“Wow, they did a great job. Is this virtual reality or something?”
The sensations he felt on his body were a bit dull, but it was pretty well implemented.
The grip of the virtual weapon he held in his right hand was also good.
“Let’s go!”
Kim Minjun jumped into the horde of 30 orcs.
Bam! Pow!
Hounds or orcs, they were not much different from each other.
He sent each of them to their maker with one hit.
The orcs swung their weapons wildly, but Kim Minjun dodged them effortlessly as if he had eyes in the back of his head.
“This is it. This is monster hunting!”
He hadn’t even entered a dungeon yet.
Even if he did, he didn’t know when he would face a single orc.
“Come at me, all of you!”
Kim Minjun slaughtered the orcs like a child enjoying a game.
[Warning! You have left the designated area.]
[Warning! Engaging multiple monsters at once is dangerous.]
This was not how the combat simulation system was supposed to be used.
“Hmm, it feels somewhat lacking with only 30.”
Ignoring the warning message, Kim Minjun reached for the monster button.
“How about this?”
Tap, tap.
[Hound: 30
Monster Rat: 30
Goblin: 30
Orc: 30]
“Ah, this works. I’m a genius, after all.”
The maximum number of summonable entities was 30, but there were no specific restrictions on the types of monsters.
No sane hunter would try to face multiple types of monsters at once.
Even in combat simulations, they would feel significant pain when hit.
“Ah, these monsters overflowing in the field… It’s really… heartwarming.”
Kim Minjun beat up all the training monsters in sight, filling the field with them.
“You cute creatures, come on!”
With his gesture, numerous types of monsters intertwined and charged fiercely.
Facing such a large number of monsters, a platoon wouldn’t stand a chance; it would require a fully armed company.
Boom! Bang!
Kim Minjun agilely fought against the monsters.
He had been holding back his strength, but there was no need to do so here.
“Ah, this is crazy. This is the most fun I’ve had since Dungeon Power Fighter?”
After finishing the battle, Kim Minjun exited the simulation with an exhilarating feeling.
“I should come here whenever I’m itching for some monster-smashing.”
As he opened the door to leave the training room, he ran into Private First Class Lee Dongjin, who happened to be passing by.
“…Corporal Kim Minjun?”
Lee Dongjin checked something and spoke with an astonished expression.
“What? Why?”
Kim Minjun had overlooked one thing:
[2nd Combat Simulation Results
Hound: 30
Monster Rat: 30
Goblin: 30
Orc: 30]
The battle results were displayed on a monitor.
“…Corporal Kim Minjun? Did you really do all of this?”
[1] I think the writer was probably inspired by Son Heungmin.
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