A hunter sat against a tree, possibly with an injured ankle.
It was Corporal Son Eunseo.
“More than half of their platoon is down.”
“This mobility training is definitely brutal.”
“Ah. Talking about it is making me sleepy. I should just shut up.”
“Just keep talking. The moment you stop, you’ll fall asleep.”
Nearly half of the members of the 4th Battalion’s 4th Company’s 4th Platoon were on the verge of exhaustion.
“I’m sorry…”
In the end, the female hunters who had exhausted themselves declared their withdrawal from the training.
They decided they would be a burden to their fellow platoon members if they continued.
Then, the medical hunters who were on standby came from behind and helped the women leave the training area.
Kim Minjun was lost in thought for a moment.
As he looked around him, he saw platoon members who seemed about to collapse and those who were showcasing their sleepwalking skills.
Their fatigue must have reached its peak.
There’s no rule against helping members of other battalions.
If anything, they might even give additional points for doing so.
While Kim Minjun was contemplating what to do, the platoon members had arrived right in front of where the 4th Company was stationed.
“Salute! First Lieutenant Kim Chulmin. Do we have any hunters in critical condition?”
“Ah, yes! There are no hunters in critical condition. You don’t need to worry.”
“Is that so? We are….”
While the platoon leaders exchanged polite words…
“I’m sorry! Corporal Son Eunseo! I’m really sorry!”
A female hunter approached Son Eunseo, bowing her head sorrowfully.
It turned out that Son Eunseo had been injured while protecting her junior.
That looks like a fracture.
Kim Minjun recognized the condition of her ankle at a glance.
The treatment is a bit lacking.
It seemed like they had tried to stabilize it with a splint, but it looked unstable.
What the heck, I might as well help.
After all, even though they were hunters from another battalion, they were still comrades.
“Platoon leader, I have something to attend to.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Corporal Son Eunseo’s emergency treatment looks unstable. May I take a look?”
First Lieutenant Kim Chulmin looked surprised by his words.
“Minjun, you know how to do that?”
“Yes, I have some experience.”
“Don’t mess with it recklessly; it could lead to serious trouble.”
“I’m confident.”
“Well, if you’re confident, go ahead and try. But remember, it’s on you if anything goes wrong.”
“Yes!”
With the platoon leader’s permission, Kim Minjun immediately approached Corporal Son Eunseo.
“Excuse me, please move aside.”
“What? Yes….”
He cleared the surrounding platoon members and re-examined Son Eunseo’s ankle.
“Kim Minjun? What are you doing now…”
“The splint is unstable. Stay still for a moment.”
He skillfully adjusted the splint and secured the fracture site.
The other platoon members watched him as if he were performing a magic trick.
“That should do it. You know we still have more than 15 km to go, right? You can’t walk like this.”
It was an indirect way of saying she’d have to give up halfway.
At those words, Son Eunseo bit her lip hard.
Whether you give up on the first day or the last, it was all the same.
You wouldn’t get any performance points.
And with today being the last day, it would be particularly disappointing for her.
“I’m fine now. If I just go a little further… Ouch!”
“It doesn’t look fine to me.”
“Ugh….”
Son Eunseo tried to get up but felt some pain and immediately sat back down.
Maybe it would be different with an arm, but a leg was definitely going to be too much.
Walking 15 km on one leg is something only I could probably manage.
Just as Kim Minjun was about to stand up, an idea popped into his head.
Wait a minute. Why don’t I just carry her myself?
He was still full of energy, and fortunately, the other platoon didn’t have any patients to transport.
He could easily cover for at least one person.
Besides. She’s different from the other hunters.
She was, after all, the daughter of a division commander.
It wouldn’t hurt to help her out for the future.
“Platoon leader, may I carry Corporal Son Eunseo and move out?”
“What?”
Having made up his mind, Kim Minjun reported to the platoon leader.
First Lieutenant Kim Chulmin was plunged into contemplation when he heard those words.
“One person. Only Corporal Son Eunseo.”
If another hunter had said those, he would have flatly refused.
But Kim Minjun was clearly in good condition at first glance, and his ability to handle situations had been outstanding up to now.
“If you can take responsibility for what you said, go ahead.”
“Yes! Understood!”
Worried that Son Eunseo might end up hopping on one leg if left alone, Kim Chulmin eventually decided to allow it.
“Did you hear that? Are you going to give up on training like this, or do you want to get a piggyback from me?”
“…I’ll take the piggyback.”
Son Eunseo agreed without fuss to be carried by Kim Minjun.
‘The military gear is getting in the way. Maybe I should just sling it over one shoulder.’
As he was about to take off his gear, Sergeant Lee Seungho swiftly snatched it away.
“Sergeant Lee Seungho?”
“I’ll carry your gear.”
“I can carry it myself.”
“Just focus on dealing with the emergency.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
The nearly 90 kg military gear was nothing to him, but what could he do if the sergeant insisted on carrying it?
Kim Minjun lifted Son Eunseo onto his back according to the manual and began walking.
Yeah, let him do it.
I can’t even ask for a piggyback.
Is he even human? How can he be so lively?
Under normal circumstances, they would have looked on with envy, but the platoon members were at the peak of exhaustion.
Interest in the pair proved fleeting.
“We’ve come this far! Just 10 more km and we’ll reach the base! Anyone want to give up?”
“Nope!”
“Look at those voices! Are you going to give up?”
“No, sir!”
Whenever the hunters were extremely exhausted, First Lieutenant Kim Chulmin boosted their spirits.
“If you’re struggling, just say so at any time, and I’ll give up.”
“I’m fine. You’re lighter than a stone carrier.”
“Stone carrier… what?”
“I have a knack for estimating weights by feel. Want me to guess? The first digit is 5. The second is…”
“Shut your mouth, will you? Please, just be quiet!”
Meanwhile, Kim Minjun was well enough to chat with Son Eunseo.
After all, he maintained his best condition with only one hour of sleep a day.
“Think of it as an investment.”
“Investment?”
“Your father is a division commander, isn’t he?”
“…I don’t see how that would benefit you, Mr. Kim Minjun.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter.”
As she was the daughter of a division commander, wouldn’t there be some advantage for him?
Absolutely can’t give up!
“I’ll repay you later.”
“Do as you like.”
Though he responded nonchalantly, he never let his guard down.
The platoon members were able to handle each monster attack well, thanks to Kim Minjun’s vigilance.
“Ah… please, no more monsters. Please.”
“I’m going to die at this rate.”
“It’s hell, absolute hell. The training intensity has been switched from normal to hell mode.”
Time passed, and it was soon 10 p.m.
With only 2 km left to the destination, the hunters slowed significantly, their stamina reaching its limits.
The platoon leader noticed this and accordingly slowed the pace.
At this rate, we should arrive by 11 p.m.
First Lieutenant Kim Chulmin, too, was quite tired but didn’t show it.
Unlike other platoon members, not a single one of his hunters had given up on training.
Can’t let my guard down until the end.
It was most dangerous when one was complacent.
At that moment…
“Kiiiiiek!”
“Platoon leader! There’s a monster in the sky!”
“Damn! Everyone, get into formation!”
“Yes!”
A flying-type monster, the Black Claw, had appeared.
Wow, definitely vicious.
Kim Minjun admired the cruelty of the Hunter Mobility Training.
Releasing them like crazy at dawn, and now a flying-type monster right before we arrive?
It was already nighttime, and the Black Claw’s body was also black.
Moreover, its small size, as tiny as a sparrow, made it difficult to deal with.
The hunters are in the worst condition.
Fighting this monster was almost impossible.
The platoon members showed expressions of despair when they saw the monster.
Just short of their destination, of all things, the monster that appeared was such a tricky one.
‘To me, they’re a welcome sight!’
Kim Minjun’s eyes sparkled as he scanned all of them.
An opportunity to suck up all the achievement points!
“Let’s all fall back for a…”
“Platoon leader! Please give me a chance!”
“Kim Minjun?”
“I can take care of them all at once!”
First Lieutenant Kim Chulmin didn’t ponder for long.
In truth, retreating now would only be stalling for time.
The platoon members were already at their limits, both physically and mentally.
“If it doesn’t work, we retreat immediately!”
“Understood!”
With the platoon leader’s permission, Kim Minjun took out the mana gun he had at his waist.
The supervisor, still being carried on a stretcher, watched the scene unfold.
You’d need every platoon member to take them down with a mana gun.
There were many platoons that were delayed at this point or knocked out of commission.
Every platoon that made it this far suffered at their hands.
The Black Claws were monsters released with the intent of testing the hunters’ mental fortitude under extreme conditions.
They were small in size and agile, not to mention airborne.
But you could not just ignore them and move on.
These buggers cling persistently. If you’re bitten, flesh could be torn off. Of course, if you administer the special drug, they will easily die.
The 2nd Battalion, 2nd Company’s platoon was currently transporting three injured members.
These guys are unlucky.
Even if they were able to deal with all the Black Claws while still protecting the three patients, reaching their destination in time would be a challenge.
Even that guy would have trouble, especially at night.
The supervisor’s gaze lingered on Kim Minjun for a moment.
Let’s see how he handles this.
Meanwhile, Kim Minjun was detecting the presence of the Black Claws.
Eight of them. Now’s the perfect time to unleash my mana. They won’t be visible in the dark anyway.
Even for him, hitting the vital spots of Black Claws at night was a bit of a challenge.
Dark Arrow.
In that case, he simply needed to use a skill.
Bang! Bang!
Kim Minjun fired the mana gun while simultaneously releasing Dark Arrows.
“Screech!”
Sssss- Sssss-
Arrows made of mana flew along with bullets from the mana gun.
Thud. Thunk.
With each shot, a Black Claw’s body or head was pierced, falling to the ground.
It took him barely over a minute to deal with the Black Claws.
“Huh? How, how did you just do that?”
Son Eunseo, who was being carried on his back, asked in shock.
Was he really taking down Black Claws with just a mana gun, especially when nothing was visible?
It would seem easier to hit a grain of rice from a distance.
“What the… What’s with that guy?”
The supervisor was no different.
The supervisor even got up from the stretcher to check the bodies of the monsters.
“All eight are dead… I heard exactly eight shots fired…”
This meant he took down one creature with each shot.
How did he manage to kill all those small things by himself in the dark?
It was unbelievable concentration, more so when considering that everyone’s stamina was at its limit.
“Platoon leader! All taken care of!”
“Confirmed! Everyone! Push yourselves to the limit and move out!”
“Yes!”
The supervisor’s surprise proved to be short-lived.
As soon as the Black Claws were confirmed dead, the hunters gritted their teeth and moved towards the destination.
“2nd Battalion, 2nd Company, 2nd Platoon, all passed!”
11:30 PM.
Including Son Eunseo, who was from another battalion, all hunters completed the Hunter Mobility Training.