“Uh, huh?”
“What, who’s jumping so high? Who’s that?”
“It’s Corporal Kim Minjun!”
His jump reached a whopping seven meters.
It was an impossible feat for ordinary hunters.
“Kieeee!”
“Feeling good, huh?”
It’s because you have mana inside your body.
Just like how a tiger’s energy surges, right?
“It’s mine now.”
Kim Minjun grabbed the shield he’d secured from the front row and pushed it with all his strength.
“Kreeeek!”
Kuuuuung!
The monster rat slammed into the ground with tremendous force.
The impact caused the entire dungeon to shake for a moment.
“Ugh!”
“What the hell is this…?”
The hunters lost their balance and staggered from the shockwave.
Kim Minjun held the suppression rod in one hand while grabbing the monster rat’s head with the other.
Oh. You got some decent mana in you, huh?
Sssss-
He swiftly absorbed the mana from the creature’s body and struck its head hard with the suppression rod.
Ppaak! Ppoook!
“Kie… e…”
“Ugh, look at this guy. Why is the meat so tough?”
“Kieeek!”
In just three strikes, the monster rat died, bleeding profusely.
Considering he had put all his strength into those three hits, other hunters would have struggled quite a bit.
As all the mana was absorbed, the creature’s blackened eyes returned to their original color.
[You have absorbed a certain amount of mana.]
[Your Mana Stat increases by 1.]
What the heck was this?
I guess that’s what being at the front line meant.
“Everyone, protect Corporal Kim Minjun while keeping an eye on the surroundings!”
“Yes!”
“Hey! Kim Minjun! Are you alright?”
While he was grinning contently, the other hunters who had fallen behind came rushing over.
“Corporal Kim Minjun! I’m fine, sir!”
“Wow… now that I have a good look at it, that thing’s huge.”
“If that thing had charged at us, we would’ve all been killed…”
“Hey. How did you do that just now?”
The hunters swallowed hard as they looked at the unbelievably huge monster rat.
There were times when irregulars like that appeared while tackling a dungeon, but this one was simply too big.
“Kim Minjun!”
“Corporal Kim Minjun!”
“Are you alright? What were you thinking, running out like that without my orders?”
“I’m sorry!”
First Lieutenant Kim Chulmin rushed over once he was sure no more monster rats were around.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine, sir!”
“Phew… well, it was an emergency, so we couldn’t help it. You did well.”
At first, he sounded angry, but his tone softened as soon as he saw the size of the monster rat.
“First Lieutenant Kim Chulmin reporting! We’ve discovered an irregular in the monster rat’s habitat! Requesting monster capture team support for securing the area!”
He reported the situation to the control room and then withdrew according to the manual.
There was no guarantee that there was only one such irregular.
“Hey. We really owe our lives to you. When I saw that thing earlier, I couldn’t even think of raising my shield.”
“Ah, seriously, this front line. From mosquitoes to monsters, there’s not a single normal one.”
As they exited the dungeon, his seniors expressed their gratitude to Kim Minjun.
“It’s nothing! I’m sorry for running out recklessly!”
“What are you sorry for? That was obviously an emergency situation. It would’ve been a disaster if you hadn’t handled it.”
“Wow, look at this guy. He doesn’t have a single scratch on him. Is this even possible?”
It was the same for the platoon leader.
Kim Chulmin also carefully examined Kim Minjun’s body before finally letting out a sigh of relief.
“Attention, everyone!”
“Attention!”
“Because of this unexpected turn of events, we’ll stop the dungeon raid here! Check the number of people and return to the unit!”
“Yes!”
After finishing the headcount, the squad members returned to the unit.
“Attention, everyone!”
First Lieutenant Kim Chulmin gave another instruction when they arrived at the unit.
“First, return your protective gear and gas masks. And make sure you take a shower!”
“Yes!”
Since they had entered the monster rat’s habitat, their bodies were covered in the creatures’ bodily fluids.
The hunters quickly removed their gas masks and protective gear.
“Phew.”
“Haah.”
They seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
It was the expression of finally feeling alive.
It was only natural, as they had been wearing gas masks from the time they entered the dungeon until they returned.
“Corporal Kim Minjun, come to the platoon leader’s office after finishing your tasks.”
“Corporal Kim Minjun! Understood!”
At Kim Chulmin’s words, the other hunters’ gazes focused on him.
***
Inside the barrack’s living quarters, the hunters excitedly discussed with each other as they enjoyed their much-needed break.
“Hey, did you see Kim Minjun taking down that monster rat alone?”
As soon as Kim Minjun arrived, he was called by the platoon leader.
“What a freaking rat, it was this big. No joke, we almost got crushed and killed by that thing.”
“And Minjun pushed it back with a military shield. What the hell was he doing?”
“Come on, that’s a bit too much.”
“No, I saw it with my own eyes!”
The impact was so great that even the squad members who were in charge of the dungeon entrance came rushing over.
“Ah, you guys wouldn’t say anything if you saw that monster rat’s corpse for real. Just wait until you see the pictures they’ll take when they collect the samples later.”
“But considering we withdrew during the raid, it seems somewhat true…”
While they had a heated debate about the irregular that appeared during their raid of the monster rat’s habitat, Kim Minjun and the platoon leader reached the latter’s office.
“Kim Minjun, sit here.”
“Corporal Kim Minjun! Understood!”
Kim Minjun sat on the sofa in the platoon leader’s office.
“I’ll give you disinfectant and cotton. Use it.”
“It’s fine at this level!”
“Do it anyway.”
“Alright.”
Kim Minjun tapped the red disinfectant on a cotton ball.
It was just a gesture of courtesy since it would heal even if left alone.
“But are you really okay without getting an examination? I can send you to a secluded place.”
“I’m really fine!”
“It seems fine from what I’ve seen so far… But if you feel sick later, tell me immediately.”
“Yes! Understood!”
The reason First Lieutenant Kim Chulmin called him to his office was to write a situation report.
During the emergency situation in the monster rat’s dungeon, only Kim Minjun properly witnessed the situation.
“Actually, when the irregular appeared, I was at a loss on how to deal with it. If it weren’t for you, it would have been a disaster.”
“I think that’s a bit of an exaggeration.”
“No, it was too big. It would have been hard even if I had rushed out.”
“Thank you.”
Yeah.
It was indeed big.
Even though it was just a low-level monster like a monster rat, the circumstances were different since they were inside a dungeon.
For one thing, there was the unfamiliar terrain and restricted field of vision inside the dungeon.
The uncomfortable movement because of the protective gear and gas masks was also problematic.
Finally, because of the dungeon’s interior environment, using firearms and main weapons was prohibited.
“I’m done writing the report.”
Kim Minjun finished the report moderately.
I jumped with full force, pushed the irregular monster with my shield, and then hit it with my suppression rod until it died. This should be enough.
“…Minjun.”
“Corporal Kim Minjun.”
While reading the report, Kim Chulmin casually asked,
“What the hell are your stats?”
“Strength is 65, Agility is 60!”
“Wait, what? 65? And Agility is 60?”
At Kim Minjun’s answer, First Lieutenant Kim Chulmin was incredibly surprised.
Even as a First Lieutenant, my average is around 40. But a regular soldier has over 60?
Of course, his stats were not that high since he had just entered his second year as an officer.
Even so, it was higher than those who had been in the military for over 4 years.
“Sigh… no wonder you got promoted so quickly. If you had only graduated from a top-tier university in Seoul, you could have gone to the officer academy. I feel so sorry for you.”
The stat cut-off for the Hunter Officer Academy was 50.
If Kim Minjun had graduated from a top-tier university in Seoul, it would have been virtually a free pass.
“Do you have any plans to attend college after you get promoted? You know that starting from Staff Sergeant, you can commute, right?”
“I don’t like studying. It’s enough to get promoted through my achievements.”
Kim Minjun answered firmly.
He thought he could easily earn a star within four years.
“Alright. Since it’s your decision, I won’t force you.”
Kim Chulmin thanked Kim Minjun once again with a smirk.
“You saved all the squad members today. You did a great job.”
“No, I just did what I had to do!”
“Alright. You can go now. If you feel any pain, report it immediately.”
“Yes! I’ll be on my way! Loyalty!”
He gained mana and achievement points.
It was killing two birds with one stone.
***
Although the dungeon raid was halted because of the emergency, it didn’t mean the hunters could rest.
“Ah… what are they going to make us do now?”
“Probably going to patch up something.”
The squad members gathered in front of the training field in combat uniforms.
Everyone’s mouths were pouting.
They had barely finished showering, and they were already gathering.
“Everyone must be tired from entering the dungeon, so please try to endure a little longer.”
“Yes…”
First Lieutenant Kim Chulmin explained the remaining schedule in a gentle voice.
“Once we complete the fortification work with the special materials brought by the transport unit, we’ll be done.”
“Ah… the stone bricks have arrived…”
“Fortification work… stone bricks…”
At the mention of fortification work, the hunters’ shoulders slumped.
It hadn’t been that long since they returned from the dungeon, and now, of all things, they had to do fortification work.
“My back is going to give out today…”
The special materials, which the hunters called “stone bricks,” looked like ordinary bricks on the outside.
The problem was their weight, for each one exceeded 100 kg.[1]
But the weight wasn’t the worst problem; the stone bricks also smelled repulsive.
It was because they were made of a mixture of special chemicals that drive away monsters.
I guess there’s nothing much today. Maybe I’ll go practice in the simulator after we’re done.
Something caught his attention while Kim Minjun was getting his work tools ready.
Huh? What? You found something?
Sssss-
He received a message from the Night Walker he had released in the unit.
[1] 220 lbs
