“A kobold. I only sense one of them inside.”
Usually, these guys move in groups, so this must be why this one was called an irregular.
“Alright. No one’s around. Let’s go.”
Thankfully, the hunters on guard were positioned elsewhere.
Kim Minjun entered the dungeon without hesitation.
[You have entered the dungeon.]
Rumble, rumble.
“It’s a closed-type.”
As soon as he stepped inside, the entrance closed.
Not that it mattered to him anyway.
“Hey, I know you’re hiding in there, so come on out.”
Kim Minjun sent his mana into the depths of the dungeon.
Koong! Thud!
A heavy sound of footsteps echoed from the far end of the dungeon.
“Wow, this one’s sturdy.”
“Kuaaaa!”
The monster was six times larger than a regular kobold.
It was even bigger than an orc.
Considering how much mana it contained, the creature’s body was tinged with a deep purple hue.
“To think they wanted to attack this thing with two squads….”
If that had happened, more than half of them would have died.
This was the strongest monster he had ever encountered.
“You’ve drunk a lot of mana. Thank you.”
Thump! Thud!
As if to show off its strength, the kobold slammed its fists together forcefully.
“Oh, you know how to joke around? It’s been a while. Should I play with you then?”
If the others he had seen were just bugs, this one was at least at the level of a stag beetle.
But to Kim Minjun, it was still a bug.
Whack! Thwack!
He struck the kobold’s abdomen twice without mercy.
“Kuwooaaah!”
“Hey, I only hit you twice. Show me some strength.”
Panting, the creature seemed as if it was about to collapse at any moment.
“Kuwoo…”
“Boring. Just give me your mana.”
He had thought it to be stronger with all that mana, but it was still just a kobold.
Kim Minjun finished the creature off and absorbed all the mana it had.
“Ugh, my hand hurts. How many hits does it take to kill this thing?”
[You have absorbed a certain level of mana.]
[Mana stat increased by 1.]
[Mana stat increased by 1.]
[Mana stat increased by 1.]
The messages appeared one after another.
Kim Minjun closed his eyes slightly, feeling the fullness of the rising mana.
[Having absorbed a certain amount of mana, Dark Arrow has been unlocked.]
[Night Walker is enhanced.]
“Let’s see how much it’s increased.”
[Kim Minjun
The founder of the “Seria-noona is my favorite character” church.
Strength: 65
Agility: 60
Stamina: 60
Mana: 22
Owned Skills: Corruption (D), Night Walker (D), Dark Arrow (E), Basic Blunt Weapon Skill (E), Basic Sword Skill (E), Strength (E)]
As expected, his low mana stat made leveling up much faster with just one monster.
And even unexpectedly unlocked a new skill.
“A ranged skill. Perfect.”
Dark Arrow was a skill that used mana to create arrows.
It would be useful in his future life as a member of the Hunter Army.
“Lucky. I was getting a little frustrated because I could only use Corruption until now.”
Although it was just the process of regaining his lost power, it was still fun.
If a max-level character were to regress, would it feel like this?
Sssss-
In the meantime, the Night Walker asked for some mana, too.
“Alright. You did well, so take it as a reward. Go ahead.”
Sssssssss-
“You crazy bastard! I told you to take just enough!”
The Night Walker, who had been happily sucking up mana, got scolded harshly and hid in the shadows.
Sssss-
“I’m saying you should maximize efficiency with the least amount of fuel, got it?”
His tone was like that of a wicked company boss.
“Now I can enjoy the rest of my vacation before returning.”
***
“Corporal Kim Minjun! I’ve returned from vacation!”
“Oh, Minjun is back.”
“Yes, please accept this. I thought of you and bought it even though it’s nothing special.”
“Is this the latest issue? You bought it just as I was thinking of reading it. Thanks.”
As soon as he entered the barracks, his fellow soldiers were packing their gear with gloomy faces.
Even the senior who received the latest magazine issue had the same expression.
It turned out that Hunter Mobility Training, which was supposed to be six months away, was moved up.
Hunter Mobility Training…
Hunter Mobility Training was a large-scale exercise conducted by the entire division.
The purpose was to measure the division’s combat power, so hunters must fight like mad against monsters outside during the training period.
They fought while sleeping, eating, and moving.
As it was a large-scale training, the performance scores were also high.
“Is it even real how intense our unit’s training is? At this rate, we’ll beat an orc with our bare fists.”
“We know we have to do it, but it’s just too sudden. I’m freaking out.”
“This… fucking thing! Doing Mobility Training again after becoming a sergeant. I’m not doing long-term service!”
“Ah. I just want to smash everything.”
The sergeants were especially upset and relentlessly complained that their military life was messed up.
Well, Hunter Mobility Training was usually held every four years.
During their five-year military service, those who participated in Mobility Training twice were called cursed Hunter Army cohorts.
Ah. I’m fine with doing it twice or even three times. I wish there were more training like this.
The larger the scale of the training, the higher the performance scores.
With that, Kim Minjun began packing his gear with a calm face.
Knock, knock.
“Are you all preparing well?”
“Salute! Yes, sir!”
The platoon leader came in and scanned the soldiers.
“You know that Hunter Mobility Training has been moved up, right? Since it’s a big training, you should act with a sense of tension. You can get seriously injured if you make a mistake.”
“We understand!”
“Good. Things will get easier for you guys if you do well. You know that, right?”
“Yes! We understand!”
Units who performed poorly during the mobility training would receive additional training.
For the hunters, it was like opening the gates of hell.
First Lieutenant Kim Chulmin simply instructed the soldiers and then left the room.
He seemed a bit nervous since it was also his first Mobility Training.
Ah, right.
Come to think of it, I didn’t return the apartment key.
Kim Minjun headed straight to the platoon leader’s office.
Knock, knock.
“Corporal Kim Minjun. I have a matter to discuss with the platoon leader.”
“Come in.”
“Salute! Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to sleep comfortably.”
When First Lieutenant Kim Chulmin took the key from Kim Minjun, he looked at him with a serious expression.
“Minjun.”
“Corporal Kim Minjun.”
“Where did you sleep? It doesn’t seem like you slept in the apartment.”
What?
How did he know?
There was no way I could say that I didn’t go there because it was far from the dungeon!
“I wanted to be comfortable and not be a bother.”
Kim Minjun replied that the apartment was too far from the base.
“Are you considering my feelings?”
“Absolutely not.”
“I see.”
After receiving the key, he let out a small sigh.
“Phew. Minjun, is this your first time participating in Hunter Mobility Training?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Really? It’s my first time too.”
Seeing the demotivated platoon leader, Kim Minjun stopped in his tracks.
“I still remember when we went to the monster rat’s habitat. We could have been wiped out if we had made even a small mistake.”
“The situation was really bad back then. I don’t think it was something we could predict.”
“I know that, but I think it’s just an excuse. It would have been a big disaster if it wasn’t for you.”
Perhaps because of the events that had happened in a short period, his shoulders seemed a bit down.
It was a completely different sight from what he showed in the barracks.
He’s older than me, so why does he lack confidence like that?
Kim Minjun told the platoon leader that he would be able to adapt as time went by.
“Anyone would think you’ve been in the military for 20 years. Now go in, and make sure you have all the military gear.”
Kim Chulmin laughed softly and shooed Kim Minjun away with a wave of his hand.
“Yes, sir! I understand! Loyalty!”
After Kim Minjun left the platoon leader’s office, Kim Chulmin stared at the door for a while.
That guy is younger than me, and he hasn’t been in the unit for long either.
Was it just his impression?
He could feel the aura of a veteran from Kim Minjun.
A veteran who had gone through all kinds of hardships and returned alive.
Now that he thought about it, he was the first to make a move during the emergency situation in the monster rat’s habitat.
He was able to face the giant monster rat that even an officer like himself was frozen stiff by.
Let’s pull myself together. If he can do that much… I’m now a First Lieutenant.
Thanks to Kim Minjun, he was promoted from second lieutenant to first lieutenant.
It was only natural that his sense of responsibility grew as his rank increased.
Kim Chulmin clenched his fists as he renewed his determination.
***
Time passed, and the day of the Hunter Mobility Training approached.
“Get in line properly! Over there! Move one more step to the side!”
“Understood!”
“Did everyone check their military gear properly before coming out?”
“Yes!”
The hunters were fully equipped and gathered in front of the training ground.
As it was a large-scale training held once every four years, the officers also seemed tense.
“Ah… we’re going to be driven crazy for three nights and four days.”
“I’d be grateful if we could sleep for just four hours a day.”
“I’d be satisfied if there were no mosquitoes at night.”
While the hunters grumbled in low voices, First Lieutenant Kim Chulmin gestured for Kim Minjun to come closer.
“Corporal Kim Minjun!”
“Come here to the front.”
“Understood.”
He handed him a piece of paper as he came to the front of the line.
“The battalion commander ordered you to take the oath. Usually, it’s done by sergeants or officers, but it seems he has high expectations for you. Can you do it?”
“Yes! I can do it!”
It was said to be the first time a corporal took the oath during division training.
At the mention of the oath, the attention of the other hunters was drawn.
‘A corporal is taking the oath? What is this?’
‘Isn’t this a mobility training? Last time, it was done by a captain.’
‘They say he single-handedly defeated an irregular in the monster rat’s habitat not long ago. And with a suppression rod too.’
‘For real? That big? Was he chosen by the battalion commander?’
Everyone looked at him with disbelief.
“Attention, everyone!”
“Attention!”
“Corporal Kim Minjun at the front will lead the chant, and the rest will follow in a loud voice. Got it?”
“Yes!”
After some practice time, the battalion commander stepped onto the platform.
“Attention!”
“Salute the battalion commander!”
“Loyalty!”
Before the training officially began, the officer’s report commenced.
“Reporting! Captain Park Seohoon, and…”
Following that, Kim Minjun’s pledge continued.
“Take the oath!”
“Take the oath!”
“I will obey my immediate superiors’ orders and controls!”
“We will obey!”
“I will accept any punishment if I break the established rules and regulations during training!”
“We will accept!”
After the pledges had finished, Kim Minjun moved onto the platform.
“Loyalty!”
“Loyalty.”
After delivering the oath to the battalion commander, he stepped back and saluted.
As the battalion commander nodded, Kim Minjun returned to formation.
“Starting today, the Hunter Mobility Training will be conducted for 3 nights and 4 days. Think of it as actual combat and approach the training accordingly. Got it?”
“Yes!”
“I’m sure you’ve all heard the stories, but three hunters were seriously injured during the last Hunter Mobility Training. Be cautious not to have any casualties this time!”
“Understood!”
After his brief speech, the battalion commander was about to step down from the platform when…
“You there—!”
He discovered something and pointed at a single hunter with his finger.
It was in the direction of the company that Kim Minjun belonged to.
You crazy bastard! Did you just doze off?
The sergeants, shocked, slapped the dozing hunter on the back of his head.
Smack!
Very hard.
“Ah, no, sir!”
“Hmm… Pull yourself together. Got it?”
“Yes!”
Luckily, since the training hadn’t started yet, the battalion commander lightly warned the hunter and moved on.
Fortunately, they were in luck.
“Hey.”
“Are you insane?”
The sergeants’ gazes focused on that hunter.
