“So, what kind of image did you have in mind for a hunter?”
“I imagined a hunter using cool skills and leveling up quickly by defeating monsters.”
Ah.
Then going to Isgard would be perfect.
Kim Minjun chuckled and patted the trainee on the shoulder, trying to encourage him.
“I’ll give a leave pass to anyone who finishes within 30 minutes.”
Before departure, Lee Seungho brought out the leave pass and waved it as if to show them.
It was meant to boost the trainees’ morale.
And of course, since the leave pass belonged to him, he set an almost-impossible condition.
“Ah… He’s doing it again.”
“Even if Captain America were here, it wouldn’t be possible.”
The trainees shook their heads, as if they had been through this a few times before.
Setting an unattainable goal while dangling a carrot in front of them.
However, among them, only Kim Minjun’s eyes shone brightly.
That’s mine.
It hadn’t been long since he entered the training camp, and he was already craving fried chicken.
As soon as the starting signal was given, Kim Minjun started climbing the stairs in the lead.
“If you go up that fast, you’ll have a hard time later!”
“You need to manage your energy well!”
Although his peers warned him that running up the stairs would cause trouble later…
Is this supposed to be difficult?
The person in question had no worries at all.
Fried chicken and Dungeon Power Fighter are waiting for me!
“What the hell is that guy doing?”
Sergeant Lee Seungho was astonished to see Kim Minjun almost reaching the end in less than 10 minutes.
It was already incredible when he lifted the red stone, but to show no signs of fatigue while climbing the increasingly steep stairs…
“Huff! How is that even possible?”
“I can’t believe it, even after seeing it.”
Kim Minjun finished the stairs that took other trainees more than an hour, in just 20 minutes.
In fact, he did it at a leisurely pace.
“Didn’t you say you’d give a leave pass?”
“Huh? Uh… Here it is.”
Seeing a sweat-free Kim Minjun, Lee Seungho obediently handed over the leave pass.
That crazy guy. When he finishes training and gets assigned to a unit… No, being physically fit isn’t everything.
What’s important for the Hunter Army is the ability to counter monsters.
Of course, the basic stats supporting them are essential.
It’s too early to judge, but I’ll need to keep an eye on that guy.
The overall physical training ended after 6 PM.
The trainees stumbled along, looking like they could collapse at any moment.
“M-my stat increased! My stamina went up by 1!”
“Wow… What was your original stat?”
One of them shouted, ecstatic about the increase in his stats.
Seeing how they admired a single stat increase, Kim Minjun thought that perhaps hunters were weaker than he had thought.
In Isgard, killing monsters would lead to stat increases in the tens, and it wasn’t even a big deal.
No, don’t judge too hastily. It’s only been one day since I enlisted. Let’s not jump to conclusions.
Kim Minjun shook his head and followed his peers to the cafeteria.
“Everyone, enjoy your meal, and then you’re free to rest.”
“Yes! Understood!”
Sergeant Lee Seungho briefly explained the training scheduled for the next day and then left.
“Wow… This is insane.”
Kim Minjun opened his mouth wide, looking at the spread before him.
This was why people talked about the Hunter Army.
Korean, Chinese, Western cuisine, and even desserts.
The quality of the food prepared here was unimaginable for a military facility.
He had heard that military food was on par with prison food, but the Hunter Army was on another level.
“Can we eat all of this?”
“Yes, it’s buffet-style.”
This is crazy!
On top of that, it was buffet-style!
According to the explanation from his fellow trainees, there were even some successful chefs involved.
“Are regular soldiers nowadays treated this well, too?”
“No way. Only the Hunter Army Training Center is like this. I heard they’re having braised pollack and seafood bibim sauce today.”
“Oh, shoot.”
He wasn’t sure exactly what kind of food it was, but just hearing the names gave me the strong impression it would taste terribly bad.
Kim Minjun felt really glad he had joined the Hunter Army.
I was ready to use even my nonexistent mana to escape when I first enlisted.
He had been rolling around like crazy in Isgard, and as soon as he returned to Earth, he was sent to the military.
Who would want to go?
However, having experienced that hellish training today, Kim Minjun concluded that this place wasn’t so bad after all.
Making sure not to lose stamina, they make me exercise, give me delicious food, and pay well.
And on top of that, a level 13 Dungeon Power Fighter weapon!
Other guys would probably swear at him for being nuts, but Kim Minjun was really glad he had joined the military.
“Today you got an outing pass, when do you plan to use it?”
“I’ve never seen someone take an outing pass from Sergeant Lee Seungho before.”
While enjoying the heavenly taste of military food, the trainees naturally approached and sat down.
Kim Minjun smiled and chatted with them.
Back when he was a dark mage in Isgard, people wouldn’t even make eye contact with him, fearing he was ominous.
Training center life… not as bad as I thought.
As soon as Kim Minjun finished eating, he headed to a nearby gaming room.
The Hunter Army Training Center was very open, unlike the regular army.
A sports cut was required for hair during training.
There was no touch after work hours ended.
And on top of that, there wasn’t even an evening roll call.
It made him wonder if this was really a military camp.
“Still, many trainees fail to complete the training and leave in the middle.”
A trainee sitting next to him nodded, saying there must be a good reason for treating them so well.
“Almost all they do is push people to their limits with brutal training, if they didn’t let them unwind like this, ten out of ten would leave.”
Brutal training, huh?
Was he talking about that thing earlier, where they were made to climb stairs wearing sandbags?
“Plus, in the last week, the intensity of the training goes up insanely, I heard it would drive people crazy. But anyway…”
The trainee who had been speaking glanced at Kim Minjun’s computer screen and got up from his seat.
It was Dungeon Power Fighter.
Unfazed by the glances from those around him, he continued playing.
“Why? Do you play Dungeon Power Fighter, too?”
“No… no, I’ll go in and rest first.”
They say don’t judge a person by their looks.
But seeing Kim Minjun absorbed in Dungeon Power Fighter, the trainee thought it would be better not to get too close.
I’ll sleep for about an hour or so, that’s enough.
That day, Kim Minjun only went to bed after he had efficiently used up all his Dungeon Power Fighter fatigue.
***
The last week of training.
The trainees endured the brutal physical training, raising their stats one by one.
– “What’s your name~?”
At 6 in the morning, it wasn’t the sound of a bugle waking them up in the barracks, but the refreshing voice of an idol.
“Ughhh…”
“My back feels like it’s breaking… shit.”
Not the cheap mattresses but from all around the soft beds, groans were heard.
“Every time I sleep, I realize how deadly these mattresses are.”
Kim Minjun, who had slept a full 2 hours, felt refreshed and got up.
In Isgard, he had considered sleeping 1 hour a day a lot, but it seemed inevitable that he would become sluggish upon returning to his hometown.
“Kim Minjun, you’re really amazing.”
“You don’t look tired at all.”
Because of the continuous tough training, he and his fellow trainees naturally grew closer.
Especially when they saw Kim Minjun handling the training with overwhelmingly good results, they became more motivated.
“I leveled up ten times in Dungeon Power Fighter yesterday.”
“Insane, man…”
“Did you go gaming again yesterday? Training was tough as hell.”
And yet, he still ranked first in training, despite enjoying all that gaming. It’s almost unbelievable that he’s a human being.
“Let’s hurry up and go. We’ve got to do the hunter run.”
The other trainees wanted to enjoy the entertainment facilities as well, but it was nothing more than a pipe dream for them.
They were dead tired after finishing their training.
The trainees started putting on their uniforms, grumbling.
It was for the Hunter Run, which was held from 6:10 am for two hours.
“How are we supposed to run 40 km in two hours?”
“That’s insane. Just kill me now.”
“Hunters are human, too!”
Despite their complaints, the trainees headed to the parade ground.
In less than five minutes, the parade ground was filled with trainees.
“Line up on your own. We’ll do a warm-up for one minute. Begin.”
“Begin!”
A senior officer, who seemed to be the squad leader, went up on the platform and announced that the hunter run would begin in one minute.
“While warming up, listen up. The goal of our Hunter Army is to eradicate as many monsters as possible. That doesn’t mean you should slack off with your standard movements! Match your O’s and 10’s properly!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Understood!”
“Even hunters are soldiers! Are you going to act all sloppy when you join the troops?!”
“No, sir!”
The trainees quickly adjusted their formations, responding to the squad leader’s scolding.
“Those who fail to achieve 40 km in two hours will have no breakfast.”
Upon hearing the sudden bombshell announcement, the trainees couldn’t help but sigh.
“So, even if you can’t do it, try your best. Let’s go!”
At the squad leader’s signal, the trainees rushed forward in a stampede.
Hmm. This new batch seems a bit iffy.
Meanwhile, the squad leader was reading each trainee’s evaluation sheet, considering whether to increase the intensity of their training.
There was nothing more important than stamina in safely clearing dungeons.
Dungeons full of unpredictable monsters and unfamiliar terrain quickly drained the trainees’ stamina.
Huh? This guy is…
While going through the evaluation sheets, one in particular caught his eye.
Kim Minjun.
Sergeant Lee Seungho had highlighted promising future prospects for Kim Minjun in his evaluation.
Come to think of it, his training scores are overwhelmingly impressive.
He was surprised that he hadn’t noticed such a talented trainee before.
These kinds of guys shouldn’t be sent to the rear. That’d be a waste.
The squad leader decided to place Kim Minjun in the front lines after observing his training.
“1 hour 58 minutes!”
“Water! I need water!”
“Heck! (Panting)”
As the Hunter Run came to an end, the trainees lay down on the dirt ground, stretching out.
Kim Minjun, who had completed the run in just an hour, was leisurely taking a break.
“Alright, open your mouths. Here comes the water.”
He generously shared his water with his fellow trainees, not holding back at all.
For him, this was just a light morning jog.
“Dude, look at Kim Minjun. He didn’t even break a sweat.”
“No way, he finished the 40 km in just an hour? Is that even possible?”
“What a monster.”
“What? You don’t want to drink the water?”
“I meant you have monster-like stamina, buddy.”
Kim Minjun exchanged light-hearted jokes with his fellow trainees and handed over his canteen.
The trainees who arrived late, after the squad leader’s deadline, stomped their feet in frustration.
“Ah, we’re having Hunterria for breakfast today!”
“What’s Hunterria? Is it similar to that not-so-great place?”
“Don’t even compare them. The chefs serve double-patty burgers with expensive beef.
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