Chapter 10
Chapter 10
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Battle (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Having heard Kim Suhyun’s words, Park Su-yong nodded with a dazed expression. He still hadn’t fully come back to his senses. Only after a moment, when he realized what had just happened, did Park Su-yong flush red with embarrassment.
“…Thanks. I owe you one.”
“No problem.”
If it had been one of his subordinates, he would’ve started with curses and followed up with a thirty-minute lecture, but he couldn’t do that now—and there wasn’t time for it anyway.
“Are all the monsters dead?”
“Yes. We’ve confirmed it.”
“Good work. Then let’s resume moving as planned. Operative Kim Suhyun. Is there anything else I should keep in mind right now?”
“No. More importantly, how’s that Power Armor holding up? It looked like it wasn’t moving earlier.”
“I must’ve mishandled it. It’s fine now, so don’t worry.”
‘Ugh. That’s not it….’
Suhyun didn’t know Lee So-hee’s Power Armor skills firsthand, but from what he’d seen, she didn’t strike him as someone who couldn’t pilot it properly. That earlier freeze was likely the Black Bear’s chronic functional issue.
He wanted to shut down the Power Armor right then and give it a quick maintenance check. Having wrestled with these outdated pieces of junk for so long, every Black Bear pilot knew a few field repair tricks.
‘Not now. I’ll do it secretly later.’
“Let’s move out. Everyone, form up.”
No one needed to be told that sticking around a battlefield strewn with monster blood, corpses, and all sorts of noise was dangerous. They quickly packed their gear and prepared to advance.
As they moved, Suhyun felt the operatives’ gazes pouring onto him. These looks were markedly different from before.
The previous stares had been at a clueless newbie. Now, they mixed awe and admiration. Suhyun’s rookie status kept anyone from saying it outright, but everyone knew.
How incredible Suhyun’s performance in that last fight had been.
A first-timer who fought without flinching, looked after the others, and managed the situation. It was only natural they’d be stunned.
“You really a newbie who’s never done this before?”
“Why do you ask?”
“No… it’s just, no matter how I look at it, you’re too good. You didn’t get kicked out of special forces training or wash out of officer school or something, right?”
‘This guy’s sharper than he needs to be.’
“I told you, nothing like that. And if I had that kind of background, I’d be bragging about it everywhere—why hide it?”
“Fair point.”
Kim Chang-sik nodded in agreement. That kind of experience was a plus, not a minus. No reason to hide it.
“But man, we fought hard and came away empty-handed. Bullets aren’t cheap, you know? Right?”
“If you want to make money hunting monsters, you’ve gotta commit to it from the start. Half-assing it around like this won’t get you anywhere. Take that Hell Crocodile earlier—even rough handling ruins the hide.”
“Yeah, true. What about the meat? We can eat that, yeah? Some monster meat fetches a good price.”
“Hell Crocodile meat doesn’t have any special flavor. Not something gourmets go for.”
“Aw.”
“But sometimes people do seek it out…”
“Huh? Why?”
“There’s a rumor it’s good for stamina. Not sure if it’s true.”
“!”
“What? For real?”
One of the operatives walking behind overheard and perked up.
“You should’ve said something sooner!!”
“It’s just a rumor, man.”
“Rumor or not, that’s gold!”
“You didn’t already…?”
“What? No! I’m still spry!”
As Suhyun’s gaze dropped downward, the operative hopped in denial.
“Keep your voice down.”
“S-sorry.”
Lee So-hee’s words put an end to the chatter, but the operative kept smacking his lips regretfully over the Hell Crocodile meat.
By now, darkness was falling. The jungle blocked most light anyway, but these operatives could easily track the time. At a suitable spot, Lee So-hee called a halt and ordered camp set.
“We’ll stop here for the day.”
“Ughhh…”
The operatives groaned as they collapsed. Marching through the jungle and fighting monsters mid-way wasn’t light fatigue. If they weren’t so hardened, they’d have dropped on the spot.
“You okay?”
“Yeah? I’m fine.”
Suhyun replied to Kim Chang-sik, who stared at him like he was some freak.
“Damn. You’re something else. How do you adapt this fast? Young blood? You said you’ve been roaming places like this since you were a kid. You didn’t eat some weird shit that made you superhuman, did you?”
“Don’t make me sound like a freak.”
“No, seriously, it’s wild. You and Team Leader Lee So-hee look the least beat here. She’s in Power Armor, fine—but you were hoofing it with us.”
“Guess I’m the youngest. I’ll go fetch some water.”
A small stream was nearby. They’d already tested it safe to drink on the way in. Seeing everyone else wiped, Suhyun grabbed the canteens to refill them.
“Hand ’em over.”
“?”
“I’ll get it. You rest. You might not feel it now, but it’ll hit later. Don’t push and collapse.”
Park Su-yong snatched the canteens from Suhyun and headed to the water. Suhyun blinked in bewilderment at his back. Kim Chang-sik snickered.
“Su-yong hyung’s embarrassed. Think of it as his way of saying thanks.”
“He’s not some shy teenager…”
“Shh. He’ll snap if he hears. Just take it quiet.”
No sense refusing the gesture. Suhyun sat, unpacked his gear. The others were doing the same, resting.
‘Come to think of it, that’s weird.’
His old self had been battle-hardened to the max, with a few body enhancement surgeries and superpowers to boot. This forced march would’ve been a breeze.
But now, sans superpowers, all those edges were gone. Sure, he’d trained since his teens, but he was still far from peak—and no surgical mods in this body.
Experience could only cover so much. He should feel some fatigue. Yet he didn’t.
Suhyun quit pondering when Park Su-yong tossed him his filled canteen and left.
‘If I’m not tired, great. No point overthinking….’
Other priorities mattered more. The campsite had motion detectors and sentries for basic security. But Suhyun wasn’t satisfied.
‘I’ll string threads between trees with telekinesis.’
Motion detectors were essential for Cameron Planet explorers and mercs—early warnings on approaching monsters. But they weren’t perfect. They had to distinguish threats from non-threats, or no one could rest.
Sometimes they glitched, missing monsters. No one was dumb enough to sleep relying solely on them, but flaws were flaws.
Suhyun’s superpower was telekinesis. Weak in raw power, but his fine control shone. Versatile, he’d used it cleverly over the years.
String thin threads around camp with telekinesis—they’d snap naturally if breached, signaling him. More sensitive than detectors (sometimes annoyingly), but safer.
‘Huh?’
Before, he’d swing the thread once, and it’d slither forward alive-like. Now, it snapped.
‘Rusty from disuse?’
He tried again. After breaking several, he finally strung the perimeter.
‘Me, going dull? Can’t even do this right first try… embarrassing.’
Back in time, he hadn’t properly used telekinesis since, so he chalked it up to rust.
* * *
“Your turn.”
“Yep.”
Suhyun was awake before they woke him. He could set internal alarms precisely—near-superhuman body control.
‘No one watching?’
He glanced around. What he was about to do could get messy if seen. Lame excuses wouldn’t cut it…
Clunk.
The Power Armor cockpit hadn’t felt this nostalgic-yet-infuriating in ages. Love-hate fit best. How many brushes with death on this widowmaker?
‘Come to think, the makers just paid fines and walked again?’
Blood pressure spiked at the mere thought. Back then, the corrupt approvers got slaps on the wrist. Black Bear pilots had ground their teeth—near-death from faults, perps scot-free.
Suhyun popped the controls, tinkered with circuits. Disabled useless functions to smooth power flow. Power cuts were the killer—without it, just scrap metal.
“Phew. That’ll do.”
Basic fixes done. Black Bear wouldn’t turn magical, but it’d hold through the mission.
-----------------------------------------------------------------