Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: A New Beginning (1)
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“…you listening?”
“?”
“I asked if you’re listening. You. Are you even paying attention?”
“Huh?”
Suhyun blinked in confusion and asked without thinking. A stranger stood in front of him, glaring with clear irritation.
“I just asked you. Tell me the values every soldier should have.”
He’d been through this kind of lecture countless times before. Suhyun knew exactly what the man was asking the moment he heard it.
But before any answer came a question of his own. He wasn’t where he was supposed to be. He was in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by unfamiliar people. And his body…
‘It doesn’t hurt.’
The constant agony that had boiled inside him since the incident, tormenting him without end, was gone.
“My arms and legs…! They’re fine!”
“Hey. You deaf or something?”
“Ah. Sorry. What did you say?”
“I said, tell me the values every soldier should have! You deaf bastard!”
The man’s face was full of displeasure. The other trainees around them clicked their tongues at Suhyun in pity.
“You mean soldierly spirit? Honor, loyalty, courage?”
“Good. You know it. Sit down.”
“…….”
“I said you can sit down.”
No matter what the man said, Suhyun was lost in his own thoughts. A body free of pain. Arms and legs restored. And that wasn’t all. Right now… he was young again.
‘What the hell is going on?’
Just moments ago, he’d been a washed-up special forces commander, drowning in booze and pills in his room. Now here he was, standing among young trainees.
Somehow, the surroundings felt familiar. Like a place he’d been long ago. It hadn’t stood out at first since nothing memorable had happened there, but the certainty grew. To confirm, Suhyun asked.
“Mind if I ask the date today?”
“What? Already wanna go home? Training’s not even over yet?! Hahaha! Missing your mommy?”
“Uahahahaha!”
Laughter erupted around him. Suhyun laughed along. The situation made no sense, but he was still Suhyun. He wouldn’t let some cocky punk get away with coming at him like that. As the laughter died down, he put on an innocent expression.
“My mother passed away a long time ago.”
“Uh…….”
“But it’s fine. I figure I’ll see her once I get out.”
“What? You just said she died!”
“I meant your mother, Instructor.”
A brief silence.
Then the instructor’s face turned red as he caught on.
Thwack!
“Guh…….”
“Get up, you bastard!”
The punch landed square on his jaw, but it didn’t hurt. Suhyun had twisted at the moment of impact to absorb the shock. The faint sting felt almost nostalgic amid the long-lost freshness.
His body moved as he willed it!
As the commotion stirred, someone who looked like an officer approached. He frowned, glancing between the instructor and Suhyun.
“What’s going on!”
“Nothing, sir!”
The instructor ground his teeth, then whispered in Suhyun’s ear.
“You’re on my shitlist now, you bastard. How dare you insult my mother?”
“It’s not an insult to say she’s young and beautiful…….”
“You psycho, shut up!”
A nearby trainee hurriedly intervened. He was afraid they’d all catch heat because of Suhyun.
Suhyun held back a laugh. After all his years in the military, handling a strutting punk like this instructor was child’s play. The instructor glanced at the officer and held back from striking again.
Suhyun couldn’t have been more satisfied with the situation. He still didn’t understand how it happened. Dream or reality? If it was a dream, he hoped it never ended.
“What were you doing?”
“I was teaching this trainee about a soldier’s mindset!”
“Seemed like there was violence involved?”
“No!”
“?!”
Suhyun was the one who’d denied it. The instructor stared at him in surprise.
“If you’d used violence, Instructor, do you think I’d be standing here fine? If so, you’ve got punches weaker than a kid’s!”
‘This bastard really…….’
The instructor hadn’t answered the time question properly and had only gotten bloodied after trying to mess with Suhyun. Like venting all the pent-up rage from his past life, Suhyun kept running his mouth.
“Teaching about a soldier’s mindset? Then say it yourself.”
“Honor, loyalty, courage.”
“Correct. Good enough.”
“But I don’t think that way.”
“?”
“Those are just things that benefit others if a soldier has them. Honor? What good is it when your body’s shattered and you’re crippled? The army would probably wrap my honor in a rag and toss it at me. Loyalty? You only give loyalty to someone worth it. Even a dog won’t wag its tail for an owner who doesn’t feed it. Courage? The bravest ones always die first. I hope you’re the bravest here, Instructor.”
“…….”
* * *
“Got kicked out.”
Suhyun chuckled as he walked the street. The weight of the duffel bag on his back, the evening air, the neon signs flickering to life around him. Everything felt precious.
March 1, 2101. Over ten years earlier than the time he’d known. Hearing the date confirmed it for Suhyun.
He had really gone back to the past.
‘I don’t know how…….’
Reason mattered less than the fulfillment surging through him. A free, complete body in place of the broken one that had rattled him. With this alone, he felt like he could do anything.
He hadn’t expected to say all that as a trainee and not get booted. Truth be told, Suhyun had no intention of staying in the military after what he’d been through post-incident. It had killed any love he’d had for it.
At least he’d vented some of that rage with those words before it could build up.
“Damn. Thinking about it, I took it out on some random guy who wasn’t even involved? Pathetic. Felt good, though.”
He’d planned to leave the military anyway. Getting discharged before even enlisting was a blessing in disguise. Sure, he’d be blacklisted, but…
“Try our Earth Dragon skewers!”
The savory aroma pierced his nose. His stomach growled for the first time in ages, and Suhyun turned. A tall elf man was running a street cart, grilling skewers.
Many other races still lived in city-states, but plenty had integrated into human cities through exchange. They adapted to civilization in various ways. Seeing other races speaking Korean fluently in the city was commonplace.
“Card okay?”
“Card? No. Cash? Yes.”
“…….”
Suhyun clicked his tongue and pulled out bills, handing them to the elf. The elf grinned and placed a skewer in his hand.
Crunch!
Suhyun tore into the meat heartily, savoring the juices flowing through the quality flesh. He nodded. Another sensation he hadn’t felt in ages.
“Hm?”
“…?”
“This isn’t Earth Dragon meat…?”
The elf flinched at Suhyun’s mutter. Earth Dragons were massive monsters that swam through the earth. Terrifying in life with their unpredictable ambushes, their corpses were a delicacy no one turned down.
Earth Dragon meat was so prized by foodies that supply couldn’t keep up with demand. Most people couldn’t tell it apart anyway.
But Suhyun could. Hunting them had been a favorite pastime during his military days. He and his men would catch and eat them whenever they got bored…
“What, you saying? I no speak Korean good.”
“Oh yeah? This is just marinated pork, isn’t it? You’re selling this for that price?”
“Customer. No complain. You ate good.”
“Tastes good, but this is false advertising.”
“No hard words. Elf get bullied, I report.”
Other races working in the city enjoyed strong legal protections as long as they weren’t unlicensed. Exploiting them could land you centuries in prison.
“Who’s messing with my friend?”
“What? You…… got backup? You punks…… one scams, one bullies. Having fun?”
The newcomer was human, not elf. Metal gloves on his hands, he approached with a hostile scowl, cracking his knuckles threateningly as he spoke to Suhyun.
“Hey. Ate it and liked it? Then say thanks and scram. Don’t nitpick.”
“Ah, you punks. Was gonna let it slide ’cause it tasted decent, but you’re asking for it. Wanna make a scene? Call the cops and have them check if that’s real Earth Dragon scrap or just marinated pork?”
Both flinched this time. The man hesitated, then swung a fist.
“Let’s see if you talk big after a hit!”
“Give it up. You’ll get hurt.”
“Grit your teeth!”
Suhyun dodged the wild haymaker by leaning back, then gripped his half-eaten skewer reverse and struck like lightning.
Crack!
“Aaaagh!”
The thin wooden skewer pierced the metal glove. Naturally, the hand inside wasn’t spared. The man rolled on the ground in agony.
“My hand! My hand!”
“Quit whining. I used telekinesis, so bones and flesh are fine.”
It wasn’t a normal jab despite the flimsy skewer. Suhyun’s superpower had enhanced it.
Superpower.
When humanity discovered other races on Cameron Planet differed from humans, curiosity bloomed. That’s when superpowers were found.
Awakening conditions and manifestations varied wildly, but once awakened, one could use them. At first thought unique to other races, it soon appeared in humans living on the planet too after decades. Now the prevailing theory blamed the planet’s environment.
Suhyun was one such user. Telekinesis. Barely enough to move a pebble—not very practical—but he’d adapted it creatively.
Coating breakable objects like skewers with a telekinetic field was one trick. Blunt tip, rigid body. That’s why the man rolling from the “piercing” glove had unscathed hands.
“It hurts so much…?”
“Told you I went easy. And you’re in a position to question me? You just swung at me like you wanted to kill.”
“Ah, ahaha. That was…….”
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