Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Incident in the Calcutta Jungle Zone (5)
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The battle was drawing to a close, but not all the Calcutta Hell Crocodiles had been wiped out. A few more were still writhing around on the other side, biding their time for an opening.
The Code Green Team finished off the ones nearby, then tried to take out the monsters positioned a bit farther away. But Choi Jae-ho held them back.
“That’s enough. We’ll handle the rest, considering your stamina issues.”
“…….”
Oh Byung-hwan halted his attack at Choi Jae-ho’s words. For one thing, the man was the leader, but more importantly, there was no need to waste firepower when they were offering to fight instead. Firepower wasn’t infinite.
“Get ready.”
While Oh Byung-hwan was the one piloting Power Armor in Code Green Team, two others from Jindo Team were doing so. Choi Jae-ho wasn’t riding one.
The Uncle Jo Company mercenaries found it a little odd but didn’t ask why. Prying into another company’s affairs could be rude in itself.
However, Suhyun had a rough idea.
On Cameron Planet, reaching team leader without being an exceptional Power Armor pilot meant either having outstanding skills elsewhere or...
Fwoosh!
Suddenly, flames erupted on the Calcutta Hell Crocodile’s body. Not rising slowly, but exploding outward in a rapid, spherical burst.
‘As expected, a Superpower user.’
An Ignition ability holder. And a particularly strong one at that. Even among Ignition abilities, there were big differences in power and method. Some created flames around their body to hurl them, while others, like Choi Jae-ho, could ignite targets directly. From a monster hunter’s perspective, the latter was far more convenient.
It let you set them ablaze before they even noticed.
“Whoa, a Superpower user?”
“No wonder he’s the team leader.”
The arriving Uncle Jo Company mercenaries murmured among themselves. Superpower users always drew envy. Many monsters resisted conventional weapons strongly but were vulnerable to Superpowers. That made them invaluable assets on Cameron Planet.
“Quietly now, clean them up nice and easy. No more commotion.”
Suhyun overheard Choi Jae-ho ordering his men. He figured Choi Jae-ho had a better head on his shoulders than Oh Byung-hwan.
From Suhyun’s view, Oh Byung-hwan hadn’t learned much from their first failure. Monsters weren’t pushovers. If you lost, you acknowledged their strength and pondered ways to exploit weaknesses.
Yet Oh Byung-hwan didn’t seem to think their approach was wrong. He clearly believed adding more personnel and firepower would clinch it this time.
Ignore the surrounding noise and blast them away with overwhelming force. They could’ve handled it more quietly. On Cameron, making a racket was just begging to be attacked.
Choi Jae-ho must’ve stepped in to prevent that. But with everyone listening, telling another team’s leader to pipe down could cause issues, so he offered to handle it instead.
‘Not a total dimwit, then.’
Choi Jae-ho unleashed his Superpower repeatedly. Flames exploded inside a Hell Crocodile’s open maw, sending it rolling in agony with a pained screech.
“Hurry it up! You planning to camp here overnight?”
“Yes, sir!”
Choi Jae-ho chewed out his Jindo Team members for being slow, but they had solid skills. Their movements showed familiarity.
‘Use Superpower to wear down defenses, then strike to finish. Good teamwork.’
It’d be highly effective against Trolls too, not just Hell Crocodiles. They were weak to fire anyway, and Superpower flames would be even deadlier.
“Clear.”
“Clear!”
“Double-check!”
“No life signs.”
“Good. Let’s move out.”
The Uncle Jo Company members, having rushed over only to find nothing left to do, shrugged and pressed forward. Reacting to every little thing just wore you out.
‘Better if they don’t fight anyway.’
* * *
‘An unusual number of birds around.’
Choi Jae-ho wiped his sweat, thinking that. They were currently taking a break. An unscheduled one, but unavoidable. They’d clashed with more monsters than expected.
“What do you think?”
“About what?”
“Those Uncle Jo Company guys. That spray they used at the start... There’s definitely something to it. Something that works reliably around Calcutta.”
Code Green and Jindo Team members alike showed signs of fatigue. Even Choi Jae-ho felt a touch weary. It wasn’t surprising—they’d fought monsters multiple times already.
Yet amid it all, Uncle Jo Company never got hit first. Monster attacks always targeted the center or rear. So Code Green or Jindo ended up doing most of the fighting, while Uncle Jo yawned and sauntered back into formation once it was over.
“They’re glaring at us, huh?”
“Let ’em. We’ve been busting our asses.”
“Man, is it our fault we’re the lucky ones?”
Suhyun chuckled. Today, they’d been properly snagged by Calcutta Crocodile Birds. After the first failure, the birds kept flying around, summoning monsters.
Instead of blocking them, Suhyun tracked them with reconnaissance magic and pinpointed monster locations. Then he steered the teams ahead so the center or rear groups drew the attacks.
That led to the current situation. The birds eventually gave up and flew off elsewhere, but the team’s drained stamina didn’t recover instantly.
“Shame about that Troll’s blood. Why’d more show up this time...”
“You know we’d just split it 1/n with these guys anyway, right?”
“I know. And grabbing it now would just earn us shit-talk.”
“Cut the chit-chat and line up single file. Let’s spray once more.”
“What? Why again?”
The team grumbled but no one refused Suhyun’s order. And that action left a deep impression on the other teams’ members.
‘It’s confirmed. That’s gotta be key!’
‘What the hell is it?’
They’d invited Uncle Jo Company to learn their know-how, but they couldn’t just demand it outright—that’d spark a fight. You picked it up naturally, by observing shrewdly while working together.
In that context, asking about their gear was off-limits. But curiosity burned. Suhyun felt the hot stares on his back as he stowed the spray again.
Before the break ended, Choi Jae-ho seized his chance. Or rather, Suhyun gave it to him. Sticking close to his team meant no approaches.
Suhyun deliberately stepped a bit away. Spotting it, Choi Jae-ho pounced like a ghost.
“Ahem.”
“?”
“Impressive fighting out there. Name?”
“Kim Suhyun. You know it. I am pretty good.”
Choi Jae-ho looked dumbfounded at the response. He’d tossed out a casual opener to break the ice, but Suhyun hadn’t done much. The heavy lifting fell to them or Code Green.
Yet here he was, stating it so boldly. Swallowing his bewilderment, Choi Jae-ho pressed on.
“Newbie, right? Uncle Jo Company treating you okay?”
“Well... what’s a newbie anyway? Good vibe, good teammates, potential— that’s enough.”
“Still, must be some regrets.”
‘Does this guy think I’m a sucker...?’
Suhyun got Choi Jae-ho’s angle. The others looked experienced at a glance. But Suhyun was the apparent rookie, easiest mark.
“What’s this? Scouting me?”
“Scouting? Don’t say that—people might misunderstand.”
Choi Jae-ho exaggeratedly glanced around, lowering his voice. He denied it superficially, but the intent was clear: ‘Not officially, but I’m not against it.’
“Jindo’s a solid company. Top-tier among domestic ones. You know that?”
“Sure. Who working here hasn’t heard of Jindo?”
Flattery for what they love always worked, even on veterans like Choi Jae-ho. He nodded, pleased.
“Exactly. Sounds self-serving from me, but it really is great.”
‘Though my memory’s fuzzy on details...’
“You know we’re always recruiting spirited young talent?”
“Really? Thought you only took experienced hires from the requirements.”
Choi Jae-ho faltered slightly. He hadn’t expected the kid to know their hiring criteria.
“N-no, that’s just for public postings. Gotta screen somehow without knowing skill levels, right? But someone I’ve seen with my own eyes? Experience doesn’t matter. True talent trumps it. Don’t you think?”
‘Just probing, but they really only take veterans.’
Suhyun stifled a laugh inside and agreed. Choi Jae-ho’s condescending ploy was laughable.
“Yeah, I agree. I don’t lag behind anyone, right?”
“Hmm. Don’t tell the others this. I think you’ve got the skills to stand equal with any member.”
Choi Jae-ho never dreamed he was speaking literal truth.
A small company, short-staffed, slots filled out of necessity. A rookie like that was bound to be dissatisfied—prime poaching material.
Persuade well, extract max info. Key was avoiding trouble. No firm promises, just hints like ‘Do well, and we might scout you’—enough to hook newbies.