Chapter 89
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 089
Chapter Title: Soldiers - 3
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My Hunter Rifle was a 78kg monster, so its barrel was ridiculously long.
The Deathclaw corpse impaled on that barrel exploded from a good distance away, but damn, the blast was overly spectacular. Chunks of its blood and flesh splattered all the way over here.
Because of that, both me and the soldier I was shielding ended up covered in bright red gunk.
When I looked at the soldier, now sticky with blood and gore, he seemed to finally grasp the situation a beat later. He stammered as he opened his mouth.
"Really, thank—"
I cut him off mid-sentence, even though I'd wanted to play it cool.
"Ah, sorry about that."
"—you, sir?"
"I've got my force field, so I can just shake it off. But you'll have to do laundry the second you get back. Tough break, right?"
I brushed off the soldier—who was making a confused uhh sound—and took the lead down the mountain.
As we went, I pretended not to listen while secretly tuning in to the chatter behind me.
"No wonder he's number one in the industry... Kim Geuk is Korea's top rank after Kang Jun-chi, right?"
Seong Mun-yeong answered one of the soldiers' questions.
"Obviously. No one's better than him in skill or results."
"That was insane. And he's acting all nonchalant about it? Even the other hunters besides Kim Geuk... We were all freaking out, but they barely flinched. Has stuff like this happened a lot before?"
"All the time. There was even this one time someone teleported in front of a bullet to take the hit for another guy... Kinda bummed it didn't make the broadcast. Did you get good footage this time?"
The cameraman's voice followed.
"Yeah, I got it all. Nailed it!"
"What's the chat reaction like?"
"Too many comments to describe, but check it out at home once we're done. You'll love the vicarious thrill."
After that, we returned to the outpost with the soldiers, where the colonel was waiting.
I gave him a rough rundown of what happened, and he visibly perked up.
"You let each one get hands-on experience taking down a monster?"
"Yes. Did I do well?"
"Do well? If my men had pulled that off, I'd hand out commendations, leave—whatever it takes! It's killing me that I can't do the same!"
The colonel made a huge fuss for a while before asking me in a sly tone.
"Anyway, thank you so much. You're sticking around here for a bit longer, right? Could you keep bringing along the same soldiers from today?"
"If they want."
When I asked them directly afterward, the soldiers said they'd love to tag along on our future schedule. Maybe it was the feast we fed them, or maybe hiking beat regular duty—who knows.
Back home, I showered and fired up my computer.
I pulled up Naito-san's YouTube channel and clicked on today's upload.
Even by my standards, my performance deserved praise. I wanted to bask in it.
And sure enough, the video captured my exploits in full.
- Kim Geuk doesn't even look back, just teleports in and saves the guy—what the hell? How does he even react that fast? Does Kim Geuk have acceleration powers too?
- Awakener abilities max out at three, so no acceleration for him—what gives?
I replayed my feats and the praise several times, then scrolled through the YouTube comments. A few stood out.
Kim Geuk saving him again is one thing, but Naito-san's reaction speed is insane too. Everyone see him aim the shotgun the instant the Deathclaw lunged?
Both of them have reaction speeds on another level...
Is this just "good reflexes"? What if Naito-san has neural acceleration too?
Neural acceleration's great, but why hide it? He'd qualify as an A-rank Hunter—idiot move?
Neural acceleration alone won't cut it for A-rank. It's not just about fighting well; you need to solo tough monsters like Force Field Bodies. Plus, it's not firepower-heavy, so hard to rank up. He'd just be a standout non-Awakener Hunter at best—and even then, guilds prefer hiring multiple regulars for the cash.
Maybe he's a non-Awakener hiding awakening to get props for fighting at Awakener level?
I read through them and thought: Naito-san hiding being an Awakener? Didn't shock me. I'd pondered it myself plenty.
But I'd already concluded it was impossible.
Idiots. Makes zero sense.
If Naito-san were an Awakener pretending otherwise and profiting from it, Baek Dam-bi would've spilled the beans.
She hates him almost as much as I do, and she can spot Awakeners with her own eyes. Hell, my petty, scheming roundmate would've mobilized her HuntWeb account to expose him for sure.
Plus, I've seen Naito-san's soul inside Gates multiple times.
Truth be told, it did give me pause. It was ambiguous in several ways.
His soul shone brighter than a regular person's, but only within margin of error.
In Gates, Awakener souls glow brighter or differently colored than non-Awakeners', but exceptions exist.
When their power is barely above non-Awakener levels.
Take Deathclaws—they all awaken to force field blades despite mediocre spiritual talent, and their souls often look unremarkable.
Naito-san's was similar—nothing standout. Jeong Jin-yeong's soul next to him was even brighter.
So in a Gate, it was hard to tell just from the soul. Neural acceleration's rare anyway, tough to judge at a glance...
But here's the clincher: I just don't like the guy. If he were a real Awakener, I wouldn't—no way. That disgust seals it.
The revulsion I feel from him proves he's just non-Awakener trash. Right?
We kept hunting on Mani Mountain afterward.
By then, we'd gotten pretty chummy with the soldiers—close enough for touchy topics.
"I've heard Awakeners get special drafted into the military, all as NCOs or higher? First time seeing one as a regular enlistee... So, do they make unreasonable demands or anything?"
One soldier answered readily when I asked.
"Not really that different. Feels the same as other grunts."
"The same?"
"Yeah. Same schedule as us—farming rice and cabbage, same morale training... They're stronger, so they get ace treatment, but that's it. Oh, our specialties are all portable heavy weapons. Otherwise, nada."
"So they've never been called up specially for monster hunts?"
"Not yet... They've fired at monsters trying to breach barricades, but nothing major."
Jeong Jin-yeong muttered at that.
"Surprising. Thought the military wouldn't miss a chance to exploit high-value Awakeners for cheap. Treating them like regulars...?"
I was surprised too, but on second thought, not entirely.
The military would hesitate to abuse Awakener enlistees. Overseas rebellions were often by military Awakeners.
They band together by unit, compare treatment to Hunter Awakeners, brew resentment. Blocking an internal revolt would be tough for brass...
So the army and government probably just train them lightly on Hunter Rifles and discharge smoothly. That's what I was thinking when the soldier spoke up.
"There are bad rumors about Awakener soldiers, though."
"What kind?"
"They avoid sending them on risky missions to prevent backlash... But near discharge, they start using them hard?"
"Use them hard how?"
I had the camera moved away first. Only then did he explain.
"They say they round up short-timers for dangerous ops like Gate suppressions or wild monster sweeps. Extra thirty grand in hazard pay... Figure if they die, problem solved; if they survive and complain, they're out soon anyway."
My face hardened live on stream as he continued.
"Even here on Ganghwa Island... A bunch of Awakeners nearing discharge clustered in one regiment. Rumor is they're prepping for a big op. Train them up, then throw 'em all in at once near the end—high-risk even for Awakeners."
I asked in a voice even I found grave.
"Mani Mountain's got some real nasty monsters too, right? The ones that ballooned early in the Gate crisis by eating tons of people..."
He nodded.
"Know about Ppong-ppong?"
"Ppong-ppong? No."
"A 4-meter ogre, awakened force field exoskeleton—tanks tank shells no problem. Nicknamed for its loud roars echoing to the barracks. Just that one shows Mani Mountain monsters are no joke..."
That's when our eyes met at the mention of "Ppong-ppong."
Ah? Ah...
I was suddenly swept into that sucking sensation again, startled.
Another future hallucination? Why so soon?
Kim Hyeong-man's wasn't that long ago. Already...?
In the hallucination, I see the soldier before me.
I pity his plight while scorning him.
An Awakener, forced to obey non-Awakener officers blindly? Pathetic.
This Awakener soldier represents his unit, come to beg me to help them escape.
He pleads to be teleported far from their Ganghwa regiment.
"If we stay, we're all dead! A clerk found docs while cleaning an officer's desk... Regiment's throwing us into a suicide op. We're all short-timers—they want us gone before discharge for their gain..."
Makes sense for Ganghwa Awakeners.
Mani Mountain—prime holy site of the Laniakea Supercluster—is Korea's first Gate site.
That sacred peak is stained with blood from locals, tourists, and troops sent in after.
The prior regime's Eagle Operation proves it.
Ten thousand reservists mobilized to clear suspected monsters here.
After casualties galore, the "success"? One Deathclaw kill. Rumors say the commander faked it with a scavenged corpse out of embarrassment.
Back then, no one knew Gate ecology.
Didn't know monsters hid in Gates or burrows/caves normally. No clue bombing or gunship runs wouldn't flush them. Ignorance bred hell here.
Didn't realize burning to smoke them out could awaken Flame Spirits, or devouring humans supercharged them into worse threats.
All that folly piled into Mani Mountain's nightmare.
And this soldier says they're being sent there.
For being Awakeners, into that meat grinder. He begs asylum abroad before then.
After hearing it all, hallucination-me speaks.
"I can get you out. But not overseas. Too taxing."
I'm shocked by the coldness in that voice.
Dominated by scorn over pity.
"Then... where?"
"Sowol."
"Sword World?"
"Yeah, Sword World. Awakener paradise. I'll send you there—go live."
So unexpected. He stammers before responding.
"But Sowol's worse than North Korea..."
"Fine. Even NK's Kim dynasty lives well. Same for strong Awakeners there. Alone, you'd suffer... so I'll send slaves to toil for you."
"Slaves?"
"Yeah. I'll grab some."
He stares blankly—what? I explain.
"Ganghwa's got military family housing, right? Your NCOs, officers—and their families—all to Sowol."
"Why them...?"
"Work those non-Awakener scraps as slaves. They'll resist at first, but show 'em the power gap—they'll submit. Taming 'em will be fun. Exciting, right?"
He shoots back.
"Are you insane?"
Pure disbelief. Hallucination-me just smirks, no real explanation.
"The world's insane. Non-Awakeners ordering Awakeners? Without even minimum wage? Makes no sense."
"Still, how could—"
"Non-Awakeners exist to serve Awakener slaves. Born slaves playing officers and councilors—that's why the world's fucked. Earth's worse than Sowol... Been there? Know it well?"
"No..."
I laugh.
Not a good laugh. Far from it.
"I've been. Sowol's great. Way better than Earth."
Mocking weak Awakener kin, smug in my superiority.
With that grin, I continue.
"I'm sending you to paradise. With slaves attached. Such a sweet deal—why hesitate?"
He leaves without agreeing.
I expect he'll come around. Too radical to accept on the spot, but tempting.
Not just escape—turn tormentors and families into slaves?
That delusional reversal, ripe for the taking.
Days later, another Awakener soldier returns—different guy, on leave.
Stern-faced, he says.
"We're going. Sowol."
"Slaves too?"
"Yes. With slaves."
I laugh.
"Good, brothers. Time to become true Awakeners. Right?"