The Secret of the Training Team

After entering the Gate, the trainees began to explore, forming a defensive line based on the surrounding terrain just as they had been trained. It was a Gate with a fairly high difficulty level even for C-rank, and eventually, when things started looking a bit dangerous, I decided to step in.

Normally, I would have used a knife to dispatch the monster, but without thinking, I accidentally smashed the beast’s head in with my bare fist. The monster collapsed to the ground with its skull completely crushed and distorted.

From that moment on, the way the trainees looked at me changed. The initial worried gazes—"An instructor who's B-rank? I heard he's up for promotion, but is he really okay?"—shifted into expressions mixed with respect and fear: "As expected, Hunters nearing A-rank are on a different level."

The team leader, Jang Wooseok, in particular, kept trying to show his closeness.

"It seems like even reaching your level of expertise doesn't make the promotion to A-rank easy, Instructor..."

"No, it's not like that... I just haven't been active much, and I've only recently started working again."

"Please, speak comfortably, Instructor. Whether you look at our ages or our Hunter careers, aren't I your junior?"

"Sure..."

In truth, the words "Stop talking to me" were rising all the way to my throat, but I barely managed to swallow them. Kim Hajun also seemed to have a lot of questions about Hunter work, so whenever they took a break, these two would sit on either side of me and launch a constant barrage of questions.

'Damn it... I'm popular with men. I just want to die.'

The team's balance wasn't bad. With the excellent attackers Kang Yerin and Jang Wooseok at the center, Kim Hajun defended well and kept the monsters in check, buying time for the others to attack. The only flaw was... Oh Hana, the D-rank trainee.

Since she was participating as a combat assistant and porter, I didn't have high expectations, but she was performing so far below standard that she was failing even those low expectations.

'She must have barely scraped into the special class...'

For a regular trainee, she might have been decent, but mixed in with the special class trainees, her skill level—which was far below the team's average—really stood out.

Special class field training emphasizes the bonds between colleagues who have endured years of hellish training together, so the teams aren't assigned by the training center; the trainees form them themselves. In other words, Oh Hana was a typical "bus rider" ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠who got picked for the team based on her personal connections.

She was the oldest member of the team, yet the weakest...

'Even if she racks up achievements like that, she's bound to get caught eventually...'

Contrary to my initial expectation of a four-person team where everyone pulled their own weight, it had become a team where one person was awkwardly contributing only 0.3 of a person's worth. Naturally, the speed of the Gate exploration began to slow down.

'This might take another day...'

On the first day of exploration, we decided not to push ourselves and rested for the night in a seemingly safe area. Oh Hana couldn't even properly handle her role as a porter, which included setting up tents and preparing meals. In the end, Kang Yerin and Kim Hajun had to help finish the meal prep.

'Why are they keeping her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the team? Have they been together since they were kids?'

After the meal, Jang Wooseok and Oh Hana were scheduled for the first watch. As everyone was checking their gear and preparing to rest, I couldn't hold back my curiosity.

"You all seem to have been close for a long time, right?"

"Ah... yes! When we first entered the training center, we happened to be assigned to the same group, and we've been close ever since."

Kim Hajun answered, glancing at Kang Yerin.

'Just as I thought.'

Kang Yerin silently applied medicine to her sword, then set it down and looked at me.

"Instructor, what do you think of this team?"

"Pardon? In what way..."

"The team's balance, or things like that..."

Kang Yerin asked me with slightly wavering eyes. The intent behind the question was clear. Looking at the team's atmosphere, the youngest, Kim Hajun, seemed to have no say because he was walking on eggshells around the older ones, meaning the decision-making power rested with either Kang Yerin or Jang Wooseok. The very fact that she was asking me this meant she knew there was a hole in the team and wanted to confirm that her own thoughts were correct.

'Kim Hajun has no voice, and Kang Yerin wants to get rid of Oh Hana...'

There was only one reason the team was still being maintained despite this.

'It's obvious that Jang Wooseok is coddling Oh Hana... How should I answer this?'

I took a sip of warm tea and spoke to Kang Yerin.

"If you only intend to run C and D-rank Gates for the rest of your lives, the current team is sufficient."

"That means..."

Kang Yerin looked a bit excited to finally meet someone who, even indirectly, gave her the answer she wanted to hear. Kim Hajun was silently looking back and forth between me and Kang Yerin.

"Well, even so, I can't interfere with someone else's team composition. I recommend you find a time to sit down and talk it out properly once this exploration is over."

"But Wooseok is..."

"Stop. Please don't talk to me about private matters within the team."

Naturally, there was nothing I could do for this team. First, although it was a bit of a personal sentiment, I felt more affection for Jang Wooseok, who was holding onto a team member out of loyalty, even if it was foolish. 'He feels like a real human being.'

Second, although I'd only watched them for a day, the relationship between Oh Hana and Jang Wooseok seemed quite close. Or rather, it felt like Oh Hana was throwing herself at Jang Wooseok... Kang Yerin looked displeased by that. It was just my guess, but perhaps... Kang Yerin liked Jang Wooseok.

'Is it right to badmouth your team because of such personal feelings?'

"It's... time. Time to switch shifts. I'll be heading out first."

Leaving behind Kang Yerin, who seemed to want to talk more about this issue, I stepped away. Jang Wooseok and Oh Hana were on the first watch, I was to take the middle shift alone, and Kang Yerin and Kim Hajun would take the last. I had volunteered to take the longest middle shift myself.

'I need to rest well so I can fight tomorrow.'

It was my own way of being considerate. And, truthfully, I also just wanted to rest well and finish this exploration quickly.

It was a bit earlier than the scheduled shift change, but I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠left early because Kang Yerin would likely keep trying to drag me into their problems, and I just wanted to be alone.

"It should be around here somewhere..."

I arrived at the spot where the two of them were supposed to be, but they were nowhere to be seen. A sense of unease began to wash over me.

'Don't tell me...'

Monsters don't usually move much at night, but there are always exceptions. Even if nocturnal monsters were rare in a C-rank Gate, it was entirely possible.

I killed my presence, pulled a knife from my waist, and sharpened my senses. A rustling sound came from the bushes a little to the left.

'If a battle had occurred, there would have been a loud noise. The fact that there wasn't means...'

They might have been taken down before they could even react. Assuming the worst-case scenario, I approached the source of the sound while completely suppressing my footsteps and presence.

"Ugh... hah! Noona...!"

Just then, I heard Jang Wooseok's voice. I crouched down, approached the source of the sound, hid behind a tree, and poked my head out slightly to look.

'...'

Jang Wooseok and Oh Hana were there. Or rather, Jang Wooseok, who had his pants zipper down and his cock out, and Oh Hana, who was on her knees sucking him off.

'What are you guys doing...'

She was sucking his cock so obscenely that the sound reached me even behind the tree, which was some distance away.

*Slurp, gluck, shhh-wuck*

"Haaah...! Noona... if someone sees us like this... Hnnngh!"

"It's okay... We still have a bit of time left before the shift change."

Someone once said: "Between strong people, even just shaking hands is enough to gauge whether the opponent is weaker or stronger than you." I don't know if this saying is appropriate for the current situation, but I could tell just by the sound of her sucking his cock.

'She's a master, a level above Yuna or Nahyun.'

The sound was so vulgar that it filled the forest, making me wonder if it was even possible for such a lewd noise to come out of a mouth.

I poked my head out slightly to look at Jang Wooseok.

*Slurp, gluck, shhh-wuck*

"Hee! Ah! Haa... Noona, wait a second...!"

"Are you about to cum? Let's cum all over Noona's mouth. We can just do it again, so don't hold back, just cum."

With her mouth wide open and her eyes rolled back completely, she was trembling all over.

'That bastard is going to heaven...'

The question of why Jang Wooseok couldn't kick Oh Hana off the team was solved. It wasn't because of loyalty or affection, but because he couldn't let go of a slut who would suck his cock whenever he wanted.

'I'm speechless...'

I felt like a fool for having felt a sense of inner intimacy with Jang Wooseok, who valued loyalty, even for a moment. If he really thought about the team's future, the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠correct answer was to kick Oh Hana out.

As that act neared its end, Jang Wooseok's moans began to grow louder.

"Haa...! Noona! I'm cumming! Ugh!"

Jang Wooseok, despite his sturdy build, kept letting out girl-like moans.

'Male moans are a bit hard to listen to... I don't make sounds like that, do I...?'

Even so, I couldn't leave and kept watching secretly. It was my first time witnessing a scene of someone else's sexual act in real life, and it was quite interesting.

Jang Wooseok ejaculated while letting out a cry.

"Ughhh...! Noonaaa...! Noona!"

'The monsters are going to hear you and swarm us, you idiot... Or should I assume Oh Hana is just that good at fellatio that he couldn't hold back his voice?'

Oh Hana wrapped her arms around Jang Wooseok's waist, pushed her head deeper, and swallowed his cock to the root.

'No matter how I look at it, this wasn't self-taught; it looks like she was professionally trained by someone...'

Why did the phrase "Hehe;; sorry... lol!!!" pop into my head for a split second?

With that scene as the finale, I went back to the original guard area and stood there. About 20 minutes later, I heard the sound of Jang Wooseok and Oh Hana walking toward me.

"Instructor!"

Oh Hana looked surprised when she saw me.

"Ah, I came a bit early to switch shifts, but you weren't there."

Jang Wooseok's eyes were even more glazed over than before.

'This bastard went for another round...'

Oh Hana answered with a nonchalant face.

"We heard a strange sound in the forest over there, so we went... to scout a little."

"I see."

'You were the one making that sound, you perverted bitch...'