I Ended Up Arriving at the Special Forces (1)
I Ended Up Arriving at the Special Forces (1)
Yun Seol-ha headed toward the rooftop helipad of the training center where the Female Military Lieutenant was waiting. The high-speed elevator ascended so quickly that she reached the 70th-floor rooftop before she could even glimpse the outside scenery.
"That bastard won't stay quiet."
"Mr. Kelrot... What should we do...?"
What indeed. The Battalion Commander bastard would surely come looking for revenge, causing trouble. To reach my assigned duty station without encountering him...
Ah.
I poked the Female Military Lieutenant's side with my finger. She wore an expression suggesting this had nothing to do with her.
"Ghk!"
"Just tell me where I'm supposed to report. You don't want us hurting your sweetheart, right?"
"The locations of military facilities in Area 3 are classified. I don't have that information."
Damn it. Fine-there's another way. I hate asking favors, but no choice.
I took out my smartphone and called Aris. After a moment, her bored voice came through, accompanied by rustling sounds like she was eating snacks.
"Huh? What? Make it quick-I'm busy."
"Do you know where my assigned unit is located?"
"Yeah, why?"
Explaining would take too long. Better to lie.
"The transport plane broke down. I'll go myself. You don't want your precious data delayed, right? Tell me where."
"Huh? That's impossible. Really?"
Sharp bitch. Though I tried to hide it, she'd already caught my lie. Might as well be honest.
"Had trouble with the Battalion Commander-nim. If we meet again on the transport, things'll get messy. Just tell me my duty location so I can avoid unnecessary conflict."
"You know nothing about obeying superiors, do you? This is why civilians are..."
I wanted to snap that I'd completed my Army service in a past life, but arguing wasted time. After a long rant, Aris sighed deeply.
"I shouldn't disclose this carelessly. Helping you just this once."
"Thanks, Aris!"
"Listen carefully-don't spread this. Your duty location is..."
As I focused on her words, a violent gust of wind roared above.
THUDUDUDUDUDUDUDU!!
"What? Can't hear you-speak louder!!"
The deafening propeller blades drowned out Aris's voice completely.
THUMP-!!
I locked eyes with a hulking man who'd jumped down onto the helipad. His familiar face contrasted with his body-now entirely mechanical beneath his clothes.
"Keheheh. You look like you've seen a grim reaper."
"Fucking Aris had to drag it out."
I irritably ended the call. Everything below his neck was mechanical. Even with Oist's regeneration, recovering from such severe damage would've been impossible.
"No need to fear. Just testing if you completed your training properly before taking you. Where's your combat suit? You'll want it on unless you want to die."
The Battalion Commander clearly wanted to crush me in a rematch to restore his pride.
Wait.
"X, check his stats."
[Checking Paul's ability stats.]
Name : Paul (Battalion Commander)
Gender : Male
Strength : 134 (+50)
Stamina : 151 (+50)
Intelligence : 45
Mental Power : 32
Special Abilities : None.
Well well.
His stats were far lower than mine even without Axion. Leveling up by slaughtering Deathworms in the Forgotten Space had paid off.
He's just a fucking weakling.
I smirked and offered a handshake-intending to crush his spirit by showing our power difference. The Battalion Commander gripped my hand with a mechanical one, looking bemused.
Hope he gets the message.
CRUNCH-AAAH-AK.
"Kkh!"
Panic flashed across his face-undoubtedly from the immense pressure crushing his hand.
"Something wrong, Battalion Commander-nim?"
I smiled sweetly and squeezed harder.
"Y-You bitch."
Just before his mechanical hand crumpled, he swung his other fist at my face.
Too slow.
BAM!!
I let his sluggish punch land. Given our stat gap, my face remained unscathed. His fist, however, shattered against it. He stared at his ruined mechanical hand in disbelief.
Pathetic. Not worth fighting this trash.
Keeping hold of his hand, I kicked his chest.
GRIIIND-SNAP-.
His mechanical arm tore loose, revealing a monstrously oversized fist.
"Heheh."
A fun idea struck. Killing him here was impossible-we'd be living together. Best to tame him into obedience.
The once-imposing Battalion Commander now cowered on the floor. I approached, swinging his detached arm.
"Battalion Commander-nim, mind if I request a meeting?"
How would it feel to get beaten with his own arm? Shoving it up his ass should end his defiance for good.
"Stop this!!"
An unexpected figure intervened-the Female Military Lieutenant. Tears streamed down her face as she blocked me with outstretched arms.
"Assaulting a superior officer is unforgivable."
"Move."
"Kill me first!!"
"Fuck, both of you are insane."
He started this, yet I'm the villain?
THUD!!
Huh?? Sudden heat flared in my abdomen. Yun Seol-ha screamed as the Female Military Lieutenant collapsed in slow motion, blood gushing from her mouth.
Looking down, I saw a hole in my side.
"Khehehehek."
The Battalion Commander's vile laugh echoed. His remaining mechanical arm had transformed into a rifle.
"Fuck... It transforms too?"
I'd gotten careless. He'd shot me alongside his own lover.
I threw his detached arm at him, but abdominal pain weakened my throw. He caught it and reattached the limb. The Female Military Lieutenant clutched his ankle, bleeding heavily.
"B-Battalion Commander-nim... Why me too...?"
"Shut up."
He kicked her head. Her neck snapped with a sickening crack before she fell silent.
"KYAAAAAAAH-!!!"
Yun Seol-ha's ear-splitting scream followed witnessing her death.
The Battalion Commander aimed his rifle at Yun Seol-ha. Clutching my wound, I tackled him down and locked his joints.
"Yun Seol-ha!! Run!!!!"
"No, Mr. Kelrot!! I'll help you!!"
"You can't help!!! Get people here while I hold him!!"
After hesitating, she sprinted to the elevator. The button triggered its rapid ascent.
"Can't allow that. Can't let them see this."
He groped my body before jamming a finger into my bullet wound. Unbearable agony seized me-my body stiffened, releasing him.
"No-Seol-ha, run!!"
I saw Seol-ha's terrified eyes and the Battalion Commander charging at her like a beast.
Even if I summoned Axion, she'd die before I could equip it.
DING-.
The elevator doors opened. The Battalion Commander froze upon seeing its occupants.
"S-Sras? Rick? Why are you here?"
Familiar names. I knew these monsters-Oists who'd slaughtered countless humans, turning them into canned meat. I'd barely escaped them after sowing discord, stealing the Axion Shard and Forgotten Space.
While they talked, I swiftly put on Axion.
My body's holographic scan appeared, highlighting my injured side in red.
[Lethal damage detected in Qualified One's body. Beginning treatment.]
A tingling sensation spread through my side as pain rapidly faded. Warm energy flowed into me. The red highlight turned green.
[Qualified One's treatment complete.]
You little... Useful after all.
My hatred for Arpien-who'd screwed me over with his partner-faded slightly.
Using Stealth, I grabbed Yun Seol-ha unnoticed. She turned invisible too. Sras glanced toward our hidden position and muttered:
"See you soon."
What nonsense.
No time to retort. I lifted Yun Seol-ha under her arms and flew upward. Only when safely out of sight did I sigh in relief.
"Hah..."
Zooming in on the training center rooftop, they still lingered. Rick approached the Battalion Commander with a Heavy Kitchen Knife and bisected him at blinding speed. Blood geysered from the clean split from crown to groin.
Weren't they allies?
Sras smirked unnervingly in our direction before vanishing into the elevator with Rick. The rooftop drowned in crimson from the Battalion Commander and Female Military Lieutenant's blood.