Are We on the Same Team?
The Magic Officer Academy wasn't like the old military academies that trained people without any abilities into officers. If anything, it was more like a state-run guild.
Of course, most non-awakener graduates ended up working in government agencies. But for awakeners, they got scouted by guilds or fast-tracked into government positions. Higher-rank awakeners got preferential treatment upon enrollment, but those C-rank and below often came knocking on the government's door themselves. Without any backing, low-rankers in guilds were stuck doing menial chores. Better to join the state for some basic security.
For all sorts of reasons, most awakener students at the academy weren't fresh awakeners—they were ones who'd tasted the outside world, hit their limits, and come crawling back.
So that's why they're all so damn relaxed.
I glanced around the bus heading to Uijeongbu, then turned my eyes outside. An assembly order had gone out to every awakener student at the school. Divided into teams by rank, they were dispatched to sites under their professors' lead.
I was heading to a dungeon in Uijeongbu with a few kids from Class B. Leading the three teams on this bus—none other than Professor Kim Yo-han.
His eyes, once mild, had sharpened—rumor was he'd been a sniper in the military back in the day. Just having an S-rank like him along boosted morale sky-high.
"We'll hit the site soon. Team leaders, keep your members together. Switch to the hunter radio channel now."
"Yes, sir."
The students twisted their dials to the dedicated channel. Immediately, ops from central command crackled through.
Five in Seoul, five in the provinces.
Amusingly even split between the capital and the sticks.
Something stinks. A real foul odor.
No way this was random. Ten dungeons rampaging on the same day? Someone engineered this.
Three A-rank, five B-rank, two C-rank. Small mercy: no S-ranks.
If there were, a city or two would've been ashes by now.
Awakener levels had risen since my old days, but S-rank dungeons were still live grenades. Governments and guilds kept them under iron watch.
So they targeted up to A-rank, huh?
Even an A-rank rampage meant a monster horde spilling out—a nightmare. Whatever they wanted, the chaos was cover to make it happen.
Thoom. Thud.
Flames shot high in the distance—napalm's thick blaze. First defense line breached; second op in swing.
"Battle stations, everyone. Don't rush solo—if it's dicey, fall back. Our job's to tie 'em down till the big encirclement's set. Got it?"
"Yes, sir!"
Professor Kim Yo-han, ever the pro, briefed them sharp, then scowled at Uijeongbu's streets erupting in blasts and fire.
Who the fuck did this?
He wasn't naive enough to call it coincidence. Evac orders blanketed the city; civilians cleared out. Till hunters arrived, urban defense command threw the military at it.
They'd formed the first cordon, unleashing every modern weapon in the arsenal.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
The K12 machine gun spewed fire, hosing bullets like mad.
"Don't give an inch! Breach here and Seoul's next!"
"Arghhh!"
"Grenades out!"
"No holding back—pop more!"
BOOM! Kaboom! KABOOM!
"Kieeeek!"
"Kiek! Kyak!"
The goblin swarm, nightmare fuel spreading wide, screamed as the barrage trapped them.
"Fire in the hole!"
"Heads down!"
KABRAAAM!
Pre-laid Claymores erupted, spraying thousands of bearings. Splat-splat-splatter! Low-rankers shredded to chunks, but tougher hides shrugged it off.
Conventional arms handled up to C-rank. Above that? Even monster-proof AP rounds struggled.
"GRRROOOAR!"
A Minotaur vaulted the makeshift barricade, roaring. A-rank beast mocking the gunfire, bullets whizzing harmlessly as it loomed large.
KABOOM!
"Gah! Dodge!"
Its axe swing pulverized the machine gun nest in one go.
Rumble-rumble.
A tank rolled up, treads growling, locked on and fired.
Thwoomp! Whiiiish. KABANG!
Shell slammed the beast's torso. Massive blast, black smoke everywhere.
D-dead?
The crew inside waited, eyes bulging as smoke cleared.
"D-dodge!"
Minotaur leaped through, axe high, smashing down.
KABOOM!
Thunderous crash atop the tank with his scream.
"Aaaah! H-help!"
"R-run!"
"Nooo!"
Screams from the half-crumpled hull. Minotaur dropped its axe, hugged the tank tight.
"GRRROO! GRRO!"
Snarling effort—tank tilted, then flipped.
"Ugh... h-help..."
"P-please... sob."
Miracle survivors crawled out, bleeding, dragging themselves.
"Grrrrowl."
Hellhounds slobbering, growling in their sights.
"N-no..."
"Woof!"
Despair hit the soldier's eyes mid-crawl—
Crack.
"Yelp! Yiiiip! Yap-yap!"
Hellhounds flew back, tumbling, howling like they were dying.
"Where do you mangy mutts get off growling at people?"
I leaped off the bus straight into the fray, slamming a kick into the hound eyeing our proud soldier as a snack.
Kwak Su-hyun, my teammate arriving same time, cracked his knuckles with a smirk.
"Heh, look at 'em tuck tail—proper spooked, huh?"
He winked at me.
Ugh.
Not my type, but that lazy drawl hid real skill. Unlike the stragglers, he'd hit the scene with me.
"You bastard!"
Thoom!
The A-rank Minotaur that flipped the tank smashed half a building, sent flying. Professor Kim Yo-han bellowed at the rest.
"Spread out—cover the troops' retreat! No heroics—fight smart while falling back!"
"Yes, sir!"
The waiting team poured in.
"You okay?"
I offered a hand to the dazed soldier scanning around.
"Hoo... Thought I was done for."
He grabbed it, stood with a relieved sigh, yanked off his helmet. Younger than I figured.
"We'll take it from here—fall back. Looks like you're walking."
I eyed the mangled, upside-down tank.
"Yeah... Lucky you got here quick. Sir."
"Uh, yeah. Sir."
I saluted awkwardly back. He helmeted up, helped a buddy, and withdrew.
"Kang Min-ho, right?"
"And you?"
"Kwak Su-hyun. Saw you move—solid. No wonder Chang-min got his ass handed to him."
"Luck."
I shrugged; he burst laughing like it was the funniest shit.
"Puhahaha! 'Luck' that lets you wreck a B-rank hunter? Do it twice and you'd solo an S-rank boss!"
He waved dismissively, stepping up—like he didn't wanna talk more.
Grrrrowl.
The battered hellhounds circled, growling low.
"Aw, giving me an opening like chum on a hook, but too chicken to bite? For dogs, you're awful cautious."
Pop.
He vanished, reappearing beside a right-flank hound.
"One down."
Thwack!
"Yelp!"
Hand-blade pierced thick hide elbow-deep. He yanked out the still-beating heart.
Thud.
The hound twitched, tongue lolling, dead.
"Handle yours."
He crushed the heart, nodding at me.
Was gonna anyway. I bent my knees for the leap—
But it bolted tail-tucked the other way.
Huh?
Thud!
"Yap!"
The fleeing hound flew high from a dull impact, landing before me. Lee Jae-wook emerged slow from building rubble.
"Min-ho! Where you been? Looked everywhere!"
"..."
I stared at waving Jae-wook, muttering inside.
Weren't you on another team?
He grinned wide, slapping my back.
Ow, fuck—that hurts, you brute.
Post-rank-up strength hit like a truck; I winced, dodging.
"Why're you here? Your team?"
"Huh? Oh, they scattered right off the bus."
"..."
I rubbed my throbbing temple.
Magic Officer Academy's still a shitshow.
Hoped my era's mess had changed. Nope. Guild teams moved like clockwork on orders; here, even team leads had zero pull. Professors got lip service for the lessons, but students? Rivals all. Learn what you can and bail—teamwork was novel bullshit.
Shiny exterior, rotten core piled with issues. That was the academy.
Plus, dungeon breaks meant free magic stones—no limits. Kids hunted monsters eyes ablaze. Legal loot fest.
Why Professor Kim said spread out and fight.
Knew teams would splinter anyway.
"So, us three a team?"
"Huh? Who're you?"
"Kwak Su-hyun. You're Lee Jae-wook, right? Came up with Min-ho."
"Yeah. Nice. You teaming too?"
"Solo's suicide if surrounded. Minimum duo."
Like Su-hyun said, lone wolves at least paired up.
Then—
KABOOM!
"Arghhh! Die, you shits! All of you!"
Rat-tat-tat-tat.
Desperate screams and K2C1 rifle cracks echoed between buildings.
"That way first."
I nodded toward the noise; Su-hyun bobbed eagerly.
"Roger, boss!"
"..."
Jae-wook shot me a horrified look at "boss."
Who the hell's this guy?
I shrugged back.
Beats me.
Su-hyun twinkled like our reactions were prime entertainment—a new toy.
I ignored his prickly stare, dashed to the action.
Whoosh-whoosh.
Su-hyun watched Min-ho vault debris, lips curling long.
Knew he wasn't just C-rank.
His own leaps mimicked perfectly.
Thud-thud-thud.
Jae-wook chased hard behind.
"Hey, wait up!"
Harsh truth: tanks were always slowest.
