Apocalypse Begins the Moment I Discharged

Army Special Warfare Command Headquarters.

A middle-aged man wearing the rank of colonel spoke with a look of genuine regret.

"Captain Kim. If you cancel your discharge right this second, the military will take you back. How about it? Changed your mind yet?"

The young captain answered with a laugh.

"Haha. Department Chief, I've already finished every last bit of the discharge-prep training. What are you talking about?"

"…Any interest in working for the NIS? If you just stick around long enough to make major, I can push an internal recommendation and get you into the National Intelligence Service."

"I really do appreciate the offer. But my mind hasn't changed."

"…Fine. If that's how you feel, there's nothing I can do."

The colonel sat on the sofa, pulled out a cigarette, and stuck it between his lips. He waved a hand as if the whole conversation had become a nuisance.

"There's no point counseling a stubborn bastard like you. Just go. Congratulations on your discharge, you idiot."

"Yes, sir. Thank you for everything until now. Loyalty!"

"Hey. Don't even bother saluting. I'm not going to return it."

His words were harsh, but his hand rose and returned the salute anyway.

The captain grinned and walked out of the room just like that.

Special Warfare Command Captain Kim Gitae.

And so he discharged from the military.

The moment I passed through the main gate after discharging, something unexpected hit me. I hadn't been hoping for much, but stepping outside that gate left me strangely moved.

Ah… so this is what freedom feels like?

Freedom!

Gitae's free now!

I finally discharged from the military!

"Ha… nice. Going from captain to unemployed feels pretty damn good."

I didn't have any particular plans for the moment, but I didn't feel lost either. Right now I was simply free, endlessly free.

I was still breathing in that civilian air when a woman in uniform walked up to me. She beamed at me with a bright, sunny smile.

"Pfft. Senior. How does it feel being a civilian? Satisfying?"

"Yeah. Pretty satisfying. What about you? How's it feel watching your senior walk out?"

"Hmm~ Now that you've gone and discharged, I'm starting to get the itch myself."

A fellow Korea Military Academy graduate, and my direct junior.

Special Warfare Command Lieutenant Han Seoyeon.

She looked at me with that fox-like smile of hers.

"Aww~ I hitched my wagon to your line because I believed in you, Senior. Now that you've discharged, what am I supposed to do? I've been left high and dry like a duck egg floating down the Nakdong River~"

"What are you even saying. With your ability, you'll do fine on your own. And I'm just a lowly captain — why the hell would you ride my line?"

"Hehe. Because if it's you, Senior, you'd definitely make general someday~ Following you felt like a sure path to pinning a star of my own."

"Tough break. Go find yourself a better line than mine."

"Ugh… I really don't want to start kissing someone else's ass at this point… Should I just discharge too?"

"And do what exactly, if you discharge?"

"Says the guy who just discharged with nothing lined up. What are you talking about?"

"That's… ah. Okay. Fair. I've got nothing on that one."

The reason I'd left the military wasn't anything special. I was just bored. That was the whole of it. I didn't have anything I particularly wanted to do, and nothing I was planning to do either. For someone like me to start lecturing a junior would have been pathetic — so I admitted she was right without a second of hesitation.

"Hmm… well, thinking about it, you'd probably succeed at whatever you tried, Senior. Whether you became a fighter or started a security company, you'd make it work."

"Your evaluation of me is way too generous. Don't put that kind of pressure on me for no reason."

"Come on~ What are you talking about? I'm just giving you a completely objective assessment~"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Seoyeon stepped in closer. Close enough that I could hear her breathing, she spoke in a voice that was pure temptation.

"Senior. Should I just discharge too? Discharge and marry you? Being a full-time housewife doesn't sound like such a bad life, you know?"

Seoyeon casually proposed marriage as if it were the most natural thing in the world. There was only one answer I could give to a proposal like that.

I flicked her hard on the bridge of the nose.

"Aack! Ah… Senior!! Why did you hit me?! That really hurt!"

"Punishment for messing with your senior. Just because I discharged doesn't mean you get to run your mouth with no bottom and no end. That's a violation of military discipline."

"Ugh…! You idiot…! I wasn't joking…!"

Seoyeon grumbled something under her breath. I ignored it without a second thought. I started walking my own way and gave her one last goodbye.

"Do well, Han Seoyeon. Next time we meet, I'll buy you a meal. Take care."

"…Pfft. Yes. You take care too, Senior. I'll come visit your place on leave! So make ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sure you answer my calls!"

"Yeah. Bye-bye."

I left the Special Warfare Command Headquarters behind. And just like that, my military life came to a complete end.

The first thing I did after discharging was head to Han River Park.

It was a weekday lunch hour, so there weren't that many people around. I bought a single cup of Han River ramen and found a decent spot to sit.

"I've always wanted to eat Han River ramen like this at least once. Ramen eaten at leisure while everyone else is working… this is too good."

It wasn't as if Han River ramen had some special flavor. It was the atmosphere I liked. Sitting in a pretty park, eating ramen in complete peace — it just felt good.

"Ugh. Should've bought two. One pack of ramen really isn't enough."

Well, look at my build. A grown man at 194 centimeters, 105 kilograms, and 11% body fat — was one pack of ramen ever going to cut it? I should've eaten at least two. That one was on me.

"Ah… since I had ramen for lunch, I'll get meat for dinner."

I lay back on the grass and started thinking about what to eat that evening. A cool breeze rolled over me, and my mood was excellent. It was a vague thought, but it felt like this peace would just keep going forever.

…Of course, that was pure delusion on my part.

Something translucent, like a game system window, appeared right in front of my eyes. Not just mine — every single person in Han River Park saw the same thing.

What the hell is going on…?

The instant the system announced the start of the prologue, something shaped like a person began climbing out of my shadow. More precisely — a Shadow Monster wearing my face.

I still didn't fully understand the situation, but based on the information I'd just been given, that shadow was a monster with my physical abilities and my memories. It would almost certainly come at me with murderous intent. After all, to clear the prologue, I would eventually have to kill the thing. And if it had my memories, it would have already copied the fact that I intended to kill it.

Which meant there was only one thing for me to do.

Right now, while the Shadow Monster still hadn't fully pulled free of my shadow — while it was trying to form its arms and legs, completely exposed — I had to strike.

Time from judgment to action: 0.3 seconds.

I immediately grabbed a rock and smashed it into the Shadow Monster's head. If it had copied my physical abilities, one hit wouldn't be enough. I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mounted it at once, pinned it down, and relentlessly targeted the head. Hitting the same spot over and over, the form collapsed in no time. Whether it was dead or not, the Shadow Monster melted into a formless puddle and vanished.

Immediately after, the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠same translucent window from before appeared in front of me.

The moment that system window appeared, I was instantly transported somewhere else. Looking around, all I could see was the horizon of the sky. This was definitely not the Han River Park I'd been sitting in seconds ago.

I stood up and took a quick look around, and then I understood. Just as the system window had said, I was on a Sky Island floating above Han River Park.

The whole situation was so absurd that I let out a hollow laugh.

"Wow… what the hell is this?"

What's the most important thing for a soldier?

What else? Loyalty. In the end, a soldier just carries out the orders handed down from above.

But change one condition, and the answer shifts.

What's the most important thing for someone in Special Forces?

Ask it that way, and the answer gets a little different. There are plenty of possible answers to that question, but the one I value most is mission capability.

Make the impossible possible.

That's Special Forces.

Alright, that sounded grand — but what I'm really trying to say is this: for Special Forces operators, the battlefield has always been unreasonable, and we carried out the mission inside those terrible conditions anyway. In other words, a ridiculous situation like this one is something I'm used to.

I recovered my composure almost immediately and started assessing the current situation.

"A status window — the kind you see in games — just appeared in reality, and at the same time a scenario dangerous enough to wipe out humanity kicked off. And as a special exception, I got dumped onto a Sky Island… Hahah. This is some next-level bullshit."

Yeah. Okay. Fair.

Even trying to organize it, it still doesn't quite land. Even for me, when the genre of reality flips from modern to modern fantasy overnight, you're going to be shocked. I might talk a big game about being Special Forces, but I've got feelings too, you know? When a situation straight out of a webtoon or web novel becomes real life, how am I supposed to just go, "Hmm. I see. Well then, shall we start by leveling up?"

Come on. Even Special Forces has limits.

"…There was a time when I thought like that too."

Haha. I was rattled, sure — but not so rattled I couldn't adapt. If anything, I was getting excited. This whole situation felt like I'd been dropped inside a game, and that was genuinely fun.

What else is life for?

In the end, fun is what matters most. As long as you can enjoy it, you can keep living even if the world turns into hell.

"One death and it's over — hardcore difficulty, huh… now that's getting my heart racing."

Still, nothing to really worry about. If it's a game, there's always a way to clear it somehow.

Alright. Let's check my abilities first. If the skills I've got are good enough, this could be a pretty comfortable run.

"Status window."

The moment I said the words, a system window appeared in front of me. I slowly reviewed the skills and stats I was holding.