Chapter 57
Chapter 57
As Logan requested, I guided him to the armory at the far end of the training ground.
It was in front of the weapons storage area.
I entered the security code I received when signing the training facility lease agreement into the keypad.
Beep—
A faint mechanical sound followed.
Then, the storage door slowly opened.
Inside, weapons and ammunition, systematically organized, were arranged along the walls.
Pistols like Glock 19, Sig Sauer P226, and HK USP were secured in individual slots. Below, magazines and boxes of live ammunition were neatly aligned on shelves.
Logan quietly took a step inside.
Without hesitation, he took a Glock 19 from the top slot.
“We’ll start with the basics.”
I wordlessly accepted the pistol he handed me.
It would be a regrettable thing to say to Logan, but at that moment, the voice that echoed from the depths of my mind was that of Travis Haley.
A former U.S. Marine Corps sniper and a man who had also worked for the renowned private military company Blackwater.
I moved my hands as that man had taught me on YouTube.
Click—
I pulled the slide back.
The chamber was empty.
Then, I slightly tilted the gun and quickly scanned the frame and slide.
Nitron-finished slide.
The rails seemed to have an adequate amount of lubricant remaining. Not too much, not too little.
Too much would attract dust, and too little would cause friction; this was an ideal state.
This time, I slowly pushed the slide forward. It was smooth without any snags.
Next, I pulled the slide back slightly and released it.
Click—
A subtle elasticity was transmitted to my fingertips.
The spring maintained proper tension, pushing the slide back to its original position.
It returned smoothly without any sense of incongruity. The replacement cycle must still have a lot of life left.
Click—
The guide rod side was also fine.
Overall, considering it had been neglected due to the pandemic, the condition was very good.
I came to the conclusion that it could be used as is without any problems.
Having finished the inspection, I readjusted my grip on the gun and raised my head. My eyes met Logan’s, who had been silently watching me.
He paused, about to open his mouth. Then, he muttered briefly.
“I’ll look forward to your shooting skills as well.”
Logan’s eyes were wavering.
* * *
Bang!—
The sound of Hyun-woo’s gunshot shook the training ground.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The moment the first bullet hole appeared in the center of the target.
Additional bullets were continuously lodged into that spot.
For a moment, Logan thought he had misseen. He thought it was an optical illusion. He narrowed his eyes and checked the target again. But nothing had changed.
It wasn’t a misfire, nor was it a coincidence.
There was still only a single hole left on the target.
Logan had seen many top-notch shooters.
But none of them in his memory could create such a perfect grouping.
A shot where the bullet hole disappeared, overwritten by subsequent shots.
Usually, even if the grouping was tight, various holes would remain.
But now, there was only one hole left on the target.
The bullets repeatedly pierced the same spot, only slightly enlarging the initial hole. And even that hole wasn’t very big, making it seem as if only one shot had been fired from the beginning.
The target clearly answered what that meant.
Logan shouted inwardly.
‘Are you going to insist you learned this from YouTube too!’
He turned his astonished gaze to Hyun-woo.
At that moment, Hyun-woo was staring intently at his hand holding the Glock.
But strangely, Hyun-woo had a surprised expression, as if he couldn’t believe what he had just done.
All 15 shots fired from a distance of 15 meters had not missed. All the bullets had flown along the same trajectory.
The inputted data had become reality and manifested from his fingertips.
A faint smile began to form on Hyun-woo’s lips.
Seeing that, Logan felt a chill he couldn’t describe. Because that smile was by no means a simple sense of satisfaction.
The dangerous smile of someone who had realized their ability—
The smile of someone who had realized such a new possibility.
Logan became very confused.
Judging solely by the shooting skill that left only one hole in the target, the VIP was clearly a highly trained elite.
If so, what was with the VIP’s own surprised expression at his own ability?
Logan opened his mouth, trying to calm his trembling heart.
“…Let’s proceed one more time.”
Logan, who had replaced the target and returned, did not take his eyes off Hyun-woo.
He was now going to watch the VIP Hyun-woo’s movements, not the target.
But before the shooting even started, Logan was surprised once again.
Click—
The entire process took less than a second.
Before the magazine could even fall due to gravity, Hyun-woo’s opposite hand had already drawn a new magazine.
The motion of inserting it was so swift and natural. The magazine was inserted perfectly at the correct angle without unnecessary adjustments.
The moment Logan was truly astonished was next.
Especially the method of retracting the slide directly without pressing the slide release button to load.
That was a method used by special forces in actual combat.
It was a method to eliminate the possibility of a bullet jamming or the button malfunctioning in actual combat, but this method came naturally from Hyun-woo as if it was ingrained in his body.
It could only be seen as experience gained from actual combat unconsciously emerging.
If so, it once again conflicted with Hyun-woo’s claim that he was not from the military.
‘You’re telling me you have no combat experience after all this?’
Logan gritted his teeth and waited for the next gunshot to sound.
Bang!—
The moment the gunshot rang out again, Logan’s gaze was completely fixed on Hyun-woo’s movements.
He watched with all his might.
And he was once again astonished.
For an ordinary shooter, the muzzle would rise due to recoil at the moment of firing, and a process of returning it to its original position would be necessary.
But Hyun-woo was not suppressing the recoil; he was predicting and utilizing it.
Logan saw it clearly.
At the moment the trigger was pulled, Hyun-woo’s hand and arm moved slightly in anticipation.
The movement seemed insignificant.
But with that slight adjustment alone, he compensated to prevent the recoil from disrupting the muzzle.
Originally, world-class shooters would finish their response before the recoil even occurred, and special forces members would use the recoil to secure faster rapid fire and accuracy.
But that was happening simultaneously with Hyun-woo.
The series of processes was so ideally perfect that it gave him goosebumps.
Logan focused on Hyun-woo and mentally scored him.
Two consecutive shots.
‘Double tap, 10 points.’
Rapid consecutive shots using recoil.
‘Controlled pair, 10 points.’
One-handed shooting.
‘One-hand shooting, 10 points.’
Grouping and accuracy.
‘Grouping, 10 points.’
Logan had taught numerous trainees and evaluated special forces members with extensive combat experience, but he had never given such scores.
Even the most elite operatives could only receive perfect scores in one or two categories.
But Hyun-woo met all the conditions.
The gunshots stopped. The air in the training ground also hung heavy.
But Logan’s heart began to race. Until now, Logan’s mind had been filled with confusion, but not anymore.
He was now only thinking one thing.
He was going to become an examiner and thoroughly confirm this man’s limits.
‘Is this also possible?’
Click.
Logan pressed the button on the control panel without saying anything to Hyun-woo, who was waiting for his instructions.
Weeeeng—
With a mechanical sound, the ceiling rails of the training ground began to move.
In an instant, the targets moved rapidly, shaking left and right at unpredictable speeds.
Some targets moved in a straight line and suddenly slowed down. Other targets changed direction and rushed forward as if charging.
Targets that were perfectly recreating the erratic movements of actual combat.
Even though it was a test that started without preparation, Hyun-woo reacted instantly.
Bang!—
* * *
10 points in snap shooting, which tests reaction speed.
10 points in lead shooting, which predicts the path of movement and shoots.
10 points in tracking shooting, which accurately hits the target while following it to the end.
10 points in multi-shooting, which requires quick target switching and continuous shooting.
10 points in moving shooting, where the shooter and the target move together.
Thus, the comprehensive score for the Close Quarters Pistol (CQP) tactical shooting evaluation was perfect in all categories.
Since the creation of the U.S. Army Special Forces.
Numerous legendary shooters had been born, but such a record did not exist.
Even if one reached the pinnacle of combat shooting through rigorous training, it was impossible to receive perfect scores in all categories!
But now, that impossibility was manifesting as reality before Logan’s eyes.
Of course, the tests conducted so far were limited to pistols only. But the results would not change even if other firearms were used.
And it wouldn’t just be marksmanship.
Logan recalled Hyun-woo when he first arrived at the training ground.
The movements utilizing cover, the lines of movement avoiding blind spots, the way he captured targets, etc. It wasn’t just simple individual shooting training.
It was a movement acquired from actual combat.
If you see one, you know ten.
Hyun-woo, as seen by Logan, was a combat machine trained as the most elite of the elite.
He must be a national top resource who had been thoroughly raised since childhood. Otherwise, such perfect combat sense could not be explained.
‘Just… what is your affiliation?’
Logan scanned Hyun-woo once more. His appearance while resting seemed very ordinary.
He was disguised as a young Wall Street star manager like that.
But hidden inside was an unrealistic being who would turn into a monster if released onto the battlefield.
Of course, Logan wanted to know the true identity of this man.
But if he was a person with a security clearance corresponding to a national resource, he couldn’t dare to pry carelessly.
If he was a resource raised by a private entity rather than the state, it could become even more dangerous.
Instinct warned him.
‘Don’t dig.’
In such cases, it was better not to know.
Logan knew that very well.