Chapter 112
Chapter 112
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Reset-Type Dungeon
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"Yes. That's right."
"Before I head out, I'll train you all with plenty of love packed in."
"...Did I hear that wrong?"
The rowdy atmosphere died down in an instant.
"Hey. Isn't that the training four days from now...?"
"It's the mana sword live combat drill."
"...We're screwed."
The training the hunters had four days later was none other than the mana sword live combat drill.
To check the results of all their mana sword practice so far, they'd have to spend the entire day surviving inside a dungeon.
It was the kind of training that made you want to beg for mercy.
'Training to prepare for that means...'
'What else? He's gonna drill us until we puke.'
And it wasn't just anyone—it was Sergeant Kim Min-jun's physical conditioning, which was pure hell.
Just the other day, they'd watched footage of the Hunter Army special forces training on the barracks TV...
They'd honestly take that over this.
"I won't force anyone. Just those who want to come, follow me. But if I become platoon leader and some of you lag behind, it's gonna piss me off..."
"Ugh... I'll go!"
"Me too!"
The squad members had no real choice.
Since Sergeant Kim Min-jun was taking over as platoon leader, they couldn't afford to upset him.
'He's sensitive about training scores.'
'I heard platoon leaders get a ton of stress. If Sergeant Kim gets mad...'
Not a single squad member opted out—they all joined his special training.
**
"I'm gonna die..."
"I can't get up. Help me up, someone."
"My whole body's muscles are shaking."
"Am I... shaking right now...?"
Four days later, on the day of the actual training.
When the wake-up bugle blared, the squad members groaned as they dragged themselves out of bed.
They'd endured the hunter mobility drills and even the harsh winter training.
But Sergeant Kim Min-jun's special training was on another level entirely.
"How does he manage to drill us right up to the point of passing out...?"
"My stamina stat, which wasn't budging before, went up by 3 in just four days..."
It had been brutally tough, almost deadly, but every squad member who joined the special physical conditioning saw their stamina stat rise.
Sergeant Kim Min-jun's training method was as brutal as it was effective.
"I was actually thinking of cranking up the intensity even more, but I held back 'cause I figured someone might actually keel over."
"Huh..."
"Ugh."
The squad members shook their heads in horror.
"Do your best out there. You've been swinging those mana swords like meals this whole time—time to rack up some fat scores on the training eval."
He chuckled, told them to give it their all, and headed out of the barracks.
It'd probably take those guys at least ten minutes to make it to the parade ground.
"Sergeant Kim Min-jun! Congrats on the two-rank special promotion!"
"You're platoon leader now, right? Even saying it now, your promotion speed is insane!"
As he stepped onto the parade ground, the hunters came over with congratulations on his promotion.
Word had already spread to the other battalions.
"I'm still a sergeant, you punks. I gotta finish officer training and get commissioned to become a lieutenant."
He waved off their greetings casually when his eyes met Son Eun-seo's.
Hadn't she said she'd been focusing solely on training except for the bare minimum rest?
Her eyes looked hollow from all the fatigue.
A sudden mischievous urge hit him, and he mouthed at her.
'I'm about to become a lieutenant soon, but when are you pinning on sergeant?'
'...Why are you picking a fight out of nowhere? Are you nuts?'
'Oh. I hear the promotion exam got way tougher this time. Mana swords must be killing you.'
'Argh! That jerk!'
Her death glare just made him feel refreshingly good.
Son Eun-seo was always fun to tease.
"Starting at 0800 today, we commence mana sword adaptation training!"
Time passed, and it was 0800.
After the company commander's briefing and gear checks, training began.
This was a brand-new addition, pushed ahead of all other schedules.
Which made it that much more critical for the hunters.
"Check your protective suits, then 1st Battalion, 1st Company enters the dungeon first. Supervisors will accompany to prevent accidents, so no need to overstress."
"Yes, sir!"
"Got it!"
The hunters donned their protective suits and entered the dungeon armed only with mana swords.
Purely to test their mana sword handling skills.
'A reset-type dungeon's perfect for training.'
Reset-type dungeon.
Just as the name implied, monsters spawned endlessly.
Ideal for training purposes.
Why use it only now? The investigation process was a pain.
Unlike other dungeons, reset-types had no clear concept.
So they had to investigate even as monsters poured out.
Plus, it was a type that only appeared a year ago.
Took extra time to confirm safety.
'With camo-types and double-layers popping up unexpectedly and all. Makes sense they put in the extra effort.'
That's why they gave such a long mana sword adaptation period.
"Sergeant Kim Min-jun, you'll supervise."
"Sergeant Kim Min-jun. Understood."
He'd figured he'd get to slice monsters to his heart's content, but the company commander assigned him as a supervisor.
His mana sword skills were already proven, and his lieutenant commission was locked in, so no need for him to train.
A bit disappointing, but fine.
In exchange, he could eyeball the skills of the whole battalion.
"The monsters in this reset-type dungeon are Iron Golems! Until further orders from supervisors, company members inside will use only mana swords! Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
Iron Golems, huh.
Perfect for mana sword training.
Mid-to-low difficulty with insane defense, but sluggish movements and weak attacks.
"Alright, 1st Battalion, 1st Company—enter!"
Training kicked off.
1st Company entered the dungeon, followed by Kim Min-jun and nine other supervisors.
First time using it for training, so plenty of oversight.
[You have entered the Reset-Type Dungeon.]
[Iron Golems: 10 spawn every 10 minutes.]
Unlike other dungeons, a message popped up.
Helpfully informing spawn time and numbers.
"Form up like we trained! If you can't grip your sword anymore, fall back to the rear immediately! Got it?"
"Yes, sir!"
At the platoon leaders' orders, the hunters drew swords and formed ranks.
Slash! Slice!
Unlike before, they cut down the Iron Golems without much struggle.
'Whoa. Heard they got drilled hard. Overall improvement's solid.'
The skirmish lasted about ten minutes.
Thirty Iron Golems neatly diced.
'They nailed the mana sword development, alright. Those metal lumps slicing clean off.'
Without mana swords, it'd guzzle mana rounds.
Catching them without ammo expenditure? Huge.
Save expensive mana rounds, and you'd have surplus.
Surplus mana rounds for ammo-hungry dungeons or emergencies.
'That's the 1st-gen mana sword. I've got the 2nd-gen already.'
Korea's tech progress swelled his chest with pride.
'Reset-type would be the ultimate dungeon if it gave items and stat XP too.'
Reset-types differed from normal dungeons.
Regular ones gave stat XP for kills.
Lucky drops for items.
Reset-types? Nothing.
Purely for training.
'Weird how monsters only spawn when people enter.'
That's why approval took so long.
"First row! Switch with second!"
"You there! I said don't push it! Fall back to fourth row!"
"Yes, sir!"
Training ran one company per hour.
Some handled monsters smoothly, others struggled with mana sword proficiency.
Some just ran out of stamina.
"Sheesh. Not like you're wielding mana swords all day—it's company-scale eval. Why blow it?"
"1st Company's hour benchmark is the minimum, but doubt half'll meet it."
Supervisors marked the eval sheets harshly, griping about overall skill gaps.
No mercy.
'Training's training.'
Even Kim Min-jun, known for going easy on troops, gave no slack here.
"Next! 2nd Battalion, 1st Company!"
"Next! 2nd Company!"
He marked 2nd Company mercilessly too.
Decent mana sword skill, but stamina lacking.
Except 2nd Platoon, 2nd Squad.
Kim Min-jun's specially drilled squad shone in the supervisors' eyes.
"Those guys are solid. Good handling too."
"Best stamina so far."
Kim Min-jun's lips curled up.
Like a parent hearing praise for their kids?
Maybe overkill, but he felt damn good.
'Of course. Who trained 'em?'
His own squad aside, 2nd Company overall lagged.
They'd catch hell after this.
"Next! 4th Battalion! 4th Company!"
Training continued to 4th Battalion.
4th Company's turn, including Son Eun-seo.
Current time: 0200, but it ran until every battalion finished.
"Ugh... Feels like my soul's drained..."
"Damn. All-nighters were fine, but mana swords only? This sucks..."
Long hours swinging mana swords in the dungeon wore most hunters down.
At this level, real combat was a no-go.
Needed at least six more months.
'Hunter HQ rushed this. Our unit's not exactly slacking either.'
Invincible Hunter Battalion, infamous for brutal training, was like this—others worse.
'Brass'll judge from evals.'
Kim Min-jun let out a big yawn.
Sixteen hours in.
All he'd done: watch fights, fill evals.
'Clerks do this daily? Impressive.'
Clerks'd scoff, but he preferred action.
Fun, time flew.
'These gals are last.'
4th Battalion, 4th Company's female hunters matched the rest.
Decent for first thirty minutes, then rapid fatigue.
'Oh?'
Except Corporal Son Eun-seo.
She held steady mana sword aura.
Slash!
Others' blades bounced; hers sank deep.
'Not bad.'
He'd thought her adaptation solid, but she'd improved a ton.
No one maintained aura for a full hour.
She might.
Ding.
Near training's end.
Messages popped for hunters.
"This is... Everyone out of the dungeon! Now!"
Supervisors yelled urgently.
Unexpected timing—something bad hit.