Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Message
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Kim Min-jun turned his head toward where Lee Dong-jin was looking.
‘Ah. There was something like that.’
It definitely wasn’t something a normal corporal could pull off.
Not just one or two, but a total of 120 monsters.
But I could do it.
“Shh.”
Kim Min-jun put on a playful expression and brought his index finger to his lips.
“…Understood. I have an errand, so I’ll head out first.”
“Yeah.”
Lee Dong-jin left the training room with a complicated look on his face.
“We still have some combat PT time left, so let’s do one more round before we go. This is fun.”
Kim Min-jun decided to take on about 30 more goblins for the finale and started the battle again.
Ding-
[Basic Blunt Weapon Skill has been created.]
“Huh. What’s this?”
The moment he cleanly lopped off the last goblin’s head, a system window popped up.
It was a notification that a skill had been generated.
“I’m a black mage, so I wasn’t expecting any skills like this?”
To think it could even create something like this.
Skills were typically things you couldn’t acquire no matter how much you trained.
Even if hunters threw themselves into training with everything they had, all they’d get was a stat increase.
“Is it the effect of the return? Only I’m getting skills.”
Even officers or academy cadets only had overwhelmingly higher stats compared to regular soldiers.
They didn’t have skills either.
In other words, skills were an ability unique to Kim Min-jun.
“Anyway, let’s check out the skill description!”
[Basic Blunt Weapon Skill (E): Slightly increases proficiency with blunt weapons.]
“Not bad.”
He’d swung a specific weapon around hard, and a skill had been created.
Which meant that if he swung other weapons just as hard, he could generate skills for those too!
“Ah. Come to think of it, I didn’t swing weapons much in Isgard.”
All I’d swung there was magic, so yeah, that tracked.
“Alright. Whenever I have time, I’ll mess around with one weapon at a time.”
Kim Min-jun grinned in satisfaction as he left the training room.
**
The next day.
While getting ready for duty in the barracks, Corporal Kim Kwang-sik came back with a piece of paper.
“Hey! The platoon leader said to give this to you!”
“What’s that?”
“Outstanding Hunter commendation.”
“Oh! What’s it say? Let us have a look too!”
The mention of a commendation had the other seniors crowding around.
“He definitely earned it. Getting corporal that fast and all.”
“Man. Just soloing 30 middle vets in the fuel depot is enough to lock it in.”
[Commendation]
-The soldier in question has served as an exemplary model for the unit through outstanding military service and is hereby awarded this commendation.
“But why’s it so half-assed? This unit. What’s with just two lines?”
Kim Kwang-sik checked the commendation’s text and vented his dissatisfaction at how sloppy it was.
“Getting corporal in record time, and they do him like this. If I were battalion commander, I’d hand it over personally and throw in some leave too.”
There was supposed to be a ceremony, but the previous monster incident had the division commander on edge, so it got skipped.
The seniors passed the commendation around to each other before handing it back to Kim Min-jun.
“Anyway, congrats! Keep this up, and you’ll LTE straight to sergeant.”
“Corporal! Kim Min-jun! Thank you!”
Outstanding Hunter, huh.
He’d half-expected some reward leave on top, but nope.
It felt just like one of those certificates from school.
“Rack up a few commendations like this, build those performance points, and you’ll even get a special promotion. Keep at it.”
“Yes sir! Thank you!”
Kim Min-jun’s eyes lit up at the senior’s explanation.
‘Oh. So commendations build performance points too? Didn’t know that.’
Then the more the better.
‘How many more do I need for a promotion?’
One down now, so maybe nine more?
‘Gotta collect ’em like chicken coupons.’
Kim Min-jun resolved to sweep up as many performance points and commendations as he could from here on out.
“The platoon leader announces. Personal interviews will be conducted shortly, so all 2nd Platoon members stand by in the barracks.”
They were in the middle of chatting.
Platoon Leader Kim Cheol-min’s voice rang out.
“Huh? Already time for interviews?”
“It’s been just over four months.”
“Ah. Morning honey starting right away.”
“Oh yeah, Min-jun. You haven’t done your personal interview yet, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Yeah, it’s been nonstop with training and emergencies lately.”
The platoon leader was required to conduct personal interviews with platoon members at regular intervals.
It was to catch any mental health or physical issues early and address them.
Let those little things snowball, and they could turn into major incidents.
‘Hunter army does ’em every four months, huh.’
Shorter cycle than the regular army.
‘Means there’s a lot more to keep an eye on.’
The hunter army was definitely riskier than the regular one by comparison.
On top of that, the 104th Division was right on the front lines, more exposed to danger than other units.
Soldiers here would rack up stress faster and in bigger doses.
“Sergeant Lee Seung-ho. Mind if I use the training room?”
Kim Min-jun casually asked Lee Seung-ho.
From what the seniors said, they had about two hours of free time ahead.
Seemed a shame to just waste it.
“Yeah, go ahead. Normally not allowed, but if the platoon leader gives the okay, I’ll cover for you.”
The training room was usually only available after duty hours.
Even with hunters waiting in the barracks, it was still duty time right now.
But things were different for Kim Min-jun.
He’d shone from private on, jumped quick to PFC, aced the promotion exam for corporal.
The platoon leader would be happy about it, not mad.
‘Yep. Rank is king.’
No way he could’ve even asked as a private.
“Yes sir! I’ll do a quick session and head back!”
Kim Min-jun made a beeline for the training room.
“Wow. Now that he’s corporal, he’s hitting the training room for real?”
“Guy’s diligent.”
“A freak talent like that, and he works hard too?”
“Hey, hey. Just thought of something fun. How ’bout this?”
The squadmates were chatting away.
The moment Kim Kwang-sik confirmed Kim Min-jun was gone, he pulled out a blank sheet of paper.
“I’m betting a month’s pay he hits sergeant inside a month. What’re you putting up?”
“Crazy bastard. Go do sports toto instead.”
“That guy’s off again.”
“Bet your arm then, you lunatic.”
His cohort buddies stared him down like he was hopeless.
“So, you tapping out? Huh? Winner takes a month’s pay.”
Kim Kwang-sik skillfully needled his buddies into joining.
“Scared? If you’re scared… you know.”
“You maniac. Get ready to lose your pay.”
“Time to school you.”
That one line got three of his cohorts to jump in on the bet.
Guys gonna guy—flames of competition over something pointless.
“I’m putting two months’ pay on it. Kim Kwang-sik, match it.”
“Oh. Coming out strong? Fine. Call!”
“I’ll bet two months’ pay on six months.”
“Even then, sergeant’s a stretch. I say one year—two months’ pay.”
The mood heated up in a flash, and even the sergeants piled on.
“Three months’ pay on two months.”
“Whoa. Sergeant Lee Seung-ho, you’re a gambler.”
“Hey. Corporal to sergeant ain’t a game. Even for Min-jun, two months is impossible.”
“I’ve had my eye on him since training camp. I don’t miss.”
They went full formal, stamping their fingerprints to seal the bets.
“No welching. Make those stamps dark.”
Kim Kwang-sik watched with a smug grin.
‘Got a feeling. This one’s mine.’
Of course, Kim Min-jun had no clue.
**
Inside the general training room, which resembled a gym.
Kim Min-jun gave the equipment a quick once-over.
“Pretty much everything’s here. Been a while—let’s hit some weights.”
He picked up a dumbbell forged from red stone.
“In Isgard, skills kept pumping my strength stat. Here, looks like it’ll take real effort.”
The otherworld hero’s power.
Leveling up over there had quietly filled a skill slot.
Gave a massive 1.5x boost to strength—insane effect.
“No real downsides except it’s limited to that world. Wonder if I can get something like that here?”
Earth hero or whatever.
Or maybe Dungeon & Fighter hero.
“Earth hero sounds kinda lame.”
After a quick warm-up, he swapped to a 700kg special barbell.
“Alright. Time to get serious.”
[For soldiers with Strength stat 40+. Privates and PFCs must report first before use.]
There was a warning sticker, but his strength stat was 60.
No problem using it.
“Starting with 100 reps.”
Kim Min-jun got serious and dove into training.
There were usually three ways to raise strength stats.
Through conditioning or training, or by racking up experience in dungeons.
Of course, raising strength through conditioning or training was wildly inefficient.
No matter how brutally you pushed, it didn’t guarantee a stat gain.
Dungeons were different—fighting monsters there bumped every stat a little.
Felt a lot like the leveling concept in this world.
“Figured as much. Once you hit 60 strength, it doesn’t budge easy.”
He’d gone nearly two hours without a break, repeating sets, but no system message appeared.
“Body’s not what it used to be. Starting to feel the burn. Little more, then I’m out.”
Personal interview was coming up soon—just wrap it up and go.
He was thinking that as he stood up.
“Huh?”
A message appeared before Kim Min-jun’s eyes.