Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Magi Replenishment
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“Kobold. I only sense one presence inside.”
Normally they moved in groups, so was this why it was called irregular?
“Good. No one’s around. I’m heading in.”
The hunters on guard duty had been assigned elsewhere.
Kim Minjun entered the dungeon right away.
[You have entered the dungeon.]
Rumble rumble.
“It’s a sealed type, huh.”
The moment he stepped inside, the entrance sealed shut.
Not that it fazed him at all.
“Hey. You in there, come on out.”
Kim Minjun sent magi flowing into the depths of the dungeon.
Boom! Thud!
Heavy footsteps echoed from the far end of the dungeon.
“Whoa. This one’s built solid.”
“Kwaaaargh!”
Its body was over six times larger than a normal kobold.
Even bigger than an orc.
Its frame was dyed a deep purple, brimming with magi.
“They were planning to take this on with two squads...”
If they had, more than half would’ve died.
It was the strongest monster he’d seen so far.
“It’s sucked up a ton of magi. Thanks for the meal.”
Thwack! Thunk!
The kobold slammed its fists together, as if showing off its power.
“Oh? It knows some tricks? Want to play for old times’ sake?”
If the ones he’d seen before were mere bugs, this one was at least a beetle.
Still a bug to Kim Minjun, in the end.
Wham! Pow!
He hammered its gut twice without mercy.
“Grraaaargh!”
“Hey. That’s just two hits. Buck up.”
The kobold heaved ragged breaths, looking like it might collapse any second.
“Grr...”
“Boring. Just hand over your magi.”
For all its magi, it was still just a kobold.
Kim Minjun finished it off and absorbed all the magi it held.
“Ow, my hand hurts. How many hits does it take to kill one of these?”
[You have absorbed a certain amount of magi.]
[Magi stat increases by 1.]
[Magi stat increases by 1.]
[Magi stat increases by 1.]
Messages popped up one after another.
Kim Minjun closed his eyes, savoring the fullness of rising magi.
[You have absorbed a certain amount of magi, unlocking Dark Arrow.]
[Night Walker is strengthened.]
“Let’s see how much it went up.”
[Kim Minjun]
Founder of the ‘Seria Noona is My Favorite Character’ cult.
Strength: 65 Agility: 60 Stamina: 60 Magi: 22
Skills: Corruption (D), Night Walker (D), Dark Arrow (E), Basic Club Technique (E), Basic Swordsmanship (E). Strength (E)
As expected, with his low magi stat, even one monster bumped it up nicely.
Even unlocking a skill he hadn’t expected.
“A ranged skill. Perfect.”
Dark Arrow was exactly what it sounded like—a skill that formed arrows from magi.
It’d be useful in his hunter corps days ahead.
“Lucky break. I was feeling a bit stifled only having Corruption.”
It was just reclaiming lost power, but it was fun in its own way.
This must be how a max-level old-timer felt regressing.
Ssssh.
Meanwhile, Night Walker whined, begging for a share of the magi.
“Fine. Good job, so here’s your reward. Take it.”
Sssss—
“You glutton! Eat in moderation!”
Night Walker, greedily slurping it up, got scolded and slunk back into the shadows.
Ssh—
“Maximum efficiency with minimal fuel, got it?”
He sounded just like a sleazy corporate boss.
“Now I can enjoy the rest of my leave and head back.”
**
“Corporal! Kim Minjun! Back from leave!”
“Yeah. Minjun, you’re back.”
“Yes, sir. Here, take this. It’s nothing special, but I thought of you and picked it up.”
“This the latest issue? Perfect timing—I was just wanting to read it. Thanks.”
When he entered the barracks, the squad members were packing their gear with grim faces.
Even the senior who’d just gotten the magazine.
Turned out the hunter mobile training—scheduled six months out—had been moved up.
‘Hunter mobile training, huh...’
Hunter mobile training.
It was a massive drill for the entire division.
The goal was to gauge the division’s combat power, so hunters had to fight monsters like mad outside during the training period.
Fighting in their sleep, while eating, even on the move.
As a major exercise, the performance points were high too.
“Is our unit’s training intensity for real? We’ll end up punching orcs barehanded at this rate.”
“We have to do it anyway, but it’s so sudden it’s hitting hard.”
“Damn it! Mobile training again with corporal stripes. I’m not re-upping!”
“Ugh, I wanna smash everything.”
Especially the corporals were fuming, their military lives thrown into chaos.
And for good reason—hunter mobile training usually happened every four years.
If you got hit with two during your five-year service, they called you cursed hunter corps class.
‘Eh, two or three, I don’t care. More training like this would be great.’
Bigger the scale, bigger the points.
Kim Minjun calmly started packing his gear.
Knock knock.
“You all prepped well?”
“Sir, yes sir!”
The platoon leader came in and scanned the squad.
“You know the hunter mobile training got moved up? It’s a big one, so stay alert. Screw up and someone gets hurt bad.”
“Understood!”
“Yeah. Do well, and it gets easier after. You know that, right?”
“Yes sir! Understood!”
Divisions that bombed the division mobile training got extra sessions assigned.
Hell’s gates opening for the hunters.
Lieutenant Kim Cheolmin passed on brief instructions to the squad, then left.
It was his first mobile training too, so he looked a bit tense.
‘Oh, right.’
Come to think of it, he hadn’t returned the apartment key.
Kim Minjun headed straight to the platoon leader’s office.
Knock knock.
“Corporal Kim Minjun reporting for business with the platoon leader, sir.”
“Come in.”
“Sir. Thank you. Slept like a baby thanks to you.”
Lieutenant Kim Cheolmin stared at his face as he handed back the key.
“Minjun.”
“Corporal Kim Minjun, sir.”
“Where’d you sleep? Doesn’t seem like the apartment.”
What?
How’d he know?
He couldn’t very well say, ‘It was far from the dungeon so I didn’t go!’
“Wanted to return comfortably, sir.”
Kim Minjun replied that the apartment was too far from base.
“Not avoiding me?”
“Absolutely not, sir.”
“I see.”
He took the key and let out a small sigh.
“Phew. Minjun. First time for hunter mobile training?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Yeah? Me too.”
Seeing the listless platoon leader, Kim Minjun paused.
“That monster rat nest still haunts me. One slip and we’d all be dead.”
“That situation was unavoidable, sir. Not something you could predict.”
“I know, but it feels like an excuse. Everything was nearly disastrous without you.”
Maybe from the string of incidents in such a short time—his shoulders were slightly slumped.
A total one-eighty from the barracks vibe.
‘He’s older than me, why’s he so lacking in confidence?’
Kim Minjun reassured him that he’d get used to it with time.
“Anyone’d think you’ve been in twenty years. Get back now. Double-check your gear.”
Lieutenant Kim Cheolmin chuckled and shooed Kim Minjun out.
“Yes sir! Understood! Sir!”
After Kim Minjun left, Kim Cheolmin stared at the door for a while.
‘Kid’s younger than me, barely been at his post...’
Was it his imagination?
He felt a veteran aura from Kim Minjun.
The kind who’d been through hell and back.
Thinking about it.
Even at the monster rat nest, he’d moved first.
Against that massive rat that had frozen even him, an officer.
‘Get it together. If the kid can handle that, and I’m a lieutenant now...’
Thanks to Kim Minjun, he’d gone from lieutenant to captain—no, second lieutenant to lieutenant.
Higher rank meant more responsibility, naturally.
Kim Cheolmin clenched his fists, steeling his resolve.
**
Time passed, and the day of hunter mobile training arrived.
“Straighten that line! You there! One more step sideways!”
“Understood!”
“Everyone check your full gear before coming out!”
“Yes sir!”
The hunters, in full combat gear, assembled in front of the parade ground.
A once-every-four-years major drill, and even the officers looked tense.
“Ah... gonna get drilled like mad for four days three nights.”
“Four hours sleep a day would be heaven.”
“Mosquito-free nights would suffice for me.”
As the hunters grumbled quietly, Lieutenant Kim Cheolmin beckoned Kim Minjun closer.
“Corporal Kim Minjun.”
“Front and center.”
“Understood.”
He stepped forward from the ranks, and the lieutenant handed him a paper.
“Battalion commander ordered you to do the oath. Usually corporals or officers, but he’s got high hopes for you. Can you handle it?”
“Yes sir! I can!”
First time an corporal led the oath in a division training, apparently.
Attention turned to him at the word “oath.”
‘A corporal doing the oath?’
‘This is mobile training, right? Last time a captain did it.’
‘Heard he soloed an irregular at the monster rat nest recently. With a baton.’
‘For real? That big one? He’s got the battalion commander’s eye?’
They all stared in disbelief.
“Attention!”
“Attention!”
“Corporal Kim Minjun up front leads; you follow the back half loud and clear. Got it!”
“Yes sir!”
After a quick rehearsal, the battalion commander mounted the platform.
“Unit, attention!”
“Present arms to the battalion commander!”
“Sir!”
Before training kicked off proper, officer reports began.
“Reporting! Captain Park Seohun, etc...”
Then came Kim Minjun’s oath.
“Oath!”
“Oath!”
“I obey my direct superior’s orders and control!”
“Obey!”
“During training, I accept any punishment for violating set rules and laws!”
“Accept!”
The oath went on for a bit, then Kim Minjun moved to the platform.
“Sir!”
“Sir.”
He handed the oath sheet to the battalion commander, stepped back, and saluted.
The commander nodded once, and he returned to ranks.
“From today, hunter mobile training for four days three nights. Treat it like combat. Understood!”
“Yes sir!”
“You’ve heard, but last training three hunters got seriously hurt. No injuries this time!”
“Understood!”
After a short speech, as the battalion commander descended.
“You there!”
He pointed at something—a hunter.
In Kim Minjun’s company.
‘You crazy bastard! Dozing off?’
The senior corporals startled, smacking the dozing hunter’s head.
Smack!
Hard.
“N-no sir!”
“Hmph. Stay sharp. Got it!”
“Yes sir!”
Maybe because training hadn’t started, the commander let it slide with a warning.
Lucky break.
“Hey.”
“You insane?”
The senior corporals’ glares fixed on the one hunter.