Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Hunter Mobility Training-1
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“P-Private Jin Cheol-ho!”
The hunter dozing off at the back of the formation was a fresh recruit who had just been assigned to the unit.
His eyes were bloodshot red, and he looked exhausted at a glance.
“Hey. Have you lost your mind? This isn’t some regular training—it’s hunter mobility training, and you’re falling asleep?”
“Sorry, sir….”
“Should I call your barracks seniors together?”
“No, sir! I’m sorry!”
Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min glared at him for a moment but didn’t say more, as the schedule ahead was packed.
‘Mobility training right off the bat with no prep. Bad timing.’
Still, that was unacceptable.
The division mobility training was a large-scale exercise, and dozing off was beyond the pale—even he couldn’t tolerate it.
“You lot, stay sharp and focus on the training. If you screw this up, I’ll assemble every corporal and specialist from Second Platoon. Got it?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Understood!”
Perhaps angered by the recruit’s behavior, Sergeant Lee Seung-ho laid down the law to the platoon with a stern face.
He was already sensitive about training, and now someone was sleeping during the once-every-four-years mobility drill.
A private, no less.
The fact that Sergeant Lee Seung-ho said that meant he was seriously pissed.
“Everyone, heads up! From now on, treat the next three days and four nights like real combat. Understood!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Understood!”
With Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min in the lead, the hunter mobility training began.
The platoons departed at set intervals.
The hunters, in full combat gear, exited the guard post and headed into the mountains.
‘Two mountains to climb.’
The distance the hunters had to cover was about 100 km.
Excluding the real-time monster encounters, it was no different from a mountain march.
Step. Step.
They had been climbing the mountain path for dozens of minutes.
The platoon members scanned their surroundings with tense expressions.
From now on, the unit would release monsters at random.
‘Starting with nohls, huh.’
Kim Min-jun sensed a presence from higher up the mountain and looked up.
Nohls were relatively easy low-grade monsters, but they could get tricky depending on the situation.
‘About twenty of them.’
As beast-type monsters, nohls could navigate mountainous terrain with ease.
Meanwhile, the hunters were climbing rugged paths in full gear.
It was only natural that their strength was limited with the heavy load.
“Nohls appearing 150 meters ahead!”
“Weapons ready! Reform the line!”
“Got it!”
Thud thud thud.
The nohls came charging down from the mountain in a pack.
Following the platoon leader’s orders, the hunters readied their weapons and took positions.
“Don’t charge them first! Let them come to us!”
“Yes, sir!”
On a normal day, they’d have wiped them out already, but this was training.
With situations like this popping up nonstop for the next three days and four nights, they had to conserve stamina as much as possible.
“Grrrrowl!”
The nohls circled the hunters, testing them, then rushed in as the slope steepened.
“Ugh!”
“Hey! Brace your legs and hold!”
When one hunter stumbled, another behind him quickly grabbed his body with both hands to steady him.
A broken formation meant casualties.
“I’ll handle it!”
In the meantime, Kim Min-jun slashed the nohl’s nape with his combat knife.
“Flank! They’re coming from the side too! Three of them!”
“Just hold on a bit longer!”
Weighed down by their gear, the hunters’ responses were slower than usual.
‘That’s worrying.’
Glancing back, the nohls were focusing on the hunters at the rear.
They had circled and found the weak spot.
‘Gotta cover them.’
Even low-grade monsters demanded caution for exactly this reason.
The synergy when they swarmed was immense.
“I’ll provide support to the rear formation!”
Kim Min-jun swiftly moved to the back line.
Slash! Stab!
He drove his knife deep into the nohls’ napes, then grabbed the hand of a senior who had fallen backward and pulled him up.
“Whew, thanks, Min-jun. Nearly drained my stamina right at the start.”
“Corporal Kim Min-jun. No problem, sir. I’ll return to formation.”
“Nice. Perfect timing, Min-jun.”
It took just ten minutes to clear all the nohls.
Compared to the average twenty-plus minutes for other platoons, they were quick.
“All corpses collected!”
“Spray them with the chemicals and move out!”
“Yes, sir!”
The hunters gathered the scattered nohl corpses in one spot and doused them with special chemicals.
No need inside a dungeon, but this was a training ground.
“Attention!”
“Attention!”
At 6 p.m., the platoon leader leading the hunters gave the halt signal.
“Pitch tents and prepare to camp!”
“Understood!”
The platoon members finally looked relieved.
On the first day of training, no additional monsters were released from 6 p.m. to midnight.
This was insider info known only to the veterans.
“Man, whoever designed these things—what were they thinking? How are four guys supposed to fit in this tiny-ass tent?”
“Budget, probably. They could’ve spent the defense funds properly.”
“I don’t need anything else—just keep the mosquitoes out. Please.”
The hunters divided tasks and began setting up the military tents.
‘Yeah, they’re small.’
Hunter tents were even smaller than standard military ones.
Made from special materials to withstand monster attacks, each one cost over ten million won.
Minimal size for maximum efficiency—it made sense.
“Damn, Min-jun. This your first time setting up a military tent? These hunter ones are tricky.”
“Fast as hell. Help us out too.”
The seniors clicked their tongues watching Kim Min-jun pitch tents skillfully.
The spot was a nightmare for setup, yet his hands moved flawlessly.
“Corporal Kim Min-jun. Got it, sir.”
Kim Min-jun chuckled and helped with the other seniors’ tents.
‘This is nothing.’
Truth be told, he’d picked it up naturally in the other world.
‘There, we’d chop trees on the spot, stack them, gather those damn leaves… no need for details.’
Once tents were up, the platoon heard brief announcements from the platoon leader.
“If tents are set, prepare meals! Finish eating within thirty minutes! Understood!”
“Yes, sir!”
The hunters pulled out their combat rations and ate while chatting quietly.
“Ah, day one of training and I’m already hitting reality.”
“At least today’s the sweetest.”
“Can’t even imagine how many monsters tomorrow.”
For them, this thirty minutes was the only break of the day.
Crunch!
“Ugh….”
Kim Min-jun bit into the biscuit-like bread and grimaced.
‘Ah, this familiar taste….’
It reminded him instantly of the rations from Isgard.
Disgustingly bad.
“Hey, Min-jun. First time with combat rations?”
“Corporal Kim Min-jun. Yes, sir.”
“Yeah, they’re fucking awful.”
“Might as well eat ten pound cakes instead. Agree?”
The casual chat with the platoon didn’t last.
Meal time flew by.
“Attention!”
“Attention!”
Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min gathered their eyes.
“To prepare for emergencies, sleep in single gear only! Understood!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Now, assigning night watch shifts.”
The unit released the most monsters at dawn.
To push the hunters to their limits.
‘Please, first or last watch.’
‘No, last or first after.’
The platoon prayed silently for the sweet shifts.
“Nice! First watch!”
“Ah… damn, middle’s awkward….”
“Ha, 2 a.m.? For real….”
Shifts assigned, faces mixed joy and gloom.
Some scowled, others grinned.
‘They want to recover even a bit of fatigue.’
Kim Min-jun smirked watching them.
With his overflowing stamina, the training was a breeze.
But for the platoon, every day was a hurdle.
“Until training ends, I’ll stand watch too. Raise hands if you’re with me.”
Extreme hours, and with the platoon leader?
‘3 a.m….’
‘No way….’
‘Must avoid.’
‘Please not me!’
A situation to dodge at all costs.
“Corporal Kim Min-jun! I’ll do it, sir!”
Then.
Kim Min-jun raised his hand.
‘W-we’re saved.’
The platoon sighed in relief, shooting him grateful looks.
“Good. Corporal Kim Min-jun, you’re with me from 3 a.m. to 4:30.”
“Yes, sir! Understood.”
He had the last watch but didn’t care about sleep, so he yielded easily.
“One more thing from your platoon leader: this hunter mobility training will be intense!”
Unlike the last one, where they only fought monsters mid-training, this would have varied scenarios.
“As other officers always stress, situational response is key! Understood!”
“Yes, sir!”
Training intensity upped.
Hunters, especially sergeants, swallowed hard.
The last one four years ago had been hell barely survived— who knew how bad this would be.
“If no issues, bed down now!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Understood!”
In the end, time would tell.
Figuring the first day would be fine, they crawled into tents.
**
Time passed. 3 a.m.
Kim Min-jun stepped out for watch.
No incidents since evening.
“Sir.”
“Yeah. Until 4:30. Report anything immediately.”
“Yes, sir! Understood.”
Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min nodded.
Training mode—his tone sharper than usual.
‘Training matters to officers too.’
Of course he’d be strict.
Other officers slacked with excuses, but not him—no sign of it.
Even volunteering for the dreaded dawn watch.
His way of caring for the platoon.
‘About thirty minutes left.’
4 a.m., scanning while walking.
‘Hm? Something’s coming.’
Presence from the sky.
Not a monster, but dropping straight at them.
‘Platoon leader hasn’t noticed.’
No wonder.
Dawn.
Who’d spot an object falling silently from the sky?
“Sir! Situation incoming.”
“What? Give details.”
Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min responded puzzled.
No monster presences around.
“From above.”
Kim Min-jun pointed skyward.
“That’s….”
The object sharpened into view over time.
Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min realized what it was and urgently began waking the platoon.