Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Hwacheon-1
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At the same time.
2nd Battalion commander’s office.
“What? The entire 2nd Platoon passed? Without a single injury?”
“Yes, sir!”
The battalion commander shot to his feet upon hearing from the company commander that the whole 2nd Company had completed the training.
It was a major exercise held every four years, so even he couldn’t help but feel the pressure.
After all, it was tied directly to his own promotion down the line.
“The 2nd Platoon’s handler was… Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min.”
Only after checking the platoon members did the battalion commander’s tense expression finally ease.
Compared to the other battalions, the 2nd Battalion’s training scores had been the lowest.
“Thanks to these guys, I’m off the hook. Whew.”
On the other hand, every single member of the 2nd Platoon had completed the training.
Without a single injury.
That was a huge deal.
“They say the 2nd Platoon handled every scenario perfectly! Practically no deductions!”
“Is that true?”
“Yes, sir! I just got the report from the evaluators! Corporal Kim Min-jun stood out especially in scenario response, and he even carried Corporal Son Eun-seo on his back to finish the training!”
“Kim Min-jun… Damn, I could run over and hug him right now.”
A grin bloomed across the battalion commander’s face as he listened to the report.
Thanks to the 2nd Platoon, he’d pulled off a miracle comeback.
“Give reward leave to the entire 2nd Platoon, Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min included.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Make it three nights and four days for Kim Min-jun, and one night two days for the rest.”
“Yes, sir!”
The battalion commander leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed.
‘Kim Min-jun. And he even looked after Corporal Son Eun-seo, too.’
He’d sensed something special about the kid since the promotion exam, but to think he’d handle the hunter maneuver training that even officers dreaded so flawlessly.
‘I’ll have to keep a closer eye on him.’
The battalion commander chuckled with amusement.
**
“You guys did awesome!”
As soon as the training wrapped up, Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min whooped and grinned ear to ear.
“Thanks for sticking with me all the way, you punks! They say we’re the only platoon where every hunter finished the training!”
“No way!”
“It’s all thanks to you leading us so well, Platoon Leader!”
Hearing that, Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min beamed.
“Yeah, you all worked hard. Head back to the barracks and crash. No morning roll call or PT tomorrow.”
“Ugh yeah!”
“Sweet…”
“Don’t need anything else. Just sleep. Sleep…”
The hunters staggered back to their barracks, faces lit up like they’d survived a war.
“Ughhh…”
“How the hell did we pull this off?”
They moved like a horde of zombies.
“Min-jun.”
“Corporal Kim Min-jun.”
Once the platoon members had dispersed.
Only Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min and Kim Min-jun remained, along with Son Eun-seo on his back.
“You had it the roughest. Always taking point, never shying from the danger.”
“No, sir! Thank you!”
“Come on, don’t be modest. Every time the platoon was dragging, you were the one firing them up from behind. That stuff makes a real difference.”
Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min showered him with praise, crediting himself as the reason they’d finished so smoothly.
‘It’s true, but it’s kinda embarrassing.’
Pat pat.
“Mind putting me down now?”
Then.
Son Eun-seo, who’d been hanging off his shoulder, spoke up.
‘Oh right. Forgot about her. She needs to get to the medics ASAP.’
The moment that thought crossed his mind, the unit’s medical hunters came rushing out.
“Sorry for the trouble with one of your platoon members.”
She apologized to Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min as they loaded her onto a stretcher.
She knew she’d been stubborn and made Kim Min-jun suffer for it.
“Min-jun chose to do it, and said he could handle it, so I gave the okay. No trouble at all. Hell, you did great.”
Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min brushed it off with a grin.
“I’ll pay you back next time for sure.”
Son Eun-seo’s gaze shifted to Kim Min-jun.
“Then promote me to sergeant.”
“That’s above my pay grade.”
“I know. Just kidding.”
“You’re still cracking jokes to the end?”
“I get to mess around a little. Fi…f…”
“Please stop!”
After their brief exchange, she was carried off to the aid station on the stretcher.
“Min-jun. You head in too. Get some solid rest.”
“Yes, sir! You had a tough training too, Platoon Leader! Sir!”
“Yeah.”
After finishing with Kim Min-jun, Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min made an announcement over the PA about the rest of the schedule.
-All 2nd Battalion hunters, mandatory showers before lights out! Platoon leaders, check the barracks.
The hunters hit the barracks, showered quick, and passed out.
Without the platoon leader’s order, all ten of them would’ve collapsed into bed soaked in sweat.
**
The day after the hunter maneuver training ended.
The base was dead silent.
It’d been a grueling three-night, four-day exercise, so the next day was completely off-duty.
“Huh? What’s up? Didn’t the hunter maneuver training just end yesterday?”
“Yeah, it did.”
The soldier mess hall stood empty.
Aside from some cooks from other companies and a few chefs, Kim Min-jun was the only one there.
With the big training wrapping up yesterday, everyone else was probably still dead to the world sleeping.
The cooks knew it too, so they’d prepped smaller portions than usual.
“Now that I think about it, you’re from 2nd Company, 2nd Platoon, right, Kim Min-jun? You look full of energy.”
“Yeah. I’ve got pretty good stamina.”
“I heard rumors your platoon got perfect scores on the training?”
“Did you?”
The cook eyed him with interest.
“I overheard some officers talking while they ate earlier. Something about you taking down that Black Harpoon thing all by yourself?”
“Oh, yeah. It just kinda happened that way.”
“Whoa… so it’s true? Doesn’t it take a whole platoon dumping everything they’ve got to handle one of those?”
The cook kept gasping in awe.
‘He’s hyped.’
Not a big deal to me.
Perfect score was a given.
Because the 2nd Platoon had me.
“Insane. I heard this maneuver training was brutal. Like, over 70% of the privates and PFCs dropped out.”
The cook stared at him in wonder, then seemed to remember something and headed off.
“Oh, hang on a sec.”
“Huh?”
A moment later.
The cook came back with a huge plate piled high with fried chicken legs.
“This is today’s special. No other hunters are coming, and we’ve got tons left. Want some?”
“Oh, for real? I can have it all?”
“Yeah. We’d just toss it otherwise.”
Jackpot.
Fried chicken legs, no less.
“Then I’ll dig in.”
Trash for the cook, but who cares.
Crunch!
“Ahh… this overflowing oil…”
So damn good.
**
“Huh? What’s that?”
Ssssh—
In the middle of devouring a chicken leg.
The Night Walker reported detecting a spot thick with magi.
Something it could do now that its skill rank had leveled up.
Of course, it guzzled magi to pull it off, so not the most efficient.
‘Where? Show me.’
Ssssh—
An image of a village flashed in his mind.
A small one on the brink of ruin.
Looked like monsters had swept through.
‘Location. What’s the location?’
Ssssh—
The Night Walker said it was in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province.
‘What? How’d you even find this? You sucked up extra magi earlier— this why?’
Ssssh—
The Night Walker confirmed.
Ssssh—
It seemed to be fishing for praise.
‘You crazy bastard! You hog all that magi and this is all you find? If the magi yield here sucks, you’re in for it.’
Ssssh…
The Night Walker slunk quietly into the shadows.
“Perfect timing. I was feeling antsy anyway, and I’ve got leave queued up.”
Kim Min-jun headed straight for the duty officer’s room to report his leave.
“Sir!”
“Oh, Kim Min-jun. Leave today, huh?”
“Yes, sir.”
The duty officer checked the one-night, two-day leave slip and tilted his head.
“You guys can split regular leave however, but one night two days? You go home and come right back. You sure you’re using it right?”
“Yes, sir.”
Hunter troops could chop up their regular leave however they wanted.
Stitch them together if they liked.
Kim Min-jun had been saving his as much as possible for magi absorption trips.
“Alright. Have a safe trip.”
“Will do, sir!”
Leave the day after hunter maneuver training ended.
“Rumors don’t lie. Monster stamina for real.”
The duty officer shook his head at Kim Min-jun, who showed zero signs of fatigue.
**
“What’s this? Timing’s killer.”
Hwacheon, Gangwon Province.
Hunter troops were already at the spot the Night Walker had scouted.
“No male hunters. Must be from another company.”
Psssh— psssh—
The female hunters were spraying special disinfectant into the soil.
Strapped to their backs like backpacks, the gear reminded him of crop dusters.
“Ah… when’s this gonna end…”
“Didn’t think we’d get stuck on civilian support the day after bombing the maneuver training. Battalion commander must be pissed.”
“Sigh… I’m exhausted… When did monsters even hit here?”
Any area attacked by monsters required disinfection with special chemicals.
Monster traces could lure more in.
The female hunters, still wiped from the maneuver training, sprayed drowsily, nodding off.
‘So where exactly? Pinpoint it.’
Ssssh—
Kim Min-jun unleashed the Night Walker and pondered his next move.
‘Should’ve bought some civvies.’
Military uniform was too conspicuous.
‘Wait. Why’s she here?’
As he scanned the area.
A familiar face caught his eye.
Son Eun-seo, who owed him one from the maneuver training.
‘Whoa. Must’ve used some pricey potions?’
She was moving around fine, spraying disinfectant.
‘Gotta wait till they leave and come back at night. Not now.’
Just as Kim Min-jun turned to slip away from the hunters.
“Hey! What are you doing without a sprayer!”
A sharp voice hit him from behind.
It was Corporal Son Eun-seo.
“…What? Why’re you here, Kim Min-jun?”
She spotted him and looked utterly baffled.
“On leave.”
“Don’t lie. Who goes on leave in uniform? You look AWOL. I’m reporting you to the unit right—”
“I’m really on leave. See?”
Kim Min-jun pulled his leave pass from his pocket and showed her.
“…It’s real.”
“See? Told you.”
“Why come here in uniform on leave? Don’t you know this is a restricted zone?”
She eyed him suspiciously.
‘I’m here to absorb the magi.’ Yeah, no way he could say that.
“I had business near Hwacheon anyway, and I heard another company’s hunters were doing civilian support here.”
“Civilian support? Why?”
“Nothing better to do, so I figured I’d help out. Rack up some performance points too.”
“…You didn’t forge that pass?”
“Forging it to get off base would be the hard part.”
As they talked.
Ssssh—
‘What? It’s coming out soon?’
The Night Walker’s report hit just as an emergency unfolded.