Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Sergeant
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“Sir! Corporal Kim Minjun!”
“Hahaha! Yeah! See this?”
Lieutenant Kim Cheolmin held up the sergeant insignia as if to show it off.
“Gasp! No way….”
“Platoon leader! Is Kim Minjun getting another special promotion?”
“No, the criteria for special promotions are insanely tough. Even for Minjun, back-to-back in such a short time wouldn’t fly.”
The other seniors jumped in surprise, their eyes locking onto the sergeant insignia.
“It was decided in yesterday’s meeting. The division commander gave it his full support. The other battalion commanders didn’t even need convincing.”
The platoon leader removed Kim Minjun’s corporal insignia and personally pinned on the sergeant one.
“Sergeant! Kim Minjun! Thank you, sir!”
“Yeah. You’re the first hunter in the entire division to make sergeant this fast. Keep up the good work.”
“Yes, sir!”
Oh.
I figured it’d take me some time to make sergeant, but they’re pinning it on already.
‘The division commander’s got a good eye.’
Kim Minjun glanced at the sergeant insignia on his left chest and smiled in satisfaction.
He hadn’t expected to make it this quickly.
“No way, for real….”
The corporals gaped at the sight.
Their former junior, Kim Minjun, had now become their senior.
“As you all saw on the performance charts, if you perform like Minjun, special promotions aren’t that hard! Everyone, work hard!”
“But isn’t matching Sergeant Kim Minjun insanely tough?”
“Damn, Kim Minjun’s already a sergeant? He’ll hit sergeant first class in no time.”
The squad members were stunned, but only for a moment.
The platoon leader announced there was good news and bad news.
“The good news is, obviously, Kim Minjun’s special promotion to sergeant, and the entire platoon getting leave.”
“Leave, sir?”
“Yeah. Reward leave. Kim Minjun gets four days three nights, everyone else gets two days one night.”
“Woooaaah!”
“Awesome!”
“Sergeant Kim Minjun! Thank you!”
Cheers erupted as they mobbed Kim Minjun, but only briefly.
“Not done yet. Time for the bad news.”
Lieutenant Kim Cheolmin continued, telling them to brace themselves.
“Our unit’s training scores are lacking, so extra training’s been added on our own. Obviously, the later training gets pulled forward.”
“Noooo!”
“No way!”
“Crazy! Lacking? Isn’t our platoon’s training score high?”
The barracks, filled with cheers moments ago, turned to despair.
“Our platoon does have high training scores. But that’s just Second Platoon. Division-wide, over 80% of the privates and privates first class fell behind.”
At the platoon leader’s words, the corporals’ gazes shifted to the juniors.
The privates first class swallowed hard, staying silent.
“Anyway, things are gonna get busy starting today, so get ready. The division commander’s pissed.”
Lieutenant Kim Cheolmin added that they needed to wrap up dungeon schedules before the extra training, explaining the changed schedule.
“Schedule change means we’re heading to the dungeon this afternoon, so prep thoroughly.”
“Understood….”
Once the platoon leader left, the barracks fell quiet.
Privates first class started watching the corporals nervously, and the corporals started watching Kim Minjun.
He was their senior now, after all.
“Oh! That’s right!”
Breaking the silence was Corporal Kim Gwang sik.
He pulled a piece of paper from his locker like he’d just remembered something.
It was the betting paper on his pay from when Kim Minjun wasn’t around.
“Time to collect.”
“Oh… damn, that’s still a thing.”
The squad members checked the paper and let out deep sighs.
Only Corporal Kim Gwang sik had won that bet.
‘Oh. Kim Gwang sik, you sneaky guy. Having fun while I was gone?’
Kim Minjun snatched the paper from his hand with a smirk.
“Gwang sik. You know I’m a sergeant now, right?”
“Corporal Kim Gwang sik! Uh… yes, sir.”
Kim Gwang sik froze, realizing his mistake.
“Man, you guys bet a lot.”
“Sorry! If it bothers you, I’ll call it off!”
Worried he’d upset Kim Minjun, Kim Gwang sik apologized immediately.
“Not really bothered?”
They’d bet on how many months it’d take him to make sergeant.
No reason to be upset.
“But you’ll pay a fee. Wanna get chewed out by me, or pay the fee and take the money?”
“I’ll pay.”
“Thirty percent.”
“…Got it.”
Kim Gwang sik slumped his shoulders as he replied.
Thirty percent felt steep, but what could he do?
His former junior was now his senior.
‘But! I’m still the only winner.’
Even after the fee, it’d be a nice chunk.
As he thought that, Kim Minjun’s eyes lit up.
“Oh, look at this guy? Bet two months for me to make sergeant in one? Good job.”
“Thank you. So, could you cut the fee a bit?”
“Was gonna, but now I don’t want to since you asked. Forty percent.”
“Ugh… got it.”
Kim Minjun grinned like a shady CEO and wrote down his account number for Kim Gwang sik.
‘Oh, right. Now that I’m sergeant, time to switch up our barracks first.’
Time to end the nonsense.
Kim Minjun addressed the juniors.
“Now that I’m sergeant, privates and privates first class—move freely from now on. Watch TV as much as you want, do whatever after duty hours. PX, gym, whatever.”
The squad’s eyes focused on him.
The corporals looked baffled, the privates first class surprised.
“Senior sergeants? Cool if I run things my way? Of course, if training scores suck, I’ll restrict it.”
“Yeah. Do what you want. No complaints here.”
“Same. Why block you from looking out for the juniors?”
Some sergeants grumbled, but none dared argue.
He could make warrant officer at this rate.
“And the corporals need a talking-to. If there’s unfair crap, change it—why let it slide?”
“Sorry, sir!”
Kim Minjun said he’d punish the corporals, then pondered what to do.
If the sergeants didn’t shape up even after he made warrant officer, he’d chew them out too.
‘Just yelling at them is boring… anything fun?’
As he thought.
-Toot! Invincible Ranger! Transform!
Hearing the sound from the TV the sergeants had on, Kim Minjun clapped.
“Perfect. That’s it.”
“No way….”
“Sergeant Kim Minjun?”
The corporals eyed him nervously.
“Oh, you corporals catch on quick?”
Kim Minjun grinned, pointing at the TV.
Specifically, a kids’ invincible team-up series.
“No morning duties anyway, so everyone—practice those transformation poses.”
The corporals groaned.
“You first as Red, Yellow, Kim Gwang sik you’re Pink, you punk.”
“Corporal Kim Gwang sik… got it.”
“Don’t wanna? Do 9,999 one-finger push-ups. After what the juniors went through, this is me being an angel.”
In the end, the corporals spent the whole morning practicing their assigned poses.
“Punishing for mistreating juniors is good, but if you get caught nickel-and-diming them over nothing, you know what happens?”
“Got it….”
The corporals replied dejectedly to Kim Minjun’s warning.
‘Sergeant Kim Minjun. Thank you so much.’
‘Didn’t think he’d still look out for us after promoting.’
‘He takes care of juniors on the down-low.’
The privates first class felt grateful inside, watching the corporals’ poses.
“Nwahahat! Transform!”
“The power of nature aids us!”
“Flame Warrior! Red!”
The barracks turned rowdy in seconds.
“These punks causing a ruckus again. Did they prep for the dungeon?”
Lieutenant Kim Cheolmin, writing reports in his office, headed to the noisy barracks.
He saw hunters striking weird poses.
“…They’ve all lost their damn minds.”
He’d have chewed out any other barracks, but this was Kim Minjun’s—so he let it slide once.
**
By afternoon, Second Squad geared up and headed to the dungeon.
Their assigned dungeon spawned landmine-type monsters.
‘Ugh. Snake Mines of all things.’
‘This’ll take all night.’
No major danger, but finding monsters hiding and moving underground took forever.
The squad waited in protective suits for the platoon leader’s orders.
“Before entering! Double-check detectors one more time!”
“Got it!”
Per Lieutenant Kim Cheolmin’s order, they checked their monster detectors.
“All clear!”
“Final protective suit check, then form up and enter!”
“Yes, sir!”
[Entered the dungeon.]
The hunters formed two ranks and stepped inside.
“Even with protective suits, dungeons have variables—always keep that in mind while working!”
“Got it!”
Snake Mines came in two types.
One: Ambush type, staying still underground.
Two: Active type, constantly moving underground.
Beep. Beep.
The hunters slowly scanned for Snake Mines with detectors.
Beeeep—
The detector beeped loud, and the squad froze.
“Bait out and prep capture! Kim Minjun! Lee Seungho! Me too—capture team’s three men! Rest, fall back!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Got it!”
Treating Snake Mines like regular monsters would make them explode on contact.
‘Grab the tail and snap it.’
Damage to the tail disabled their explosion.
‘A lot of ‘em. Easily over thirty?’
Kim Minjun waited calmly for them to surface.
Of the buried ones, about ten were moving.
Around twenty were still.
‘This many nearby? Whole dungeon’s gonna be a ton.’
Each one counted as performance points.
He wouldn’t miss a single one.
Sssl. Sssl—
“They’re coming up!”
Soon as bait hit the ground, Snake Mines surfaced one by one.
They looked like blackish-red snakes, but touch wrong and boom.
“Move fast!”
“Yes!”
“Got it!”
Kim Minjun led with agile moves, joined by Lieutenant Kim Cheolmin and Sergeant Lee Seungho for captures.
“Hiss! Hisss!”
The monsters lunged in resistance, but tails got grabbed and neutralized every time.
“Wow. Isn’t this Sergeant Kim Minjun’s first time?”
“Yeah. First go, and he’s matching the platoon leader’s pace?”
“That’s tricky, and he’s nailing it from the start?”
The backups admired their smooth work.
‘Hm? What’s this one?’
While Lieutenant Kim Cheolmin handled a Snake Mine.
A bluish one entered his view.