Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Squad Leader
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There stood the battalion commander, who had rushed over after hearing the platoon leader's report.
“Loyalty!”
“Yeah, sure. Corporal Kim Minjun. Come talk with me for a bit.”
“Yes, sir!”
“And platoon leader.”
“Lieutenant Kim Cheolmin!”
“Did those Special Task Force hunters leave any separate message?”
“Yes, sir! They sparred briefly with Corporal Kim Minjun and then left immediately!”
The battalion commander gave a small nod before beckoning Kim Minjun to follow him.
‘What’s this about? Did I hit him too hard and cause a problem?’
Nah, no way a Special Forces hunter would complain about something like that.
They’re not kids, after all.
Kim Minjun returned the training whip to its proper place and followed the battalion commander.
**
Battalion headquarters, 2nd Battalion commander’s office.
The battalion commander smiled warmly as he personally brought out some drinks and snacks.
“Make yourself comfortable.”
“Thank you, sir!”
“Anyway, I heard you beat the crap out of that Special Task Force sergeant… Good job.”
“Thank you, sir.”
The battalion commander said it felt damn good, that guys like that needed to get knocked down a peg.
“Those bastards go crazy trying to poach any competent soldier they see. And we’re right on the front lines here. Anyway… I heard the Special Task Force offered you a special promotion to sergeant?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Yeah. If you can take down a Special Forces officer like that, you’re ready for the big leagues.”
The battalion commander cleared his throat before continuing in a serious tone.
“But Minjun.”
“Corporal Kim Minjun, sir.”
“Naturally, our unit wants to hold onto soldiers like you. You get what I’m saying, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“So the division commander has a few proposals for you.”
Oh.
Proposals from the division commander himself.
I wasn’t planning to go to a Special Forces unit anyway, but let’s hear it out.
“Promotion from corporal to sergeant is pretty tough. You know that, right? It’s jumping from enlisted to NCO. You need to rack up insane performance scores.”
He added that mandatory service performance points played a big role too.
“That’s why most corporals aim for sergeant right at the end of their term.”
The battalion commander explained there were a lot of things to consider when promoting from enlisted to NCO.
‘It’s not a big deal. I can just smash through with performance and snag that sergeant rank.’
Of course, it wasn’t an issue for him at all.
It’d just take a little more time.
‘But what’s the proposal? That’s what I’m curious about.’
Right as he was wondering, some good news came.
“The division commander said he’ll pull strings to handle those mandatory service points. And Minjun, you haven’t been squad leader yet, have you?”
“No, sir.”
“Right. Then starting tomorrow, you’re squad leader. The current one’s Corporal Lee Seungho, but he’s maxed out his performance scores, so it’s fine.”
The division commander was personally helping him promote to sergeant faster.
And that wasn’t all.
The most appealing part was that they’d issue him a personal main weapon.
“Among regular hunters, almost none get issued a main weapon.”
The battalion commander meant a weapon at a level approved for personal possession.
Naturally, he could take it out on leave too.
As long as he didn’t cause trouble, it was basically a free weapon.
“The division commander personally filled out all that paperwork and signed off for you. Constant carry of a main weapon is only for top officers, you know that, right?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Yeah. And since it’s a direct order from the division commander, you’ll get a high-quality main weapon.”
With that, the battalion commander said to decide right here.
“Of course, we’re not saying never go Special Forces. Just one year. After that, do whatever you want.”
The battalion commander said if he stayed with the Invincible Hunter Battalion for one year, he’d get all those benefits.
‘One year.’
Not asking me to stay forever. One year seems doable.
The division commander personally looking out for me was nice, but above all, the main weapon sealed it.
“I’ll stay here, sir.”
“Quick decision. Good. Write down the main weapon you want here. It’ll be issued soon.”
“Yes, sir!”
Kim Minjun finished the paperwork with a satisfied look.
Special Forces mostly deployed overseas, where internet access was impossible anyway.
He hadn’t planned to go there, but they handed him this offer on a silver platter.
‘This is why you gotta play nice in the army.’
Ah.
Exciting.
Hope they give me the main weapon tomorrow.
Wonder how good it’ll be.
‘Things worked out better than expected. Lucky.’
Meanwhile.
The battalion commander let out a quiet sigh of relief as things went according to plan.
‘One year. Anyone else, maybe not, but with that guy’s skills, he’ll definitely hit sergeant within a year.’
Once that happened, he could find some excuse to keep Kim Minjun serving here.
‘That guy handled all those insane situations solo. And he overwhelmingly beat a Special Forces guy.’
Having a soldier that exceptional stick around would definitely boost his own promotion chances.
Same for the division commander.
No way they’d issue a main weapon just for kicks.
“Yeah. You’re dismissed.”
“Yes, sir! Loyalty!”
The battalion commander watched him go with a pleased smile.
**
The next day.
The platoon leader announced a dungeon raid schedule and ordered solo gear prep.
Their target: a dungeon swarming with goblins.
The monsters had multiplied faster than expected, bumping up the raid date.
“Didn’t we clear goblins a few months ago? Already this many?”
“Yeah, their breeding rate is insane.”
Everyone grumbled as they changed into combat gear. Then the platoon leader entered the barracks.
“Loyalty!”
“Yeah. Gear up properly for the dungeon. I’ve got one announcement.”
Lieutenant Kim Cheolmin came in holding a green insignia and pinned it straight onto Kim Minjun’s shoulder.
“Huh?”
“Isn’t Corporal Lee Seungho the squad leader?”
The squad members’ eyes went wide.
That green insignia marked a squad leader.
Looking over, Corporal Lee Seungho’s combat gear had the green insignia removed.
“Seungho maxed his squad leader performance scores. Normally it’d go to the guys right under him, but the battalion commander ordered it directly. No complaints from you all, right?”
“No, sir.”
“It’s fine. Minjun deserves it.”
Lieutenant Kim Cheolmin finished pinning it on and told him to lead the squad well.
“Corporal! Kim Minjun! Thank you, sir!”
“Whoa… Corporal Kim Minjun. You just jumped from LTE to 5G.”
“He pulled everyone out unscathed from that ambush dungeon. Squad leader’s too low for him.”
Clap clap clap clap!
The squad members applauded, saying he’d breeze to sergeant like this.
‘Squad leader? Big whoop.’
More importantly, when’s my weapon coming?
I wanna see the one I requested.
“Platoon leader, sir. When do I get that weapon I requested earlier?”
“It’s on the way right now. You’ll have it before the raid, so don’t worry.”
“Got it, sir.”
At the word “weapon,” the squad’s eyes locked onto him.
“Corporal Kim Minjun, sir? Weapon issuance? What do you mean?”
“Aren’t weapons just loaned out? Issuance is only for officers, right?”
“I’m at that level now. I’ll let you check it out later.”
“…….”
Kim Minjun told them to look forward to it.
Time passed, and they arrived at the dungeon entrance.
“Attention!”
“Attention!”
“Any personnel issues?”
“No issues, sir!”
After roll call, the hunters took time to double-check their equipped weapons.
“Kim Minjun.”
“Corporal Kim Minjun, sir!”
“Yeah. Here, take this. First time I’ve seen such a weird weapon.”
In the meantime, the platoon leader approached and handed over the weapon he’d requested.
A whip made from processed mana stones.
“Whoa. Unique taste. You sure you can handle that?”
“Doesn’t seem great for monster hunting even if you can.”
Its quality, clearly superior to standard military weapons, drew everyone’s stares.
“For reference, the weapon Kim Minjun got is a personal main weapon he can carry at all times. Rack up excellent performance like him, and you can get one too. So work hard.”
“Even so, that’s a stretch…”
“The platoon leader doesn’t have a main weapon either, sir.”
“It’s just a figure of speech! Check your gear properly!”
A short while later.
The platoon finished prepping and entered the dungeon.
The dungeon assigned to 2nd Platoon had the most goblins out of the four entrances.
“Lately, irregular monsters have been appearing more often. Don’t let your guard down just because they’re goblins.”
“Got it, sir!”
The platoon members maintained formation and advanced slowly into the dungeon per the platoon leader’s orders.
“Kieek!”
“Goblin pack at 120 meters ahead!”
“Hold formation and engage! Prioritize any ranged goblins on sight!”
“Got it!”
At the platoon leader’s command, the hunters took positions and began the fight.
“Kieeeek! Humans! Invading our turf!”
“Kill them all!”
“These are weak ones! Push hard!”
“Raaah!”
The front-line hunters, mostly corporals and sergeants, handled the goblins without much strain.
‘Found one hiding in the corner!’
Meanwhile, Kim Minjun spotted a goblin lurking silently at a distance.
“Platoon leader! Ranged goblin at 11 o’clock! I’ve got it!”
After reporting, Kim Minjun whipped toward the goblin loading an arrow.
‘Oh. Definitely better than the training whip. Much longer reach.’
Longer whips were harder to handle, but that didn’t apply to him.
‘Now, how’s the weapon’s power?’
He’d heard mana stone whips were pricey since they were processed from mana stones.
Guess I’ll test it on that one.
Whoosh!
With that thought, he lashed at the goblin’s back.
Splorch!
“Kieeeek!”
“Huh?”
That sounded weird.
Should’ve been a smack, but it sounded like something shattering?
Splorch!
Same with the next one.
Even with controlled strength, the goblins exploded on impact.
Felt like smashing soft tofu.
“Hold formation and regroup! Stay alert!”
“Got it!”
Thanks to Kim Minjun handling the ranged goblin, they wrapped up the first skirmish easily.
“Whew, intense.”
“Ugh, look at this goblin blood spray.”
The platoon members seemed oblivious that Kim Minjun had taken out the ranged monster.
“…Minjun.”
Meanwhile.
Lieutenant Kim Cheolmin, who’d seen Kim Minjun swing the whip, opened his mouth with a baffled look.
“Corporal Kim Minjun.”
“How do you swing it so one lash makes the monster burst like a balloon?”