Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Mana Shield
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4 yes votes, 6 no votes.
In the end, Sergeant Kim Min-jun's promotion to staff sergeant was tabled.
"Hmm. Too bad. Still, with achievements like this, one more big accomplishment next time, and staff sergeant is a sure thing."
The words of one of the generals who had voted against it.
The 104th Division commander was flabbergasted.
Achieve another massive feat like capturing a big goblin alive?
Even if special promotions were subjective, this felt excessive.
'Of course, Kim Min-jun's service time is short.'
Most of the generals who voted no had pointed that out.
Less than a year—just a few months of service—and promoting an enlisted man to NCO status? It rubbed them the wrong way.
'But it's not like Kim Min-jun's racked up just one or two ordinary achievements.'
From his days as a private, he'd handled emergency situations single-handedly.
Without him, the unit would have suffered serious damage.
Not only that, he'd scored near-perfect marks in the notoriously grueling division training.
The other drills went without saying.
'With such overwhelming achievements backing him up, and they still say it's not enough? Even the special ops sergeants couldn't match Private First Class Kim Min-jun, and they're balking at a measly staff sergeant promotion?'
The 104th Division commander clenched his fist.
No matter how much time passed, the military was still the military.
'Tch. If he just had one more star, I could've pushed it through somehow.'
Two stars versus three stars.
The gap was enormous.
'Still, for that guy, it's only a matter of time.'
Emergencies or major exercises.
His record would fill up eventually.
The division commander calmed himself and took a sip of water.
"Alright, moving on to the next item."
The meeting continued for a while after that.
**
The next day.
The hunters were changing into combat gear for equipment training.
"Sergeant Kim Min-jun, sir. Did you hear?"
"About what."
"That large shield we've been using. It's being replaced with mana shields made from mana stones."
Kim Kwang-sik explained that the 107th Division had recently secured a large quantity of mana stones, and mana shields were being distributed first to frontline units.
"We've been holding out with those flimsy military shields that could crumple any second, but now we're getting cutting-edge gear. Finally, some breathing room."
"Oh. That's thanks to me, right?"
"What do you mean, sir?"
"The camouflage dungeon. Didn't I tell you? It was packed with an insane amount of mana stones."
"...You didn't mention it."
"You know now. I'm heading out first."
Kim Min-jun patted the dumbfounded Kim Kwang-sik on the shoulder and stepped outside.
"Shield training all morning and afternoon today. Huh? You're here?"
Ssssh—
While checking the training schedule, the Night Walker alerted him to a strange energy.
Lee Bong-gu was currently overseas.
So the Night Walker, who had been shuttling between units, had expanded its patrol range in his place.
"Strange energy, huh. Give me details. No, just show me."
Ssssh—
Various scenes flashed before his eyes.
The spot where the Night Walker stopped was in front of a dakgalbi restaurant... no, it was Chuncheon.
"Chuncheon, huh. Does it feel the same as last time when the gate exploded?"
Ssssh—
The Night Walker confirmed it did.
But it couldn't pinpoint exactly when the gate would open.
"Got it. That's enough."
He'd already banked plenty of reward leave. Might as well schedule some time soon to stand by in Chuncheon.
The Night Walker had pointed to a specific spot in Chuncheon City.
If a gate opened in an area with civilians passing through, there'd be casualties.
"After this training ends, I should head out right away."
Kim Min-jun instructed the Night Walker to head to Chuncheon and report immediately if a gate seemed imminent.
"Blocking that one solo would lock in my staff sergeant promotion."
Of course, he was confident he could handle it perfectly alone.
No need to share the glory with other hunters.
Kim Min-jun smirked and headed to the training ground.
"Attention, all!"
"Attention!"
"One at a time, step forward and receive your mana shield! It's heavier than you think!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Stack the old military shields in one spot!"
"Got it!"
Before training began, the mana shields were distributed to the hunters.
Shields glowing with a blue hue.
Their durability was incomparable to the standard military shields.
"If you master handling these mana shields with your body, you can easily block a charging orc head-on."
Naturally, they were heavier too, so they'd be doing plenty of training on that.
"Drop one by accident, and you're dead! Each one's worth 100 million won—100 million! Got it?"
"Y-Yes, sir!"
"100... 100 million?"
"Insane... How's it this expensive...?"
The hunters gasped at the staggering price tag.
They knew hunter gear was pricey, but 100 million for a single shield?
"Ugh, this thing's no joke in weight..."
"Feels like it weighs over 100 kg easy."
"Swing it wrong, and you could kill a monster with the shield itself."
The hunters struggled just to equip the substantial mana shields.
"Alright, you've all had prior training, so we're jumping straight into adaptation drills."
"Adaptation drills, sir?"
"Yeah. If shit hits the fan tomorrow, you gonna leave these good shields behind and grab the old ones?"
The instructor pointed to a monster rampaging in a steel cage.
A Taurus.
A monster with the form of a bull.
It only had one attack pattern—a frontal charge—but its power was immense.
Enough to flip a mid-sized truck barreling down the road.
"Ugh, real combat right from the start?"
The hunters swallowed hard, eyeing the distant cages.
The cages being spaced out like that meant the Taurus would charge from that point.
"Do it by the book! Note that guy's lost over half his energy already! You gotta block that much at least. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Got it!"
To guard against possible injuries, the hunters donned protective suits and formed up.
'Oh. This is pretty damn good.'
Kim Min-jun twirled the mana shield around, impressed by the military's tech.
Mana stones or not, to mass-produce gear this fast.
It was called a shield, but it felt more like a weapon. A weapon.
"Once you're ready, come forward one by one and take position!"
"Yes, sir!"
At the instructor's command, one hunter stepped up and assumed position.
"Kuooooh!"
Moments later.
The cage opened, and the Taurus pawed the ground, charging at the shield-bearing hunter.
The instructor waved a red cloth to draw its attention, like a matador.
"It's coming! Get ready!"
"Yes, sir!"
Tauruses had a habit of getting riled up by bright colors.
It stomped furiously and charged.
Thud!
"Uwaaaah!"
The mana shield clashed with the monster.
The hunter gritted his teeth and withstood the attack.
"Kuooooh!"
Enraged, the Taurus thrust its horns viciously, sending the hunter tumbling backward.
The protective suit prevented any injury, of course.
"That's enough! Distribute your weight better!"
"Sorry, sir!"
"You're wielding mana shields, not the old ones! Keep that in mind during training!"
"Yes, sir!"
The training continued.
"Eek...."
"Agh... Crazy!"
Most hunters couldn't hold against the Taurus's charge.
The mana shields performed excellently, but they'd just received them today.
Lack of proficiency meant getting pushed back was inevitable.
"Put more weight on your lower body!"
"Sorry, sir!"
"Don't just think about brute-forcing it! Use your head!"
"Yes, sir!"
Knowing this, the instructor pointed out flaws without hounding them mercilessly.
"Hoo...."
"Good. Stance is solid. Repeat until you're used to it."
"Sergeant Lee Seung-ho. Understood."
Lee Seung-ho withstood the Taurus's charge for the designated time.
Next up, Private First Class Lee Dong-jin did the same.
"Urk...."
"Lee Dong-jin. You toughed it out with grit. Maintain that form going forward."
"Private First Class Lee Dong-jin. Thank you, sir."
He'd taken a solid hit, but he hadn't fallen.
"Whoa... What? Sergeant Lee Seung-ho makes sense, but Lee Dong-jin held it?"
"Yeah. Thought he'd get flattened for sure."
The other squad members watched in surprise.
"Lee Dong-jin. Good job, kid. Keep it up."
"Private First Class Lee Dong-jin. Thank you, sir."
Kim Min-jun patted Lee Dong-jin's shoulder as he let out a sigh of relief.
"Finally my turn."
"Kuoooong!"
He took position at the marked spot, and the cage opened as the Taurus charged.
Kim Min-jun eyed the berserk beast and pondered briefly.
'Hold steady? Push it back a bit? Or just bash it with the shield?'
Bashing with the shield wouldn't do.
It'd go against the training's purpose.
'Might as well test the shield's performance. Push it lightly.'
Decision made, he raised the mana shield and set his stance.
"Kuooooh!"
"Come on!"
Thud!
The Taurus's horns slammed into the mana shield.
A heavy impact rang out, but Kim Min-jun's expression remained utterly relaxed.
'100-million-won shield for ya. Sturdy as hell.'
Should've splurged on defense budget sooner.
Casually blocking the attack, he suddenly applied force and shoved the mana shield back.
"Quoooong!"
The bulky Taurus didn't just get pushed—it flew into the air.
This specimen was nearly twice the size of the others they'd faced.
Boom!
The Taurus landed wrong, snapping its neck and dying on impact.
"Ah."
He hadn't meant to kill it, but oh well.
It was a training monster, after all.
Kim Min-jun scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"...Uh, yeah. Well done, Kim Min-jun. Stable stance, perfect force distribution."
"Sergeant Kim Min-jun. Thank you, sir."
The instructor stared at the neck-broken Taurus corpse in bewilderment.
He knew Kim Min-jun was superior to the others, but wielding a brand-new mana shield like that? Unforeseen.
"...Did you see that?"
"Yeah... He just pushed with the shield, and the monster went flying."
"We're struggling just to hold, and..."
"It's not just high strength stats."
The other hunters were the same.
They chatted, staring at the dead monster, questioning if it made sense.
"Quiet down! Training's not over!"
"Sorry, sir!"
The instructor settled the commotion and continued the session.
**
The mana shield adaptation training lasted the entire day.
The instructor said it wasn't enough and they'd keep it up for the foreseeable future.
"Ugh, was gonna take leave, but now it's blocked?"
"Yeah. Not restricted, but the instructor would chew us out."
The hunters grumbled at the order to refrain from leave.
'When do I get out.'
Of course, Kim Min-jun was the exception.
A perk for exceeding expectations perfectly.
'What? Something up?'
Ssssh—
As Kim Min-jun calculated his leave schedule.
A report came in from the Night Walker.