Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Group Vacation - 2
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At his words, Sergeant Lee Seung-ho launched a bold center attack.
A technique that struck right between the defenders.
It was only natural for a Hunter—it packed enough power that a regular person could get seriously hurt if it hit them.
"Not bad."
Kim Min-jun lowered his stance and swung his leg toward the center.
"But you're still 999 years too early."
Whoosh!
"Uh...."
"What the...?"
"W-What was that just now?"
In the blink of an eye, the ball sailed over the net to the other side.
It happened so fast that Team 2 didn't even have time to react.
Team 2 just blinked in confusion, unable to process what had happened.
"...Corporal Kim Min-jun."
"Yeah?"
"You countered it right back? Without even getting into position?"
"Do you really need a setup?"
"......"
Sergeant Lee wore an incredulous expression.
Normally, when an attack came in, you'd go through a defensive motion first.
But Corporal Kim Min-jun had met the incoming shot with an attack of his own.
And he'd done it with a completely casual look on his face.
He'd always been like this during training, but to pull off something this outlandish even in a game...
"Whoa! Is there anyone in the world who plays foot volleyball like that?!"
"That's impossible! It's gotta be cheating! Cheating!"
"Corporal Kim Min-jun's coughing up the prize money, and now he's dominating like this?!"
The Hunters who'd witnessed this absurdity unleashed a barrage of complaints at Kim Min-jun.
"You little punks. I did exactly what you asked, and now you're complaining again? Fine, tell me what you want, and I'll do it."
It was true that things would get boring if he kept going like this.
So Kim Min-jun decided to accommodate every ridiculous demand from the Hunters.
"Combat foot volleyball goes to Team 1!"
Not that it stopped Kim Min-jun from running circles around them.
"Ah... this guy's insane."
"Is that even human? It's a monster."
"We restricted him to one foot, and we still couldn't score...."
"I've played a ton of sports like foot volleyball back in the day. You guys should eat well and kick the ball around like I did. You'll end up like me."
"Even if we just ate and did that, I don't think it'd work...."
Kim Kwang-sik and Lee Dong-jin grumbled their complaints.
Kim Min-jun smirked at his squadmates.
'Foot volleyball's good enough. Now if I make them do combat swimming in this state and run some PT, a few might even level up their stats. Right?'
He was about to move on to the next event.
But then a message popped up in front of him.
[The Necklace of Harvest conversion is complete.]
[Effects will expire if not consumed within 1 day.]
'Alright. About time.'
The Necklace of Harvest he'd acquired earlier had finally reached its final stage.
"Ten-minute break."
Kim Min-jun walked off toward one side of the beach.
He rummaged in the pocket of his swim trunks—combat swimwear—and pulled out the candy-like item.
'Look at that shimmering glow. Looks delicious.'
All he had to do was swallow it, and a random stat would rise.
'Please just boost my Magic. I can grind out the rest with time.'
With that thought, he swallowed the elixir.
Swoosh.
The elixir's energy seeped into his body.
It felt like cool water flowing through his veins.
Ding.
After about five minutes, a message appeared confirming the item's absorption.
'Yes!'
Kim Min-jun cheered inwardly at the flurry of messages.
[A beneficial effect has been applied. Magic stat increased by 3.]
[A beneficial effect has been applied. Agility stat increased by 1.]
[Excess stats remain. Additional beneficial effect applied. Stamina stat increased by 1.]
Not just Magic, but Agility and Stamina had gone up too.
'A total of 5 stat points. Nice.'
His current stats were high enough to crush any other officer.
Which meant raising even a single point was that much harder.
The higher your stats, the more experience and effort it took to gain just +1.
Yet thanks to the elixir, they'd shot up effortlessly.
Ding.
[Night Walker skill rank increased to B.]
[Grasp of Magic skill rank increased to C.]
'No wonder Hunters rave about elixirs.'
And it didn't stop there—his skill ranks had risen too.
The Necklace of Harvest truly lived up to its rarity.
'Status window.'
[Kim Min-jun]
Founder of the 'Seria noona is my favorite character' doctrine.
Strength: 78 Agility: 70 Stamina: 63 Magic: 40
Skills: Corruption (C), Night Walker (B), Dark Arrow (D), Singularity of Magic, Grasp of Magic (C), Magic Whip (D), Basic Blunt Technique (E), Basic Swordsmanship (D), Strength (C), Agility Enhancement (E), Whip of Pain (C), Rain of Corruption (D), Hell Ghost Explosion (D), Vicious Charge (C)
He opened his status window and nodded in satisfaction.
His hard work was paying off even better than expected.
'Magic at 40. At this rate, it won't take long to recover my original power.'
Maybe it was the Hunter army life.
Magic aside, his Strength and Agility skills were climbing fast.
In just a year, he might even hit triple digits.
'Night Walker. Scout the area thoroughly and bring back anything useful. Preferably more elixirs.'
Kim Min-jun immediately unleashed Night Walker.
Now at B-rank, it could scan in finer detail with less Magic.
Its detection had improved.
Extracting info from living beings was easier too.
Swish swish.
Night Walker acknowledged the order and slipped into the beach sands.
'Hey. I've been calling you. What're you doing?'
At that moment.
Son Eun-seo sidled up close and whispered in his ear.
She must've come over wondering what he was doing, staring out at the sea.
"I told you it's fine to drop the formalities. We're on vacation."
'There are other Hunters around! They'll notice! What do you think they'll say about me!'
She replied in a hushed voice.
Kim Min-jun patted her shoulder and told her it was time for stamina training.
No—combat swimming.
**
That evening.
The Hunters all staggered into the restaurant.
"Ughhh...."
"I'm dying...."
"My whole body aches...."
After that came combat swimming, round-trip long-distance runs, PT gymnastics, diving, and more....
It had been a grueling march indistinguishable from basic training.
"My Stamina stat went up by 1. This is crazy...."
"Yours too? Mine did as well...."
It had the vibe of a vacation, but the schedule was pure training.
The Hunters sighed in dying voices.
Sure, the Stamina boost was nice, but it felt like they'd been tricked somehow.
"Ah... that lunatic Corporal Kim Min-jun...."
"I think my calf's cramping...."
"But our team got the prize money, right? I'm satisfied with that."
"And we get to hit the hot springs after this. I hear they're great for your skin."
Even the female Hunters stared blankly ahead in a daze.
That was how brutal Kim Min-jun's itinerary had been.
"You young punks are already wiped out."
Kim Min-jun, who had slipped out to buy booze, looked pityingly at the Hunters sprawled across the tables.
"Corporal Kim Min-jun... Could you please think about our stamina for once?"
"We finally got vacation time... I could fall asleep just closing my eyes...."
"Who do you think got your Stamina stats up? Ungrateful brats."
He dumped the bottles from his bag onto the table.
"So I brought the magic potion. Soju and beer. On me—drink up. But know your limits. Hot springs close at 11 p.m., so those who want to go, keep that in mind."
"Booze!"
"Corporal Kim Min-jun! Thanks for the treat!"
Male and female Hunters partying together.
When would they get another chance like this?
"Cheers!"
"Down the hatch!"
"Great work today, everyone!"
The half-dead Hunters perked up like nothing had happened.
"Come on over, Corporal Kim Min-jun! You're not leaving till you're wasted!"
"You punks think you can handle me?"
"Does Corporal Kim Min-jun hold his liquor well?"
"Yeah. Not just well—he's a beast. I'm curious if he even can get drunk."
"Whoa...."
The female Hunters' eyes sparkled at that.
Promoted from grunt to officer in record time.
Always brimming with confidence.
Seemed abrasive, but he took good care of his squadmates.
How could they not like him?
"Hey... you girls aren't thinking what I think you are, right?"
Son Eun-seo narrowed her eyes at the female Hunters.
It pained her to see her squadmates crushing on such a weirdo.
"N-No, nothing like that."
"He's an officer but treats us grunts so well, that's all."
They waved their hands frantically in denial.
Truth be told, the rumor that 'Sergeant Son Eun-seo has a thing for Corporal Kim Min-jun' was already common knowledge among those in the know.
"There really is no one else like me in this world."
Kim Min-jun nodded as if it were obvious.
Son Eun-seo shot him an annoyed look, but he didn't seem to care.
"Thanks to Corporal Kim Min-jun, I got promoted to Corporal. And today's Stamina boost? All thanks to him."
"True. Our squad's racking up performance points because of him."
Lee Dong-jin spoke up seriously, and the other squadmates nodded in agreement.
They were even on this vacation thanks to his skills.
"Right. If you get it, enjoy it with gratitude."
Kim Min-jun smirked at the Hunters.
**
"Ah... already heading back...."
"Vacation time really flies by...."
The next day.
The Hunters grumbled from inside the special vehicle heading back to base.
Beach time by day, booze and hot springs by night.
Would they ever get a chance like this again?
They'd crammed two days' worth of fun into one and loved every minute—which made it all the more bittersweet.
"Look how plump and firm my skin is...."
"That hot spring water was amazing yesterday."
"What's the point.... We'll be back to training in a few days...."
Training awaited them upon return to base.
The Hunters wondered if it'd have been better to do training first, then vacation.
'Had a blast after so long. Got their stamina training in too. Huh? You're back?'
Meanwhile.
Kim Min-jun, driving the special vehicle back to base, widened his eyes in surprise at his familiar's report.
'Night Walker. You sure about that?'
Swish swish.
His summon had brought back something unexpected from nearby.