Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Unit Tradition
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"What are you thinking about?"
"It's nothing."
Rumble, rumble—.
Do-jae sat in the passenger seat of a heavy five-ton truck, heading somewhere.
His expression was a complex mix of emotions.
‘A dispatch on the very first day...’
It wasn't that he found the dispatch strange.
Hunters were people who chased after dungeons.
Do-jae himself had often gone on raids in Gyeonggi Province, and sometimes even as far as Jeolla or Gyeongsang Province.
So, what was making him so gloomy?
‘This is my first time in North Korea.’
In the past, North Korea wasn't a place just anyone could go, but that wasn't the case anymore.
Under the pretext of suppressing the lands that had become monster territory due to dungeon breaks, entry into North Korea had become possible.
‘I never thought it would be this empty.’
In the early days of the Great Cataclysm, North Korea unfortunately had very few hunters.
The reason was that the majority of Awakeners who gained abilities had fled across the Yalu and Tumen rivers to China or other foreign countries.
As a result, the response to monsters was slow, and over time, the situation grew increasingly uncontrollable.
Now, it barely maintained the structure of a nation.
With nukes.
In a world where humans possessed the ability to snatch flying missiles out of the air and hurl them into space, how could nukes possibly help maintain a regime?
The North Korean government was holding its own people hostage.
In other words, a plan to drop nukes on their own country!
In the end, it was South Korea that had to bear the full responsibility.
However, it wasn't just a nuisance. There was income from the suppression efforts, and they were able to win the favor of the North Korean people.
Moreover, it solidified the justification for the organization known as the Suppression Corps, so the gains outweighed the losses.
The only loss was the waste of precious Awakener manpower.
There was much debate about this, but it quieted down soon after the Association stepped in.
‘So this is Kaesong.’
Do-jae was currently passing through the former site of the Kaesong Industrial Complex.
Thanks to the significant progress of the suppression, the supply routes were well-maintained.
"Stop!"
How far had they driven along the road?
A man in a fluorescent vest waved a light baton, stopping the truck.
"What is it?"
"Food supplies and weapons."
"Who's next to you?"
"Ah, he's the new officer who was just assigned here."
Do-jae offered a slight smile from beyond the driver's side window.
"Hello."
"Oh, hello! The other officer is already here! Pass!"
As soon as Do-jae arrived at the Suppression Corps base, he had departed for the Kaesong dispatch location.
But there was another officer who had already arrived?
He hadn't even met the commander or received his official position yet.
‘Is there someone else who came here besides me?’
Do-jae wondered who it could be.
There hadn't been anyone particularly noteworthy during the test.
That was understandable, as there were too few monsters, and everyone had been busy running around trying to score points in other ways.
With no reason to cross paths, it was unlikely anyone would have stood out.
"We've arrived. Thank you for your hard work getting here."
Getting out of the truck, he saw the unit's name and insignia.
Beneath a picture of a large, coiling snake were the words:
[Chilgok Unit]
The structure of the Suppression Corps consisted of the Suppression Corps Headquarters, followed by the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Suppression Corps.
The three Suppression Corps were the units responsible for actual combat.
Under these corps were independent units, each the size of a mid-sized guild.
Therefore, these units preferred to be called by nicknames derived from their commanders' names or their unit's character, rather than by a systematically assigned number.
For that reason, the name of the unit Do-jae had arrived at was the ‘Chilgok Unit’.
The unit was named after the Chilgok Sword, which was both the commander's nickname and the name of his technique.
‘But... where am I supposed to go?’
The driver had dropped him off and left for somewhere else.
Do-jae was left standing alone amidst the simple barracks of the Chilgok Unit.
There were people moving busily around him, but they only glanced at him sideways; no one approached to speak.
‘Hazing? An attempt to intimidate me?’
These were people who lived cut off from society, fighting a daily war against monsters.
In front of these men, who had spent their time with death as a constant companion in a place reeking of masculinity, unlike a guild, Do-jae—a newcomer who had just arrived as an officer—looked like nothing more than an innocent lamb.
‘Well, it doesn't matter.’
They had just picked the wrong guy.
It might have worked on a young, inexperienced Awakener, but not on Do-jae.
When it came to being rough and intimidating, the older guys in the Association-led raid parties were no slouches either.
"Excuse me."
Do-jae approached a man who stood out and spoke to him.
It was the man who had been watching him since earlier.
"How can I help you?"
The man replied with a surprisingly polite tone and gesture.
There was a sense of unease about him, but that wasn't important to Do-jae right now.
"I'd like to ask something. Where can I find the commander of the Chilgok Unit?"
"May I ask where you're from?"
"Ah, I'm Lee Do-jae. I was assigned here starting today."
Thwump—!
The seated man suddenly stood up.
He hadn't noticed while the man was sitting, but he was incredibly tall.
Taller than Do-jae by at least two heads.
He even wore oversized, loose-fitting clothes, making him look like a well-built basketball player.
"Whew! It's starting."
"Too bad. He should've talked to me. Still, should we stick around and watch?"
"I'm betting on the slender guy."
"You idiot, kekeke. Don't you know how on fire Jeong-gyu's been lately? I'm betting on Jeong-gyu."
Members of the Suppression Corps began to gather around.
Do-jae was flustered by the sudden attention.
What was this sudden turn of events?
The way people gathered in a circle, as if they had been waiting for this, felt like a scene straight out of a comic book.
"So you're one of the officers who were supposed to arrive today."
"Yes, that's right. But what's going on here?"
"Ah, it's a unit tradition."
"A tradition... you say?"
Clang—.
The large man, Son Jeong-gyu, caught a sword someone had thrown to him.
Then, a twitch.
His eyebrow twitched, and the corners of his mouth curled up into a wide grin.
"Kukuku... Let's go..."
"What?"
"I said, let's have a round!"
Swoosh—!
Son Jeong-gyu's demeanor changed in an instant as he swung the sword at Do-jae.
It was just a blunted iron sword, but getting hit by something like that would surely result in more than just a bruise.
Do-jae hurriedly created distance, narrowly dodging it.
"What is this!"
"Huhu, so you're not like the other pathetic losers who've come before?"
"What? What do you mean..."
Without giving Do-jae time to respond, Son Jeong-gyu continued his assault.
In this baffling situation, Do-jae debated whether he should attack or just keep dodging.
"Give him a taste of it!"
Cheers erupted from all around as Son Jeong-gyu charged at Do-jae.
Of course.
There was a reason no one had paid him any mind.
They were just waiting for someone to pick a fight.
No, they were just waiting for an opportunity to start one.
‘How childish.’
Though he thought their actions were no different from those of children, Do-jae began to feel a little excited.
That's just how men are.
Beyond laws, systems, education, and background, there is a fundamental hierarchy.
Before being men, as males, they want to confirm who is stronger and who is weaker.
Especially in a world where might makes right.
"Uwaaaah!"
Son Jeong-gyu let out a loud cry and swung his sword.
‘So it wasn't that losers were sent here, but that they were turned into losers and then left?’
Do-jae twisted his body slightly to dodge.
He had never fought another person before, but thanks to his experience in the temple, he was able to evade skillfully.
‘I don't even need to use the Eye of the Golem.’
Do-jae had assessed his opponent's skill from that single attack.
He could feel a clear difference in their levels, so much so that he didn't even need to bring out his Golem Armor.
"Hyaap!"
Son Jeong-gyu swung his sword repeatedly, trying to corner Do-jae.
Each time, Do-jae dodged nimbly, not even letting the tip of the sword graze him.
Son Jeong-gyu seemed a little irritated.
"You're not bad. Let's see you dodge this."
Son Jeong-gyu gathered his mana.
At that, Son Jeong-gyu's already large body grew even larger.
That was why he wore such loose-fitting clothes despite his large frame.
Shing—.
Then, he picked up a different sword from where he had been standing.
"That crazy bastard. If he uses a real sword, this won't end with just demerits."
"Are you the one getting disciplined? Don't worry about it. I'm more curious to see what happens!"
A few of the onlookers stepped back.
A clear sign they didn't want to get involved.
But most of them held their ground.
It seemed their curiosity was too strong.
"Hyaap!"
He charged, gripping the sword with both hands.
His muscles bulged, and veins popped out.
A true beast!
He was like an enraged rhinoceros, charging with its horn lowered.
‘This is a bit...’
Do-jae also felt a slight sense of danger.
It took about five seconds to open his Subspace and don the Golem Armor.
It was a short amount of time, but by then, it would be too late.
But if he just dodged again, he couldn't let it slide any longer.
The man was coming at him with his full strength, radiating killing intent. What would happen if he just ended it by jumping away and running?
He might become a laughingstock on his very first day.
‘Just the legs.’
Do-jae was about to try something he had never done before.
An attempt to wear the Golem Armor on only a part of his body, not all of it.
If he could cover just his legs, up to his knees, with the gravel on the ground, wouldn't he be able to get at least some of the Golem Armor's effects, if not all of them?
Drrrk—.
As soon as the thought was complete, he activated the Golem Armor.
The surrounding gravel crawled up from the tips of Do-jae's toes.
Since he didn't need to pull it from far away, sturdy legs were completed in an instant.
"Die!"
Son Jeong-gyu was right in front of him.
Had his enlarged muscles taken over his brain?
He attacked while saying something he never should have.
Krrraaaang—!
Do-jae swung his right leg.
It scraped against the sword's blade and thrust toward Son Jeong-gyu's chest.
‘Ah!’
He hadn't intended to attack, only to block the sword.
But was Son Jeong-gyu's strength less than he'd expected?
Or was the angle of Do-jae's foot bad?
When the sole of Do-jae's foot met the tip of the sword, they slid past each other. The sword was deflected toward the ground, and as Son Jeong-gyu's upper body bent forward, Do-jae's foot struck him squarely in the chest.
Thwack—!
"Stop!"
A heavy voice boomed out from between the two.
At that, the onlookers began to hastily disperse.
"What are you doing!"
"I... I'm sorry, Commander!"
Son Jeong-gyu was startled and flustered.
His body had already shrunken back to its normal size.
Thud—.
The commander of the Chilgok Unit, Kim Hwan-soo, lowered Son Jeong-gyu's arm and Do-jae's leg.
"Everyone, disperse! You two, follow me!"
Kim Hwan-soo shouted angrily and headed for the barracks.
Do-jae and Son Jeong-gyu looked at each other with awkward expressions.
***
Immediately after entering the barracks.
On Kim Hwan-soo's order, Son Jeong-gyu was disciplined with two weeks of confinement.
Using skills within the barracks was strictly against the rules and warranted a one-month suspension and a pay cut, but Kim Hwan-soo decided not to report it.
Instead, during his confinement, he was assigned to sanitation duty, which meant he had to do chores like picking up trash and washing dishes all day long.
"You! I'm letting you off because you're a newcomer who just arrived today!"
Kim Hwan-soo warned Do-jae.
As the commander, he was well aware of the unit's affairs and had often turned a blind eye when things like this happened.
However, a skill was used this time, and if it happened again, it could lead to an accident. So he punished Son Jeong-gyu to make an example of him.
It was a warning.
"I'm sorry. I acted without thinking."
"Enough. Let's drop the subject. So, how was the test?"
Do-jae was puzzled by Kim Hwan-soo's question.
Why was he suddenly bringing up the test?
Do-jae looked at Kim Hwan-soo's face, about to ask what test he was talking about. Then, a familiar face came to mind.
"The test commander?"
"Has it been that long? You can't even remember the face of the proctor from your own test?"
That was right.
Kim Hwan-soo had been the commander of the Cheorwon test site where Do-jae had taken his exam.
‘Seriously, who memorizes the proctor's face?’
A face he had seen for maybe two minutes in total during the entire test.
Other than declaring the start of the test, the man had been holed up somewhere, not even showing his shadow. It was only natural that Do-jae hadn't recognized him right away.
In fact, it was impressive that he had managed to remember Kim Hwan-soo's face at all.
"I'm sorry. I was too nervous at the time..."
After that, Kim Hwan-soo explained about the unit.
He gave an overview of the suppression situation and future plans, but there was no personal talk.
"Well, you should go greet your unit members. Off you go."
"Yes, sir. I'll be on my way."
The short meeting ended.
Half thrilled, half expectant.
Do-jae left the commander's barracks and headed toward the barracks where the unit members he would be in charge of were.