Chapter 24
Chapter 24
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: The First Mission
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Before the welcome party began, they started with introductions.
Do-jae called out the names of the Squad 3 members one by one.
"Kim Moon-hwan, Yook Hyun-jae, Jang Pil-ho, Lee Ji-woong, Son Jeong-gyu, Park Jin-ho, Song Ji-yoon, Kang Eun-taek, Lee Seung-han, Kim Jun-seo."
*Clap, clap, clap, clap—!*
The sound of applause echoed through the barracks.
And in the middle of the barracks, Do-jae stood awkwardly with an embarrassed expression.
"I've memorized them all."
"That's amazing, Squad Leader!"
"Whoa, memorizing them all after hearing them just once. Our squad leader must have been a good student, huh?"
"Squad Leader, what was my name again?"
A man with impressively long hair raised his hand.
Do-jae glanced at him.
"Kang Eun-taek."
"You got it! You really memorized them all?"
"Hoo… Yes."
Do-jae let out a sigh of relief.
*What would I have done without the Eye of the Golem?*
*Without this information window floating before my eyes.*
[Character Information]
Name: Kang Eun-taek
Classification: Human
Details: 26 years old, male, 177cm, 77kg, member of the 3rd Suppression Corps, Chilgok Unit, Squad 3. Experiencing hair loss (wearing a wig after stopping medication).
Status: Expectant / Suspicious / Welcoming
The truth was, Do-jae had forgotten most of their names as soon as the introductions were over, save for a few.
How disappointed they would be if he immediately forgot their names when, as the information window showed, they were so expectant and welcoming.
More importantly, Do-jae was struggling to suppress a sigh.
He had just learned a secret about Kang Eun-taek that he'd rather not have known.
"Is there something on my face? You're staring a bit too intently, aren't you?"
"My apologies."
"Huh? No need to apologize…"
Do-jae averted his gaze from Kang Eun-taek.
*Do his comrades know that his lustrous hair is a wig?*
He felt a pang of pity for the young man.
"Squad Leader! Tell us what you were doing before you came here!"
Song Ji-yoon, the only woman in the Chilgok Unit, asked in an excited voice.
Despite being the only woman in this vast suppression zone, Song Ji-yoon was a bold woman who never backed down from the men.
Her stamina and strength were on par with most soldiers, she was quick-witted, and her easygoing nature reportedly made her very popular.
Additionally, he would later learn that personal curtains had been installed because of her.
"Since everyone has introduced themselves, I suppose it's my turn. I'll say this first to avoid any misunderstandings—until recently, I was an F-rank hunter."
A murmur went through the squad at Do-jae's statement.
An F-rank hunter. How could an F-rank even be a hunter?
There were no F-ranks in the Suppression Corps.
F-ranks were beings who couldn't perform any role in front of a monster.
"I spent nearly ten years at the bottom. If you're wondering how that's possible, let's just say it was for family. I have a sick younger brother."
"Ah…"
"Kuh…"
Sighs of sympathy came from all around.
It wasn't as if anyone in the Suppression Corps was without their own story.
Everyone had their own reasons, which fostered an atmosphere of mutual understanding and empathy.
"But that's not why I joined the Suppression Corps. As you can see, I'm a Centurion in the Suppression Corps. I could make a decent living as a hunter on the outside."
Only C-rank or higher hunters could take the exam to become an officer in the Suppression Corps.
Which meant Do-jae was also C-rank or higher.
The squad members, who had never seen an Awakened go from F-rank to C-rank, held their breath and waited for him to continue, wondering if he was one of the rumored re-Awakened.
"I was lucky enough to gain a new ability. I, who had no skills, suddenly gained one. I didn't want to waste this opportunity. I couldn't do anything before, but now I can finally land a blow on the monsters. And the best place for that was here, in the Suppression Corps."
"Re-awakening and then revenge… That's a good story."
"Y-You're a great man!"
Do-jae cleverly held back certain details as he explained his reasons for joining the Suppression Corps.
He needed a plausible reason to build a relationship with his squad, and by combining it with the story of his brother, his tale took on an emotional quality.
There was no need to explain his plan to go to the Suppression Corps headquarters to people he had just met, so he had spun the story appropriately.
"You've all probably heard what happened with Son Jeong-gyu over there earlier today. You don't need to doubt my skills. If you still do, feel free to ask Squad Leader Shim Young-jin from the next squad over. I hunted a Cerberus with him."
A few of the squad members nodded.
Some felt they had a decent grasp of Do-jae now, but others still saw him as a stranger.
But it was still early evening, the sun not yet set.
There was plenty of time before they had to sleep.
"Well then, how about we continue the rest of our chat with this?"
Kang Eun-taek shook a bottle of alcohol.
Behind him, boxes of alcohol were stacked as high as he was tall.
***
"Starting today, we're in charge of Sector 7."
Do-jae said, unfolding a map for his squad members.
It was the operation map he had received from the vice commander.
The unit commander, Kim Hwan-soo, was often away from the unit due to numerous tasks assigned from above, aside from his regular duties.
Therefore, the vice commander was effectively in charge of running the unit. Today was no different.
"Given the nature of the sector, this won't be over in a day or two."
Sector 7 was the third largest of all the sectors.
Suppression wasn't simply about killing monsters that roamed around.
In areas where a dungeon break had occurred, there were spots where monsters continuously appeared, and only by completely eliminating these spots could they stop the monsters from spawning.
In the process, monsters also created their own encampments or strongholds.
Furthermore, the longer a dungeon break area existed, the denser the mana concentration became, leading to the appearance of new and diverse monsters. Sometimes, monsters of different species would even fight amongst themselves.
A new ecosystem, quite literally, would form.
"The monsters occupying Sector 7 are Red Orcs. They're tricky opponents, so you usually operated in four teams of three, right?"
"Yes, sir. Only the squad leader and Jeong-gyu were a team of two; the rest moved in four teams of three."
"I want to split into three teams of four. Since these monsters are tricky, it's better to add one more person to each team."
"Huh? But then one team will only have two people."
"No, it'll have four."
Do-jae summoned his golems.
The squad members were startled.
Two golems had suddenly appeared out of thin air.
The members immediately drew their weapons.
It was clear they were a well-trained unit.
*Clank, clank—.*
The two golems moved to stand behind Do-jae.
Seeing no further action, the squad members lowered their weapons one by one.
"What is this? Why are the golems behind you, Squad Leader…?"
Yook Hyun-jae asked.
He was the youngest and most curious member of the squad.
And quite talkative.
Sure enough, he was the first to ask a question this time as well.
"It's my skill."
"Whoa, awesome."
"Squad Leader! How strong are the golems? Even if they're only as strong as C-rank, no, D-rank Awakened…"
"They're about as strong as you guys."
"Wow… That's an insane ability, isn't it?"
"Could it be, like Lucifer…"
Lucifer, as he was commonly known.
It was the nickname for the Lord of the Dead, Lucius Ferguson.
One of the strongest S-rank hunters, capable of controlling the dead. The number of undead he commanded was said to be in the tens of thousands.
A hunter truly worthy of the title 'Lord'.
"No, unfortunately, two is my maximum for now."
Do-jae said, shaking his head.
Right now, Do-jae had two golems.
But considering the magic stones in his subspace?
From the lowest-grade magic stones he had collected to the high-grade one he'd been lucky enough to obtain.
He could field enough golems to cover about two and a half squads by himself.
It was a paltry number compared to Lucifer, but being able to do the work of twenty men alone was still an incredible ability.
But Do-jae had no intention of doing so.
He didn't know how Lucifer controlled his undead, but Do-jae shared experience points with his golems.
Considering his current title, 'Self-Sufficient', increasing the number of golems was an inefficient method that would only consume magic stones.
"Now, about dividing into teams…"
"Squad Leader, me! Let me be on your team!"
Song Ji-yoon raised her hand.
The other squad members sighed.
They had also wanted to team up with Do-jae to see his skills for themselves, but Song Ji-yoon had beaten them to it.
Besides, she was known to be stubborn and had quite a temper.
"It might be tough on a team with me. Are you sure you're okay with that?"
"Of course! What do you take me for?"
She clenched her fist.
The smooth, solid muscles that flexed proved she was anything but weak.
In fact, she was the second-in-command within Squad 3.
"Suit yourself."
"Okay! Then I'll be on the squad leader's team. To be honest, these guys are kinda cute."
That was it.
Song Ji-yoon was more interested in Do-jae's golems than anything else.
Hearing this, the other squad members silently fumed.
If they expressed it openly, they might get a fistful later.
"Eun-taek and Jun-seo will lead the other teams. Each team will wait and then advance from both flanks."
Kang Eun-taek and Kim Jun-seo nodded.
"Alright, let's move out."
***
*Let's finish this quickly.*
Do-jae's goal was to achieve outstanding results in this Kaesong suppression mission.
The Suppression Corps was an organization that generously rewarded performance and results.
Significant achievements could lead to rapid promotions.
It was best to quickly suppress the assigned sectors and leave promptly.
*I can't afford to get attached to the squad members.*
The entrance to Sector 7.
The ones occupying this place were Red Orcs.
The other squad members were on standby nearby, leaving only Do-jae and Song Ji-yoon.
"There they are."
The orcs had built an encampment and surrounded it with a wooden palisade to defend their territory.
It was primitive, but the fact that they could wage a defensive battle made things difficult for the Suppression Corps.
"Chwik, chwik."
"Chwiiik."
Two Red Orcs were circling the encampment, scouting the perimeter.
They were an intelligent species that constantly prepared for battle by sending out patrols like this.
"I'll take care of them quickly and come back."
*Shing—.*
Song Ji-yoon flinched in surprise as the sword appeared.
It was a natural reaction for someone who didn't know about his subspace.
*Slice—.*
*Swish—.*
In an instant, Do-jae closed the distance and slit the throats of the two Red Orcs.
The heads that fell to the ground stared wide-eyed, as if unaware of how they had died.
"But why are we moving so quietly?"
His movements were like those of an assassin.
He had taken them out without making a sound, not even wearing his Golem Armor.
The Golem Armor was great, but the distinctive sound of stones grinding against each other could give away his position.
"Because they're Red Orcs."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Red Orcs have shamans. Do you not know why Red Orcs are called Red Orcs?"
"Isn't it just because their skin is red?"
"That's part of it, but it's also because their eyes turn red when the shamans cast magic on them."
Red Orc shamans used berserker magic that stimulated the orcs' ferocity.
What happens when already violent orcs are hit with berserker magic?
They become berserkers who charge forward without feeling pain, even if their arms are torn off or their legs are severed.
"I didn't know. This is my first time hunting Red Orcs."
Do-jae rubbed his temples.
Her first time hunting Red Orcs.
After checking each of the other squad members with the Eye of the Golem, he knew they weren't weak enough to be defeated by mere Red Orcs.
But without this information, the battle would undoubtedly be quite difficult.
*I should probably hand out a monster encyclopedia to each of them.*
Do-jae thought of the books in his brother's hospital room as he cautiously approached the structure where the shaman was likely to be.