The First Task
Even I didn’t know exactly how Jeong Ho-bin had died. Back then, my father’s death had left me half out of my mind, and between looking after my mother and Eun-ha, I hadn’t had the luxury of paying attention to anything else. All I knew was that a massive spatial shift had occurred around Jebu Island, where the Special Forces Training Facility stood, and that Jeong Ho-bin had been caught in it and killed. I had a few scattered details, of course, but…
Of all the rotten luck. Same batch as Jeong Ho-bin, huh.
Ra Si-hyun was already surprising enough. Now I had to share a training cycle with a man who was supposed to die soon. My head was already starting to throb.
Maybe I should just quit and go home…
From what I remembered, the spatial shift on Jebu Island had been no small matter. One wrong move and I could end up dead right alongside him. Training here was dangerous—that much was undeniable.
I’ll have to think it over. Decide what to do.
While I was mulling it over, Ra Si-hyun spoke again.
“Soldier.”
“Yes, Miss Si-hyun?”
“You know I’m a mage, correct?”
“Yes, I’m well aware.”
“Don’t mages deserve special treatment?”
“We have already provided it. Other trainees were instructed to gather at designated points and take buses, or to use their own transportation. For you, however, we dispatched a helicopter. That is hardly standard treatment.”
“Then why am I stuck riding the same helicopter as some ordinary role-class nobody? He’s not even a mage.”
Ra Si-hyun pointed straight at me while complaining to Captain Im.
“There seems to be a misunderstanding, haha.”
“What misunderstanding? How is treating a mage the same as some irrelevant role-class not a mistake?”
“Hmm.”
Captain Im paused for a moment, then answered carefully.
“I’m truly sorry, but the helicopter was not prepared for you, Miss Si-hyun.”
“What do you mean?”
“Priority-wise… the first seat belongs to Trainee Cha Eun-seong here. You are second.”
“What?!”
“To be precise, we simply added you to the helicopter already assigned to Trainee Cha Eun-seong. It was never prepared for you from the start.”
“So… so what you’re saying is that he’s more important than me? More important than a mage?”
“That is correct.”
“That’s ridiculous!”
Ra Si-hyun’s voice shook with disbelief.
“There’s a role-class more important than a mage? What is it, then? What exactly is his role that makes him more valuable than me?”
“I’m afraid that information is classified. We cannot disclose it.”
Captain Im drew a firm line.
“What I can say with certainty is that while you are indeed an important individual, the Defense Strategy Department has placed Trainee Cha Eun-seong at the absolute highest priority.”
As he spoke, Captain Im gave me a quick wink.
“……”
Ra Si-hyun stared at me like she couldn’t believe her own eyes. I ignored her completely and kept walking alongside Captain Im.
“Did you have a good weekend?”
“Spent it with the family. Went out for a nice meal.”
“No trouble with people recognizing you?”
“A few stares, but they just whispered among themselves. Nothing too inconvenient.”
“Haha. That’s a relief.”
Grind.
I could feel Ra Si-hyun’s glare boring into my back and hear her teeth grinding, but I didn’t care. Who was she to complain? A mage acting like that.
* * *
“This will be your living quarters for the next five weeks.”
Captain Im led us to what looked like a barracks. Inside were six large cages, each containing a field bed and a locker. In the center stood a big table with chairs. Trainees and instructors alike called these spaces “cages,” though they weren’t actual cells. They functioned more like shared living rooms for teammates.
“You’ve both been assigned to Bravo Team. You’ll train alongside the other four trainees for the next five weeks.”
Bravo wasn’t bad. The facility organized trainees into six-person teams named after the NATO phonetic alphabet: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot. Traditionally, Bravo Team always gathered the most promising talents of each cycle. Being placed here with Ra Si-hyun was only natural.
In my previous life I’d been stuck in Kilo Team, but that was then.
“I’ll step out for a moment. Feel free to introduce yourselves and chat before the others arrive.”
The moment Captain Im left, I walked straight to the rightmost cage by the window and flopped onto the field bed.
“Hah!”
Ra Si-hyun made a sound of pure disbelief, but I ignored that too. What was the point of indulging a sulking kid?
A 10-star hunter doing basic training. How ridiculous.
A dry laugh almost escaped me. On the surface, the Special Forces Training Facility resembled a military boot camp, but the reality was the opposite. In just five short weeks, it crammed every essential skill and piece of knowledge a hunter needed. There were no pointless formalities, no pointless discipline drills, no pointless punishments. Only education, repeated without end.
Even the living conditions were excellent. Same-gender roommates shared two-person rooms, skilled chefs served buffet meals three times a day, and weekend passes were allowed. Overall, the curriculum and daily life here were exceptionally well organized. For any new hunter, it was mandatory training.
But that only applied to complete beginners. For someone like me—already a battle-hardened hunter—it was nothing but a waste of time. Maybe that was why my body felt so heavy and limp, like melted marshmallow.
Wait, why am I suddenly sleepy?
My eyelids grew unbearably heavy. They closed on their own.
Is this what they call reserve-duty syndrome?
I finally understood why Korean reservists always looked so drained during training. I’d never served in the military myself because I became a hunter instead, but the feeling was unmistakable.
At this rate I really will fall asleep…
Half-dozing on the bed, I heard the door open. The remaining four trainees entered the barracks.
“Attention, everyone.”
A middle-aged instructor wearing a red cap spoke.
“Welcome. I’m Kim Sang-eung, your dedicated instructor for this cycle.”
I shot upright the moment I heard the name. Instructor Kim Sang-eung. A hunter from the naval special forces, several years junior to my father. I’d seen him a few times as a child and remembered him clearly.
“All of you have been assigned to Bravo Team. As the team with the highest potential in every cycle, I expect you to set an example for the other trainees. For training purposes, I may occasionally speak informally. Please don’t take it personally and cooperate with me.”
While scanning us, Instructor Kim’s eyes met mine.
Haha…
Being trained by my father’s junior felt oddly burdensome.
“Now, your first assignment. You have exactly thirty minutes to choose a team leader.”
“How are we supposed to decide?” asked the largest of the four newcomers who had entered with the instructor.
“Any method is fine. Talk it out, fight it out, draw lots—doesn’t matter. Just pick someone within thirty minutes.”
“What’s the benefit of being leader?”
There were benefits. Plenty of them. But they came with heavy responsibilities. In the end, it was a classic case of “more work, more reward.” The real weight of the position was the burden of leadership—your decisions could decide whether your teammates lived or died.
“Benefits, huh.”
The instructor mulled over the word before answering.
“You’ll enjoy more privileges than the others. Guaranteed weekend passes, and you’ll be exempt from menial chores.”
“Sounds good.”
“Just remember the responsibility that comes with it. I’ll return in thirty minutes. Have a leader chosen by then. Dismissed.”
Once Instructor Kim left, an awkward silence settled over the room. No one knew each other, yet we were suddenly told to pick a leader. Everyone just glanced around nervously.
I had zero interest in becoming leader, so I stayed back and observed the other rookies. Even if it was a hassle, I’d be living with them for five weeks. Might as well know what kind of people they were.
* * *
The one who had questioned Instructor Kim was big and had a fierce look in his eyes—the type who’d thrown plenty of punches. Probably a Guardian or Warrior role-class.
Another trainee was lean but sharp-featured, giving off an assassin vibe.
Next came Jeong Ho-bin himself.
Long-range DPS, wasn’t it?
An idol group’s lead vocalist awakening to such a rare and prestigious role-class… some people really were born lucky.
The last was a pretty girl who looked a little timid—likely a Supporter role-class. Given that she’d been placed in Bravo Team, she had probably awakened abilities focused on ally protection or healing.
With Ra Si-hyun the mage added in, Bravo Team had a surprisingly balanced composition. Except for me, of course—the unknown role-class whose own abilities I was still figuring out.
“Oh Tae-kwon. Warrior role-class.”
The big guy who had spoken to the instructor introduced himself first. I assumed he was about to volunteer as leader, so I lay back down on the bed. As far as I was concerned, anyone except Ra Si-hyun could be leader. No need for an adult to get involved in the chicks’ squabble.
“Hey, you. The one lying down.”
“……?”
“Cha Eun-seong, right? Come out. Let’s have a match.”
“Are you talking to me?”
“Who else named Cha Eun-seong is here? Technomart guy, yeah?”
“That’s me.”
“Then get up and fight, you bastard.”
Oh Tae-kwon glared at me, eyes flashing with provocation.