Chapter 210
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 210
Chapter Title: The Soldier's Oath
I'm slowly gaining the upper hand, pushing him back bit by bit. This is the difference in experience that guy kept bragging about until his mouth went numb finally coming into play.
Naturally, the guy in the military uniform, who's on the receiving end, is fully aware of it too. To turn around a losing situation, the one getting pushed has to pull off some clever trick.
The winner just keeps doing what they're doing and presses on.
"Don't you have any lines like that? 'You're the first one to push me this far,' or something?"
My opponent doesn't answer. He's too busy blocking my attacks. The guy, trying to dodge my thrusting spear by throwing himself sideways, freezes when he spots the blue trajectory already drawn there.
The trajectory activates, slamming into him. As his body gets shoved backward, another blue trajectory waiting there triggers.
With a thud, he gets hit again, and the moment his body halts dead, my spear lunges straight for his head like it was waiting.
He'll probably dodge. But he won't dodge completely.
"Let me see your face."
I'd always wondered how handsome he had to be to keep that hood pulled so low.
The spear tip grazes his hood as it passes.
The hood tears off, revealing his face.
"...Have we met somewhere before?"
No way we have, but why does his face look so damn familiar? It's not déjà vu.
I'm not the type with a bad memory. If it feels like I've seen him before, then I really have.
"Ah."
I quickly realize where I'd seen that face, and I let out a disbelieving chuckle.
"I'd always wondered what you were up to."
It was that big senior. I'd seen him in photos and statues at the Association.
His whereabouts had been a mystery for so long; I'd been curious what a hotshot like him was doing.
"So, should I show some respect now that I know?"
In lieu of a reply, a few small arrows come flying at me. I bat them away and close in on him.
"Before I'm a Hunter, I'm a soldier of the Republic of Korea."
He answers while nimbly moving and unleashing a barrage of arrows. At the same time, he presses a button, detonating the explosives he'd set up to disrupt my vision.
Before Hunter, a soldier, huh.
"But before soldier, you're not a person?"
"Who knows."
Anyway, things are starting to make sense now.
"So that's why Korea's response to the first Erosion Core was so quick."
As expected, when something like an Erosion Core pops up out of nowhere, the nation mobilizes the military first.
And one of those soldiers thrown into the emergency became the first Hunter.
Essentially, Hunters were deployed into Erosion Zones right away. Building on that swift response, Korea reached its current position.
"I get why you guys are so obsessed with patriotism now."
"For a soldier, there's no such thing as too much patriotism."
Yeah, I trust soldiers with patriotism more too. Soldiers without it are pretty damn dangerous. No different from doctors who don't value life.
"Patriotism, huh. These days, that word gets a lot of mockery."
He shoots back at my words.
"Doesn't matter. It's not for others' approval."
A rare patriotic youth in this era. Makes me want to tear up. I swing my spear, and he blocks with his bow before thrusting his bayonet at my chest with his other hand.
"So, you think accepting the Sandai Club's offer was smart?"
"Even if those disgusting monsters break their promise, it doesn't matter. At least it buys time."
"What time?"
He kicks at my stomach, and I swiftly retreat, leaving blue trajectories in the air.
"Time to restore the descendants of Dangun that crumbled because of you."
"You don't know when to quit. If we weren't fighting, I'd give you a clap."
A man needs that kind of grit.
"What about the magic stones? You must know by now it's all the Sandai Club's scheme. You okay with that too?"
No way he's planning to use the power those Sandai Club monsters gave him to attack the Sandai Club. He answers my question.
"Dr. Seo Kyung-woo is imprisoned. Things got messy, and he revealed his true colors."
I don't know who that is, but I can guess he's the one who provided the gear to extract my abilities before.
With this guy's skills, locking him up wouldn't be hard.
"So now you're just squeezing knowledge out of him while he's locked away?"
Even if you do, the usable knowledge won't be much. It's like primitives imprisoning a modern physicist and trying to extract info—what could they even do?
"This much is plenty possible."
He says that, extends his hand to the side, and forms hand seals.
"Oh man."
It's magic to imbue attributes into weapons. The most primitive kind. He can probably shoot fire arrows, ice arrows, or lightning-charged ones now.
Doesn't look like he can even do multiple attributes.
Still, magic's magic. Can't scoff just because it's not impressive. Who wields it changes everything.
"Why didn't you use it sooner? Now I get to show this."
I vibrate the blue trajectories floating in the air. The frost dripping from the small arrow in his hand fades as the trajectories hum, then vanishes completely.
"..."
"Don't feel too hard done by."
I can't call you a proper mage. But when facing someone using magic, you gotta have the basics covered, right?
The fight drags on. The environment set up to his advantage keeps getting smashed in the clashes, but for some reason, the coins he flipped are proving powerfully effective—every time something breaks, it regenerates.
I've taken some wounds too, but compared to his, mine are light.
Even minor scratches are eating away at him thanks to the spear's poison and the gloves' curse. Plus, the Paradox Flame clinging to his body is burning through his magic resistance, waiting for its chance.
Blood trickles from the corner of his mouth.
"Of what Dr. Seo Kyung-woo said, at least this much seems true."
Mana gathers in the bow in his hand. I hear his teeth grinding in his mouth.
"You're the biggest threat to me achieving my goal."
"If your goal succeeds, the world's in danger, soldier man."
He charges through the air, firing small arrows at me. Not the same speed as before. This is power-focused.
"I fight for the glory and prosperity of the Republic of Korea. What's your reason?"
"Probably my own personal gain and prosperity?"
From the moment I came to Earth, my goal was to eat well and live well. His expression turns even fiercer at my words. Power surges into his staggering legs.
"The kind of guy who'd sell out Korea for himself. Is that pathetic reason why you keep getting in my way?"
Pathetic reason? Watch your mouth.
"I'm not denying your great deeds, but you can't force your brand of patriotism on others. I like it when the Korean team wins at the Olympics or World Cup too."
It's not that I lack patriotism; I'm just not as obsessed as you.
"I won't lose to the likes of you. Never."
I thrust my spear at his abdomen as I charge. He somehow blocks, but his body lifts off and crashes backward through dozens of trees.
I pursue the flying guy, keeping up the assault.
"Korea still needs me."
His body floats into the air. I jump, slam him down with my spear, and he craters into the muddy ground amid a sound that rips the air.
I swing my spear wildly at his crash site, then pull back. Blue trajectories along my spear's path keep pounding the earth.
"Crawl out already. You're not dead yet."
Dozens of arrows shoot skyward like flashes of light, obliterating all the blue trajectories massaging the ground.
And out emerges the mud- and blood-caked senior predecessor. He's literally in tatters.
"What's wrong with shattering my bones for the glory of the country that birthed and raised me? Why don't you devote that power of yours to the national interest?"
"You're overthinking it. We're just two guys chasing different goals who happened to collide."
And when we collide like that, the stronger one shoves the other aside and keeps going.
No different from restaurants. If two tonkatsu places are in the same alley, the cheaper or tastier one naturally gets more business.
"If you've got a problem with me, shove me aside with raw power, original taste."
You can keep the 'original' title, but let's see if you hold onto 'best taste' too.
"Hrrgh... Ack."
He staggers for a moment, vomits a bowlful of blood, wipes his mouth, and glares at me.
Ghostly eyes. Despite the poison, curse, and Paradox Flame gnawing at him, his fighting spirit still burns fierce.
Not even sure the Paradox Flame could burn it all away.
"At this point, I'm the curious one. What did Korea ever do for you to overflow with patriotism like that?"
"It's the country that birthed and raised me. Loyalty demands no reward."
Can't argue with that. Makes me feel like the real villain here.
"You're an enemy of the state. If it means perishing with you, I don't care if my corpse gets torn apart by wild dogs or if the people forget all my achievements."
"Talk about a patriot."
But we won't perish together. I'll walk out of here alive, and you'll die.
"Question. Can I fully recover?"
A coin flips through the air. I charge before he can speak, unleashing a spear barrage so fast it looks like dozens at once.
In the flurry, our proud senior dodges head shots and flips the coin on the ground.
The coin flips, and his tattered body fully restores. Of course, the clinging Paradox Flame remains.
Just his burned magic resistance got reset. Time to burn it again.
"Damn brat. This ain't an arcade."
Who gets extra lives by inserting coins? I worked hard beating him down, and now this. Turns out he's a total wallet warrior.
But he doesn't look done.
"I..."
He tries to say something again, but I'm not letting him ramble. I shoot forward like lightning and attack.
He ignores it and keeps talking.
"Before the proud Taegukgi, I pledge my body and soul in unwavering loyalty for the eternal glory of my fatherland and nation."
Did I hear that right? Why's he suddenly reciting the flag pledge? And it's not even the latest version.
The moment he finishes, dark green letters float on his bow, cracks spiderweb across it, and the metal casing clatters to the ground.
Never seen someone this uniquely unhinged. He set that as his weapon's startup phrase? Speechless.
"The kind of guy who'd stand at attention singing the national anthem even mid-shit in the bathroom."
But in a way, it sums up his life. Pledging body and soul in loyalty. Impressive.
If that's your reason for living, fine. I'll let you give it all.