In many cases, so-called successful Hunters are born with the aptitude for it.
In other words, they unlock Abilities without having to put in much effort.
Even special Abilities that others could only dream of.
In many ways, they stand at a different starting line from other Hunters from the very beginning.
Han Jae-woo was different.
Like me, he came from the Hunter Corps.
Not as an officer or an NCO, but as an ordinary enlisted soldier.
I admired Han Jae-woo more than anyone except my father.
I wanted to become like him.
I wanted to write my own success story like his, rising from the lowest rank of Private Second Class all the way to Master of a massive Guild watched by the entire world.
Of course, I failed.
I stayed in this line of work until I was nearly fifty, but Master Sergeant was as far as I ever got.
Thinking about it, that was only natural.
We had merely started from the same place. Han Jae-woo had been an ordinary soldier, while I had been a troublesome soldier who had been passed over for promotion several times.
Some things simply could not be achieved no matter how hard you worked.
Personally, I was satisfied.
Plenty of people were discharged without even making Sergeant First Class, so I was definitely above average.
It had just taken me quite a few years to get there.
“Sir, does it come with prize money too?”
“Of course it does. Even lawmakers from the district have gotten involved, so it should be a considerable sum.”
“!!”
Anyway, that was how things had been before my regression.
Now it was different.
There was no reason I could not write a success story like Han Jae-woo’s.
“You can look forward to reward leave too. Our Battalion Commander isn’t stingy when it comes to things like that.”
“Yes!!”
Corporal Jeong Ye-som’s eyes were sparkling over the prize money and reward leave. Han Jae-woo might as well not have existed.
Truthfully, I felt the same way.
Of course, having my face displayed beside Han Jae-woo’s would be an honor, but for a soldier, money and leave were the true joys of life.
I met Corporal Jeong Ye-som’s eyes, and we both grinned.
“It’s almost 20:00 already. You two should head back. The award ceremony will probably be held sometime tomorrow morning, so take out your Class A combat uniforms and iron them properly.”
“Understood! Loyalty!”
“Loyalty.”
On the way back to the barracks, Corporal Jeong Ye-som was already excitedly talking about buying herself a new bag with the prize money and taking a trip to some beach during her reward leave.
“This is all thanks to our Yun-ho.”
“No, it isn’t. We did it together.”
“We fought together, sure, but if you hadn’t suggested going for a second round back then, I wouldn’t even have looked in that direction.”
“Well, that is true.”
“But seriously, heaven must’ve been helping us. It was strange enough that a Dungeon formed right there at that exact moment, but what were the odds of it exploding too?”
“I’m still amazed myself.”
I swallowed the rest of what I wanted to say.
The truth is, I went there knowing that a Dungeon would form at that exact spot and explode immediately afterward.
We returned to the barracks.
The moment we opened the door, we were greeted by a festival atmosphere.
“Oh! The two heroes who saved the civilians have arrived!”
“Hey, what are you all doing?! Give them a round of applause!”
Every member of the squad stood and applauded Corporal Jeong Ye-som and me.
People from the other squads had gathered outside the door before we knew it.
They praised us for accomplishing something incredible.
Wasn’t there a saying that praise could even make a whale dance?
The corners of my mouth rose on their own.
― This is Modang Station, the scene of the incident. As you can see, the traces left behind by the Dungeon Explosion still remain clearly visible. Five Garoks emerged from here and attempted to harm civilians. At that moment, Corporal Jeong Ye-som and Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho of Flying Tiger Battalion happened to be passing through the area and immediately responded, allowing the lives of countless civilians to be saved….
A reporter on the television was covering the Modang Station incident.
It was news I had seen so many times yesterday and today that I was sick of it.
But this report felt very different.
― …This has been VBS reporter Gu Min-gyeong.
The reporter covering the story was my eldest sister.
As her younger brother, I felt proud that I had somehow managed to help her.
I had always been the useless younger brother who only ever received things from her.
Corporal Song Ji-han, who had been watching the television with me, asked,
“That reporter’s a Gu too. Yun-ho, don’t tell me she’s your sister?”
“Hey, if having the same surname made everyone family, then you and I would be family too. What kind of baseless bullshit is that?”
After Sergeant Song Gi-yong rebuked him, Corporal Song Ji-han offered his own reasoning.
“The reporter’s pretty, so I just had a feeling, sir. Yun-ho’s pretty good-looking too, isn’t he?”
Sergeant Song Gi-yong dismissed that as bullshit too, but I nearly jumped out of my skin.
What kind of instinct is that?
I almost got exposed.
Of course I was proud that my eldest sister was a reporter, but there was nothing to gain from letting these people know.
The moment someone hears you have a pretty younger or older sister, people start coming from every direction asking you to introduce them.
And as a junior soldier, it was hard to flatly refuse things like that.
So keeping it hidden was better.
‘Those guys are hilarious.’
‘Haha.’
Only Corporal Jeong Ye-som, the one person here who knew reporter Gu Min-gyeong was my eldest sister, chuckled quietly.
Meanwhile, the screen changed and footage of our fight with the Garoks began playing.
It had been filmed by civilians who were at the scene.
― Everyone, run! Unless you want to get sliced open and have your guts spilling out!
“Wow, look at him calmly evacuating the civilians first.”
“Yun-ho, are you really a Private Second Class? You don’t look nervous at all.”
“Seriously. Newbies are supposed to freeze up when something unexpected like that happens.”
The senior soldiers exclaimed over my quick response.
But I had never had any reason to be nervous or freeze up in the first place.
It was not because the effect of [Iron-Blooded Knight’s Soul] kept me from being intimidated by most enemies.
Before my regression, I had killed hundreds upon hundreds of Garoks.
Maybe I would lose in raw strength, but when it came to technique, there was no chance I would lose.
“Damn, the fighting’s incredible too.”
“Look at him calculating the Garoks’ attack speed and turning his body at exactly the right moment. That’s damn good.”
“We learn all of that in training, but actually using it in real combat is another matter.”
The exclamations kept coming.
And naturally, one question occurred to all of them.
The person fighting like that was me.
“Yun-ho, did you Awaken or something? Not an Ability. You yourself.”
“Are you really the Gu Yun-ho I know?”
Corporal Jeong Ye-som answered for me.
“It’s the result of hard training. You all know Yun-ho spends every single day holed up in the training room.”
“That’s true, but….”
“Maybe everything he’d been building up little by little finally exploded all at once. Maybe Yun-ho himself really did Awaken.”
She was right.
I had Awakened.
Through regression.
“Well, even someone without talent should change after training that much.”
“Yeah. They say hard work never betrays you.”
One by one, the senior soldiers began acknowledging me as well.
Sergeant Song Gi-yong even patted me on the back and said, “Yun-ho, I think I can start expecting things from you.”
“Corporal Jeong Ye-som was incredible too. You turned two Garoks into charcoal in an instant.”
At Corporal Song Ji-han’s words, Corporal Jeong Ye-som shook her head and pointed at me.
“I just put my spoon on the table Yun-ho had already set.”
“Wow, you’re even humble.”
“No, seriously. I could never have fought like that without Yun-ho. Magic is difficult to use in close combat.”
She gave all the credit to me.
“So what I’m saying is, I benefited from Yun-ho.”
“You’ve all been spewing fucking shit about this for ages.”
Corporal Byeon Ji-tak, who had been lying on his bunk the entire time, suddenly cut in.
His face was twisted into a deep scowl, as though something seriously bothered him.
“What’s there to brag about after killing a few Garoks? They’re only a little stronger than Gnolls or Deriphons.”
He was not wrong.
Garoks were only slightly stronger than Gnolls or Deriphons. Their combat strength was not particularly high.
That was how they were treated in the monster grading system as well.
Corporal Jeong Ye-som gave a small laugh and looked down at Corporal Byeon Ji-tak.
Her smiling eyes had turned sharp before anyone noticed.
“Byeon Ji-tak, you really are stupid, aren’t you? The point isn’t how strong the Garoks were. The point is that we handled an unexpected situation without a single civilian casualty.”
“What did you say? Stupid?”
His burly body shot upright, and in an instant, he was standing directly in front of Corporal Jeong Ye-som.
Corporal Jeong Ye-som did not avoid his gaze.
Instead, she raised her chin even higher.
“There’s no way a bastard who only knows how to throw his strength around would understand something like that. That’s why I called you stupid.”
“You fucking bitch!”
“Hey, Byeon Ji-tak.”
A low voice sounded beside them.
Sergeant Song Gi-yong stood there with his arms crossed.
Corporal Byeon Ji-tak’s hand, which had risen above his head, immediately dropped back down.
“This is when you congratulate someone for doing a good job. Not when you start picking some fucking ridiculous fault with them.”
“No, Sergeant Song, what I meant was….”
“Lie back down. And shut your mouth.”
Corporal Byeon Ji-tak could not make another peep.
He lay back down on his bunk.
Corporal Jeong Ye-som pulled down one lower eyelid and stuck her tongue out at him.
“Oh, right. Yun-ho and I are apparently getting commendations from the Battalion Commander tomorrow too.”
“Commendations? What kind of commendations?”
“For the Heroes Who Brought Glory to Flying Tiger.”
“Wow!”
After she added even that, Corporal Byeon Ji-tak’s face twisted even further.
***
The next day, in the battalion conference room.
“You all saw the footage, right? It was something else.”
“But Gu Yun-ho was never that kind of guy, was he? He’s famous even in our company for being terrible.”
“What do you think, Third Company Commander? That was quite the performance from the lowest-ranking Private Second Class under your command.”
“What do I think? Judging by the footage alone, he looked less like a low-ranking Private Second Class and more like a seasoned cadre with over ten years of service.”
The officers had gathered for the morning meeting.
Second Lieutenant Noh Yeong-il, First Platoon Leader of Third Company, cautiously joined the conversation among his superiors.
“I recently had Specialty Training with Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho.”
“And?”
“It was only for an instant, but Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho parried one of my strikes.”
“?”
“Granted, I pulled most of my strength out of it, but I still couldn’t believe that Gu Yun-ho of all people had done it.”
The superiors listening quietly, especially his direct superior Captain Oh Jun-beom, clicked their tongues instead.
“Hey, Noh Yeong-il. This is what happens when you spend every weekend going out to meet women. Now even some lowly Private Second Class is doing that to you. Work harder. You said you wanted to get promoted quickly.”
Second Lieutenant Noh Yeong-il protested.
“That has nothing to do with it. Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho genuinely parried my strike. I’m serious.”
But none of his superiors believed him.
“The Battalion Commander is here.”
That ended the idle chatter.
Every officer rose from their seat at once.
“Loyalty!”
“Loyalty!”
“Loyalty!”
“Loyalty. Everyone, sit.”
A huge middle-aged man who stood nearly 190 centimeters tall entered.
It was Lieutenant Colonel Park Ui-cheol, commander of Flying Tiger Battalion.
“Let’s start the meeting right away.”
“Yes, sir.”
Various matters were discussed, including the weekly training schedule, the list of Dungeons to be eliminated, and the current personnel situation.
But today, there was one issue more important than the rest.
“Third Company Commander.”
“Yes, Battalion Commander!”
“Corporal Jeong Ye-som and Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho handled a situation that would normally have required troops to deploy. I suppose that means you taught them well, Third Company Commander. Good work.”
“Thank you!”
The Battalion Commander was not the person who directly decided promotions, but he was someone who could influence them.
Lieutenant Colonel Park Ui-cheol had connections with the regiment commander of the higher unit.
And above him were even generals wearing stars.
Captain Oh Jun-beom shouted excitedly, “I believe I was only able to teach them so well because I myself received such excellent instruction from you, Battalion Commander!”
“Hahaha. I appreciate you saying that.”
Lieutenant Colonel Park Ui-cheol laughed heartily, then asked, “By the way.”
“Yes, Battalion Commander. Please speak.”
“Why is this Gu Yun-ho still a Private Second Class? Garoks may not be much, but judging by how quickly he handled that unexpected situation and how calmly he fought, there’s no way he belongs at Private Second Class.”
As Battalion Commander, his position was to oversee the entire battalion. He could not possibly know the circumstances of every individual soldier.
Moreover, Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho belonged to Third Company, not Headquarters Company.
Before the Modang Station incident, Lieutenant Colonel Park Ui-cheol had not even known Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho’s name.
That was why he asked.
Why on earth was someone with that kind of skill still a Private Second Class?
“Put him forward for Special Promotion next week. If a soldier under your command has achieved results, then as his commander, you should reward him accordingly.”
“Well, about that….”
“Why? Is there a problem?”
Captain Oh Jun-beom carefully opened his mouth.
“Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho has currently been passed over for promotion three times.”
“What? At Private Second Class?”
“That is correct.”
Under Hunter Headquarters regulations, being passed over for promotion twice at the same rank made a soldier ineligible for Special Promotion.
And if it had happened not twice, but three times, there was nothing more to discuss.
“How did someone with that kind of skill get passed over for promotion twice? And he’s only a Private Second Class.”
“That puzzles me as well. He really is an excellent soldier….”
It was a blatant lie.
Captain Oh Jun-beom had never once called Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho excellent.
He had regarded him only as a disposable expendable to be used and discarded.
Right now, he was merely going along with Lieutenant Colonel Park Ui-cheol.
Of course, he still had to reveal the truth.
Captain Oh Jun-beom pointed to the documents laid out in front of Lieutenant Colonel Park Ui-cheol.
“Would you like to look at his record?”
It was Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho’s Soldier Service Record, which he had brought in case this subject came up.
“Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho is certainly an excellent soldier, but until very recently, he produced no noteworthy results in either training or combat.”
“Hmm.”
“That is why he has been passed over for promotion three times.”
Lieutenant Colonel Park Ui-cheol slowly read through the record before finally raising his head.
Nearly every score was at the lowest level.
His physical capability score in particular was so low that even calling it terrible did not do it justice.
Only his attitude as a Hunter Corps soldier had received high marks.
Of course, something like attitude had nothing to do with promotion.
“Records never lie. This is Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho’s actual ability.”
Lieutenant Colonel Park Ui-cheol smiled as though he found it interesting.
“However, combat does not lie either. Especially in an unexpected situation like that, luck cannot account for what happened.”
What was he trying to say?
The officers straightened their backs and listened.
Lieutenant Colonel Park Ui-cheol put down the record and spoke again.
“That Private Second Class Intensive Training scheduled for this afternoon.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’ll be attending as well, so keep that in mind.”
“!!”
These were not even Corporals or Sergeants being trained.
They were Private Second Classes.
It was like a tiger personally overseeing the training of newborn puppies.
And there was only one reason for it.
“This Gu Yun-ho. I need to see him for myself.”