17:30, barracks room.
“Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho, reporting back after completing Intensive Training.”
Combat boots were lined up beneath the bunks. It seemed the seniors had returned early again today.
There were only a few people in the barracks room. Maybe everyone had gone to the computer room together.
Corporal Song Ji-han, who was watching TV, greeted me warmly.
“Oh, you worked hard again today, Yun-ho.”
“Thank you.”
Then there was Corporal Byeon Ji-tak, lying down with his legs crossed as he tapped away at his phone.
For some reason, he didn't look happy.
Did something he ate mess up his stomach?
If so, I hope he suffers for about a week.
I took off my equipment and updated the squad status board. Only then did I realize why Corporal Byeon Ji-tak was acting like that.
‘Right. Corporal Gwak Woo-hee comes back today.’
There was someone who could make even a lawless bastard like Corporal Byeon Ji-tak tuck his tail.
That person was Corporal Gwak Woo-hee.
She'd enlisted before him, for one thing, and she was already well known within the company for her skill.
Naturally, the officers trusted her greatly as well.
No matter how much Corporal Byeon Ji-tak strutted around, he couldn't even hold his head up in front of her.
‘Actually, forget all that. Corporal Gwak Woo-hee just has one hell of a temper.’
In modern terms, she was the very definition of a girl crush.
CLATTER.
That was when the barracks door opened.
“Guys, I'm back~”
A woman around 175 centimeters tall entered, with long limbs like a model.
She swept her sharp eyes around the barracks room before smiling at Corporal Byeon Ji-tak.
“Looks like military life has gotten pretty comfortable for you, Ji-tak? You're even lying around with your legs crossed.”
“C-Corporal Byeon Ji-tak!”
Apparently he hadn't expected her to return this early. Corporal Byeon Ji-tak shot to his feet in surprise.
The head that never bowed to anyone dipped today like a reed in the wind.
I immediately snapped to attention and saluted.
“Loyalty!”
“Hello to you too, Yun-ho.”
She walked over to her bunk, undoing the buttons of her combat uniform one by one.
This woman who could make Corporal Byeon Ji-tak tremble was Corporal Gwak Woo-hee.
“Anything happen while I was gone?”
“No, nothing happened.”
Corporal Gwak Woo-hee pulled the curtain closed and changed clothes.
Even something like this showed her seniority.
Before long, she stepped back out in her physical training uniform.
“What do you mean, nothing happened?”
She spoke as she twisted her long hair up and tied it with a hair tie.
“One of the Heroes Who Brought Glory to Flying Tiger came from our squad.”
The story had received so much media coverage, and the Hero Who Brought Glory to Flying Tiger commendation was such a major award that Corporal Gwak Woo-hee had already heard the news.
“Yun-ho, what happened? Explain it to me.”
“Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho. Well, you see…”
Regression.
That single word would explain everything, but if I said that, I might get smacked across the back.
Are you messing around with your senior?
Does that sound remotely believable?
Hadn't Corporal Jeong Ye-som reacted exactly like that before?
“Loyalty! Corporal Gwak Woo-hee, you've returned!”
Right on cue, Corporal Jeong Ye-som entered.
Judging by the water on her hands, she'd just come back from the restroom. After wiping them on her physical training uniform, she neatly clasped both hands together.
“I've been waiting for you to return. Did you enjoy your leave?”
“Yeah, thanks to you, Ye-som.”
“Hehehe.”
Even the fiery Corporal Jeong Ye-som was nothing but a meek lamb in front of Corporal Gwak Woo-hee.
“But what were you talking about?”
“Our youngest getting a commendation.”
“Ahhh.”
“Come to think of it, our Ye-som got one too, didn't she?”
“Corporal Jeong Ye-som! That's correct.”
“Perfect. Then you tell me. You fought together back then, so you should know exactly what happened.”
“Ah, well, you see…”
Thanks to Corporal Jeong Ye-som, all I had to do was sit quietly and listen.
After hearing the whole story, Corporal Gwak Woo-hee looked at me strangely.
Sitting on the edge of her bunk, she crooked a finger at me.
“Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho!”
I quickly went over and sat beside her.
She cupped my face in both hands and stared at me for a long time.
As if she were examining some strange object.
“You're definitely the Gu Yun-ho I know.”
“Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho. That's correct.”
“But how can someone change this much overnight? Amazing. Amazing. It's so amazing.”
“We've actually been saying something about Yun-ho lately because of that.”
At Corporal Jeong Ye-som's words, Corporal Gwak Woo-hee finally released my face.
“What?”
“Maybe instead of Awakening an Ability, he Awakened himself? Something like that?”
“Oh.”
It was ridiculous, but Corporal Gwak Woo-hee reacted with surprising seriousness.
“That actually makes plenty of sense, considering how Yun-ho acted before.”
Corporal Gwak Woo-hee had never been the type to coddle anyone.
If anything, she pushed people hard.
I'd gotten an earful from her plenty of times because of that.
But I'd never once felt bad about it.
‘Yun-ho, you definitely contribute to our squad. If you weren't here, who would take care of all the monster corpses and byproducts? But that's not why you're here. You're here because you want to be a Hunter. So remember this. You have to work harder. Harder than anyone else.’
She'd encouraged me like that instead.
She simply had a different way of speaking from Corporal Jeong Ye-som.
“Anyway.”
That was why Corporal Gwak Woo-hee was happier than anyone about how I'd changed.
“Good for you, our youngest. You're finally starting to look like a Hunter.”
Starting to look like a Hunter.
Those were wonderful words to hear.
***
The next day, Day Three of the Private Second Class Intensive Training.
The Private Second Classes assembled on the western side of the Empty Dungeon early in the morning.
There were six small colosseum ruins there.
The walls had all collapsed, and there was hardly anything that could be called spectator seating, so each ruin was essentially nothing more than an arena.
“The final combat exercise will take place here. The arenas inside each colosseum will serve as your sparring grounds.”
The arenas were circular.
Considering the condition of the walls and stands, it wasn't difficult to imagine what shape the arenas themselves were in.
There were cracks and signs of damage everywhere.
But these were only fights between Private Second Classes.
The arenas wouldn't so much as budge from their sword strikes or magic.
“I'll now announce the matchups.”
Even if they paired people of similar ability, fighting styles differed wildly depending on their specialty.
That meant who you were matched against was the key factor in this combat exercise.
The Private Second Classes fell silent and raised their heads.
When the instructor tossed a round orb into the air, a huge parchment unfurled across the sky.
Almost like a notification appearing.
It was a kind of magic device that inscribed letters in midair.
The parchment was enormous, like the screen at a massive concert venue.
The Private Second Classes began looking for their names.
Who was I supposed to fight again?
I think it was Woo Chan-yeong or Oh Chan-yeong.
I scanned down the parchment, only to find my name somewhere completely different.
3rd Squad, 3rd Platoon, 3rd Company, Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho.
And the name written beside mine wasn't Woo Chan-yeong or Oh Chan-yeong.
It was Jo Tae-gwang.
The same Jo Tae-gwang I'd clashed so badly with during yesterday's cooperative exercise.
‘This is different from before I regressed. Did they change my opponent because of the Modang Station incident?’
What I'd shown during this Intensive Training might've influenced it too.
At that moment, I felt someone's gaze.
A menacing-looking man with a shaved head was looking at me with a sneer.
Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang.
Just from his expression, I could tell exactly what he wanted to say to me.
“Damn it, of all people, why did I have to get matched with Gong Eun-seol? I've got no way to deal with Freezing Magic.”
Private Second Class Sim Jae-hun, who'd been grumbling beside me, asked,
“Who'd you get, mister?”
“Jo Tae-gwang.”
“Damn, you're unlucky too.”
He belonged to the same 2nd Company as Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang.
“Be careful. I don't know about anything else, but in terms of physical ability, that bastard ranks in the top five among all the Private Second Classes.”
“I've seen it myself.”
“You have?”
“Yes. We were in the same squad during yesterday's cooperative exercise.”
“Then you know exactly what I mean. I fought monsters with him once too, and he just took this ridiculously huge axe and went... Whew. I couldn't handle him.”
Private Second Class Sim Jae-hun shuddered as if merely remembering it were terrifying.
“Compared to you, I got off easy. Gong Eun-seol is still below Jo Tae-gwang.”
In terms of pure combat power, that was probably true.
Meanwhile, all the Private Second Classes had finished checking their matchups.
“Has everyone checked?”
“Yes!”
“Good. Move to your assigned colosseum according to the match order.”
“Yes!”
I was assigned to Arena One.
Since we weren't allowed to pick up our weapons until the matches began, I headed over empty-handed.
Coincidentally, the first match in Arena One belonged to Private Second Class Sim Jae-hun.
His opponent was Gong Eun-seol.
A Mage Soldier who specialized in Freezing Magic.
“Didn't they say they'd pair people at roughly the same level? The gap is way too big.”
“Sim Jae-hun isn't bad with a sword either. He always gets good scores during training.”
“Still, that's Gong Eun-seol. Gong Eun-seol.”
“True. You can already see how this ends.”
Private Second Class Gong Eun-seol and Private Second Class Sim Jae-hun probably had similar evaluations overall.
The problem was compatibility.
Unlike most other Mage Soldiers, Private Second Class Gong Eun-seol, who wielded Freezing Magic, was also skilled at close combat.
That was proven immediately in the match.
“Whoa, look at all that ice flying around. That's brutal.”
“He's completely frozen in place. Can't even move.”
The moment the match began, streams of ice froze Private Second Class Sim Jae-hun's legs.
Then a barrage of Ice Arrows rained down.
The cold was so extreme that even his combat uniform froze.
Private Second Class Sim Jae-hun barely managed to break free and tried to counterattack, but there was no chance.
An ice wall had already risen in front of Private Second Class Gong Eun-seol.
They were all Low-Circle Magic, but the level of chaining and spell rotation was extremely high.
Naturally.
‘Gong Eun-seol. Freezing Magic alone carried that soldier straight to Sergeant First Class.’
The match didn't even last two full minutes.
As Private Second Class Sim Jae-hun's body temperature rapidly dropped, he finally raised the white flag.
“Winner of Match One, Private Second Class Gong Eun-seol.”
Several more matches like that followed.
Matches where you could see the result before they even began.
Mine, which took place in the afternoon, was especially bad.
“Jo Tae-gwang? Seriously? Isn't that going too far? Gu Yun-ho doesn't stand a chance in raw strength.”
“Could it be because of the Modang Station incident? Sure, what he did there was impressive. But his opponents were Garoks. And he won because of how well he handled the situation in the first place, not because he crushed them with raw power.”
“The officers seriously overdid it this time. Just because he's been doing well lately, how can they put him against Jo Tae-gwang?”
“Exactly. If Gu Yun-ho ends up in the infirmary, this is all the officers' fault.”
Most of the Private Second Classes predicted my defeat.
Some were even worried I'd end up in the infirmary.
I paid them no attention and stepped into the arena.
Across from me stood Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang, holding the same Great Axe he'd used yesterday.
The Operations Officer acting as referee spoke.
“Free combat is permitted as long as neither of you targets the head or heart. Do both of you understand?”
“Yes!”
“Good. The match begins the moment the whistle sounds.”
I slowly steadied my breathing.
I could feel dense killing intent from across the arena.
“I couldn't even sleep last night because I wanted to beat you to death so badly. What kind of fucking luck is this?”
“―”
“Heh. Guess heaven's on my side.”
He really talks too much.
I didn't respond and wrapped both hands around the hilt of my sword.
Apparently mistaking my silence for nervousness, Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang kept chuckling.
“All right. Get ready.”
The Operations Officer brought the whistle to his mouth.
FWEET—!
The sound shattered the silence and rang through the arena.
The giant charged at me like a flash of lightning.
“Die!”
The Great Axe that had smashed apart the Zabriks' bodies yesterday was raised high overhead.
Veins bulged along Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang's neck as he brought it crashing down.
I lightly met it with my sword.
CLANG—!!
A heavy impact rang out, accompanied by a violent burst of sparks from the blades.
At the same time, Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang's hands trembled.
“?!”
But mine did too.
Blocking it with [Efficient Parry] wasn't difficult, but the basic gap in our physical ability still sent pressure through my entire body.
WHOOSH—!
The Great Axe swept through a wide arc and came at me again.
Slow, but heavy.
Even more force was packed into this strike.
But the power of Parry after Awakening was far stronger than that.
CLANG—!!
The Great Axe bounced away from the recoil.
Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang's eyes widened so much they looked ready to pop out.
“W-What the hell...!!”
He staggered back a couple of steps and hurriedly adjusted his grip on the Great Axe.
After charging at me like a wild bison, he'd suddenly stopped to regroup.
“W-What kind of trick did you pull?”
“Why should I tell you?”
“Y-You crazy bastard!”
He charged again.
Each time he did, I simply extended my sword in time with his movements.
After blocking him three or four times, an opening finally came.
THUD—!
I twisted my body and drove a powerful kick into Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang's side.
He faltered for only a moment before immediately regaining his balance.
His noisy mouth started up again.
“I don't know how you're blocking my attacks, but I'll win in the end. With your strength, you can't do anything against my [Hardened Hide] anyway.”
[Hardened Hide] was an Ability that literally made the body hard.
It was why he'd been able to take the Zabriks' attacks head-on yesterday.
But here's the thing.
“That doesn't work on me.”
“Don't make me laugh.”
“Maybe you'll understand after I hit you.”
This time, I charged.
I'd already figured out the trajectory of his Great Axe.
I blocked what needed blocking, dodged what needed dodging, and searched for openings all the while.
WHOOSH—!!
I struck.
My sword swept horizontally across Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang's torso.
His combat uniform tore, and the blade drew just a little blood.
He really was tough.
“Fucking die!”
Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang swung his Great Axe like a madman.
It was nothing but a reckless barrage without the slightest hint of technique.
There wasn't even any need to block anymore.
I simply slipped past each swing, stabbing and slashing into every opening between them.
At some point, offense and defense had completely reversed.
Now Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang was the one-sidedly getting beaten down by my sword.
“Y-You fucking...!!”
And somehow, his mouth was still working.
“Y-You can't do anything to me anyw―”
“I told you, that doesn't work on me.”
I unleashed five consecutive strikes.
Then I followed with another seven.
When the attacks enhanced by [Thrust] and [Slash] had struck him more than a dozen times, Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang's body suddenly went rigid.
THUD.
His huge, blood-soaked body sank helplessly to the ground.
With my attacks landing consecutively, [Groggy] had been applied.
“?!!!!!!”
Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang's eyes stretched wide in terror.
Depending on compatibility and the gap in level, an Ability could sometimes display an almost divine power.
A power that could not be resisted.
In this case, it was the latter.
Completely afflicted by [Groggy], Private Second Class Jo Tae-gwang dropped to his knees before me.
I raised my sword vertically.
The bloodstained blade flashed beneath the sunlight.
Terrified, he urgently shouted toward the Operations Officer.
“P-Please save me!”