Given the situation, the people around us naturally started looking over. Amid the commotion, Captain Oh Jun-beom shouted.
“Hey! What’s going on over there?”
“N-nothing, sir!”
No matter how reckless Corporal Byeon Ji-tak was, even he couldn’t act that way toward the Company Commander. He only spouted shit about killing him or whatever when the man wasn’t around to hear it.
Corporal Byeon Ji-tak hurriedly put away the dagger.
I simply stood there.
“Keep it down and behave yourselves.”
“Y-yes!”
Judging by the way he was even stammering, he seemed pretty flustered.
It was both amusing and ridiculous to watch.
I heard a snicker beside me.
“Yun-ho, you really got him good.”
“Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho. I didn’t.”
“You sure? He was shaking like crazy for a second there. He’s the one who shoved a dagger in your face, but he’s the one who got scared. Retard.”
Corporal Jeong Ye-som stuck her tongue out at the back of Corporal Byeon Ji-tak’s head as though it served him right.
Then came the whispers.
“Heh, what was that? Byeon Ji-tak really got scared just now, didn’t he?”
“Yeah. That’s fucking embarrassing.”
Even though I could only see the back of his head, I could practically feel his face turning red and blue with rage.
Eventually, Corporal Byeon Ji-tak couldn’t take it anymore and barked.
“Shut up, all of you. Before I kill you.”
“Wow, at least your swagger’s still alive~ Why didn’t you do that just now too~?”
The Corporals who normally didn’t get along with him kept snickering.
“Fuck.”
Corporal Byeon Ji-tak trembled.
This time, it was from anger.
He was furious.
Because the toy he had always tormented and treated as beneath him had turned the tables and gotten one over on him, just as Corporal Jeong Ye-som had said.
He couldn’t say anything to me.
Too many people were watching.
Besides, if he started pulling shit again, he’d only be admitting that he really had been scared.
If he hadn’t been scared, there would’ve been no reason for him to hesitate back then. He would’ve pushed the dagger closer instead.
He acted fucking tough, but in the end, this bastard was nothing more than worthless vermin.
“But Yun-ho, how did you not even blink? A dagger suddenly came right up to your face.”
“Hmm, it just wasn’t that scary.”
“Really? You’ve got guts.”
That wasn’t far off.
The guts called [Iron-Blooded Knight’s Soul] had completely erased the emotion of fear from me.
Even if it had been a monster suddenly lunging right into my face instead of a dagger, I probably would’ve been fine.
It was an incredible effect.
“We’ll wrap up today’s investigation here. Everyone, head for the exit.”
And with that, the small commotion came to an end.
***
As soon as I returned to base and finished dinner, I headed to the training room.
I planned to test the other effect of [Iron-Blooded Knight’s Soul].
The method was simple.
All I had to do was train in swordsmanship.
It would be better to have an opponent than to swing a sword around by myself, so I activated the Simulation Mode again today.
“Let’s work hard, Deriphon.”
The purpose was literally training rather than winning, so my opponent was a Deriphon again.
The moment it was summoned, it roared.
“GRAAAH!”
This is why it sometimes feels real.
I smirked and met its sword.
CLANG—!
Only one day.
In that short span of time, the gap between the Deriphon and me had completely disappeared.
From the moment I Awakened [Efficient Parry], its sword could no longer cut or stab me.
And on top of that, I now had [Iron-Blooded Knight’s Soul], which I had unlocked today.
《You exploited an opening in your opponent.》
《The bleeding opponent falters.》
《[Thrust] Proficiency is rising rapidly.》
《The opponent’s stance collapses.》
《You completely neutralized the opponent.》
《[Slash] Proficiency is rising rapidly.》
As the battle continued, my Proficiency soared at a frightening rate.
Unlike a game, there was no separate leveling system, so I couldn’t determine the exact numbers, but I could feel the difference in my body.
I had much more breathing room when choosing the timing of my attacks.
That also meant less pressure.
But there was one problem.
‘There’s nothing I can do about my physical capabilities.’
Strength, Stamina, and Agility were all necessary for swordsmanship, but they weren’t directly tied to swordsmanship itself.
Because of that, they didn’t benefit from the Proficiency growth effect of [Iron-Blooded Knight’s Soul].
‘It’s fine. Before the regression, the problem was the types and number of abilities I had. My physical capabilities were never that huge an obstacle.’
Physical capabilities could be improved through consistent training and repeated combat.
That was how I’d managed to rise all the way to Master Sergeant.
But that didn’t mean I could simply repeat the exact same process this time.
It took too long.
‘I need to shorten that time.’
There was a way.
I’d already roughly worked it out in my head.
All that remained was to put it into practice, but the time hadn’t come yet.
There was no need to rush.
It had only been two days since I regressed.
I could move forward a little more carefully while going over the life that lay ahead of me.
That way, I wouldn’t make another mistake like confusing a stone statue for a stone chest.
As always, I continued training until it was almost time for assigned cleaning duties.
The Deriphons were practically my punching bags now.
Seven of them had been beaten to a pulp by me before vanishing.
Two of those had died instantly without even getting the chance to do anything.
CLACK!
So against this final one, instead of fighting aggressively, I stayed on the defensive and received its attacks.
I also needed to use a variety of movements and unlock more abilities.
SWISH.
A sword strike traced a crescent through the air.
I could see it clearly, but instead of dodging in advance, I deliberately waited until the last possible instant, just before it touched my body, and met it with my sword.
More precisely, I deflected it.
Once enough Proficiency accumulated, the [Deflection] ability could be unlocked, and naturally, it was more difficult than [Parry].
If your timing was even slightly off, you would take the attack directly.
Or you would expose an opening and get caught by a chain of follow-up attacks.
Of course, the moment you got hit, your Proficiency didn’t increase at all.
High risk, high return.
If you could use it properly, there weren’t many abilities better than this.
Once you deflected an attack and disrupted your opponent’s stance, you immediately gained an opportunity to counterattack.
Especially when your opponent was weaker.
In that case, you could immediately land a critical blow.
Cutting off a forearm would be nothing.
“Whew.”
I caught my breath and ended the training session.
My entire body was soaked as though I’d been standing in the rain.
I was drenched in sweat.
It felt unpleasant, but there was a sense of accomplishment to make up for it.
Before the regression, I’d almost never felt this kind of accomplishment.
Because I’d always been stuck in the same place.
Not anymore.
Even a single casual swing of my sword now directly contributed to my growth.
Training finally felt satisfying.
And so did getting stronger.
***
“So the only people going out this weekend are Jeong Ye-som and Gu Yun-ho. Just you two?”
“Yes.”
“Both of you are taking overnight passes?”
“That’s correct.”
Applying for the overnight pass went smoothly thanks to Corporal Jeong Ye-som.
She had already been thinking of going out to clear her head, and after hearing about my plans, she brought it up together with me during the squad debrief.
Staff Sergeant Kwon Min-chan wrote Corporal Jeong Ye-som’s name and mine on the overnight-pass permits before asking.
“Reason?”
“Corporal Jeong Ye-som. I intend to get some proper rest.”
“Not planning to drink yourself stupid?”
“No. That won’t happen.”
“How many bottles of soju did you down at the last unit dinner? Drink in moderation.”
The other senior soldiers, apparently remembering the incident, chimed in one by one.
“She was a total boozehound.”
“Completely plastered. Absolutely plastered.”
Corporal Jeong Ye-som narrowed her eyes at them, telling them to shut up.
But I remembered too.
She really was a complete boozehound.
“What about you, Gu Yun-ho? What’s your reason for the overnight pass?”
“Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho. I intend to spend some quality time with my family.”
“Well, look at you. What a devoted son. Fine, understood.”
If another superior had said that, I would’ve taken it as praise, but coming from Staff Sergeant Kwon Min-chan, it sounded sarcastic.
Still, he seemed ready to approve it immediately without making a fuss.
I should just keep quiet.
Staff Sergeant Kwon Min-chan would be gone soon anyway.
After causing one serious incident.
Fortunately, the Squad Leader who would come after him was his complete opposite.
He didn’t treat soldiers like expendable supplies the way someone else did.
Nor did he dump work on others halfheartedly just because he found it bothersome.
I owed that man a great deal too.
This time, I should repay some of that debt.
And I should save him.
Because I couldn’t let him die again.
“Okay. Take these now.”
Staff Sergeant Kwon Min-chan roughly scrawled his signature in the authorization box and handed us the overnight-pass permits.
“Don’t go out there and cause trouble.”
“Understood.”
“And be careful not to leave the authorized travel area. Just think of it as staying within Seoul and Gyeonggi Province.”
“Yes.”
Our unit’s authorized travel area covered the entire capital of Seoul and the Gyeonggi region.
Since my family home was in Gyeonggi Province, that restriction didn’t affect me.
I should call them later and tell them I’ve got an overnight pass this weekend.
“Any other reports or unusual matters?”
“None.”
“Good. You’re dismissed.”
Staff Sergeant Kwon Min-chan left the barracks room as though everything in the world was a hassle.
The instant the door closed, Corporal Byeon Ji-tak glared at me.
“Since when is a Private Second Class bastard allowed an overnight pass?”
Just as Corporal Jeong Ye-som muttered, “He seriously pulls this shit every chance he gets,” and was about to cut in, Sergeant Song Gi-yong, who had been lying down pressing buttons on the remote, turned toward us.
“Yun-ho hasn’t been able to go outside for almost two months already. And it’s not even leave, just an overnight pass. Why does it bother you so much?”
“Sergeant Song, that’s not what I mean.”
“What do you mean it’s not, man? Yun-ho did well in the Dungeon yesterday. Just be cool and let him enjoy his overnight pass.”
Sergeant Song Gi-yong’s personality was usually like a calm sea, but once he lost his temper, he boiled like fire.
And to begin with, there was a clear difference in the number of stripes on their ranks.
Corporal Byeon Ji-tak eventually shut his mouth.
“Looks like the Squad Leader approved him right away because of that too.”
Now that he mentioned it, that made sense.
So that was why he’d approved it immediately yesterday without making a fuss.
This really showed how important reputation was.
Things that had been difficult for me to obtain before the regression were now coming to me on their own.
“If you understand, then keep quiet. I’m trying to watch TV until roll call.”
“Yes.”
The same applied to Sergeant Song Gi-yong.
As far as I remembered, he had never covered for me even once.
Nor had he ever helped me separately.
His motto had always been, ‘Don’t worry about other people’s business. Just worry about my own and get discharged safely.’
For someone like that to speak up for me meant he thought that highly of me.
I felt rather proud.
And just like that, the day passed.
***
With such a packed daily schedule, the weekend arrived before I knew it.
At last, it was time to see my family.
“Don’t be late getting back. You heard what happened recently, right? Park Gyeong-sik from 1st Platoon fell asleep on the subway and didn’t get back until almost 21:00. Don’t do that.”
“Understood! Loyalty!”
“Loyalty.”
After completing our report for departure, we left the base.
The May sky, before the summer heat had arrived.
It was a perfect day for an overnight pass.
“Yun-ho! Let’s go!”
“Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho! Yes!”
I hurried down from the company building together with Corporal Jeong Ye-som, who was already bursting with excitement.
Our attire consisted of nothing more than our combat uniforms and combat boots.
That was thanks to a directive from Hunter Headquarters stating that all situations had to be handled entirely within the unit and personnel going out had to be granted uninterrupted rest.
Besides, there were Guilds outside the military in the first place.
They would respond before a nearby military unit could even deploy.
And there were several people in my own family who were currently, or had once been, involved with places like that.