Chapter 04: Precision over Panic

A few days later, on the day of primary weapon training.

The privates came out to the drill yard, each carrying their practice weapon.

Before being sent into actual combat, the privates undergo an intensive period of training.

There were too many things they lacked to be thrown into the dungeon after only completing boot camp.

Intensive training was essential, if only to prevent major accidents.

“Swordfighters to the instructor on the right. Spearmen, line up in rows before the instructor on the left.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Hey! Aren’t you a mage? Didn’t you hear mages are supposed to have indoor instruction!”

“S-sorry, sir!”

“Are you not going to get your act together! Get moving!”

“Yes, sir!”

The privates moved quickly at the instructor’s orders.

There were many swordfighters, but not nearly as many spearmen.

It was few enough to count at a glance.

That was because most soldiers preferred swords.

From the basic weight alone, spears were much heavier, and storing them was a hassle.

There weren’t any proper spear instructors, so it was difficult to really master spearmanship.

A natural result.

That was why even the instructors who taught both swordsmanship and spearmanship didn’t expect much from the spearmen.

They only taught the most efficient way to stab monsters in lower dungeons.

‘Why are there so many who can’t even hold a spear properly?’

The instructor frowned.

The condition of the spearmen was worse than before.

‘The privates I taught last time weren’t this bad.’

Should he put them through separate physical training?

As he was considering this, one private stood out in particular.

‘That private... his name is Kim Hyun-joon, right?’

While the other spearmen’s arms shook every time they tried a thrust, Kim Hyun-joon did not.

He kept repeating the thrust in a crisp, steady posture without faltering.

‘He even knows how to grip a spear properly.’

After watching for a while, the instructor approached the drill sergeant to report what he’d seen.

“Kim Hyun-joon!”

“Private Kim Hyun-joon!”

“Show us in front of the drill sergeant what you learned today.”

“Yes, sir!”

Suddenly, he was called up close to demonstrate what he’d learned.

Kim Hyun-joon understood exactly what that meant.

‘He wants to check for himself whether I’m worth anything.’

Here, it was important to stand out.

The more promising you were, the more chances you got to participate in dungeon raids.

Which meant more merit points, and more opportunities for growth.

‘The more monsters you kill, the more experience you gain, after all.’

You could gain experience through training, elixirs, or special items.

But those weren’t very efficient.

Experience from training was minimal at best.

Elixirs and items, too, lost effectiveness if you used the same ones repeatedly.

Items that boosted experience were expensive on top of that.

In the end, hunting monsters for experience was the most efficient way to level up.

‘It’s like the System is telling you not to cheat, but do it right.’

Kim Hyun-joon immediately demonstrated the posture and thrusts he’d learned from the instructor.

A clean, precise form, with no unnecessary movement.

The other spearmen watched and let out murmurs of admiration.

Even the strict drill sergeant nodded in approval at once.

“Not bad. You’d be fine in real combat tomorrow.”

“Thank you, sir!”

It was all thanks to his hidden trait.

***

The next day.

Kim Hyun-joon was preparing for a raid in front of the dungeon.

‘What the... He wasn’t just saying it?’

He hadn’t expected the drill sergeant’s comment about sending him into action the next day to be serious.

Looking around, everyone else was a senior.

Most were privates and lance corporals, though.

The dungeon they would raid today was a D-Rank dungeon where giant rats appeared.

Low-rank dungeons like D-Rank were mostly handled by privates and lance corporals.

They weren’t all that dangerous, and new ones spawned so frequently.

Corporals and sergeants were usually assigned to at least C-Rank dungeons and above.

‘Five men, three women, huh.’

Of course, even for low-rank dungeons, only sending soldiers wasn’t allowed.

Each squad was always accompanied by an officer.

No one knew what could happen inside a dungeon.

‘If I were the officer, I’d put the swordfighters and spearmen in front. Archers in the back.’

A squad composed of swordfighters, spearmen, and archers.

If it were up to him, how would he arrange them?

As he thought about it,

Poke, poke.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder.

“Hey. You’re the rookie everyone’s talking about, right? Kim Hyun-joon?”

It was Lance Corporal Jung Ye-na, her medium-length hair nearly brushing his shoulder.

“Private. Kim Hyun-joon! I’m not that special, ma’am.”

“Oh, please. The officers keep saying a decent rookie showed up, you know. I’ve heard your name.”

Lance Corporal Jung Ye-na was among the archers with high-accuracy shooting skills.

On top of that, she had a rapid-fire skill that made her one of the better archers.

Unlike men, women weren’t required to serve, but the government offered a lot of incentives.

Because of that, many Awakened women volunteered for the Hunter Corps.

‘Why is she talking to me?’

Kim Hyun-joon knew who Jung Ye-na was.

She was kind to people she liked.

For everyone else, she put up a wall.

He couldn’t remember every soldier from his regression, but he remembered her.

She came from what people called an “elite” family.

Both her parents were Hunters, and her older sister was an A-Rank Hunter.

‘Didn’t she join a major guild after leaving as a sergeant, only to get seriously injured?’

He couldn’t remember the details, but that stuck in his memory.

“This your first real raid? Let’s do well.”

“Yes, ma’am! Thank you!”

“Wow, so stiff. Don’t be too nervous.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

After saying they should work well together, Jung Ye-na went back to her spot.

He wasn’t nervous at all.

He was only acting that way because of all the seniors watching.

She was popular in the unit, thanks to her looks.

He wanted to avoid catching any unwanted attention from the seniors.

***

A little while later, the dungeon raid began.

“Everyone, check your headlights and move slowly. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!”

The squad members moved forward slowly at the officer’s command.

Today’s dungeon was a D-Rank—Giant Rat Nest.

The monsters themselves weren’t that strong, but the dungeon interior was dark and damp, so they couldn’t let their guard down.

If you slipped and fell, giant rats could swarm you.

‘If only I could just blast them with mana rounds, we could clear them fast.’

As Kim Hyun-joon advanced in formation, the thought crossed his mind.

Just put his finger on the trigger, click, and no matter how many giant rats showed up, he could take them down.

But reality was never so simple.

Mana rounds were expensive and production was limited, so they were only considered for B-Rank dungeons and above.

Even with a silencer, the noise was so loud it would provoke even more monsters.

‘Wasn’t it over a million won for a single mana round?’

Money was always the issue.

As he thought about that,

Screech!

Screee!

Two giant rats suddenly jumped out.

Standing on two legs, their hulking bodies were much bigger than an adult man.

No wonder they were called giant rats.

“Swordfighters and spearmen, keep your distance! Archers, prepare to fire!”

“Prepare to fire!”

The soldiers moved swiftly at the officer’s order.

Whoosh!

The archers fired first, and the swordfighters and spearmen moved in to attack the giant rats.

Because their timing and coordination were good, the giant rats didn’t even get to put up a fight before dying.

“We’ll continue the raid just like this!”

“Yes, sir!”

The number of giant rat corpses increased as the raid went on.

Thanks to the archers’ covering fire from the rear, the giant rats couldn’t use their strength properly.

Screeee!

In particular, Lance Corporal Jung Ye-na shot the rats straight in the eyes, blinding them.

‘We’re moving faster than expected.’

Meanwhile,

Sergeant Park Taek-jin marveled at the unexpectedly rapid progress of the raid.

Even a rough estimate put this squad at double the usual speed.

Archers played a role, but the spearmen were key to this fast progress.

Especially Private Kim Hyun-joon.

A new recruit, and yet he kept striking only the vital points of the giant rats with precise efficiency.

There was no way the giant rats could survive that.

‘Most privates, even on their first or second dungeon raid, get nervous or scared...’

Even after a few times, it took a while to get used to the dungeons and fighting monsters.

Even the lance corporals here would flinch when giant rats popped out unexpectedly.

But Private Kim Hyun-joon—there was none of that in him.

This should be his first raid.

Yet, he navigated the dungeon and stabbed monsters as if he’d done it all before.

‘So that’s why the hard-nosed drill sergeant was willing to put him in a raid.’

The raid went smoothly, and soon they’d taken down the last giant rat.

[The dungeon has been cleared.]

A system message appeared before the soldiers’ eyes.

It meant the dungeon was completely cleaned out.

If they just exited now, the dungeon would vanish on its own.

With the raid finished quickly, Sergeant Park Taek-jin planned to give the soldiers plenty of rest once outside.

“Good work, everyone! Let’s head out of the dungeon—”

Rumble!

Just then, the dungeon shook as if there was an earthquake.

The dungeon should have been cleared, but something strange was happening.

Sensing danger, Sergeant Park Taek-jin tried to get everyone out quickly.

But suddenly, a giant rat appeared and blocked the entrance.

Screeeeeee!

“It’s an Irregular! Fall back!”

“A-an Irregular!”

“Damn! Why is an Irregular showing up in a D-Rank dungeon!”

“Where did that thing come from? We killed all the giant rats over there, didn’t we?”

At the word “Irregular,” the soldiers panicked and retreated.

It was a monstrous sight, as if two giant rats had fused together.

That was an Irregular monster known as a Siamese Giant Rat.

Sometimes monsters slipped out of dungeons, or suddenly appeared from nowhere.

Such monsters often weren’t affected by the System’s constraints.

The government called these monsters Irregulars.

‘If we provoke that thing and it charges at the soldiers, we’re finished.’

Sweat beaded on Sergeant Park Taek-jin’s forehead.

Given enough time, they could take it down.

But in the meantime, the soldiers would be left defenseless.

Sudden monster behavior was nothing new.

On top of that, Siamese Giant Rats were far bigger, stronger, tougher, and more savage than normal ones.

In other words, too much for privates and lance corporals to handle.

While Sergeant Park Taek-jin was wondering what to do,

“Sergeant Park Taek-jin. I’ll take it down.”

Kim Hyun-joon stepped forward.

“Kim Hyun-joon! You think you’re hot stuff just because you took down a few giant rats? This thing’s an Irregular. It’s a whole different beast! Fall back!”

“I can do it. Besides, there’s no other answer if we just stand here.”

Sergeant Park Taek-jin was dumbfounded.

The other soldiers were all cowering and backing away.

That was normal.

But Kim Hyun-joon—

Instead, he stepped up and volunteered to fight.

He wondered if the kid was crazy, but that wasn’t it.

There was a light in his eyes.

The look of a hunter locking on to his prey.

“If you die here, it’s a pointless death. Got it? You still want to do this?”

“Yes, sir. I’m confident.”

“Hah. You’re nuts. Fine, do what you want.”

Normally, he wouldn’t have allowed it.

But for some reason,

Something about that look in the kid’s eyes was persuasive.

There was no answer just standing here anyway.

In the end, Sergeant Park Taek-jin retreated with the others to keep them safe.

“Hello, my achievement. Nice to meet you.”

Now, alone with the monster,

Kim Hyun-joon grinned broadly as he faced the growling Siamese Giant Rat.