Chapter 08: Ice Princess vs. Hidden Talent

As time passed, the promotion exam was now only a week away.

From this point on, those eligible for the promotion exam were given a period of intensive training, excluding regular duties.

Privates trained separately from Privates First Class.

Corporals and Sergeants, too, received their own training.

This was because the intensity of the promotion exam differed according to rank.

“Everyone, attention!”

“Attention!”

The Privates assembled at the training ground for the promotion exam, looking more tense than usual.

Rumor had it that the Battalion Commander would be visiting today.

“From today, we’ll begin training for the promotion exam. The Battalion Commander will make surprise visits, so be sure to train diligently.”

“Yes, sir!”

“A whole truckload of people have failed the Private First Class promotion exam because they underestimated it. Make sure you’re prepared. Got it?”

“Understood!”

And the rumor turned out to be true.

The Privates’ faces grew even darker.

The Battalion Commander’s visit was basically an announcement that the training intensity would be ramped up.

‘Has the Battalion Commander ever visited where the Privates were gathered before?’

‘Other than officially scheduled times, never.’

‘Ugh. Why did it have to be during my time?’

The Privates grumbled inwardly as they warmed up according to the instructor’s orders.

The appearance of training lead bags, which were rarely seen, meant they were serious this time.

‘I don’t think the Battalion Commander ever visited when Privates were training before my regression.’

Meanwhile.

As he warmed up with the other Privates, Kim Hyun-joon momentarily wondered if the Battalion Commander was coming to see him, but quickly dismissed the thought.

That was going too far.

‘Come to think of it. When I became a Sergeant, a few mid-sized guilds offered me positions.’

Back when Kim Hyun-joon had barely managed to be promoted to Sergeant, he’d uploaded his specs to a Hunter job site just for fun.

Aside from being a Sergeant in the Hunter Army’s Wyvern Squad, his specs weren’t impressive.

Yet, even so, two mid-sized guilds offered him positions for after his discharge.

In short, this meant the Hunter Army’s promotion exams were that tough.

Even before regression, he had barely managed to become a Private First Class by the skin of his teeth.

‘That means I should aim for a top score this time.’

Whether he promoted to Private First Class at the top or just barely, he’d still be a Private First Class.

But that was just the rank.

The top three would receive the Promotion Exam Excellence Award.

That award came with a substantial performance point bonus.

Kim Hyun-joon set his goal to place within the top three in this promotion exam.

Since the Battalion Commander had moved just for a single Private, he had to deliver at least that much.

“If you’re all ready, we’ll start from the first row.”

With lead pouches strapped to both legs, the Privates dashed off at the instructor’s signal.

It was a repeated endurance training: starting with a steep hill, then climbing and descending thousands of steps.

Normally, they wouldn’t have used sandbags, but with the Battalion Commander making surprise visits, the intensity was increased.

“Huff, puff…”

“Damn, I can’t even make it to the end.”

“Why is it so tough? Isn’t this harder than the promotion exam itself?”

As a result, most of the Privates failed to make it up the stairs, exhausted.

The 20kg lead pouches strapped to each leg were the cause.

Yet, even so, there were Privates who didn’t fall behind—one of them kept climbing the steps at a steady pace.

That one was Kim Hyun-joon.

‘The intensity’s higher than I thought.’

If it were before his regression, Kim Hyun-joon would’ve collapsed on the stairs as well.

But now, things were different.

He’d spent spare time in the personal training room raising his stats, and he’d monopolized experience from Irregular monsters, reaching level 2.

This was training he could easily handle.

‘The tougher, the better. It’s good training for me.’

He was out of breath, but this much was manageable.

Of course, for the other Privates, this training far exceeded the standard.

A few tried to force their way up the steps and ended up retching.

“If you push yourself too hard, you’ll get hurt. Catch your breath for a moment, then keep going.”

Kim Hyun-joon helped pull up his seniors who were about to fall backward.

They were Hunters, so a fall wouldn’t hurt them much, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t get hurt at all.

---

“Instructor. You’re not working the kids harder just because I’m here, are you?”

Meanwhile.

The Battalion Commander, who’d arrived at the training ground, gave his impression as he watched the Privates training.

Looking around, everyone seemed to be giving their best, but there weren’t many Privates who could actually handle the training.

“No, sir. The promotion exam was revised this year, and the passing standards are even higher than last year.”

“Tsk. Those damned monsters are to blame.”

With the frequency of powerful monster appearances on the rise, the Hunter Army had no choice but to ramp up the intensity of all their training.

It was the same for private guilds as well.

As the Battalion Commander continued to observe, his gaze soon fixed on one spot.

There, among the Privates, was Private Kim Hyun-joon, who was not only handling the training with ease but also helping others avoid injury.

In fact, the reason for today’s special visit was to observe Private Kim Hyun-joon.

‘Good stamina. He recently awakened mana. I’ll have to check his agility, but I’ve heard he’s decent with the spear as well.’

With skills like that, why had he ranked so low in boot camp?

A good soldier’s talent should be evident from the start.

He just couldn’t understand that part.

“Instructor. What do you think of Private Kim Hyun-joon?”

“Private Kim Hyun-joon, sir? I believe he’ll pass the promotion exam with no problem.”

“I think differently.”

“…Sir?”

“Not just ‘no problem.’ At that level, he’ll be in the top three.”

Battalion Commander, with all due respect, isn’t top three a bit much?

Those words rose to the instructor’s lips, but he just nodded quietly.

---

Time passed, and the day of the promotion exam arrived.

Kim Hyun-joon had changed into his uniform from the morning and was waiting in the barracks.

Most of the other seniors were sprawled out sleeping, save for a few.

Since the promotion exam was on a Sunday, it was only natural.

Whether regular army or Hunter Army, soldiers looked the same resting on a holiday.

“Hyun-joon, I heard you’re taking the exam early thanks to the Battalion Commander?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Do you have connections in the Hunter Army? They don’t usually let you take it early.”

As Kim Hyun-joon waited, one of the awake seniors casually started a conversation.

“No, I don’t have any connections at all.”

Kim Hyun-joon answered with a wry smile.

The reason the seniors were asking wasn’t just out of curiosity.

They were worried that the rookie they’d bossed around might actually have connections in the Hunter Army.

The Hunter Army was merit-based, but connections still carried weight.

‘If I had connections, I would’ve taken care of Kang Chul-soo first. No way I would’ve just endured.’

He was sincere.

If his father or a relative had been at least a Battalion Commander, Sergeant Kang Chul-soo would never have gotten away with what he did.

That’s how persistently the guy had tormented him.

Of course, that was his thinking before regression.

Now, he intended to take care of Sergeant Kang Chul-soo himself.

And today was the day to climb one more step toward that goal.

He’d barely waited when a call to assemble came over the speakers.

― This is the duty officer. All promotion exam candidates, prepare and assemble in front of the parade ground. I repeat, today…

Even the static noise from the speaker sounded like clear music to Kim Hyun-joon.

“Then, I’ll be back. Loyalty!”

He wondered how Sergeant Kang Chul-soo would react when he returned wearing the Private First Class insignia.

That, too, was something to look forward to.

---

The soldiers’ promotion exam was held at Hunter Headquarters.

With soldiers from other units also arriving, the headquarters was packed to the brim on exam day.

Because of this, the promotion exam would often run from early morning until late at night.

‘I’ve been here a few times, but it always feels new.’

As he looked around, he overheard other soldiers whispering.

“Hey. Did you hear? The 119th Division Commander’s daughter is taking the exam today.”

“119th Division… isn’t that Black Horse Battalion’s Park Ye-rin? Didn’t she just finish boot camp?”

“Yeah. She wasn’t supposed to take the exam this soon, but she’s getting special treatment from the Division Commander.”

“Damn… is it okay for him to so blatantly help his daughter?”

“Even so, I heard Park Ye-rin is a prodigy. They say she inherited all her father’s abilities.”

“Man… life really isn’t fair.”

It seemed there were others, like him, taking the promotion exam by special arrangement.

‘Park Ye-rin… that name sounds familiar.’

The name rang a bell, and after searching his memory, he soon remembered.

‘Captain Park Ye-rin of the Black Horse Battalion, the Ice Princess.’

Back when he’d made Staff Sergeant in his previous life, she’d already been a Captain, a magic officer.

She was called the Ice Princess because her specialty was ice magic.

He’d heard her personality matched her powers, but since he’d never met her, he couldn’t say for sure.

In any case, Park Ye-rin was an elite who’d started as a soldier and risen to officer.

‘So I’ll be taking the exam with that elite.’

Since Park Ye-rin was also a Private, she was a competitor for this promotion.

He was aiming for top three in this exam.

‘Will I be able to beat Park Ye-rin?’

It was pure curiosity.

With a hidden trait, could he outperform Park Ye-rin?

He was curious to see how far he could go.

Back before regression, he’d never have dreamed of such a thing.

‘Without my hidden trait, I wouldn’t even be taking this exam.’

He intended to go as far as he could.

---

Kim Hyun-joon followed the officer, heading to the main auditorium with his unit.

Normally, a Lieutenant Colonel or Colonel would relay the usual instructions and warnings, but today was different.

The 119th Division Commander, Major General Park Cheol-ho, had appeared.

For ordinary soldiers, seeing a general with a star on his shoulder was rare.

As a result, the soldiers listened to the Division Commander’s speech with perfect posture, unlike usual.

“I came to cheer you on, but you’re all so tense. I’ll be standing over there, so relax and do your best.”

“Yes, sir!”

With a voice that seemed to shake the hall, Major General Park Cheol-ho disappeared.

The soldiers might not have realized, but the examiners certainly did.

He wasn’t here to cheer on the soldiers, but to keep an eye on his own daughter.

‘Why did he have to come? I’m exhausted from having to grade on a Sunday as it is.’

‘His daughter’s taking the exam. Knowing his personality, of course he’d come. Headquarters tried to turn him away, but he just barged in.’

That was to be expected—Major General Park Cheol-ho was famous for being doting toward his daughter.

‘You all get it, right? Don’t let Private Park Ye-rin get hurt, no matter what.’

‘Understood.’

The examiners were told to keep a close eye on Private Park Ye-rin.

If anything happened to her, Hunter Headquarters could be thrown into chaos.

‘Still, what’s with today’s exam? There’s another special exam candidate besides Private Park Ye-rin.’

‘Oh. That’s Private Kim Hyun-joon from Wyvern Squad. I hear the Battalion Commander personally requested him to take the exam early.’

‘First time in my life seeing two special candidates in one exam.’

Did Private Kim Hyun-joon have connections in the Hunter Army as well?

The examiners steeled themselves to stay alert for this promotion exam.