Chapter 16: Not-So-Hidden Traps

“Squad 1, assemble in two lines.”

The squads were quickly organized.

The members of 3rd Platoon, split into 16 squads, each donned the protective gear they had been issued.

Looking at the heavy, sturdy helmets and the armor protecting their torsos and limbs, it was clear this training wouldn’t be easy.

“Think we’ll finish before dinner? There are fewer squads this time, right?”

“No way. Bet we’ll be at this until night.”

“Ugh. There’s a soccer league game tonight.”

“I need to catch the baseball game...”

While the instructors and the company commander went to check on the training preparations, the soldiers grumbled.

It was because the training was eating into the precious rest time they got after their daily duties.

“Quiet down!”

The instructor’s warning quickly silenced them, but their faces still showed their dissatisfaction.

‘Even though the training is just about escaping the dungeon, it’s not as simple as it sounds.’

Kim Hyun-jun had learned from this very training, in his previous life, just how relentless the company commander and instructors could be.

‘The monsters would only stop when they were right in your face.’

The company commander and instructors aimed to make the training as hard as possible.

They’d always repeat that you needed to go through this much to be ready for the real thing, and, looking back, they were right.

It was just hard on the ones actually going through it.

“Hyun-jun. Did Kang Cheol-soo ask you to form a squad together?”

As Kim Hyun-jun waited beside Corporal Kang Cheol-soo, someone spoke to him from behind.

It was Corporal Han Ji-han, another member of their squad.

He was about three months senior to Kang Cheol-soo and was a mage-soldier. Like the other seniors, he did order his juniors around, but he wasn’t malicious about it.

He knew how to keep it within reason.

‘Even I would sometimes ask other seniors for errands because Kang Cheol-soo was pushing me too much.’

Even then, it was only simple things, and it never crossed the line into bullying.

He was just indifferent.

He took an interest in capable soldiers and looked out for them, but otherwise, he didn’t bother.

So, Kim Hyun-jun didn’t have a particularly bad opinion of Corporal Han Ji-han.

Not good, not bad—just another senior.

And now that senior was showing interest in him.

“Private Kim Hyun-jun. No, sir. I suggested it first.”

“What? You did? Why’d you go to him? Cheol-soo’s been giving you a hard time lately.”

“Corporal Han Ji-han. When have I ever given him a hard time?”

“You shameless punk. Hyun-jun, show him who’s boss this time.”

“Haha, it’s nothing.”

Corporal Han Ji-han’s tone was playful, but Kim Hyun-jun had long since decided to get back at Corporal Kang Cheol-soo.

“Squad 1, get ready to enter!”

Not long after, the training began in earnest.

The soldier assigned the civilian role had already entered the dungeon and was waiting inside.

The soldiers playing the Hunter roles, at the instructor’s signal, grabbed their issued weapons and charged into the dungeon.

“Wow. Three Dark Hounds right off the bat?”

“No luck at all.”

The soldiers waiting outside could watch the training live on a huge screen set up to the left.

That was thanks to the dozens of sturdy cameras installed inside the dungeon.

— Aaaagh!

Squad 1 tried to run from a lion-sized Dark Hound, but in the end, someone’s leg was bitten, and they fell.

They were already wearing protective gear, and the instructors and company commander stepped in immediately, so no one was hurt.

“What the heck did they feed those things to make them so huge?”

“Hey, no joke—those things probably eat better than we do. The feed bill must be insane.”

“I heard raising monsters for training costs a fortune.”

“And it’s not just raising them. Did you see the item the instructor brought in earlier? Apparently, it’s Unique-grade.”

The reason monsters can be summoned in the Tin Can Dungeon is thanks to the Subspace Capture Device.

The Subspace Capture Device is a cube-shaped Unique Item that lets you trap monsters inside it.

Of course, not every monster—only up to C-rank, apparently.

You can fit about fifty monsters in one cube.

Any more and they’ll break out.

In other words, the monsters being summoned now were ones the Hunter Corps had specially raised, spending both time and money.

— Eek! Stay away!

— Run faster! Don’t just look ahead, look behind you, idiot!

— Watch your line of sight!

Squad 1, 2, and 3.

As training progressed, the dungeon echoed with cries and wails.

The Tin Can Dungeon’s layout changed a little for every training session, and it was full of hidden traps that gave the soldiers a hard time.

“Damn... This is brutal.”

“Do we really have to make dungeon escape training this tough?”

The soldiers grumbled, questioning the necessity, but Kim Hyun-jun thought otherwise.

If anything, it had to be this tough for them to handle the real thing.

‘The real thing’s even more hectic.’

Even if it happened only once before his regression, Kim Hyun-jun had experienced it.

He’d been deployed to a dungeon where two civilians were trapped, and it was pretty rough.

One wouldn’t let anyone touch them, the other was so drunk they couldn’t even stand.

On top of that, monsters blocked the entrance, so there was no way out.

Protecting the civilians and fighting at the same time in those conditions was an ordeal.

‘Compared to that, this training is just a trial version.’

While he waited, his turn came up before he knew it.

Kim Hyun-jun checked his gear and stood at the dungeon entrance.

Corporal Kang Cheol-soo was already inside, waiting in the civilian role.

He really hated the idea of having to carry the guy on his back, but thinking about how he’d pay him back later, he could put up with it.

“Next! Squad 7!”

“Private! Kim Hyun-jun! Ready to enter!”

“Enter!”

As soon as the instructor gave the signal, Kim Hyun-jun dashed into the dungeon.

He already had a general idea of the dungeon’s layout.

He’d gone through this training several times before his regression. Even if it had changed a little, he couldn’t forget.

“Mister! Are you alright?”

At the end of the dungeon.

Corporal Kang Cheol-soo was lying face-down in a corner.

Kim Hyun-jun followed the manual and quickly checked him.

“We need to get out right now. Your leg is injured. The dungeon hasn’t been cleared yet, so there are monsters inside.”

Without giving Kang Cheol-soo a chance to say anything, Kim Hyun-jun grabbed his arm and hoisted him up.

Then he slung him on his back and raced for the exit.

“Kieeek!”

Right on cue, two monsters leapt out.

They were goblins—small monsters with greenish skin and clubs.

Goblins were C-rank, Level 3 monsters.

Their small size made them look easy, but they were strong enough to smash through logs.

They were smart for monsters, too, digging traps inside dungeons.

‘Look at those thighs... they must’ve done some serious lower body training.’

Compared to normal goblins, their thighs were unusually thick—it looked like the Hunter Corps had tinkered with them.

In fact, they really were faster than the average goblin.

“Not so fast.”

Of course, Kim Hyun-jun was used to this kind of situation. He stayed vigilant and kept his distance from the goblins.

If they closed in, he’d use his spear to push them back.

It was a bit unwieldy at close quarters, but as long as he kept it in mind, it was fine.

“Kieek! I’ll kill you!”

The enraged goblin swung its club, but though it was quick, its attacks were easy enough to dodge.

“Take it easy, you little brat!”

“Yes, yes.”

He let Corporal Kang Cheol-soo’s grumbling wash over him.

Like anyone could afford to “take it easy” in that situation.

He was just complaining because being carried around was uncomfortable.

Rumble, rumble, rumble.

As the exit neared, pillars would shoot up from the floor as traps.

But for Kim Hyun-jun, it was no problem.

He deftly dodged, twisting his body and picking up speed.

In the end, he escaped the dungeon with ease.

“Squad 7. Private Kim Hyun-jun. Three minutes, forty seconds.”

He’d clocked in at three minutes—top-tier.

The perfect score for the training was under five minutes.

He hadn’t just finished in four minutes—he’d finished in three.

And he was just a Private.

“Holy crap. He finished in three minutes?”

“I thought I was watching Challenge Dream Team or something.”

“Isn’t this his first time doing the training? Most guys can barely see straight on their first run.”

“Exactly. No wonder the earlier squads were a mess.”

“A Staff Sergeant just set a record with three-fifty-something not long ago, and this kid’s a Private, beating that.”

Voices of admiration followed him back to his seat.

But to Kim Hyun-jun, it was nothing to be surprised about.

He’d been through it before his regression, and with that experience, he couldn’t help but excel.

‘It’s too early to be amazed.’

From what he’d seen, not a single soldier knew how to play the civilian role properly.

Not that it was surprising.

How many soldiers had ever been in a real-life rescue situation?

‘I’ll show you just how troublesome a civilian you have to protect can be.’

* * *

When the roles switched and it was Kang Cheol-soo’s turn, Kim Hyun-jun was deep inside the dungeon searching for something.

‘Where is it? They said it was at the end of the dungeon.’

He ran his hands over the floor and walls, checking every nook and cranny.

He was searching for an item that the dungeon investigation team had found before his regression.

‘Gotta find it before Cheol-soo gets here.’

If he recalled correctly, the item looked like a marble.

He focused his eyes and swept his hands along the floor.

After searching for a while, the company commander asked what he was doing, and Kim Hyun-jun replied, “I’m acting as a drunk who lost something.”

How long did he search like that?

Something caught in his palm.

‘This is it!’

A small, round object, glowing faintly—smaller than a marble.

No doubt about it, it was the item.

He had no idea what it did, what grade it was, or what effects it had.

A Hunter could only tell if an item existed or not.

To find out an item’s true worth, it had to be appraised.

‘If I report it to the unit, they’ll just take it, so I can’t tell anyone.’

Usually, he’d sneak out during leave to get it appraised, but Kim Hyun-jun was an exception.

He could handle it with his hidden trait.

‘Just in time.’

As he wiped his hands and pocketed the item, he spotted Kang Cheol-soo running from a distance.

Kim Hyun-jun grinned at him.

And as soon as Kang Cheol-soo arrived, he collapsed on the floor.

‘Cheol-soo, I’ll show you what real stress feels like.’

He would show just how terrifying and infuriating a misbehaving civilian could be.