Chapter 28: The Power of the Capturing Spear

‘Just what level is that guy that he's spamming magic like that?’

Kim Hyun-jun was slightly flustered because the villain's resistance was stronger than expected.

The power of the magic he had been easily parrying suddenly increased, and even the number and types of spells had grown.

He evaded as best as he could and used his spear to deflect the magic, but getting close to the villain was impossible.

It was a problem because whenever he felt the distance closing, that villain would struggle desperately like that.

‘I feel like I could reach him if I extend the spear… should I try using that.’

Kim Hyun-jun judged that he would lose the guy at this rate.

He used the recently purchased skill, Capturing Spear.

The result was fortunately a success.

Currently, Shin Hae-sol was stuck tightly to Kim Hyun-jun’s spear shaft.

‘So it catches the target like this and then pulls them.’

Does the nature of the mana temporarily change when the skill is activated?

The flustered villain tried his best to break free from the spear, but it was no use.

The black mana wrapped around the spear shaft boasted powerful adhesive strength.

“Shit! What is this! Let go! Let go if you don't want to die!”

The villain growled while flailing his limbs, telling him to let go immediately.

Whether he did or not, Kim Hyun-jun slowly retracted the spear the guy was stuck to.

Because the guy's current appearance was no different from a frightened dog barking.

‘Capturing Spear continues to consume mana. It seems to consume it faster the more that guy struggles.’

It seemed like an all-purpose skill, but it wasn't.

Mana continued to drain while the skill was maintained.

It was a continuous skill, not a one-time use skill.

If it were his old Mana Hole, he wouldn't have been able to handle the amount of mana consumption.

‘The amount of mana required for capture also seems to vary depending on the Hunter's strength.’

Still, it was definitely a useful skill.

Who would have known that a spearman would have a skill to catch an enemy moving away?

‘Normally, it would be more certain to just pierce one of his limbs with the spear….’

The reason he went through the trouble of even using a skill?

Wouldn't it be better to catch him cleanly and hand him over?

It wasn't a situation where the villain was holding a hostage and threatening them, nor did he kill anyone.

He hadn't heard a detailed report, but it meant the matter wasn't that heavy.

If he accidentally caused a major injury while trying to catch the villain in this situation, it was obvious the guy would drag out time, claiming he needed treatment.

‘Is there any other country that cares about the human rights of criminals as much as South Korea?’

Even if the country was a good place to live, it was truly a problem.

“Hey. Let’s go nicely, shall we? You just experienced it, right? If you try to run away, I'll pierce one of your limbs.”

Kim Hyun-jun used his spear to firmly fix the guy's arm so that the villain couldn't run away.

“Do you know who I am? If you knew who was above me….”

“Then bring him here. So I can catch him too.”

“Crazy bastard.”

Shin Hae-sol swallowed hard upon seeing Kim Hyun-jun smiling broadly.

Usually, soldiers tend to back off if you threaten them a little.

It's because they are reluctant and afraid of the existence known as a villain.

However, this guy didn't have a single change in expression even though he revealed he was a villain.

Rather, he even looked happy, as if he had caught a big fish.

Looking at that face, he felt like he could even sense a bit of madness.

Looking at the rank insignia, he should only be a Private First Class, but he has no fear at all.

“Hey. Walk straight. I get even a little more performance points if I hand you over cleanly.”

“I get it, so stop pushing me!”

Shin Hae-sol eventually gave up on escaping.

‘Damn it. Are all Hunter Army Private First Classes these days like that?’

Shin Hae-sol still couldn't believe that a Level 4 mage was struggling against a mere soldier.

***

After capturing the villain, Kim Hyun-jun headed to where Second Lieutenant Park Ah-young was for the report.

“Won't you put your heads down properly?”

There, Special Task Force soldiers were sticking their heads on the ground.

It was a posture called the Won-san Bombing.

“I clearly said you just need to do as you were trained, but you missed him?”

“We are sorry!”

“The villain who escaped was a Level 4 mage without any equipment. Are you guys really part of the Special Task Force?”

“We are sorry!”

“If you're going to be scared of magic like that, I'm telling you to quit!”

Second Lieutenant Park Ah-young gave them a fierce disciplinary session.

It seems like it's because they missed a villain.

‘That villain is here now, though.’

Kim Hyun-jun kept his distance tactfully and waited for Second Lieutenant Park Ah-young's disciplinary session for the soldiers to end.

While he was at it, he also enjoyed watching the soldiers roll around.

‘Wow. Their posture is totally like aces. I couldn't do it like that.’

As expected, it seemed that not just anyone could be in the special forces.

How could their disciplinary posture be so perfect?

“Loyalty!”

Only when it was time for Second Lieutenant Park Ah-young to make the soldiers stand up did Kim Hyun-jun move.

“Private First Class Kim Hyun-jun of the Flying Dragon Unit!”

Following that, she whipped her head around at the report that he had captured the villain.

“Did you catch him alone?”

“Yes! The villain passed through the place where I was standing guard, so I caught him!”

“I never passed on that guy's face, so how did you confirm it?”

“Private First Class Jung Ye-na sent me a signal! Also, I received a simple description of his appearance from the unit!”

“…I see.”

A look of surprise appeared on her expressionless face for a moment.

The fact that an ordinary Hunter Army soldier caught a villain that the Hunter Special Task Force soldiers had missed by himself.

It was an achievement sufficient to surprise her.

‘There isn't a single wound on his body. The resistance must have been fierce.’

The villain Shin Hae-sol is a Level 4 mage.

Even if he didn't have proper equipment, the power of the low-circle magic he wielded could not be ignored.

Even for the Special Task Force Private First Classes mobilized for this mission, the armor they wore was not intact.

The leg guard of the soldier who was grazed by Shin Hae-sol's magic was dented deep enough to be hollowed out.

That's why she was surprised.

Because he had captured Shin Hae-sol without a single scratch.

Just what kind of method did he use to make the guy be caught so submissively?

“Private First Class Kim Hyun-jun. It must have been a difficult and dangerous task, so thank you.”

She had more than one or two questions, but she didn't pry.

He had done the job that the Special Task Force was originally supposed to do.

Not only that, he had even captured the villain more cleanly than the unit's soldiers.

“Private First Class Kim Hyun-jun. I only did what I had to do.”

Kim Hyun-jun handed over the villain as if it were no big deal.

‘Doesn't this mean I'll get promoted to Corporal as a special promotion or something?’

Of course, he was so happy inside that he felt like he was flying.

***

The mission ended with the capture of the last villain, Shin Hae-sol.

The Special Task Force loaded the villain into a transport vehicle and quickly left the scene.

Once inside the sturdy vehicle reminiscent of an armored car, it would be difficult for the villain to escape.

“Hey! Are you guys still Special Force Hunters? Take off your unit patches, you bastards!”

Private First Class Lee Dong-tak shouted hard at the back of the car as if he wanted the soldiers to hear.

“Idiots. They were showing off, and then they missed the villain? Serves them right.”

“Did you see them rolling around earlier? Their platoon leader was making them roll with gritted teeth.”

“Really? Ah. I didn't see that.”

The other soldiers also had expressions of relief as if they had been through something, and they chuckled.

Meanwhile, they rushed to Kim Hyun-jun and showered him with praise, saying he did a good job.

Saying that it was rare for an ordinary Hunter Army soldier to catch a villain.

“I thought Hyun-jun's form was good lately, and now he even caught a villain.”

“I thought he had lost his mind when he suddenly dashed out earlier.”

“I heard earlier that the villain Hyun-jun caught wasn't just some random guy? He was a Level 4 mage.”

“…Level 4? And a mage at that? How did you even think of catching him.”

“Ugh. I wouldn't have even been able to chase him because I'd be too scared.”

Only then did Kim Hyun-jun realize that the villain he caught was Level 4.

‘No wonder it felt heavy for basic magic.’

There was a reason why parrying basic magic was harder than expected.

“I was able to move quickly because Private First Class Jung Ye-na let me know.”

In the continuing conversation, Kim Hyun-jun shifted his gaze to Private First Class Jung Ye-na.

Thanks to her, he was able to grasp the situation quickly, and as a result, he was able to catch the villain faster.

Kim Hyun-jun hadn't even expected that she would fire an arrow like that in a situation without a radio.

“What's this? Why are you suddenly talking me up? You did it all, Hyun-jun.”

As gazes gathered, she avoided them, seemingly embarrassed deep down.

“But how did you know that villain's face?”

“That? I took a peek when the Special Task Force Second Lieutenant was unfolding the villains' photos. From a distance, of course.”

Private First Class Jung Ye-na said she was looking around here and there because her guard duty was boring, and then she moved after confirming that a villain had appeared near Kim Hyun-jun.

She said she had a hard time because it was dawn and hard to see.

Indeed.

The Hawk Eye trait was more useful than expected.

“That's… a really good ability for peeping.”

“Hey! You just had a weird thought, didn't you? Come here.”

“No, why me all of a sudden!”

“Your eyes were lewd just now!”

A chase between the two Private First Classes suddenly began.

Kim Hyun-jun smirked while watching them.

‘Should I call this good luck? Or bad luck?’

To think that a villain he had almost no chance of meeting would run away towards the direction where he was standing guard, of all places.

It would have been terribly bad luck for other soldiers, but it was the opposite for him.

***

The morning after Kim Hyun-jun returned to the unit.

Starting from the living quarters, the whole unit was in an uproar.

It was only natural, since Kim Hyun-jun had captured a villain all by himself.

“I bet 500 won that he gets a special promotion to Corporal.”

“Bullshit. No matter what, it's not to the point of a special promotion. Do you know how hard that is?”

“And catching a villain isn't hard?”

The seniors of the 3rd Living Quarters had a heated debate over whether Kim Hyun-jun would become a Corporal or not.

Since there was no clear standard for special promotions, it wasn't certain even if he caught a villain.

‘The results will come out within a week at the latest.’

Kim Hyun-jun decided to take it easy in the meantime.

Although being promoted to Corporal because of this was the best result he hoped for, would it really happen that easily?

“Kim Hyun-jun!”

Just as he was preparing for his daily routine as usual, Second Lieutenant Kim Dong-woo kicked open the door to the living quarters and entered.

A face that seemed full of excitement.

“Private First Class Kim Hyun-jun!”

“Your special promotion is confirmed!”

At his following words, the squad members, except for Corporal Kang Chul-soo, erupted in cheers.

The special promotion screening, which would take several days at the earliest, had passed in less than a day.

“The Battalion Commander put in some effort. He protested to headquarters, asking what special promotions were for if they couldn't even give one for something like this.”

Thanks to the Battalion Commander's efforts, the sluggish reporting system of the military was passed quickly.

It was said that the Battalion Commander would personally pin the Corporal insignia on him at the commendation ceremony before the start of the daily routine.

“Hyun-jun, you eat breakfast quickly and come out early so we can practice a bit.”

“Yes! Understood!”

The Platoon Leader left the living quarters after saying those words, as if he were busy.

“This crazy guy. How long has it been since you became a Private First Class that you're already becoming a Corporal?”

“How long has it been since he was transferred here? I don't think it's even been six months.”

“Six months, my foot. I bet not even four months have passed.”

“I thought it would take a long time for Hyun-jun to escape being the youngest because his military service number was messed up, but he escapes like this.”

The seniors were inwardly shocked but congratulated him honestly.

It seemed like they couldn't believe that Kim Hyun-jun, who was still the youngest even after becoming a Private First Class, was already becoming a Corporal who was above average.

“Corporal Kim Hyun-jun. I look forward to working with you.”

The Private First Classes with more seniority than Kim Hyun-jun already started speaking formally to him.

Even though his insignia was still that of a Private First Class, he was as good as a Corporal.

“Shit. This isn't a game, and he's already a Corporal? Does that make sense?”

Amidst the bright atmosphere, a voice that sounded very angry cut in.

It was Corporal Kang Chul-soo, whose face had been crumpled for a while.

‘Uh… Chul-soo. If you say something like that here now….’

Silence fell upon the living quarters.

Kim Hyun-jun hadn't expected Corporal Kang Chul-soo to show such a reaction openly.

Because he thought he was a guy with at least a minimum amount of sense.

‘Did his brakes break because he was so jealous?’

It didn't seem like he needed to step forward himself.

Seeing how the other seniors were glaring at the guy.