Chapter 31: A Rare Gift for a Comrade

That evening, at the archery training facility.

Private First Class Jung Ye-na was devoted to her archery practice.

Whish! Thwack!

Every time she steadied her breathing and released an arrow, it flew straight into the center of the target.

"...Ugh."

However, the moment she infused the arrow with mana, her accuracy plummeted.

She was only hitting the mark once or twice out of ten shots. At this rate, it was unusable in actual combat.

"What exactly is the problem?"

The issue she had faced since she first became a Private First Class showed no signs of improvement even as time passed.

When she first awakened her mana, she felt like she was walking on air.

But months after being promoted to Private First Class, this problem continued to hold her back.

- Just keep practicing. There is no other way.

Whether she sought advice from the archery instructor or asked other seniors, the answer was always the same.

Practice was the only solution.

"Geez. Not many archers train as hard as I do."

The archers who had faced the same problem in the beginning were now firing mana-infused arrows with ease.

Arrows strengthened by mana dug deep into the sturdy target boards.

"Sigh..."

At this point, she had to admit it. She had no talent for manipulating mana.

'If only I had items or expensive elixirs...'

For a moment, a weak thought escaped her, but she quickly regained her composure.

'No. I decided not to receive help from my family. Especially from my sister, who is an A-rank hunter.'

Enlisting in the Hunter Army despite her parents' opposition was a form of rebellion.

It was because she had been told she had no talent as a hunter and should give up.

- How foolish. In time, you'll admit I was right.

Her family's past words flickered pointlessly in her mind.

"Let's call it a day."

She couldn't concentrate today of all days. As she was tidying up the training facility to head out, someone grabbed her shoulder.

"Why the long face?"

It was Kim Hyun-jun.

"Loyalty! Corporal Kim Hyun-jun. Have you returned from leave?"

She immediately fixed her expression and pretended to be nonchalant. She didn't want anyone to know about her problem, especially Kim Hyun-jun.

"I brought a gift for you... but we can't do it here. Want to follow me for a second?"

After a brief conversation to exchange pleasantries, Kim Hyun-jun led Private First Class Jung Ye-na to a quiet place.

It was near a warehouse where scrap parts were stored, a spot out of sight from the CCTV cameras.

"Corporal Kim Hyun-jun? Why are you bringing me to such a secluded place? What are you planning to do?"

Private First Class Jung Ye-na stepped back playfully, crossing her arms.

"Then I guess I should just go back. Good luck."

"Ah, I'm joking! Just a joke!"

Kim Hyun-jun pretended to turn away, then carefully pulled the item out of his pocket.

"Here, a gift."

A soft, white ball. It was the Essence of a Goblin Archer.

"C-Corporal Kim Hyun-jun?"

Jung Ye-na's jaw dropped as she identified the item.

"H-how... how on earth did you get this?"

She was so shocked she even stuttered. It was understandable.

A monster's essence was a precious item that permanently increased a hunter's stats.

'Aren't most monster essences duds?'

That was what she knew. There were well over hundreds of types of monster essences.

Among them, many were useless.

'If it's the Essence of a Goblin Archer... there shouldn't even be any on the market right now.'

However, the essence Kim Hyun-jun handed over was an item archers couldn't get their hands on even if they wanted to.

This was because mid-sized guilds had bought up every single Essence of a Goblin Archer.

To get one now, you had to pay a premium—more than three times the market price. Naturally, it was an amount she couldn't afford, so she hadn't even thought about getting one.

"I got it while I was on leave. Of course it's legal... wait, no. It's not legal, let's call it 'extra-legal.'"

Kim Hyun-jun handed it to her, telling her not to feel burdened and to accept it as a reward for the times she had looked after him when he was a Private First Class.

"But I don't know if it'll be a big help to you. The grade is only Rare."

Monster essences had a drawback. Each hunter could only use one essence.

While they seemed like elixirs at first glance, the usage conditions were surprisingly strict.

Even Rare-grade items had conditions attached.

That was why he had only obtained Jung Ye-na's essence for now.

An essence suitable for a spearman was impossible to obtain at this point in time.

"...How could it not be a help?"

Jung Ye-na accepted the Essence of a Goblin Archer. With trembling hands, she slowly absorbed the essence. The item disappeared from her palm like melting snow.

"I have something to check! Could you wait just a moment?"

"Sure. Go ahead."

After checking the system message, Jung Ye-na dashed toward the training facility. Then, about thirty minutes later, she returned after finishing her confirmation and lunged at Kim Hyun-jun.

"Waaaaah. Corporal Kim Hyun-jun. Thank you so much."

She wept, rubbing her face against him.

"Hey. You're getting spit all over my clothes."

He didn't expect the reaction to be this intense. He was the one who felt flustered instead. He hadn't expected her to be this moved by receiving a Rare-grade monster essence.

However, from Jung Ye-na's perspective, it was only natural.

Her archery skills, which had been pathetic the moment she infused mana just a moment ago, had improved noticeably.

It was thanks to the monster's essence.

Her skill in manipulating mana was the same, but the feeling of firing an arrow was different. As a result, she felt that once she finished adapting, she would be able to use it in actual combat.

'It's not that precious, though.'

Of course, Kim Hyun-jun, who had no way of knowing the internal details, scratched his cheek.

More than that, Jung Ye-na showed no sign of letting go. He tried to push her away but eventually gave up and decided to wait.

'Since the reaction is good, it feels worth giving a gift.'

While this level of intensity was a bit burdensome, a good thing was a good thing.

Kim Hyun-jun stood still until she calmed down. He didn't expect to be standing there for over an hour, though.

***

That night.

The Battalion Commander's office.

The commander of the 3rd Battalion, Colonel Woo Hyun-seok, was handling a backlog of work.

It was because his workload had suddenly increased recently. Despite that, his face was peaceful.

"He's certainly a remarkable fellow."

That was because the cause was Kim Hyun-jun. A mere soldier had suppressed a villain that even the Special Task Force hunters had missed, and he had done so without a single scratch.

Looking into the report documenting the situation at the time, the villain Kim Hyun-jun had caught was by no means easy.

Level 4 Mage Shin Hae-sol. A villain backed by Nemesis, a giant villain alliance.

While he couldn't use elemental magic, he was characterized by his ability to frantically spam low-circle spells.

He had caught such a guy with nothing but a single spear and no proper equipment. A soldier who hadn't even received anti-villain training.

"He's not someone you can catch just by receiving that kind of half-baked training."

No matter how much training one receives, training is different from a real-life situation. Most ordinary Hunter Army soldiers would be intimidated upon encountering a villain.

In such a situation, to chase a villain without hesitation, engage in combat, and even suppress them?

Even a Special Task Force soldier wouldn't be able to complete their first mission like that.

As if to prove it, even the arrogant Special Task Force had contacted him.

"They're testing the waters to see if they can scout him since a useful guy caught their eye. Those bastards. I won't let that happen."

Colonel Woo Hyun-seok wasn't just standing by.

He had contacted Hunter Headquarters and gone to some lengths to promote Kim Hyun-jun to Corporal. Because he was a soldier who was worth it—no, more than worth it.

If there was one problem, it was whether Kim Hyun-jun would remain as a professional soldier...

"There's no good in rushing things too much."

Colonel Woo Hyun-seok decided to wait for now. In terms of service period alone, he was a soldier who should still be a Private.

"Ranger training is coming up soon... I'm looking forward to seeing how well this guy does again."

That day, the light in the Battalion Commander's office did not go out until dawn.

***

As time passed, the day of Ranger training arrived. From the morning, groans leaked out from all over the barracks.

"Fuck! Ranger training in my final months!"

"Can someone please break my leg?"

The Sergeants awaiting discharge especially screamed at the top of their lungs, telling people to just kill them instead.

Ranger training was known as one of the five hellish training programs of the Hunter Army due to its high intensity.

Since the Hunter Army was also founded based on the regular army, the training tended to be more intense, never less.

"Damn. I heard the training intensity is getting tougher starting with this session."

As various risk factors, including monsters, increased, the training intensity of the Hunter Army also rose.

It meant they had to endure already difficult Ranger training even more harshly.

The soldiers began packing their full gear for training while continuously venting their frustration.

'Ranger training. I'll have to do well this time.'

Kim Hyun-jun had already increased various stats in preparation for Ranger training.

This was the reason he had cleared out dungeons during his previous reward leave.

Level: 4
Stats: Strength [15] Stamina [15] Agility [13] Mana [10] Spearmanship [13]

This was because the stat growth increased as the level rose. Currently, Kim Hyun-jun's stats had surpassed the level of an average Sergeant.

'The higher the stats, the easier it is to handle the training.'

From Second Lieutenant onwards, officer-specific training difficulty would apply, but as a soldier, this would be enough for now.

'My mana manipulation has also improved compared to before.'

Kim Hyun-jun actively utilized the training items of his Hidden Trait until the full-scale Ranger training began.

After his daily duties, he headed to the private training room, starting with Imperial Spearmanship training and squeezing out his mana. Once recovered, he repeated the process.

- Hyun-jun. You're a Corporal now, so take it easy.

- Ugh, what a tenacious guy. I could never do that.

Even his squad members were horrified by the training that didn't stop even after his promotion to Corporal. In truth, Kim Hyun-jun hadn't intended to work this hard.

[Try again.]

[Try again.]

[Try agai...]

[Try properly.]

He had become stubborn because of the Hidden Trait's constant criticism.

There were results. Ten days after receiving corrections, he became able to wrap mana around parts of his body.

That meant he could utilize his body as a weapon in an emergency.

He couldn't maintain it for long, but compared to barely being able to wrap mana around the spearhead, it was a massive improvement.

Without the help of the Hidden Trait, he would still be unable to properly utilize mana.

'Being a spearman doesn't mean it's over just because you're good with a spear.'

A spearman mastering spearmanship was only the basic requirement. Other things were also important.

'I used to struggle just to carry this.'

Looking at how the rucksack, weighing over 80kg, didn't feel heavy right now was proof enough. Before his regression, that pack had felt so heavy.

"Corporal Kang Chul-su-Chul-su. Why is your packing speed so slow?"

As he left the barracks, he tossed a comment at Kang Chul-su, who was still rummaging through his gear.

Before the regression, he would have been hit on the head by Corporal Kang Chul-su for being slow, but not now. If anything, it was the opposite.

"Shut up. And how many times do I have to tell you not to call my name like that..."

"Kang Chul-su-Chul-su. Are you going to pack your gear slower than your junior just because you're a Corporal?"

"...Corporal Kang Chul-su. No, sir."

Corporal Kang Chul-su, who was about to snarl, couldn't get any angrier at Corporal Han Ji-han's words.

***

'The start of Ranger training was the entrance march.'

The full-scale Ranger training began. The soldiers walked toward the distant training grounds in full gear.

The distance was 80km. It had been 60km until last year, but the distance increased due to the intensified training.

Unlike last year, the soldiers took a long detour. It was because they had to fulfill the marching distance.

[Biryong Unit Ranger Training Ground]

When they arrived at the entrance of the training ground after finishing the march, instructors wearing red hats were waiting at the entrance. It was the moment the real Ranger training began.