Chapter 55: Rescue

2:20 AM.

The 2.5-ton truck drove out of the base.

"What's going on all of a sudden? I was sleeping so well," one soldier complained.

"Why are they dumping a dungeon raid from another unit on us?" another added.

"The problem isn't just the raid; there are civilians trapped inside."

"Ah, dammit! If they passed it to another unit, there's definitely going to be some troublemakers in there."

The soldiers, who had been grumbling, reacted sharply when the mention of civilians came up. While some civilians followed instructions quietly, others could be real nuisances. In the latter case, the difficulty of the rescue jumped several times over, and the stress the soldiers felt was immense.

"Corporal Kim Hyeon-jun, I think I'm lucky in this case," Private First Class Jeong Ye-na said as she glanced at the soldiers.

She mentioned that her role was merely to check for hazards using her Hawk Eye trait. It meant she was glad she didn't have to deal with the civilians directly.

'Come to think of it, something like that happened around this time.'

Hyeon-jun recalled his memories from before his regression only after hearing the support location. An accident had occurred during a civilian rescue where both civilians and Hunter-military personnel were severely injured. It had even been featured in the Hunter-military news. However, since it had happened in another unit, he didn't know much about it.

The difference now was that the Biryong Unit had taken over the case, and the situation was far more dangerous than expected.

'I'll just have to keep a close eye on everything once we enter the dungeon.'

Hyeon-jun told PFC Jeong Ye-na to carefully observe the internal environment once they entered.

'Since I was never personally deployed there, this is the best I can do.'

The support location they were heading toward was near a beach in Sokcho, Gangwon Province. A dungeon had opened near a coastline where many people passed by. Consequently, the Hunter-military had been blocking civilian access and controlling the area for the past month. Because it was a mutation-type dungeon, the investigation took time, and there were many factors to consider since there were many private houses nearby.

As for why the civilians were trapped in the dungeon...

'What else could it be? They got drunk and did something crazy.'

They had entered out of curiosity while drunk, taking advantage of a moment when the military's guard was loose. Yet, when casualties occurred, the arrows of blame were pointed at the military. That was how it had happened in his memories.

'I'll have to handle it well this time so it doesn't end up like that.'

They arrived at the scene after a long drive. A blue sphere glowed faintly on the dark beach, lighting up the surroundings. It was the entrance to the dungeon where the civilians were trapped.

The only relief was that control was being strictly enforced now. The number of soldiers guarding the dungeon had doubled. Looking around, not a single civilian could be seen near the coast. Occasionally, some civilians would come close to see the spectacle, but that was always a headache for the military.

"Salute. I am Staff Sergeant Park Taek-jin."

"Salute. I am Staff Sergeant Lee Gyeong-min."

The leading officer who had ridden in the front of the truck received a brief report on the situation. After confirming that the situation had not changed, he gave instructions to the platoon members.

"Move exactly as the company commander ordered, and fulfill your respective roles faithfully."

"Yes, sir!"

The platoon members, who had quickly finished their equipment checks, headed into the dungeon. The soldiers' primary goal was civilian rescue. Afterward, they would have a reorganization period before killing the boss monster remaining inside. Because of this, more personnel than usual were deployed, divided into two groups: the raid team and the rescue team.

*Whoosh!*

The scenery changed instantly as they passed through the blue sphere. A cool breeze slapped the cheeks of the platoon members.

'Is this why the other unit dumped this on us?'

Looking around, Hyeon-jun realized the internal environment was completely different from the briefing. The terrain was treacherous, and the floor was slippery. Numerous trees reminiscent of a jungle grew tall, and the humidity was so intense that it was difficult to maintain visibility.

'And the civilians' location... it's near the waterfall deep inside.'

The civilians were isolated at a boundary line divided into two sections. In that position, equipment like ropes would be needed to pull them up.

'We have heavy rescue equipment, but we can't use it in a place like this.'

It would be difficult to bring it into the dungeon, and installing it on such rough terrain was impossible. He wondered how on earth the civilians had gotten that far in.

"I can't see a thing in front of me," one soldier muttered.

"It feels like there's fog everywhere."

Most of the soldiers were flustered, unlike Hyeon-jun. Although they had heard it was a mutation-type dungeon, the actual environment was several times harsher. The only silver lining was that the monsters inside had been cleared. Otherwise, monkey-like monsters hanging from the trees would have greeted them.

"We still have some time, so make sure no one leaves the formation."

"Yes, sir!"

The soldiers moved slowly toward the interior of the dungeon following the leading officer's instructions. Meanwhile, the archers tried their best to secure vision to see if there were any potential hazards.

"Ugh... it's too humid. I can't see well..."

It seemed they were having more difficulty than expected. Some time passed as they moved inward.

"Hey! Get us out of here!"

They spotted the civilians waving their hands in the distance. There were five of them. They were isolated near a giant rock where water was gushing out. The problem was that the distance was much further than it looked on the map, and the surrounding terrain was treacherous.

"Man... how are we supposed to get over there?"

"The path is so narrow that only one person can go at a time."

The terrain was so dangerous that a single misstep could lead to a serious injury. Since they had to rescue civilians while moving alone, the pressure was natural.

"It looks like we have no choice but to pull them out one by one..."

The leading officer also seemed unable to think of a better way. Everyone had grim expressions. To deliver the rescue rope, a soldier had to cross to the other side.

'This is perfect for me.'

Only one person remained calm, and that was Hyeon-jun.

"Corporal Kim Hyeon-jun. I will go."

Compared to what he had experienced in the double dungeon before, this was truly nothing. Back then, a misstep didn't just mean getting hurt; it meant death. Of course, using the Yeouibong fragment had made things easier then, but this time, he didn't even need to use an item.

"Hyeon-jun. Don't overdo it, and take it slow. Understood?"

"Yes, sir. Leave it to me."

Although he didn't need safety gear, he had to wear it according to the manual. Hyeon-jun descended while tied to a rope.

'Is this a Hunter raiding a dungeon or a rescue worker?'

Maybe both, since he had to kill the boss monster afterward, too.

Hyeon-jun leaped across the treacherous terrain with ease. He even used his spear as a support to jump over gaps. His Acrobatic trait and core muscles built through steady training made it possible.

He reached the isolated civilians. As he was about to tie the rescue rope to them...

"I can't walk. Bring a stretcher, a stretcher!"

A middle-aged man began to insist that he couldn't leave like that. He claimed he couldn't move a single step and demanded they bring a stretcher.

'Is this man not afraid of being trapped in a dungeon?'

The other civilians seemed desperate to get out quickly, but this one man was being stubborn. A strong smell of alcohol wafted from him. I see. This was why the other unit had dumped this work.

'If I try to rescue him by force, his resistance will only get stronger, and that's how accidents happen.'

Of course, it didn't matter to Hyeon-jun.

"I will carry you."

"Really? You're a sensible one! Then go back and get the stretch—whoa!"

Hyeon-jun threw the middle-aged man onto his back and pulled him out of the isolated spot with a relaxed expression. He moved so fast that the civilian on his back was left dazed.

"Staff Sergeant Park Taek-jin. I will continue the rescue operation."

"Huh? Oh... okay."

Staff Sergeant Park was also stunned. He had been informed that Hyeon-jun had manifested an Acrobatic trait, but that trait wasn't all-powerful; it was just a supportive one.

'I've seen several female soldiers with the same trait as Hyeon-jun, but they weren't at this level.'

It had to be a combination of the trait and his exceptional personal skill. Moreover, no matter the trait, it wasn't easy without confidence and guts. The terrain was dangerous, and he had to rescue civilians while caring for them.

"Keep a sharp eye out just in case!"

"Yes, sir!"

Staff Sergeant Park prepared for any potential threats while Hyeon-jun performed the rescue operation.

"Wow... just watching him makes me dizzy."

"Is that rescue speed for real? He rescued all five by himself in less than 30 minutes?"

"Hey. Didn't I tell you? There's a reason the other unit dumped this. How are you supposed to get over there with just your body?"

"Hyeon-jun's doing it, though."

The rescue operation ended much faster than expected. A task that should have taken at least 30 minutes per person was finished by Hyeon-jun alone for all five people within 30 minutes. Currently, the rescue team was guiding the civilians safely out of the dungeon. Thanks to him, the rescue operation ended without any issues.

"Hyeon-jun. You worked hard. Go take a rest."

Staff Sergeant Park told him to step back, but Hyeon-jun didn't stop there.

"Corporal Kim Hyeon-jun. The boss monster still remains, doesn't it? I would like to join the team."

He was volunteering for the raid team's mission to kill the boss.

'Is this what the battalion commander meant when he said to grant almost anything regarding dungeon raids?'

Staff Sergeant Park checked Hyeon-jun's condition. He didn't see any problems. The rescue operation couldn't have been easy, yet he wasn't even out of breath.

'Hyeon-jun will be a Sergeant soon at this rate.'

Even though he had shown an exceptionally fast promotion speed so far, that thought still occurred. The sergeant's experience was telling him that Kim Hyeon-jun was repeatedly accomplishing things an ordinary soldier could not.

"You must tell me immediately if there's a problem."

"Yes, sir!"

Permission to join the raid team was granted easily. Hyeon-jun smirked inwardly.

'There's a reason I finished the rescue mission so quickly.'

He had rushed in case the boss monster appeared unexpectedly. It was a risk factor he had considered, as it would be troublesome if the boss popped out during the rescue.

---

After sending the civilians out of the dungeon, the raid team finished their preparations and moved deeper inside. While the area where the civilians were trapped was humid, the inner part was exceptionally cold. It felt like they had entered a refrigerator.

"This is ridiculous."

"Why is it so cold here when it was so humid while we were getting the civilians out?"

"I heard the boss monster here is a Troll. They said it hates cold places."

The soldiers were annoyed by the environment, which differed from the report. If they had known it would be cold, they would have brought proper winter gear.

"Guys, if you're Hunter-military, you should be able to endure this much," Staff Sergeant Park Taek-jin encouraged them.

Meanwhile, Hyeon-jun nodded at the quiet atmosphere.

'At least no accidents happened.'

Since he had rescued all five civilians safely and quickly, it seemed he had avoided the accident he saw in the news before his regression. The inside of the dungeon had been quiet so far. He moved, thinking that things would end without incident, but...

"Wait. This isn't just a normal Troll, is it?"

A monster different from the one in the report appeared before the soldiers' eyes. Everyone looked flustered. However, Hyeon-jun was the opposite; he felt a sense of anticipation.

'This guy is almost a B-rank monster, isn't it?'

He had unexpectedly gained the chance to hunt a monster stronger than he had anticipated.