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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: The Confrontation
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As he climbed the barracks stairs, Park Jun-mo broke out in a cold sweat.
"Uh, Corporal Lee Hyun-wook..."
"Yeah?"
"Today's duty NCO is Corporal Gwak Jin-cheol."
"Yeah, I know. I saw him this morning."
Park Jun-mo brought it up as a warning, a plea for him to be careful.
Corporal Gwak Jin-cheol despised Corporal Lee Hyun-wook.
It was a well-known fact, even to Park Jun-mo, the squad's newest member who had only been here for three months.
'...I heard Corporal Gwak Jin-cheol was brutally defeated by Corporal Lee Hyun-wook. Back when they were privates, though.'
Losing to an F-rank, the lowest grade, in duel training was incredibly humiliating.
Apparently, after that incident, the 2nd Squad leader at the time had given Gwak Jin-cheol, who was the squad's rookie, a severe dressing-down. It was an unprecedented humiliation for Gwak Jin-cheol, and some said they heard him sniffling late that night.
Of course, this had all happened a year ago, and the tables had since turned.
Gwak Jin-cheol had gradually grown stronger and was promoted a step to D-rank. He now served as the company's top 'dealer.'
After that, he had repeatedly demanded a rematch with Lee Hyun-wook to restore his honor...
'Corporal Lee Hyun-wook refused them all, which only made Gwak Jin-cheol hate him more...'
That was when it started.
Gwak Jin-cheol allegedly began using his established position in the company to subtly bully Lee Hyun-wook.
But Lee Hyun-wook, lacking in every respect, had no choice but to endure it.
'But... what if Corporal Lee Hyun-wook has finally had enough and is about to explode?'
Park Jun-mo worried as he watched Lee Hyun-wook's back disappear down the hallway.
No matter how angry he was, Corporal Lee Hyun-wook, with no standing to speak of... could do nothing.
He would probably just suffer an even greater humiliation.
He'll struggle, only to be stomped on even harder.
But contrary to Park Jun-mo's concerns, Lee Hyun-wook was perfectly calm.
'I still need to work out more to digest the metal I swallowed this morning. This is a pain.'
Lee Hyun-wook had endured horrors that made this childish hazing seem insignificant. He wasn't so weak-willed as to get personally worked up over such a petty conflict.
'Still, he'll be an obstacle going forward, so I should cut him off now.'
Hazing restricts freedom.
And restricted freedom prevents one from using their time effectively.
In other words, it hinders growth.
That, he could not overlook.
'Everyone must find my sudden change strange, but... whatever. It doesn't matter.'
Since his regression, he'd often heard people say he seemed different. If he was hearing it from all sides, it meant the change was obvious.
But Lee Hyun-wook had no intention of hiding the fact that he had done a complete 180.
'I may have bought myself some time, but I can't afford to waste it.'
The enemy he would face in the future was an axis of evil that had consumed the entire world. He didn't have the luxury of worrying about cause and effect or the established order in a petty power struggle within his company.
'It might be better to just take control of the unit quickly.'
A soldier taking control of a unit might sound ridiculous, but this was the A.M.T. Battles were a constant occurrence, and achieving 'merit' in those battles was what established one's 'position.'
This was an era where a single powerful soldier was more valuable than the most advanced military hardware.
For instance, a single A-rank 'tanker' Player was considered a far greater asset than hundreds of tanks.
In that sense, if he achieved the highest honors in the major and minor battles to come, he could reap a variety of benefits even during his remaining 'mandatory Player service period.'
Abilities, items, comrades, money, influence, and more...
If he didn't do that...
'Villains. They aren't foes you can defeat just by strengthening your abilities.'
He would never be able to change the worst possible future.
***
Meanwhile, the rest of the 5th Squad members were assembled in the central hallway.
Click— Click— Click—
The rhythmic clicking of a pen button, filled with irritation, came from Gwak Jin-cheol.
Wearing the duty NCO armband, he leaned against the wall, a pen in one hand.
"Hmph..."
He let out an annoyed sigh and glanced at his wristwatch.
Gulp—
At the gesture, several members of the 5th Squad swallowed dryly. Two jets of steam were already rising from his nostrils.
It was not a good sign.
"Do I... have to wait this long for you guys?"
"..."
In the tense silence, Gwak Jin-cheol's teeth could be seen glowing like steel in a furnace.
"Huh? Why no answer? Are you ignoring me too?"
"No, sir!"
"Support squad, you guys... have you lost your minds ever since Sergeant Kim was evacuated?"
"We apologize!"
Sergeant Kim Ho-jong, the 5th Squad's leader, was currently hospitalized in the military hospital. He was the type to obediently take on all the grunt work, a favorite among the perpetrators of the base's vile customs.
One of them had once joked that from a shepherd's perspective, Kim Ho-jong was the ideal 'leader of the flock.'
He would lead the flock in the desired direction on his own, without the sheepdogs having to bark fiercely.
'But now Lee Hyun-wook, that damn substitute, is acting up like he owns the place?'
The self-proclaimed shepherd-in-training, Gwak Jin-cheol, scoffed in disbelief.
Just then, two figures appeared at the end of the hallway.
Gwak Jin-cheol clicked his tongue.
"Look at that. Two stupid, lost sheep are finally crawling their way over."
It was Lee Hyun-wook and Park Jun-mo.
In that moment, Gwak Jin-cheol's expression twisted.
"Hey! Are you not going to run?!"
With the shout, gray smoke billowed from Gwak Jin-cheol's mouth.
But...
"Huh? What? Have those bastards lost their minds...?"
The two didn't run.
Park Jun-mo, startled by Gwak Jin-cheol's yell, had tried to run, but Lee Hyun-wook grabbed his shoulder. To Gwak Jin-cheol, the scene was utterly dumbfounding.
"..."
Park Jun-mo didn't know what to do, while Lee Hyun-wook remained relaxed. The two walked over slowly.
Soon, Lee Hyun-wook and Gwak Jin-cheol, two soldiers of the same rank, stood face to face.
"Our squad. Why did you call for us?"
At Lee Hyun-wook's short question, Gwak Jin-cheol snorted. Again, smoke puffed out.
"Why? What do you think it is? Work detail. Hyun-wook, you've been here this long and you still don't know...?"
"No."
Lee Hyun-wook took a step forward, cutting him off.
"I'm asking why *us*. We already worked on the drainage ditch behind the main building this morning. Isn't it a little strange for us to do it again?"
"What?"
"Get someone else. This is hazing."
At Lee Hyun-wook's words, Gwak Jin-cheol was momentarily speechless.
'Just as I thought. He gets flustered when I'm direct.'
It was just as Lee Hyun-wook had predicted. Gwak Jin-cheol opened his mouth, then closed it again.
No matter how rampant the hazing was in an organization, when the victim spoke up and demanded fairness, the perpetrator was bound to be flustered for a moment.
Unless they were a complete idiot, it was true for nine out of ten.
Because, for the most part, even the perpetrators knew that what they were doing was shameful. That's why they usually targeted those who didn't resist, continuing their torment in 'silence.'
'In my past life, neither I nor anyone else ever stood up so firmly.'
To put it simply, for Gwak Jin-cheol, this was a completely unexpected reaction.
"You know this is hazing, don't you? Gwak Jin-cheol."
Lee Hyun-wook asked again.
"..."
Gwak Jin-cheol already felt like he was being cornered. But he tried his best to look incredulous, letting out a smirk. His lips, however, were trembling slightly.
"Hey, Lee Hyun-wook. This isn't the first time, is it? What's with you, acting like a rookie?"
Yes, this was how it usually went.
Those who knew they were in the wrong, when their misdeeds were exposed, tried to rationalize it by saying that's just how things were.
At that point, Lee Hyun-wook nodded.
"The fact that it isn't the first or second time is the problem. That's why it's hazing. Our squad has the right to rest to maintain our combat readiness and time to train to improve it. Fairly. So, distribute the work details fairly too."
"Training? Haha! An F-rank is going to train? Hey, a passing goblin would laugh at that. *You* want to train?"
This, too, was an all-too-familiar script. Bringing up his F-rank for a personal attack—he'd been through it countless times in his past life. It had no effect on him.
"Right. Our squad is going to train now, so find someone else for the work detail. For your information, this is our guaranteed training time. It's stipulated in the A.M.T. Barracks Life Regulations, so if you have a complaint, don't take it to me. Take it to someone higher up."
"What, you crazy bastard..."
With such a sound rebuttal, he couldn't win with words. Unable to take it anymore, Gwak Jin-cheol glared and shoved his head forward.
But Lee Hyun-wook didn't back down. Not that he was getting into a staring contest with Gwak Jin-cheol. His eyes held a cold composure, and Gwak Jin-cheol, without realizing it, averted his gaze... and glared at the innocent Park Jun-mo instead.
"...Ha! Look at this guy. Suddenly got a big mouth, huh? People have been saying that bastard Lee Hyun-wook is a bit strange lately, that something's changed, and it looks like he really has. He's just... completely lost his mind, hasn't he? Huh?"
Flustered and agitated, the back of Gwak Jin-cheol's neck swelled as an orange heat boiled in his throat. He looked ready to breathe fire at any moment.
"C-Corporal Lee Hyun-wook. Please, just stop..."
The other squad members began to try and stop Lee Hyun-wook. If the problem escalated, it was obvious who would bear the brunt of the consequences.
But Lee Hyun-wook didn't bat an eye. If anything, he smiled leisurely, as if Gwak Jin-cheol's agitation was amusing.
"Hey, don't waste your energy. Just call someone else. We're heading in. Let's go, guys..."
"Hey! Are you defying... no, resisting an order from the duty NCO?!"
The duty NCO's orders... It seemed Gwak Jin-cheol was trying to make a logical counterargument. But he wasn't that smart and made a misstep.
"Is that right? Then is the duty officer here?"
"...What?"
"Don't you know the duty NCO is the duty officer's representative? If she's here, it must be her order. Then I'll go ask her myself. If she was the one who gave the order to our squad."
Gwak Jin-cheol was forced to shut his mouth again.
'Did this bastard suddenly go and study the regulations somewhere? What the hell... where did he pick up this complicated stuff just to piss me off?'
A simple shouting match, a battle of wills—Gwak Jin-cheol was confident in those. He'd spent his whole life fighting those kinds of brutish battles.
But being challenged with logic and evidence left him tongue-tied, which made him flustered, which in turn began to deflate his spirit.
"..."
Gwak Jin-cheol glanced toward the administration office, where the duty officer was.
'Today's duty officer is... damn it, of all people, it's Lieutenant Seo Eun-ha!'
An officer indifferent to such matters, especially a non-commissioned officer who had risen from the ranks, might have taken Gwak Jin-cheol's side. A few such officers crossed Gwak Jin-cheol's mind.
'Like Sergeant First Class Kang Seong-chun, who's scheduled for duty tomorrow...'
But Seo Eun-ha was not one of them.
She was a B-rank Player with the 'Paladin' trait.
And as if reflecting that trait, she was a person of the purest principles. She was even the second daughter of General Seo Baek-jin, commander of the
In other words, she wielded influence far beyond her rank of lieutenant.
'Damn it...'
If a woman like that found out about this situation... it would be more than just a headache. It would cause a huge problem for Gwak Jin-cheol personally. She was not the type to tolerate hazing.
'Don't tell me this bastard knew that too and is pulling this stunt? Was this all planned to screw me over...'
His panic was starting to breed all sorts of paranoid thoughts.
"Hey, Gwak Jin-cheol. Cat got your tongue?"
"..."
"Nothing to say? Then I guess I'll have to speak to the duty officer myself."
Lee Hyun-wook said as much and walked past Gwak Jin-cheol.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Get back here!"
Just then.
"...Duty NCO."
Someone came out of the administration office.
It was a tall woman.
She wore the black A.M.T. uniform and a black beret.
Her skin was pale despite the complete lack of makeup, her features distinct.
She was the kind of person who would catch your eye, but one look into her cold eyes and you would instinctively turn away.
"You there. What's going on?"
The duty officer, Lieutenant Seo Eun-ha, asked in a stiff voice.
"Ah, it's nothing, ma'am!"
Gwak Jin-cheol denied it, but Seo Eun-ha gave him a suspicious look.
"Well, I have to go up to the main building for a moment."
"Ah! Yes, ma'am!"
"Keep an eye on the admin office. By the way, the fuel depot detail doesn't need that many people. They only asked for three. And I see some guys who were on detail this morning... Hmm, you're not just working the privates, are you?"
"Ah! No, ma'am. You don't have to worry. I will handle it rationally."
Seo Eun-ha nodded and turned away, and Gwak Jin-cheol saluted her.
Just like that, Seo Eun-ha's appearance and a few words had made Gwak Jin-cheol's state of mind much more complicated. He stared blankly at her retreating back, not turning his head.
Lee Hyun-wook spoke first.
"You said it yourself you'd handle it rationally, so we'll head in without a worry."
"..."
"Guys, what are you doing? Let's go."
Lee Hyun-wook turned, and Gwak Jin-cheol couldn't stop him.
The 5th Squad members standing in the central hallway exchanged glances before reluctantly shuffling after Lee Hyun-wook.
Park Jun-mo, drenched in a cold sweat, watched the situation unfold before being the last to turn away.
In that moment, he heard Gwak Jin-cheol mutter.
"That... son of a bitch..."
It was a voice filled with malice.
Park Jun-mo had a gut feeling that something much worse was about to happen.
***
"Corporal Lee Hyun-wook, what's gotten into you lately... no, what were you thinking just now?"
Lee Hyun-wook's immediate junior, Ahn Min-cheol, asked.
Unsurprisingly, the 5th Squad members were the most bewildered. Rather than being grateful that he had stood up to the hazing, they felt burdened.
The thought of how that man Gwak Jin-cheol would retaliate was already giving them a headache. Wasn't Gwak Jin-cheol on friendly, first-name terms with the sergeants who held the real power in the company?
"Min-cheol."
"...Yes."
"Don't worry. Everything will be fine."
"...Would you be offended if I said I can't believe you, Corporal?"
"No, that's a normal way to think. Just wait and see. Everything will go back to normal."
Despite his assurances, the atmosphere in the 5th Squad was icy that day.
But Lee Hyun-wook, whether oblivious or simply uncaring, paid it no mind.
He just continued to train and work out.
***
That night.
Park Jun-mo went to the outdoor drying area to collect laundry when he happened to overhear a conversation from the smoking area right next to it.
"...Shit! That bastard Lee Hyun-wook must have eaten something wrong."
It was Gwak Jin-cheol's voice.
As expected, he was still fuming about the incident from that morning.
Fwoosh!
For a moment, a deep orange light flared, reaching into the drying area.
"Whoa! Hey! You're gonna burn up your whole cigarette, man!"
"No matter how pissed you are, be careful with your powers on base! If the battalion commander sees, all hell will break loose."
"...Hmph, I understand."
The people talking with Gwak Jin-cheol seemed to be Sergeant Oh Sang-guk, the 2nd Squad leader, and Sergeant Kim Kang-jun, the 3rd Squad leader. They were among those considered the real power holders in the company.
"Hoo... Anyway, is it true that bastard really did that?"
"It's true. Should I just let this go?"
"Of course not. How dare some F-rank punk challenge our ace?"
The one who said that was Oh Sang-guk, the 2nd Squad leader.
He doted on Gwak Jin-cheol, his immediate junior, and had already tapped him as the next squad leader, so there was no way he would let this slide.
"I swear, I almost melted that bastard's face off."
"Jin-cheol, this isn't something you handle by confronting him directly."
"Then what should I do? I'm so pissed off. I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight."
At this, Oh Sang-guk took a long drag from his cigarette before speaking slowly.
"If that bastard's suddenly grown a spine, well, we'll just have to crush it. This is perfect. That guy Choi Young-jun, who'd flip out over something like this, is out on sick leave, right? Hehehe!"
"Ah, you're right. It would've been a bigger headache if Sergeant Choi Young-jun were here."
"Exactly. If that self-righteous prick was here, ugh..."
It was like villains plotting a conspiracy.
Park Jun-mo collected the laundry slowly, trying his best to stifle the sound of his breathing.
"I hear Lee Hyun-wook has been frequenting the training grounds lately?"
"That's right. An F-rank training, what a joke."
"Hmm, in that case, what about those privates who are training hard, uh, Won-seok and his buddies?"
"Ah, you mean the Barbarian? I hear there's already talk of him moving up to C-rank."
Barbarian, a fairly high-tier trait among close-combat classes. And the Private Lee Won-seok they were talking about was only a Private Third Class, yet he was already being mentioned as one of the company's aces.
There were even rumors that he might become a non-commissioned officer soon. That was why even his seniors were careful not to mess with him. Who knew, one day he might return as an officer.
"Yeah. He's fucking strong. Did you see him tear a goblin apart with his bare hands during the last operation?"
"Yes... that was insane. No matter how strong you are, who thinks of tearing something apart with their bare hands? That guy's got a crazy streak."
During the last operation, Private Lee Won-seok had become quite famous for that particular feat.
As a madman who enjoyed slaughter.
"Anyway, send those guys to give him some shit, force him into a duel training, and then beat the crap out of him. That pathetic pride of his will disappear on its own. If he refuses, we can just brand him a coward for it."
"Oh, that's a really good idea."
"See, Jin-cheol. This is how you handle problems. Calmly. I'll talk to Won-seok."
"Thank you. I'm really surviving this military life thanks to you, Sergeant Oh."
A chill ran down Park Jun-mo's spine. He heard enough and left the drying area.
"Ah... w-what do I do..."
Lee Hyun-wook was a genuinely good person.
But no matter how Park Jun-mo thought about it...
He was a man with no power to protect himself.
***
10 PM.
"Lights out for sleep."
As the lights went out, Lee Hyun-wook took out a padlock he had placed behind his pillow. Then, quite boldly, he put it in his mouth.
Gulp—
Then, miraculously, the heavy padlock slid down his throat as if being sucked into a vending machine accepting a bill.
As it was a metal absorption ability, as long as the will to eat was there, he could swallow it this easily.
Of course, metal too large to fit in his mouth was impossible.
- Metal absorption in (03:59:59).
'Right around the time I leave for night watch duty, my total will have increased by about 60g.'
Being able to raise his ability even while sleeping was, frankly, incredibly convenient.
Before falling asleep, he checked his current ability status.
- Currently controllable 'metal' weight: 1,297g
With this much, he could now move four daggers at once.
'This should be enough to handle the incident that's going to happen at dawn.'
A small commotion was scheduled to occur during his night watch duty today.
And if he used that commotion well...
'A huge gain, one that will trigger a chain reaction of more to come, is about to begin.'