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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Rain Over the Waves - 3
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More than a few people wondered why a fearsome man like Choi Young-jun had become an A.M.T. soldier. Honestly, wasn't it normal for someone that talented to be scouted by a civilian guild?
On that point, Sergeant Kang Ik-jun of the Assault Platoon, once Choi Young-jun's senior, testified.
"That bastard? He's lazy as hell! He was a slacker even as a private, trying to get out of doing anything! Can you believe that? But honestly, well, he was good at whatever he did, so eventually, I couldn't say anything to him, the damn bastard…"
A lazy genius.
Yes, he hadn't been very motivated at first.
"And he was always muttering about how he didn't know why he had to be dragged here for mandatory service when he wasn't the one who asked to be awakened… I was his squad leader, and it drove me crazy, seriously…"
A rebellious streak.
He was dissatisfied with society and refused to conform to the system.
"He originally just wanted to live his life drawing comics, but then he suddenly awakened and got pissed off, or something like that. The crazy bastard! Seriously, I still find it so absurd that I just burst out laughing whenever I see his face."
And he had a completely different dream, a dream he wanted to achieve.
So why did such a person suddenly have a change of heart and begin to grow stronger day by day?
"Um… he said killing monsters was fun? I told you, he's a psychopath, right?"
It was a rather grim reason.
After discovering a certain 'fun' he hadn't known, he began to display his true worth.
"…Ser-Sergeant Choi Young-jun!"
He was standing here now.
With his hands in his pockets, he slowly rolled his eyes toward the monsters.
Perhaps he was already feeling some interest, but it didn't show on his face.
Just then, the driver's side door of the SUV opened, and the company commander, Captain Gwak Yong-jun, appeared.
"Hey! Young-jun! You've been drinking, are you gonna be okay? Should I do it? I only had a sip, you know!"
That's right. The day before his return, Choi Young-jun had been drinking with Gwak Yong-jun and a few other discharged soldiers. That was why he could return with Gwak Yong-jun when the captain received the 'Initial Response Team assembly text.'
"It's fine. A guy who needs to get in good with Cheonghwa for his second kid shouldn't be risking his neck in situations like this. You lose a limb, and it's all over before you can even make the switch."
"…Hey! Sw-switch? Why would you say something like that! That bastard's drunk, totally drunk!"
Choi Young-jun slowly walked over and held out his hand to Ahn Min-tae.
"Min-tae, give me a sword."
"Ah! It's in pretty bad shape…"
But Ahn Min-tae's sword had been snapped in half by that woman's strike.
"H-here you go!"
Just then, a female soldier from the 2nd Company shouted.
Her face tear-streaked, she pulled the sword from the waist of her dead superior's body.
"Corporal Lee Eun-hee, I'm sorry…"
Sniffling, she offered the sword to Choi Young-jun.
"H-here… please!"
"Thank you."
Choi Young-jun took the sword and raised it to his face.
He was gauging its length and weight.
It was a very short secondary sword, with a blade only 50cm long.
Uwaaaah-
Before they knew it, all the zombies that had been run over by the SUV had gotten back up and were approaching the guard post.
There were still over thirty of them.
"S-Sergeant Choi Young-jun! You can't kill those with a normal sword! And it seems much shorter than the weapon you usually use. Are you really going to be okay?"
Ahn Min-tae said, his voice laced with anxiety.
Of course, it wasn't that he didn't trust Choi Young-jun.
But the strong smell of alcohol as he passed by made it impossible not to worry.
However, as if he weren't drunk at all, Choi Young-jun silently nodded.
"Yeah, I know."
At his words, from among the zombies, the unidentified woman let out a snicker.
"What? You know, and you're still stepping up so confidently? Another idiot here to get himself killed?"
Choi Young-jun rubbed his eyes with his left hand.
"Hm… a talking zombie? I guess… I really am drunk."
"What? I'm n-not a zombie!"
"Oh, really? Well, I'll turn you into one soon, so just wait a second."
His voice was soft and gentle, but its content was rather grim.
"Min-tae, watch carefully. When you use a weapon, something like length isn't what's important."
"Yes? Then…"
He advanced toward the horde of zombies, swinging the sword in his right hand instead of answering.
*Shhh-lack*
'What just happened?'
Ahn Min-tae couldn't help but think.
In a single slash, the heads of three zombies flew into the air.
*Shhh-lack!*
With the next strike, two more zombie heads fell.
*Splat-*
With their heads severed, even zombies couldn't move.
It was actually quite obvious.
Lesser undead that move independently cease to function once their heads are cut off.
But who would even think of trying to decapitate a zombie with a one-handed sword…
"Did you see that? Distance, accuracy, and timing. Those three are the core of physical combat."
Choi Young-jun spoke as if he were giving a practical lesson, not fighting a battle.
However, Ahn Min-tae's gaze was fixed on something else entirely.
"L-look out!"
The woman's long blade was descending toward Choi Young-jun's head.
*Cla-ang!*
But without even turning his head, Choi Young-jun parried the attack.
It was truly a strange sight.
The woman's strike, which had cut through Ahn Min-tae's sword and shield like paper, was deflected so effortlessly. And he had blocked it with a sword of a much lower grade than Ahn Min-tae's.
Even more…
*Shlick!*
As he parried the attack, Choi Young-jun's sword swung out and slashed the woman's thigh.
With a surprised expression, the woman staggered back.
"Oh, what the?"
But this time, a scene that was not just strange but unbelievable unfolded.
The long gash on the woman's thigh was healing in an instant.
It was so fast you could see the wound closing with your own eyes.
"…Is that even possible?"
Everyone present doubted their own eyes.
It was a truly incredible healing ability.
But Choi Young-jun alone remained expressionless.
"What, so you are a zombie?"
The woman brushed off her thigh as if there were dust on it.
"For an A.M.T. guy, you're pretty good with a sword, huh? But what a shame, don't you think it's useless against me? Showing off to your junior after cutting off a few zombie heads… you know how pathetic that looks, right?"
At her words, Choi Young-jun smiled faintly and took a step forward.
"Really?"
But in that fleeting moment, Ahn Min-tae sensed a strange emotion in Choi Young-jun's expression.
'He's… enjoying this?'
He thought he'd just discovered the psychopathic side of Choi Young-jun that his much higher-ranking seniors had claimed he had.
"Hm, then… how about this?"
A hint of playfulness was in his voice.
And then another strange thing happened.
*Swish- Swish-*
As if throwing jabs, Choi Young-jun swung his right hand twice, quickly and concisely.
In the next moment, the woman's fingers—all ten of them—were severed and fell to the ground.
"Kyaaaaah!"
The woman screamed in terror, but Choi Young-jun didn't stop.
He took another step forward and swung twice more.
*Shhh-lack! Shhh-lack!*
Her left calf and right forearm were severed.
Before the severed body parts had even fully separated, two more flashes of light flickered.
*Shhh-lack! Shhh-lack!*
This time, her left shoulder and right ankle were cut off.
"Gak, keuh-ah!"
Like a Lego figure, her limbs were being detached joint by joint…
It was so surreal that it almost didn't feel cruel.
"Guk, guhh…"
Having lost all her limbs in an instant, the woman collapsed to the ground, groaning.
The tip of Choi Young-jun's sword came to rest on her chin.
"Hm, looks like there's only one place left to cut… but before that, tell me. Was this pathetic too? How was it?"
"P-please…"
"…Honestly, it was pretty good, right?"
"…"
But Choi Young-jun didn't swing his sword.
He lifted his right foot and stomped on the woman's head.
*Thwack!*
The woman finally passed out.
"Min-tae, grab some rope and tie this thing up tight, make sure it can't get loose."
"…Uh, ah, yes!"
"Her recovery speed is fast, so she might wake up soon. Hurry up."
Right, they had to capture this crazed attacker alive to find out her identity.
Tying up a living person with severed limbs was a grim task in many ways, but it had to be done.
In the meantime, Choi Young-jun began to effortlessly wipe out the encroaching horde of zombies.
***
After taking down Heo Young-tae, Lee Hyun-wook immediately moved toward the 2nd Barracks.
'Seo Eun-ha went to the 1st Barracks, so I don't need to worry about that side.'
However, the 2nd Barracks was likely still defenseless.
"…Somehow, h-hold them back!"
"Someone, please, get the weapons, quick!"
Just as he'd expected, as he approached the 2nd Barracks building, he heard women shouting.
*Clatter! Clatter!*
The sound of clattering bones; dozens of skeletons filled the parking lot of the 2nd Barracks.
They broke windows, tore at the security bars, and squeezed their bodies inside. Near the main entrance, they jostled against each other, desperately trying to force their way in.
They moved without any purpose or system, driven solely by the desire to tear humans to shreds.
*Whoo-oosh-*
From a second-floor window, a burst of flame magic shot out and exploded in the middle of the parking lot.
Three or four skeletons in the blast radius crumbled.
"Magic works! Quick, prepare another one!"
Among the undead, skeletons were one of the easier types to 'retire' with normal attacks.
You just had to shatter their bones so they couldn't get up again.
The problem was that, in this situation, there were simply too many of them.
"This is crazy! A-at this rate, it's endless!"
"They keep coming in through the first-floor windows! Block them somehow!"
A gate had opened right next to the barracks, and skeletons were continuously pouring out of it.
'In the original timeline, they managed to break through after a few hours, but the significant casualties caused their formation to collapse.'
Afterward, a large number of soldiers broke ranks and fled. The remaining soldiers and hastily returned officers managed to seal the gate, but…
By then, the damage was irreparable.
That was the history that was supposed to happen.
'But this time, they face the wave with almost all their forces intact.'
Lee Hyun-wook sent all his weapons flying, sweeping through the tangled mass of skeletons.
*Cra-cra-cra-cra-cra-ack-!*
The moment the weapons imbued with holy power touched them, they crumbled as if made of sand.
Like that, dozens of skeletons collapsed at once like bowling pins, raising a cloud of dust.
"Huh?"
At the sight, the female soldiers of the 2nd Company reacted with bewilderment.
One by one, they poked their heads out the windows to look at Lee Hyun-wook.
Lee Hyun-wook walked slowly through the pile of bones and approached the main entrance.
"…"
The tankers blocking the entrance cautiously lowered their shields.
Behind them were female soldiers who were not yet fully prepared for battle.
"Hey, that person is…"
"Right, it's him?"
Perhaps because they had rushed out of bed with only their weapons, some of the female soldiers were in their underwear.
It was a bit awkward, but this was no time to worry about such things.
Lee Hyun-wook walked into the 2nd Barracks, a men-prohibited zone.
"Who's in command?"
At his question, the female soldiers turned their heads one by one to look at someone.
Where their gazes gathered, a short woman stood with a frown on her face.
"…For now, I guess that would be me."
She was wearing a drab, military-issue tank top without her combat shirt, so her rank was not visible.
"The duty officer tried to be a dumbass and escape alone in his car, and now he's enjoying a lonely death over there."
She pointed to a corner of the parking lot with the dagger she was holding.
"But you're… from the 1st Company, Lee Hyun-wook, Ser… geant? Right?"
Although she had checked the name tag on his combat uniform, she seemed to know him.
Of course she did. For the past few days, every issue in the battalion had been about him.
And Lee Hyun-wook also recognized who she was.
'Kim Se-hee. An assassin with the unusual trait of being a Spiritmancer.'
Within the 1st Company, Kim Se-hee was known as the goddess of the 2nd Company, more famous for her looks than her skills. However, she would soon be chosen by the 'Black Tiger' and eventually rise to the rank of sergeant first class.
And five years later, after the second wave, she would be deployed on a special operation to assassinate the king of the Orc Kingdom founded in Shanghai, achieving a great feat by taking down the Orc King 'Stonox' with her, and leaving her name in history.
Among the soldiers of this unit, only three would become famous in the future: Lee Hyun-wook, Choi Young-jun, and Kim Se-hee.
In other words—
'She's useful.'
Lee Hyun-wook nodded and turned around.
"While I hold them off, everyone get fully equipped. We need to seal the gate right now."
"By yourself… can you do it? I mean, from what I just saw, it looks like you can, but…"
"I can't hold them for long. My mana isn't infinite. Please hurry."
"Got it."
Kim Se-hee turned and shouted at the top of her lungs.
"What are you all doing! Get back inside, get dressed, and get out here!"
Lee Hyun-wook's intervention alone drastically improved the situation.
He was able to single-handedly hold off dozens of skeletons. Just controlling the eleven steel orbs provided more firepower than an eleven-man squad of archers armed with holy arrows.
In that time, the soldiers of the 2nd Company were able to arm themselves without issue.
"Move it, move it!"
They came out of the building and began to form the 'Raid Position' they had trained for countless times.
"Everyone, line up properly in your positions!"
"There's an empty spot for a shield in the front!"
The tankers advanced at the front, followed by the archers, mages, and healers.
This simple formation was optimal for dealing with such low-intelligence monsters.
*Clatter- clatter-*
The sound of clattering bones echoed as the white demons emerged from the darkness.
"Skeletons are coming!"
"Prepare for battle! Second row, fire! Destroy them all!"
A well-organized company of soldiers was not to be pushed back by the skeletons emerging from a single gate.
"Good, maintain this pattern and advance!"
Skeletons were not that threatening to begin with, as long as there wasn't a boss monster with the ability to 'command' them.
The reason they had been struggling until just now was because it had been a completely unexpected attack while they were defenseless.
In the meantime, armed troops began to emerge from the 1st Barracks as well.
Seo Eun-ha had wiped out the skeletons that had advanced on that side, saving the 1st Barracks.
"Look over there, the 1st Company is coming out too!"
"We did it! We can hold them off now!"
Some soldiers shouted, expressing their relief.
With the forces of two companies, a single gate-sealing operation shouldn't be difficult.
Of course, most of them didn't know that there was another gate.
Lee Hyun-wook approached the 1st Company, which was forming up in front of the 1st Barracks.
"Oh! There's Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook!"
When Lee Hyun-wook appeared, the soldiers of the 1st Company all turned their heads.
And most of them showed a subtle sense of relief.
They believed that Lee Hyun-wook would provide reliable command.
But Oh Sang-guk and Gwak Jin-cheol, who had been leading the entire company until just now, had sour expressions.
Lee Hyun-wook stood before them.
"Sergeant Oh Sang-guk, another gate has opened near the guard post. Have you heard?"
"…"
"It seems the 2nd Company's forces can handle this side, so our 1st Company should move over there and respond to each threat. How about we move immediately?"
The company members listened attentively to Lee Hyun-wook's voice.
But Oh Sang-guk's face was filled with displeasure.
"…Are you giving me an order right now?"
Oh Sang-guk said with a mix of irritation, but his voice lacked much confidence.
"Man, what's with Sergeant Oh?"
"Hah… is this really the time to be prideful?"
Such whispers could be heard from behind Oh Sang-guk.
In just a few days, the two men's reputations had completely diverged.
"Sergeant Oh Sang-guk, I wasn't giving an order, but rather stating my opinion…"
"Then I'll give the order."
It was Seo Eun-ha's voice.
She was now wearing gray full plate armor, with a shield and a greatsword on her back.
"Sergeant Oh Sang-guk, do as Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook says. Take three squads and head to the guard post immediately. The 1st Company Commander is already there, so join him and proceed with the gate-sealing operation."
"…Yes, I understand."
Faced with a real command, Oh Sang-guk could only turn away with a hardened expression.
Seo Eun-ha handed Lee Hyun-wook a KG19 and looked him over.
She was checking to see if he was injured.
"Lee Hyun-wook, what happened? That vampire…"
"I took care of it."
Seo Eun-ha's eyebrows twitched. She was dumbfounded.
How could that be something that could be dismissed with 'took care of it'…
"For now, you're coming with me to the Command and Control Center."
"The Command and Control Center… you say?"
Lee Hyun-wook showed a puzzled expression.
"You know as well as I do that you're not at a level to be mixed in with those soldiers over there."
"…"
"And we need to formulate a response plan now that we have some breathing room. Honestly, I need your help."
Seo Eun-ha said frankly.
No one had handled the current situation better than Lee Hyun-wook.
If it weren't for him, the entire battalion would have already suffered great damage.
"…And above all, the Battalion Commander is looking for you."
And that was another reason.
As soon as Kim Kang-seok heard the news from here, he had asked for Lee Hyun-wook first.
'But he's not on base right now.'
He was on a dispatch mission to track down Okita Kaito, the Sword Saint's killer.
It seemed he was giving orders remotely.
***
The Command and Control Center was a massive underground bunker connecting the main building, the 1st Barracks, the 2nd Barracks, and other major buildings on the base.
"…Connected to the 3rd Battalion! But they say a gate has appeared on their side too!"
"Multiple gates have also been discovered near the Cheonghwa Guild headquarters!"
"None of the adjacent units can provide support! In fact, they're requesting support from us!"
Upon arriving at the Command and Control Center, situation officers—that is, administrative and communications soldiers—were rushing about chaotically.
But the screen that filled one wall of the conference room displayed 'NO SIGNAL.'
It was only natural that the hundred-plus CCTVs had lost function, and all wired and wireless phones and the internet, except for shortwave radios, were down, making smooth communication with higher headquarters and adjacent agencies impossible.
This was because the large amount of mana scattering that erupted when a gate opened interfered with communications.
But that didn't mean there was no way to communicate with the outside world.
"Mana Messenger 13, connection complete. Currently, 5 transmissions are possible."
Like the 'Mana Messenger' Lee Hyun-wook had received while on leave, communication via mana instead of radio waves was possible. Of course, its range of use was extremely limited, requiring considerable effort in many ways.
"…Yes, I will do so. Ah! Battalion Commander, that friend, Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, has just arrived."
The duty commander, Area Magic Control Officer Major Moon Tae-ho, seemed to be in communication with the battalion commander. He stood up as Seo Eun-ha and Lee Hyun-wook entered.
"Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, it's the Battalion Commander."
From the rectangular 'Medium Mana Messenger' that Moon Tae-ho handed over, Kim Kang-seok's voice flowed out.
- …Yes, Lee Hyun-wook, can you hear me?
"Yes, I can hear you clearly."
- I'm returning as quickly as I can, but it will take some time. You know that I trust you… and I want to confirm that trust once again.
"Of course, Battalion Commander."
- Right. As I said before, the 2nd Platoon Leader is currently absent. While there is the Deputy Platoon Leader, Sergeant Choi Seon-ah… I have judged that you are more suitable to command the 2nd Platoon. What do you think?
The 2nd Platoon Leader, Lee Hee-min, was on sick leave after the Unlucky Event at Seoul Station.
The next in command was naturally Choi Seon-ah, but everyone knew she wasn't suitable.
- You can perform the duties of a platoon leader, of course, right?
Acting platoon leader. In the end, it was a job that Lee Hyun-wook had to do.
"Yes, I understand. However… I have one request."
- Speak.
"The authority to use the battalion armory, will you grant it to me?"
The battalion armory stored a considerable number of weapons.
And most of them were items.
Lee Hyun-wook was now asking for unrestricted access to all of them.
- So be it.
***
*Koo-goo-goo-goo-goo-*
With a heavy sound, light streamed in.
*Clank!*
The floor opened completely, and a cool air seeped out.
*Thud- Thud-*
Into the unlit armory, only a single set of footsteps echoed.
The underground armory of the 3rd Anti-Demon Brigade, 1st Battalion. The weapons sleeping within…
The steel… countless pieces of steel entered Lee Hyun-wook's senses.
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