Chapter 113

In South Korea, every adult male is obligated to serve in the military.

That rule did not make an exception even for the holder of a [Legendary Title].

“Everyone, attention!”

All the members of the Divine Power Unit gathered beneath the stern gaze of their commander, Wi Gwakdu.

Among the soldiers standing at attention, quite a few could be seen battered here and there.

And there, standing in the very back row, was Hyuk-min.

“Bang Hyuk-min!”

“Private Second Class Bang Hyuk-min!”

At Wi Gwakdu’s call, he immediately ran across the training grounds and stood in front of the platform.

“Attention.”

“Attention!”

“About-face!”

“About-face!”

Repeating Wi Gwakdu’s commands, he displayed flawless drill movements that were hard to expect from a private who had just arrived.

As he executed a crisp about-face, he found himself face-to-face with Sergeant Gwak, who was standing slightly crooked because of his broken ankle.

Was he holding a grudge over what had happened earlier?

The simple act of making eye contact seemed to irritate Sergeant Gwak, and his expression turned unpleasant for no reason.

“You all saw it earlier, didn’t you? You saw it during that spirit-breaking initiation ceremony you were all so proud of.”

“Yes, sir!”

“That’s right. You’re all thinking correctly. The private standing in front of you, Bang Hyuk-min. This guy is the one. The holder of that [Legendary Title] that caused such a stir across the world. That’s him.”

Among the senior soldiers lined up before him, not a single one spoke or showed any reaction.

But Hyuk-min could see it clearly.

Those subtle little gestures of the seniors saying, ‘It’s him, right? I told you it was him.’

“Now that you’ve experienced it yourselves, you understand, right? But I understand it too. Why the whole world is so crazy about holders of [Legendary Titles]. I probably figured it out even faster than the rest of you.”

“Yes, sir!”

The moment the seniors’ reply ended, Wi Gwakdu’s voice sank low.

“The new recruit’s initiation ceremony.”

Wi Gwakdu’s expression darkened rapidly, like a warning, or perhaps a threat.

With a rather fierce look in his eyes, he swept his gaze over the senior soldiers and continued.

“For Private Bang Hyuk-min, it ends here. Don’t feel bad about losing to a private. Come on now! Isn’t this a joyous day? How wonderful is it that such a talent has joined our unit! Isn’t that right!?”

“Yes, sir!”

Thunderous responses erupted from all directions.

But despite those words, Wi Gwakdu looked around at the sour expressions on the unit members’ faces and let out a deep sigh.

“Snap out of it! Are you all going to act like this over one person!?”

“We apologize, sir!”

“Aish, forget it. It’s not like you’ll listen anyway. Tsk, tsk.”

Why?

It felt as though the whole conversation was directed at Hyuk-min, yet Wi Gwakdu’s gaze kept drifting somewhere else.

“Hyuk-min, greet them.”

“May I do so, sir?”

“You’re the only private here. These are your seniors, men who have spent far longer in the military than you have. Should I have them greet you instead?”

“I apologize, sir.”

Hyuk-min lowered his head, then bent at a perfect ninety-degree angle toward the many senior soldiers standing there.

Then he shouted in a loud voice,

“I am Private Second Class Bang Hyuk-min of the Divine Power Unit! I look forward to working with you!”

As expected.

Even after Hyuk-min finished his greeting, not a single clap could be heard.

“Hey! Applaud, you bastards!”

Only after Wi Gwakdu shouted at them did scattered applause finally break out here and there.

Something felt off.

Was this not supposed to be a simple initiation ceremony?

‘Everyone’s watching Sergeant Gwak Cheol-seop.’

Even those who had been about to clap lowered their hands the moment they saw Sergeant Gwak standing still and glaring at him.

Then was it really, just as Wi Gwakdu had said, an initiation ceremony meant to break his spirit?

And were they acting like this because, far from having his spirit broken, he had beaten them all down instead?

“Return to your position.”

“Loyalty!”

“It’s not ‘Loyalty,’ it’s ‘To Victory’. Here.”

“Yes, sir! To Victory!”

“To Victory.”

On the way back to his spot,

he could see many of the senior soldiers deliberately avoiding his gaze.

All except for one person.

Sergeant Gwak.

“Ha, how absurd. This isn’t some childish game.”

If all the thoughts that had just crossed his mind were true, then he felt he needed to rethink this place.

Wasn’t this the special forces unit South Korea took pride in?

But for such a ridiculous tradition to exist in a special forces unit like this…

it was so absurd that even trying to think positively about it felt like a waste.

However, what irritated him more than anything else…

…was the fact that he still had to make the effort to save this place. That was what made Hyuk-min’s irritation boil over.

“Alright! Everyone, return to your places, and don’t be late for morning roll call tomorrow! Dismissed!”

“Unit! Attention! To the Commander! Salute!”

“To Victory!”

Wi Gwakdu’s eyes swept over the entire unit.

Then, with a solemn expression, he received the salute of the unit members and shouted,

“To Victory!”

It was at that moment, just as he was about to head back to the barracks feeling utterly disappointed.

– ‘Bang Hyuk-min, to the commander’s office. Right now.’

Wi Gwakdu’s Sound Transmission stopped Hyuk-min in his tracks.

= = =

“To Victory! I have come to see the Commander on business.”

“Ha, look at this guy. Come here and sit.”

Wi Gwakdu, looking dumbfounded, guided Hyuk-min to the sofa across from him.

Then the first words out of his mouth were utterly bewildering.

“You’ve actually served in the military before, haven’t you?”

“I’m sorry, sir?”

“What’s this? A guy who hasn’t even been to the training center… no, they don’t teach this kind of thing at the training center anyway, do they? Putting all that aside, how can someone who enlisted today already have such perfect military speech, etiquette, and drill movements?”

Wi Gwakdu’s eyes narrowed.

“Tell me honestly. This isn’t your first time in the army, is it?”

“No, sir. It is my first time!”

In this life, at least.

“It’s really strange. You don’t even have any active-duty soldiers in your family, so how do you know all this? Ah! You must have watched YouTube videos before enlisting!”

“Yes, sir. Let’s go with that. But why did you call for me?”

Maybe it was because he had spent quite a bit of time with Wi Gwakdu recently.

Wi Gwakdu sensed at once that Hyuk-min’s tone was slightly different and immediately understood why.

“You seem a little disappointed this time, don’t you?”

“I’m sorry, sir?”

“You’re very different now from when you first enlisted. You can speak honestly with me.”

Is it because I’m in his unit now?

A strange irritation rose at Wi Gwakdu’s oddly relaxed expression.

But only for a moment.

He looked straight into Wi Gwakdu’s eyes and asked,

“Then let me ask you instead. Are you asking because you have something to hide, sir?”

“Hide? What do you mean?”

“If that isn’t the case, then please tell me the real reason you called for me.”

“I called you because you looked disappointed earlier.”

This was a little different from the Wi Gwakdu he had seen before.

Wi Gwakdu was an extremely straightforward man who loved his unit enough to boast about it, said whatever was on his mind immediately, and was so transparent whenever he lied.

But right now.

‘That’s a lie.’

There was a strange falsehood mixed into Wi Gwakdu’s words.

“If that’s all, then I have nothing to say. May I be dismissed?”

“Wait, hey! I said wait a minute. Why are you in such a hurry?”

He had deliberately pushed hard, and as expected, there was more.

“Sergeant Gwak Cheol-seop. Is it because of him?”

A faint crease appeared on Wi Gwakdu’s brow before vanishing again.

“I’m looking into it right now, so don’t dig into it any further. Sergeant Kim, come in!”

The door to the commander’s office opened, and a man who looked to be in his mid-twenties entered.

“To Victory! I have come to see the Commander on business!”

“You saw him earlier, right? The holder of the [Legendary Title].”

“Yes, sir!”

“He’s your direct junior. Teach him everything from one to ten.”

“Yes, sir! Understood!”

He looked as if he had only enlisted a few months ago, yet his military discipline was razor-sharp.

“I’m busy. You two can introduce yourselves on the way back or whatever. Both of you, get out. And tell the person waiting outside to come in.”

“Yes, sir! Understood! To Victory!”

“To Victory.”

Guided by Sergeant Kim, who gestured for him to follow, he stepped out of the commander’s office.

Then he saw a familiar face.

“Excuse me, Sergeant Gwak Cheol-seop? The Commander…”

“Shut it. I know.”

“Yes… understood.”

Looking furious over something, Gwak Cheol-seop glared daggers at Hyuk-min until the very last second before entering the commander’s office.

= = =

On the way back to the barracks.

“Hey, my name is Kim Ba-da. I enlisted in July.”

“Private Second Class Bang Hyuk-min! It is a pleasure to meet you!”

“Pleasure to meet you too. Phew, what a relief. I thought I wouldn’t get a junior for the next few years, but you showed up at the perfect time!”

“Is that so, sir?”

Sergeant Kim Ba-da looked absolutely delighted, as if something about the situation amused him to no end.

When they reached the front of the barracks, Sergeant Kim Ba-da seemed to think of something and stopped in his tracks, then called Hyuk-min over to the alley behind the building.

“By the way, you were really cool earlier.”

“I’m sorry, sir?”

“You were sending the seniors flying around with your Red Mana, right? You were insanely strong.”

Hyuk-min’s eyebrow twitched.

What is this?

What kind of situation is this?

“I apologize.”

“No, no. You have no idea how much the seniors were looking forward to your arrival.”

“I’m… sorry, sir?”

Something was strange.

“They kept talking about how, ‘At last, a ray of light is shining on our Divine Power Unit~.'”

It was far too strange.

The atmosphere among the seniors had felt as though they were dealing with some heinous criminal who had committed a grave sin.

But if he asked about that directly, it would only make it easier for the man to dodge the question, so he tried a different angle.

“Is that so, sir? Then may I ask something?”

“Of course~ I’m your direct senior, so go ahead and ask.”

“Aside from me, has there ever been anyone else who held out until the very end during the initiation ceremony?”

“This is the Divine Power Unit. Of course there has. There’s a legendary figure who, as a new recruit, came in even more impressively than you did, beat all the seniors down, and stood there alone.”

“There was someone like that?”

“You remember the captain who stood next to the Commander on the training grounds, right?”

A large frame and sharp little eyes.

He remembered the captain with the protruding cheekbones.

“I remember. You mean Captain Hwang Ga-ram, sir?”

“Wow~ you’re a total A-lister, aren’t you? When did you even see his name?”

“I saw the name tag beneath his rank insignia. Is he that legendary person?”

“That’s right. He’s the Vice Commander of the Divine Power Unit.”

But that was not what Hyuk-min was truly curious about.

Since the man seemed to be opening up, Hyuk-min decided to ask the real question.

“Is that so, sir? Then he must have earned the wrath of the seniors too, just like me?”

“Wrath?”

Sergeant Kim Ba-da, who had looked clueless for a moment, suddenly seemed to understand.

“Ah~ that~ That’s because…”

It was at that very moment.

“Hey! What are you two doing over there!?”

A booming voice rang out from the distance, and someone could be seen approaching the barracks.

The moment Hyuk-min tried to make out who it was.

Sergeant Kim Ba-da, who had been happily talking with a bright smile until just now, suddenly began trembling like a leaf in the wind.

“S-Sergeant! Kim Ba-da!”

“Were you talking shit about me behind my back?”

Before long, the owner of the voice came into view.

It was none other than Sergeant Gwak Cheol-seop, wearing an irritating smile.

“Well, well. Look who it is. The precious one. The son of a bitch who shattered my ankle.”

His smiling face instantly turned vicious.

He pressed his forehead against Hyuk-min’s, closing the distance, then suddenly began shoving at him with his upper body.

However, Hyuk-min’s [Stats] were nowhere near low enough to let himself be pushed back by something like that.

He casually glanced downward to check Gwak Cheol-seop’s ankle.

Seeing that gaze, Gwak Cheol-seop laughed as though he found it amusing and said,

“What? Are you pissed that my ankle’s all healed up?”

“No, sir.”

“Kim Ba-da.”

“Sergeant! Kim Ba-da!”

“Kim Ba-da!”

“S-Sergeant! K-K-Kim Ba-da!”

Thwack!

Gwak Cheol-seop spun his body in a full circle and kicked Kim Ba-da in the stomach with all his might using that same foot that had supposedly been broken.

“Keok!”

Thud.

The kick was so powerful that Kim Ba-da’s body flew backward, slammed into the barracks wall, and crumpled to the ground.

Kim Ba-da was drooling, unable to breathe from the pain.

But Gwak Cheol-seop did not even spare him a glance and only kept glaring at Hyuk-min.

“My ankle’s all better, thanks to you. Let’s have some fun~ Mr. Holder of the [Legendary Title]~”

Pat, pat.

Gwak Cheol-seop lightly slapped Hyuk-min’s cheek a couple of times, then smirked and walked into the barracks.

Just as irritation began to boil over at Gwak Cheol-seop’s absurd behavior, Hyuk-min sensed a familiar presence in the distance.

– ‘Endure it. Just lie low for the time being.’

It was Wi Gwakdu.

After witnessing Gwak Cheol-seop’s atrocity just now, Wi Gwakdu sent a Sound Transmission, and Hyuk-min answered in kind.

– ‘Don’t worry. I can get rid of a villain at that level without leaving behind a single trace.’

– ‘I know. But even so, you still have to endure it.’

– ‘Is it because of your promotion?’

– ‘I don’t need a promotion. Well, do it if you want. However, if you get rid of Sergeant Gwak, every plan you had in coming here will disappear too.’

– ‘What does that…’

Wi Gwakdu’s next words stirred up every last bit of irritation inside Hyuk-min.

– ‘The minimum number of personnel required for the Divine Power Unit to undergo the KCFC evaluation is forty-five. And you’re the very last one.’

Hyuk-min’s eyebrow twitched.

– ‘If Sergeant Gwak disappears before the evaluation… forget the evaluation, our support will be cut off immediately during the upcoming KCFC audit.’

But that was only for a moment.

As Hyuk-min walked into the barracks, a Sound Transmission went from him to Wi Gwakdu.

– ‘As long as I don’t get rid of him, that’s enough, right? I’ll make sure the evaluation goes through without any problems.’

– ‘What…’

At that moment, a chilling sensation ran down Wi Gwakdu’s spine and made every hair on his body stand on end.

– “What on earth… is he planning to do…”