Finally Got Stronger but Ended Up Regressing

Chapter 30 Treasure in Hell (1)

A few days later, Sunday evening.

“Yoon-ho, did you pack the sauce well?”

“Private Gu Yoon-ho. Yes, I packed 20 as you instructed.”

“Good job. Be careful not to lose them. They’re our tonic.”

“Understood.”

Following Sergeant Kwak Woo-hee’s special order, I neatly packed 20 sauces in my military gear.

It was preparation for the guerrilla training that would start tomorrow.

The seniors’ beds were also lined with military gear.

“Ha, if only I weren’t the squad leader.”

“If not?”

Sergeant Song Ki-yong pointed to the large cardboard box that came with the supplies.

“I would have packed my gear with that.”

“Oh~ But as a section leader, you pack it by the book to set an example?”

“Well, I guess I have to.”

“A true section leader indeed.”

Corporal Kwak Woo-hee gave a thumbs up.

Her gear already had a few small boxes packed inside.

They were so rigid that you couldn’t tell unless you looked inside.

“I’m not a section leader, so I’ll pack it the easy way.”

“You’re next.”

“What?”

“Who else would be the next section leader after me? It’s you, Kwak Woo-hee.”

“Oh, right.”

Corporal Kwak Woo-hee shook her head as if she could see the future coming.

She noticed Corporal Jung Ye-som stuffing a dozen chocolate bars into her ammo pouch.

“Where are you evacuating to? Why are you packing so many chocolate bars?”

“A wizard needs sugar, or it’s a big problem.”

“Trying to prevent a sugar crash might make your teeth fall out.”

“Hehe, then I’ll just get implants~”

“You live so carefree.”

“I learned that life should always be lived positively.”

“Who taught you that?”

“My dad.”

“…Now that I think about it, you’re right.”

A sudden burst of laughter filled the barracks.

I smiled too as I finished packing my gear.

Being the youngest, I had more to pack than the others, but the weight wasn’t much different.

They knew my efforts and made some allowances for me.

They let me secretly stash unnecessary items in the locker.

The barracks were bustling with activity.

Not just our squad.

With the entire 3rd company participating, the whole building was noisy.

Vehicles were already deployed outside.

Supplies had long been loaded.

The day had come.

The day to enter the living hell.

At 22:00, everyone went to bed.

The reveille came two hours earlier than usual.

“Loyalty!”

“Loyalty. We can’t be late, so Kiyong, take the kids and go have breakfast quickly.”

“Understood.”

Sergeant Sun Arin came down to the barracks with her gear before the reveille even ended. There was an inexplicable determination on her face under the combat helmet.

The squad members had already finished changing.

Corporal Song Kiyong, who went out first, asked.

“Ah, aren’t you eating, Squad Leader?”

“I ate something quickly. Go on.”

As if.

She was worried she might miss the platoon leaders’ orders while eating. I wanted to bring her a rice ball, but that would be too much, right?

Sure enough, Sergeant Sun Arin’s phone was already ringing.

“Loyalty! This is the 3rd Squad Leader. Yes! Understood.”

She quickly put down her gear and dashed off somewhere.

Whether officer or soldier, if you’re not seasoned, it’s always tough.

After quickly finishing breakfast, she returned to the barracks.

Washing up was, of course, a luxury.

She just brushed her teeth and went down again.

To the assembly point, the parade ground.

Company members with full gear were already gathering there.

The squad leaders aligned the rows and columns.

As the standard-bearer, I stood at the front of our squad with our flag.

Sergeant Song Ki-yong massaged my shoulders from behind.

“Yoon-ho, put in some effort.”

“Private Koo Yoon-ho. No, sir.”

“I know because I’ve done it before, man. Carrying the military gear and holding the flag for hours will drive you crazy.”

“Haha. I’ll do my best.”

“Yeah. But there’s something that’s suddenly pissing me off.”

“What is it, sir?”

“Because you’re standing in front, I missed the chance to walk closely with the squad leader.”

“Oh.”

This guy must really be into Sergeant Sun Ah-rin.

“Ki-yong, is everyone accounted for?”

At that moment, Sergeant Sun Ah-rin, who had been running errands for the platoon leader, returned.

We hadn’t even started the battalion commander’s briefing, let alone the guerrilla training, but she was already exhausted.

Sweat was beading on her pale face.

“Sergeant Song Ki-yong. Yes, everyone is in position.”

“Got it.”

“But, squad leader.”

“Yes?”

“May I wipe your sweat for you?”

…What is this embarrassing line? The response was, of course, just as awkward.

“Oh, no. Ha, haha. It’s okay. I’ll wipe it myself.”

“Alright, understood.”

Sergeant Song Ki-yong scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

Sergeant Sun Ah-rin quickly wiped her sweat with the sleeve of her combat uniform. Then she was called by the platoon leader again.

Laughter burst out from behind, as if they couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“Puhaha, may I wipe your sweat for you? Where did you learn that?”

“Shut up.”

“Brother, please stop watching those dating tutorials on YouTube or whatever.”

“Why would I watch that crap?”

“Then how do you come up with such ridiculous lines?”

“Ah, damn… Did I go too fast?”

“Hey, it’s not about being in a hurry, it’s just that she doesn’t seem interested at all.”

“In me?”

“Yeah. You can tell just by the way she looks at you.”

“What’s wrong with her eyes?”

“There’s not even a hint of romantic feelings.”

“Would those feelings even come out before such a big training?”

“If they exist, they would. Love is something that never extinguishes, even in the fires of hell.”

“But they could develop later, right?”

“Since the squad leader took over, it’s been more than thirty times.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“I’m talking about you making excuses to visit the squad leader’s office separately. But did anything happen?”

“…”

“See, nothing happened.”

Corporal Kwak Woo-hee, who was delivering harsh facts, suddenly called out to me.

“Yoon-ho.”

“Private Koo Yoon-ho?”

“There’s more affection in her eyes when she looks at Yoon-ho. He hasn’t even visited the squad leader’s office except for consultations.”

Feeling embarrassed for no reason, I looked ahead again.

Sergeant Song Ki-yong, whom I glanced at, looked like he was dying.

Is this what lovesickness is?

“The probability of suppressing feelings because of the relationship between an officer and a soldier?”

“Um, it’s like falling backward and breaking your nose.”

“Damn it.”

“Come to think of it, didn’t you subtly suggest eating together? Did she give you an answer?”

“…She did.”

“What did she say?”

“…She said it would be a bit uncomfortable.”

“Ugh, you should give up by now.”

The conversation that started as teasing had somehow turned into consolation. I could hear Corporal Kwak Woo-hee patting Sergeant Song Ki-yong on the shoulder.

By the way, you didn’t seem uncomfortable at all when I asked you to have a meal with me.

Right, that was because you felt sorry for me because of what my father said.

While I was momentarily lost in thought, each squad leader, platoon leader, and company commander straightened their bodies.

“Attention!”

“!”

The battalion commander was coming up to the review stand.

What followed was obvious.

There was an instruction to grow well as a hunter and return after 4 nights and 5 days.

A similar instruction was expected on the last day, the 5th day.

And then the march began immediately.

“Move in two columns, keep the line straight!”

“Yes!”

“Close to the left!”

“Close to the left!”

I walked side by side with Sergeant Sun Ah-rin at the front row. Her military gear was bulkier than that of most privates, as she packed it so meticulously.

It’s not because she’s a rookie sergeant, she’s always like this.

Yet, she doesn’t force the soldiers to follow the regulations as strictly as she does.

“Yoon-ho, it must be tough to keep carrying the flag.”

“Private Koo Yoon-ho. No, it’s not.”

Even now, she worries about the soldiers first.

How can someone have such a kind heart?

She’s truly like a fairy, not just in appearance.

“Being able to carry the 3rd squad’s emblem with my own hands, I consider it an honor.”

“Puh-huh, you speak so dependably.”

We had a small conversation.

There was relatively some leisure until we left the main gate and exited the city.

The course was that simple.

We just had to keep moving straight ahead.

But that was only for a moment.

Soon, the procession entered a small mountain.

Shadows began to cast over the faces of the seniors.

“We’ve finally walked through the gates of hell…”

“…Damn it.”

The altitude was low, but because of the elevation, the difficulty was inevitably different from the marches so far.

Soon, the sound of heavy breathing could be heard.

But the real challenge was yet to come.

Midway up the mountain.

There existed a large ball dungeon.

It was the guerrilla training ground.

“All troops, we will enter the guerrilla training ground in front after a 20-minute break. If you don’t want to die, rest well now. Understood?”

“Yes!”

If you don’t want to die, rest well now. Those words weren’t meant to scare.

They came from the heart.

You could tell from the seniors’ laments.

“Yoonho, you have a dagger, right?”

“Private Koo Yoonho. Yes, I have it.”

Corporal Kwak Woohee unbuttoned a few buttons of his combat uniform and pointed to his abdomen.

“Stab me here with it. I’d rather lie in the hospital bed bleeding profusely.”

“Can I join you?”

Corporal Jung Yesom made the same gesture next to him.

Both were joking, of course, but it showed how tough it was.

Because they had experienced it.

“Come to think of it, Yoonho, you haven’t experienced it yet, have you? You’ve only heard about it from the seniors.”

“Hehe, no matter how tough you act, Yoonho, guerrilla training is different, right?”

“Haha.”

I laughed it off, but in reality, I had run the most here. Not to mention guerrilla training, but all other trainings as well.

I’ve been eating military food for 25 years.

I could see clearly what to do and how to do it.

“Rest time is over!”

The sweet rest passed by in a fleeting moment.

It might have been the last rest.

The hunters’ guerrilla training meant they couldn’t sleep comfortably even when they were supposed to.

“Enter!”

Led by the company commander, the entire company force entered the guerrilla training ground.

The mountain scenery at dawn had suddenly transformed into a plain bathed in morning sunlight.

Looking at the cloudless sky, I felt a sense of abundance.

Until the thunderous shout erupted from beside me.

“What are you all standing around for?!”

A middle-aged man with a megaphone was riding on the back of a large buffalo.

He was wearing a red ranger hat pressed down firmly.

Behind him were four more people dressed the same way.

They were the guerrilla commander and the guerrilla instructors.

“Ambushes are not something only we can do; the enemy can do them too!”

The trigger had already been pulled.

“If you want to live, run!”

In the guerrilla training ground, everyone except the company commander was on equal footing.

Platoon leaders, squad leaders, and soldiers alike all started running.

It wasn’t just because of the guerrilla commander’s yelling.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!!

With a tremendous vibration from behind, green monsters were charging towards us in droves.

They were orcs.

Each had a large axe in their massive hands.

They looked threatening even from a distance.

Some of the privates, dazed, got hit on the back of their heads by their seniors.

“What are you doing, you idiot! If you don’t want to die, run like hell!”

“Yes, yes!”

It was utter chaos. The already heavy military gear weighed down on the soldiers even more.

But they couldn’t throw it off.

“The moment anyone removes their equipment, my mercy will be removed as well. Remember that!”

It was a deadly warning. But when many are together, such warnings are bound to be broken.

Some of the terrified junior soldiers eventually threw off their gear.

“I did warn you.”

A cold voice echoed from beneath the red ranger hat.

“If you ignored it knowingly, you must be punished.”

The guerrilla leader’s fingers snapped.

At the same time, something fell with a thud on the distant ground ahead.

“Roaaar!”

A giant monster in the shape of a gorilla.

Even at a glance, it was several meters tall.

Beating its chest and roaring, it began to charge with bloodshot eyes.

Towards the company members.

“Third Company of the Viper Battalion.”

Somewhere, the guerrilla leader’s laughter was heard.

“Welcome to hell.”