ALL NOVEL chapter 38
Chapter 38 The Treasure of Gwisusan (1)
The next day, at the Bihodae Battalion auditorium.
The entire battalion gathered there, postponing the morning routine.
All for just one person – me.
“No matter how special the promotion ceremony is, isn’t it usually handled by the company commander? But the battalion commander himself?”
“The recipient is Koo Yunho.”
“Our battalion commander must have been quite impressed by Koo Yunho.”
As one soldier said, the special promotion ceremony is usually conducted by the company commander at most.
But this time, the battalion commander himself stepped in.
In other words, the head of the unit personally commended the promotion of an ordinary soldier.
‘They’re pushing me too hard.’
This wasn’t just pressure; it was almost a threat.
‘Are you still not going to re-enlist?’
‘Can you resist?’
Something like that.
The ceremony proceeded immediately.
For the third time, following the Modang Station incident and the last day of guerrilla training, I went up on the stage.
Corporal insignia.
Lieutenant Colonel Park Eui-chul personally attached it to my left chest.
“Corporal, Koo! Yun! Ho!”
“I see you so often, I’m getting attached, Corporal Koo Yoon-ho.”
He patted my shoulder as he spoke.
“If you want to get more attached, let’s keep seeing each other often.”
“Understood!”
It was blatant now.
I answered loudly and stepped down from the platform. Thunderous applause erupted.
The immense interest of the battalion commander.
If it were before my regression, it would have been burdensome, of course.
I might have been dragged around by Lieutenant Colonel Park Eui-cheol, stammering.
But having lived nearly half a century, let alone the rank, it was rather enjoyable instead of burdensome.
Isn’t it rather an opportunity?
‘I could take advantage of this.’
*
That afternoon.
A sudden announcement flew to the entire 3rd company.
“…so, a few members from each squad will be dispatched to Donghae City.”
“Don’t they have personnel in those units?”
“No. Unfortunately, other attack schedules are packed, so they can’t send separate personnel. The same goes for adjacent units.”
“So, practically, only our unit is stepping up?”
“That’s not it. Units from other regions will come too.”
“Ah, I see.”
Sergeant Sun Ah-rin explained calmly. Of course, I already knew the content.
“The type of dungeon is a tower. It looks to be at least three floors.”
“If it’s more than three floors, it won’t be possible in a day or two.”
“That’s right. Including the preparation training, the period is set for about six days and five nights.”
“Is the departure date…?”
“Next Monday.”
“The selected personnel will spend their precious weekend away from home…”
“Don’t worry, they promised combat leave.”
“Oh.”
“The difficulty level is quite high, so the allowance will be generous.”
“Oh.”
The squad members’ reactions changed dramatically. Sergeant Sun Arin, who was lightly smiling, said,
“Now, I’ll tell you the personnel who will be selected. For reference, only those ranked Corporal and above are eligible, so Privates and Private First Classes should aim for the next opportunity.”
Private First Class Kang Seong-jun, who was eagerly hoping to go and assist well, bowed his head deeply at those words next to Corporal Byun Ji-tak.
“Ah, Gi-yong and Ji-han are also excluded.”
“Why can’t we go?”
“Because I’ll be going, Gi-yong, as the deputy squad leader, you need to take care of the remaining squad members.”
“Ah… understood.”
“Ji-han seems to have many overlapping specialties.”
“Is that so. That’s unfortunate.”
Up to this point, it’s the same as before the regression. Now, what comes next is important.
“Then I’ll call out the names one by one. Woo-hee.”
“Corporal Kwak Woo-hee!”
“Ye-som.”
“Corporal Jung Ye-som!”
“Ji-tak.”
“Corporal Byun Ji-tak.”
“Lastly.”
Sergeant Sun Arin’s gaze turns towards me.
“Yoon-ho.”
“Corporal Koo Yoon-ho!”
“A total of four people including Yoon-ho are selected.”
Yes!
I cheered inwardly.
“The selected personnel are scheduled to depart for Donghae City on Monday morning, so let’s pack our bags over the weekend.”
“Understood.”
“You’ll receive a detailed briefing over there.”
“Yes.”
“But, squad leader.”
A gruff voice suddenly interrupted. Corporal Byun Ji-tak was glaring at me.
“You mentioned there would be a difficulty level, is it okay for Private First Class Yoon-ho to participate?”
“Private First Class? Are you talking about Yoon-ho?”
“Yes.”
“Ji-tak, in this selection, being a Corporal is just the minimum requirement.”
The eyes that were always warm suddenly turned cold.
“The important thing is how much skill one possesses. Yoon-ho is not lacking in that aspect.”
“Oh, yes.”
“Don’t answer half-heartedly.”
As even the voice turned cold, Corporal Byun Ji-tak flinched momentarily.
“Oh, I understand.”
The cold wind blew so harshly that the other squad members also seemed a bit surprised.
I was the only one who remained unaffected.
Because Sergeant Sun Ah-rin had gradually transformed into a more determined character over time.
Being excessively kind remained unchanged, though.
“There are no special schedules until Friday. Just some work or patrols?”
“Yes!”
Sergeant Sun Ah-rin quickly returned to her smiling face.
Anyway, it turned out well in many ways.
The reason I was selected was not just because I was a Corporal, but because my pure skills were recognized.
So, I should also respond accordingly.
By performing the mission well.
*
On Monday morning, before 9 o’clock, we departed for Donghae City.
The bus was filled only with Corporals and Sergeants.
Catching up on sleep, we left the forest of buildings behind.
After a few hours.
The vast blue sea filled our view.
“The scenery is amazing.”
“Wow.”
The soldiers admired it but soon lamented.
“We should come here for a vacation.”
“Do you think they’ll give us some free time if we finish early?”
They had a bit of hope.
The place where they got off was a coastal hunter unit located on the outskirts of Donghae City.
The smell of the sea was strong from the main gate.
The parking lot behind the central training ground was already lined with buses.
They were soldiers dispatched from other units, just like us.
After unpacking at the accommodations provided by the unit, we gathered in the auditorium.
The number of people was enormous.
“Total strength is 115.”
“Got it.”
The commander was a major named Yeom Dong-cheol.
He was an officer of a special unit located on the outskirts of Gyeonggi-do, and he looked very familiar.
‘Yeom Dong-cheol? From where… Ah, Major Yeom Dong-cheol of the 333rd unit.’
I remembered him belatedly and frowned.
Before the regression, I had been dispatched like this and lived with him for about a week.
To cut to the chase, Major Yeom Dong-cheol had a strong pride in his special unit.
In a rather unpleasant way.
“I’ll explain in detail during the briefing, but there’s not much for the resources from other units to do in this tower raid. Our 333rd unit will go first to remove the monsters and traps, and you just need to follow and clean up the remaining small things.”
It meant we were to do the menial tasks. He could have said it more nicely, but he made it very unpleasant.
The faces of the officers from other units standing behind were stiffened as if crumpled.
It was a blatant disregard.
“You guys will get your allowances comfortably thanks to us.”
“Ah~ we also want to take it easy.”
“Are you upset? Well, there’s a difference in level.”
Like father, like son, the soldiers of the 333rd unit acted the same way.
Corporal Kwak Woo-hee’s eyebrows twitched.
“That’s funny.”
“Let’s see if you can say that inside the tower.”
Even though we need to gather all our strength, we are already off to a bad start.
However, we must acknowledge what needs to be acknowledged.
It is true that the soldiers of the 333rd unit are absolutely more skilled than those of the regular units.
Anyway, the important thing is not the psychological battle with them.
It’s the ‘something’ we will gain from that tower.
After that, the full briefing began.
The content was quite extensive, including the types of monsters and traps that appeared, and the overall information about the tower, including the floors.
The scale was much larger than a typical dungeon.
“…So, we will attack the tower by clearing one floor per day for four days and three nights. Ideally, I would like to finish two floors a day.”
Major Yeom Dong-cheol said, looking at the soldiers of the other units.
“Some soldiers might find it tough. We will proceed considering the overall level.”
“What is he saying, then they should go up by themselves.”
“Listen to him talk.”
“Compared to that Major, Captain Oh Joon-beom was an angel.”
“Can’t they just go up by themselves and leave us here to enjoy the sea breeze?”
The resistance is strong. Forget camaraderie, it would be a relief if a fight doesn’t break out.
The officers of the other units also seemed quite dissatisfied.
In such an atmosphere, the training began.
“The main monsters that appear are Red Orcs. Red Orcs are taller and bulkier than regular Orcs…”
The combat methods and formations were determined according to the main monsters that appeared.
Of course, all of this was centered around the 333rd unit.
“Captain Oh Joon-beom, you said you are from the 3rd Company of the Bihod Battalion?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Think of the 3rd Company members as just patrolling the rear. Red Orcs tend to form groups, but sometimes there are ones that break away from the group.”
“Are you telling us to handle the remaining Red Orcs…?”
“Yes. They won’t be of much help anyway. Just clean up the small fry.”
Even Captain Oh Joon-beom, who was good at pleasing his superiors, seemed to think this was too much. His expression was completely unmanageable. But he wasn’t the type to mess things up because of pride.
“Understood.”
And Major Yeom Dong-cheol’s behavior was not just because of the difference in levels.
Performance.
Such large-scale missions are awarded more points.
They intend to monopolize it.
It was the same before the regression.
He took all the credit for breaking five dungeons by himself.
“That concludes all the training.”
After the training that continued until the next day ended.
I realized one thing clearly.
‘As expected, I’m lacking in energy.’
When I continuously use [Mystic Snake], my energy gets depleted at some point.
Even with [Strong Bones] and other awakened abilities, it’s not difficult to catch monsters like Red Oak, but this mission is not the end of my hunter life.
To grow further, this level is not enough.
That’s why this tower strategy is important.
In addition to physical strength, I can also solve another weakness.
Another day passed in the meantime.
“There are no more than 115 personnel.”
“Good, let’s move.”
A fully armed force of 115 soldiers entered the dungeon under the command of Major Yeom Dong-cheol.
Outside was a stormy coastline, but inside was an ordinary forest.
However, in the middle of it, something extraordinary was towering high.
“It’s enormous.”
“A tower is essentially a dungeon stacked layer upon layer.”
“Why is it so big?”
The tower.
The soldiers were left speechless by its overwhelming size.
“Check all equipment.”
“All clear!”
“Did you all bring your cold weather gear?”
“Yes!”
Each floor has a different environment. The last floor is a freezing cold, so cold weather gear is essential.
Major Yeom Dong-cheol nodded roughly and took the first step. The soldiers of the 333rd unit followed behind.
“Entering!”
One by one, they entered the tower.
The members of the 3rd Company of the Flying Tiger Battalion, who were in charge of dealing with the remaining monsters, moved last.
I briefly raised my head from the back row.
An endless tower.
But even though it can’t be seen, there is definitely an end.
The ‘something’ I’m looking for exists at that end, at the top of the tower.
It’s not just the weaknesses of the silk armor that can be resolved.
There is something else.
‘Though it’s not certain what that other something is.’
Whatever it is, we must first attack that tower.
Following the soldiers, I also knocked on the tower’s door.