ALL NOVEL chapter 45
Chapter 45 The Sword of the Homeland (1)
In front of Lieutenant Colonel Park Euicheol’s villa in Uan-ri.
“The sea!”
“It’s beautiful.”
The bus stopped at the place where the smell of the sea tickled the tip of the nose.
The squad members, who had been up for a while, poured out as if they had been waiting.
“The villa is amazing.”
“It’s like a palace.”
Right behind them, a three-story building that could indeed be called a palace was towering.
They must have spent a lot of money.
“It seems the battalion commander has made a lot of money.”
Sergeant Kwak Woo-hee seemed to think so too.
“I should diligently save money and build a splendid villa like that.”
“Sergeant Kwak Woo-hee, you will definitely succeed.”
“Do you think so?”
“Yes.”
I used to drink tea with my sister, who drove a foreign car as a building owner.
I also bought one later.
In this life, I can advance that period significantly.
At most, it will be a few years.
“Let’s unpack first.”
“Yes!”
The interior was even more splendid.
The floor was marble, and every wall was lined with antique paintings.
I was worried someone might steal them.
But no fool would dare to rob the house of a Hunter Corps officer.
“How many beds are there? And how many rooms?”
“I heard the battalion commander often invites VIPs here.”
Corporal Song Ji-han said as he put down his military bag.
“We, mere soldiers, have come to a place where such VIPs visit, thanks to Sergeant Gu Yoon-ho.”
Hearing such words so often made me a bit embarrassed. So I quickly changed the subject.
“Corporal Song Ji-han, please speak comfortably.”
“What? But you are a sergeant.”
“It’s okay. Between us.”
“Wow.”
A strange exclamation came out. Corporal Song Ji-han’s face was momentarily moved.
“Hearing that makes me feel good. Got it, Yun-ho. Thank you.”
“No problem. And I’ve heard that often too.”
“From whom?”
“From this person.”
Just then, Corporal Jeong Ye-som came out after changing clothes. Short military shorts and a short-sleeved T-shirt.
Even such clothes become fashion when she wears them.
“Huh? Why me?”
“We were just complimenting you for being as beautiful as the sea in front of us, Corporal Song Ji-han and I.”
“Hohoho, my face does shine, doesn’t it?”
Her wavy hair swayed in her slender fingers like a ripple. Come to think of it, Corporal Jeong Ye-som did have a bit of a princess syndrome.
“Oh, that princess syndrome.”
Sergeant Gwak Woo-hee, who came out next, looked disgusted.
“Sis, Yun-ho and Ji-han acknowledged it first, you know?”
“You must have suddenly said that while talking about something else.”
A ghost, a ghost.
“No, it’s not.”
“Mr. Lee? Oh, Ye-som has grown up a lot?”
“Ah! Squad leader, Sergeant Gwak Woo-hee is trying to use violence!”
A brief chase ensued inside the villa. They were indeed unstoppable sisters.
After everyone finished changing clothes, there was nothing else.
Everyone plunged into the sea.
“Revenge!”
“Let’s do this, shall we?”
Corporal Jeong Ye-som and Sergeant Gwak Woo-hee started a second round. Splashing water, their whole bodies got soaked.
Naturally, teams were formed one by one.
I ended up participating inadvertently.
“Yun-ho, choose wisely.”
“Remember how I’ve taken care of you all this time?”
Why are these sisters putting me through such an ordeal? It’s a harder question than “Do you like mom or dad better?”
After pondering, I stepped back altogether.
Sergeant Sun Ah-rin was sitting on the sandy beach.
“Since I can’t make a decision, I’ll just join the squad leader’s team.”
After blurting it out, I wondered if I was disturbing her rest, but what came back was a bright smile.
“Great! I’m on Yoon-ho’s team!”
A soft sensation touches my hand. Sergeant Sun Ah-rin grabs my hand and raises it high.
She’s full of energy.
Should I get a bit more serious too?
“Let’s go!”
“Yes!”
We are at a significant numerical disadvantage, but we have the absolute shield that is the sergeant.
Ordinary soldiers wouldn’t dare splash water on an officer… Splash, splash, splash.
They were relentless.
As soon as we entered the water, several buckets of water were poured over us.
My hair clings to me like seaweed.
Sergeant Sun Ah-rin’s hair was already like wet seaweed.
“Haha.”
“Pfft.”
The faces we looked at each other were so funny.
Of course, we can’t just lose like this.
“Squad leader, shouldn’t we pay them back?”
“Indeed.”
Sergeant Sun Ah-rin sweeps her hair back. United, we returned the favor exactly as we received it.
Sergeant Sun Ah-rin’s hand skills were so dazzling that it made me wonder if her specialty was electric magic or martial arts.
Splash, splash, the water hit the squad members like waves.
“Ahhh, squad leader, you’re too strong!”
“No matter how quickly you regret it, it’s always too late, Yesom.”
Even the always warm Sergeant Sun Ah-rin was cold at times like this.
Unable to handle it, Corporal Jung Yesom reached out to Sergeant Gwak Woo-hee.
“Let’s join forces.”
“Not a bad idea.”
As if nothing had happened, the two people who had clasped hands and their followers began to attack Sergeant Sun Arin.
Sergeant Sun Arin was quick to judge.
“Yoonho, I think we need to run.”
“A wise decision.”
Sergeant Sun Arin and I also clasped hands. We ran across the sandy beach, evading the furious enemies.
It was a fun time.
*
“It was fun, right?”
“Yes. It will be an unforgettable memory for a long time.”
The next afternoon, on the bus returning to the base.
The squad members, who had been chatting until dawn, continued to chatter on the way back.
Of course, so did I.
That’s how we returned to the base.
Although the aftereffects made Monday a bit tough, we quickly returned to our routine.
It was an ordinary day.
No dungeons were created in the garrison area, so we mostly repeated work and patrols.
A few days later, I used the reward leave from the last mission.
2 nights and 3 days.
After going to my parents’ house for a meal, I prepared and headed to Seoul Hanyangdoseong.
The preparation was simple.
A comfortable tracksuit and sneakers.
The weapon was a wooden sword left for training.
In addition, I packed plenty of rice, red beans, and salt.
Even though it was a weekday afternoon, it was crowded with people.
It was a famous spot.
Not just because of Seoul Hanyangdoseong.
There was an old public dungeon inside.
The place I was going to today was that public dungeon.
“A few meters tall monster appeared here before.”
“Really?”
That public dungeon is also one of the tourist attractions.
There were even more crowds.
The traces of the battle at that time, the ruins like the old palaces of Joseon, and other unfamiliar elements caught the attention of the general public.
‘This time, it’s not a secret passage but a double dungeon.’
In a broad sense, both are the same, but the latter is mainly composed of monsters, so it’s a bit different.
But there’s nothing to worry about.
The double dungeon is structured so that nothing can come out from inside.
Unless something is removed.
No matter what kind of havoc I wreak in that double dungeon, the citizens are safe.
I ran for a long time past the ruins.
Usually, public dungeons like this, which are open to citizens, go through dozens of checks for safety, but there are still things that are not discovered.
As mentioned earlier, that double dungeon is different from the usual double dungeons.
After moving for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a familiar landscape slowly appeared.
A mysterious rocky mountain.
I know that the point where [exploration] is most activated in this dungeon is that rocky mountain.
Doesn’t it seem strange?
A rocky mountain suddenly rising in the middle of an ordinary forest and ruins.
But in fact, that’s just a kind of smoke screen.
The real thing is.
Right here.
Behind the rocky mountain, the forest continues.
I pinpointed the exact spot with the surrounding trees and terrain features.
Then I took out the prepared materials.
A handful of rice.
A handful of red beans.
Lastly, a handful of salt.
I scattered them all into the air.
Soon, something strange happened.
Crunch.
The air split apart.
A hole appeared in the crack.
“This is indeed effective for suppressing evil spirits.”
That hole is the door leading to the double dungeon.
Inside, there is a Japanese evil spirit that once troubled Joseon, reigning as a kind of boss monster. To be precise, it is a dead samurai that has not left this world and has transformed, but anyway.
Go in and kill it.
And retrieve the Joseon relics it has stolen.
“Shall we get to work then?”
Cracking his neck a couple of times, he plunged into the hole.
The hole quickly closed again.
It didn’t matter.
The space would be fully open soon anyway.
*
The inside was eerie.
Only a few skeletal trees remained, and even those were scarce.
The ground was cracked as if there had been a drought.
It was a ruin.
The strange sound echoed at the same time.
“Kiaaa!”
A sound as if to warn off intruders. The reason I understood it that way was because I was already surrounded.
A bipedal monster with a pheasant’s head.
Centipede.
Should I call them the samurai evil spirit’s minions, or its guardians?
It didn’t matter.
I just had to kill them all.
Finally, I drew my wooden sword. It was an ordinary wooden sword, without even a blade.
But if I imbue it with the [Sacred Snake], the story changes.
There was no need to check strengths and weaknesses with [Kiri’s Eye].
Swoosh!
A strong current swallowed their murderous intent in reverse.
The energy steadily accumulated by the [Natural Heart Method] after the tower raid.
It truly exploded.
Swoosh!
A giant snake shot out in a crescent shape from the lightly swung sword.
Five centipedes holding long spears were swept away at once.
Their abdomens split open, spilling intestines.
Slash!
The giant snake, having accumulated power, rampaged like a wild buffalo.
It bit and tore at them indiscriminately.
In an instant, five more pheasant heads rolled to the ground.
It was fortunate if any form remained.
Most were reduced to mush.
《[Strong Bones] has increased the proficiency of [Strength].》
《[Strong Bones] has increased the proficiency of [Agility].》
《[Strong Bones] has increased the proficiency of [Stamina].》
Although the centipedes were not very high level, the sheer number caught alone resulted in a high amount of proficiency gained.
It didn’t end there.
《All physical abilities’ proficiency has greatly improved due to perfect combat.》
《[Strength], [Agility], and [Stamina] can exert greater effects in the future.》
Greater effects.
It meant that awakening was near.
Considering that physical abilities related to proficiency are awakened only through training, it was a significant harvest.
Meanwhile, more centipedes were swarming in.
At least thirty.
The sight of thirty spears extending simultaneously was quite dizzying.
Of course, those sharp blades never reached my body.
Swoosh!
I thrust my sword forward strongly. The giant snake wriggled again.
It was still hungry.
He charged straight ahead and pierced through the hearts of the three.
Blood spurted like a fountain from the large hole.
The creature’s strength was still vigorous.
Thwack!
The giant snake, smoothly twisting its body, searched for another prey.
Its blue aura remained on the sword.
I gripped the sword and stepped into the center.
Though it was clearly a wooden sword, at this moment, it had become a sharp and keen real sword.
Slash!
Scattered blood splatter.
As the smell of blood slowly rose, the battle came to an end.
The pieces of the shattered bodies lay on the ground.
This is just the beginning.
The centipedes were merely appetizers for the main dish.
I hurried my steps again.
Towards where the main dish awaited.