Finally Got Stronger but Ended Up Regressing

Chapter 6 Rather an Opportunity (2)

06:30.

Tap tap.

Just before the reveille sounded, there was a small noise from the speaker.

Absurdly, my body reacted to it.

Jumped up.

It’s been 25 years, but I was instinctively maintaining tension.

I don’t know if this is good or bad.

I quickly stretched and organized the slippers scattered around.

Then I drew the curtains.

Bright morning sunlight filled the living quarters.

Bam bam bam bam bam bam bam bam bam bam bam bam bam♪

Bam bam bam♪

The reveille finally sounded. It was always such a strong sound.

“Damn, another day has dawned.”

“I want to die…”

The seniors also woke up one by one. The male soldiers had bird nests on their heads, and the female soldiers looked like ghosts with their disheveled hair.

The hair regulations are looser than the regular army, so everyone grows it out like that, but in midsummer, it’s so frustrating that they shave it all off.

There’s nothing more uncomfortable than wearing a combat helmet over long hair.

“Yunho, you’re unusually quick today?”

“Private Gu Yunho! Thank you.”

Corporal Do Jiyeon, who was rubbing his eyes, gave me a thumbs up.

I couldn’t help but be quick. I’ve been doing this for years.

Even after becoming a non-commissioned officer, I did all sorts of odd jobs to please the sergeants and staff sergeants.

This was a piece of cake.

“May 7, 2030, we will now conduct the morning roll call.”

Fifteen minutes later, the company gathered at the parade ground. We started with simple exercises, followed by a moment of silence to honor the noble sacrifices of our seniors, and then we ran.

By the time we finished, my upper body was drenched in sweat. If it’s like this already, summer will be terrible.

But something even more terrible awaited…

‘Damn, come to think of it, I have to go through guerrilla training again.’

Returning to the past changed my life, but it wasn’t all good.

Guerrilla training.

I had to endure those hellish five days and four nights again.

Ha.

I decided to think about it later and grabbed the activity uniform top I had taken off under the inspection stand. At that moment, I felt a soft touch on my forearm.

“Our Yunho, have you gained more muscle?”

“Private Gu Yunho.”

“It’s a nice, firm feeling.”

Corporal Jeong Yesom was kneading my forearm. Even though I didn’t have any special abilities, my body was always rigorously trained, so I had tight muscles.

Compared to the soldiers who had unlocked their abilities, I was nothing.

Corporal Jeong Yesom even groped my chest.

This woman is hopeless.

I decided to be a bit more assertive.

“Corporal Jeong Yesom, if you keep doing this, I’ll have to touch you back.”

“Really? Go ahead, then.”

She stuck out her chest as if inviting me to touch it. Her hands were holding the hem of her shirt, ready to take it off if I wanted.

…I can’t win against her in this.

“I give up.”

“Pfft, what do you mean give up? I told you to do the same.”

“No, let’s just go have breakfast together.”

“Sure.”

Corporal Jeong Yesom giggled as she headed to the mess hall.

Actually, what flustered me just now wasn’t her actions.

It was her body.

It was as if her magic pouch was attached to her chest, the volume was considerable.

It was less noticeable because she was in her activity uniform, but I remember how flustered I was when I saw her in civilian clothes during a leave.

Breakfast was seaweed soup and stir-fried sausage with vegetables. There was even squid kimchi.

It was the best combination possible.

After filling my stomach, I went up to the living quarters and changed clothes.

A combat uniform similar to that of the regular army, in military green.

Even as a non-commissioned officer, I wore the same clothes, so it didn’t feel awkward at all.

I had already worn it yesterday.

Work hours approached quickly. I used the key I had brought to open the weapon storage.

The morning task was the specialty training as announced yesterday.

“We will distribute weapons! Private Gu Yunho. Private Gu Yunho. Private Gu Yunho.”

I handed out weapons to the seniors one by one, and finally took my own weapon.

It was a sword.

“Hey, who’s the instructor?”

I moved with Corporal Byeon Jitak, who was also a swordsman like me.

“It’s the 1st Platoon Leader.”

“The 1st Platoon Leader?”

“Yes.”

“Damn it. That guy is a total FM.”

He swore and left first. I somewhat agreed.

The 1st Platoon Leader was really by-the-book, never doing anything carelessly.

Always by the book.

If your posture was even slightly off, he would make you start everything from the beginning.

“Nice to meet you, my swordsmen. I am the 1st Platoon Leader, and I will be your instructor for today’s training.”

“Salute!”

“Salute.”

09:00 sharp, at the swordsmanship training ground near the parade ground. Second Lieutenant Noh Young-il, the leader of the 1st platoon, was smiling brightly.

On the surface, it seemed infinitely warm, but there was an intention hidden within to give them a proper workout.

“You guys are going to investigate Songsoo Station in the afternoon, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then the afternoon will be easy, right?”

It seemed like he was saying, since the afternoon will be easy, let’s push hard in the morning. The seasoned sergeants shouted in surprise.

“Sir! You know very well that the dungeon there is enormous! It takes ages just to get there!”

“I know, I know. But what does that mean? Doesn’t it just mean you have to walk? Am I wrong?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“Then it’s easy, isn’t it?”

Second Lieutenant Noh Young-il chuckled and drew his sword. It was a training sword with no lethality.

“Alright, if there’s nothing more to say, we’ll start the training immediately. Everyone, draw your swords.”

“…Draw swords!”

If they complained any more, they would end up doing unnecessary training. The soldiers, who knew Second Lieutenant Noh Young-il’s personality well, followed his orders without a word.

The soldiers also had training swords in their hands before they knew it. They formed a large formation in five rows.

Second Lieutenant Noh Young-il stood at the front.

“Today, we will hone the basics of swordsmanship. You all must be sick of it by now, but there is no end to the basics. No matter what techniques you learn in the future, you can only master them if your basics are solid.”

“-”

“It’s not just techniques. For hunters, the most important factor is ability. The basics play a crucial role in unlocking that ability.”

“-”

“Even simple thrusts or slashes won’t manifest as abilities if your basics aren’t solid.”

“-”

“Do you all understand what I’m saying?”

“Yes!”

“Then I will demonstrate. First, grip the sword handle with both hands, and spread your legs lightly. Then…”

The soldiers followed Second Lieutenant Noh Young-il’s posture one by one. They extended the gripped sword in a straight line, then raised it again and slashed horizontally.

It was a short movement, but it was also a technique.

Second Lieutenant Noh Young-il also mentioned that.

“…And with that, a simple technique is completed. Repeat it 15 times each. There’s no need to match the speed of others. Proceed according to your own sense and rhythm.”

Your own sense and rhythm. It was a welcome sound to me. I licked my upper lip and performed the technique.

As mentioned earlier, although there are only three short movements, sweat soon beaded on my forehead.

When you concentrate intensely, even flicking a finger becomes difficult.

“From the beginning again.”

“Tsk, this is so poor. Again.”

“Oh dear, your movements are all messed up. Again.”

Lieutenant Noh Young-il, who had been watching each soldier, stopped right in front of me.

His eyes had widened slightly.

“Hmm, you’re quite good. Keep it up.”

“Yes, sir!”

This body has wielded a sword all its life. Not to boast, but performing these basic movements was a piece of cake for me.

The notification proved it.

As the two-hour training session was coming to an end, two new abilities were added to my skill window.

《New ability [Thrust] has been unlocked.》

《New ability [Slash] has been unlocked.》

Abilities were essentially stats and skills. The more proficient and understanding you become, the more powerful they get.

In other words, these two abilities would significantly speed up my growth.

‘It took a long time to unlock [Thrust] and [Slash] before my regression.’

In the upcoming promotion test, these abilities would be very useful.

But I can’t rest on my laurels.

Even though they are now abilities, they are still basic techniques.

‘I need to build up my physical strength and make my body stronger.’

Before my regression, my body could withstand an axe blow without a scratch.

Now, even a stone would hurt me.

My limbs are already starting to ache.

I got exhausted in just two hours.

It’s fine.

I already have a plan in mind to build up my physical strength.

I just need to execute it at the right time.

And unlike [Thrust] or [Slash], I already possess a significantly powerful ability.

[Efficient Parrying].

It was a bit disappointing that it seemed difficult to try it out today due to the atmosphere, but anyway, with this guy, there would be no deductions in sparring or combat.

It was around the time when lunchtime was approaching.

“What time is it now?”

“The current time is 11:30 AM!”

“There’s still quite a bit of time left. Alright, let’s practice another basic swordsmanship until lunchtime.”

At this point, unlike other instructors who would give a break, Lieutenant Noh Young-il continued the training.

FM was FM.

“They say the best defense is a good offense. But strictly speaking, that’s wrong. A defense executed with an unwavering stance can withstand any attack.”

The soldiers expressed their annoyance, saying, “Damn, that unwavering stance again.”

On the other hand, it was a very welcome thing for me.

Because I had awakened that ‘withstand’ technique as soon as it was unlocked yesterday.

At that moment.

“Let’s see… Yes, Gu Yoon-ho.”

“Private Gu Yoon-ho!”

“Step forward. I noticed your stance was very good today. Use what you’ve learned to attack this instructor.”

“Understood!”

When I was called, the soldiers murmured. They were surprised, wondering if Gu Yoon-ho, who was always criticized, had really shown such a good stance, especially to Lieutenant Noh Young-il, the epitome of FM.

I stepped forward, leaving behind Corporal Byun Ji-tak, who was grumbling, “Did he lend him money or something? Or is he blind?”

“Start right away.”

Lieutenant Noh Young-il never did things half-heartedly, even if his opponent was just a private.

He gripped the sword with both hands and drew a straight line in the air.

It was the most standard defensive stance.

“Ha!”

I swung my sword with all my might. I thought it went in well, but Lieutenant Noh Young-il’s sword, which had smoothly curved, was already blocking it.

Clang.

The shock transmitted to my hand. No matter how much I tried to use my pre-regression senses, I couldn’t overcome the difference in physical strength.

Lieutenant Noh Young-il was an officer from the Hunter Academy, abbreviated as HSA.

He was fundamentally different from me.

“After taking a defensive stance like this, you twist the sword to deflect the opponent’s attack. By balancing your weight and timing it precisely, you can withstand even if the opponent is stronger than you. Got it?”

“Yes!”

“Yunho did well again this time. Excellent.”

“Private Koo Yunho! Thank you!”

The soldiers cheered briefly at the continuous praise. Suddenly, Corporal Byun Jitak’s face, which met my eyes, was crumpled like a trampled can.

“Let’s switch roles this time.”

“Am I to receive the instructor’s attack?”

“Yes. Just do exactly as I showed you.”

How could one do it right after seeing it once, but the specialty training is conducted regularly. The basic moves we just did were actually done dozens or hundreds of times before.

So, switching roles wouldn’t be a big problem, but if the opponent is a lieutenant, the result is obvious.

“Isn’t that guy going to fall backward?”

“He can’t even catch a goblin properly. Hmph, it’s obvious without seeing.”

This was why Corporal Byun Jitak and a few other seniors were giggling. Other soldiers didn’t laugh but seemed to expect the same result.

I took my stance without caring.

The blade extended horizontally.

Lieutenant Noh Youngil, who smiled satisfactorily saying, “It’s a very good stance,” swung his sword.

Swish.

The crescent-shaped sword path extended towards me like a whip. To be precise, towards my sword.

As everyone expected, my sword should have been flung away somewhere, and I should have fallen together with it.

The gap between Lieutenant Noh Youngil and me was that big.

However.

Thunk!

What was heard was a dull sound. Lieutenant Noh Youngil’s strike was perfectly blocked by my sword.