Chapter 26

Chapter 26

‘I should stop by Shim Young-jin’s place on the way.’

Leaving the commander’s office, Dojae headed toward the 2nd Platoon’s tent.

Kim Hwan-soo’s explanation for why the operation area had to be changed was somewhat lacking, and a handover was also necessary.

He figured he could get the exact reason by talking it over during the process.

Tap tap tap tap tap.

‘Healer?’

A man was running at high speed.

A cross-shaped patch is affixed to his forearm.

A red cross with a different aspect ratio than the 十 character for ‘ten’.

It clearly signifies a healer.

The patch on his opposite forearm also bore an unfamiliar unit insignia. Why was a healer from another unit rushing so urgently?

‘Towards the 2nd Platoon barracks?’

The direction the other unit’s healer was heading was toward the 2nd Platoon barracks, where Dojae was headed.

On a hunch, Dojae hurried after the healer toward the barracks.

“Kkeeeeeuh…”

“Kchut.”

“Aaargh!”

For a moment, Dojae thought he’d entered an undead dungeon.

That’s how much the 2nd Squad barracks resembled a living hell.

“Healer! Please start with this side!”

“This is more urgent! Please treat this one first!”

Everywhere, there were people bleeding so profusely they soaked their beds, people with one arm cleanly severed, people wrapped head to toe in bandages—not a single person was unharmed.

A scene of utter horror.

The barracks for Squad 2 and Squad 3 were at opposite ends, so we had no idea this was happening.

“Get splints and pressure bandages!”

He grabbed one of the frantically running administrative supply personnel and shouted.

Then, he immediately grabbed a fallen member, applied a splint to their mangled arm, and wrapped it with bandages.

For Dojae, who had been running dungeons without a dedicated healer, basic first aid was second nature.

“Third Squad… Squad Leader…?”

“Yeah.”

An unnamed member of Squad 2 called out to Dojae in a choked voice.

“Am… I going to die…?”

Death was a familiar thing to hunters, extermination troops, and awakened beings alike.

The death of a monster, the death of a comrade—it was close and familiar.

But precisely because of that, hunters and extermination troops cling even more fiercely to their own lives.

They knew all too well the agony and desolation that accompanied the fading of life.

“No, you won’t die. I’ll save you.”

Dojae spoke with a smile and a bright tone.

Those who abandon their will to live inevitably die.

But those who hold onto hope are different.

Dojae had often seen those who, clinging to even the faintest thread of hope, managed to overcome death’s threshold.

‘At times like this, I regret not being a healer.’

It was a thought that occasionally crossed his mind.

If only he had awakened as a healer.

Instead, the faces of fallen comrades or his sick younger brother flashed before his eyes.

Back then.

“Over here! This person is choking!”

The healer shouted urgently.

Dojae leapt up, rushed to the team member the healer pointed at, and immediately began chest compressions and CPR.

***

After the commotion subsided.

Though it was tragic that one member of the expeditionary force died from excessive blood loss, the remaining members managed to narrowly overcome the crisis.

‘Where is Shim Young-jin?’

Once Dojae could catch his breath a little, he finally looked around.

But while all the other members were present, Shim Young-jin was nowhere to be found.

‘Could it be…?’

The condition of the former members of Squad 2, and Shim Young-jin, who remained unseen despite considerable time having passed.

Just as these circumstances made him worry about Shim Young-jin’s life or death.

Squeak.

Shim Young-jin enters through the barracks door.

Thankfully, he was alive and well.

‘Why does Shim Young-jin look like that?’

His clothes were torn and covered in blood, but compared to the other members, he seemed relatively unharmed.

However, his hollow, unfocused eyes and his shoulders slumped limply made it impossible to say he was in good shape.

Thud.

Shimmyeongjin staggered over and sat down on the bed.

Do-jae approached him to ask what had happened.

“Chief Shim. What on earth happened….”

“Huh. Huhk. Huhk-huhk.”

When Dojae placed a hand on his shoulder, Shim Young-jin burst into tears.

Not sobbing loudly, but crying with such heartbreaking sorrow.

“Calm down. What happened?”

“Sniffle. Sniffle. Dojae… The team members…”

“The members are all… almost all right now.”

“Because of me….”

Shim Young-jin showed no sign of stopping.

Dojae took him outside.

Zzzzzz-.

He opened the pocket dimension, took out a bottle of water, and placed it in Shim Young-jin’s hand.

Straight from the refrigerator, its coolness was undeniable.

Gulp-.

“It’s all my fault.”

“Tell me.”

Do-jae waited calmly for Shim Young-jin to speak.

After hesitating for a long while, Shim Young-jin finally began to speak.

“So…

Shim Young-jin’s situation was this.

Class 2 had gone out on a subjugation mission.

As they had for days, they hunted monsters while keeping their distance from Shim Young-jin.

The members of Squad 2 had never looked kindly upon the young, grumbling Shim Young-jin from the start, and today was no different.

Moreover, Shim Young-jin didn’t like the members who subtly looked down on him, so he was actually glad and was killing time alone.

He never had any interest in the expedition force to begin with. He didn’t feel like putting in much effort, so he thought it was fine.

But that attitude caused a problem.

According to the operation plan, there was a restricted zone they were not supposed to cross. Shim Young-jin, who hadn’t even looked at the operation map, ended up stepping into that zone.

“The mountain range of the Hui people…”

There are three tribes that divide Gaeseong into three parts.

The Red Oaks handled by Squad 3, the Death Ents handled by Squad 4, and the last one, the Huiin.

He had stepped onto the edge of the mountain where the Hui people lived.

Originally, it was Squad 2’s duty to scout around the Huiin Mountains and hunt stray monsters lurking there.

What kind of monster is a Grey Man?

[Ash People (灰人)]

A Grade 5 humanoid monster.

The term ‘humanoid monster’ might sound strange, but since all lifeforms encountered in dungeons are collectively called monsters, even those resembling humans must be called as such.

True to their name, the Hwain had skin the color of thick ash dust, appearing eerily pale with no visible whites in their eyes.

They were already hard to spot due to their skin color, and living in the mountains made them agile to boot.

Each possessed strength surpassing that of a C-rank Awakened, yet they showed no interest unless their territory was invaded.

Because of this, Squad 2 was only tasked with reconnaissance; the actual extermination was left to the squad leaders and higher-ups.

“I nearly died when it suddenly jumped out, but the members saved me…”

Shim Young-jin, who had trespassed into their territory, became prey for the Hoi-in.

In an instant, he was surrounded by the Hoi-in, in a situation where death at any moment would have been unsurprising.

At that moment, the entire 2nd Squad appeared to rescue Shim Young-jin, and a fierce battle erupted.

But the Hoiin were too powerful.

They inflicted considerable damage, but they were simply no match for the Hoiin alone.

Only after Shim Young-jin barely regained consciousness and reduced all his superior weapons and armor to scrap metal could the members escape.

It was nothing short of a miracle that all eleven members of Class 2 returned to the barracks alive.

“What should we do… It’s my fault… Ugh…”

As the story ended, Shim Young-jin began to shed tears again.

Do-jae gazed intently at this fragile young man.

‘So he’s been pretending to be strong all this time. Lacking experience like this, the shock must be immense.’

Even someone as irresponsible as Shim Young-jin would feel deep guilt over this incident.

Though he’d been raised like a young master under his wealthy mother and his uncle, the deputy guildmaster of a top-tier guild, in this remote region, he had no one to rely on.

Tap tap.

Witnessing Shim Young-jin break down, a sight he’d seen many times before, Do Jae felt a pang of sorrow and slowly patted his back.

For a long time afterward, Shim Young-jin continued to sob uncontrollably.

***

The next day.

After the 2nd Platoon took over the operational area, the first suppression operation began.

“Did you see Class 2? I don’t want that kind of situation.”

Do-jae issued a stern warning to the assembled members.

They’d likely handle it well, but he needed to instill vigilance.

But soon, he couldn’t help but sigh.

Sure enough, they showed absolutely no sense of urgency whatsoever.

“Oh, come on, Captain. People die every day. We won’t be shaken by something like that.”

“Right. We’re all risking our lives. Us too.”

Jang Pil-ho and Lee Ji-woong said.

True to form as Class 3’s biggest troublemakers, they didn’t hold back a single word.

“Sigh, could you at least be careful for my sake?”

Do-jae sighed and urged them.

But Jang Pil-ho and Lee Ji-woong kept whispering to each other.

“Class President, how long have we been together in Class 3? Don’t worry. Even Jiwoong, the youngest, has been here for half a year already.”

“Yes, we’ll be more mindful!”

“Pil-ho, Ji-woong, quiet down. The class president is speaking.”

Son Jeong-gyu instantly silenced the sarcastic Jang Pil-ho and Lee Ji-woong.

Son Jeong-gyu was specially punished with a week’s detention after Class 2 ended up like that, allowing him to participate in the raid.

The oldest and strongest member, he proved to be a respectful character after observation.

His performance on the first day was method acting, and it was said he had briefly worked as an extra actor when he was young.

Thanks to his excellent physique and imposing presence, he had played roles like gangsters or thugs several times, and he said he was putting the acting skills he learned back then to good use now.

“Thanks. Let me repeat. Starting today, we’re in charge of clearing this area. I don’t want you making the mistake of encroaching on Hoi-in’s territory. Our goal is to reduce the surrounding monster population as much as possible so we don’t waste unnecessary manpower on the Hoi-in hunt. Got it?”

“Yes, sir!”

It was unfortunate for Squad 2, but the change in operation area worked out well for Dojae.

The Red Oak area had few monsters because the bastards had wiped out the surrounding monster population.

But this place was pure wilderness.

Monsters ranging from Grade 10 to Grade 6 were common, and even Grade 5 monsters like the Hoiin could be spotted fairly often.

Before the operation, Dojae divided the team into squads like last time.

“This time, we’ll split into two teams of five. The team leaders will be Jun-seo and Eun-taek, just like last time.”

As soon as Dojae finished speaking, Kang Eun-taek raised his hand to ask.

“Then what about you, Captain? Shouldn’t you be the squad leader?”

Kang Eun-taek wasn’t the only one looking puzzled.

The other members also wondered why they were forming two teams of five when they now had eleven members with Son Jeong-gyu joining.

“No, I’m sitting this one out.”

“Huh? Again? Is that okay for the team leader?”

Song Ji-yoon asked.

Her face dripped with disappointment.

“It’s fine even if I’m the leader.”

“But it’ll be dangerous…”

“It’s fine.”

“No, I’m not talking about your skills as class president, I’m talking about us!”

Song Ji-yoon pointed at herself and pouted.

Unlike Region 7, which only had Red Oaks, unexpected monsters could appear here.

If a boss-level monster appeared, they couldn’t handle it on their own.

Of course, fully aware of this, Dojae pulled two golems out of his pocket dimension.

“That’s fine too. I’ll assign these guys to you.”

Thanks to constantly hunting Red Oaks together, these two had leveled up tremendously.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they were more than twice as strong as before.

They were undoubtedly on par with Son Jeong-gyu.

Even if a Hoi-in appeared, they could handle one, maybe even two.

Plus, since they’re connected to the golems via mana, I’d know immediately if anything happened, so there was no need to worry.

“Got it. If the captain says so, then so be it.”

Song Ji-yoon nodded with her lips pressed tightly together.

“Um…”

“Huh? Ji-woong, why? You want to be in the same team as your sister?”

“Hmph. No.”

Lee Ji-woong, who had been wearing a suspicious look since the golem appeared.

He tried to say something, but when Song Ji-yoon gave him a sharp look, he quickly turned his head away.

“It won’t fall more than 4km. If it falls farther than that, the golem will let us know.”

At Dojae’s current pace, 4km at full speed would take about 5 minutes?

If there were no obstacles, it could be even faster.

“Since we’re splitting up this time, team leaders keep in constant contact. Everyone, move out!”

Following Do-jae’s command, Kang Eun-taek and Kim Jun-seo led their respective teams toward their assigned directions.

Dojae also looked at his assigned direction and thought.

‘I guess I have to complete my quest too?’