Finally Got Stronger but Ended Up Regressing - Chapter 39



Chapter 39 The Treasure of Gwisusan (2)

The first floor was reminiscent of a savanna. A place where the whole world was covered with long grass, with almost no trees.

“It looks like a lion might jump out.”

“There it is.”

Wild beasts, the kind you would see in a zoo, were roaming everywhere.

It was truly a spectacular sight.

“All troops, advance following the main commander!”

“Yes!”

That was the end of the admiration.

Major Yeom Dong-cheol, holding a large sword, moved forward.

His specialty was the same sword as mine.

To be precise, he used a two-handed greatsword, while I used a two-handed longsword, so there was a slight difference.

“A deer!”

“Hey, hey, don’t come this way.”

At that moment, a deer, perhaps separated from its group, ran towards the troops.

Even with its bright face, there was no hostility at all.

However, our commander was merciless.

Slash!

With a light slash, the deer’s head flew off.

The body, now only a neck, tilted helplessly to the side.

“Ugh, did you really have to go that far…”

“Isn’t it pitiful?”

Some soldiers frowned.

But I want to side with Major Yeom Dong-cheol on this one.

After all, this is inside a dungeon.

It may look like a cute young deer, but in the end, it’s a kind of monster.

There’s no harm in being overly cautious.

“We had no choice. Killing it was the right thing to do.”

Corporal Kwak Woo-hee, who had been almost cursing Major Yeom Dong-cheol for the past two days, seemed to think similarly to me.

“But it’s too cold-hearted.”

Corporal Jung Ye-som seemed to feel sorry.

“Do you feel sorry for it?”

“Yes. It would have left if we just chased it away by hand.”

“But look at the horns on its head.”

“Why?”

“Those horns could have been lodged in your chest.”

“Wh-what a horrible thing to say!”

The hand holding the staff covered her chest, as if blocking with a shield.

“You naive one, that’s what a dungeon is like. You get hurt if you let your guard down.”

“Yeah, Ye-som. Woo-hee is right.”

Sergeant Sun Ah-rin, who was walking ahead, also added a word.

“You have to discard personal feelings. At least inside the dungeon.”

“Understood.”

Corporal Jung Ye-som seemed to have realized something from the advice of her senior and squad leader.

She must have felt something too.

It’s not like it’s her first time in a dungeon.

Suddenly, I recall my pre-regression self.

There was a time when I felt sorry for animals like deer and rabbits too—

At that moment.

The calm documentary suddenly turned into a horror thriller.

The animals scattered all at once.

Very far away.

The reason was obvious.

Ahead, a red wave was wriggling.

“It’s the Red Orcs.”

“They’ve appeared.”

The soldiers murmured as they adjusted their weapons.

Major Yeom Dong-cheol’s voice echoed.

“Only the soldiers of Unit 333 follow the main commander, the rest follow the instructions of their respective company commanders!”

“Yes!”

The operation was exactly as emphasized from day one.

The soldiers of Unit 333 would deal with the monsters at the front, while the rest would chase the fleeing ones or clean up the stragglers.

Captain Oh Jun-beom said.

“We will follow the main unit and deal with the remaining Red Orcs.”

Unit 333 had become the main unit in the meantime. It was tactically correct, though.

“Remember the characteristics of the Red Orcs and fight accordingly.”

“Yes!”

The soldiers of Unit 333 ran towards the red wave.

Of course, Major Yeom Dong-cheol was at the forefront.

The members of the 3rd Company of the Bihodae Battalion moved cautiously, keeping an eye on their surroundings.

There was no need to think about the characteristics of the Red Orcs.

Just by looking at them, everything was confirmed with [Kiri’s Eye].

Strengths were marked with red dots.

Weaknesses with blue dots.

Because of the color of their skin, it was a bit difficult to distinguish the strengths of the Red Orcs, but as long as they were careful with their weapons and kicks, it was fine.

Except for their physical abilities, they weren’t much different from regular orcs.

The problem was that their physical abilities had increased significantly.

“Kill them all!”

A rough voice was heard.

Indeed, the special forces were special forces.

It was natural for Major Yeom Dong-cheol to fight well because of his rank, but the soldiers were also extraordinary.

They cut down everything in their path as if they were cutting radishes.

“I guess it wasn’t just empty talk.”

“Exactly.”

Corporal Jung Ye-som and Corporal Kwak Woo-hee were briefly impressed.

There was almost nothing for us to do.

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But only for a moment.

A few of them started to break away and head towards us.

While the soldiers of the 333rd unit advanced like tanks, some of them broke away from the group.

Captain Oh Jun-beom immediately charged.

“Let’s go!”

“Yes!”

Our battle began from that moment.

I raised my sword.

Originally, my body was red, and my axe and feet had turned red due to [Kiri’s Eye].

Although my feet were dangerous, I had to be more cautious of the axe.

There was a soldier whose arm was almost severed by a wrong strike.

That sharp blade swung towards me.

I didn’t dodge but parried it with my sword.

No, I deflected it.

The heavy attack missed and swung to the side.

This is the essence of [Deflection].

Slash!!

The blade drawn diagonally tore through the thick hide.

The [Mystic Snake] that had formed earlier bit into its shoulder.

“Keek!”

I relentlessly drove it back.

Even if I swung my sword wildly, it couldn’t keep up and was only getting hit.

Sgeoggeok.

The right arm holding the axe was severed.

Then the head rolled on the ground.

“Yunho, are you doing your duty as a corporal?”

“Seems like I’m doing more than that?”

The affectionate voices of the two sisters were heard.

I continued the battle, answering by raising my sword high.

Around the time I took down the third one, a fierce cry was heard from the side.

Uoooh, it was reminiscent of a bull.

It was actually a bull.

“Die, you b*stards.”

A bull was embodied in Corporal Byun Jitak’s sword.

It was his manifestation.

As the sword extended, the bull charged along with it.

No matter how tough the body of the Red Oak was, it was impossible to withstand the two combined attacks.

“Keck.”

The sword cut through the belly, and the bull burst the internal organs, making the battle itself perfect.

It was a sight that matched the soldiers’ evaluation that his skills were good despite his nasty personality.

Then our eyes met.

A characteristic sneer hung on his lips.

“No matter how much you struggle, you can’t catch up with me.”

What is he talking about, idiot. I’ve never struggled, just trained hard.

Ignoring his nonsense, I focused on doing my part.

Of course, there wasn’t much to do other than taking down the Red Oaks as they appeared.

How many more did I take down like that?

After dodging the axe swing of a rampaging Red Oak and stabbing my sword into its side and chest, it happened.

《The enemy’s attacks are not very effective.》

《No attack can cut through you.》

The phrases were ominous.

The next moment, that feeling hit me directly.

《The ability [Deflection] has awakened to [Flexible Deflection].》

《You can deflect the enemy’s attacks more flexibly.》

Being able to deflect more flexibly.

It meant that even if my sword reacted a bit slower than the enemy’s attack, I could still deflect it.

That’s why senses are truly terrifying.

Before the regression, it took an eternity to awaken to [Flexible Deflection].

I smiled faintly and extended my sword towards the charging Red Orc.

Its axe swung a beat faster, but it didn’t matter.

Thunk.

The axe, filled with force, was swept away futilely. Now that [Flexible Deflection] was in play, I could easily handle a beat or so.

As its decisive strike missed perfectly, its body momentarily wavered.

I immediately counterattacked.

Extending my sword in a straight line.

Swoosh!

The sword, imbued with the power of the [Mystic Snake], pierced through its belly skin and out its back skin. The sound of bones grinding and innards bursting echoed like ASMR.

“!!”

Someone’s eyes widened to the point of tearing.

It was Corporal Byun Ji-tak.

He seemed to have witnessed me not only reacting late but also overpowering the axe in return.

Regardless, I scanned the surroundings.

Were there any more prey left?

Unfortunately, this seemed to be the last one.

“First Platoon Leader! Any more left?”

“None!”

“What about Second Platoon Leader?”

“All taken care of!”

Captain Oh Jun-beom was confirming the situation. The Third Platoon moved almost in sync with him, so there was no need to check.

“Continue to follow the main unit.”

“Yes!”

Relentless combat.

The faces of the soldiers, who had come in full of energy after a good sleep, were now drenched in sweat.

Beads of sweat also formed on the forehead of Corporal Gwak Woo-hee, who had her hair tied up in a bun. She unbuttoned a few buttons of her combat uniform, seemingly unable to bear it.

Even Corporal Jeong Ye-som, a magic soldier who had relatively less movement, had damp clothes. Her cheeks were slightly flushed.

Sergeant Sun Ah-rin was no different, but she only tidied her clothes without rolling up her sleeves or unbuttoning her uniform.

I too was catching my breath, flapping my clothes.

But I wasn’t tired.

Rather, I was thirsty.

I was so eager that I wanted to jump into the main force and catch the Red Oaks together.

I chuckled.

No matter how eager I was, I couldn’t disobey the commander’s orders.

The battle went on like that for hours.

Dealing with the small fry, then following the main force.

Catching the small fry again, then chasing the main force.

The once prosperous world was gradually turning red like the bodies of the Red Oaks.

The sun was setting.

The red waves that filled the front were gradually disappearing.

I faced Major Yeom Dong-cheol again.

“Well done. Just keep doing it like that.”

I couldn’t tell if it was a compliment or not.

“If a person knows their place, they usually get by.”

From his last words, I realized it was not a compliment. I hoped he would trip and scrape his knee.

“We haven’t finished them all yet. There are still many of them on the way to the second floor. After clearing them all, we will wrap up the first day.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Let’s move again.”

After a 30-minute break and rapid treatment, the procession moved again to find the red waves.

There were many targets in the rear due to the large number of people.

I ran around like a fish in water.

The madmen’s axe swings continued, but not a single one touched my body.

They all bounced off with [Flexible Evasion].

And then it was completely my time.

Squeak!!

Like the others, I stabbed and swung my sword madly.

With continuous attacks, [Groggy] naturally followed.

Thud.

A heavy body knelt down.

A sword entwined with a blue snake pierced through a log-like neck.

Gak, the creature fell.

When I suddenly looked back, five Red Oaks were lined up dead.

All bore both snake bites and sword wounds.

This went on for a couple of hours.

Finally, we reached the path leading to the second floor.

The red wave had completely subsided.

There were no more standing Red Oaks.

“Good job, everyone. We’ll set up camp after a break.”

Major Yeom Dong-cheol concluded the first day with a few short words.

The soldiers finally put down their equipment.

The sweat pouring down like rain and the combat uniforms soaked in red simply explained today’s hard work.

At that moment, Captain Oh Jun-beom approached. Along with Corporal Kwak Woo-hee and Corporal Jung Ye-som, who were sitting and drinking water almost lying down.

Next to them, Corporal Byun Ji-tak was also taking out his canteen.

“Hey, relax.”

Captain Oh Jun-beom gestured as if it was okay, but no one would take those words literally.

We quickly stood up.

Corporal Byun Ji-tak also stood at attention.

“You all fought well. Is the third squad leader teaching you well?”

“No! The soldiers’ individual skills were excellent!”

“Haha, really?”

“Yes!”

“The third squad leader fought well too.”

“Thank you!”

Sergeant Sun Ah-rin had also taken her place beside us at some point.

“By the way, Byun Ji-tak.”

“Corporal Byun Ji-tak.”

“You were Yoon-ho’s mentor, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Captain Oh Jun-beom’s gaze briefly shifted to Corporal Byun Ji-tak, then returned to me.

“You need to step up your game. At this rate, the positions of mentor and mentee might switch.”

“…!”

My hand, holding the canteen, trembled at the humiliating words. My face was already twisted, no, crumpled.