Finally Got Stronger but Ended Up Regressing - Chapter 48
Chapter 048 The National Sword (4)
Boom!!
The place where the sword strike landed was the ground.
But even the shockwave alone could easily peel off human skin.
“aaargh!”
Byun Ji-tak screamed, clutching his cheek.
Blood trickled down between his fingers.
And below that, something was also trickling down between his pant legs.
Just from the yellow color, it was clear what the liquid was.
“Gaaah.”
The terrified mouse trembled violently.
I wanted to cut off one of his limbs, but I could do that more legally later.
I turned my sword completely behind my back.
I also sent back the [Mystic Snake].
Thud!
I punched him in the face.
Crack, the sound of his cheekbone collapsing was as clear and pure as a bird chirping.
“Stop, stop it…”
“I must have been hit by you hundreds of times by now. If I end it with just one hit, wouldn’t that be too unfair for me? Right?”
I struck him three more times.
His nose bone was completely crushed, and it was quite a sight.
Two of his front teeth fell out and stuck to his cheek.
Even though it was a real combat training, my actions were a bit excessive.
But it was Byun Ji-tak who broke the rules first.
The two attacks he just made using the bull formation.
He really intended to pulverize me. I could tell just by the look in his eyes.
So I had to respond to some extent.
“Hmm.”
Lieutenant Noh Young-il, who was both the trainer and the referee, didn’t say much.
He just watched with interest.
Anyway, these kinds of injuries heal quickly after a visit to the water tank.
It’s not like anything was cut off.
Thud!
I stopped after hitting him square in the face.
He didn’t faint, surprisingly.
Maybe because I avoided hitting his jaw out of courtesy.
“Ugh, ugh.”
His mouth was filled with blood. He seemed to struggle to speak.
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Not that I intended to listen to anything he said.
“That’s right, Ji-tak.”
I bent down again and brought my lips to his ear.
“This is just the beginning.”
“…!!”
His unfocused eyes suddenly shook violently.
Byun Ji-tak pleaded.
“I, I was wrong, keck. I, I won’t do it again, keck.”
“No, don’t reflect.”
People don’t change.
Especially trash like this.
“I have no intention of forgiving you.”
* * *
That evening, just before the squad settlement.
“Ha, I feel so relieved.”
“Well done, Yunho. That guy deserved it.”
Corporal Jung Yesom and Sergeant Kwak Woohee gave a thumbs up when they heard the news.
Byun Ji-tak’s seat was, of course, empty.
His face was smashed, and he was currently in the water tank.
“I heard from the kids that Byun Ji-tak almost tried to kill you?”
“Yes.”
“Isn’t he completely crazy?”
“I guess I beat him like a madman too.”
“Why? You fought within the set rules.”
Corporal Jung Yesom’s words were immediately backed up by Sergeant Kwak Woohee.
“Yeah. No need to worry. If it was really a problem, the disciplinary committee would have been convened.”
Thanks for the empathy.
But will the next person who comes in also empathize?
“Loyalty!”
“Loyalty!”
Sergeant Sun Arin, who had sent Byun Ji-tak to the water tank, entered the living quarters.
She looked a bit tired, probably because of the procedures.
No matter the situation, it was clear that the squad member under his command had ended up in that state.
As a squad leader, it was natural for him to be concerned.
He would also be stressed.
That bothered him a bit.
“Before we start the squad review. Yunho.”
“Sergeant Koo Yunho!”
“The squad leader is saying this just in case.”
However.
“From start to finish, none of today’s events were your fault, Yunho.”
Sergeant Sun Arin even comforted me.
“It was just the villain getting his comeuppance. So, don’t blame yourself for anything.”
“Yes, squad leader.”
This is why I really like Sergeant Sun Arin.
She understands me better than anyone.
“Alright, let’s start the squad review.”
After the squad review, the evening roll call proceeded.
Standing at attention at the end of the bed, I recalled the upcoming schedule.
It was about time for ‘that incident’ to happen.
No, it wasn’t just about time.
It was the day after tomorrow.
If it were before the regression, it would have nothing to do with me.
Even unlike the last tower raid, they don’t even pick corporals except for magic soldiers.
It’s all composed of sergeants.
But I had already become a sergeant.
At least within this Biho battalion, there was nothing I couldn’t participate in anymore.
* * *
Wednesday afternoon, two days later.
With the sound of the siren, the entire company, no, the entire battalion was on alert.
Each squad leader urgently conveyed the information.
“While the soldiers of the neighboring Cheongma battalion were moving relics within the dungeon, they were attacked by villains.”
“What?!”
“Wow, damn….”
The chaotic atmosphere, wondering why the siren was blaring, was instantly settled.
“Fortunately, there were no fatalities, but the injuries seem severe. They will need at least a few months of treatment.”
“!”
“!”
Cheongma Battalion is a place with frequent exchanges, often conducting joint operations together.
They are friends before comrades.
Knowing that such people were attacked made them even more furious.
“Who the hell are they?”
“Kiblock. You might have heard of them.”
“Kiblock… Are you talking about the Kiblock that engages in human trafficking and even commits terrorism against hunters?”
“Yes. It seems they moved secretly after hearing that Cheongma Battalion was transporting relics.”
“Damn.”
“Finding the person who gave them that information is important, but for now, we need to prioritize the situation.”
Sergeant Sun Arin’s face was hardened. It was an expression rarely seen.
She was that angry.
“We will find and annihilate Kiblock by any means necessary. Lethal force is authorized. This is the commander’s order.”
“!”
Villains are different from monsters.
The latter can be tackled with a set strategy, while the former, though called the same, are essentially hunters.
Their disposition.
Their combat style.
And even their abilities.
In every aspect, they are more challenging to deal with. Unlike the monster manual, they are not updated in real-time.
However, the squad members welcomed the fight against them.
“We have to go. Our neighboring comrades were attacked like that.”
“Yes, we must avenge them.”
“While I commend that spirit, unfortunately, not everyone can go.”
Sergeant Sun Arin pointed out the selected personnel one by one.
“Ki-yong.”
“Sergeant Song Ki-yong!”
“Woo-hee.”
“Sergeant Gwak Woo-hee!”
“Yoon-ho.”
“Sergeant Goo Yoon-ho!”
“Lastly, Ye-som.”
“Corporal Jung Ye-som!”
“Only these four from our squad will participate in this operation.”
“Is it only possible for sergeants?”
Corporal Song Ji-han asked regretfully.
“Yes. Ye-som is an exception because she’s a magic soldier.”
“Understood.”
It couldn’t be helped.
Kiblack are not ordinary villains.
Sergeants need to go for the fight to be effective.
“Besides our Vihodae Battalion, most of the battalions under the division will participate in the operation.”
“Will all those personnel move together?”
“No. Movement will be by company. We follow the orders of the 3rd Company Commander.”
“Understood.”
“Those who were called, start preparing. Thoroughly check your combat equipment and auxiliary equipment. Especially, don’t leave out any armor.”
“Yes!”
The living quarters became busy.
Even those not participating had their own tasks, such as preparing auxiliary equipment.
In fact, I already knew things would turn out this way. Including Kiblack’s attack, of course.
But I couldn’t step forward.
Even Lieutenant Colonel Park Ui-chul, the battalion commander, wouldn’t interfere in another unit’s affairs.
And a mere soldier?
That’s out of the question.
It’s hard to apply memories or information from before the regression to every incident and accident.
There are several dungeon accidents happening in a day.
It’s impossible to report and take action on each one in advance.
Therefore, at this point, we should handle the inevitable incidents as best as we can.
So that the same thing never happens again.
“You must have heard the story through each squad leader. Our 3rd company will now head to Dogyesan, one of the escape routes of the Kiblack villains at the time of the incident. We will find their traces there.”
In front of the company building, Captain Oh Jun-beom, who was as well-prepared as the soldiers, stood at the front of the line. His fierce eyes could be seen through the combat helmet he wore.
“Anything is fine. Even a single strand of hair can be a clue to track them.”
“―”
“If you happen to encounter them, or if you find their hideout.”
“―”
“We will show the thunderous Kiblack their doom. Do you all understand?”
“Yes!”
Company commanders, platoon leaders, and squad leaders, along with more than twenty sergeants.
Additionally, there were magic soldiers like Corporal Jeong Ye-som.
It was enough personnel to annihilate a villain group.
That’s why the composition was made on a company basis.
“But is there a chance we’ll run into them?”
“No. It’s doubtful if we can even find any traces.”
“Those b*stards. We need to crush them.”
“The Kiblack guys are nicknamed Hong Gil-dong. They are so elusive.”
“Then there’s no way we’ll find their hideout?”
“Of course not. Even the villain handling hunters couldn’t find it after months.”
As you can tell from the soldiers’ chatter, it’s hard to even find traces of Kiblack.
As someone said, finding their hideout is even more impossible.
But as the saying goes, the darkest place is under the candlestick.
Later, it turned out that the place our 3rd company went to today was where they were.
The entire group.
‘Dogyesan. That’s where Kiblack’s hideout is.’
This was later officially announced by the intelligence department, so it’s certain.
The problem is, I don’t know the exact location.
‘They said it was some hidden dungeon.’
Even though [Kiri’s Eye] allows us to identify distant enemies as red and blue dots, that ability doesn’t extend to the inside of the dungeon.
Unless the enemies are lurking right behind the entrance of the dungeon.
For that reason, it became difficult to bring along personnel from other companies or units.
If we end up empty-handed, I have no confidence in handling the aftermath.
‘Anyway, even with this number of people, it’s not difficult to deal with Kiblack. Let’s proceed as planned.’
If everything goes well, we can surely avenge our comrades from the Blue Horse Battalion.
After that.
We’ll raid their secret warehouse.
It’s time to upgrade [The Mystical Snake] once again, following [The Mystical Snake’s Swordsmanship].
* * *
Despite having a hideout in Dogye Mountain, the Kiblack villains included Dogye Mountain in their escape route during the incident because the military’s pursuit was so intense.
Being chased by three teams from the division’s direct command, their only thought was to survive, hideout or not.
The result was a great success.
They completely evaded the pursuit, and the hideout was only discovered much later.
We cannot repeat the tragedy.
At the entrance of Dogye Mountain, I paid attention to Captain Oh Junbeom’s words.
“I’ll say it again. Anything is fine. If you find even a single strand of hair, report it immediately.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Everyone, move out!”
As soon as the order was given, the soldiers immediately split into groups of four or five and began climbing the mountain.
About 30 seconds passed.
“Can it be found this easily?”
Unintentionally, I muttered out loud at the unexpected development.
Sergeant Sun Arin immediately turned to me.
“Yoonho, did you find something?”
The soldiers, surprised, turned their heads towards me.
Since it had just started, Captain Oh Junbeom was also right next to me.
He shouted.
“Goo Yoonho! What did you find?”
I pointed to the side. Under the ordinary large tree, there were dozens of red and blue dots embedded.
“This is Kiblack’s hideout.”
Not just a simple trace, but Kiblack’s hideout. When I finished in just 30 seconds what the villain handling team had failed to do after months of tracking, everyone stood there with their mouths agape.
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