“What, what’s with you? Got, got mad?”
“No… I apologize…”
“Showing your true colors to a superior, huh?! Eh?! Is this brat joking?!”
The slightly intimidated muscular sergeant deliberately started to get angry.
“I’m sorry. I will correct it.”
“Riding on the Goblin’s coattails, don’t get cocky. Got it?”
“I will correct it.”
“Inherited trash Edeya from your parents, so you’re trash too, huh, ugh?!”
Snap, crunch.
Park Jinsung grabbed the muscular sergeant’s shoulder with his left hand.
Despite the sergeant’s significantly larger size, he couldn’t easily shake off Jinsung. A somewhat strange sound even came from the grabbed shoulder.
“……”
“You, you! Let go of me?! Are you touching a sergeant’s body right now?! Just a mere trainee?!”
“……”
“Daring to touch a superior’s body?! Better let go while I’m asking nicely, huh?!”
“…There was something on your shoulder.”
Jinsung spoke with his head deeply bowed.
“This brat, really!! [Twin Shields!]”
[A pair of giant shields combined into one]
World Soul Grade System: C⁺
Overall Combat Ability: B⁻
The muscular sergeant summoned two giant iron shields, one in each hand.
The shields were large enough to cover the muscular sergeant’s entire body. They had a presence so imposing that a skinny figure like Jinsung wouldn’t even be considered a threat.
“…Sergeant, you were the first to summon your Edeya.”
“F-grade! You’re done for today!”
“[Dagger.]”
[Dagger]
World Soul Grade System: F
Overall Combat Ability: F(?)
The muscular sergeant’s shields moved surprisingly smoothly, not at all like typical shields. They attacked Park Jinsung from both sides, aiming to crush him in one fell swoop.
However, the slender dagger was quicker than the sturdy shields.
“Left and right radial arteries, two abdominal aortas, superior mesenteric artery, renal arteries, abdominal aorta, coronary arteries, left and right brachial arteries, common carotid arteries.”
Starting from both wrists, moving to the torso with six strikes, and then passing through both armpits up to the neck.
A total of eleven slashes targeted the muscular sergeant.
The sound of slicing was crisp and clear.
The muscular sergeant’s top received cool slashes. They were so precisely cut that they hardly showed unless closely inspected.
“Ugh, ugh! To think an F-grade could…!”
Of course, the slashes didn’t actually cut through the skin. But this restraint showed an even greater skill gap, and…
“Heh.”
Even a brain-muscle sergeant couldn’t be so foolish as to miss that gap.
It was an unbelievable display of knife skills.
Using the dagger as if it were an extension of his limbs, perhaps even beyond.
It was as if the muscular sergeant was floundering in the deep sea, a mere juvenile, while the F-grade in front of him was a colossal monster, opening its jaws from the depths.
“Ah…”
The sergeant, overwhelmed by imagination, felt a chill run down his spine.
If the sergeant had been a real enemy… those precise, artery-targeting slashes would have destroyed him without a single miss.
“Ugh. How could I…”
The slightly panicked sergeant stood frozen, like an electronic device that had run out of battery.
“That was roughly eleven arteries in the upper body.”
“…What?”
“Heheh. It means, Sergeant, that you’ve already died eleven times over.”
“That’s impossible… It can’t be… This… this… this skinny brat dares?!”
The muscular sergeant attempted to mask his panic and embarrassment with rage.
In fact, even the sergeants of the 3rd Company at Haeun Special Battalion hadn’t seen how or where the dagger moved. Some sergeants didn’t even realize an attack had occurred.
“Crazy! The muscular sergeant pulled out his Edeya! Is he trying to discipline the F-grade?”
“But why is he just standing still?”
“Huh? Didn’t the F-grade attack first just now?”
The other sergeants watched the two with great interest, not giving a thought to the rule against using Edeya or the idea of intervening.
‘Hmph. With nothing but physical ability, he’s overwhelmed that muscle lump.’
Kim Seyun saw the thrusts to the torso but missed the attacks that followed to the armpits.
Each strike could have been lethal.
Facing these strikes from a lower position, the muscular sergeant must have been utterly dumbfounded.
“You’re going to be in the infirmary for a month! F-grade!!”
“Ah, but then, Sergeant, you’d be in the brig, wouldn’t you? Are you sure that’s okay?”
The muscular sergeant gathered his shields, preparing to slam down with all his might. The intent was clear, and the force behind it would undoubtedly be tremendous.
“I’ll show you the gap between our souls!!”
In a real fight, Park Jinsung would have clearly won by now. But in a situation where he couldn’t kill, the muscular sergeant had a significant advantage.
The pure difference in Edeya grades.
The thin dagger couldn’t possibly block those heavy shields.
“Know your place and just stay in bed!!”
Crash!!
The shields, as large as doors, clashed with the simple dagger, reminiscent of a kitchen knife.
“Sergeant… maybe it’s time to go have lunch.”
“What, what? Why is this happening?”
The shields that should have crushed Park Jinsung halted mid-air, at least from the muscular sergeant’s perspective.
These enormous shields couldn’t penetrate a mere dagger?
Park Jinsung blocked the muscular sergeant’s two-handed strike with just one hand’s strength.
“Arrrrrgh!!”
The muscular sergeant couldn’t believe the reality unfolding before his eyes. In an attempt to deny what he saw, he swung the shield in his right hand at Park Jinsung’s left arm.
“Trainee! Watch out!!”
Too late, Kim Seyun’s shout came as an unnatural sound echoed through the cafeteria, a sound that should never emanate from a person.
The harmony created by the collision of Park Jinsung’s left arm and the shield once again dampened the atmosphere with its formidable force.
“Hahaha! How about that! My strength!!”
“Haha. Sergeant…”
“Huh? Your mouth survived, I see? Better go see the medic now.”
“Let’s stop this now.”
As the muscular sergeant lowered his shield, there stood the two-time F-grade champion, smiling brightly.
His left arm, which had been struck by the shield, appeared unharmed.
Only Park Jinsung’s tattered uniform testified to the force of the shield’s impact.
“How did you…”
“Kim Seyun, we should really go eat now. The cafeteria will close at this rate.”
Everyone except Park Jinsung hesitated to speak.
Park Jinsung’s arm muscles, visible through the torn fabric of his combat uniform, appeared more solid than anything else. It seemed as though the muscle fibers had been compressed to their utmost limit.
Even the muscular sergeant had to relinquish his title of ‘muscular’ in front of Park Jinsung’s physique.
‘I didn’t feel this when I grabbed his shoulder earlier. Just how strong and flexible must his muscles be….’
“Deputy Seyun? Why are you staring blankly? Lead the way.”
Park Jinsung, having regained his smile, pushed the shocked Kim Seyun.
“Hey! Look here, F-grade!”
The disheartened muscular sergeant called out to Park Jinsung in vain.
He lacked the courage to follow, so he couldn’t chase after Park Jinsung’s seemingly rigid back.
—
“Deputy.”
“What.”
After finishing their meal, all members of the 10th Platoon needed to tend to their military gear.
The epitome of military inefficiency: the military gear.
A green bag with a metal frame. It’s sturdy but the frame alone boasts a weight of 20 kilograms.
With the shift of military power to Edeya, individual military gears like bulletproof helmets, ammunition belts, and cartridge holders have disappeared.
Yet, loading the gear with water bottles, rice containers, blankets, and gas masks still makes it significantly heavy.
Roughly 30-40 kilograms?
“Deputy Seyun, Deputy Seyun.”
“What.”
They had to shoulder this 40-kilogram load and march for kilometers, even in an era of extreme transportation advancements.
With the mid-term performance assessments concluded, only the actual mid-term exams remained.
The marching courses and other training activities would likely differentiate the grades of many squad members.
“Deputy Seyun, Deputy Seyun, Deputy Seyun.”
“Why keep calling me for no reason? I might just hit you.”
“The guys keep staring at you, Deputy.”
“Hmph. Like that’s anything new? You might not understand being who you are, but it’s a daily occurrence for me.”
“Don’t hit me, please. Oh, and you were quite annoying just now, Deputy.”
“Haah. So, you’re jealous because others are looking at me?”
“Jealous? What kind of nonsensical talk is that?”
—
Kim Seyun’s mouth sealed shut at such an innocent reply.
“It’s just that they’re looking at us more frequently than usual. Did we do something again?”
“It’s not us, it’s you, man. And this time, it’s not me they’re looking at, it’s you. Got it? Park Jinsung, the trainee.”
“Eh? Me? Hehe. Am I that good-looking?”
“You’re a complete social misfit, aren’t you? Ah, I see. If I ever consider you for a son-in-law, it’s going to be quite the ordeal.”
“Why would I ever be a part of a son-in-law competition? I’d rather be part of a daughter-in-law competition, and besides, my parents aren’t even around.”
“I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have said that, don’t talk about being lonely so casually…”
Kim Seyun was caught off guard by the unexpected blow and covered her face with her hands.
As Seyun said, about 70 percent of the gazes were indeed directed at Jinsung. Of course, the remaining 30 percent were blatantly stealing glances at Seyun, riding on the coattails of the attention Jinsung was getting.
The incident in front of the cafeteria had spread much faster than expected.
“Park Jinsung stood up to that muscular sergeant and survived.”
“That hot-tempered sergeant?”
“His arm muscles were no joke, I heard.”
Jinsung had already changed into a fresh uniform, so at least outwardly, he looked fairly intact.
The muscular sergeant was known within the battalion for his physical prowess and large build.
“And that guy was subdued by Jinsung? I heard he even pulled out his Edeya. Maybe the sergeant let him off easy because there were people around?”
The murmurs continued to buzz around them.
“Ugh, their stares are too intense.”
“Well, that aside, Jinsung, have you decided to stop pretending from now on?”
“Ah, well, I still don’t plan on drawing attention to myself, you know.”
“Do you know why people have stopped bothering you lately?”
“It’s because I hang out with you, deputy, isn’t it?”
“It’s because you’ve changed, dummy.”
“But deputy.”
“What.”
Suddenly, Jinsung’s expression turned serious.
“About that muscular sergeant…”
“Why, are you worried that you messed with the sergeant? Don’t worry too much, you have Sergeant Ahn Sungho as your strong backing. If necessary, I’ll step in too…”
“Do you think the muscular sergeant will compensate for my uniform?”
“…”
Let’s not speak.
It’s a waste to worry about a socially awkward teenager suffering from a severe case of chuunibyou.
“Why are you silent, deputy? Just tell me straight up. If he’s not compensating, he’s not! If he is, he is!”
“Ugh, please just be quiet for once.”
“But deputy.”
“What now? Why, what, so, then, what’s it?”
“Aren’t you curious about my Edeya, deputy?”
Today seemed to be a day of frequent speechlessness for Kim Seyun. Jinsung’s abrupt questions kept catching her off guard, causing her to stop packing her gear.
“Hmph… I’m not really curious about that stuff.”
“I can explain it all to you if you want.”
“Hey, don’t say that to other girls. Understand? I’m tolerating it because it’s you, but another girl would have fallen for it right away.”
“I’ve already told everything to Sergeant Ahn Sungho. Ah, maybe not everything?”
“What?! You told Sergeant Ahn Sungho?! Do you have a death wish?! Why didn’t you tell me, before I really beat you up and make you spill even the non-existent secrets?!”
Byun Kiyoung, who was watching Jinsung from behind, also subtly pricked up his ears.
After the bank incident, Kiyoung found it difficult to approach Jinsung casually.
‘Just a piece of trash…’
The murderous intent directed at him, the pressure of possibly dying at any moment – he had never felt that before.
In Kiyoung’s view, the person who had driven away Kim Iljeong was none other than Jinsung.
Furthermore, Kim Iljeong, who seemed second in command among Pest, had left giving off vibes that Jinsung was dangerous.
‘Damn it. How did it come to this.’
In Kiyoung’s mind, Jinsung was still an F-grade waste. It’s just that his status had been upgraded to radioactive waste, so the urge to mess with him had disappeared, not the animosity.
The animosity towards the waste remained. He just decided to wait for the right moment to trample on it coolly.
“Damn it. I’ll wait until it’s confirmed.”
That’s why he intentionally didn’t mention Jinsung to the media. He couldn’t let a waste like him snatch any social benefits.
“Hehe, there are too many eyes here, so I’ll tell you when we’re alone.”
“Hey, don’t say that in front of other girls either. I’m barely tolerating it because it’s you, understand?”
Kim Seyun and Park Jinsung finished packing their military gear.
Some squad members were trying to reduce the weight of their military gear by fetching cardboard boxes. If they neatly placed the boxes instead of the items, it would seem like they followed the FM (Field Manual), which signifies they executed everything correctly, diligently, and by the book.
Jinsung packed his military gear with more than the FM standard for his physical training.
“But deputy, where is the destination of our march?”
“Huh? Didn’t you hear? It’s the commando training field.”
“…The commando training field?”
Jinsung, who was trying to secretly remove a blanket from his military gear,
Thud.
was stopped by Kim Seyun grabbing it.
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