It was a vehicle known as the Retona. From the model alone, it belonged to a very high class.
Beneath the right headlight of the Retona, the number 1301 was inscribed.
The military number for Haeun High Special Education Battalion is 13. In other words, it’s the first vehicle owned by the army unit 13.
“Gasp. It’s the battalion’s number one vehicle. The principal has arrived.”
“Sigh. What’s he doing coming all the way here?”
The battalion’s number one Retona slowed down right next to Kim Seyun.
The descending window, and a face becoming clearly visible.
“Sigh… Victory!”
“Victory. You’ve been working hard.”
As Kim Seyun continued marching, she saluted to the principal. Just turning her head, her appearance was the epitome of a disciplined soldier.
The principal looked extremely satisfied. An elite like Kim Seyun was adorable enough to be cherished. On the other hand.
“Hehe. I ate all the mint chocolate.”
“…….”
Edeya is F grade, as is overall combat capability.
Look at that leech barely hanging on to the battalion thanks to Kim Seyun.
A pig that’s unbearable to even look at from afar. It reeks like maggots.
‘Look, look, look at that brat? Daring to loosen up in front of this battalion commander!’
Originally, it was no big deal since Kim Seyun, representing the 10th Platoon, saluted.
However, seeing that apparently fine F-grade guy, anger welled up for no reason. How dare an F-grade like him not be tense in front of the battalion commander?
“Ah, ah. The battalion commander is now broadcasting.”
The principal grabbed the speaker built into the Retona.
“Hey, show-off.”
“What is it? I won’t eat chocolate anymore.”
“Stay well hidden from the battalion commander, make sure he can’t see you.”
“Huh? Is there something wrong?”
The principal, wanting to emphasize his position as the battalion commander, spat vehemently into the speaker.
“Your efforts during the march are appreciated. From this moment, take a 10-minute break. I, the battalion commander, will personally conduct a backpack inspection.”
“Show off! Hide properly!”
“Oh my. What have I done wrong? Is it a crime to have eaten mint chocolate against my will?”
The principal didn’t choose a far path for the backpack inspection.
Behind Kim Seyun, who wore a stern expression, and unusually tall for a woman, was the awkward figure of someone trying to hide but failing miserably.
The principal, stepping out of the Retona, approached the eyesore, Park Jinsung.
“Hmm. Are you the famous trainee Park Jinsung?”
“Victory! Second Company, 10th Platoon, 3rd Squad Team Member! Trainee! Park! Jin! Sung!”
“I like the sound of your salute. How do you find the marching?”
“Yes! It’s fine!! Not! Tiring at all!!”
Park Jinsung was even more annoying up close. Though it was the first time seeing him in person, his annoyingness seemed to renew by the second.
‘Such a worthless person isn’t needed in our battalion.’
Just thinking of the previous meeting with Advisor Lee Shin made him irritable for no reason.
“You…, may I see your backpack?”
“Do you mean the backpack, sir?!”
Park Jinsung’s expression became complicated. Bingo.
Caught red-handed. How dare a mere trainee lie from his very first large-scale training?
“Why, is there something you can’t show to the battalion commander?”
“No, not at all!”
“Open the backpack, commence.”
“Co-commencing!!”
“Sigh…”
Kim Seyun, watching from the side, let out a deep sigh. As expected. The principal was not on Park Jinsung’s side either.
Jingle.
Park Jinsung slowly opened his backpack.
Not only the members of the 9th Squad in front but also the stragglers behind watched the scene in silence, holding their breath.
If any snacks came out, it would be the end. The mood suggested that even a single Choco Pie would provoke a massive tackle.
And if there were a box instead of military supplies…
“Hmm? What’s this…?!”
“Hey! Show-off! What is this!”
“Hehe.”
Fortunately, there were neither snacks nor a box inside. However,
“Trainee Park Jinsung? Why on earth would you have a steel ball…”
“Yes! Battalion Commander! I added it for more effective training!”
A steel ball, boldly marked as 10 kilograms, was snugly placed inside the backpack.
Everyone, shivering with tension, scrambled to read the expression of the principal. The direction of that expression would determine the quality of the upcoming march.
‘What on earth is he doing?’
But the principal observed the steel ball with an expression that even he couldn’t comprehend.
Unable to bear it, Kim Seyun grabbed Park Jinsung by the collar and burst out in a heated argument.
“You really are an undeniable show-off, aren’t you?! Hey, you insane show-offff!”
“Ouch! Please leave out the ‘insane’ part!”
“While you were trying to remove even one of the required blankets, what’s this?! A steel ballll?!”
“Hehe. It felt too light when I put on the backpack, so I added it.”
Aside from the unexpected steel ball, the backpack was perfect. Even the rust on the backpack frame had been tended to.
In fact, the steel ball deserved praise from a training perspective. If it weren’t for Park Jinsung, he might have even received a commendation.
“Hem-hem. Trainee Park Jinsung?”
“Trainee! Park! Jin! Sunggg!!”
However, the person in question was the principal. He had long regarded Park Jinsung as a pig, just like various other characters.
“If you can march with a steel ball like this, then you should be able to do even greater things for missing comrades, right?”
“I don’t quite understand what you mean!”
The principal pointed towards an ambulance parked in front of battalion 1’s vehicle.
In the wide-open trunk of the ambulance were the battalion’s representative beauty, the military doctor, and
“Belongings of a comrade who fell out of the marching line. You should carry an additional backpack.”
Several unclaimed backpacks were scattered inside.
“Ah…”
“Heh. You, as a trainee, should be able to do it, right?”
The stragglers behind the 10th Platoon had already fully recovered. They were being forced to march again, carrying their own backpacks.
This meant that the backpacks in the ambulance didn’t belong to the missing comrades.
‘Hmph… all of them belong to the officers.’
Kim Seyun desperately tried to maintain her composure. Even a slight relaxation of her facial muscles felt like it could lead to a disaster.
Thud!
As Park Jinsung entered the ambulance, a somewhat familiar beauty greeted him. The nurse, instead of handing him a heavy backpack, pulled him inside.
“Oh. Sorry. I’m not that strong physically.”
“Hehe. It’s okay.”
“Jinsung, if you’re okay with it, I can give you my backpack. It’s not that heavy.”
“If you get caught, you’ll get in trouble. It’s okay, give me the heaviest one. I’m planning to be thoroughly overworked anyway.”
“Oh… Then it actually makes my job harder. I know how tough Jinsung is, but still…”
Park Jinsung chose the heaviest-looking backpack and showed it to the principal.
“Is this alright, Principal?”
“You should call me ‘battalion commander’, trainee?”
“I’m really sorry, but can I at least remove the sleeping bag? If I carry backpacks on both sides, the sleeping bag blocks my view.”
“Huhuhu. No, that won’t do. You should keep it up to the end, for your comrades.”
“…Sigh. I’ll definitely do it.”
Park Jinsung grabbed the sleeping bags attached to the backpacks, holding one in each hand.
He wore his own backpack on his back and an unknown one on his front.
A total weight of 90 kilograms pressed down on him under the blessing of gravity.
Kim Seyun looked at him with a face full of worry due to the absurdity of the situation.
“Hey, show-off, are you really okay…?”
“Eh. This is nothing. I’m ready to start.”
“…….”
The principal’s shoulders tensed up at the sight of Park Jinsung’s unchanged expression.
Others watching Park Jinsung felt similar to the principal.
The officers, including the nurse, were naturally astonished, and the fellow squad members carrying the same backpacks were at a loss for words.
“Crazy…”
“Is that even human?”
On a steep mountain road, carrying backpacks front and back and holding sleeping bags in both hands. Yet, how is his posture so steady?
In such conditions, it would be hard to maintain balance even with empty backpacks. But Park Jinsung looked as serene as if he was in zero gravity.
“Whew. Shall we go?”
Among the twitching muscles, the only area not covered by clothes, the back of his hand.
The back of his hand alone didn’t reveal how much he had trained.
But those fists holding the sleeping bags looked beyond just solid. They seemed to have a texture that wouldn’t pale in comparison to any metal.
‘That, that guy! His fists are like what.’
The principal, who had his mouth agape for a moment, finally managed to speak.
“Th, those fists are like what… No, not that. Uh, um, Trainee Park Jinsung?”
“Yes! Trainee! Park! Jin! Sung!”
“Well, that, um. Isn’t that… heavy?”
“It is heavy! I can feel the hearts of the comrades who couldn’t continue the training!”
Crazy guy.
Everyone who heard Park Jinsung’s response thought the same thing.
The march, which had been delayed for a while because of Park Jinsung, resumed its pace.
Battalion 1’s vehicle and the ambulance closely followed the 10th Platoon, especially Park Jinsung, as if conducting an in-depth coverage.
Battalion 1’s vehicle seemed to be eagerly awaiting the moment Park Jinsung would collapse, while the ambulance was worried he might get injured.
“Hey…, show-off. Are you really okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“Never mind, you seem fine for now.”
Only Kim Seyun, marching right beside him, felt that this was the beginning of a legend.
A legend that no one else could ever approach.
Two 40-kilogram backpacks, a 10-kilogram steel ball, and hands not free because of the sleeping bags.
It would take at least another 50 minutes to get out of this hellish mountain road.
“Hehe.”
“…….”
Hearing the small laugh, Kim Seyun shivered with a massive chill down her spine.
* * *
Unfortunately, the term ‘elite’ is always relative. Among the many elites, there are still others who stand above them.
Haeun High Special Education Battalion, 3rd Company, 1st Platoon, 1st Squad.
Elites among the elites, even among the generation of soldiers deemed exceptional.
The 1st Squad of the 1st Platoon in the 3rd Company represented the elite of the elites, the celebrities among celebrities, a monstrous group whose depth and height were immeasurable. Even their squad leader and other teachers found it difficult to instruct them casually.
“Hmm.”
With Corporal Ahn Sungho as the team leader and Sergeant Ju Ye as the deputy, they had already transcended the level of students. They were immediate combat forces ready to be deployed to the front lines as soon as age restrictions were lifted.
The other nine team members also boasted formidable combat skills. Their cooperative performance earned them an A⁻⁻ grade in overall combat capability.
“It should be starting soon.”
With an A⁺ grade team leader, a B⁺ grade deputy, and A⁻⁻ grade team members.
Headhunters from all over the country had their eyes on this small squad, coveting its exceptional talents.
Before the appearance of the magical 2nd Company, 10th Platoon, the strongest lineup of the battalion had already been established.
“Shall we prepare to welcome them?”
Exactly that 3rd Company, 1st Platoon, 1st Squad, was assigned the role of guerrilla training instructors as the battalion’s representatives. For the next four nights and five days of guerrilla training, they were delegated authority above that of the officers.
The instructors had already completed their training at the guerrilla camp. They had been rolling around the training ground day and night for two weeks.
Red combat caps adorned with eagle-wing-like decorations, red instructor uniforms with ‘RANGER’ written on the back, and a black whistle with a white string.
Equipped with all their gear, they were born Rangers.
“They’re coming.”
Among the ten in red, there was exactly one in black.
The black combat cap and black instructor uniform belonged to a man.
Corporal Ahn Sungho was personally taking on the role of an instructor, typically reserved for officers. It was quite unusual for a soldier, but given his capabilities, it was understandable.
There were no battalion officers surpassing the current Ahn Sungho.
The guerrilla camp was located at the end of the hellish mountain road, literally at the top of the mountain.
From the guerrilla camp, one could see the members of the 2nd Company climbing up like ants.
Ju Ye, who had been watching the 2nd Company members, asked Instructor Ahn Sungho.
“Squad leader, no, instructor. Who do you think is the most valuable member down there? Kim Seyun? Or maybe Byun Kiyoung?”
“Obviously, it’s Trainee Park Jinsung. He’ll soon be training number 367, as the numbers are assigned by rank.”
“I’ve seen that guy recently during NBC training. And before that in combat too. His mental strength is commendable, but I’m not sure about the other aspects.”
“Park Jinsung survived Pest as well. Isn’t that value enough?”
“That’s because of Kim Seyun…”
“Ju Ye.”
Ahn Sungho’s gaze, hidden behind the combat cap, slowly shifted to Ju Ye. The subtly emerging pressure made Ju Ye uncomfortable.
This was it.
This gap was precisely why Ju Ye couldn’t surpass Ahn Sungho.
“Instructor… Why do you acknowledge him so much? Why is my opinion disregarded only when it comes to Park Jinsung? Is it just because you’re in the same club? Or are you saying his value is higher than mine, the deputy of the 3rd Company, 1st Platoon, 1st Squad?”
“…Higher.”
“What…?”
“The value that Park Jinsung holds is higher than the entire 3rd Company, 1st Platoon, 1st Squad combined.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
Ahn Sungho slowly turned his gaze back towards the marching direction.
“This guerrilla training will be Park Jinsung’s solo stage, Ju Ye. If you want to surpass me, it’s better you properly recognize the value he holds. This is advice.”
Leave a Reply