Dinner until 7:30, assembly at the training ground starting at 8.
As it was the main part from the second day, the schedule was, as expected, intense.
“A true trainee is one with a hoarse voice.”
Unfortunately, the person who had a vague idea of Ms. Yangho’s strength was Ahn Sungho, and, of all people, he was the instructor for this guerrilla training.
“Ah… Ah, aahhh…”
“Aaaaahhh…”
It was like the cries of crows that had lost their minds.
The trainees were so dispirited that they could barely hear Instructor Ahn Sungho’s soft instructions.
“I can’t, I just can’t.”
“What?”
Some trainees even started to overact their struggles. In other words, the intensity of the training had already shown its dignity.
In fact, because it overlapped with real hardship, it turned into a performance that seemed like acting, but wasn’t acting, yet was like acting.
“What did you just say?”
Naturally, Ahn Sungho was the type to detest such poor acting.
‘Tsk. Better do well when it counts…’
Ju Ye, who was watching from the side, anticipated that hell was about to unfold.
“Everyone, prepare for the first high jump exercise.”
Ahn Sungho continued the PT exercises regardless of the condition of the trainees.
“Argh!”
High jump. A basic exercise that slightly stimulates the thighs while standing.
“Your voices are too quiet. Prepare for the second bending and touching exercise.”
“Aaagh!”
Bending and touching. A basic exercise where you sit down and stand up, adding to the first high jump.
“…Prepare for the sixth jumping with legs apart.”
“Aaaaaaah!!”
Jumping with legs apart. A very basic exercise similar to the typical jumping jacks.
“…Are you joking with the instructor right now? How can you be loudest in the easiest exercise?”
“Ah, aahh…?”
“I, as the instructor, cannot hide my disappointment in the trainees. Therefore, I will no longer accommodate the trainees’ convenience.”
What kind of illogical reasoning was that? And was this considered being lenient? Fortunately, no trainee was in a position to question this.
“Prepare for the eleventh exercise… squat jumping.”
“Argh!!”
Squat jumping. An advanced exercise combining duck walks and stationary jumps.
“Six times. How many?”
“Aaaaaaah!!”
“Thirteen times. How many?”
“Aaaaaaaargh!”
“Five times, begin!”
Instructor Ahn Sungho was extremely skilled in training people.
The outcry of 367 trainees began in sync with the command ‘one two three one.’
“Prepare for the ninth exercise, squat jump turns, four times.”
“Aah, ah, aah.”
Squat jump turns. Literally squatting and then jumping while turning, an advanced thigh-killing exercise.
“Prepare for the fourth exercise, squat thrusts, four times.”
“Argh…!”
Squat thrusts. An advanced exercise like a burpee, but with added sitting and standing at the end.
“Prepare for the first high jump, two times.”
“Uuuuaaaargh!”
The trainees’ shouts gradually morphed into something closer to groans.
Exercises 11, 9, 4, and 1 all intensely stimulated the thighs and lower body.
“You, exempted.”
“Ah?!”
Those who couldn’t properly perform the first high jump were directly exempted by the assistant instructors for special training.
11, 9, 4, 1. 11, 9, 4, 1. 11, 9, 4, 1.
A relentless cycle that even Möbius might weep over.
Aaaaargh!!!
In front of the demonic instructor who focused solely on lower body exercises, the number of those unavoidably exempted increased. It seemed better to exempt those who were still holding on.
But, as expected, not yet.
Instructor Ahn Sungho had no intention of letting the trainees off easy.
“Trainees… is it tough?”
“Aah!”
“Good. Then prepare for the eighth exercise, full body twisting.”
“Uuuuaaaaahhhhhhhh!!”
Full body twisting, an extremely difficult exercise where one has to lie down and swing both legs.
Having already exhausted the lower body, its effect was doubled. Just the preparatory position of lifting the legs while lying down was a huge strain on the abdomen and thighs.
Thud-thud-thud, thump!
Before even starting to swing their legs, half of the trainees’ legs fell due to their trembling thighs, unable to maintain the correct starting position.
Flash…!
Except for the 31 at the very back.
“Heh.”
Precisely, out of 367, only one person managed to lift their legs straight, but the fighting spirit shown by the remaining thirty was also remarkable.
“Huh. A crazy zombie squad? In times like these, it’s not the madness ‘mad’ (狂), but the brilliance ‘light’ (光).”
Lately, Ahn Sungho’s smile had become more frequent. It was because Dormitory 5, which everyone had ignored and even they themselves had given up on, had blossomed into a group of hard workers.
The main character behind this transformation being Park Jinsung, a former HT member, made the impact even more tremendous.
Aaaaargh!!
Even the female soldiers in Dormitory 5 seemed inspired. Although not as much as the ‘zombie squad’, they performed commendably among the female troops.
“…All members of Squad 5, stand up.”
Ahn Sungho, back to his expressionless face, arranged the ‘zombie squad’ separately.
“Aaaaaaahhh!!”
“Indeed, Squad 5 is the most spirited. I like it. At my discretion, all 31 members will be placed within the top 100 in terms of performance.”
In an instant,
Everyone else, the remaining 336 trainees doing the full body twists, the ten assistant instructors, and including Ms. Yangho, the health teacher,
Gasped.
Since the battalion officers were resting in their office, there was no one to overrule Ahn Sungho’s decision.
“I believe it’s a ranking befitting their results.”
In fact, even the officers couldn’t dictate terms to a guerrilla instructor. After all, in the guerrilla training field, the guerrilla instructor is the ultimate authority.
Moreover, who would dare? Who could stop an A⁺ level combatant?
Ten A-grade fighters could easily take on a thousand without A-grade capabilities.
“……”
The combination of strength, power, and popularity silenced the exceptional event.
“Squad 5, follow the assistant instructor to the training ground in the east. Execute.”
“Aaaaaaaaahhhh!!”
Overwhelmed with emotion, the ‘zombie squad’ roared as if the earth itself was shaking.
The Haeun High guerrilla training ground, having received national support, boasted excellent facilities.
Especially the various training grounds set up in the east were of exceptional quality.
Considering the schedule they were to face, collapsing now might be better. The naive trainees might soon fall back helplessly.
Of course, even that was unlikely, thanks to the outstanding military doctors.
The assistant instructor leading Squad 5 glanced back subtly.
“Huh.”
There were as many as thirty pairs of eyes, seemingly capable of preying on anything, carnivorous or herbivorous.
“Hehe.”
The saving grace was that all those intense gazes were directed not at the assistant instructor, but behind him, towards trainee number 367.
If those gazes had been directed at the assistant instructor…
Gulp.
He might have unwittingly collapsed in a heap.
‘What, what kind of looks are these… Are these really the kids from Dorm 5?’
“Hehe. Assistant Instructor, is there a problem?”
Park Jinsung smiled, showing off his well-polished teeth.
“Uh, um?”
“Oh dear. I apologize. There’s only one kind of noise allowed for trainees.”
“No, it’s fine. Let’s use this opportunity to ask what you’re curious about.”
“Really?! Are you serious?!”
The remaining 30 were still glaring at Park Jinsung.
It was as if taking their eyes off him for even a moment would spell their doom. At this point, it was almost like a kind of religion.
“Yes. It’s the first time for your Squad 5 to go to the eastern obstacle training ground. There’s no special privilege, but I’ll answer as kindly as I can within my capabilities.”
“Assistant Instructor, what happens if we finish the obstacle training as quickly as possible?”
“Huh?”
The assistant instructor was momentarily taken aback by the unexpected question.
“Cough. Finishing quickly isn’t really good. It might be better for the score, but I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“Why is that? Isn’t it all about the score?”
“The trainees move only according to a strictly set schedule. The sooner you finish, the sooner you have to return to the training ground, and at the training ground, all that awaits you is PT exercises and instructors.”
“So, the sooner we finish, the sooner we return to the training ground? Then would we also be the first to move to the next training ground?”
“That’s true. But before that, your stamina will likely give out.”
“Hehehe. That’s alright.”
“Uh, uh-huh?”
Park Jinsung’s eyes sharpened like those of the zombie squad behind him. The fact that he was still smiling made him seem even more unhinged.
“So the gist is, if we finish quickly, we get high scores and move to the next training ground sooner, but that also means more encounters with the instructor and PT exercises, right?”
“That’s… true, but?”
“Thank you for the valuable information. Hehehehehehe.”
“Hehehehehehehehehehehehehe!!”
As Park Jinsung laughed, the remaining 30 members joined in.
The assistant instructor, sweating profusely, was suddenly overwhelmed by the desire to abandon his leadership role. He felt like he would be devoured alive the moment he turned his back.
‘Why do I feel so heavy?’
The assistant instructor, having barely reached the training ground, felt as if the journey there had been a tremendous ordeal.
But that feeling of ordeal quickly changed to other expressions.
‘What…?’
In the eastern training ground, there were three basic obstacles, two mountain obstacles, and a derelict building about 11 meters tall.
‘Uh…?’
The first basic obstacle training. Crossing using an anchor.
A training exercise involving swinging across a pond, holding onto a rope attached to a pole, similar to a swing.
Since the legs must be held up in an L-shape to the very end, many trainees surprisingly fail at this.
‘What on earth are these guys?!’
If one loses grip of the rope midway, they plunge into muddy water, followed by the ‘reward’ of entertaining PT exercises.
That was what should have been waiting.
“Hehe. Trainee number 367, ready for crossing!”
“Uh, uh-huh?”
With Park Jinsung leading, the entire zombie squad breezed through the training. They didn’t look like their stamina had decreased at all.
Jumping over railings, climbing steep slopes on a single rope, hanging from ropes, walking across ropes, and more. They conquered various obstacles at a speed far exceeding expectations.
“Hehehehehe!”
-Hehehehehehehehe!!
Just two days ago, they seemed like extras with no hope of redemption. Naturally, there were countless failures in crossing.
But their mechanical, immediate recoveries revealed an almost inhuman will.
“We can do this…”
“We will make it…”
The will to become the main characters of their lives.
The longing Park Jinsung felt towards Ahn Sungho was now mirrored in Squad 5’s longing towards Park Jinsung.
The final rappel training was over in a flash.
The height of 11 meters, known to invoke the greatest fear in people.
Among the zombie squad, there were trainees sensitive to heights. That was normal. But,
“Oh dear. What are you doing? Why aren’t you coming down quickly?”
At Park Jinsung’s words, they effortlessly overcame the height of 11 meters.
“Geeenjaaaaaaahhhhh!!”
Ignoring their trembling legs, they leapt into the arms of the leader of Squad 5.
For Squad 5, Park Jinsung was everything – the light, the salt, the vitamin, the bible, the necessary and sufficient condition, and so on.
The zombie squad, along with their archbishop, led the second day at their own pace.
“Let’s go!”
-Goaaaaaahhh!!
When the zombie squad finished the obstacle training, Squad 1 had just arrived to start theirs.
The assistant instructor who led Squad 5, and Squad 1 they encountered midway, all shared one thought.
‘This is unbelievable…’
Originally, the obstacle training was supposed to be a rotation among several squads.
But Squad 5, who finished the obstacles in the blink of an eye, had to do PT exercises at the training ground until the other squads finished.
“Can you still keep up?”
Flash!
A look that spoke louder than words.
The zombie squad, with their eyes wildly rolling, energetically moved their limbs, following Park Jinsung.
Thus, by the evening of the second day.
The mid-training scores of the guerrilla training, as graded by the instructors and assistant instructors.
1st Place: Trainee Park Jinsung
2nd Place: Corporal Kim Seyun
3rd Place: Corporal Byun Kiyoung
4th to 33rd Place: Mad Zombie Squad (All Privates)
*Squad 5 Bonus Points: 1st place in comprehensive marching performance, fastest time in completing all east-side obstacle training, longest duration in PT exercises, top performance in task execution, highest unity, best training attitude, no medical treatment records.
*Personal Record of East-Side Obstacle Training Ground Assistant Instructor: Squad 5 devoured the entire training ground. Today, there was no doubt they were at the top of the food chain.
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