On the whiteboard, a brief summary of the troop situation and a map of the upcoming battlefield were drawn.
“The three-way path…”
Park Jinsung observed the map with a sharp gaze.
The location for the major infiltration operation was a mountain slope divided into three paths.
While it appeared no different from a mountain road at first glance, stepping beyond the guardrails beside the road led directly to a gorge.
The battalion and brigade were positioned at the extreme ends of these three paths. The dead-end where the three paths met housed the barracks.
In other words, since entry was limited to these specific paths, it seemed like a feasible task for the Haeun Battalion at first glance.
Park Jinsung noticed the rules written on the right side of the whiteboard.
“3,000 against 1,000. The side that pushes the button located in each camp first wins. However, if the Haeun Battalion lasts five hours, they win.”
The simplicity itself.
It was clearly intended as a showdown of strength.
The 998 Brigade’s intention to crush the Haeun Battalion with sheer force was glaringly obvious.
‘The central path is the widest, and the ones on the sides are narrower. Then.’
Having finished strategizing the troop deployment in his head, Park Jinsung turned back to the audience.
Three people were frightened by Park Jinsung, two were grinding their teeth in pride, and three were looking forward with anticipation to what he would say.
He was not sure of their reactions, but he needed to convince as many people as possible.
“This battle will likely be a fight of strength in the center. We should deploy the minimum necessary defense troops on the side paths and focus our strength in the center.”
“Why do you think that? I don’t see the value. They outnumber us three to one anyway.”
Ju Ye cocked her head in confusion.
“They want to crush us head-on with sheer strength.”
“The paths are limited by the cliffs anyway. Wouldn’t it be most valuable for the 998 side to press on all three paths?”
“Armor Senior, did we propose this joint training to 998 or whatever first?”
“No. It was probably requested by the 998 side first.”
“Ah, then all the more reason we must focus our strength in the center. It’s better to hold the sides firmly and watch the situation unfold.”
“Why? I don’t see the value in what you’re saying.”
Ju Ye stared intently at the map as she spoke.
“Unless we check for ourselves… but they possess the strength that defeated Sergeant Ahn Sungho. If we don’t concentrate our forces in the center, it’ll be blown wide open.”
Park Jinsung, who had been beaten up in various ways by various people over the years, could almost perfectly deduce what the attacker intended.
998 wanted to overwhelmingly crush the Haeun Battalion.
They aimed to advertise their superiority over the battalion in all aspects.
‘It’s too obvious.’
They plan to assert dominance through a frontal showdown, then reposition their troops strategically to capture the enemy.
‘Including strength and strategy, they plan to demonstrate that the brigade is superior in almost every aspect.’
Moreover, they had to consider the possibility of chaos erupting.
998 likely already had several methods to divert their forces. If 998 chose the location, this wasn’t just a flimsy suspicion but almost certainly the reality.
‘The center must be secured.’
Even in the event of chaos, the fact that the center needs to be solid remains unchanged. The sides, being relatively narrow, wouldn’t easily allow 998 to execute any tricks.
“Sergeant Ahn Sungho will be tasked with guarding the button in the rear.”
“I agree with that. Sending Ahn Sungho to the front now would bring us no benefit.”
New face, eager to fill Ahn Sungho’s vacant spot, seized the moment to join the conversation. His desire was evident.
Ju Ye slightly frowned, seemingly shocked by Park Jinsung’s statement.
“Park Jinsung… do you not trust our squad leader’s value? I’m curious why you think he should be sent to the back.”
“Armor Senior, please don’t misunderstand. Sergeant Ahn Sungho is undoubtedly the strongest in our battalion.”
“According to what you’re saying, shouldn’t we utilize a power like Ahn Sungho in the frontline collision? Isn’t that better?”
“Ha! That’s not it, Ju Ye. If we rashly send Ahn Sungho to the front and he gets defeated in the same way again, then it’s really over. The morale of the entire troop would hit rock bottom.”
Ju Ye bit her lip at the new face’s sharp comment.
The fact that Ahn Sungho had been defeated was true, and what the new face bluntly stated was, for the moment, also true.
‘Park Jinsung, I thought you would recognize Ahn Sungho’s value… Ahn Sungho! Why on earth did you lose to those guys!’
Ju Ye’s face looked like it was about to burst into tears.
Park Jinsung’s deployment strategy was perceived by the new face as an act of underestimating Ahn Sungho.
To emphasize the need to concentrate forces in the center while pulling the strongest asset to the back? It was as good as showing disdain for Ahn Sungho.
“Heheh. It’s okay, Armor Senior. Sergeant Ahn Sungho is the strongest. Since the real strongest one is saying it, there’s no mistake.”
“What are you talking about… Are you saying Ahn Sungho is the best, or you are?”
Just as Ju Ye’s mind began to blur, Kim Seyun suddenly appeared from behind.
“Pfft. You’re all wrong. The title of the greatest swordsman naturally belongs to our White Goblin Kim family. So, don’t even use the word ‘ultimate.’ They’re all mine.”
“That’s all I have to propose for the direction. Feel free to do as you please from here.”
“……”
The rest of the sergeants and freshmen blinked stupidly. They had no choice but to suppress their simmering frustration.
The fact that they were overwhelmed by Park Jinsung was still hard to believe at this moment. If not for their trembling hands and feet, they would have denied this reality outright.
“Ugh.”
Especially the Sparrow Eyes, who even fell on his behind, suffered a significant blow to his pride.
Despite being humiliated so thoroughly, he couldn’t even mount a proper counterattack. He was too scared to even dream of retaliating.
“Ha…!”
This was a bit problematic.
Without a doubt, Sparrow Eyes was the top of the first company, and he himself should fill Ahn Sungho’s vacant spot.
“Ha… Uh, Private Park Jinsung…?”
“You are… Yes, you’re also thinking of trying, I see. Good. Come on in, you bastard.”
Somehow, Private Park Jinsung seemed to have also sensed Sparrow Eyes’ intent.
Bring it on.
The pitiful killing intent Sparrow Eyes emitted was weaker than a cute teddy bear’s.
“Is it true that you knocked down 200 people! Or not! Whether you have the ability to lead us! Or not! The freshman captain will personally verify this!!”
“Ah. That pride of yours. You should’ve been satisfied with falling on your behind.”
“[Eyes That Capture Trajectory!]”
[Eyes That Capture Trajectory]
World Soul Unit Rating System: B⁺⁺
Focuses on a single target within view, discerning the kinetic energy it possesses.
It can accurately perceive how much force the target has and how far it will reach.
However, energies vastly exceeding the user’s ability cannot be discerned, nor can energies lasting more than 2 seconds.
Overall Combat Ability: B⁺
Sparrow Eyes’ eyes gleamed with a red streak of light.
Sparrow Eyes had been granted the rank of a senior soldier almost as soon as Haeun High transformed into the Haeun Battalion.
Despite countless fights, his exceptional Edeya allowed him never to be hit even once.
His ability to precisely recognize where and how much to strike made Sparrow Eyes an outstanding fighter.
“[Bloodsucking Dagger.]”
[Bloodsucking Dagger]
World Soul Unit Rating System: D⁺⁺⁺(F↑)
Absorbs blood from the target, forcing the owner to move.
As long as the minimum conditions for bodily movement are met, actions can continue without interruption.
Overall Combat Ability: B
A bright red-bladed dagger was held in Park Jinsung’s right hand. Its crimson hue was much deeper than the light gleaming from Sparrow Eyes.
No one tried to stop the clash between Park Jinsung and Sparrow Eyes. Except for Kim Seyun and Byun Kiyoung, everyone else was daunted by the aura emanating from the two.
Whether the first or third company knew it, Park Jinsung, even with a B⁻ combat power, had subdued a colossal insect using only his dagger and strength.
“Everything is too slow… Huh?”
To Park Jinsung, Sparrow Eyes’ movements were beyond sluggish. Such slowness didn’t even require reliance on the black dragon on his right arm.
“Huh?!”
“I’ll show you a D-grade soul defeating a B-grade soul.”
“I acknowledge being overwhelmed in spirit, but enough with the nonsense!”
“Shall we?”
Park Jinsung charged at Sparrow Eyes first.
“Ha! As expected, it’s all visible, isn’t it? Huh?!”
Sparrow Eyes calculated Park Jinsung’s kinetic energy. He precisely predicted where and how Park Jinsung’s feet would land.
Whoosh!
Sparrow Eyes twisted his body to the left, closing the speed gap with Park Jinsung. Despite Park’s incredible speed, Sparrow Eyes was almost at the level of foresight.
“……”
Park Jinsung, without a hint of panic, pursued Sparrow Eyes. The speed at which he changed direction was almost inhuman.
“Tch. Quite bold for a private. To overpower inertial energy with even greater force.”
Park Jinsung, with his momentum, aimed straight for Sparrow Eyes’ solar plexus.
“Still, I can see it all! Private Park Jinsung!”
Sparrow Eyes had already predicted where the dagger would ultimately land. Just before Park aimed for the solar plexus, Sparrow Eyes took a step back in advance.
Swoosh.
The tip of the dagger barely grazed Sparrow Eyes’ solar plexus. The distance was less than a few centimeters.
“Ha?! Th-the strength… A single hit could’ve been fatal?”
Sparrow Eyes shuddered slightly, intuiting the power of the dagger.
The kinetic energy contained in the dagger wasn’t just about piercing the solar plexus but had the force to rip open the chest completely.
“Shall we continue?”
Park Jinsung pressed on without pausing for a moment, as if unleashing a continuous stream of skills without any cooldown.
Swoosh!
Park Jinsung swung the dagger from the right. In Sparrow Eyes’ vision, he saw the kinetic energy perfectly bisecting him.
“Still, if I can see it, I can avoid it, but… Huh?!”
Before the trajectory from the right had even faded, a second, then a third trajectory appeared.
“What, what is this?! Why are there suddenly so many?!”
Park Jinsung’s swings multiplied in number rapidly.
Second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth…
As the trajectories kept multiplying, Sparrow Eyes’ view began to drown in red.
“Ha?! No, no way! There’s clearly only one dagger… Are you saying this is all just speed?!”
“Csik. I told you we’d continue, right? Try dodging this, you bastard.”
As Park Jinsung chanted an onomatopoeia, numerous trajectories overwhelmed Sparrow Eyes.
Rip rip rip, thud.
With the sound of the combat uniform tearing, Sparrow Eyes fell to his knees.
“Left and right radial arteries, two abdominal aortas, mesenteric artery, renal artery, abdominal aorta, coronary artery, left and right brachial arteries, common carotid artery.”
Park Jinsung attacked Sparrow Eyes in the exact same manner he had done with the muscular sergeant, leaving the latter once again to taste a chilling fear.
“Ha…?”
Sparrow Eyes was appalled to see his tattered uniform, untouched by a single scratch on his body.
“Did I… lose…?”
“Looks like the uniform’s gotta go. Since you started this, don’t even think about not compensating later.”
Such an unlucky fellow is still a valuable asset to the battalion. It would only be worth dying at the hands of 998.
“How… How did you do it, Private Park Jinsung!”
“Ah. I’m still a senior. Can’t you at least attach ‘-nim’ to my name?”
For the first time, Sparrow Eyes, who had never been hit before, was slashed no less than eleven times today.
Thinking back, he had never even fallen on his behind before, yet today he also found himself kneeling.
Park Jinsung slowly approached the new face sergeant and said,
“Do you remember what I said earlier? New face sergeant.”
“Ugh.”
“Don’t bother with anything else and just follow through cleanly. Got it?”
Though Park Jinsung spoke with a cheerful smile,
“Damn it.”
The new face sergeant found it impossible to move even a single muscle fiber on his face easily.
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