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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: A Gate in the Barracks - 1
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At 3:30 AM, someone approached Lee Hyun-wook's bed.
"...Corporal Lee Hyun-wook, you need to wake up."
It was the sentry.
"Yeah, I'm up."
"Yes, sir."
Lee Hyun-wook was on the third watch for night duty and had been awake for about ten minutes.
Every night before sleep, he would swallow a piece of metal, wake up around the time its absorption was complete, and swallow another.
He was even controlling his sleep to grow as quickly as possible within his current environment.
'Now, I just wake up on my own around this time.'
- Metal absorption complete. (Normal Metal)
* Controllable metal weight has increased: 61g
- Current controllable 'metal' weight: 1,358g
The metal he'd consumed before bed—a lock—had been fully absorbed, increasing his capacity by 61g.
'I need to be at 3kg, at least, to lift something like a spear or a longsword.'
While simultaneously maneuvering multiple daggers to attack an enemy from all sides was quite useful, a powerful single strike was necessary to face larger monsters like orcs.
Daggers alone wouldn't cut it. The best approach was to control a greatsword or a long spear and drive it into a vital point. To be of any use on the battlefield, he had to reach that level as fast as possible.
He rummaged through his drawer and pulled something out.
It was another broken lock, which he swallowed.
*Gulp—*
'...Hmm, six left.'
On the first day of his return, he had scrounged up as many absorbable metal scraps as he could from the company's recycling area—broken locks, metal hinges, and the like. Now, he was almost out.
It was clear he couldn't get quality metal within the army. But officially revealing his method of power progression to receive a 'supply' was not a good option.
'It's not time to let the world know.'
The fact that F-rank Players could grow wouldn't be discovered for several years.
There was no need to rush that timeline; doing so would surely cause unforeseen problems.
'If this gets out... he'll grow that much faster, too.'
There was one person, the worst of all Villains, whose growth he wanted to delay as much as possible.
The catastrophic being who had murdered Busan's greatest Player, 'Inferno,' and his comrades, and who had brought the fortified city of Busan to its knees in just three hours... A being who perhaps held even greater potential than Lee Hyun-wook...
The Death Legion Commander, a Necromancer.
If possible, it was best to eliminate him before he could grow.
And for the sake of the future, he needed to be as discreet as possible with information. Any information carelessly revealed could become a hint for the enemy to exploit.
'And tonight, that incident happens... I should take my leave in about three days.'
Lost in thought, he put on his combat uniform and what was commonly called combat gear.
The combat uniform of Lee Hyun-wook's unit, the 3rd Anti-Monster Brigade's 2nd Battalion, was black. Since their area of jurisdiction was Seoul, where urban warfare was common, black was the most fitting camouflage color.
"Um... Corporal Lee Hyun-wook, are you ready?"
A low whisper came from a corner of the dark barracks.
It was the voice of Park Jun-mo, his junior partner for guard duty. True to being the youngest, he seemed to have gotten ready quickly.
Lee Hyun-wook rose without a word and walked toward the door, with Park Jun-mo following behind him.
When they entered the orderly room, the adjutant on duty, Gwak Jin-cheol, glared at him openly.
'Jeez, look at that face.'
It was quite a pathetic sight.
Still unable to swallow his anger, his face was twisted with resentment.
Normally, he would have thrown a snide remark, but he seemed to be holding back, conscious of the officer on duty, First Lieutenant Seo Eun-ha.
Then again, how much must he care about that noble paladin to still be wide awake at nearly 4 AM? The guy usually dozed off by now...
"...Ahem. Ma'am, the guards are here."
At Gwak Jin-cheol's report, Seo Eun-ha, who had been reading a book, looked up. Though she was known for being strictly by-the-book, even she seemed to be struggling against the early morning drowsiness, her eyes half-closed.
"Right, this is the third watch?"
"Yes, ma'am."
The officer on duty and the adjutant each used their keys to open the 'subspace weapon locker.'
*Woooong—*
The locker was shaped like a small safe, but its interior emitted a mystical light, as if connected to another world. All A.M.T. armaments were stored not physically, but in this subspace.
"Alright, check out your weapons."
Lee Hyun-wook reached into the subspace weapon locker.
A message appeared before his eyes.
- Authorization for
* K2C1 Rifle (289007-B)
* M9 Bayonet (Enchanted)
Unlike regular military units, the A.M.T. permitted the use of 'personal weapons.' Since soldiers had different traits, they were allowed to procure and use weapons that suited them.
In Lee Hyun-wook's case, however, all he had was a single enchanted dagger. Setting aside his F-rank status, it was because he lacked any distinct ability to handle a specific type of weapon.
"Hmm, Corporal, is that all you have?"
First Lieutenant Seo Eun-ha asked cautiously, also finding it odd.
"Yes, ma'am."
"...I see."
Most A.M.T. soldiers were armed with 'items' like greatswords or spears. Even Park Jun-mo next to him, a mage, held a small wooden 'wand.' Lee Hyun-wook looked pitiful in comparison.
With such weak firepower, he had no choice but to use the standard-issue K2C1 rifle as his primary weapon.
Of course, conventional weapons weren't very effective against monsters, but they could still inflict some meaningful damage on smaller ones like 'goblins' or 'kobolds.'
Under First Lieutenant Seo Eun-ha's supervision, the two men received ammunition from the 'ammo point' at the barracks entrance.
"Thirty rounds, all clear."
"Thirty rounds, all clear."
The two guards checked their magazines and loaded them. A total of thirty rounds, all live.
"Alright, always be mindful of your safety and muzzle direction. A gate could open anywhere, in the surrounding area or even within the barracks, at any time. So don't let your guard down for a second, and think of it as protecting the lives of your comrades."
Seo Eun-ha's overly serious speech... Lee Hyun-wook couldn't help but let out a small smirk. It was so different from the Seo Eun-ha he remembered from the distant future, a woman who would later come to despise the military's rigid system.
But in that moment, their eyes met.
"...Hm? Corporal, is something funny?"
Seo Eun-ha's eyebrows furrowed.
"Nothing, ma'am."
"...Alright. Stay sharp on your watch."
"Yes, ma'am."
With that, she turned and walked back into the barracks.
The sight of her walking stiffly, her beret creased to a sharp edge, made Lee Hyun-wook smile again.
Her tall stature of 176cm made her look incredibly imposing, which, in a way, seemed almost comical. Of course, to others, she probably looked like a model soldier.
'Right, Seo Eun-ha was at her most devout around this time.'
The fact that Seo Eun-ha had once been such a dull person was amusing.
Well, it was typical for newly commissioned officers...
'It's pretty entertaining to see the embarrassing past of someone I knew so well in person.'
Of course, they barely knew each other at this point.
A corporal and a first lieutenant, an F-rank and a B-rank... the gap in their status was too wide for them to have ever been close.
But a few years later, after Lee Hyun-wook discovered how to grow his powers and became the leader of a guild's 'Gate Assault Team,' Seo Eun-ha surprisingly joined his team as a rookie.
By then, for whatever reason, she had a somewhat irritable personality. And perhaps because she had just been discharged and joined a guild, she was also clumsy in some ways, like a complete novice to society.
He even remembered her getting drunk at a team dinner, whining about how hard things were, and bawling her eyes out...
'Hey, Lee Hyun-wook! Listen up! Do I... *hic*... Do I have to live my life getting yelled at by you? When I made First Lieutenant! Huh? You were just a Private First Class! D-do you get it? You can't treat me like this! Waaaaah...'
He had lectured her several times for taking up overly aggressive positions during battles, and it seemed to have built up until it finally exploded.
'Well, we got closer after that day.'
But that memory of Seo Eun-ha's ridiculous state... began to bleed into another memory.
Lee Hyun-wook tried to shake it off, but failed.
'Damn it.'
The ruins of Dongdaemun, Seoul.
She had been crying then, too.
'L-Lee Hyun-wook... you have to... s-survive... and protect...'
Only... she wasn't crying from alcohol, but while drenched in her own blood.
"..."
Lee Hyun-wook suddenly felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
She, too, had been killed by Villains.
As the main tank, she had died protecting him, the main damage dealer.
***
The base of Lee Hyun-wook's unit, the 3rd Anti-Monster Brigade's 2nd Battalion, was located on the slopes of Namsan.
The mysterious phenomenon known as a 'gate' could appear anytime, anywhere. That's why A.M.T. units were stationed in various locations throughout the city, ready to deploy for initial response the moment a gate opened.
'But today, a gate isn't opening in the nearby city, but right here, on Namsan.'
It wasn't unheard of for a gate to open inside a military encampment.
In fact, it was preferable.
A gate could be cleared with almost no civilian casualties, and on top of that, the military could claim all the byproducts without having to share with private guilds.
After arriving at the guard post and relieving the previous shift, Lee Hyun-wook checked his watch.
- 4:05 AM
'The gate opens in about ten minutes, right?'
Lee Hyun-wook reached for his waist and unsnapped the sheath of his bayonet.
"Um... Corporal Lee Hyun-wook?"
Just then, Park Jun-mo spoke up.
When Lee Hyun-wook looked at him, he hesitated, fumbling over his words.
"I, uh, I happened to overhear something."
It sounded like this was going to be a long story.
But there was no time for a serious conversation right now.
"Hang on. Shh."
"..."
The incident was about to happen.
"Didn't you just hear something?"
"...Sir?"
Park Jun-mo turned his head and looked toward the fence.
In the darkness, only the occasional orange light was visible.
"Uh, I don't hear anything..."
Of course not. There was nothing to hear yet.
But Lee Hyun-wook acted as if there was, shining his flashlight toward the mountain ridge.
"No, not by the fence. Back there, on the ridge inside the barracks."
"In that case, it's probably... a deer or something, isn't it?"
Lee Hyun-wook shook his head and decisively grabbed the walkie-talkie clipped to his shoulder.
*Beep-boop-*
"Command, this is Post 5. Detected a suspicious sound. Requesting CCTV check."
This walkie-talkie shared a frequency with all guard posts within the barracks and the command center.
A moment later...
*Beep-boop-*
- *Ksssh-* This is Command. CCTV shows nothing... but just in case, this is a broadcast to all posts. Maintain vigilance during your watch and be thorough with your sectors.
*Beep-boop-*
- *Ksssh-* Uh, if another anomaly is identified, we plan to use the 'Abnormal Wave Detector'... uh, so remain at your posts and keep a close watch until the source of the problem is accurately identified.
The 'Abnormal Wave Detector' he mentioned was a 'Player-made item' created with magic engineering. When activated, it could detect mana fluctuations within a certain area.
In other words, it was a machine for detecting the occurrence of gates. Of course, since it required a considerable number of 'Mana Stones' per use, it couldn't be used carelessly.
Lee Hyun-wook paused for a moment before keying the radio again.
"This is Post 5. I'm picking up continued movement in the direction of Post 6. Multiple contacts. Requesting CCTV re-check. It does not appear to be the movement of normal wildlife."
As he said this, Lee Hyun-wook pulled back the charging handle of his rifle.
*Clack—*
The sound of the bolt chambering a round echoed menacingly.
"Uh..."
It was only natural that Park Jun-mo's face turned pale.
"...Corporal Lee Hyun-wook?"
The sound of a round being chambered is what a soldier fears more than anyone.
Lee Hyun-wook even shouldered his rifle.
'It's about time to start.'
In truth, Lee Hyun-wook hadn't detected anything either.
However, the series of reports he had made to the command center were all a form of 'groundwork' to allow him to act one step ahead.
It would be too late if he moved to the area only after the gate had fully opened and chaos had erupted.
Lee Hyun-wook descended the steps of the guard post and gestured for Park Jun-mo to follow.
"Corporal Lee Hyun-wook? A-are we allowed to do this?"
Park Jun-mo was dumbfounded but had no choice but to follow Lee Hyun-wook.
Just then...
*Beep-boop-*
- *Ksssh-* Ah! This is Post 6! We have a problem! Multiple unidentified lifeforms are approaching!
A frantic transmission came through as if on cue.
"Oh! Corporal Lee Hyun-wook! Post 6 is..."
It was the very place Lee Hyun-wook had just said he detected an anomaly. And it was only about 800 meters away from Post 5.
Park Jun-mo stared at Lee Hyun-wook.
Could it be that what he saw was real?
Lee Hyun-wook was staring into the darkness.
'It's begun.'
Far in the distance, in the dark, a purple shimmer was visible.
It was right in front of Post 6.
"Gasp! A-a gate!"
Park Jun-mo spotted it too and cried out involuntarily.
Soon, a horde of goblins would pour out of that gate and overrun Post 6. The guards would fight back, but the post would eventually be taken, and they would suffer near-critical injuries.
'Thankfully, Seo Eun-ha arrived just in time, and the guards' lives were spared.'
For that incident, Seo Eun-ha's swift response earned her a commendation from the battalion commander.
'Sorry, but that commendation... is mine this time.'
Lee Hyun-wook raised his rifle.
At the same time, the bayonet at his hip began to slowly rise into the air.