Hunter Corps Training Camp — 2
"Then what kind of Hunter did you have in mind?"
"I pictured the kind who pops off cool skills, kills monsters, and levels up in no time."
Ah.
In that case, Isgard would be perfect.
Kim Min-jun smirked and gave the recruit's shoulder a friendly pat. "Anyone who finishes within 30 minutes gets a leave pass."
Before they set off, Lee Seung-ho took a leave pass from his breast pocket and waved it like bait.
It was to juice up the recruits' morale.
And of course, since the pass was his, he set conditions that were basically impossible.
"Sigh… here we go again."
"Even if you brought Captain Africa, it wouldn't help."
Judging by how they shook their heads, this wasn't their first rodeo.
Dangling a carrot with an unattainable goal.
But among them, only Kim Min-jun's eyes gleamed.
That's mine.
He hadn't been in the training camp long, and he already had a craving for fried chicken.
The moment the start signal sounded, Kim Min-jun burst ahead and started up the stairs at the very front.
"If you go that fast, you'll burn out later!"
"You've got to pace yourself!"
His cohort tried to stop him, saying he'd be in big trouble later when they saw him bound up the steps two at a time, but—
This is supposed to be hard?
He himself wasn't thinking much of anything.
Fried chicken and Dungeon & Fighter are waiting for me!
"W-what is that guy?"
Sergeant Lee Seung-ho was floored to see Kim Min-jun nearing the top in under ten minutes.
He'd already seemed unusual when he hoisted the Red Stone, but for him not to show a hint of fatigue even as the stairs grew steeper—
"Haah! How is that even possible?"
"I can't believe it even seeing it."
The same stairs that took other recruits over an hour, Kim Min-jun finished in just twenty minutes.
Honestly, that was him taking it slow to savor the run.
"You said you'd give a leave pass, right?"
"Huh? O-oh… here."
Seeing that Kim Min-jun wasn't even sweating, Lee Seung-ho meekly handed over the pass.
What a nutcase. When that kid graduates and gets assigned to a unit… No, wait. Being fit isn't everything.
For a Hunter soldier, what really matters is the ability to handle monsters.
Of course, having the fundamental stats to back it up is a given.
It's too early to judge, but… he's worth keeping an eye on.
General physical training didn't wrap up until after 6 p.m.
The recruits looked like they could collapse any second, legs trembling.
"M-my stat went up! Stamina +1!"
"Whoa… what were your stats before?"
One of them shouted that his stats had increased.
Watching them marvel over a single stat point, Kim Min-jun wondered if Hunters here were weaker than he'd thought.
Back in Isgard, it wasn't unusual for stats to jump by tens just from hunting monsters.
No, no. It's only Day 1 of enlistment. Don't jump to conclusions.
Shaking his head, he followed his cohort to the mess hall.
"Alright, everyone enjoy your meal, and after that you're free to rest as you like."
"Yes, sir!"
After a brief rundown of tomorrow's training, Sergeant Lee Seung-ho left.
"Whoa… insane."
Kim Min-jun gaped at the sight before him.
So this is why people go on about the Hunter Corps?
Korean, Chinese, Western—plus desserts.
The quality was so high you'd never believe this was inside a military base.
Online, he'd seen people compare army food to prison fare; supposedly it was the worst.
Maybe the Hunter Corps were just on a different level.
"Can we really eat all of this?"
"Yes. It's buffet-style."
You've got to be kidding me!
And buffet, on top of that!
According to his cohort, they even had some fairly well-known chefs in the mix.
"Do regular troops get food like this nowadays?"
"As if. Only the Hunter Corps training camp is like this. I heard the regulars have braised half-dried pollack and some seafood mixed sauce today."
"Oh, sh—"
He didn't know exactly what those dishes were, but the names alone screamed "tastes terrible."
Kim Min-jun thought again that joining the Hunter Corps had been the right call.
If it didn't fit me at first, I was ready to squeeze out what little mana I had and bolt.
He'd rolled around like a madman in Isgard, only to get told to serve the moment he returned to Earth.
Who wants to go?
But after sampling today's so-called hellish training, Kim Min-jun concluded this place wasn't so bad.
They work you just enough not to let your fitness drop, they feed you great food, and the pay is fat.
Plus, a +13 endgame weapon in Dungeon & Fighter!
Most guys would call him crazy to his face, but Kim Min-jun genuinely thought the army was pretty decent.
"You scored a leave pass today—when are you going to use it?"
"I've never seen anyone win a leave pass off Sergeant Lee before."
As he reveled in the bliss of military cuisine, recruits naturally gathered around and sat with him.
Kim Min-jun chuckled and chatted with them.
Back when he was a Black Mage, folks in Isgard thought he was ominous and wouldn't even make eye contact.
Camp life… is more doable than I expected.
The moment he finished eating, Kim Min-jun headed straight for a PC café nearby.
Unlike the regular army, the Hunter Corps training camp was remarkably open.
Hair was kept in sports cuts for training.
Once the workday ended, no one interfered.
No evening roll call, either.
It almost made you wonder if this was really the military.
"Even so, lots of recruits fail to complete the program and get discharged before the end."
A recruit at the next seat, overhearing him, shook his head and said there was a reason they were so lenient.
"They push people to their absolute limits with brute-force training. If they didn't let off steam like this, nine out of ten would quit."
Brute-force training, huh.
He must mean stuff like climbing stairs with sandbags earlier.
"And in the final week the intensity shoots up to something ridiculous. I heard it drives people crazy. But…"
The recruit glanced at Kim Min-jun's monitor and stood up.
Dungeon & Fighter.
He was playing it, utterly oblivious to the looks around him.
"What? Do you play Dungeon & Fighter too?"
"N-no. I'll turn in early."
You shouldn't judge people by appearances.
But watching Kim Min-jun sink into Dungeon & Fighter made him think: better not get too close.
"Sleep? I'll just grab about an hour, whatever."
That night, Kim Min-jun only crawled into bed after meticulously burning through every last drop of Dungeon & Fighter fatigue.
**
Final week of training.
The recruits gritted their teeth through the brain-dead endurance regimen, nudging their stats up one by one.
— What's your name~
6:00 a.m.
Instead of a reveille bugle in the barracks, a bright idol voice jolted everyone awake.
"Grrrgh…"
"My back's gonna snap… tsk."
From here and there on plush beds—not cheapo mattresses—came the groans.
"Every time I sleep I think it, but these mattresses are killer."
Having slept a luxurious two hours, Kim Min-jun got up feeling refreshed.
In Isgard, an hour a day was considered plenty. Back home, it was hard not to get drowsy.
"Seriously, Kim Min-jun, you're something else."
"You don't look tired at all."
Endless hard training had naturally brought the cohort closer.
Watching Kim Min-jun post overwhelming scores only steeled their resolve.
"As of last night I've got ten characters at max level in DNF."
"Crazy bastard…"
"You went to game again? Yesterday's training was brutal."
He enjoyed everything and still ranked first in training.
Was that guy even human?
"Let's move. Time for formation run."
The others wanted to hit the rec facilities too, but it was pie in the sky.
After training they'd just pass out.
They sluggishly pulled on their battle uniforms.
At 6:10 a.m. sharp they had the Hunter formation run for two hours.
"How are we supposed to run 40 km in two hours?"
"This is insane. Just kill me."
"Hunters are people too!"
Grumbling, they headed to the parade ground.
In under five minutes, it was packed.
"Form up on your own. You have one minute to warm up. Go."
"Go!"
An officer—looked like the platoon leader—stepped onto the platform and announced that the Hunter run would begin in one minute.
"Listen while you warm up. Our Hunter Corps' mission is, above all, to exterminate as many monsters as possible. That does not mean you can half-ass your drill! Dress your ranks properly!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Understood!"
"Hunter soldiers are still soldiers! You gonna shuffle around like that when you hit your unit?"
"No, sir!"
At the platoon leader's bark, the recruits snapped into line.
"Anyone who fails to hit 40 km within two hours—no breakfast."
A grenade of an announcement. Groans all around.
"If it seems impossible, make it possible on sheer grit. Move out!"
At the signal, the recruits surged forward.
Hmm. This class is a bit shaky.
Meanwhile, the platoon leader skimmed each recruit's evaluation sheet, debating whether to crank up the training intensity.
For clearing dungeons safely, nothing mattered more than stamina.
Unknown monsters popping out at any time and fresh, unfamiliar layouts chewed through a recruit's reserves fast.
Huh? This one…
Mid-stack, one entry stood out.
Kim Min-jun, huh.
Sergeant Lee Seung-ho had flagged him as a highly promising Hunter.
Come to think of it, his training scores are absurdly good.
How had he overlooked a recruit like that until now?
You don't ship talent like this to the rear. That'd be a waste, a loss.
He decided to watch the rest of the week and then assign Kim Min-jun to the very front line.
"Made it in 1 hour 58!"
"Water! Water!"
"Hahh—hahh—"
When the Hunter run ended, recruits sprawled on the dirt, limbs splayed.
Having "taken it easy," Kim Min-jun wrapped in just an hour and lounged without a care.
"Here. Open up. Incoming water."
He generously shared his canteen with his cohort.
For him, this was a light morning jog.
"Yo, look—Kim Min-jun didn't even break a sweat."
"Forty kilometers in an hour? How's that even real?"
"Freak of nature."
"What? You don't want water?"
"I meant he's got monstrous stamina, comrade."
Bantering back and forth, Kim Min-jun finally lobbed the whole canteen over.
When the platoon leader's time limit expired, the stragglers trudged in late, stomping in frustration.
"Ah. Breakfast is Hunterria today!"
"What's a Hunterria? Like Lotteria?"
"Don't you dare compare it to that dump. We're getting burgers with pricey beef patties—double."