Bbababbam-bbababbam-bbabababbam-bbaba.
A nightmarish sound drove itself into his ears.
He could hear the wail of trauma rising up from the depths of the earth.
“Ah, damn it……”
This was unbearable. Hong Ichan, in the seat beside him, rustled and got up.
“Haaam.”
Ichan plugged his ears and roused the poor, pitiful soul cursing reality.
“Hyung, we have to go to morning roll call.”
“Tell them I’m dead.”
“How am I supposed to tell them you’re dead when you’re alive?”
Sinhyeok got up with an expression full of irritation.
“This really is the army.”
“Then what, is it a fake army? Hyung, hurry up and get ready. Roll call’s soon.”
Thanks to Ichan rushing him, Sinhyeok let out a sigh, got ready, and came out.
When they got to the drill field, everyone was already waiting.
“Just stand in formation. Don’t worry about the platoon before you. Line up as you arrive.”
At the duty officer’s instruction, Sinhyeok grumbled and went as far to the end as possible.
“Ah, I hate this so much. Ichan, how many kilometers do we run in the morning?”
“Ten kilometers.”
“Too long.”
Ichan added one more thing.
“If you don’t make the 35-minute cutoff, it’s another ten kilometers.”
Running ten kilometers was annoying enough, but there was even a time limit.
“All right, trainee Baek Arin, come forward. We’ll begin with calisthenics, then the run.”
The duty officer skillfully called trainee Baek Arin out, gave the order, then stepped back.
“Spread out left and right at arm’s length!”
At her command, everyone moved quickly.
Only Sinhyeok moved slowly, flopping about.
The calisthenics began, and Sinhyeok flailed in the back.
Then his eyes met hers.
Baek Arin warned the flopping octopus with her gaze.
‘Do it properly! You’re not an octopus!’
At the silent telepathy conveyed through her eyes, Sinhyeok increased his speed.
The flopping got faster.
At the sight, she felt something surge slightly inside her.
‘Seriously!’
Sinhyeok kept flopping steadfastly.
“First row, run!”
As soon as the calisthenics ended, the run began.
She naturally joined the very back row.
“Mister, stop flopping around during calisthenics, please.”
“Try being my age. This is the best I can do.”
“Ah, seriously!”
Before long, it was the last row’s turn, and the three of them ran side by side.
Sinhyeok felt a wistful emotion at the scenery where winter had already withdrawn and warm spring was about to arrive.
“In spring, it should be beer and chicken under the cherry blossoms.”
Baek Arin looked at the mister whining about beer and urged him on.
“Mister, I told you we have to make the 35-minute cutoff. Are you going to run again by yourself?!”
“Fine, fine. I’m going.”
Sinhyeok looked at the people already running powerfully ahead and let out deep sighs.
“They’re trying so hard. So hard.”
“For your information, mana is prohibited, so don’t use mana.”
Baek Arin warned him as she ran ahead.
“Ugh, you’re really bleeding me dry.”
Sinhyeok ran leisurely at the very back, adjusting his tempo.
Unable to keep watching the extremely relaxed Sinhyeok, she went on ahead first.
“Hey, you faithless thing.”
“I don’t care! I’m going ahead!”
Ichan simply matched Sinhyeok’s stride beside him.
“Hyung, but are you really going to keep running at this pace? Then the extra ten kilometers is guaranteed.”
Sinhyeok glanced ahead and said,
“That’d be a pain. Let’s speed up. I’m going first~”
Not wanting to run again, Sinhyeok gradually lengthened his stride and bounced forward.
“Uh, uh! Hyung, wait for me!”
Ichan chased after Sinhyeok, who had skillfully picked up speed.
Sinhyeok smiled as he passed the noncommissioned officer trainees.
“Ahh~ You’re all working so hard. The weather’s nice, so take it easy~”
Everyone ground their teeth at Sinhyeok, who was showing an extremely detestable composure, and raised their tempo.
“Hey, hey! Chase that mister!”
“Don’t lose to him, no matter what!”
“Old man!”
“Old fart!”
“Sir, you should save your strength! You’ll collapse at this rate!”
Sinhyeok leisurely waved his hand at the various chatter and insults coming from behind.
“Sure~ You know if you’re slower than me, you should just go die, right?”
Tremble, tremble.
Hearing the vivid sound of teeth-grinding insults behind him, Sinhyeok raised his speed like mad.
“Uh, uhhh! Hey! Block him!”
“Now, now~ I told you, this isn’t a competition~”
When someone actually tried to shove him from the side, he nimbly swerved away.
“Aaagh!”
One person disappeared into the grass.
“Eeeek! Hey, block him!”
This time, they came at him from both sides.
Again, he jumped and dodged lightly.
He stepped on a shoulder and sprang forward.
“Uh, uh! Instructor, that’s cheating! He used mana!”
The instructor running alongside them shook his head.
“He did not use mana. Instead of talking, run harder. If you lose to someone in his early thirties, that says it all.”
Sinhyeok, who was running ahead, bristled at the words early thirties.
“Late twenties! I still have one year left!”
The instructor smirked at the struggling Sinhyeok.
“Yes, early thirties.”
“Argh!”
Sinhyeok ran on and on, raising his speed very, very much in order to crush the sprouts chasing him from behind.
“Huff, huff. Ah, damn, this is ridiculously tiring.”
After running for a while, he spotted Baek Arin far ahead.
Sweating, she confirmed the finish line not far away.
“Phew, am I first again today? Huh?”
“I’m first!”
“Hey, hey, hey! No! Arin, block him!”
“Kick him!”
Baek Arin looked to the side at the strange noises and saw Sinhyeok running toward her like a madman.
“Uh, uhhh! Why are you so fast!”
She also hurriedly began running.
“Hahaha! You minnows! Go drink some more of your mother’s milk!”
Sinhyeok expertly kicked off the ground and threw himself across the finish line.
“Huh?!”
Everyone was so shocked they shut their mouths.
Sinhyeok landed smoothly.
He asked the instructor standing at the finish line with a smile.
“Can I go eat now?”
“Huh? Y-yeah.”
The expressions of the trainees flooding in from behind were all filled with spite to the last one.
Everyone crossed the finish line, huffing and puffing.
“Damn it!”
“Auuugh!”
“You old codger!”
“Damn mister!”
Everyone grumbled at Sinhyeok, who had spitefully arrived in first place after making them give it their all.
Ichan, who arrived around the middle, clicked his tongue.
“He really is so annoying.”
Baek Arin stared in disbelief at Sinhyeok, who was heading off to the cafeteria in first place far ahead.
“Why is that old man so fast? He’s worse than active duty.”
Everyone collapsed on the ground from having poured out too much energy.
“Ahh. I’m exhausted.”
“Me too. I overdid it trying to stop that mister.”
The instructor at the finish line checked the last trainee, then looked slightly surprised.
“They all came in within 35 minutes? What’s going on?”
* * *
Sinhyeok, who headed to the cafeteria, smiled and picked up a tray first.
“Mister, do you usually work out?”
Baek Arin, who came in after him, asked as she looked at Sinhyeok.
“No way. My joy in life is lazing around and eating.”
“Then why are you so fast? You just cleared ten kilometers in under thirty minutes.”
Sinhyeok smiled obnoxiously and mocked the trainees entering after them.
“You guys are just slow. You turtles. Haha.”
Tremble, tremble.
Everyone was scratched badly by the area-wide taunt.
Baek Arin shook her head and sat beside Sinhyeok.
Soon after, Ichan also arrived and sat next to them.
“Mister, we’re going to start mock tactical training today.”
“Yeah~ It’s by squad, right?”
She nodded.
“I wonder what we’ll do first.”
Sinhyeok ate his meal deliciously, curious about what they would do later.
* * *
After the meal, everyone assembled at the drill field.
“All right, has everyone gathered?”
Captain Kim Chanyeol checked the trainees from the platform.
“Yes, sir!”
“Please gather by your squads as announced in advance.”
At his words, everyone dispersed and regrouped in perfect order.
“Once you’ve gathered, follow your platoon leaders, the instructors, to the mock tactical training ground.”
Everyone began moving.
They left the drill field and marched toward the mock tactical training ground.
A short while later, they arrived at an isolated space.
The place they arrived at was the entrance to a mountain.
“Stand by squad.”
Once they arrived, the instructor, who was the platoon leader, stepped forward and controlled all personnel.
Sinhyeok glanced around and saw that it seemed to be carried out separately by instructor.
‘Are we doing it on that mountain?’
The platoon leader cleared his throat and said,
“Ahem. Pay attention.”
Sinhyeok quickly looked forward.
“In week five, you will be doing mock tactical training. You will learn how to enter and carry out operations in a training ground that imitates a Gate, not an actual Gate. Understood?”
“Yes, sir! Understood!”
The instructor looked satisfied at the vigorous response.
“Good. Nice voices. Keep following along with that momentum, understood?”
“Yes, sir!”
He pointed at the equipment prepared in advance.
“Today, you will learn Gate entry procedures. By entry, I mean the process from the first discovery of a Gate to establishing a base camp, securing safety, and assigning the initial grade.”
The instructor opened the prepared boxes and showed them various pieces of equipment.
“Of course, some of you may already know this process.”
He said it while being conscious of someone. Sinhyeok put on an awkward expression.
‘I don’t really remember.’
“These drones and unmanned robots are all used for Gate measurement.”
The instructor took out each piece of equipment and explained it as he showed them.
“The most important thing when a Gate is first discovered is ‘do not enter.’ That is the key point.”
The trainees looked puzzled at those words.
At that reaction, the instructor smirked and pointed at the indifferent Sinhyeok.
“Trainee Bu Sinhyeok, if possible, could you explain?”
“Ah, yes.”
Sinhyeok explained to the people looking at him.
“It’s because of the environment of Gates. We easily treat Gates as spaces like dungeons in a game, but strictly speaking, a Gate is a portion of some other planet somewhere in the universe, or that planet in its entirety.”
“Correct. And?”
“The environment and atmosphere of that planet are not suited to humans. Most of them have many environments dangerous to humans.”
The instructor nodded at the perfect explanation, and the trainees also realized the reason.
“That’s right. That is the reason. There are countless awakened and raid teams who see that the amount of Gate magic power they sense seems low, rush in carelessly, and pay for it.”
The instructor took out a drone, showed it to them, and continued explaining.
“For that reason, we send in drones and unmanned robots before people. This is actually an improvement. Even just five or six years ago, these weren’t used much at all.”
Sinhyeok nodded and muttered,
“That’s right. You guys came in at a good time.”
Trainee Baek Arin, who was beside him, asked in disbelief.
“No, mister, just what did you do when you were a soldier to know all this? You awakened only the other day.”
Sinhyeok felt slightly guilty at those words.
“There are ways to know. Non-awakened people enter Gates too.”
“That’s only people like communications soldiers. But you, mister……”
She could not forget how seasoned he had looked.
“Now then, each of you get familiar with the equipment, and afterward, we will practice the entry procedure. Each squad, take one.”
Everyone moved to take one each. The instructor continued explaining as he watched them handle and practice with the equipment.
“So the first thing you must do is use the equipment to scan and measure the atmosphere, magic power, terrain, and features. Once this process is over, you secure safety and establish a base camp.”
Everyone touched the equipment while focusing on the instructor’s explanation.
“And after that, what do you do?”
At the subtle question, trainee Baek Arin raised her hand high.
“Measure the Gate grade!”
“That’s right. Based on the measured amount of magic power, the first grade assessment is carried out. However, it may vary depending on the internal environment.”
The instructor explained those cases.
“If there is only a single monster inside the Gate, meaning only the core’s Guardian, the grade may need to be raised depending on the strength of that individual. Also, if the environment is very, very extreme and dangerous, that is a factor for raising the grade.”
He pondered as he tried to recall one thing that was slightly hazy.
“And this kind of case is rare, but it’s when there is a Gate inside a Gate. In that situation, the amount of magic power that is first visible is not measured including all the Gates, so an accurate measurement cannot be made.”
At the instructor’s explanation, trainee Baek Arin raised her hand.
“Yes, trainee.”
“Then in such cases, how do we discover and search them?”
“A very good question. But there isn’t really a specific answer. That is why, even after making these fine tin cans, you—people—are still important.”
The instructor pointed to the well-made unmanned machines and drones.
“In the end, we have to see it with our own eyes. And no matter how much we train, there are too many cases we haven’t learned or experienced. That is why the first search of a Gate is where the most personnel deaths occur.”
At the heavy words from experience, the instructor tapped the equipment.
“Now then, that’s the rough explanation over. Is everyone about done?”
The instructor glanced to the side, waiting for the explanation to finish.
Everyone seemed to have finished their rough explanations and exchanged glances.
Bzzzt.
The radio crackled.
“The explanation is complete. Please prepare the mock gates.”
At the voice from the radio, the instructor gave everyone their orders.
“Each of you, gather your equipment and form up. We’re moving into practical training now.”
Everyone hurried to their feet. The instructor pointed toward the mountain behind them.
“Now, you see that mountain?”
“Yes, sir!”
“We’ve installed hundreds of mock gates on that mountain. Take this equipment and measure them the way you were taught. And take these terminals with you.”
The instructor took out separate smartphones and handed one to each squad.
“There should be an app on it. Open it. These are what you use in the actual field.”
When they opened the screen, only one message appeared.
“New Registration.”
“Search.”
“After registering based on your location, input the atmospheric analysis data, terrain data, and mana measurement data you’ve gathered.”
The instructor explained the most important part.
“Once you do that, the grade will appear on its own, but it can be manually adjusted. Also, there are no actual monsters inside the gates. There’ll just be scarecrows that look similar. Observe them carefully and measure accordingly. Easy, right?”
Everyone wore bewildered expressions.
“Well, you’ll understand once you try it. The team that measures the most, and does so most accurately, takes first place. Wait a moment.”
The instructor looked to the platoons on either side, then briefly exchanged glances with the other instructors.
“This goes without saying, but last place will be expelled, and first place will receive merit points. You know what those points are used for, don’t you?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Good. Begin now. Run!”
Everyone began running at once. Watching them, Sinhyeok grabbed the drone and pretended to run.
“Oh, seriously! Mister, run! We need to measure even one more gate and get as many done as possible!”
Sinhyeok chuckled at her urgency.
“Fast? Have you tried doing that before?”
“What? Ah, no.”
“Then do you think they have?”
Baek Arin was flustered by the sudden question.
“No?”
“Exactly. In the end, no matter how much data you guys measure, it’s going to be a mess. So what’s the point of doing a lot? If even one thing is wrong, you’re done.”
“Ah.”
“Measure them one by one, calmly. What matters is the reliability of the information. How accurate it is. How much information you gathered inside the gate. That’s what’s important.”
At Sinhyeok’s advice, she found herself seeing him in a slightly different light.
“Bro, that’s amazing. So you weren’t just a delinquent?”
“You little— A delinquent, my ass.”
At Ichan’s genuinely spoken reply from beside him, Sinhyeok’s hand rose on its own.
“First, let’s take our time and measure the closest one. Once we get used to it, then we can pick up the pace.”