Everyone grinned as they warned him.
“May the deceased rest in peace.”
“It’s time for you to go, old-timer.”
The trainees were smiling brightly, their determination blazing in earnest.
“Hyung, we’re in big trouble.”
Ichan looked at the trainees who wouldn’t stop smiling and sensed the future.
“Mister, what are you going to do?”
Sinhyeok answered with a sullen look.
“What else? Wreck them all.”
Fwoosh.
An area-wide taunt had been cast.
All the trainees laughed sinisterly, waiting only for Sinhyeok’s squad’s turn to come.
At the murderous sight, Sinhyeok quietly attempted a threat.
“Think carefully, all of you. We can go there too and, huh? Interfere!”
The trainees flinched for a moment at the subtle threat, but soon grinned again.
“Mister, today we have nowhere to retreat.”
The way they all cackled, they looked as if they had been possessed by spirits.
“Hss……”
The instructor was simply laughing at the sight.
“Next squad.”
The number of squads gradually dwindled, and the training neared its final stage.
The instructor pointed at a squad that had finished and asked,
“Why aren’t you leaving? You may return.”
“Ah, the main dish is still left.”
Everyone’s gaze turned toward one place.
“Kheuheup, but Baek Arin’s squad is last.”
“That’s fine! We’d very much like to wait and cheer for Baek Arin’s squad!”
“Aak!”
At that, the instructors could only laugh.
“Damn it……”
“Haa……”
A sigh came out on its own.
Before long, the other trainees’ turns were over.
When Baek Arin, Sinhyeok, and Ichan stood up, everyone sprang to their feet and shouted.
“I’d like to volunteer!”
“Put me in right now, sir!”
Every trainee except exactly three raised their hands high.
“Kheuheup, all right. Go over there.”
Sinhyeok protested to the instructors as he watched that pack of jackals swarm away.
“Even so, isn’t that too many?”
“We designed and tested everything, so don’t worry. With that many, if you manage even fifty meters, you’ll be first place.”
Baek Arin saw hope in the drastically reduced distance.
“Mister, he said fifty meters. That much will be over in no time.”
“You think we can break through that?”
She fell silent as she looked at the majority of the trainees grinning at the entrance.
“Still, we’ll restrain excessive use of abilities, so don’t worry.”
The instructor smiled softly and eased their concerns.
Sinhyeok laughed awkwardly.
“Well, that’s better than I thought.”
“All right, trainees, move out! Let’s finish quickly and return.”
The words “finish quickly” were emphasized in particular.
The instructors were expecting them to be cut off right at the entrance too.
The instructors remained behind and talked as they watched Arin’s squad head toward the entrance.
“Platoon Leader, they’re definitely going to get cut off at the entrance, aren’t they? The kids all swarmed over there.”
“Still, won’t they make it about ten meters? There’s the experienced one, a high rank in Body Hardening, and Hong Ichan.”
“Nah. The kids’ combat power is no joke. They’re grinding their teeth right now.”
The instructors laughed among themselves as they prepared to leave.
“It’ll be over soon. Let’s clean up and go.”
* * *
The entrance to the trail up the back mountain.
The instructor at the entrance explained to Sinhyeok and the other two, who were waiting.
“For firearms, you’ll use these mock-combat guns. They fire BB pellets, so don’t worry and shoot. The trainees on the other side will be unarmed, wearing gloves, and will only charge at you.”
The instructor advised them not to worry.
“We told them not to do anything too dangerous.”
At that moment, the sound of beasts came from the mountain behind them.
“Kkiyoyoyot! Kill them!”
“Kyaaaak! Break their limbs!”
At the vicious barking, the instructor laughed awkwardly.
“It probably won’t be dangerous. Probably?”
Baek Arin shook her head at the fierce fighting spirit flowing down the mountain.
“We’re doomed. We’re definitely doomed.”
Ichan already wore the face of someone who had given up, his expression blank.
“Can’t I just forfeit without going in?”
At Ichan’s vacant look, the instructor laughed and refused.
“You’re still going in. Go in and then forfeit. At least discuss it with your squad members before saying that.”
Ichan pointed at the trainees already glaring at them with blue, murderous eyes.
“I feel like something terrible will happen if we go in while they’re like that.”
The instructor whipped around.
“Hey! At least try to hide!”
“Kheheheup. Yes, sir~”
The trainees who had accepted the role of monsters laughed wickedly and roughly ducked behind trees.
They stuck their faces out and made death signs with their fingers.
‘Good grief.’
The instructor laughed sincerely and pressed the timer in his hand.
“All right, begin.”
Baek Arin sighed and was about to take a step forward when Sinhyeok stopped her.
“Why?”
“Let’s turn on the radar before we go.”
“Hm?”
At the mention of turning on radar, the two soon accepted it.
They had never been told the details, but they knew this mister possessed some strange ability.
Sinhyeok immediately opened his inventory first. When he took out a canteen, the instructor looked at him in puzzlement.
“Direct skill use by a trainee is not allowed.”
“This is just a potion. May I drink it? It’s not quite a buff.”
The instructor reached out and checked the canteen.
He immediately recognized the black liquid.
“It’s a Dark Mana Potion. That’s fine.”
Hearing that, Sinhyeok immediately took a sip.
‘Kheup.’
A bitter taste bubbled up.
Soon his whole body awakened, and a single bead of mana dropped.
[Mana Mapping will begin.]
The slow bead-like crystal gradually spread into the surroundings.
His senses extended infinitely along the mapping probe.
‘They’re coming in.’
The people in every direction became clear to him.
Sinhyeok calmly sensed them and gripped the canteen in one hand tightly.
“First, one at twelve o’clock, three at three o’clock, and five at ten o’clock.”
Sinhyeok slowly opened his eyes and spoke calmly.
“It’s fifty meters, so we’ll probably only need about ten minutes. Get ready.”
At the calm order, Ichan picked up the issued mock firearm with a dazed expression.
“We’re really doing this?”
“Hey, what, are we supposed to give up? You think those jackals will let us go quietly?”
Baek Arin recalled the strange blue crystal that had brushed past them earlier and asked,
“Is that your ability, Mister? Something passed by.”
“Something like that.”
She clenched her fist and raised her fighting spirit.
“Okay. Then let’s break through. You can do that while moving too, right?”
Sinhyeok laughed awkwardly.
“No, I don’t think I can.”
She was about to move, then screeched to a stop.
“No, then are we going to stop as we go, then go, then stop again?”
Sinhyeok gripped the canteen tightly and looked at the trainee in front of them, who wasn’t even trying to hide.
“Hihihik! Come on in~ Old-timer, you come quickly too~”
“Wait there. Hm…… I’ll give it a try.”
‘I’ve never succeeded even once, though.’
Of course, that was based on eight years ago.
Mapping broke the moment his concentration wavered.
Focusing on the faintly connected mapping probe, he took a step.
‘Stay connected. Stay connected!’
A cautious step forward. It had not broken yet.
As he began walking with smooth movements, Baek Arin and Hong Ichan followed.
‘It works. It’s working!’
[Your proficiency in Mana Mapping has increased, and its level has risen.]
[A new sub-option has been added.]
[Mapping is possible while moving.]
Along with the system’s congratulations, the mapping continued smoothly.
Sinhyeok walked forward confidently and aimed the muzzle at the jackal in front, who was beckoning with his hand.
“I’m here. What are you going to do?”
“Kyahahak!”
Forgetting words entirely, the trainee charged right in.
Sinhyeok immediately planted a BB pellet between his eyebrows.
Tap, tap.
The trainee frowned, then grinned.
Peeling the BB pellet off his forehead, he laughed murderously.
“Our stress won’t be pierced by mere BB pellets like this!”
“Arin!”
Sinhyeok immediately tossed him to Arin, who was waiting behind him.
Baek Arin nimbly kicked the trainee in the solar plexus.
Thud!
“Gwek!”
“Both sides! Incoming!”
Sinhyeok immediately lowered the muzzle and took out a magazine filled with BB pellets.
“Mana, mana.”
He grabbed a handful of mana brushing through the air and rubbed it onto the BB pellets.
[You have become aware of a new method of using mana.]
[Alchemy’s main skill has been unlocked.]
[The main skill Enhancement can now be used.]
[Enhancement]
=========================
Uses mana to strengthen the essence of the target object.
=========================
[The power of the BB pellets has temporarily increased.]
Something popped up, but Sinhyeok ignored it and shouted right away.
“Uh-huh, sure, I’ll look later!”
A faint blue light swirled around the BB pellets.
Sinhyeok immediately inserted the magazine and checked the ten o’clock direction first.
“Ichan, cover me somehow with that ghost of yours!”
“Ah, seriously! I’m not supposed to use that carelessly!”
Sinhyeok confirmed the five trainees surging in from ten o’clock.
Baek Arin grabbed two of them.
‘The rest are mine.’
The remaining three immediately changed direction and headed for Sinhyeok.
“Old-timer, it’s time to go home!”
“Vengeaaance!!”
He aimed at the space between their eyebrows in the same way and pulled the trigger.
Knowing the power of BB pellets, they laughed as if it were laughable.
“Haha! What are you going to do with mere BB pelle—”
Bang!
One pellet struck, and the trainee’s expression crumpled in an instant.
“Aak…!”
Clutching his forehead, the startled trainee staggered as he touched the red bump forming there.
“How is it? Pretty painful, right?”
“Grr! Hey! Jump him at the same time!”
Flustered because Sinhyeok had done something, the trainees charged at him simultaneously.
“Whoa, we can’t have that.”
He nimbly took aim and fired at them.
“Aak!”
“Ah! It stings! Aaak! That’s not fair! Aak!”
At the power that was far more painful than expected, the trainees raised both hands and shouted.
“Surrender, surrender!”
“We surrender! Aaak!”
Sinhyeok laughed as he maintained the mapping.
Baek Arin saw the bizarrely enhanced power of Sinhyeok’s gun and snickered.
“What did you do?”
“I awakened too, so I just used a skill once.”
Baek Arin saw definite hope.
“Let’s go now. We’ll climb up lightly and return.”
Sinhyeok walked in front and targeted the wicked trainees in hiding.
“Where do you think you’re hiding?”
He silently pointed with his finger in the direction they were hiding.
All of them aimed and shot with the BB pellets Sinhyeok had handed over.
“Aak!”
“Aaak! Stop!!”
“It hurts! What is this!”
Because the BB pellets hurt far more than expected, and because Sinhyeok found them too well, dozens of trainees surrendered without being able to do a thing.
“All right, fifty meters.”
When they roughly reached the end, the instructor shouted from below.
“Stop! Come down now!”
At the word “stop,” the three of them laughed and went down.
When they arrived at the entrance, the trainees were glaring at them as if they had been stung all over by bees.
At this funny yet astonishing sight, the instructor looked back and forth between the two sides, then chuckled.
“Squad One of Platoon One, Baek Arin and two others, full marks.”
At the words “full marks,” a smile spread across Baek Arin’s lips.
“Yes!”
“Aaaaah! Seriously! Isn’t this cheating? Those BB pellets are different!”
Sinhyeok smiled obnoxiously and bounced a BB pellet that was slowly scattering away.
“It’s my ability, so what do you want me to do~”
Everyone trembled with frustration.
There was nothing they could do about his extremely obnoxious teasing.
“All right, enough. Everyone returns. You have overnight training tomorrow, so get plenty of sleep and pack your kit properly.”
At the words “overnight training,” Sinhyeok looked puzzled.
“What’s that now?”
Baek Arin put down her mock-combat gun and said,
“It’s a practical exercise for what we’ve learned so far and for clearing Gates. It’s two days and one night. We have to spend a day outside.”
At that, Sinhyeok’s expression turned fierce.
“Hey, that’s not right. At my age, if I sleep outside, my back will give out and my mouth will turn crooked.”
The instructor chuckled.
“Be that as it may, Mister, let’s go right away and discuss tomorrow’s training. We need to make a strategy.”
Sinhyeok sighed heavily and trudged after her.
“What strategy? I’m the strategy.”
“That’s true, but we still need to discuss it. Hey, kid, hurry up and come!”
Ichan bristled at the word “kid.”
“Who are you calling a kid?!”