Baek Arin checked Bu Sinhyeok's score and exploded in anger.
"That's cheating!"
The Battalion Commander laughed heartily and said,
"It's not cheating. That path was left open to be used from the very beginning. Though no one had found it."
Warrant Officer Kim Chanyeol clicked his tongue as he looked at the wooden bridge Bu Sinhyeok had used.
'He saw through a 7th Circle Hide? Heh.'
Watching that spectacle, he understood why the Hongik Battalion Commander had visited and personally intervened.
"So that's why he insisted on putting him into the 1st Battalion's training course."
When Bu Sinhyeok emerged from the Gate, the trainees' reactions were split.
Those who acknowledged him, and those who were indignant.
Baek Arin ground her teeth as she watched him emerge from the Gate nonchalantly.
"You see that? This is the seasoning of a Sergeant who finished his full term."
"Hmph!"
She turned around with an annoyed face. The Battalion Commander checked everyone's reaction and spoke.
"I take it there are no further objections to Trainee Bu Sinhyeok's transfer. Then, everyone dismissed."
Everyone scattered in all directions. Bu Sinhyeok stretched and groaned.
"Argh, I'm getting muscle cramps, urgh."
Since he had exerted himself after a long time, his whole body ached. The Battalion Commander approached him with a smile.
"Good work."
"Ah, thank you, Battalion Commander."
Bu Sinhyeok asked about his own unit rather than exchanging further pleasantries.
"But where is my unit? I thought I should know which batch I'm training with."
"Ah, your unit is newly assigned starting from week five. By the time people reach week five, many have dropped out, so you'll probably find out tomorrow."
"Huh?"
He hadn't known that.
"So starting tomorrow, individual specialties and tactical training will proceed together. Detailed instructions will be announced tomorrow. Then get plenty of rest."
He disappeared with a smile. Hearing those words, Bu Sinhyeok walked shamblingly alone toward his room.
"Well, whatever. Just endure six months. Once the training here is over."
'Hongik Battalion.'
Hongik Battalion naturally came to mind. Bu Sinhyeok shuddered and buried his head deep in his pillow.
"Ugh, horrible."
Gurgle.
His stomach growled. Bu Sinhyeok shifted his pillow slightly and checked the time.
- 5:50.
"Don't tell me we have to assemble and march to the dining hall singing military songs?"
Fortunately, there was no such thing. Everyone just moved to the dining hall freely.
'This is comfortable.'
Entering the dining hall, it was buffet-style. Everyone served themselves what they wanted and ate with friends.
"What came out today?"
He took a peek—there was boiled pork, fresh kimchi, stir-fried pork, and more.
"Insane."
With an excited face, he piled food onto his tray. Having loaded it up, Bu Sinhyeok looked around for a seat but found none.
Strangely, he was an outcast. There was no gap to squeeze into anywhere.
'Am I a forced loner?'
Looking closely, one table was empty. It was where Baek Arin, a rather prickly girl, was sitting.
"Well, can't be helped. Not like she's going to beat me to death."
He put on a shameless face and headed over. Then whispers rose from around him.
"That old man must be crazy. He's trying to sit at Arin's table?"
"Arin's going to chew him out."
Thud.
Bu Sinhyeok sat diagonally across from Baek Arin.
At that, she glared at him, spoon in hand.
"I don't eat with anyone."
"Good. Neither do I."
Tremble.
She trembled, the spoon she held shaking.
"Hmph!"
"Yeah, eat well."
Bu Sinhyeok picked up a piece of boiled pork deliciously, as if deliberately teasing her pronounced reaction.
"Wow, the meat is really springy."
Putting it in his mouth, it was fantastic.
"Man, the lady here really cooks well."
He snuck a look at the kitchen, and instead of a lady, he saw a sturdy cook. Smiling, he waved.
"The food is delicious!"
They bowed their heads.
She set her spoon down sharply at his rather ostentatious eating and said,
"How many days have you been starving?"
"Try living alone. Then you'll know how blessed it is to eat food like this."
"Hmph! I'll never have to."
"Ah, yes~"
At his completely unaffected reaction, Baek Arin debated whether to smack Bu Sinhyeok in front of her with her spoon.
"Hoo, be thankful that I'm a soldier."
Giving up, she set her spoon down.
"Ah, yes, I'm sure you are~"
Grind.
At that priceless remark that grated on her nerves, she picked up a chopstick.
'Stab? Or not?'
"Stab?"
"Hey, your inner thoughts just popped out."
"I said it for you to hear. Parachute mister."
"Oh, come on."
Bu Sinhyeok stopped flipping her lid and turned his gaze to the last trainee to arrive.
A male trainee with a petite stature, who looked barely over 160 centimeters, was looking around.
'Is that kid really an adult?'
He had an unusually strong boyish charm.
Since he was looking around with nowhere to sit, Bu Sinhyeok raised his hand and beckoned.
"Hey! Over here!"
"Huh?"
He looked at the table's occupants and immediately shook his head.
"N-no, I don't want to."
"Hey, come here."
Then Bu Sinhyeok spat out a single word, and he sat down helplessly with a tearful face.
"Tsk, our trash-tier Ichan is going to get eaten alive."
"Kekekek."
Everyone ridiculed and laughed at him. At that, he huddled even more.
"E-enjoy your meal."
Bu Sinhyeok checked his name tag.
'Hong Ichan.'
Seeing him shoving his face into his tray and eating frantically, Bu Sinhyeok forcibly pulled him up.
"Urp?"
"Eat slowly. Don't pay attention to them."
Bu Sinhyeok shared some meat and said,
"Eat lots and grow taller."
Hong Ichan looked at him with a sullen face.
"I'm already grown."
"Then grow more."
"Heeing."
"Golly, you're not a kid, 'heeing'? Are you serious?"
Plop.
He buried his head in his tray again.
"Hey, head up."
Hong Ichan, forcibly corrected, had no choice but to raise his head and eat.
When he met eyes with Baek Arin, he squeezed his eyes shut.
"What a show. Did you hit him?"
"Do you see me as some delinquent? A platoon leader trainee gets immediately disqualified if they hit anyone."
"Golly, but you tried to hit me?"
"......."
She lowered her head and focused on her meal.
"You're adjusting well to the army."
"......."
Baek Arin silently ate, then suddenly stood up.
"Running away?"
"Hmph, I've finished eating."
Bu Sinhyeok smirked and finished eating. While eating, he asked Trainee Hong Ichan, who was eating quietly beside him,
"By the way, do they do roll call in the evening?"
Gulp.
Hong Ichan shook his head.
"No. Other than assembling at the drill ground in the morning for a run, there's nothing."
"What, we have to run? Sigh...."
No matter how much time passed, he had found something that never changed in the military.
"It's so priceless."
"Right. I hate running in the morning."
Hong Ichan actively empathized and vigorously expressed his dislike for running. Bu Sinhyeok looked at him, who was unusually withdrawn, and found it strange.
'Why does gloominess seep out of him?'
Could it be called an atmosphere? He seemed to exude a gloomy aura.
"Hey, you... did you happen to learn black magic or something?"
Bu Sinhyeok had met people like this, albeit briefly.
Usually black magicians or those who made a contract with demons.
Flinched.
Hong Ichan looked at Bu Sinhyeok with a surprised face.
"Is it obvious?"
"Not that obvious. I've just seen a few before."
Ichan was relieved that it wasn't obvious.
"Actually, most people find out. Even if you hide it, they know by the five-week mark."
The reason he was reluctant to reveal his abilities.
Black magicians or those who made a contract with demons were usually summarily executed or deported.
They stood in direct opposition to the world, including the Elves and Dragons allied with humanity.
However, a few defectors also existed.
And there were those recognized by the World Tree, like Necromancers, who weren't of the curse system.
'He must have had it rough.'
Bu Sinhyeok looked at Hong Ichan, who was suffering needlessly, and casually cheered him on.
"But you're holding up well. In the army, enduring is all that matters."
Ichan paused momentarily, spoon in hand. His eyes reddened as if he were choked up.
He soon forced down his meal.
"Thank you for the meal. Hyung, take care."
Hong Ichan quickly finished eating and left first.
Bu Sinhyeok watched the back of the small, exhausted-looking boy.
'I was like that once too.'
Lost in nostalgic sentiment, he finished his meal.
As he was leaving the dining hall, he spotted a familiar petite person in a secluded corner behind the barracks.
Cigarette smoke was rising in puffs from that spot.
Beneath that chimney of cigarette smoke, Hong Ichan was seen undergoing disciplinary training from fellow trainees.
Two men surrounding him pressed his head down with their fingers and said,
"Ichan, who do you think you are sitting next to Arin?"
"Know your place. Trash-tier black magician."
Hong Ichan remained silent without a word. But perhaps because this whole situation was annoying and unfair, he clenched his hand tight.
"Hey, look at this punk. He's making a fist?"
They kicked Ichan.
"Ugh."
"You dog-like black magician, why the hell did you crawl in here!"
"Die! Die!"
That kind of reaction was familiar.
Black magicians and demons had already been committing terror everywhere, steadily building their notoriety.
Because of that, there were those who harbored such baseless hatred.
Bu Sinhyeok quietly approached and spoke to the fallen Ichan.
"Doesn't it hurt?"
At the sudden question, the two administering the beating flinched and turned around.
"W-what?!"
"What do you think? Just a passing old man, you bastards."
They snorted and shoved Bu Sinhyeok's shoulder hard.
"Mister, just pass by. Unless you want to get beaten at your age."
Pfft.
Bu Sinhyeok burst out laughing. He lightly scanned them.
'Their aura is mediocre.'
He could tell just by looking.
They were worthless.
Even at best, they couldn't surpass D-rank.
"Wait, let me just drink this."
He immediately pulled out his canteen.
With one gulp, his mana was stimulated and awakened.
Shattered mana coalesced into grains and poured out.
"Hm?"
At the bizarre sight, the two watched the flowing grains and let their guard down.
Bu Sinhyeok grabbed both their heads with his hands and slammed them into the ground.
"Urk!"
"Hey, hey, keep it quiet."
Squish.
"Kkuhk."
"Heup."
The pain of being ruthlessly ground into the dirt left the two barely gasping for breath.
Sinhyeok pressed down firmly on the backs of their heads.
"Don't act up, you idiots."
Sinhyeok planted them in the ground and simply stood up.
Hong Ichan looked at Bu Sinhyeok with an incredulous face.
"H-Hyung, is this okay?"
"Better if they get stabbed plenty and sent outside. Let them go home."
Sinhyeok pulled the fallen Ichan up to his feet.
"Let's go."
"No. Hyung, I share a room with them."
"Huh?"
At those words, Bu Sinhyeok pondered briefly, then headed straight to the administrative office.
"U-where are you going?!"
With the audacity of a madman who had re-enlisted, he knocked on the Battalion Commander's office door.
"N-no! Hyung! This is the Battalion Commander's office!?"
The door swung open.
"Salute! Staff Sergeant Bu Sinhyeok! I've come on business!"
"Oh? Hmm? Please come in first."
Kim Chanyeol received him with a puzzled face.
"I'd like to share a room with this trainee. Would you permit it?"
"Ah? Well, that's no problem. We ought to give this level of benefit to the top-ranked trainee."
Bu Sinhyeok smiled and saluted.
"Thank you. Sa-lute!"
"It's nothing."
As they were leaving the Battalion Commander's office, he looked at Hong Ichan and asked casually,
"Is Trainee Hong Ichan alright?"
Hong Ichan said with an awkward face,
"Y-yes. I'm fine."
"Hmm."
The Battalion Commander pondered briefly, then offered words that seemed to console Hong Ichan.
"Perhaps that trainee can be of help to you. So try telling your senior."
Bu Sinhyeok wondered what that boy's worry might be, hearing those words.
'A Necromancer's worry? Could it be Dark Mana replenishment?'
There was only one thing that came to mind.
His deliberately withdrawn appearance from earlier suggested one thing.
"You don't have a way to replenish your Dark Mana?"
Sinhyeok asked Hong Ichan as they exited the Battalion Commander's office.
Ichan nodded with a drooping face.
"I didn't make a contract. No, I couldn't. If I do, I'll be dragged away immediately."
At those words, Sinhyeok realized.
'Right, if he makes a contract with a demon, it's either straight to clink-clink or swish-swish...'
But it was strange.
"Why would I be of help to—ah...!"
'Potion!?'