The Dark Mage’s Return to Enlistment

Chapter 21 : Banana Kick

“Do you play soccer? I think it’s normal.”

“Yeah? Then let’s play combat soccer later.”

“Oh, Minjoon? Sounds good. Finish lunch and meet me in front of the field hospital.”

“Yes! Got it!”

To participate in combat soccer, one had to be at least a sergeant.

The soccer played by hunters was not your typical soccer, it was as rough as telling gourmet soccer to go away.

“And now I’m a sergeant.”

Hmm.

It’s been a while since I played soccer.

My feet itch automatically.

“I wonder if my skills honed in this world will work here too. Should I test it?”

After finishing lunch, it was 1 p.m.

The hunters changed into their workout clothes and spent time doing various exercises.

Some hunters went to the indoor training room, while others enjoyed basketball or volleyball.

“Now’s the time!”

“Go!”

Some sergeants discreetly slipped away to the barracks, sensing the situation.

“Minjoon, you’ll be in defense. Don’t feel too burdened just because you’re not good at it.”

“Sergeant Kim Minjoon. I’ll do my best!”

Kim Minjoon lined up with the members of his squad and started combat soccer with the senior hunters.

“It’s been a while since I kicked a ball like this. My feet are itching.”

In Isgard, where he used to be, there were hardly any recreational activities.

No games, no internet, no TV.

If there was any hobby, it was sports like soccer or baseball.

But even that was impossible to enjoy alone, so he used to gather the followers chasing after him to play together.

“Ah, I’m excited even before the game starts. I wonder how good these guys are.”

As Kim Minjoon went to his designated defensive position, the game began.

The hunters passed the ball back and forth with agile movements, and the defense on both sides was frantic.

“Hmm, if I bring Kim Heungmin, I’ll fly on his shoulders.”

It was a soccer game among hunters, so it wouldn’t last even 10 minutes if regular people joined.

That’s how rough hunters’ combat soccer was.

“Ah! It got through!”

“Minjoon! Don’t be nervous, block it!”

“Yes! I got it!”

The opponent’s defense stole the ball and made a long pass to the forward.

The forward quickly dribbled the ball towards where Kim Minjoon was.

Got it!

“Huh?”

Kim Minjoon instantly stole the ball from the opponent who was dribbling.

The opponent’s forward tried to bypass three defenders by rolling the ball here and there, but it was child’s play in front of him.

Tung!

As soon as Kim Minjoon stole the ball, he passed it to his teammate.

Neat and precise movement.

“Nice! Well done, Minjoon!”

“Just keep it up like that!”

Thanks to Kim Minjoon’s outstanding defensive skills, 2nd Platoon’s ball possession was overwhelming.

“Oh… darn it.”

“Why isn’t it working out today?”

The members of the opposing platoon frowned as the score gap widened.

They had always defeated 2nd Platoon in combat soccer, but now they were losing 2-0.

“Well, you’re good at soccer. Didn’t I tell you that you’re not bad?”

“Try attacking from the middle for a change. I’ll switch with you.”

The senior members smiled with satisfaction.

“Yes, I got it!”

Being a forward is great.

“Hey! Just mark Kim Minjoon!”

“Stick to them in groups of three! Forget about other places!”

“Damn, crazy!”

It hadn’t even been 10 minutes since Kim Minjoon joined the attack, and the score was already 5-0.

When he caught the ball, he dribbled past the hunters with overwhelming ball control and scored a goal.

From the perspective of the opposing team, it was madness.

“He’s crazy. How can he be so good at soccer?”

“Just by eating and playing soccer, you can’t be that good.”

As the senior defenders no longer had a chance to intervene, they sat and watched Kim Minjoon in awe.

“Great. Now that my instincts are back, it’s time to make a move.”

With a frightening speed, Kim Minjoon dribbled past five hunters from the opponent’s side.

Since he could easily score a goal whenever he caught the ball, he had changed to an extreme strategy.

“Move out of my way. If you don’t, it’s going to hurt a lot.”

Kim Minjoon smiled mockingly and took a long-range shot.

Bang!

With a sound of explosion, the soccer ball flew with incredible force.

“Oh my god!”

“Ouch!”

The opposing defenders tried to do something, but the ball suddenly curved with terrifying speed, making it difficult for them to avoid each other.

“Ah, this sensation. It’s back.”

This was the Isagard-style banana kick.

Swoosh!

The soccer ball sharply changed direction and went into the corner of the goal.

“Nice shot.”

And now the score was 7:0.

“Wow, did you see that?”

“That was a banana kick. It curved.”

“How can a ball bend like that?”

The hunters from the opposing team seemed to lose their motivation after seeing Kim Minjoon’s banana kick.

“Ah, we should have taken it easy on them little by little. The opposing team is getting too uninteresting.”

It was a lack of consideration as it had been a long time since they played soccer.

“Wow, did he shoot from outside the center line? Can a ball really curve like that?”

Meanwhile, the senior defenders who were watching the scene continued their conversation with amazed expressions.

“We found a talent. Our squad’s soccer was weak enough already.”

“Yeah, let’s make sure to put Kim Minjoon in the team for future combat soccer. With him alone, we can probably defeat most squads.”

Soccer was also an important skill for soldiers.

It was a moment when Kim Minjoon’s evaluation went up.

“Ah, combat soccer ended too quickly. It should have lasted longer.”

Combat soccer ended faster than I thought.

Currently, Kim Min-jun is sitting leaning against the bench.

“There are still two hours of combat physical training left….”

What should I do?

“Kim Min-jun.”

While he was contemplating, Sergeant Lee Seung-ho, who was nearby, gestured towards him.

“Sergeant Kim Min-jun.”

“Yeah, what’s up? Are you using the training room?”

“I occasionally use the training room on weekends.”

Actually, he had never been near the training room, but he answered politely that he was using it.

“You are now a sergeant. Write freely without worrying about it.”

Ah, come to think of it, I am a sergeant now.

“Pass the next promotion test as well, got it?”

“Yes, understood.”

That should be easy.

Although he might become a staff sergeant instead of a sergeant by the time of the next promotion test.

As soon as Kim Min-jun finished answering, he headed straight to the training room.

Actually, he wasn’t very interested in training. What he was interested in was the simulation machine in Training Room 2.

“Oh, this must be the monster training simulation room.”

He felt like he had entered a VR room.

“Let’s see. Is this how you do it?”

Kim Min-jun hummed a tune as if he was in a game room and set up the system.

[Please select a monster.]

[You have selected an orc.]

[Exceeded the maximum number of individuals. The maximum number of individuals that can be designated is 30.]

“Ah, I wanted to try some hack and slash after a long time.”

When he set the number of individuals to 999, an error window appeared.

Kim Min-jun felt disappointed but proceeded to set up the simulation.

[Please set up your weapon.]

“Weapons, huh? Will the weapons be implemented too? This is going to be fun.”

So, from training room 2 to 5, sergeants and above were allowed to use them.

To think that you can train with designated monsters virtually, it’s quite impressive.

Wow.

[Combat initiated.]

As soon as the start button was pressed, with the sound of the machine running, monsters began to appear one by one.

“Oh, well done. Is this virtual reality or something?”

Sensations felt in the body.

Although there were some dull parts, it was implemented quite well overall.

The grip of the virtual weapon held in his right hand was also satisfactory.

“Here I go!”

Kim Minjun jumped into a spot where 30 orcs were gathered.

Swish! Thud!

Whether it was hounds or orcs, they weren’t much different.

Kim Minjun smoothly dispatched them one by one as if they were nothing, just like sending them to the Lord.

Although the orcs swung their weapons at him, Kim Minjun easily avoided them as if he had eyes on the back of his head.

“This is it. This is monster hunting!”

He hadn’t even entered the dungeon yet.

Even if he did, he didn’t know when he would be able to face a single orc.

“Come at me, all of you!”

Kim Minjun continued to slaughter the orcs like a young child enjoying a game.

[Warning. You have exited the designated area.]

[Warning. Engaging in dangerous behavior against multiple monster opponents.]

“This isn’t what the combat simulation system was designed for.”

“Hmm, it’s a bit disappointing with only 30 monsters.”

Ignoring the warning sound, Kim Minjoon reached for the monster button.

“Well, how about this?”

Click.

[Hound: 30]

[Giant Rat: 30]

[Goblin: 30]

[Orc: 30]

“Oh, this should do it. As expected, I’m a genius.”

Although the maximum number of creatures that could be summoned was 30, there were no restrictions on the type of monsters.

After all, what crazy hunter would try to face multiple types of monsters at once?

Even though it was a combat simulation, it was set to inflict considerable pain when hit.

“Ah, these monsters overflowing in the field. It’s really… thrilling.”

Kim Minjoon swung at the training monsters in sight, filling the field with them.

“These cute little guys, come at me!”

At his gesture, monsters of various types charged at him from all directions.

With that scale of monsters, it was impossible for a squad, and even the entire platoon would have to engage them in full combat readiness.

Swish! Bam!

Kim Minjoon swiftly dodged and fought against the monsters.

He had been controlling his strength until now, but there was no need to do so here.

“Wow, this is even more fun than Dungeon Fighter Online!”

After finishing the battle and ending the simulation with a satisfied feeling, Kim Minjoon spoke.

“I should come here whenever I feel like smashing some monsters.”

As he was about to open the door to leave the training room, he ran into Corporal Lee Dongjin, who happened to be passing by.

“…Corporal Kim Minjoon?”

Corporal Lee Dongjin spoke in a shocked tone, as if confirming something.

“What’s up? Why?”

What Kim Minjoon had overlooked was that the results of the second combat simulation were displayed on the monitor.

“…Corporal Kim Minjoon, did you do all of this?”