The Dark Mage’s Return to Enlistment

Chapter 24 : First Dungeon – 2

“Huh, huh?”

“What, why are you jumping so high? Who is that?”

“I’m Corporal Kim Min-joon!”

He jumped a height of 7 meters.

It was an impossible feat for most hunters.

“Kiiiiiik!”

“You’re in a good mood.”

That’s because you have magic power inside you.

Just like a tiger’s energy surges, right?

“Now it’s mine.”

Kim Min-joon held up the shield he had secured in the front row and pushed with all his strength.

“Kwiiiiik!”

Kwoooooong!

The monster rat was slammed into the ground with tremendous force.

The entire dungeon shook from the impact.

“Ugh!”

“What is this all of a sudden?”

The hunters lost their balance and stumbled from the aftermath of the shock.

Kim Min-joon held a tranquilizer rod in one hand and tightly grasped the monster rat’s head with the other.

“Oh, did you absorb the magic power properly?”

Sssssss-

After quickly absorbing the magic power inside the creature’s body, he swung the tranquilizer rod forcefully at its head.

Crack! Thud!

“Kiiiii…!”

“Ouch, look at this one. Why is the meat so tough?”

“Kiiik!”

The monster rat bled to death within three rooms.

If it had been any other hunters, they would have had a hard time, since they had given their all in three rooms.

After absorbing all the magic, the eyes of the creature stained black returned to their original color.

[You have absorbed a certain level of magic.]

[Your magic stat has increased by 1.]

What the hell is this?

Is this really the front line?

“Everyone, keep an eye out and protect Corporal Kim Minjun!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Hey, Kim Minjun! Are you okay?”

While he was smiling contentedly, the hunters who had been lagging behind rushed forward.

“Sergeant! Kim Minjun! I’m fine!”

“Wow… that thing is huge when you see it again.”

“If that thing had charged at us, we would have all been dead…”

“Hey, how did you do that just now?”

The hunters swallowed hard as they looked at the gigantic monster rat, finding it unbelievable.

Such irregulars occasionally appeared when conquering dungeons, but that one was just too big.

“Kim Minjun!”

“Sergeant! Kim Minjun!”

“Are you okay? What if you run out without my orders?”

“I’m sorry, sir!”

Captain Kim Cheolmin ran up to him only after confirming that there were no monster rats around.

“Any injuries?”

“I’m fine, sir!”

“Hmm… okay. Anyway, it was an emergency situation, so we couldn’t help it this time. You did well.”

At first, his voice was angry, but he quickly softened when he saw the size of the monster rat.

“I’m Lieutenant Kim Cheolmin! We found an irregular in the nesting place of the monster rat! Requesting support from the monster capture team to secure it!”

After giving a situation report in the situation room, he followed the manual and withdrew.

There was no guarantee that such irregularities would only be one.

“Hey. I really owe you my life. When I saw that guy earlier, I didn’t even think about raising my shield.”

“Yeah, this guy’s a real front-liner. There isn’t a single normal person from mosquitoes to monsters.”

As they came out of the dungeon, the seniors thanked Kim Min-jun.

“No, I’m sorry for running out on my own!”

“What are you sorry for? It was clearly an unexpected situation. If you hadn’t handled it, it would have been a big trouble.”

“Wow, look at this guy. Not a single scratch on his body. Does that even make sense?”

The squad leader was the same.

Kim Cheol-min also breathed a sigh of relief after carefully examining Kim Min-jun’s body.

“Attention, everyone!”

“Attention!”

“Due to the unexpected situation, we will end the dungeon raid here! After checking the personnel, you can return to the unit!”

“Yes!”

After finishing the personnel report, the squad members returned to the unit.

“Attention, everyone!”

As soon as they arrived at the unit, Second Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min gave instructions.

“Return the protective suits and gas masks that you were wearing first. And make sure to take a shower!”

“Yes!”

As they had entered the habitat of the monster rats, the hunters’ bodies were covered in their bodily fluids.

The hunters quickly took off their gas masks and protective suits that they had been wearing.

“Phew.”

“Sigh.”

They breathed out in relief.

Finally, their expressions showed that they had survived.

It was understandable, as they had been wearing gas masks from the moment they entered the dungeon until they returned.

“Private Kim Min-jun, finish all the instructions and report to the squad leader’s room.”

“Private! Kim Min-jun! Yes, understood!”

In Kim Cheol-min’s words, the gaze of the other hunters turned to him.

**

Inside the dormitory.

The hunters who were taking a break were engaged in excited conversations.

“Hey, did you see Kim Min-joon taking down the monster rat all by himself?”

“When I saw the size of that rat, I couldn’t believe it. He almost got overwhelmed by that thing without lying.”

“Min-joon, who pushed that thing away with a military shield, is quite something, huh?”

“Well, it’s not that impressive.”

“No, I saw it with my own two eyes.”

The situation was so impactful that even the squad members responsible for guarding the entrance of the dungeon gathered around.

“Ah, you guys won’t even be able to say a word if you saw the body of that monster rat. Seriously, you’ll be shocked when you see the pictures later.”

“But considering that he withdrew during the raid, it seems to be somewhat true…”

While they were having a heated discussion about the irregular and Kim Min-joon who appeared in the monster rat’s habitat.

“Kim Min-joon, sit here.”

“Sergeant! Kim Min-joon! Yes, sir!”

Kim Min-joon sat on the sofa in the squad leader’s office.

“Here’s some disinfectant and cotton. Use it.”

“I’ll be fine with this much!”

“Anyway, just do it.”
“Understood.”

Kim Minjoon tapped the vial with red antiseptic on his arm.

Even though it would heal on its own if left alone, it was a courteous gesture.

“But are you sure you don’t need to get examined? I heard you had a close encounter with the irregular monster.”

“I’m really fine, no worries.”

“I’ve been keeping an eye on you since earlier, and it seems like you’re okay for now… But if you feel any pain later, let me know immediately.”

“Yes! I understand!”

The reason why Lieutenant Kim Cheolmin called him here was to write a situation report.

When the emergency situation occurred in the dungeon of the monster rat, Kim Minjoon was the only one who properly confirmed the situation.

“To be honest, I was at a loss on how to deal with the irregular when it appeared. If it wasn’t for you, it would have been a disaster.”

“That’s a bit exaggerated.”

“No, it was huge. Even if I had run away, it would have been difficult.”

“Thank you.”

Well, that monster was indeed big.

Although it was a low-level monster like a monster rat, the situation was different because it was inside the dungeon.

Unfamiliar terrain with limited visibility inside the dungeon.

Wearing protective gear and gas masks made movement uncomfortable.

Furthermore, the use of firearms and main weapons was prohibited due to the dungeon’s environment.

“I have finished writing the report.”

Kim Minjoon completed the report.

‘I jumped with all my strength and pushed away the irregular monster with my shield, then hit it with my suppression rod until it died. This should be enough.’

“…Minjoon.”

“Sergeant Kim Minjoon.”

Kim Cheolmin, who was reading the report, asked casually.

“What’s your stat anyway?”

“My strength is 65, agility is 60!”

“What, what? 65? And agility is 60?”

Upon hearing his answer, Lieutenant Kim Cheolmin was shocked.

‘I’m a lieutenant and my average is around 40. But an ordinary soldier has over 60?’

Of course, he himself had just become a second lieutenant and his stats were not that high.

Even so, it was a higher level compared to the sergeants who had been in the military for more than 4 years.

“Sigh… You must have been promoted quickly. If you had come out of a university in Seoul, you could have gone to officer school. I regret it.”

The stat cutoff for Hunter Officer School is 50.

If Kim Minjoon had come out of a top-ranked university in Seoul, it would have been almost a free pass.

“Do you have any plans to go to university after being promoted to officer? You know that you can commute from sergeant rank, right?”

“I hate studying. As long as I get promoted based on my performance, it’s enough.”

Kim Minjoon responded firmly.

He thought he could reach the stars within four years.

“Yeah, it’s up to you to decide, I won’t force you.”

Kim Cheolmin smirked and thanked Kim Minjoon again.

“You saved all the squad members today. You did really well.”

“No, I just did what I had to do.”

“Yeah, now you can go. If you feel unwell, report it immediately.”

“Yes! Then I’ll go! Loyalty!”

He gained experience points and achievements.

Killing two birds with one stone.

**

Although dungeon exploration was unexpectedly interrupted due to unforeseen circumstances, that didn’t mean the hunters were resting.

“Ah… What are they going to make us do again?”

“I guess we’ll have to stop the leaky pipes.”

The squad members gathered in combat gear in front of the training ground.

Everyone looked tired, considering it hadn’t been long since they finished showering.

“You must have had a hard time going into the dungeon, so let’s push through a little more.”

“Yes…”

Lieutenant Kim Cheolmin explained the remaining tasks in a gentle voice.

“With the special materials brought by the transport team, we just need to finish the construction at the base.”

“Ah… The ironworks have arrived…”

“Base construction… ironworks…”

At the mention of base construction, the hunters’ shoulders slumped.

Just when it hadn’t been long since they came back from the dungeon, they were faced with base construction.

“I’m going to break my back today…”

The special material called “ironworks” by the hunters looked like ordinary bricks at first glance.

The problem was that each brick weighed over 100 kg.

And on top of that, it had a distinctive unpleasant smell due to the special chemicals mixed in to repel monsters.

“There’s nothing special today. Maybe I should go for simulation after this.”

While Kim Minjoon was grabbing his tools.

“Huh? What did you say? You found something out?”

Sssss-

A reaction came from the Night Walker that was released in the squad.