The Dark Mage’s Return to Enlistment

Chapter 2: joining the military

The man who had been thought to be a civilian grabbed the hound, which was nearly three meters long, with both hands and folded it in half as if folding paper.

Thud-thud-

“Crack! Crack…!”

The hound spewed foam and screamed, then died.

“This dog-like thing. I used up all my mana, so they’re just food for me now. Even if my strength is weak, I wouldn’t be beaten up by those weaklings.”

Kim Min-joon threw the hound, which was folded in half, onto the ground.

He couldn’t use black magic because he had used up all his mana, but he still had the physical abilities he had trained in Eisgard.

“Uh… Uh?”

Private Choi In-ho looked back and forth between the folded hound and Kim Min-joon.

Then he dropped the mana gun he had been holding, with an expression of disbelief.

“Mr. Soldier. I have a question…”

“Uh, don’t come too close!”

As Kim Min-joon approached, the soldier took a step back, looking frightened despite his scary appearance.

He seemed like someone who was easily scared despite his scary face.

“Why did you struggle so much against a one-hit wonder like that dog-like monster?”

Monsters that looked similar to hounds also existed in Eisgard.

Of course, they were more evil than those guys.

“Private Choi In-ho! Did you really fold the hound in half?”

The soldiers who had finished the situation ran over to where he was.

There were several hounds lying behind them.

“Wow, you’re crazy. When Private Choi In-ho said he could fold a hound in half, I thought it was a lie. Sorry for doubting you!”

“No, did you really do that? Are you human?”

The soldiers praised Choi In-ho and the hound, looking back and forth between them, with some even taking pictures with their smartphones.

“Oh, no. It wasn’t me…”

Private Choi In-ho tried to explain the truth, pointing to Kim Min-joon.

But they wouldn’t believe it.

They had seen with their own eyes the student folding the hound in half.

“I did it, you know?”

“…What?”

The other members of the team focused their gaze on Kim Min-jun at his words.

“Just grab it with both hands and tear it apart? Is it difficult?”

“Student, this is not the time to joke. It’s serious.”

“No, wait. I saw it. That student grabbed the hound with both hands…”

Private Choi In-ho quickly took Kim Min-jun’s side, but his superior interrupted him.

“In-ho, there’s no time for this. We have to report back to base quickly.”

“Private Choi In-ho! Yes, sir.”

All the hunter soldiers quickly withdrew from the scene, except for one who was taken to the shelter by Kim Min-jun.

“Student, I don’t know why you went in there, but this is a criminal offense. The battalion commander doesn’t want to make a big deal out of it, so we’re just letting it go.”

“Oh, I see. I’m sorry.”

Kim Min-jun nodded along with the soldier’s words and began to ask questions to get information.

“You really don’t know? Most high schools these days teach that kind of stuff.”

“Well, I lived abroad, so…”

Actually, it was in another world.

“I see. Then I’ll teach you everything I know. Even when I was in college, I got A+ in monsterology and dungeonology.”

“Do they teach that kind of thing in college these days?”

“Rare are the colleges that don’t teach it.”

Kim Min-jun listened to the soldier’s words, thinking that education policy had changed a lot.

“Basic things can be easily searched on the internet, so look it up. How old are you now?”

“Me? I’m 21.”

At Kim Min-jun’s words, the soldier looked at him as if he felt sorry for him.

“Oh, really? Then you’re about to be drafted. Half of your twenties will be gone.”

It’s the military.

If a man serves as a regular soldier, he serves for three years, and if he serves as a hunter soldier, he serves for five years, wasn’t it?

In addition, regular soldiers were subject to conscription, and hunter soldiers were subject to voluntary enlistment.

This was during my high school days when the law changed, and there was a lot of talk about it.

“As you know, not only in Korea but also in the world, things have changed a lot. Monsters come out when you’re bored. The manpower to stop them is limited.”

The soldier raised one hand and opened it wide.

“And recently, as the situation has become more serious, whether you’re a regular soldier or a hunter, they’ve been integrated for five years. Now, we have to send off half of the 20s youth.”

“…five years?”

“Yes. You’re 21, so you must have received your summons. But the soldier’s salary has gone up a lot. You’ll be able to do something once you’re discharged.”

The soldier encouraged Kim Min-joon, tapping his shoulder.

“…Is this serious?”

As soon as he returned, what is this?

“Well, more than that, five years? Why has it become so long?”

Of course, for someone who will live for thousands of years in the future, five years may not be a big deal.

But for ordinary men, it’s a very long time.

“North Koreans are said to be drafted at 15 and discharged at 40. They just throw away their lives in the military. And they only receive 3,000 won in monthly salary.”

“I really want to defect.”

-National service!

While exchanging brief conversations with the soldier, a message arrived, and his smartphone rang.

“The sound effect is quite strange.”

[Notice of Enlistment Date]

What’s this?

Do spam messages look like this these days?

Just as he was about to delete it while thinking that way.

“What? Are you enlisting tomorrow?”

When the soldier heard the notification sound from Minjoon’s smartphone, he asked him which unit he was assigned to in surprise.

“No, it’s ridiculous. It hasn’t been that long since I returned from Isgard to the military.”

Kim Minjoon told the soldier not to worry about it and went his own way.

“When I heard the name of the unit, it was in Gangwon-do! And it’s not spam, it’s real!”

The soldier insisted that he should go to a nearby PC room to check if he still had doubts.

“What is this as soon as I come back to Korea?”

Kim Minjoon headed to a PC room near the shelter, even though he frowned.

This was not the Korea he knew.

He didn’t have enough information like this.

“Since I was summoned to Isgard in 2018, I should look through everything from around here.”

Kim Minjoon read every article he could find by searching the internet.

[Abnormal phenomena occurring in the dungeon.]

[The frequency of monster appearances is increasing.]

In short, it was like this.

Within two years, the dungeons and monsters had become significantly larger.

As a result, even ordinary citizens were being threatened, and there was a shortage of personnel to handle it.

Therefore, the government seemed to be extending the military service period of soldiers as a temporary measure, and actively training hunter soldiers to specialize in dungeons.

“The situation is worse than I thought.”

Not just in Korea.

The entire world is struggling with dungeons and monsters.

If he had brought his full strength from Isgard, he could have solved it easily.

“I was planning to come back and heal, but I guess the situation won’t allow it.”

Don’t you usually have to get a physical examination before enlisting?

Grade 1 to 3 are active duty.

Grade 4 is public service.

Grade 5 was the second national service, right?

“But for now, let’s just put them in training and see how it goes.”

Does that mean the situation here isn’t good?

Kim Min-jun logged onto the military service website to check his enlistment date.

As it was written on his smartphone, it was tomorrow.

“I shouldn’t have to go if I’m sick, right?”

He raised his hand to his chin and fell into deep thought.

Even if he lost most of his magic power, couldn’t he still make it through with what he had left?

“No, that won’t work.”

Kim Min-jun shook his head.

If he tried that, things would only get worse.

He didn’t even know how strong the hunters on Earth were.

“Conscientious objection is equivalent to mandatory military service. It’s unbelievable.”

He thought about going to the Ministry of Defense and asking to cancel his enlistment, but soon gave up.

“I didn’t come back to Korea to cause trouble.”

And when he looked into the Hunter Association, he found that they were treated quite well.

“At least the dungeon system is like that. Being a part of the Hunter Association puts you in the top priority.”

The basic salary was high, and above all, it was a performance-based system.

“I ordered ramen, set up samgyeopsal, and got a kimbap set and udon….”

While Kim Min-jun was contemplating what to do, a PC room part-time worker brought over a table full of food.

“Let’s eat first and think later.”

The basic salary was high, and above all, it was based on performance. In other words, if you could prove your skills, you could go as far as you wanted.

“While you’re at it, get me some ramen, pork belly, a set of kimbap, and udon…”

As Kim Min-joon was wondering what to do in his head, the PC bang employee brought him a tray full of food.

“Let’s eat first and think later.”

**

“This is it! This is how it works!”

“…What?”

The PC bang employee was surprised to see a man shouting with joy as he moved an empty plate.

“He’s crazy.”

She quickly moved away, making up her mind not to get too close to a man who was so fond of his enlistment date.

“I can become a star within five years and destroy every dungeon there is.”

After thinking seriously for a while, Kim Min-joon decided to join the Hunter Army.

[“Dunfa 10th Anniversary Special Event! Soldiers! Stay strong!]

Of course, it wasn’t because of the event that was going on in Dunfa. While the event that gives 12th-tier ending weapons to soldiers and 13th-tier ending weapons to the Hunter Army for the 10th anniversary did make him want to join the army.

“We can definitely recover it.”

As he breaks the dungeons, monsters with magic power will surely come out.

If he can regain his lost power by absorbing the magic, wouldn’t he gain the means to erase the phenomenon of the dungeons themselves?

“If that happens, the DNF company can develop content without worry. It would be perfect.”

Kim Min-jun decided to enlist tomorrow after reading the notice on the DNF website that development was delayed due to the damage caused by dungeon breaks and monsters.

****

On the day of enlistment,

Kim Min-jun spent the 2 million won he received as emergency disaster support without leaving a single won unused.

It seemed like the money came from his house, which had become a controlled zone, but he didn’t really care.

He could earn more money in the future, so there was no need to worry about it now.

“I ate pizza, jokbal, and chicken.”

As he checked off each item on his list, Kim Min-jun nodded his head with satisfaction.

Originally, he had planned to enjoy a leisurely life by dealing with monsters as he went along.

“I should at least have one job in my life, which could last for thousands of years.”

If my grandson asks, “What did you do, grandpa?” I should be able to say something like, “I was a soldier who was highly skilled in Dungeon Fighter Online.”

As he got closer to the supplementary training center, he noticed men with short haircuts.

Their lovers or families encouraged them, some even shed tears, as they saw them off.

Kim Min-jun was naturally alone.

His parents had stopped contacting him since he entered high school.

“I need to get my level 13 weapon as soon as I come out.”

He didn’t really have any other thoughts.

Kim Min-jun walked towards the training center with a bright expression.

It was a contrasting image compared to other men who had gloomy expressions and were sighing heavily.

“Even if it’s the military, is it just Isgard?”

When I think about the treatment I received there…

I thought that the military might actually be a paradise.

Of course, I can’t judge until I experience it myself.

As time passed, the news of enlistment began with the military band.

After a simple ceremony, it was time to salute our parents.

“Salute to our parents!”

“Ready, salute!”

At the instructor’s command, the soldiers awkwardly saluted.

“Damn, I almost messed up.”

Kim Min-joon was about to do the Isgardian salute instead of the regular salute, but quickly changed his hand position.

Habits can be scary.

Five years later.

Families wept, begging their sons to come back safely.

Among them were parents who approached the instructors, asking them to make sure their sons didn’t get hurt.

“It’s not like the military of the past.”

They could be killed by monster attacks, and military bases were usually located where dungeons frequently appeared.

As they entered the auditorium, curses flew from the instructor’s mouth.