The Dark Mage’s Return to Enlistment

Chapter 23 : First Dungeon-1

[Strength has increased.]

“What is it? Did you gain a skill just because you were serious today?”

It was only about 2 hours anyway.

[Strength (E): Strength stat has increased by 5.]

As I read the skill description, it turned out to be an effect belonging to the basic skill tree.

“Where’s the skill even though it’s a basic skill?”

Even though it was already difficult to gather magic power, this kind of skill would become significant if it continued to accumulate.

“Sergeant Kim Min-jun. It seems that individual interviews will start soon, and Sergeant Kim Min-jun will be the first.”

“Really? Got it.”

Just as I was about to leave the training room, my successor came and told me to go to the squad leader’s office.

“At your service!”

As I headed straight to the squad leader’s office, Kim Cheol-min greeted me with a bright smile.

“Oh! Kim Min-jun, you already have three stripes! It hasn’t been long since you joined the unit, at this rate, you’ll become a sergeant soon, you punk.”

“Thank you!”

“Yeah. Wait a moment. I’ll give you something refreshing.”

Kim Cheol-min took out a cold drink and handed it to Kim Min-jun.

And even poured it into an ice cup.

While other soldiers only got a glass of water, Kim Min-jun was given special treatment.

“Thank you.”

“I’ve seen a lot of your merits. Do you see this?”

Kim Cheol-min pointed to the combat helmet placed next to him.

The rank that was once a corporal had now changed to a sergeant.

“I could have been transferred to another unit, but I decided to stay because I liked you.”

Those words meant that Kim Cheol-min would continue to favor Kim Min-jun in the future.

“Thank you!”

“I should be the one saying thank you.”

Kim Cheol-min flipped through the paper with Kim Min-jun’s personal information several times, then sighed with a regretful expression.

“Your parents… They ran away when you were young.”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

“I should have paid more attention. I’ve been busy with work lately.”

“It’s alright.”

Kim Min-jun was impressed with Kim Min-jun, who worked diligently in such an environment and achieved good results.

“Moreover, your address was in a restricted area… I should pay more attention.”

Compared to the other hunters he had interviewed so far, it was the most challenging environment.

“I don’t really have any particular feelings about it though.”

Meanwhile,

Kim Min-jun didn’t really have any feelings about it either.

His parents had run away when he was young, so he didn’t even remember what their faces looked like.

“Do you have any reason for enlisting in the Hunter Corps?”

“I enlisted because I wanted to become stronger.”

“Most other guys would’ve been told not to talk nonsense, but you seem to have potential. Work hard.”

“Thank you.”

Kim Cheol-min chuckled as if he found it amusing and continued with his questions.

“Do you have any favorite foods or hobbies?”

“I like delivery foods like chicken and pizza. My hobby is playing games.”

“Oh? Games are a must for guys. What games do you play? I like Dungeon Power Fighter.”

Kim Cheol-min kept his eyes on his notes and continued to record the contents of the interview.

“I like Dungeon Fighter Online.”

“Dungeon Fighter Online? Ah… Isn’t that it? Dungeon Power Fighter.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Hmm… really? I heard it’s not good or something, like some kind of shady game. Is that true?”

“Not at all.”

“I see. Well, looking at you, it seems like it might be.”

Kim Cheol-min closed his notebook and looked at Kim Min-joon with a serious expression.

“Have you ever felt mentally or physically overwhelmed during your time as a Hunter?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Really? If you ever have a difficult time later, be sure to let me know.”

“I understand.”

“Are there no unfairness or injustices here?”

“None.”

“I see. It’s not like the old military where you have to keep quiet if there’s a problem.”

“I understand.”

In reality, there were.

Privates only had access to the PX and training facilities on weekends, and they could only use the game room on weekends, keeping an eye on their superiors.

The Hunters up to the privates level had many restrictions here and there.

“Well done. You can go now.”

“Yes, sir! Loyalty!”

After finishing his meeting with the platoon leader, Kim Min-joon left the platoon leader’s office.

After lunch, the Hunters gathered for dungeon exploration.

The platoon leader opened his mouth with sunglasses on.

“Everyone, attention!”

“Attention!”

Kim Cheol-min captured the attention of the hunters with his sharp voice.

“Check your equipment again to make sure everything is in order! Execute!”

“Execute!”

The members of the 2nd squad gathered in front of the entrance to the dungeon, each carrying their equipment.

They were wearing specially made protective suits with gas masks.

The dungeon they were heading to today was a place where monster rats were known to inhabit.

“As long as we follow the instructions, there should be no problem in conquering the dungeon, got it?”

“Yes!”

“Is that the only thing you can say? Got it?”

“Yes!!”

“Alright, let’s start from the front row!”

The 2nd squad passed by the guard post and moved towards the location of the dungeon in silence.

No one said a word as they walked for a while.

“Lee Dong-jin!”

“Corporal Lee Dong-jin!”

The squad leader pointed at Lee Dong-jin.

“Where is the weak spot of the monster rat?”

“The weak spot of the monster rat is the head.”

“Oh, here we go again with the squad leader’s questions.”

The expressions of the squad members showed signs of annoyance.

They all knew enough about information regarding low-level monsters like monster rats.

But Kim Cheol-min continued with the questions, saying it was to prevent any unforeseen accidents.

“Next, Lee Seung-ho!”

“Sergeant Lee Seung-ho.”

“Why are we wearing protective suits and carrying gas masks?”

“In the case of the habitat of the monster rat, they live in groups and the stench is intensified. It can have harmful effects on the body if we enter without protection.”

“Right. Even though they are low-level monsters, thorough pre-investigation is necessary. Got it?”

“Yes!”

The squad leader went on, asking questions and pointing at each person one by one.

Perhaps due to their recent promotion, their enthusiasm was overflowing.

“You’re really going all out today. You must be excited about becoming a warrant officer.”

“Well, thanks to Kim Min-jun, I got promoted.”

“That’s true.”

The squad members chatted and complained to each other.

“It’s not bad to be thorough like that. But I wish there were magic crystals in the dungeon.”

Kim Min-jun looked around carefully during the march, hoping to find even a faint trace of magic crystals.

“Attention!”

“Attention!”

“Before entering the dungeon, check your equipment again! I repeat, the dungeon we are about to enter is inhabited by monster rats! Got it?”

“Yes!”

Near the entrance of the dungeon.

Following the squad leader’s orders, the hunters meticulously checked their protective gear and gas masks, from their body armor to the purification canisters.

Because even the slightest hole could allow the foul stench of the monster rats to seep into their bodies.

“Does everyone have spare purification canisters?”

“Yes!”

“Alright, squads 1 through 4, enter!”

Kim Cheol-min reported the situation through the radio and gave instructions to each squad.

“Hunters entering toward the entrance! Especially squad leaders, handle the situation as instructed and report immediately if anything happens. Understood?”

“Yes!”

The squad split into two, with one side heading towards the exit and the other towards the entrance.

Kim Min-jun’s squad was assigned to the exit.

According to the analysis of the dungeon, there were many monster rats inhabiting the area near the exit, so the squad leader attached himself to Kim Min-jun’s squad.

“[Entering the dungeon.]”

“Check if the purification canisters are functioning properly!”

“Yes!”

As soon as they entered the dungeon, they were greeted with a space filled with green fluid and smoke.

The visibility was so poor that it obstructed their view.

Following the squad leader’s instructions, the hunters checked their gas masks again.

“No problems!”

“Due to poor visibility, we will proceed without dividing into teams! Front and rear rows, equip military shields!”

“Equipped!”

The squad leader equipped the hunters in the front and rear rows with large shields in preparation for a surprise attack by the monster rats.

“The use of mana guns is strictly prohibited! Draw out your weapons for subduing the enemy!”

Kim Cheol-min, the junior officer, quickly responded to any variables that arose.

“Yes!”

“Understood!”

The squad members moved quickly in accordance with his instructions.

“Everyone, stop here!”

As they reached the designated area, the hunters heightened their guard even more.

The current location where the hunters were standing was the area with the highest concentration of monster rat appearances.

“Since we haven’t been ambushed by the monster rats so far, we will follow the manual and lure them out with bait!”

Originally, they could have set traps, but the thick smoke made it difficult to secure visibility.

They opted for a simple method to handle the situation, as other hunters could accidentally trigger the traps.

“Yeah, we need to go with old-fashioned methods here.”

Kim Min-jun nodded in agreement with Kim Cheol-min’s appropriate decision.

“After all, I can see where they’re hiding.”

Currently, the monster rats were lurking underground.

They would attack the moment the hunters showed any openings.

Kim Min-jun decided to observe the squad members’ response for now.

“the Bait is ready!”

“Install it quickly and return to the formation!”

“Yes!”

“The squad members set up bait to lure the monster rats.”

“The bait was nothing but rotten bananas, completely decayed.”

“The baby rats had a keen sense of smell and seemed to have a taste for rotten fruit.”

“Squeak!”

“Monster rats sighted ahead! They’re also appearing from the rear!”

The hunters, frighteningly scattering the bait, were surrounded by monster rats from all directions.

“Maintain formation and engage in combat!”

“Engage!”

The hunters maintained their positions and proceeded to deal with the monster rats.

Swoosh!

“Squeak!”

The hunter squad’s restraining batons boasted considerable weight and strength.

Even against lower-level monsters, they could easily handle them by landing attacks near their weak points.

“Ah, I wish I could handle them all by myself. But I have to maintain formation, so I have no choice.”

Feeling regretful, Kim Min-jun followed the squad leader’s instructions and fought while maintaining formation.

“Grrr!”

“Dong-jin! Relax your tension! You’re putting too much strain on your body!”

“Private Lee Dong-jin! Understood, sir!”

“Two of them are charging at us from the side! I’ll provide backup, so respond to them once!”

“Yes, sir!”

Kim Min-jun encouraged the wavering Dong-jin.

“Don’t hesitate, charge in! You’ve had enough training!”

“Yes, sir!”

Motivated by his encouragement, Dong-jin moved actively and responded to the monster rats’ attacks.

“It looks like you’re being careful not to harm the squad members, but that habit won’t do you any good.”

At those words, Dong-jin looked at him with an incredulous expression, as if asking how he knew.

“I’ll keep covering you in the future, so don’t hold back. If you keep doing that, your stats won’t go up.”

“Understood, sir.”

With a serious nod, Lee Dongjin acknowledged his own words.

Following the squad leader’s instructions, the hunters calmly cleared out the monster rats.

Kim Cheolmin gave appropriate orders to the hunters to prevent them from panicking depending on the situation.

“36 monster rats! All eliminated!”

“Good. There might be remaining hidden creatures, so proceed with caution and move slowly.”

“Yes!”

His judgment was accurate.

“One is hiding over there.”

Behind the dungeon structure, one monster rat was crouching.

“Hmm? Wait a moment.”

Kim Minjoon narrowed his eyes towards the direction where the creature was hiding.

“That one is much bigger than the other specimens.”

The familiar energy within the creature…

“It’s a magi.”

If it wasn’t for the crude gas mask, he would have captured it easily.

“Anyway, nice!”

Kim Minjoon shouted inwardly with excitement.

It was definitely a magi.

“It’s prohibited to leave the formation recklessly.”

But the situation would be different in an emergency.

“In any case, the other squad members won’t be able to handle it. I have to capture it now.”

Swish-

Magi sprayed from his hand and flowed towards the monster rat.

“Kiiiiiik!”

The effect was outstanding.

The monster rat, which was crouching low, suddenly leapt into the air.

“What, what is it?”

“Mo, monster rat! Squad leader! That creature is too big!”

“Everyone, fall back!”

Following the squad leader’s instructions, the hunters quickly retreated.

“It’s too big. It’s difficult to deal with it without firearms.”

In this environment where it was already difficult to use firearms and main weapons due to the thick smoke.

And to make matters worse, a monster rat of such large size appeared.

“Darn it. What should I do?”

Kim Cheolmin pondered inwardly, but an easy answer did not come to mind.

And even if he tried to buy time like this, it would only be temporary.

With a loud bang!

At that moment.

“I will stop it!”

One of the hunters slammed the ground and leapt into the air.

“Ah. Can I be a movie director?”

That hunter was, of course, Kim Minjoon.