Chapter 24
Before the welcome party started, introductions were made.
Do-jae called out the names of the 3rd Squad members one by one.
“Kim Moon-hwan, Yuk Hyun-jae, Jang Pil-ho, Lee Ji-woong, Son Jeong-kyu, Park Jin-ho, Song Ji-yun, Kang Eun-taek, Lee Seung-han, Kim Jun-seo.”
Clap, clap, clap, clap—!
The sound of applause echoed through the barracks.
In the middle of the barracks, Do-jae was standing with an awkward posture and an embarrassed expression.
“I’ve memorized them all.”
-“That’s impressive, Captain!”
-“Wow, to memorize them all after hearing them just once. Our captain must have studied hard?”
-“Captain, what’s my name?”
A man with long hair raised his hand.
Do-jae glanced at him and said,
“Kang Eun-taek.”
-“That’s correct! You really did memorize them all?”
“Yeah….”
Do-jae sighed in relief.
What if there were no Golems?
If there were no information panels floating before his eyes.
[Character Information]
Name: Kang Eun-taek
Classification: Human
Details: 26 years old, male, 177 cm, 77 kg, belongs to the 3rd Squad of the 7th Corps. Experiencing hair loss (wearing a wig after stopping medication).
Status: Anticipation / Suspicion / Joy
In fact, as soon as Do-jae went through the introductions, he had already forgotten the names of several members except for a few.
How disheartening it would be to forget their names right away after they are so eagerly and joyfully waiting.
Moreover, Do-jae was hiding his almost audible sigh of relief.
He had learned a secret about Kang Eun-taek that he would rather not have known.
-“Is there something on my face? Aren’t you staring a bit too much?”
“Sorry.”
-“Huh? There’s no need to apologize….”
Do-jae shifted his gaze away from Kang Eun-taek.
Would the comrades know that the flowing hair was a wig?
He felt bad for the young man.
-“Captain! Tell us what you’ve been doing!”
Song Ji-yun, the only woman in the 7th Corps, asked with an excited voice.
Even though Song Ji-yun was the only woman in this vast extermination zone, she was a bold woman who never fell behind the men.
Her physical strength and power were not inferior to the soldiers, and she was quick-witted and easy-going, which made her popular.
Additionally, it was later discovered that a personal curtain had been installed because of her.
“Since everyone has introduced themselves, I should do the same. To avoid any misunderstandings, I’ll say it first: I was an F-rank Hunter until recently.”
The statement caused a stir among the members.
F-rank Hunter? How could an F-rank be a Hunter?
There were no F-ranks within the extermination corps.
F-rank was a designation for beings who could not perform any role in front of monsters.
“I lived at the bottom for nearly ten years. If you ask how that was possible, I’d say it was for family reasons. I have a sick younger sibling.”
-“Ah….”
-“oh….”
Sighs of sympathy and pity flowed from various places.
Among those who entered the extermination corps, there were certainly no people without a story.
Everyone had their own circumstances, creating an atmosphere of understanding and empathy.
“But that’s not why I joined the extermination corps. As you can see, I’m a squad leader. I could be a quite well-off Hunter even outside.”
Extermination corps leaders could only be C-rank or higher.
Thus, Do-jae was also C-rank or higher.
Members who had never seen a Reawakened from F-rank to C-rank before were wondering if he was a Reawakened being only talked about in rumors, and they held their breath, waiting for more information.
“I was fortunate enough to gain new abilities. I went from having no skills to acquiring them. I didn’t want to waste this opportunity. I was someone who couldn’t do anything until now, but now I can give monsters a hard time. And the best place for that was here, in the extermination corps.”
-“Reawakening and seeking revenge… What a good story.”
-“Wow… You’re a great person!”
Do-jae skillfully withheld details and explained the reason he joined the extermination corps.
He needed a reason that was somewhat plausible for the members, and combined with the story of his sibling, Do-jae’s backstory became more emotional.
There was no need to explain the plan to join the extermination corps headquarters in front of people he was meeting for the first time, so he spoke appropriately.
“You all heard about Son Jeong-kyu and what happened earlier today, right? You don’t have to doubt my skills. If you still doubt, you can ask Squad Leader Shim Young-jin from the adjacent squad. I hunted Cerberus with him.”
A few members nodded.
Some thought they had a decent understanding of Do-jae, but others still felt he was a stranger.
But it was still early evening.
There was plenty of time left until bedtime.
Kang Eun-taek shook a bottle of alcohol.
-“So, how about we continue the rest of the story with this?”
Behind him were boxes of alcohol stacked up to his height.
******************
“From today, our assignment is Area 7.”
Do-jae unfolded a map and addressed the team.
This was the operation map he had received from the deputy commander.
Deputy Commander Kim Hwan-soo frequently left the base due to various duties from higher-ups, which meant that the real responsibility for managing the base fell to the acting commander. Today was no exception.
“Given the characteristics of this area, it won’t be completed in just a day or two.”
Area 7 was the third largest area among all the zones.
A monster subjugation isn’t just about eliminating wandering monsters.
In regions where dungeon breaks have occurred, there are spots where monsters continuously appear, and these spots need to be completely eradicated to prevent further monster emergence.
Monsters also establish their own fortifications or strongholds during this process.
Furthermore, the longer a dungeon break has been, the more concentrated the mana becomes, leading to the appearance of new and diverse monsters. They also engage in battles with other monsters of different species.
In other words, a new ecosystem forms.
-“The monsters occupying Area 7 are Red Orcs. As they are quite tricky to handle, normally, we operated in four teams of three people each, right?”
-“Yes, with the commander and Jeong Gyu being two, the rest were divided into four teams of three.”
“I want to divide us into three teams of four. Since the monsters are quite troublesome, it would be better to add one more person per team.”
-“Huh? Then one team will only have two people?”
“No, it will be four.”
Do-jae summoned his golems.
The team was surprised.
Out of nowhere, two golems suddenly appeared.
The team members immediately drew their weapons.
It was clear that this was a well-trained unit.
Clank clank—.
The two golems stood behind Do-jae.
Seeing no further action from them, the team members gradually put down their weapons.
-“What’s this? Why are the golems standing behind the commander…?”
Yuk Hyeon-jae asked.
He was the youngest and most curious among the team.
He always had a lot to say.
As expected, he was the first to ask the question this time as well.
“It’s my skill.”
– “Whoa, amazing.”
– “Commander! What about the golems’ performance? Even if they’re C-rank, or D-rank awakened…”
“They should be able to handle someone on your rank.”
– “Wow… That’s crazy power!”
– “Are they like Lucifer…?”
Known as Lucifer.
This nickname refers to the Lord of the Dead, Lucy Ferguson.
One of the most powerful S-rank hunters who can control the dead, and it’s known that he commands tens of thousands of undead.
He is a hunter truly deserving of the title ‘Lord.’
“No, unfortunately, the maximum is two right now.”
Do-jae shook his head.
At present, Do-jae had only two golems.
But considering the magic stones in his subspace?
From the lowest-grade magic stones he had collected to the higher-grade ones he had obtained by pure luck.
He could deploy enough golems to cover approximately two and a half teams by himself.
Although it was insignificant compared to Lucifer, the ability to handle the workload of 20 people on his own was still impressive.
However, Do-jae had no intention of doing so.
While he didn’t know how Lucifer managed his undead, Do-jae had shared experience points with his golems.
Furthermore, considering the current title he was using, ‘Master of efficiency’*, increasing the number of golems would be an inefficient way of consuming magic stones.
*(Master of strength gains or Master of efficiency / Zaroydeuk (자로이득) – Do-jae’s current title, affecting the efficiency of summoning and using golems.)
-“Then let’s split into teams….”
-“Commander, me! I’ll team up with you!”
Song Ji-yoon raised her hand.
The other team members sighed.
They also wanted to join a team with Do-jae to see his skills firsthand, but Song Ji-yoon beat them to it.
Moreover, she was known for her stubbornness and strong-willed nature.
“Being on a team with me might be a bit tough. Are you sure?”
-“Of course! What do you think of me?”
She clenched her fist.
Her smooth and firm muscles proved that she was anything but weak.
In fact, she was the second strongest in the third team.
“Do as you like.”
-“Okay! Then I’ll team up with the commander. Actually, I find these golems a bit cute too.”
Indeed.
Song Ji-yoon was more interested in Do-jae’s golems than anything else.
Hearing that, the other team members suppressed their frustration.
If they expressed it openly, they might end up getting hit after the mission.
“Eun-taek and Jun-seo will be the leaders of each team. Each team will wait and then attack from both sides.”
Kang Eun-taek and Kim Jun-seo nodded.
“Alright, let’s get going.”
********************
‘Let’s finish this quickly.’
Do-jae’s goal was to achieve remarkable results in this subjugation mission.
The subjugation corps was generous with rewards for achievements and performance.
If significant results were shown, rapid promotion was possible.
It was best to quickly complete the assigned area and leave.
‘I shouldn’t get too attached to the team.’
Entrance of Area 7.
The monsters here were Red Orcs.
Do-jae and Song Ji-yoon were here while the other team members waited nearby.
“There they are.”
The orcs had set up fortifications and barricades to defend their area.
Although primitive, their defensive strategy made it difficult for the subjugation corps.
“Chick-chick.”
“Chweeek.”
Two Red Orcs patrolled around the fortifications, keeping watch.
They were a highly intelligent species that always prepared for battle by patrolling.
“I’ll handle this quickly.”
Swish—.
When the sword appeared, Song Ji-yoon flinched.
Her reaction was natural since she was unaware of the existence of Subspace dimensions.
Swish—.
Slice—.
Do-jae swiftly approached and severed the heads of the two Red Orcs.
The heads, now lying on the ground, had wide-open eyes as if they didn’t understand what had happened.
-“Why are you moving so quietly?”
It was almost like an assassin’s behavior.
He dealt with the orcs silently without wearing golem armor.
Although the golem armor was good, it made clattering noises from the stones colliding with each other, which could reveal their position.
“Because they’re Red Orcs.”
– “What does that have to do with it?”
“Red Orcs have shamans. Don’t you know why they are called Red Orcs?”
– “Isn’t it just because their skin is red?”
“While their skin is red, it’s also because their eyes turn red when a shaman casts magic on them.”
Red Orc shamans use berserk magic to provoke the orcs’ ferocity.
Even if the orcs are already violent, with berserk magic, they become warriors who charge into battle without feeling pain, even if their arms or legs are torn off.
-“I didn’t know. This is my first time hunting Red Orcs.”
Do-jae massaged his temples.
It was surprising that this was her first experience with Red Orcs.
Having checked the other team members through the golems’ eyes, he concluded that none of them would be easily defeated by Red Orcs.
However, not knowing this kind of information would make the battle quite challenging.
‘I should go through a monster encyclopedia or something.’
Do-jae recalled the books from his younger brother’s hospital and carefully headed towards the likely location of the shamans.
*************
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