10. Itaewon 2-dong, gate blockade operation – 2
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“Listen carefully, 5th squad.”
In the transport truck going to the operation site, Lee Hyun-wook concentrated the squad members.
Among the troops on board the train here, Lee Hyun-wook was the most senior. It was because the deputy platoon leader, who was a higher command than Lee Hyun-wook, was in the passenger seat.
“As you may have already heard, the target of today’s operation is the kobold dungeon.”
Kobold.
A small monster that lives in groups. In many ways, it was a monster similar to a goblin. However, if you look closely, you can see that they are a much more difficult species.
“If you come face to face with a kobold, you shouldn’t be vigilant just by looking at its appearance. They are quite clever.”
To be honest, there were more casualties in the war against the kobolds than in the war against the orcs.
Of course, if you look at the death rate alone, the former would be overwhelming.
“They use all kinds of poisonous needles, but they especially use paralyzing ones. So, lower the arms of your combat uniform and raise the neck collar to minimize the amount of exposed skin. Park Jun-mo, you are talking about. “You don’t want to have your eyes gouged out alive, do you?”
“omg!”
Park Jun-mo hastily put up his combat uniform collar.
“And since kobolds are naturally denizens, they use sewers to move about. So you never know when and where it will suddenly pop up.”
“You’re saying that the rear where we are isn’t very safe either.”
“Yes, today we must be more thorough in guarding against the four pillars than ever before.”
Nine squad members looked into Lee Hyun-wook’s eyes and nodded.
I felt a different tension and spirit from the 5th squad than usual. It was a completely different atmosphere than usual. And they all felt the difference.
To be precise, I was feeling centered around the character Lee Hyun-wook.
‘Since yesterday, you’ve been talking like a real squad leader. Even very detailed. ‘You look like an expert.’
Maybe it was just a very minor change. The leader has changed into a trustworthy person. However, that alone changed the atmosphere of the organization.
‘I think I can trust the current Corporal Lee Hyun-wook and fight.’
Ahn Min-tae, who thought he was a good brother but could not be trusted, now looked at Lee Hyun-wook with a completely different perspective.
Soon the transport truck stopped. It had arrived at the operation site.
Empty! Empty!
Someone knocked on the car body. It was a signal to get off.
“Let’s get off.”
When I got off the truck, the residential area of Itaewon 2-dong spread out.
Woo-ung-
Military vehicles were filling up small vacant lots and parking lots in residential areas, and there were about a dozen drones floating in the sky.
This was the temporary camp for the 2nd battalion.
“Move quickly!”
Shouts were heard here and there, and troops moved in line.
“It seems that the 1st platoon is already preparing to enter.”
As Ahn Min-tae said, the 1st platoon arrived first. The 1st and 2nd squads stood at the entrance to the alley.
In fact, they were the core force of this operation. And it has always been like that.
On the other hand, the support squad…
“Squad 5! What are you doing? “Unload your luggage quickly!”
I was always just a bridesmaid.
“The 1st platoon has to go into action within 5 minutes, so supply detox potion kits as quickly as possible!”
The lieutenant shouted as he approached.
Lieutenant Hee-min Lee was the platoon leader of the 2nd platoon.
Following the order, the 5th squad members began unloading the truck.
It was then.
“······Lee Hyun-wook!”
Someone found Lee Hyun-wook.
“Where is Lee Hyun-wook?”
The company commander was Captain Kwak Yong-jun, and he was running towards me, panting, wondering what was going on.
“Here it is! “What’s going on?”
“Lee Hyun-wook! It’s the battalion commander’s call! Head to the temporary command post immediately!”
“Is that what the battalion commander said?”
“Yes, he says he has an order to give you before the operation. hurry!”
Kwak Yong-joon shouted and pointed to the center of the garrison.
‘Why is the battalion commander looking for me? And at this timing?’
A call right before the operation begins.
Even Lee Hyeon-wook, who had experienced the future, had no idea. It seemed that the future of a new direction had begun since the last meeting.
It was unexpected, but there was no need to worry. Because his purpose was to change the future to benefit himself in the first place.
‘This must be one of the processes.’
“Ahn Min-tae.”
“yes?”
“Until I return, you command the squad and finish supplying.”
“All right. Please go.”
A military tent was erected near where Car No. 1 was parked, and the battalion commander was right there. He was looking at a map with his staff.
But beside him, he saw a familiar face.
‘This is Warrant Officer Cheon Myeong-ho, an officer in the Black Tiger Unit.’
I didn’t know why he was accompanying this operation, but he was looking at Lee Hyeon-wook, not the operation map.
“Loyalty! Corporal Lee Hyun-wook has been called.”
Kim Kang-seok looked up at Lee Hyun-wook while looking at the strategy map.
“Corporal Hyunwook Lee.”
“Corporal Lee Hyun-wook!”
“You have another assignment today.”
It was a very sudden notification.
However, Lee Hyun-wook nodded without any change in his expression and looked at Kim Kang-seok’s mouth.
“From now on, you will perform the mission of blocking the command gate of the 1st squad and blocking the 2nd and 3rd eruptions in place of the currently absent 1st squad leader.”
The staff members were also surprised by Kim Kang-seok’s words.
“What is that, Battalion Commander?”
“Regional Magic Controller, please stay still. I have an idea.”
“Oh yeah!”
It couldn’t have been an incredibly unconventional mission change. Commanding the 1st squad, which is considered the first core force of the 1st company… and that too from an F class?
In fact, the absent first squad leader who asked Lee Hyun-wook to replace him was none other than Sergeant Choi Young-jun.
“Details should be delivered through the 1st Platoon Commander. If you’re the one reciting the AMT tactical manual in front of the battalion commander, you probably know the outline of the gate blockade operation, right?”
Hyunwook Lee confidently nodded.
“Of course I know. By the way, battalion commander. Let me ask you one thing.”
“okay.”
“I don’t understand why I suddenly have to carry out that mission.”
Kangseok Kim put his clasped hands to his chin and nodded.
“I’m going to evaluate you.”
Lee Hyeon-wook understood Kim Kang-seok’s meaning with that one word.
‘After the last time we met, you think of me more highly than I thought.’
Even though he had the limitations of an F grade, he saw Lee Hyun-wook as good enough to put his hopes on.
It was worth it.
I understood Kim Kang-seok’s taste exactly and recited the lines to target that point…
‘And the man standing next to him is Warrant Officer Cheon Myeong-ho…’
The two must have had a conversation about Lee Hyun-wook. And as we exchanged what we witnessed, our expectations for Lee Hyun-wook would have doubled.
It was unprecedented at this point for an F grade to receive the expectations of such big names.
But this situation wasn’t all that good.
Lee Hyun-wook looked straight into Kim Kang-seok’s eyes and opened his mouth.
“······ Battalion Commander, may I dare to say something from your position as the current leader of the 5th squad?”
“Uh, try it.”
Kim Kang-seok nodded as if he had been waiting, and there was a strange look in his eyes.
That was an expectation.
Having experienced Lee Hyun-wook’s retort once, I knew that his words contained quite serious judgment. Even at this moment, he was evaluating Lee Hyun-wook.
“From the time I was deployed to the present, I was part of the 5th squad and learned and performed ‘support operations’. And I currently have the most important role in that mission. This is the role of the squad leader.”
Hyunwook Lee touched the green epaulet on his right shoulder with his left index finger.
“Um, so?”
“Even without me, I believe that Squad 5 will do a perfect job. However, vacating my role in a real combat situation rather than training, and taking responsibility for the lives of other squad members in an untested state…”
Lee Hyun-wook paused for a moment and shook his head.
“······I don’t want to seize this moment as an opportunity and endanger the two squads and the entire operation.”
“······.”
Kim Kang-seok did not show any change in his expression.
There was no answer.
He was just staring at Lee Hyun-wook.
Lee Hyun-wook continued speaking.
“······I believe that soldiers are not individuals. And I believe that proving one’s capabilities as a soldier is not necessarily possible through personal achievements.”
“······.”
“Thank you, Battalion Commander, for looking at me favorably. But I dare say, I don’t want to be judged right now. Kobolds are cunning monsters with an intelligence value of 0.68 and use a tricky weapon called poison. “If it’s not perfect, someone will get hurt.”
Even the knowledge about monsters that was subtly thrown in at the end was again a remark that thoroughly targeted the tastes of Kim Kang-seok, a true soldier.
“······.”
Kim Kang-seok took a deep breath and leaned back against the back of his field chair.
“That’s right…”
“Yes that’s right.”
The role of the 1st squad leader, that is, the 1st squad leader.
It was clearly an incredible opportunity to fill the vacant position of Sergeant Choi Young-jun. If he could properly fulfill his role as the first squad leader, the center of the company, where everyone’s eyes were on him, his stock price would soar.
But I didn’t want to do that.
‘Actually, today’s key event will start from the rear, not the front.’
What I already know from experience is that today’s ‘big catch’ will appear in the rear.
I couldn’t miss that.
“······5 squad leader.”
Kang-Seok Kim did not call Hyun-Wook Lee by name, but by his title.
“Corporal Lee Hyun-wook!”
“Okay, carry out your original mission as you said. This is real life, so do what you do best perfectly. “Let’s postpone the evaluation.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Okay, go ahead.”
Lee Hyun-wook saluted and turned around.
As soon as he turned his back, Kim Kang-seok smiled. Then he looked at Cheon Myeong-ho.
“······Have you seen it?”
“Yes, I enjoyed it. Not only are you good at moving your body, but your speaking skills are also good. Anyway, I’m surprised that the battalion commander listened to my friend’s stubbornness. “Didn’t you put a lot of effort into ensuring the safety of this test?”
It was not an attempt to blindly deploy Class F to the front line. Just in case, the ‘Strategy Platoon’, a platoon directly under the battalion commander, was kept on standby.
“What if I tell you the correct answer? “You can’t say it’s wrong.”
A happy smile spread across Kim Kang-seok’s face.
“Lee Hyun-wook is also a soldier rather than a warrior. “He is a faithful and smart sheepdog.”
Kim Kang-seok pushed forward his feelings about Lee Hyun-wook.
But Cheon Myeong-ho also did not give up. He slowly shook his head and smiled.
“But if you see him fight in person, you will feel that he is more like a warrior. Sheep dogs… That friend is not a dog, but a leopard. He is a seasoned hunter who meticulously examines his prey’s weaknesses.”
“Hahaha… I covet either way.”
The eyes of the two were stuck on Lee Hyun-wook’s back.
***
– Chi-ik! This is where the 1st Platoon enters the Red Ground. more.
The voice of the 1st platoon leader came from Lee Hyun-wook’s walkie-talkie.
At the same time, the 1st and 2nd squads of the 1st platoon entered different alleys in a single file. It was a typical ‘raid position’ with ‘tankers’ at the front and rear, and ‘dealers’ and ‘healers’ in the middle.
And ‘Red Ground’ meant the area where the gate was opened and an evacuation order was issued.
Now, the possibility of a monster inside was slim. This was because players belonging to the private guild ‘Blue Fire’ were guarding the gate entrance after blocking the first eruption.
But there are always exceptions, so I couldn’t be vigilant.
‘Today is the very exception.’
With the first eruption, 32 kobolds appeared and all of them were suppressed, according to the report from the ‘Cheonghwa Guild’, which first responded, but they too only responded as quickly as possible after the gate occurred.
‘After taking care of everything that stood out, there must have been 32 of them.’
In other words, if they hid somewhere or dispersed far away at the time of the eruption, they had no choice but to miss it.
“Tsk-cha!”
Mintae Ahn opened the sewer cover.
“Ugh!”
A foul odor came up.
“The smell… Do kobolds really like splashing around in places like this?”
“Depending on the situation, you may need to go in there.”
“Ah… I hope that doesn’t happen.”
“Quickly install the sensor.”
“yes!”
The squad members began installing ‘motion sensors’ in the sewers around their temporary camp. This was one of the kobold response manuals.
At that time, military trucks lined up inside the temporary station.
It was a follow-up.
“Second company!”
Someone said something, and Ahn Min-tae, who was installing a sensor by putting a cow into the sewer, turned his head in that direction.
“oh! Then, did that goddess also come to the 2nd squad of the 2nd company? Was it Sergeant Lee Se-hee?”
The 2nd company was all female soldiers.
As a player of Korean nationality, serving in the AMT according to the ‘mandatory duty period’ also applies to female players.
“They are all wearing masks, so you can’t see them.”
Anyway, the members of the all-male 1st Company rolled their eyes like high school boys encountering female high school students on a field trip, and the female soldiers of the 2nd Company also glanced in this direction.
“Ahn Min-tae, what did I say before going into operation?”
“yes? ah! That’s right! what are you guys doing Roll your eyeballs only when you are on your guard!”
“Ahn Min-tae. You turned your head first.”
“Oh, I checked it at the boundary level because the movement was captured. haha······.”
In the meantime, the female soldiers of the 2nd company began to disperse to the periphery to create a barrier.
“2nd Platoon, we are moving too! Hyunwook Lee! Are you done installing the sensors?”
It was Lieutenant Lee Hee-min, the commander of the 2nd platoon.
“Just install one yes and you’re done. Everything is working fine.”
He opened his eyes and glanced at the 5th squad at work.
‘No matter how you look at it, that expression wants to grab the pod.’
Lee Hee-min was originally such a person. An executive in the style of a commonly referred to as ‘judicial enemy’ who does not leave his subordinates unattended at all.
Moreover, as he was close to high-ranking soldiers leading the absurdity, such as Oh Sang-guk and Kwak Jin-cheol, he would not have chosen the current Lee Hyun-wook.
However, he couldn’t find any problem to catch the pod, so he just smacked his appetite.
“Hmm, okay… Let’s move to the intermediate base immediately.”
“yes.”
-Chik- I will move to the middle base of the 2nd platoon. more.
Lee Hee-min, who finished the radio, raised his hand.
The 2nd Platoon, including the 5th Squad, drew attention to him.
“2nd platoon is moving!”
About 5 minutes after the 1st platoon entered the red ground,
the 3rd, 4th, and 5th squads of the 2nd platoon entered the alley of a residential area and moved in a line along the road that the 1st platoon had confirmed was safe.
The 5th squad entered the second row with Lee Hyun-wook at the back.
“Ahn Min-tae.”
“yes.”
“Watch out for your children.”
“All right.”
Lee Hyun-wook walked forward and closed his eyes.
‘······There is definitely one. And you can find it.’
He closed his eyes and used his abilities to read metal in the area.
It is no exaggeration to say that the human world is made of metal.
Their weight, mass, and form were drawn in Lee Hyun-wook’s mind. So even with my eyes closed, I could clearly perceive the geography of the area as if reading a map.
‘It’s not on the ground. ‘Deep under the ground.’
I moved my senses under the ground.
I went through
pipes, wires, and all kinds of trash .
‘A little further down into the sewer.’
And it was captured at that very moment. A piece of metal moving in a tangle.
‘It’s a kobold. 14 in total.’
Yes.
The remaining monsters that were not captured during the first eruption were moving beneath their feet.
“Park Jun-mo.”
“yes.”
“How many shots can you fire with the lightning skill?”
Park Jun-mo used the electric shock skill as a weapon.
However, the method was very different from that of general wizards; it stored electricity in the body and then released it. And as F-class, the capacity was very small.
“Oh, that’s only 4 times…”
Park Jun-mo answered despondently. As is typical for F-level students, when questions related to ability were asked, confidence was bound to drop.
“But if I squeeze it well, I think five times is possible.”
He scratched his head and looked at Lee Hyun-wook.
And saw.
Clap –
Like when he was working at the guard post a few days ago,
Lee Hyun-wook changed the control knob of the K2C1 rifle from ‘Safe’ to ‘Single Shot’.
