Finally Got Stronger but Ended Up Regressing

Chapter 4: On second thought, it’s not all bad (3)

“Wow, amazing. Really?”

“Hahaha, both of them will have their leaves completely canceled.”

Sergeant Kim Yonghun and Corporal Park Jiyeong. I remember both of them. They got caught mixing bodies naked by the supply officer, didn’t they?

“How did they get caught?”

“The supply officer, who they thought had left, suddenly came in.”

“Snicker, that supply officer has quite a temper, they got caught properly.”

That’s right.

“How heated must they have been to do that in the supply warehouse.”

“They must have been passionately in love.”

“They’re like the protagonists of a melodrama.”

Ironically, that melodrama turns into a soap opera a month later. Sergeant Kim Yonghun has an affair with a newly transferred female private.

Corporal Park Jiyeong, upon hearing the news, ran over and slapped him more than a dozen times, didn’t she?

It’s not just a love problem.

They argue for a long time about whether to watch soccer or a drama on TV.

Nevertheless, this system is maintained solely because of the efficiency of the troop combination.

Would a unit function properly if each squad only had swordsmen and shield-bearers, or only magicians and archers?

They would become a disorganized rabble that couldn’t even catch an orc.

Even in our squad, we have various specialties like swordsmen, shield-bearers, spearmen, archers, and magicians, each paired with an assistant.

My assistant is Corporal Byun Ji-tak, so it’s practically like soloing.

The barracks were bustling with noise. Listening to the explicit talk about positions made me uncomfortable, so I busied myself with various chores.

There wasn’t much to it.

Organizing combat boots or slippers.

Cleaning the seniors’ lockers.

Returning the keys to the weapon storage.

Memorizing the dinner menu in advance.

Simple but annoying tasks.

Sigh.

I had reached the rank of sergeant, but now I’m back to doing chores.

Reality hits hard.

I thought about how to return to 2055 the whole way back to the unit.

And the conclusion I reached was this:

It’s impossible.

I didn’t pass through some dimensional gate that transcends time and space.

I just woke up 25 years in the past.

If it were a dream, I would have woken up by now, and if it were an illusion, it would have dissipated long ago.

It’s been more than half a day since I returned.

In other words, I have to live as my past self from 25 years ago.

That was the fate that had been decided.

‘…’

An indescribable emotion surges up, making me nauseous.

My chest feels tight, and my head is numb as if I were hit hard with a hammer.

I didn’t even feel this way when I was dumped by my girlfriend.

It’s devastating. Returning means that everything I achieved in 25 years has disappeared.

There is absolutely no answer.

How do I start over from the beginning?

If I didn’t know, I could naturally do it.

But I remember everything clearly.

To get promoted, no, even just to get those four stripes, I went through hell to the point of vomiting.

As a human being, I can’t do it twice.

Should I just quit now?

Should I live as an ordinary office worker instead of a hunter in this life?

I bowed my head deeply.

I couldn’t do that.

Succeeding as a hunter was my long-time dream.

In fact, I succeeded to some extent and gained power, authority, and honor that I wouldn’t be ashamed of anywhere.

I didn’t want to give those up.

“That’s right, Yunho.”

At that moment, Sergeant Kim Jung-gi from the neighboring squad, who came to visit our squad because of the supply warehouse incident, called me.

“Private Koo Yunho.”

“I heard you did a great job today? You heard something no one else could hear, located it, and then what? You caught the hidden guys by throwing your sword. Is that true?”

“Yes, it’s true. Another one got kicked in the side and was critically injured. I saw it all.”

Sergeant Jung Yesom, who was lying down and tapping on his phone, answered instead.

Sergeant Kim Jung-gi admired.

“Yunho, you were stuck in the training ground like a madman, and now you’re finally seeing some results. Anyway, well done, man.”

Listening to the conversation quietly, I felt goosebumps all over my body.

Not everything disappeared because of the regression.

Senses and memories.

They remain intact.

Today’s performance in the dungeon was all thanks to them.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind.

‘The investigation at Songsu Station tomorrow. There’s a rune hidden there…!’

That rune would originally be discovered three years and two months from now.

But I already know.

Before the regression, I had encountered the location of that rune.

‘Regression, now that I think about it, it’s not so bad.’

The body that had collapsed in despair and frustration suddenly heats up with exhilaration.

If I use the advantages of regression in this way.

If I use it as a stepping stone to leap forward.

‘I can live richer, more influential, and as a stronger hunter than before the regression.’

Gulp, I swallow my saliva unconsciously.

I just need to get discharged first.

If I monopolize all the runes and hidden items and get discharged, a new path will open for me.

Whether I join a private guild and receive a huge signing bonus.

Or I start a new guild myself.

Or, instead of sticking to the same rank as before the regression, I aim for a higher rank.

I can do anything.

Because my growth potential is completely different compared to before the regression.

‘It’s not just not bad. This is a stroke of luck.’

My life is not ruined.

On the contrary, it was the opposite.

“Gu Yunho, what’s for dinner today?”

A rough voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

I quickly came to my senses.

Corporal Byun Jitak was swaggering out of the living quarters.

“Taro soup, brown rice, kimchi, spinach namul, radish namul, and steamed eggs. There were no additional side dishes.”

“Trash. Hey, Seongjun. Let’s go to the PX and get some frozen food.”

“Private Kang Seongjun! Yes, sir!”

Honestly, just looking at the menu, it’s not great. But just as regular soldiers are, hunter soldiers are also subject to disciplinary action for skipping meals.

You have to be at least a corporal to skip meals and go to the PX.

I was a bit different.

Even as a sergeant, I rarely skipped meals.

Because the food cooked by the hunter army cooks is different from regular food.

The barracks dining hall located behind the company building.

“Enjoy your meal.”

“Yoonho, you too.”

“Yes.”

As soon as I took a bite, I could feel it. The fatigue accumulated from the battles with the trolls started to melt away.

My heavy body gradually became lighter.

“I don’t know about the taste, but the effect is really good, right?”

Even Sergeant Jung Yesom, who had relatively less physical exhaustion as a magic soldier, could feel it.

“Yes, it’s very good.”

All the cooks had unlocked cooking-related abilities. Their food helped recover various aspects of the body, such as stamina, energy, and fatigue.

So, while it was important to get a good night’s sleep after intense training, it was also important to have a hearty meal like this.

It helps with quick recovery.

“What are you going to do after dinner? Training ground?”

“Seems like it.”

“Aww, I was hoping we could go to the movie room together.”

Sergeant Jung Yesom had also unlocked her abilities. All of them were related to magic, such as magic power, spell power, and attributes.

Even after being discharged, she joined a fairly large guild and worked as a professional magician.

Later on, she would even lead the guild.

“I’d like to drag you there by force, but… since the results of today’s training came out, I’ll hold back.”

“Haha, thank you for your consideration.”

I was different.

Other than the three abilities that everyone unlocks—strength, agility, and stamina—I had no abilities at all.

For a hunter, abilities are talent.

In other words, I had no talent at all.

That’s why I was always stuck in the training ground.

To grow, I had to somehow create abilities.

Fortunately, my efforts did not betray me.

In the end, I created several abilities.

However, the timing was far off in the future, which was painful.

Now, there’s a bit of hope.

If my body remembers the 25 years of training, couldn’t I significantly advance that timing?

The hopeful circuit.

That was the reason I headed straight to the training ground right after dinner.

I took a short breath and activated the simulation mode.

‘Let’s accurately assess my current level through simulated combat.’

Compared to the one in 2055, it was quite outdated, but it would still be sufficient for training.

After all, I had become outdated too.

Ziiing.

The device, having completed its activation, soon spat out something.

A humanoid monster with a dog’s head, Deriphon.

It looked similar to a gnoll, but its height and build were slightly larger.

The weapon it wielded was a sword, just like mine.

“Graaah!”

Despite the rough roar, my body didn’t tremble at all. It was an opponent I had faced countless times.

I was confident that even if that long sword swung right in front of my nose, I wouldn’t flinch.

But the reality I faced was completely different from my expectations.

Clang!

The pressure hitting the blade was too strong, way too strong.

Its movements were so fast, it was like a nimble squirrel.

Swish!

Clang!

I barely managed to block the diagonal slash.

My eyes could read all of its sword paths, but my body couldn’t keep up.

It was the limit of my physical abilities at this time.

‘Yes, I was like this.’

If I only looked at this point, the future would have seemed bleak.

But after more than twenty clashes of swords, I realized.

Claaang!

Thud!

Certainly, I could grow faster than before the regression.

The sense of combat.

Rhythm.

My body, which remembered it, continued to fight against the Deriphon, an opponent I could never truly defeat.

Even if I couldn’t win, I didn’t lose.

Swoosh!

I parried another attack and counterattacked. The extended blade pierced the creature’s torso.

If it were real, its flesh would have been pierced. This was satisfying enough.

The battle repeated for the time it took to drink a cup of tea. As I wiped away the sweat pouring down like rain and finally lowered my sword, it happened.

Ding!

An unexpected notification sounded.

《A new ability [Parry] has been unlocked.》

《You can now effectively parry the opponent’s attacks.》

I checked the content and stood there, mouth agape.

[Parry].

Originally, it was an ability that would take another three months to unlock, but it had been unlocked in just 15 minutes.

And that wasn’t the end.

As a result of continuously sparring with the Deriphon until the cleaning duty time, I achieved the next level of growth.

《Your understanding of [Parry] is very high.》

《[Parry] has awakened into [Efficient Parry].》

《You can now parry the opponent’s attacks even more effectively.》

[Efficient Parry] was an ability that originally took three years to awaken.

It had come to me again in less than two hours.

“…!!”

I stood there, frozen in disbelief at the situation.