NOVEL NEXT chapter 5
Chapter 5 An Unexpected Opportunity (1)
All abilities awaken when understanding and proficiency increase.
Therefore, awakening takes a long time.
Understanding and mastering something is not something that happens overnight.
But I was different now.
The senses from before my regression had shortened that time absurdly.
“To have already obtained [Efficient Parry]. What a stroke of luck.”
Does this mean that other abilities can also awaken quickly in this way?
As long as they are not abilities that only require proficiency, like strength, stamina, and agility.
He smirked and regenerated the Deriphone. There were still about 3 minutes left until the mission assignment cleaning time.
I stood facing him again.
As I raised my sword, he charged at me like a predator seeing its prey.
Swoosh!
The sword he raised vertically was certainly threatening. I had been staggered by that attack before.
This time, I tilted my sword horizontally without caring.
Thunk!
The force hitting the blade was not heavy at all, unlike before. The hand gripping the hilt, the arm and shoulder connected to it, and the body’s center. Nothing was out of place.
The [Efficient Parry] completely erased the difference in strength between him and me.
“Eek?”
His eyes wavered for a moment. Still unable to grasp the situation, he struck down with his sword again.
Thunk!
Thunk!
Thunk!
Three consecutive strikes. Normally, I should have been knocked down by the force, but my legs remained calmly planted on the ground.
If it were a simple [Parry], this would never have happened.
The strength and the skill itself are different.
But with the awakening of [Efficient Parry], it devoured everything.
Thunk!
After several full-strength attacks, he eventually exhausted himself and panted heavily.
If this were a real battle, he would have exposed a gap.
Of course, it was the same now.
Puuuk.
I thrust my sword into his torso. The hologram scattered and disappeared in an instant.
This is the power of awakening.
The ‘grade’ of the ability rises.
“Phew.”
As I finished the training, I felt it once again.
Regression was rather an opportunity.
A miraculous opportunity to soar higher than before the regression.
*
– Hoo-hoo, the duty officer announces. All personnel in the company are to start their assigned cleaning duties as of now. I repeat, all personnel in the company…
20:30.
Our squad was assigned to clean the women’s restroom this week. Cleaning the toilets was a given, and we had to scrub the sinks and floors and even wash them down, so unless there was something special, only the low-ranking soldiers like me would go.
The problem was that there were few privates in our squad, and even those were all assigned to guard duty.
There were some corporals, but what they would do was obvious.
“Hey, make sure you do everything.”
Led by Corporal Kang Sung-jun, they pretended to work and then disappeared somewhere.
They were relying on Sergeant Byun Ji-tak.
“Rotten b*stards, I hope you trip and break your nose.”
I cursed as I put on rubber gloves. I started cleaning the messy sinks. Just like the regular army restrooms, the hunter army restrooms had multiple sinks, so there was no time to dawdle.
I was unclogging a blocked toilet when it happened.
“Huh? Yun-ho, why are you doing this alone?”
Sergeant Jung Ye-som yawned as she entered the restroom.
“The other privates are on guard duty.”
“What about the corporals? Kang Sung-jun should be here too, right?”
“He said he had something to do and left.”
A wrinkle formed on her forehead.
“Do they really want to die? Making a kid clean the restroom alone and then running off? Ha, Yun-ho. Don’t stop me today. I’m going to send someone to the hospital and go to the brig.”
“Please calm down, Sergeant Jung Ye-som.”
I patted her back, and she barely managed to calm down.
“Do you know where they went?”
“No.”
“Those guys are hopeless. I’ll deal with them properly later.”
She ground her teeth and pointed to a stall that had already been cleaned.
“Can I use this one?”
“Yes. If you need to use the restroom, I’ll step out for a moment.”
“It’s a big one. Just keep doing what you’re doing and don’t mind me.”
“Hmm, is that really okay?”
Telling me not to worry about the big stuff. For a moment, I wondered what this was about, but I immediately understood the following words.
“What does it matter, between us?”
A friend with benefits.
A neighborhood sister with no reservations at all.
Sergeant Jeong Yesom was that kind of person to me. It wasn’t just that we were close.
“I’ll help you once I’m done with my business.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Oh, come on, don’t say things you don’t mean.”
“Haha.”
“Just keep doing what you’re doing. I’ll be out soon.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I continued cleaning the rest of the toilets after Sergeant Jeong Yesom went in to do her business.
No matter what, I couldn’t give the tough job to my senior.
Cleaning the floor was relatively easier, so I left that and quickly finished the rest.
As a subtle scent began to waft, Sergeant Jeong Yesom came out.
She rolled up her sleeves and put on rubber gloves.
She skillfully mopped the floor.
Her technique of squeezing out the water and making the floor shine was impeccable.
“How are you so good at this?”
“I was once like you, Yunho.”
“I can’t imagine it. That Sergeant Jeong Yesom was once a private.”
“Pfft, I was really clumsy back then. I learned these skills through those times.”
She quickly made the floor smooth.
Thanks to her, it became much easier.
“But it’s the same the other way around.”
“Pardon?”
“I can’t imagine you becoming a sergeant, Yunho. You seem like you’ll always be the cute youngest.”
“Haha.”
I swallowed the words, “That youngest will become a sergeant, not just a corporal, ma’am,” and finished cleaning.
It was already nearing 21:00.
“Hey, all of you, come here.”
“Private Kang Sung-jun. What is it?”
Corporal Jung Ye-som called out to Private Kang Sung-jun as soon as she returned to the barracks.
Whoosh!
Her fingertips instantly burst into flames.
Private Kang Sung-jun flinched.
The other privates who had fled with him also hesitated.
There was no reason why something that could burn monster hide couldn’t burn human skin.
“Wh-why are you doing this?”
“Why am I doing this? Are you asking because you don’t know? Who told you to run away without cleaning?”
“I-I didn’t run away. We did our share.”
“Did your share? What share? I went to the bathroom and nothing was done, so Koo Yoon-ho is getting a beating right now.”
Of course, the part about me beating him is a lie. I made sure to handle it in advance so he couldn’t complain to me later.
Perhaps that’s why Corporal Byun Ji-tak couldn’t say anything either.
“Should I brand your cheek? Want me to give you a hot mark?”
“S-sorry.”
Private Kang Sung-jun trembled.
There was indeed a precedent for this.
Corporal Jung Ye-som had once burned the head of a corporal from another platoon who had s*xually harassed her. The wise disciplinary committee gave Corporal Jung Ye-som a probation and the other platoon corporal a full punishment.
Anyway, Corporal Jung Ye-som’s personality was to strike immediately if things went wrong.
Private Kang Sung-jun repeatedly apologized.
“I-I’ll never do it again.”
“And Kang Sung-jun.”
“P-Private Kang Sung-jun!”
“Today is not the only issue.”
“W-what…?”
Corporal Jung Ye-som glanced at Corporal Byun Ji-tak and said,
“Stop chattering next to someone. Before I rip your mouth off.”
“Y-yes, understood.”
Private Kang Sung-jun couldn’t even open his mouth at the fierce warning.
But how long will that last?
It was obvious that he would act up, relying on Corporal Byun Ji-tak.
No, I have to nip it in the bud.
So that he can never straighten his shoulders again.
It’s not just Private Kang Sung-jun.
Corporal Byun Ji-tak must also be sent to ruin.
In the previous regression, I couldn’t do it, and it was a lifelong regret, but this time it seems possible.
No, it is possible.
The scenario roughly draws itself in my mind.
“Any special notes?”
“No.”
“Tomorrow morning, we have specialty training, and in the afternoon, we’ll go to Songsoo Station for an investigation, so keep that in mind.”
“Songsoo Station? Isn’t the investigation there already finished?”
“The company commander ordered us to take another look, just in case.”
Before the evening roll call, the squad settlement was completed. Sergeant Kwon Min-chan, who found everything bothersome, finished it quickly and left the living quarters. He was probably going to rest in his room attached to the squad leader’s office.
As soon as he left, complaints erupted from all sides.
“Seriously, we’re going to Songsoo Station again?”
“What does the company commander think is there that we need to look at it again?”
“Exactly. These days, even in their 30s, people start losing their minds.”
As I recall, about a month ago, a dungeon was created at Songsoo Station. It was easily cleared because there were only low-level monsters, but the interior was very spacious.
As spacious as combining four or five ordinary dungeons.
The company commander was fixated on it.
“Damn, just because it’s spacious doesn’t mean there will be relics. If there were ruins, maybe, but there was nothing but grass.”
Relics.
Items from another world found inside dungeons.
Everyone complained, but surprisingly, the company commander’s intuition was correct.
Because there were actually relics.
‘Strictly speaking, runes are different from relics, but they are still highly valuable.’
Runes have the effect of unlocking abilities that can only be obtained through talent, enlightenment, or intense training in just a few seconds.
The method is simple.
Just put it in your mouth and swallow it like a pill.
‘Let’s get it somehow during the break time.’
I already know what kind of power that rune holds.
I’m already salivating.
By the way, there’s special training in the morning.
It’s perfect timing. I think I can test the power of [Efficient Reception] in actual combat rather than simulation.
I used it so much before regression, but that was when my body was somewhat built. Now, nothing is built.
Using [Efficient Reception] in such a state.
I wonder how it will be?