Finally Got Stronger but Ended Up Regressing

Chapter 7 Rather an Opportunity (3)

A heavy silence fell.

Stillness.

“W-what, what is that?”

“D-did he block it?”

The soldiers all had dumbfounded faces. A private had received the lieutenant’s attack. Not just any private, but the weakest one who had been passed over for promotion several times.

My body collapsed at the same time.

Crack.

The sword split in half. It was proof of how great the impact was.

I, who was staggering, eventually fell backward.

Immediately, I heard laughter.

“Of course, how could that b*stard withstand that? He was barely holding onto the sword.”

It was Corporal Byun Ji-tak. He had jumped up in shock but now mocked me as if nothing had happened.

Those who were with him also chimed in, “Wow, I thought he had actually blocked it for a moment.”

They were all speaking out of ignorance.

The difference in physical strength was so great that I lost my balance, but it was true that I had blocked Lieutenant Noh Young-il’s attack.

If I hadn’t, I would have collapsed right after the swords clashed.

Lieutenant Noh Young-il hadn’t used his full strength.

He had held back, considering my level.

But still.

Just because an ogre lightly swings its fist doesn’t mean the fist itself is light.

Thus, the power of [Efficient Blocking] was clearly proven.

Now, I would never be defeated by monsters like Nola or Deriphon.

“Gu Yoon-ho, are you okay?”

“Private Gu Yoon-ho. No issues.”

I dusted off my combat uniform and stood up. Unlike the soldiers, Lieutenant Noh Young-il’s face was full of surprise.

*

It was a fresh shock.

Although he had held back considering the opponent’s level, it was blocked too perfectly.

Lieutenant Noh Young-il was simply astonished.

Private Gu Yoon-ho was known to be the worst among the recent recruits, to the point where people said he was the worst in history.

Some even said that it was a relief that a soldier like Gu Yoon-ho hadn’t been assigned to their platoon.

They didn’t want their performance to be affected by a useless guy.

‘…?’

During the ongoing specialty training, Lieutenant Noh Young-il began to think that his judgment and perspective on Private Gu Yoon-ho might have been wrong.

‘This guy is pretty good?’

Private Gu Yoon-ho had performed the basic sword techniques flawlessly.

From getting into position to the continuous actions of thrusting and slashing.

There was not a single unnecessary movement.

As if he had been training like this for a long time.

Up to that point, it was understandable. Although he emphasized the importance of basics to the soldiers, Lieutenant Noh Young-il also knew the truth.

Basics are just basics in the end.

So, to confirm, he called Private Koo Yoon-ho forward. He wanted to see if it was just his posture or if he had achieved some growth different from the other soldiers.

He wanted to check it himself.

The result was as expected.

Even considering it was a training sword, Private Koo Yoon-ho’s sword strikes lacked any significant power. Apologies to him, but it felt like he was just waving a thin branch around.

However.

‘?!’

Now that they had switched roles, thinking it was just good posture, Lieutenant Noh Young-il realized he had made a huge misjudgment.

Private Koo Yoon-ho had blocked his attack.

‘What is this…!’

If he had dodged, it might have been understandable, but he had perfectly parried the sword.

Private Koo Yoon-ho then collapsed.

The sword he was holding had broken into two pieces.

Some soldiers laughed, thinking it was to be expected, but Lieutenant Noh Young-il saw it clearly.

And he remembered.

The moment when his sword couldn’t push away Private Koo Yoon-ho’s sword.

‘To have blocked my attack with such physical strength… it must mean he used an ability.’

There are various abilities to defend against an opponent’s attack with a sword, such as [Parrying] or [Deflecting].

This must have been the former.

But with just a simple [Parrying], such a situation could never occur. Private Koo Yoon-ho’s physical strength is that low.

No matter how good the ability is, if the physical strength doesn’t support it, it can’t shine.

‘Could it be, an awakening? Did he achieve an awakening with [Efficient Parrying]?’

If it’s an awakening, the story changes. It greatly enhances the power of the ability, regardless of physical strength.

“Yoon-ho, you can go now.”

“Private Koo Yoon-ho! Yes!”

“Everyone, you must have seen the instructor’s demonstration well. Switch roles with the person next to you and start training. Begin.”

“Execute!”

Lieutenant Noh Young-il gave orders to the soldiers while lost in his own thoughts.

He didn’t even glance at the soldiers.

Usually by-the-book, he was now completely preoccupied with something else.

The shock was that significant.

‘There are stages to awakening. [Efficient Reception] is only the first stage. That’s why even ordinary soldiers with relatively less talent can be made. But that soldier is Koo Yoon-ho.’

He was known as the weakest of all time.

Private Koo Yoon-ho.

Is it even possible for such a person to awaken his abilities overnight?

It was more believable that he suddenly unlocked magical powers and started using magic.

‘With Koo Yoon-ho’s skills, he needs at least a few years of training. No matter how good his posture is, awakening abilities is a different matter.’

It couldn’t be dismissed as mere luck. Lieutenant Noh Young-il was not so naive as to confuse luck with skill.

He was an officer from the prestigious Hunter Academy.

‘Did he gain some kind of enlightenment like a martial arts protagonist? Otherwise, it doesn’t make any sense.’

He even had such thoughts.

*

13:00.

As soon as the afternoon routine started, two-and-a-half-ton trucks began to leave the base one after another. The entire company, except for those on duty, in the office, or on guard duty, was mobilized.

The dungeon that appeared at Songsoo Station was that large.

‘Wasn’t I paired with Byun Ji-tak? The day has come when this guy is useful.’

Inside the vehicle, he looked at Corporal Byun Ji-tak, who was dozing off across from him, possibly due to post-lunch drowsiness. He would probably continue to doze off even after entering the dungeon.

He planned to take advantage of that time.

‘Let’s quickly go and just collect the runes.’

He recalled once again. The exact location and how to get there.

It soon formed clearly in his mind.

It wouldn’t always be like this.

Trivial matters or unimportant items might be completely erased from his memory.

Even such things could be beneficial to him.

‘When I have time, I should make a timeline and organize everything I remember. So I can act promptly.’

The vehicle, moving quickly, soon arrived at its destination. Exit 7 of Songsoo Station.

The reconnaissance team that had departed earlier had already drawn the perimeter line.

“The task for the warriors today is simple. When the search officers and search soldiers show you the way, you just need to thoroughly search the area. If you find anything suspicious, even a small pebble, report it immediately. It could be an artifact. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!”

The soldiers responded energetically to Captain Oh Jun-beom’s words, though they grumbled behind his back, “Ugh, we’re going to suffer again because of Oh Jun-beom.”

It’s been a while since I heard the nickname “Oh Jun-beom.”

I chuckled and followed the procession into the dungeon.

“An unusual energy is detected in the northwest.”

“There is also something in the west.”

“It’s faint, but there’s something in the south as well. Captain, I think we should split up and head out immediately.”

As soon as the search soldiers and officers entered, they started scanning with their radar. They possessed the [Search] ability to detect special substances and energies within the dungeon.

That’s not all.

They also helped in discovering and removing traps in advance.

They were indispensable resources in many ways.

“Got it. Now, each platoon will move to their designated areas! Once you arrive, form pairs and thoroughly search the area as instructed earlier! We have a lot to cover, so move out immediately!”

“Yes, sir!”

The soldiers scattered in an instant. I, belonging to the 3rd platoon, headed west. Considering the location of the rune, the northwest where the 2nd platoon went would have been better, but according to Captain Oh Jun-beom’s orders, we had to search the entire vicinity anyway.

We just needed to avoid the officers’ eyes and move carefully.

The interior was a forest area, similar to the dungeon we played in yesterday. Corporal Byun Ji-tak, who was paired with me, lay flat on a broad rock as soon as the operation started.

“Hey, I’m going to take a nap here, so you go ahead and search.”

Fine, you go ahead and sleep.

I’m going treasure hunting.

“Private Gu Yoon-ho. Understood.”

At first, I pretended to search for special substances or energies, just like the other soldiers, especially the artifacts that Captain Oh Jun-beom was eager to find.

Then, I quietly slipped away.

It was a place densely packed with pine trees, with pine cones scattered all over the ground.

They were so abundant that I stepped on them with every step.

“Good, I found the right place.”

Using the pine cones as a guide, I walked for about five minutes. Although I had strayed quite far from the group, Captain Oh Jun-beom had ordered us to thoroughly search the entire area.

There shouldn’t be any problem.

“It should be around here somewhere.”

They said that if you go straight past the pine cone field, there would be a small stone tower.

If I can just find that… Ah, there it is.

A small stone tower tangled between trees and bushes.

Seeing it in person, it was even smaller.

It wasn’t wide either, so it seemed hard to find unless you knew about it.

In the first place, I had already left the area the exploration officer had pointed out.

It means no one else would come here except me.

“Then let’s get started.”

Clapping my hands, I kicked the stone tower hard with my foot.

Thud!

As the stone tower collapsed with a crash, the ground rumbled.

Just enough to make my body shake a little.

“Open…”

I wasn’t shaken at all.

“Sesame.”

Soon the vibration stopped, and there was a large path where the stone tower had been.

It was a staircase leading underground.