Chapter 5: Headquarters Disappeared on My First Day as an NCO (2)
CcDPrivate First Class Park Boseop completely lost his composure the moment Sergeant Kim Seojun handed him the steering wheel.Wjaq0u
lm2UMThere was no way he could remain calm.llUUu
dampuR‘Shit, shit, shit!’zG76
OKxx4Heading toward the destroyed headquarters was already insane, but who could have imagined that they would end up encountering Thorn Snakes along the way?IKFAg
iyvbrdOFurthermore, it was Park Boseop’s first time seeing a Thorn Snake.zcoQU
gujjThere was nothing strange about that.bst5nY
00qtxAmong Space Marines, far fewer than one might imagine had ever seen a Thorn Snake.EbTldNI
dsuPTNot many Space Marines survived after seeing a Thorn Snake, and among those survivors, even fewer continued serving as Space Marines.HrN
KHblTo make matters worse, those Thorn Snakes were targeting the truck.9zMnB
UymoH3sIt was a situation where losing one’s head was perfectly understandable.vLA
3kyxmVroooooom!IKuZ
nUZ1vOEHowever, the moment he grabbed the steering wheel, Park Boseop’s wildly racing mind began to calm down.MQ5Y
1MZkXXm‘Focus, focus. I can’t lose my head while I have the steering wheel in my hands.’EjiV7
O2FNaturally, Park Boseop didn’t practice motorsports simply as a hobby.L1sK
KToI90Although it might seem like a far-fetched dream, his goal was to someday compete in American NASCAR, and he was doing everything he could to achieve it.h7eMUKr
nv79zNnOf course, not only did he have a racing license, but although they weren’t particularly major competitions, he had also accumulated some experience competing professionally.Nesy
kWt9qLmWithin the Korean motorsports world, there were even people who called him a genius.UgnUq0D
K2nAnd he had also trained extensively in racing.ggD
4anl38Thanks to all that, the moment he grabbed the steering wheel, his confusion disappeared and he began driving skillfully.bPw
dpLfdpWhoooosh!8Lo
1apSHe began moving to one side, then the other, and then to the side again to dodge the thorns fired by the Thorn Snakes.SKaMF
th0t7While stubbornly keeping his gaze fixed ahead, dodging enormous rocks and continuing to drive, Park Boseop finally saw it.Oqm7
xMp‘A sandstorm!’TXCPH
uo2VA gigantic sandstorm was approaching, covering everything before his eyes in brown.jr6bnDo
uKCWSK“Sergeant Kim Seojun, sir! It’s a sandstorm!”Ri2
QpEiKHe immediately warned him.axqnpKh
W2ABOf course, even as he spoke, Park Boseop assumed that Sergeant Kim Seojun would know perfectly well what to do and come back inside on his own.jwz
4uzAfter all, he was someone with a completely different level of experience from him.arFvVC
Au7Vroooooom!bjzjJF
9vY‘Huh?’cIzib
mf194However, even with the sandstorm approaching, Sergeant Kim Seojun didn’t return to the passenger seat.f6DW8R
m23nzqi‘What is he doing?’8InZE
OsvVFIt was difficult to understand.Lotis
7JQW‘There’s nothing he can do.’n2Z
8nhIn a sandstorm like that, in a world where absolutely nothing could be seen, a Space Marine couldn’t do anything with a weapon.w7EZGf
oqdHn2While Park Boseop wondered what the hell he was doing, he heard something.hLWCK
TMlPYaRat-tat-tat-tat!J76
kwd9xiThe sandstorms one encountered in space were completely different, in many ways, from those one could encounter on Earth.MkSjvI
KcUOZPIn the middle of a sandstorm like that, the Space Marines’ weapons were naturally completely useless.bV6G
rjok5And the same was true for Mogdogs.JMWhWb
ZrubIn particular, not even Thorn Snakes could properly carry out their thorn attacks in the middle of a sandstorm.mPQ
q6buSThat was why, whenever a sandstorm appeared, one of the virtues every Space Marine needed to possess was to run away without even looking back.z14
3PuAnd Kim Seojun knew that virtue better than anyone.wRg1Q1t
Ky2xrUrHowever, this time he didn’t run away.dS8
QTXehQWThere was no particularly grand reason behind his decision.OdU
aaJiy‘X-Ray Vision.’MqZon0n
CSQAHe now possessed a new skill.5D6Ewj
KZwEepM‘Let’s test it.’4Okad3v
6Vwo7mKHe had no reason to carefully keep that skill hidden and wait until later to secretly test it.MiMK
7F5Nm0R“X-Ray Vision.”L6G4M
pJxtZF1So he immediately used the X-Ray Vision skill.DKIf
q8eTruthfully, until that moment, he had only intended to test the skill once and then run away depending on the situation.hUr
XYsVnO‘……My God.’kIub6u
eGWHowever, the moment he used X-Ray Vision and saw the world that appeared before his eyes, Kim Seojun could no longer run away.lBm6
VYwNi‘I can see them.’k5LF
PQZHBecause he could see the Thorn Snakes on the other side of that dense sandstorm.ZaA9s
B399He couldn’t see them clearly.rB4b
C4msIt was like watching one of those extremely low-resolution videos from the early twenty-first century through all kinds of visual noise and interference; he could only vaguely make out the presence of the Thorn Snakes.6Bo
m1z0w9However, for Kim Seojun, that was enough.Qxq
gCLCBecause that red line extended from the barrel of the weapon he was aiming, and the moment that line touched something, the shot hit with one hundred percent accuracy.3UzvTT4
S8ZEFurthermore, that accuracy didn’t work under such a simple concept as, if the light touched the target, then the bullet would hit.5kwJw
87KlMFor starters, bullets didn’t fly properly inside a sandstorm.cqKO4M
1JJEven if you used the laser pointer installed on the weapon and managed to place the laser exactly on the target, if you fired just like that, not only would the bullets fail to hit, but they would veer completely off course.6IXucdF
gNeiPLight wasn’t deflected by the wind, but bullets were greatly affected by it.3S9Z
pTOx6GUHowever, that red line was different.glsBRB
bsawAll of that had already been adjusted for.hCDMn
PsKpUIn other words, if the red line touched the target, the shot would hit no matter what kind of natural disaster was occurring.c70vO
f6GAO6On the other hand, all the difficulties mentioned above, the difficulties that affected ranged attacks, fully applied to the Thorn Snakes.kbE
lalJThen what should he do?3F0tU
FdvThere was nothing to think about.SK8
0qvRKim Seojun immediately aimed his weapon and, the moment the red line touched the blurry silhouette of a Thorn Snake, pulled the trigger.mPf35
AipRat-tat-tat-tat!CXGm1U7
YsAgSGunshots rang out.wFQz
znZJTAnd shortly afterward, he heard a notification.FX7
pVIz[Combat has ended. Beginning calculation of results.]ifCe4Qm
h91MAI[You have eliminated 15 Thorn Snakes. You have obtained 75 points.]f0Qqk
rNq[You have eliminated 15 Thorn Snakes from a distance greater than 500 meters. You will be awarded 150 points as an Expert Marksman bonus.]H0f1i
cfY[You have won the battle. You will be awarded 100 points as a reward.]4XqTj
6s8wHyThe moment he heard the notifications and could no longer see any Thorn Snakes, Kim Seojun returned to the passenger seat without hesitation.LHV
D5kThud!Isrd
OVHdlcUKim Seojun, dressed in his battle suit, practically dropped himself into the open-top military truck, producing a loud thud as he sat down.BCu
u6n4lm3“Sergeant Kim!”oBrD5
VWG4Park Boseop called out to Kim Seojun without letting go of the steering wheel, his gaze still fixed ahead as he concentrated on driving.sFlBEHx
bhw“Good job driving.”ri3q0
LTkKim Seojun praised Park Boseop.Dgv2
4mL7sAnd he sincerely meant it.CGAg
iNIgEven throughout all the hells, hardships, and space battles Kim Seojun had experienced during his active service, he had met very few drivers capable of maintaining their concentration behind the wheel in a situation like that.tjWk5rD
N1iSh“T-Thank you, sir.”gCs
inV9gYPark Boseop responded to the praise without taking his eyes off the road ahead.HZlDJIy
Fbsuh‘The Thorn Snakes are behind us. I have to stay focused. I don’t know when they’ll attack us again.’A7EM
E4de62From Park Boseop’s perspective, since he had no way of knowing that all the Thorn Snakes had already been eliminated, he couldn’t afford to lower his guard.I7qd1
WxWKim Seojun didn’t explain the details to him.a0xxDe
UJ4pHe had no reason to tell him from beginning to end about the miracle he had obtained.7ejL
OtmyHe simply asked.HNaz
cV8“How much battery is left?”ydWV
VobMxQ“Around 77 percent, sir.”Haa5x
O48EvlF“That’ll be enough to reach headquarters. Let’s go straight there.”9EOlu3
vdrv“Yes?”VIlyPM
orqPark Boseop showed a surprised expression at those words.AwJ
Unrm“To headquarters, sir? Isn’t it dangerous?”9B7
6msLwbLThey had just encountered Thorn Snakes, and furthermore, those Thorn Snakes hadn’t remained in one place, but had been moving.aXI
aiFiFThat proved that the Mog were on the move.pohLXE6
pLfPrecisely because of that, during their training before becoming Space Marines, that point had been drilled into them again and again.kknz
QuOWhen a Mog horde began to move, they were to immediately stop whatever they were doing, enter a base, remain completely silent, and wait there until they received orders from their superiors.FS4e0m
PW5YBMKim Seojun knew that too.0Jg
xhFHe knew better than anyone that extreme caution had to be exercised when a Mog horde was on the move.pKq
Y1uuIHowever, everything depended on the circumstances.5J9Iv2g
MFJDllA“The fact that a group of Thorn Snakes is moving on its own means the Mog horde is mobilizing hastily and quickly. And the Mog only move quickly when they’re going to hunt humans.”e8l0Pfd
7XSgGQIt was clear that those Thorn Snakes had been moving toward their next battle.ANCzYE
OzmeP2RThat was also the reason they had suddenly attacked Kim Seojun’s group the moment they saw them.mpC0
5lZIt meant that the Mog had received an attack order.Cya
T809“Although I could only estimate it roughly, the direction the Thorn Snakes were moving was toward our headquarters.”Vsuq
HBxyrqHCombining that with the rest of the information led to the following conclusion.HNdnRPE
U5tK“In short, there’s a high probability that the Mog horde that attacked our headquarters is already moving somewhere else. That means there’s a possibility that headquarters is empty right now or, even if there are still Mog there, there may not be many of them.”VZqI8
ufABThe moment he heard that, Park Boseop no longer had any doubts.tIf
303s“Yes, sir. Then I’ll floor it.”bofhf
nVUOgswVroooooom!0JJAk
Ztu6tSpace was immense.KE0oO
D0P6pAnd the planets of the universe were gigantic.IgxH
tWH5CmEven those who had lived in fairly vast regions of Earth, after visiting a planet in space just once, ended up thinking.STdGrj
AizK‘Earth really was small.’vrk
tVQPlanet Amotia was no exception.755Qmih
TjI5HxwIt was enormous, and because of that, even traveling at full speed, Kim Seojun’s group took no less than seventeen hours to reach headquarters.biki8C
kMrD2eWAfter traveling that enormous distance, Kim Seojun immediately used a pair of binoculars to observe the headquarters of the Korean division on planet Amotia.vJt
iJzs“It was definitely the Mog.”zlJ
BzevMThe state of the Korean division that appeared before his eyes was completely different from what he had seen when he first arrived there.evFyQ0F
CL0rKIBFrom the resource extraction plants to the military factories and barracks, every facility that had formed part of headquarters had been brutally destroyed.oyzWX4
1lgojPB“Ah……”yFH4A
vsldsAt that sight, Park Boseop was completely stunned.IZt0
NCtaYmHe had seen countless cases like that.3TAco6
MpC5JAfter all, during his time at the training center, one of the things they had been shown most often was precisely how terrifying the Mog were.Yi3
06UHe had seen countless videos and photographs of armies and bases brutally devastated by the Mog.z8PFwU
DoYsHowever, the impact of seeing that scene directly was incomparable to seeing it in photographs or videos.uSY
SmqJ7Faced with the overwhelming destruction the Mog were capable of causing, even his will to fight such monsters was crushed.DDrkpI
cviMyo3‘I feel like I’m going to throw up.’x9tHL
LtYZr69Park Boseop even felt as though the energy gel he had eaten at the supply base was about to come back up his throat.qQ71SZg
ZjeLF9“What a relief.”8Y8l
k0nn“Yes?”ulkK2
1yxYOPark Boseop reacted in surprise at the words Kim Seojun had just spoken.9ESYv
Q1p4FGv“W-What is a relief, sir?”yuN4RQf
mn2ndSeeing his confusion, Kim Seojun explained.2DN
3cHXIUt“I’m not saying it’s fortunate that headquarters fell. From what I can see right now, it looks like headquarters was destroyed by Mogdogs, Thorn Snakes, and Bomb Bugs. I don’t see any traces of individuals more powerful than those.”HgxjXa
twDQ1ybAfter hearing that explanation, Private First Class Park Boseop understood to some extent.o43tQ
ZIRaCQOf course, he still wore a surprised expression. From his perspective, the situation remained just as desperate.vBIsX
qeEFor Kim Seojun, however, that was quite important.Uiz
JK1pRB‘It looks like absurd monsters like a Behemoth or a Sky Whale didn’t come. What a relief.’V1gkm
oPkvIf terrifying existences such as a gigantic Behemoth or a Sky Whale that flew through the sky while spewing out all kinds of monsters had appeared within the Mog horde, it would mean there was no way to leave planet Amotia alive.MwUa7G
EWpGszAnd it wasn’t simply because those things were terrifying.ONLj
zc86lQ‘If the situation gets too serious, the higher-ups will immediately begin a cleanup.’K8l44E
n0ZkFrom the perspective of the higher-ups, if they judged that the situation had become unsustainable, they would simply make the decision to sweep the entire planet.HqiyS
KbQjB‘If they send in the Battlecruisers, then it’s over.’hyx
FE0qpKeAnd the moment that cleanup began, everyone on planet Amotia could consider themselves dead.8NGBPsY
R16gTHowever, from what he could see now, although the situation was serious, it still hadn’t reached a level that required the intervention of Battlecruisers.UR5qpBx
2zo‘I don’t want to see something like what happened on planet Sylph ever again.’yRW3I8n
Y34UPrecisely because he had already experienced one of those cleanups, Kim Seojun could now let out a sigh of relief.5lQtLZe
dWEg6TOf course, it would be a different story if the situation worsened even further.wgwtXq3
lNY5RIn any case, for the moment, it wasn’t an extremely serious situation.bwyiJ
5DiAt least by Kim Seojun’s standards.4gluR
Fz2rW2And the simple fact that he had confirmed that already made this reconnaissance mission a success.u0Hz
Ga8JEThere was no doubt about that.PVvi
Y0Er[We request rescue.]Wi1l
GSwZ“Huh?”ru9GLR
NwLA rescue request came through the speakers installed in the battle suit.1QYy4tc
YMeSAjNaturally, it could only have come from one place.0b8tKIC
vIh“It looks like there are survivors at headquarters.”FUNkd5
yntAt that moment, Private First Class Park Boseop and Kim Seojun’s gazes met.TAE
wamPark Boseop didn’t respond with words.CkTdlg
6FnSeKHe said it with his expression.k72Ys
ITdZ3Accepting that rescue request was complete madness.2Zp5
evnFaced with that expression, Kim Seojun didn’t respond either. He simply turned his head and once again observed the situation at headquarters.Awugag
CR1Headquarters had been brutally destroyed.cYKInVa
9suOgC7Kieeeeeek!Zg607
gyXmMvMogdogs could be seen moving back and forth across the ruins of headquarters.N5H
N7P‘About three hundred?’3Uuk93
bFbygThere weren’t many.jJeA
C7AjBAnd that wasn’t a mistaken perception.qjn
Y9yeNo matter how weak the Korean division on planet Amotia was, the forces at its headquarters weren’t at a level that could be destroyed by barely a thousand Mogdogs.Ru96BZ
d5dXqR5At the very least, a horde of more than ten thousand must have arrived.rtU
WDfzYQnIf a horde like that had devastated the place and only three hundred remained afterward, that was truly a small number.e5K
oCvyqq0Of course, it still wasn’t a number that just two Space Marines could handle.vJ3JU42
4MTKecFurthermore, if they fought a battle there, it would be combat in open terrain, whose difficulty was on a completely different level from fighting from inside a bunker.rAqFN
EZvHtpSAnd above all, what they had just received was a rescue request.TKmSNc
JnGuoThey would not only have to eliminate those Mogdogs, but also rescue an important person who must be trapped somewhere.yGF
psW7The conditions were terrible in every respect.SlZ0i
13Q2HDAnd even that wasn’t all.hJ86h
CCWDKim Seojun raised his gaze toward the sky.PM8K5yt
5gr8ZwThe sandstorm had temporarily stopped, and in that sky, he could see a black dot moving.eS8T2y
zGXMBW‘It’s a Cyclops.’ia8E
xLBmwrIts true identity was a Cyclops, one of the Mog species.Iy8
FTRX9nEIt was a twenty-meter monster that flew through the sky and looked like a balloon that had grown legs resembling a squid’s tentacles.Rj6
EiHSuFurthermore, it had an enormous eye on its belly, which was why it had been given the name Cyclops, for being a one-eyed monster.b7nPsKG
ZcavIts appearance was ridiculous.mOUmK8y
bnHnlORIt didn’t possess any combat ability either.mlqr
bIdHowever, for the Space Marines who fought the Mog, a Cyclops was a nightmare in itself.rzMkYi
F74YGThe reason was simple.P2ItRVK
uZ8pOpR‘The moment we touch the Mogdogs, the Cyclops will alert everything in the surrounding area.’BIR
85ZR0PXThat Cyclops was the leader commanding the Mog.fjaiiht
WAylThe moment they caused a disturbance there, the Cyclops would summon every Mog in the surrounding area.Huoa
i9LThat meant thousands of Mog, or even more, would rush there to attack Kim Seojun’s group.doZ
AlrFkgUIn other words, if they carried out the rescue operation, they would have to complete most of the necessary actions in less than an hour.vWCDvz
NNuIt was an absurd mission.sH7aKV
Ipm3Es“Uh, Sergeant Kim……”C1s
mtzLxAt that moment, Park Boseop called out to him in an almost pleading tone.euO
Pm6DIn other words, that voice was saying.Bxt
eNnABa‘Please, give the order for us to get the hell out of here as soon as possible.’P9e
XSvKim Seojun answered.OmQi
jCx“We’re soldiers. That’s why we can’t ignore a rescue request. Even if we have to die trying.”yyDXJo
iO2“Ah……”xdosMV
xmdHAt that response, Park Boseop’s face hardened into an expression of absolute despair.RHYZ0d
wBG4wWho would have imagined that he would answer like that?KpZlK9
Vtgbg“Y-Yes, you’re right, sir.”HCk
IZgDwCOn the other hand, it was a completely natural response.IpK3
A1IZReceive a rescue request and ignore it?1gKD
yBpcEThat wasn’t right, not just as a soldier, but even as a human being.wdUsib
04CVw“W-We have to rescue them.”BStq
R6Vy8ESo Park Boseop desperately suppressed his dejection and nodded.Umkzi
OwKyumThen Kim Seojun told him.RnZi
Ft5“……Honestly, I don’t give a shit about that kind of thing.”BPN
SFo3“Yes?”M2gLx
vGkBC“I’m not interested in military creeds or anything like that. There’s only one reason I reenlisted in the military money.”XtQ
QFGl8HA bewildered expression appeared on Park Boseop’s face.GTycp
uxnOgjsKim Seojun continued.BeR2
NiQ“If we rescue an important person, we’ll receive a monetary reward.”eJTmbTi
S7BljDp“Yes? Really, sir?”QcjoQV
HI9nG2l“It doesn’t happen very often, and the military deliberately doesn’t publicize it, so most people don’t know that clause exists. If they don’t want to pay you, you sue them afterward and they end up paying.”VofJ5
NWhAt that moment, Park Boseop’s gaze changed.OkYoK
3sgFs“I’ll say it again. I reenlisted to make money.”LF1wrg
BTQqKAhBecause Park Boseop was the same.RHh
bgSHe also wanted to make money and return to Earth.ObBqnF
iT1GgAnd now that opportunity had appeared before him.urEYV
ykp“Of course, I don’t intend to let money blind me and end up losing my life either. But I think it’s worth taking a gamble right now. And above all, if we really manage to rescue the Major commanding this division, our chances of surviving from now on will increase enormously.”SCq5
sxg8aS2“What do you mean, sir?”MEg
sYsDHEI“Officers with the rank of Major are given a tracking device that ordinary Space Marines aren’t provided with. If we begin a rescue operation, we’ll first track his location and move toward it.”Ffdmv0d
oK7RKAfter hearing that explanation, Park Boseop stopped hesitating.L8YHN8
LNzz“What do I have to do, sir?”LznDYv
ibWnLbVHe asked.RmA8mJH
ebFOiWHAnd Kim Seojun answered.njcbUbd
1c4a“Do you know how to drift?”urYXxHX
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