Chapter 10
5.
Major Lee Hyena was greatly surprised when Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun provided Remote Support, showing an absurd level of results.
However, it wasn't to the point of astonishment.
Having experienced combat alongside various Superhumans on countless battlefields as a Psycher, Major Lee Hyena had a naturally high tolerance for such miraculous situations.
She was certain.
*A Psycher, I see.*
Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun was a Psycher.
While it was unusual for someone who was a Psycher to be assigned as a Staff Sergeant, such identity concealment was common enough during special missions.
*Given the circumstances.*
Moreover, the operation being carried out on Planet Amotia wasn't just one.
Besides the Queen Annihilation Operation, another important operation was underway.
It wouldn't be strange for another Psycher with a concealed identity to be involved.
Above all, Major Lee Hyena didn't have the luxury of worrying about Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun.
It was true that his support made hunting Mogdogs very easy, but in this battle, the Mogdogs weren't even a side dish.
The important one was the Fly-class Mogdog.
*This is as far as his effective support goes anyway.*
And even if Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun displayed incredible accuracy, it was impossible for his current weapon to achieve effective results against a Fly-class Mogdog.
This meant that when the real fight began, Major Lee Hyena herself would have to produce the results.
Major Lee Hyena heightened all her senses for that purpose.
Soon, that moment arrived.
*Kieeeer!* (Sound of the Fly-class Mogdog)
Until now, the silent Fly-class Mogdog moved.
*Pabababat!* (Sound of rapid movement)
The Charge that began was on a different level from the Regular Mogdogs she had seen so far.
If a Regular Mogdog was a sedan, the movement of the Fly-class Mogdog was clearly that of a sports car.
It was incredibly fast.
*It's coming.*
Facing such a Fly-class Mogdog, Major Lee Hyena naturally focused all her senses on it.
She ignored everything else.
“I’ll use a Stimpack.”
Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun’s words, heard around that time, were no different.
Major Lee Hyena barely registered it.
In fact, she didn't even hear it.
*Kieeeer!* (Sound of the Fly-class Mogdog)
The monstrous roar of the Fly-class Mogdog, now almost upon them, was clearer in her ears.
Soon, the two collided.
More precisely, they crossed paths.
The Fly-class Mogdog tried to pounce on Major Lee Hyena in an instant, but Major Lee Hyena was no fool.
Even with the Superhuman Strength granted by the Prophet's Relic, she had no intention of engaging the Fly-class Mogdog in a head-on brawl while wearing a standard Battle Suit.
She dodged it like a bullfighter.
Then, the moment its rear was exposed, she gripped her axe with both hands and swung it.
*Kwang!* (Sound of impact)
A sound like hitting a very sturdy car with an aluminum bat erupted.
The Fly-class Mogdog’s body was incredibly tough.
Major Lee Hyena wasn't surprised by this fact.
*I wasn't planning to destroy it anyway.*
She knew from experience that it was almost impossible to split a Fly-class Mogdog in half and kill it like other Mogdogs.
And there was no need to do so.
*Disable its functions.*
In most cases, a sufficiently effective result could be achieved by simply breaking the limbs of a moving object, rather than severing them.
In the case of Mogdogs, they had an exoskeleton, a body close to an insect's, but it didn't matter. Just crushing its body was meaningful enough.
Of course, it wasn't an easy task.
She would have to repeat this hundreds of times.
So, Major Lee Hyena calmed herself.
What was needed for this task was focus and stamina, and the best way to conserve them was to maintain composure and ignore everything else.
As Major Lee Hyena became calm, the Fly-class Mogdog repositioned itself to target her again.
That was the moment.
*Too!* (Gunshot)
*Tang!* (Gunshot)
With the gunshots, the Fly-class Mogdog’s head shook slightly.
The Fly-class Mogdog immediately turned its head to look where the bullets had come from, and it quickly spotted them, a group of humans who had approached quite close, aiming their guns at it from atop the Military Truck's cargo bed.
*Kieeer!* (Sound of the Fly-class Mogdog)
The Fly-class Mogdog let out a fierce roar towards the truck.
That was all.
It looked back at Major Lee Hyena.
The bullets weren't completely without damage. It was like being hit by a stone, if you were human.
It hurt, but not enough to ignore the human brandishing an axe in front of it and instead to charge at the truck.
So, the Fly-class Mogdog moved to quickly dispatch Major Lee Hyena and then deal with the remaining two humans.
The two crossed paths again, and the same situation as before occurred.
The two, having crossed, turned sharply and faced each other.
*Too!* (Gunshot)
*Tang!* (Gunshot)
And once again, a gunshot rang out, and the Fly-class Mogdog’s head shook.
The subsequent situation was also the same as before.
The two crossed paths, and a gunshot rang out.
*Tung!* (Sound of a deeper impact)
However, the sound heard this time was different from the previous ones.
It was a deeper, more chilling sound.
*Kieeeer!* (Sound of the Fly-class Mogdog)
More than anything, the Fly-class Mogdog let out a roar incomparable to before, directed at Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun.
It turned its body.
At this point, the Fly-class Mogdog intended to switch its target to Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun.
But it was Major Lee Hyena who moved first.
She had seen it too.
That three gunshots had precisely hit the same spot near the Fly-class Mogdog's temple.
“Crazy!”
It was, of course, an absurd feat, and so a rough exclamation naturally escaped Major Lee Hyena’s lips.
Separately, her body moved.
Her Combat Instinct, honed across countless battlefields, knew.
What she had to do now was hold back the Fly-class Mogdog that was about to charge Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun and wrestle with it.
*Kung!* (Sound of impact)
She launched a body check first, and the Fly-class Mogdog lost its balance and fell from the surprise attack.
*Kier!* (Sound of the Fly-class Mogdog)
The creature then hastily got up, and at that moment, a sound was heard.
*Too!* (Gunshot)
And after a fleeting moment, another sound was heard.
*Pwoosh!* (Sound of something bursting)
The sound of something fragile and vital bursting.
6.
Kim Seojun, the moment he devised the plan, ordered Private First Class Park Boseop.
“When I use the Stimpack, you approach the Fly-class Mogdog as close as possible.”
“Huh?”
Private First Class Park Boseop was surprised again upon hearing that order.
“Ah, understood, sir.”
But Private First Class Park Boseop immediately acquiesced.
*Oh, whatever.*
He simply gave up thinking.
At the same time, Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun prepared.
*Even with the Stimpack Effect, it won't be effective if I'm too far away.*
It was obvious, but time flowing slowly as if stopped and having good eyesight were separate matters.
He might be good at hitting, but to hit precisely, in the same spot, he needed to be close.
Furthermore, even if he got close, the chances of success weren't high.
But he had no worries.
Major Lee Hyena was the main act anyway, and Kim Seojun was merely a joker card.
If it worked, great; if not, nothing would really change.
Additionally, Kim Seojun secretly had another thought.
*It probably won't work, but...*
The possibility of failure.
In fact, from Kim Seojun's perspective, it was something he had never experienced before, an absurd act.
*This might work? It's definitely going to work?* Thinking like that would actually be a sign of mental instability.
“I’ll use a Stimpack.”
However, that thought vanished the moment he spoke those words and used the Stimpack; the syringe mounted on his Battle Suit's left arm burst forth as if exploding, plunging its needle directly into his left arm.
A slight sting was felt.
And then, the powerful drug created by a great scientist began to exert its potent effect.
*Ah.*
The moment the effect took hold, Kim Seojun could say:
*I'll definitely get it.*
He had absolute certainty about this hunt.
He couldn't help but have it.
Because it had stopped.
His world wasn't just slowing down; it was practically at a standstill.
That wasn't all.
Kim Seojun also had the ability called Red Light, which enabled Perfect Shot.
He couldn't help but be confident of success, and success soon manifested.
He didn't need many shots.
He fired four rounds, and at that moment, Kim Seojun achieved the result he desired.
*Pwoosh!* (Sound of something bursting)
The Fly-class Mogdog's head was destroyed, and Kim Seojun saw bullet-pulverized contents gush out.
Even that appeared slow to Kim Seojun's eyes.
It was around that time.
*What is this?*
Suddenly, Kim Seojun's world began to regain its speed, and from then on, Kim Seojun could feel it.
That his stamina was rapidly depleting.
It was quite surprising.
People felt tired after doing something big, but this was on a different scale.
His legs suddenly felt like jelly.
However, he wasn't surprised by this fact.
*…It wasn't free after all.*
Rather, he understood.
Considering what he had experienced, that miraculous moment, he found this to be a rather cheap price to pay.
This was around that time.
*Kung!* (Sound of a heavy thud)
Kim Seojun collapsed onto the cargo bed, and Private First Class Park Boseop, hearing the sound, exclaimed in surprise.
“Staff Sergeant Kim? Staff Sergeant Kim?”
“Just lost some strength. No big deal.”
At the ensuing reply, Private First Class Park Boseop’s eyes wavered.
To him, the news that Kim Seojun, his lifeline, had lost strength was not good at all.
Of course, Kim Seojun was different.
He let go of his tension here. He didn't worry unnecessarily.
The most troublesome Fly-class Mogdog had been dealt with, and the remaining Mogdogs numbered at most around thirty.
And they now had Major Lee Hyena, a Psycher, with them.
So now, Kim Seojun merely had to wait, and that wait soon ended.
Notifications rang out.
[Battle ended. Settlement begins.]
[All points doubled due to Mission Triggered.]
[Killed 473 Mogdogs. Acquired 976 points.]
[383 Mogdogs were killed with single shots. Acquired 1,532 points as One-Shot-One-Kill Bonus.]
[Achieved over 400 kills in this battle. Multi-kill Bonus of 800 points was awarded.]
[Killed a Fly-class Mogdog. 1,000 points were awarded.]
[It was the first time hunting a Special Individual. Gold Ticket was awarded.]
[Mission Conditions were met. Gold Ticket was awarded.]
Notifications poured in without cease.
However, Kim Seojun couldn't enjoy them.
More precisely, his mind was becoming hazy due to the rapid depletion of his stamina.
Additionally, the Stimpack Side Effects were rapidly setting in.
So, he had a feeling.
*I might pass out soon.*
Around that time
*Kung!* (Sound of a heavy thud)
A heavy thud sounded as something climbed onto the Military Truck, and immediately a voice was heard.
“Thank you, Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun.”
Major Lee Hyena’s expression of gratitude was evident.
Several thoughts crossed Kim Seojun’s mind at her words, but they didn’t last long.
He simply said,
“My condition isn't good right now. It wouldn't be strange if I passed out at any moment.”
Major Lee Hyena didn't question his words.
Rather, she understood.
Psychers, too, had to pay a price to achieve miraculous results using the Prophet's Relic.
*He was a Psycher after all.*
So, Major Lee Hyena was convinced that Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun was a Psycher with a concealed identity, and thus she said,
“Don’t worry and rest.”
Kim Seojun nodded at her words.
And he thought.
*I've avoided the worst.*
The situation had resolved itself.
Of course, things were still bad.
The Headquarters had been destroyed, a Queen now existed on Planet Amotia, and various nations were currently deploying their own operations to eliminate it.
For most, this would be enough to drive them insane.
Nevertheless, he felt good about having avoided the worst because, despite everything, he had joined forces with a Psycher, and that Psycher had recognized his capabilities as a full combatant.
A Psycher's value was different, so the Korean Space Force would surely move heaven and earth to rescue her.
This meant that if Kim Seojun stuck with her, he would be able to escape Planet Amotia, cross the Gate, and return to Earth, along with his reward.
*All sorts of things happen on the first day of enlistment.*
With a sigh of relief and a wry chuckle at that thought, Kim Seojun looked at the top of the helmet of the Battle Suit he was wearing.
He checked the time.
At that moment, his vision suddenly went black.
And when Kim Seojun opened his eyes again, he was inside a Bunker at a Supply Base. Private First Class Park Boseop, his face pale, said to him as he himself was taking off his Battle Suit.
“S-Staff Sergeant Kim! S-Something terrible has happened!”
Kim Seojun instinctively knew.
He thought he had avoided the worst, but that wasn't the case.
Private First Class Park Boseop’s expression was proof enough.
The fact that he said something terrible had happened instead of “Are you awake?” when he woke up meant something truly terrible had happened!
So Kim Seojun steeled himself.
He steeled himself not to be surprised, even if he heard something absurd.
He made himself as calm as possible, and to do so, Kim Seojun looked at his left wrist.
There, he saw the time on the Film-type Watch attached to his left wrist.
*Two hours have passed.*
To Kim Seojun, who had confirmed he had been unconscious for about two hours, and had steeled himself sufficiently, Private First Class Park Boseop said,
“Th-th-th-the *Gate* has been d-d-d-destroyed.”
The *Apocalypse* had begun on his first day of enlistment.