Chapter : 10
Battle (2)
Hearing Suhyun’s words, Park Sooyong nodded with a dazed expression. He still hadn’t fully regained his senses. After a moment, when he realized what had just happened, Park Sooyong’s face flushed with embarrassment.
“…Thank you. I owe you one.”
“No problem.”
If he had been in his usual state, he would have started with curses and gone on a thirty-minute scolding tirade, but right now, he neither could nor had the time.
“Are all the monsters dead?”
“Yes. I checked everything.”
“Good work. Then, we’ll move again as planned. Team Member Kim Suhyun, is there anything else I need to take note of?”
“No. But how’s that power armor? It seemed like it wasn’t moving earlier.”
“I think I just handled it poorly. It’s fine now, so don’t worry.”
“Uh… that’s not really it…”
Suhyun didn’t know exactly how skilled Lee Sohee was with power armor, but judging from what she had shown, it didn’t seem like she couldn’t operate it properly. The earlier momentary stop was likely due to the Black Bear’s chronic mechanical issues.
Ideally, he wanted to stop the power armor now and perform some quick maintenance. Since the pilots of the Black Bear had struggled with this outdated power armor for so long, they all knew a few practical tricks for repairs that could be used in the field.
“Not now… I’ll have to do it secretly later.”
“Move out. Everyone, form up.”
No one was ignorant enough to remain on the battlefield, surrounded by monster blood, corpses, and noise. Everyone quickly packed up and prepared to move.
While moving, Suhyun could feel the team members’ eyes on him. It was different from how they had looked before.
Previously, their gaze had been like that of someone looking at a clueless rookie. Now, it was a mix of awe and admiration. No one spoke it aloud since Suhyun was officially still a rookie, but everyone knew.
How incredible Suhyun had been in the battle just now.
A rookie fighting for the first time didn’t flinch even once, managed the situation, and even took care of others. Naturally, it was astonishing.
“You’re really a first-timer?”
“Why do you ask that all of a sudden?”
“No… It’s just… you’re amazing. Did you get kicked out of special forces training, or maybe expelled from a military academy or something?”
‘This guy is unnecessarily perceptive.’
“No, none of that. And if I had that kind of background, I’d certainly say so. Why hide it?”
“True, that’s fair.”
Kim Changshik nodded in agreement. Such a background was advantageous, not harmful, so there was no reason to conceal it.
“But still, we fought all that and got nothing. Feels a bit unfair. Even the bullets cost money, you know?”
“If you want to earn income from hunting monsters, you have to commit to it from the start. Wandering halfway won’t get you anywhere. Even with the Hell Crocodile earlier, if you hunt recklessly, you won’t get the hide, right?”
“Right. True. How about the meat? You can eat it, right? I’ve heard monster meat can sell for a good price.”
“The meat from the Hell Crocodile isn’t particularly special. Connoisseurs don’t go looking for it.”
“Aw.”
“Although sometimes people do seek it out…”
“Oh? Why?”
“There’s a rumor that the meat is good for virility. I’m not sure if it’s true, though.”
“!”
“Really?”
One of the team members walking behind perked up and asked after hearing that.
“If that’s the case, you should’ve said it earlier!!”
“No, I said it’s just a rumor.”
“Even a rumor counts!”
“Wait… you mean you’ve already…?”
“What? No! I’m still full of energy!”
As Suhyun’s gaze went downward, the team member jumped and protested.
“Keep your voice down.”
“S-sorry.”
Lee Sohee’s words ended the conversation for the moment, though the team member kept licking his lips, clearly disappointed at missing out on Hell Crocodile meat.
Before long, it grew dark around them. The jungle naturally blocked much of the light, but the team could still estimate the time. Stopping at a suitable spot, Lee Sohee ordered them to camp.
“We’ll stop here for today.”
“Ughhh…”
At Lee Sohee’s command, the team sank to the ground groaning. After marching through the jungle and fighting monsters along the way, they were understandably exhausted. Thanks to their conditioning, they could handle it, but untrained people would have collapsed immediately.
“You okay?”
“Huh? I’m fine.”
Suhyun answered while observing Kim Changshik’s bewildered expression.
“Really… amazing. How do you adapt so quickly? Is it because you’re young? You said you’ve been moving around here since you were little. Did you eat something weird or something?”
“Don’t make me sound like a freak.”
“No, I’m serious. You and Team Leader Lee Sohee look like the most normal ones here. She’s in power armor, so that makes sense, but you’ve been running on foot just like us.”
“Maybe it’s because I’m the youngest. I’ll fetch some water.”
There was a small water source nearby. They had already checked it with a tester to make sure it was safe. Seeing the others tired, Suhyun decided to fetch water for them.
“Hand it over.”
“?”
“I’ll get it. You rest. You might not feel tired now, but you will later. Don’t push yourself and collapse.”
Park Sooyong took the canteens from Suhyun and walked to the water source. Suhyun stared at his back in disbelief. Kim Changshik chuckled quietly.
“Sooyong’s embarrassed. Think of it as his way of saying thanks.”
“This isn’t like we’re teenagers…”
“Shh. If he hears you, he’ll get mad. Just accept it quietly.”
There was no reason to refuse kindness. Suhyun sat down and unpacked. The others did the same.
‘Wait, this is strange.’
Before, Suhyun had the advantage of rigorous combat conditioning, enhancement surgeries, and being a psychic. This kind of forced march would have been nothing.
Now, without psychic advantages aside, all those benefits were gone. Even though he had trained since his teens, his body was still far from fully developed, and the surgeries hadn’t been applied.
No matter how experienced, experience alone has limits. He should feel some fatigue. Yet, he didn’t feel any.
Suhyun’s worry ended when Park Sooyong tossed him the canteens.
‘No fatigue is good… don’t overthink it.’
There were more important things to focus on. The campsite was already guarded with motion sensors and sentries, but that wasn’t enough for Suhyun.
‘I’ll use psychokinesis to set up wires among the trees.’
Motion sensors detected approaching monsters and alerted the explorers and mercenaries on Cameron planet. But they weren’t perfect. They couldn’t distinguish threats from harmless movements, so sometimes they failed.
Suhyun’s psychic ability was psychokinesis. Not very strong, but precise. He had long used it cleverly.
Thin wires set up psychokinetically around the camp would break naturally if someone entered, alerting Suhyun. It was more sensitive than motion sensors and ensured safety.
‘Huh?’
Previously, a single swing would make the wires move like snakes. Now, the wires kept breaking.
‘Is it because it’s been a while?’
Suhyun tried again. After several failed attempts, he finally set the wires around the camp.
‘I can’t believe I’ve gotten this rusty… embarrassing.’
After returning to the past, he hadn’t properly used psychokinesis in a long time. He thought he was just rusty.
“Your turn.”
“Yes, sir.”
Even before being woken, Suhyun was already awake. If he decided a time to get up, he could do it precisely. His control over his body was almost superhuman.
‘No one’s watching, right?’
Suhyun looked around. What he was about to do would be troublesome if seen.
Click-
It had been a long time since he sat in a power armor cockpit. He felt both nostalgic and irritated—love-hate, perhaps the most accurate term. He had crossed death countless times in this deathtrap.
‘Come to think of it, the people who made this will just pay fines and get off again, won’t they?’
Even before the incident, the creators had faced little punishment, infuriating the Black Bear pilots. They had almost died multiple times due to malfunctions, yet the culprits had only received light punishment.
Suhyun opened the control panel and fiddled with some circuits. He disabled unnecessary functions to stabilize power supply. The power armor couldn’t stop in the middle of operation; otherwise, it would be just a useless scrap of metal.
“Phew. Done.”
The immediate measures were complete. The Black Bear wouldn’t operate perfectly, but it was unlikely to halt during this mission.
