Chapter 1 …

Sssshhhhh—

It was a rainy day.

After leaving the bachelor’s quarters, Choi Lee-hyun brushed off the rain splashing onto his combat boots and walked into the barracks.

Some soldiers passing nearby noticed him and saluted.

“Loyalty!”

“Yeah. Loyalty.”

Lee-hyun accepted their salute and walked past.

“…Heh.”

A small snicker was heard.

Sharp, like a stab into Lee-hyun’s back.

He stopped for a moment.

But he couldn’t turn around and call the soldier out.

Because he knew that giving them a scolding wouldn’t solve anything.

Two-Shot Premature.

That humiliating nickname, which perfectly represented the closed nature of the military, belonged to Lee-hyun.

And Lee-hyun couldn’t deny it.

Lee-hyun wasn’t a Hunter, but an Awakened.

Unlike Hunters who grow stronger as they level up, Awakened people only gain limited system functions—mainly mana usage and slight physical enhancement.

Which meant they couldn’t grow stronger.

And even among Awakened, Lee-hyun’s innate mana amount was pitifully low.

If he fired a mana-stone rifle twice, he would be on the verge of fainting.

What nickname could describe him better than that?

On his way to the administrative office, Lee-hyun encountered several more soldiers and officers.

Each time, small—or sometimes blatant—sneers stabbed into him.

But Lee-hyun responded every time with a cheerful greeting and light jokes.

That was the way Lee-hyun dealt with them.

Creak—

When he opened the old door and entered the office, the battalion commander of the Azure Dragon Special Forces Battalion, Jung-hwan, was talking with Company Commander Seok-jun and Sergeant Major Dong-hyun.

In modern times, even special forces units were dedicated to fighting giant monsters.

Their manpower had been increased compared to before, so there were quite a few soldiers present.

“So what I’m saying is—”

“Loyalty, Battalion Commander! You’re here?”

Lee-hyun greeted him in a bright tone.

“Oh, Choi Lee-hyun’s here.”

But the moment Lee-hyun entered, the conversation stopped awkwardly.

The battalion commander, company commander, and sergeant major all stared at him.

It wasn’t common for both the battalion commander and sergeant major to come to the company office.

“Is something going on?” Lee-hyun asked.

Jung-hwan shook his head.

“No, no. Nothing. You know we’re going to the shooting range tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Right. Our battalion—no, the whole headquarters’ top ranker. Of course you do. The brigade will also be watching tomorrow. But they say it’ll rain.”

“No problem! I’ll hit every target!”

Lee-hyun nodded confidently.

Raindrops meant nothing to him.

If he shot—

He hit.

Jung-hwan smirked and patted Lee-hyun’s shoulder.

Then he asked, as if confirming something.

“Good. But… tomorrow you’ll still just be using a regular rifle, right?”

“…Yes.”

Lee-hyun nodded, his expression stiffening slightly.

After the Gates appeared, snipers in special forces—who were Awakened—mostly used mana-stone rifles, weapons bound to a single user.

Lee-hyun also used a mana-stone rifle.

But since firing only two shots completely drained his mana, he used a normal rifle during training.

“I see. Company Commander, I’m heading out.”

“Yes, sir! Loyalty!”

Seok-jun and Lee-hyun saluted as Jung-hwan left.

Jung-hwan waved casually and closed the door.

Seok-jun sat back down, looking awkward.

Trying to break the atmosphere, he spoke.

“So… any sign you might go beyond two shots yet?”

“Come on, sir. It hasn’t improved in five years.”

“…True.”

Why had he asked such a pointless question?

Lee-hyun couldn’t bring himself to ask.

* * *

Bang—! Bang!

The battalion shooting range.

One sniper from each platoon—twelve total.

Plus Lee-hyun, the battalion’s direct sniper.

Thirteen shooters.

Lee-hyun’s turn was underway.

The targets appeared randomly at 600–800 meters.

It was the maximum training distance—rarely used even by other snipers.

Lee-hyun had no spotter, so he had to locate targets with the naked eye before shooting.

But it wasn’t much of a problem.

The targets were shaped like monsters, so they stood out easily.

Inside the control room, Battalion Commander Jung-hwan and the brigade personnel officer watched Lee-hyun through binoculars.

Even the notoriously strict personnel officer couldn’t help being impressed.

“This is… unbelievable. Without a spotter.”

Jung-hwan replied stiffly.

“He shoots like a demon. Twenty years in the military and I’ve never seen someone like him.”

“I understand hitting targets from that distance even in the rain… but how are those monster targets falling over? With a normal rifle?”

The officer’s biggest curiosity was the monster targets falling with a 100% success rate.

Unlike regular targets that fell if a bullet hit properly, monster targets only collapsed if struck with enough force to actually kill a monster.

If other snipers used normal rifles—even at closer range—the targets probably wouldn’t fall.

“They’re realistic targets. If you hit the eyes with a normal rifle, they fall.”

“…What?”

The officer looked like he’d just heard a ridiculous joke.

Hit the eyes?

That meant Lee-hyun had hit the eyes of every target so far.

Was that even possible?

Yet while witnessing this miraculous shooting—

The surrounding snipers reacted strangely.

“Heh. The two-shot loser’s trying hard.”

“Does he think this will get him back in the field?”

“If he had any sense he’d resign himself.”

“Hey, whatever. It’s already decided anyway.”

Even spotters of lower rank openly mocked him.

Though rain was falling, it was loud enough for the shooter to hear.

The personnel officer frowned.

“Why are they acting like that?”

“Leave them. They already know. Soldiers pick up on things fast.”

“….”

The officer said nothing.

After all, both he and Jung-hwan were directly involved in the matter those soldiers “knew.”

“It’s a shame. If only that incident hadn’t happened.”

“Yeah. And it wasn’t even really his fault.”

Bang—!

Another shot echoed through the rain.

The monster target fell again.

Jung-hwan lowered his binoculars and looked at Lee-hyun.

Then he added quietly,

“Well… you could say it wasn’t entirely not his fault.”

A cursed mana capacity that allowed only two shots.

Even if it wasn’t technically his fault, being born with such a body was a kind of misfortune.

It happened one year ago.

Lee-hyun’s 2nd Platoon of the 1st Company had been dispatched to respond to an emergency at the “Tower with an Open Gate.”

Originally, the 1st Platoon was supposed to go.

If only their platoon leader hadn’t broken his leg playing soccer the day before.

Jung-hwan still remembered the conversation before they deployed.

“Hey, you sure two shots are enough?”

“Heh. As long as those two shots kill something, right? Don’t worry—we’ll all come back safe.”

It wasn’t impossible.

According to the advance observation team, the strongest enemy requiring a mana-stone rifle was a D-rank monster: an Armored Orc.

If Lee-hyun hit properly, they could return safely.

But that day—

The entire 2nd Platoon was wiped out.

Everyone except Lee-hyun, who had been sniping from the rear.

Bang—!

Like in training, Lee-hyun pierced the Armored Orc’s eye with one shot.

The mission seemed to be proceeding smoothly.

Then another Armored Orc appeared.

Bang—!

Lee-hyun killed it with his second shot.

After that, he was dragged away from the battlefield by the rear support unit.

He had nothing left he could do.

Should the rest of the platoon have retreated then?

Should they have retreated when the third Armored Orc appeared like a disaster?

No.

By then—

It was already too late.

The soldiers had confirmed civilians trapped inside the building.

So they didn’t retreat.

And they were helplessly slaughtered by a horde of orcs led by Armored Orcs that bullets couldn’t penetrate.

By the time reinforcements arrived and finished the battle—

Half the bodies were missing.

Some soldiers couldn’t even be found.

Lee-hyun personally confirmed the deaths alongside their families.

That was when Jung-hwan first learned that people could cry until they became dehydrated.

After that incident—

Lee-hyun’s position worsened even further.

Even before, other snipers had looked down on him as a half-baked Awakened because of his low mana.

Now his standing in the battalion was completely destroyed.

Perhaps the other snipers’ hostility was their own defense mechanism—

Because even with far more mana than Lee-hyun, they hadn’t been able to do anything that day.

Afterward, the 2nd Platoon was rebuilt with soldiers transferred from other units and new recruits.

Lee-hyun was removed and given a meaningless position as “battalion direct sniper.”

It was essentially a waiting post until he could be transferred elsewhere.

But every unit refused.

No matter how good his shooting was—

A sniper who could fire only two shots was useless.

Even with perfect accuracy, two shots were worth only two monsters.

It was better to have a sniper who could stall enemies longer.

And so—

One year passed.

Lee-hyun still could only fire two shots.

And a sniper without a spotter had no chance of going into the field.

The personnel officer shook his head.

“It’s definitely a waste… but like this…”

His skill was perfect.

If the world didn’t have towers spewing monsters everywhere, Lee-hyun might have risen to the top.

But “if” was a useless word.

The headquarters had already made a decision.

Maybe the military was never capable of handling someone that exceptional—or that flawed.

Jung-hwan picked up the microphone.

“Shooting finished. Shooting finished.”

It was time to end things.

* * *

The next day.

Lee-hyun was called to the battalion commander’s office.

Knock knock.

“Battalion Commander, Sergeant Choi Lee-hyun reporting.”

“Come in.”

The voice was stiffer than usual.

“Loyalty! Sergeant Choi Lee-hyun reporting as ordered!”

“You’re not a recruit, kid.”

Lee-hyun entered and saluted.

Jung-hwan gestured to the chair.

“Sit down.”

“Yes, sir!”

Silence followed.

Finally Jung-hwan spoke tiredly.

“This is awkward for both of us, so I’ll get straight to the point.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Leave the military.”

“….”

Lee-hyun froze with the same smile still on his face.

He had expected it.

He knew he wasn’t welcome anywhere anymore.

He knew he had no place left.

But he couldn’t nod immediately.

This isn’t just about me keeping my position.

He bit his lower lip.

He still remembered the faces of the platoon members who had accepted a sniper that could fire only two shots.

Not knowing that sniper would end up killing them.

Like fools.

“I… can still do it!”

Lee-hyun shouted, gathering every last bit of confidence.

“Yeah. You’re amazing. The best shooter we have, Sergeant Choi. No… Lee-hyun.”

Jung-hwan nodded.

In terms of shooting skill alone, Lee-hyun could easily rank first in headquarters—maybe even the entire military.

But what was the point?

He couldn’t actually use that skill.

“This is the end. Stop suffering and leave. It’ll be better for you.”

Jung-hwan clicked his tongue bitterly.

Truthfully, he also wanted Lee-hyun gone.

Since the incident, Lee-hyun had become a burden.

“….”

Lee-hyun said nothing.

“You’ll be on leave starting tomorrow. Go home. See your parents. Come back when you’ve decided.”

“….”

“Why aren’t you answering?!”

Lee-hyun clenched his fists.

Outside the military, an Awakened who couldn’t level up had almost no options.

At best—

He could work as a porter, carrying equipment near towers using his stronger body.

He wouldn’t even enter the tower.

Just move equipment.

A real laborer.

He hated the thought.

“Do you understand or not?! Answer me!”

But even if he stayed—

Was there really any solution?

Re-awakening was theoretically possible.

But Lee-hyun didn’t believe such luck would come to him.

“…Yes. I’ll take the leave.”

“Good. That’s a wise decision.”

Jung-hwan sighed in relief.

It felt like a burden had been lifted.

“But I’m not sure about leaving the military. If I can’t be in the field, I’d like to stay as an instructor.”

“You little—!”

Jung-hwan’s face turned red.

“That decision’s already been made by headquarters! Training focuses on mana-stone rifles—how would you be an instructor?! Either discharge or transfer to a normal unit!”

Jung-hwan was completely right.

But Lee-hyun couldn’t give up so easily.

He would endure as long as possible.

“Yes, sir.”

Jung-hwan added,

“You know retiring mana-stone snipers get their rifle as retirement pay, right?”

“I already bought mine with my own money.”

“…Oh. Really?”

That surprised Jung-hwan.

Mana-stone rifles were extremely expensive.

But since they were bound to a user anyway, Lee-hyun had emptied his savings to buy it earlier at a discounted registration price.

He had been proud of it.

He thought he would remain in special forces forever.

Since he bought it himself, he could keep it after discharge.

“Then you’ll get money instead. Anyway, you may leave.”

“I won’t be receiving it, sir. Loyalty!”

Lee-hyun saluted properly and left.

He went to the administrative office and opened the weapons locker.

Inside was the mana-stone rifle that had caused all this trouble.

“Why the rifle? Are you being deployed?” asked the duty NCO, fully aware Lee-hyun would never deploy.

“…Weapon maintenance.”

“Oh. Yes.”

Lee-hyun took the rifle and went back to his quarters.

It was still working hours, but nobody would look for him.

Even if they did… I’m basically discharged already.

His room was small enough that lying down filled most of it.

He had struggled here for over five years.

There were many memories.

Unfortunately, all the good ones were from before one year ago.

“Damn it… where did everyone go…”

The platoon leader who had celebrated getting promoted to lieutenant.

His spotter who ran out saying he’d bring everyone back alive.

The heavy weapons squad leader who dreamed of becoming a Hunter.

The rookie sergeant who had only just joined but shot pretty well.

“I miss you, sir… guys…”

Now they were all gone.

“If only I could have fired one more shot…”

His voice trembled as he stroked the rifle.

Just one shot.

That one bullet had cost dozens of lives.

Even Lee-hyun, who always smiled in the barracks—

Cried when he remembered their faces.

The reason he clung to the military was because of them.

He wanted to protect another 2nd Platoon someday.

Drip—

A large tear fell onto the mana-stone rifle.

“Damn… now I have to clean it again.”

Just as Lee-hyun tore a cloth to wipe the rifle—

FLASH—!!!

“Huh?”

A brilliant light suddenly filled the tiny room.

Lee-hyun recognized this light.

He had seen it once before.

When he awakened shortly after becoming a sergeant.

“N-No way… Re-awakening?!”

Lee-hyun shouted.

Could it really be the legendary re-awakening?

Did that mean he could finally grow stronger?

Was this the power of tears like in movies?

If only it had happened one year earlier…

“…Huh?”

But as Lee-hyun searched for the source of the light, he tilted his head.

If it was re-awakening, the light should be coming from his body.

But instead—

“Why… are you glowing?”

The one emitting the light—

Was his mana-stone rifle.