Chapter 56

Wiiiiiiing—

One after another, the sirens blared. It was the warning alarm signaling the appearance of a real monster, not a training one.

“—Shit! What is this at such an important time! Because of some damn monster!”

“–If this happens, will the rest of the stamina evaluation schedule be automatically canceled?”

The audience gathered at the indoor training center began to stand up one by one and head toward the exit, muttering complaints along the way.

“Kueeergh… My helicopter….”

On the other hand, Park Won-hyeok was dazed, having lost his mode of transportation. Of course, with a Break nearby, it was expected that the helicopter would be wrecked. It was akin to encountering a typhoon in the middle of the ocean.

“Just because it’s a helicopter, why are you whining so much?”

“That… I bought it on full installment….”

“Oh my.”

Full installment was unavoidable. Ryu Jung-min truly sympathized with Park Won-hyeok, albeit inwardly.

“In this situation, don’t you think it would be better if you went and helped a bit? You don’t really have any place to go anyway, right?”

“What? Me?”

Park Won-hyeok shook his head vigorously in distaste.

“I have some sense. How can I do something like that. I’m not so odious a person to steal food from my juniors.”

“Ho ho, don’t take it so seriously. It was just a joke.”

Here, neither Ryu Jung-min nor Park Won-hyeok nor the guild staff leaving now had any intention of participating in this battle.

This was, after all, an issue that needed to be handled within Han-yul Military Academy. It was not a place for the guild to interfere.

Otherwise, the students might only glare at them for stealing their achievements. There was no need to invite trouble unnecessarily.

Thus, it was the right response to step aside quietly here.

“So, what are you going to do now? You obviously can’t call a taxi.”

“Ryu Jung-min, did you happen to come by car….”

“No.”

Ryu Jung-min quickly got up from the chair and headed toward the training center’s entrance. Park Won-hyeok trailed along behind him.

“Can’t you drop me off at least at your guild’s front? Hmm?”

“My car is small.”

“Then maybe you can use the trunk…!”

*

Regrettably, my name was on the duty roster this week. From now on, as a member of the initial response team, I had to take down the monster.

“Phew… Of all the times, why does the monster have to appear now….”

Certainly, Arna’s name was also included alongside mine. Following the combat ability evaluation, I had to work with Arna again.

We hurried to the situation room.

“Ah, how annoying. What’s this happening in the middle of the day?”

“Yo, I had to leave in the middle of eating.”

Already in the situation room, many students were gathered with their weapons at the ready, having rushed over upon receiving the dispatch order.

“By the way, who’s the overall coordinator today? Why is he not showing up yet?”

The students were looking around, trying to spot the commander, their expressions hinting at a desperate hope that it wouldn’t be some troublemaker.

“Uh-oh…”

But alas, that wish was thoroughly dashed. Just then, a man entered the situation room.

Slim and wiry, with heavy dark circles under his eyes, and scruffy hair…

Han Yoomin, an instructor from the technical department, had arrived.

“–Damn. Of all times, Han Yoomin…”

At the news that Han Yoomin would be the overall coordinator, the students groaned in chorus.

All were aware that he was utterly incompetent.

“Ah… Why do these situations happen during my shift…?”

The battle hadn’t even started yet, but Han Yoomin had already begun sweating. Somehow, he seemed more nervous than the students themselves.

Even though he wasn’t going to enter the field anyway.

“O, O, Operator…! Bring over the past records…! Quickly…!”

Still, eager to play the part of the commander, Han Yoomin shouted loudly, calling the Operator.

He had started to conceive a plan.

“So, what kind of monster appeared this time?”

At Arna’s question, I scanned the situation room. On the status board, I found the text “CODE : 61.”

“Code 61 Jaggan.”

“Jaggan… A C-grade monster.”

Relieved, Arna sighed. It was something to be grateful for. If a high-grade monster had appeared after Han Yoomin, it would have been an insolvable challenge.

“We shouldn’t take too long with this.”

But even though it was an easier monster to handle, it would be unwise to relax completely, since the factor of mutation remained to consider.

Keeping that in mind, our coordinator should design an appropriate strategy.

“Eh? You mean to proceed as planned?”

“W, W, W…! What, what, what’s the problem…!”

Judging by the looks of it, that expectation seemed quite hopeless. The operator’s face, who was exchanging information with Han Yoomin, didn’t look good.

“Things like terrain and the overall situation are quite different from the previous instance. Just because the monster happens to be the same, it’s inappropriate to directly apply last year’s data.”

“Y, Y, You! What do you know to dare command me…! You are merely a student!”

“That’s not a command, but…”

“Sh, Sh, Shut up…!”

Perhaps because it was just before the fight, Han Yoomin was already in a highly sensitive state. Waving his arms, he yelled.

“Y, Y, You are not the overall coordinator here! That’s me…! I’ll make the call myself…!”

“But…”

“S, S, Since you are an operative, stay quietly at your computer! Stop your unwarranted interference!”

There are some people who yell loudly merely to avoid exposing their incompetence. Han Yoomin was exactly such an individual.

“You being loud unnecessarily and showing your temper—there’s no difference from a Chihuahua.”

“Yes, my apologies. It was inappropriate of me to overstep.”

On the contrary, the student seemed more mature. The operator bowed his head once and returned to his seat to resume his operator duties.

“Really? Even though it’s written right there in the data, why do you insist on the tougher route…?”

Rather, there are indeed cases where authority is entrusted directly to the students on site when things get ambiguous. But perhaps due to a self-respecting sense of pride as an instructor, Han Yoomin seemed intent on commanding the plan himself.

Ding—!

Soon, the smartwatch buzzed. The data related to this battle had arrived.

“D, Everyone, please reference the Playbook at Slot 1!”

Playbook. It’s a compressed file that provides detailed information on monsters, specific tactics, situation-specific action guidelines, formations, and more, all easily accessible even on the field, via smartwatches.

“Eh? Is this the strategy for this mission?”

Arna looked briefly at the smartwatch, widened her eyes, and instantly furrowed her brows.

“This is exactly the same tactic we used last summer! You plan to implement the exact same strategy used in the mountainous area into the urban area?”

Arna shook her head in disbelief. The nearby students reacted similarly.

I felt the same way.

“Really, it’s ridiculous.”

Let’s set aside the reference to the data as plausible. But copying and pasting it completely was beyond imagining.

He could at least show the effort to change a few words here and there, right?

Han Yoomin was even more incompetent than I thought, recalling memories of my military days vividly.

We had those types too. Remember that one time when a newly transferred Corporal attacked the female soldiers’ lounge without cause? His actions were unprecedented.

What he did was even more astonishing. All he did was press his nose and rub his face into the cushions and blankets inside the lounge.

Unfortunately, he got caught red-handed by an officer from the Division Personnel Department.

What happened later? Well, you can guess.

That Corporal was dishonorably discharged.

“Um…? What are you thinking about alone…?”

“Nothing.”

In any case.

What I want to say is…

this world is filled with too many utterly useless individuals who cannot even handle the basics.

Schools, the military, companies—it’s always the same. There’s always at least one in every place.

Han-yul Military Academy is no exception.

“Wait…! Where are you going now? We’re going into battle soon!”

Ignoring Arna’s call, I headed toward the area where the situation room equipment was located. I took my seat in front of the computer.

“Hmm, it’s a program I haven’t seen before.”

Everything was unfamiliar to me. I decided to experiment a little by poking around to get familiar with it.

“Eh? Hold it! What are you doing manipulating things without permission?”

At that moment, the operator rushed over, catching me tampering with the computer equipment. He pulled my arm forcefully.

“You can’t just mess with that. Something major could go wrong! Get out!”

“I’d like to use Playbook Slot 2.”

“Huh?”

At the mention of the Playbook, the operator relaxed his grip. With wide eyes, he questioned me.

“Why the sudden interest in the Playbook?”

Touching the Playbook also implied modifying the operation. Furthermore, it meant not complying with the order issued by Han Yoomin.

I turned my gaze to Han Yoomin, who was far away and wiping his sweat nervously. The operator followed my gaze to Han Yoomin.

“There are some who have nothing but overinflated egos without any competence.”

“…”

“Working under such incompetent supervisors is a painful experience, I think.”

I know; I’ve experienced it firsthand. I’ve encountered many during my career—PDs who are too busy offloading tasks and company heads who are uninterested in the company’s affairs. I always had to work hard for them and tried to please them endlessly in front of others.

It was unavoidable. This was my job, my lifeline, so how could I speak up? I had to follow if they gave me an order.

It was the fate of an obedient subordinate.

But.

At least here, I didn’t want to be like that. I didn’t want to be pushed around by someone incompetent.

Why should I follow the clumsy orders of someone above me? This isn’t my job or my lifeline.

I didn’t really have anything to lose, so I decided to act as I please, intending to set things right.

“So, what do you plan to do?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to have at least some form of insurance in case of any situation?”

“Insurance…”

It’s not like I planned to change the entire operation. I simply wanted to prepare something secretly, which I could do without Han Yoomin’s permission.

“What do you need me to do?”

The operator, sensing my intentions, started to sparkle his eyes. It was a sign that he would cooperate with my game.

I said to the operator,

“I’d appreciate it if you could get the data of Code 35 Marquseas for me.”