Chapter 34

Chapter 34

“His durability is not very good. Is he a Ranged Damage Dealer?”

Eunseong’s mutter left a clear impression on the Prospective Hunters in the cafeteria.

‘H-He is insane.’

‘If I mess with him for no reason, I will end up like that too. Urgh.’

‘That bastard is definitely a psychopath. I should not even make eye contact with him from now on.’

Most of the Prospective Hunters who had unconsciously harbored a competitive spirit toward Eunseong gave up on him entirely.

They had not expected him to mercilessly trample Park Gibaek, who had been famous on social media and short-form platforms.

In the midst of that, Eunseong did not particularly get angry, nor did he say a word. He merely tossed the ladle aside and began putting food on his tray, and that behavior chilled the Prospective Hunters even further.

An ordinary person could not commit such violence and then act as though nothing had happened.

Meanwhile, Ra Sihyeon was also considerably shocked after seeing Park Gibaek get smashed.

She had already witnessed bloodshed a few hours earlier, when Oh Taegwon’s Spirit Sword had been destroyed and his neck had been cut by an axe blade, but this time was different.

In Oh Taegwon’s case, it had taken the form of an official fistfight, but this time, there had not even been that much.

Eunseong was like a machine.

Even though he was beating a person, he looked less hesitant than someone crushing a bug underfoot.

Beyond cold-heartedness and cruelty, he seemed not to recognize his opponent as a fellow human being at all.

Ra Sihyeon realized it.

To Eunseong, an enemy was merely an obstacle that needed to be dealt with.

Thinking of it that way made her feel even more chilled.

If he had shown even the slightest trace of emotion, she would not have been this afraid. Yet he calmly tried to eat lunch.

Even Instructor Kim Sangeung had looked at Eunseong as though he was somewhat surprised.

‘Why did I do that? Hah.’

Ra Sihyeon bitterly regretted what she had done that morning.

She had openly ignored such a frightening person and even glared at him from time to time, so she could not see how she was supposed to handle the aftermath.

Moreover, Eunseong was a prospect whom the Defense Strategy Department valued even more highly than her, a Mage.

Ra Sihyeon recalled belatedly looking up an article where the Minister had mentioned Eunseong as “the friend I am most looking forward to,” and she shuddered.

She had ended up on uncomfortable terms with someone who had pushed even a Mage into the background, so every single second felt like sitting on pins and needles.

‘I have to get close to him. At the very least, I need to reach the point where that Big Brother does not dislike me.’

Ra Sihyeon roughly filled her tray with food and headed toward the table where Eunseong was sitting.

It required a little courage, but Ra Sihyeon had a degree of confidence that was not entirely baseless.

‘If I approach him first and treat him warmly, that Big Brother will definitely welcome me. I am a Mage, after all.’

CLACK.

Ra Sihyeon placed her tray across from Eunseong.

“……?”

Eunseong silently looked up at Ra Sihyeon.

“I came to…… eat with you.”

“I do not want to.”

“Why?”

Ra Sihyeon’s voice rose slightly, very slightly.

“Because I do not want to.”

“Is it because I acted rudely this morning?”

“No.”

Eunseong’s gaze turned to the food on his tray.

“Hmm. How is even the sushi good? Buffet sushi should not be able to taste like this.”

“…….”

Ra Sihyeon’s hands trembled from humiliation.

She had come all this way to get closer to him, yet he was evaluating the taste of his food while leaving her standing in front of him…….

“Big Brother, you are acting like this because I was rude this morning, right?”

“I believe I said no.”

“Then what is it?”

“Even if I told you, you would not understand. It is a reason you would not understand even if you died and came back to life.”

A strange smile appeared on Eunseong’s lips.

“What on earth does that mean?”

“Just accept it as it is. There are many cases where people do not need a reason to dislike someone.”

“Honestly, it is because of what happened this morning, is it not?”

“If thinking that makes you feel comfortable, then think that.”

“You are doing this on purpose, are you not? To stress me out…….”

Ra Sihyeon was about to argue, but Jeong Hobin came to the table with the team members.

“Uh…… we should go eat somewhere else. Haha.”

Jeong Hobin glanced around and spoke.

“Sit down.”

“Pardon?”

“It is not as though something is happening, so sit there.”

Eunseong pointed at the table with the tip of his chin.

“Ah, then……”

Jeong Hobin and the team members hesitantly took their seats.

“Then what about me?”

“Why are you asking me that? Sit wherever you want. Just do not sit in front of me.”

Eunseong tossed out the words and turned his gaze back to his tray.

Tremble, tremble…….

Ra Sihyeon’s body shook, but she did not dare open her mouth to Eunseong.

She did not want to end up in the same state as the people who had picked a fight with him.

***

After lunch, we went out to the outdoor shooting range and received firearms training.

It was training to learn how to use the weapons humanity had already been using: rifles, shotguns, handguns, grenades, smoke grenades, Claymore mines, and so on.

“Once you reach 5-Star, you will no longer need weapons like these. However, as all of you know, becoming a Hunter above 5-Star is extremely difficult. There are not even two or three in a single Cohort. So it would be best to learn them.”

Instructor Kim Sangeung swept his gaze over the weapons placed in front of him as he spoke.

Humanity’s conventional weapons did not work against monsters above 5-Star.

They could only be damaged through Ether.

The same applied to Hunters. 5-Star Hunters could lightly deflect bullets, and they could even endure a barrage of artillery shells raining down on them.

Once someone reached around 7-Star, it was no exaggeration to say that there was practically no way to kill them unless it was done by another Hunter or a monster.

However, as Instructor Kim Sangeung had said, becoming a Hunter above 5-Star was extremely difficult, so learning how to use conventional weapons was very important.

Even I, who had once been a 10-Star Hunter, used guns frequently as soon as I returned to the past.

“This training will proceed thoroughly centered on evaluation. Ah, is there anyone who does not need training?”

At Instructor Kim Sangeung’s question, I quickly raised my hand.

“Trainee Eunseong, you do not need training?”

“Yes.”

“Prove it.”

No sooner had Instructor Kim Sangeung spoken than I disassembled and reassembled the rifle, pushed three rounds into the magazine, and pulled the trigger toward the twenty-five-meter target.

BEEP!

When Instructor Kim Sangeung pressed a button, the target paper returned.

The exact center of the chest.

Inside a circle the size of a five-hundred-won coin, I could see the marks where three bullets had passed through.

“Your shooting skill is excellent.”

“Not at all.”

I meant it sincerely.

Even if I was rather good at shooting, there was no way I could compare to Instructor Kim Sangeung or my father, who had handled guns their entire lives.

“Continue, Trainee Eunseong.”

“Yes, Instructor.”

In order, I skillfully demonstrated various firearms, including a shotgun, a handgun, an anti-tank weapon, and grenades.

“He really does not need training. Hahaha……”

“He knows how to use all of them?”

“When did he learn all that?”

“Big Brother Eunseong is truly amazing.”

My team members could not stop admiring my demonstration.

In the middle of it, I saw Ra Sihyeon bite down hard on her lower lip, but I did not bother giving her my gaze.

“We have watched the demonstration of a skilled assistant instructor. Now, applause.”

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!

“Good work, Trainee Cha Eunseong. You do not need training.”

“You praise me too much. Then, please excuse me.”

“Where are you going, Trainee Cha Eunseong?”

“Did you not ask if there was anyone who did not need training?”

“This instructor asked if there was anyone who did not need training. I never said you could leave.”

Instructor Kim Sangeung grinned as he spoke.

‘I-I got tricked.’

I thought, Damn it! but it was already too late.

I had been careless.

I had forgotten the immutable truth that one had to listen to Korean all the way to the end.

“Then, Trainee Cha Eunseong, as a skilled assistant instructor, help your team members.”

“Haha……”

“Now, we will begin the training.”

Instructor Kim Sangeung flashed me a victorious smile and began explaining each weapon to the team members.

In the end, when practice began, I had no choice but to help Instructor Kim Sangeung teach the chicks.

Good grief, my fate…….

***

Still, teaching was better than receiving training I had absolutely no need for.

Bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang!

As expected of a Ranged Damage Dealer, Jeong Hobin shot fairly well, so there was not much for me to teach him.

Oh Taegwon was quite poor with rifles and handguns, but he showed aptitude for heavy weapons such as shotguns, machine guns, and anti-tank weapons.

The guy who looked like he had an Assassin Role Category was called Park Seokho. He was good at precise shooting one shot at a time, but his accuracy in mobile shooting while moving was terrible.

‘So they really are a Ranged Damage Dealer, a Warrior, and an Assassin.’

The amusing thing about Hunters was that their personalities and talents usually matched their Role Categories perfectly.

Of course, that was not true for everyone……

“I-I cannot hit even one shot.”

A young lady named Kim Seunghye seemed every bit like a Supporter, given how bad she was at shooting.

She was frightened and flinched with her whole body just from pulling a single trigger, so there was no way she would hit anything.

“If you shoot like that, you will not hit the target. Stay calm. Place the buttstock against your shoulder only this much, and hold the gun as if you are hugging it. If the recoil feels too heavy, you can lean forward a bit.”

“L-Like this?”

“Yes, that is right. In that position, hold your breath, and pull the trigger slowly, so gently that you cannot tell whether you are pulling it or not…… Do not think about it.”

BANG!

The bullet pierced through the exact center of the target’s chest.

“Huh? I hit it!”

“You did well. Practice while remembering that feeling as much as possible.”

“Yes! I will keep it in mind!”

“Ah, and even if you are a Supporter, you can still deal with monsters below 5-Star well enough, so you must not neglect shooting training. While supporting your allies, you can also add firepower, and depending on the situation…… In any case, train diligently.”

I hurriedly wrapped it up because I felt that I was talking for too long.

As someone who had once been a 10-Star Supporter, I seemed to have gotten slightly excited while teaching a fellow Supporter.

“Why will you not teach me?”

Ra Sihyeon approached and complained.

“Did you leave it to me?”

“Pardon?”

“I asked whether you entrusted your training to me.”

“Big Brother, you are the assistant instructor. Then should you not teach me too?”

“Learn from the instructor.”

“I do not want to. I want to learn from you, Big Brother.”

“I do not want to either.”

I flatly refused.

Why would I raise a tiger cub?

I had killed her, and I might kill her again.

“And you are good at shooting.”

“What makes you say I am good at shooting?”

“Do not pretend you cannot. I know you can shoot well.”

I was not just saying that. Despite being a Mage, Ra Sihyeon was a marksman among Marksmen.

I had seen her pull out a gun and use it naturally more than once when she ran out of Ether and could not use magic.

Even I acknowledged Ra Sihyeon’s shooting skills……

“Um, excuse me.”

Kim Seunghye cautiously cut in.

“I am not a Supporter……”

“Pardon? You are not a Supporter?”

“I am a Guardian……”

What was this supposed to mean……?

So she meant a tank?

“Seunghye, you were a tank?”

“Yes.”

“No way.”

“I-It is true!”

Kim Seunghye spoke as if frustrated, then suddenly picked up a handgun and aimed it at the side of her own head.

“I will show you.”

BANG!

Before I even had time to stop her, Kim Seunghye pulled the trigger toward her own head.