Chapter 1 : I want to be discharged

“This is the fifth time I’ve explained it here. The fifth time! Do you think it’s right to discuss re-enlistment with me?”

Lee Seong-han tapped the counter with his index finger.

3 hours and 51 minutes.

That was the time he had waited in line at the New Military Manpower Administration Center.

“Just a moment. You’re a male, right? Haha, it must be an administrative error. It’s been happening a lot lately.”

The staff member who finished his meal smiled warmly.

Tap tap.

The staff member sat down and sipped his coffee.

“Your name?”

“Lee Seong-han. Here’s my ID, discharge certificate, and military service record.”

“Lee Seong-han… Lee Seong-han. Found it. You awakened this time. It’s recorded in the data, too.”

“Yes, I’ve awakened.”

Lee Seong-han scratched the back of his head.

It was true that there had been a lot of controversy recently regarding awakened individuals avoiding military service.

But this is ridiculous.

Re-enlistment because he awakened?

He had never heard of such a law.

Even if it existed, it would only be an unjust law used during the Great War 30 years ago.

“Oh, this, we can take care of it-“

The staff member looked at the monitor and suddenly stopped.

He made a serious face.

“Wait a minute. Hey! Get the team leader. And everyone else!”

He called for additional personnel.

“What’s going on?”

“It applies to him.”

About a dozen people gathered around the monitor and started murmuring.

It was clearly not a normal process.

‘No way. It can’t be.’

His expression darkened.

Lee Seong-han’s.

And theirs.

“Mr. Lee Seong-han?”

The staff member spoke with the somber tone of a patriot who had lost his country.

“…You’ll have to go.”

Thud!

Lee Seong-han slammed his head on the counter.

This is the worst.

2025.

Former Army Sergeant, honorably discharged.

Currently unemployed.

Lee Seong-han.

27 years old.

He couldn’t believe it.

Re-enlistment!

Just discharged, graduated from college.

He thought a path in the job market was finally opening up.

“Sir, your iced americano is ready.”

“…”

“Sir?”

[You have awakened.]

Lee Seong-han stood frozen at the cafe counter.

“What the.”

“Sir. You need to take your coffee. Excuse me?”

[You have awakened.]

“I, I think it says I’ve awakened, just a moment.”

“Awakened? Sir. How about we settle the bill first before we talk?”

“Wait, wait, wait!”

He had suddenly awakened.

When he didn’t even want to.

Lee Seong-han acted as if the status window was a hallucination.

He even rubbed his eyes.

“Damn it, it’s not working.”

And took medicine.

“Call the manager! The medicine doesn’t work!”

And wrote a post on a community forum.

But reality was harsh.

None of it helped. He felt like a pig being dragged to a slaughterhouse.

Lee Seong-han opened his job window.

[『Unique Job』]

[<Competent Hunter>]

[Automatically performs all combat.]

[-Acquires additional traits and skills with each level up.]

[Increases favourability with superiors each time competence is demonstrated.]

[Acquires additional income for each monster kill.]

‘Discharge, I’ll definitely get discharged and go back.’

Ding.

[『Discharge Quest』]

[Accumulate achievements and get discharged.]

[Reward: Wish fulfilment]

[Failure: Permanent military service]

Let’s give it a try. It can’t get any worse anyway.

…

But why does this army seem different from the one I know?

It’s full of women.

On his first day of re-enlistment.

Lee Seong-han realized that he had come to a reversed world.
****

Cheorwon, considered the representative front line and the worst duty station in Korea.

Despite the prayers filled with the wholehearted devotion of the division’s troops.

The December temperature plummeted to a record low.

Below minus 20 degrees Celsius, and even further down to minus 30 degrees.

Falling like a stock market graph.

Moreover, a heavy snowfall due to an abnormal weather event occurred.

Snow that reached up to his crotch with every step.

“Lieutenant, when are we going to arrive?!?!”

“Stay still! You’re getting on my nerves.”

“Isn’t this forest too eerie?!”

“I can hear you, so please speak quietly!”

Despite such adverse conditions, Second Lieutenant Shin Chayul trudged forward, one step at a time.

They were breaking through the forest.

To hunt monsters.

Shin Chayul was now more experienced in fighting monsters than people.

Rustle

An echoing sound like a cold wind.

Shin Chayul raised her arm, bringing the platoon to a halt.

It’s close, it’s around here.

Where could it be?

“Front, 2 o’clock direction! Unidentified object detected!”

Shin Chayul raised her rifle.

A black outline visible in the tactical light.

It’s him.

The one we’ve been chasing.

Second Lieutenant Shin Chayul pulled the trigger of her rifle and shouted.

“Target found! Engage, engage! It’s a monster!”

“Fire!”

The platoon following her took cover behind trees and concentrated their fire.

The black outline, startled, retreated deeper into the forest.

“It’s moving! Maintain the encirclement!”

“”Yes!””

“1st Squad, follow me! 2nd Squad, move under Sergeant Choi’s lead!”

“Move!””

The soldiers split up according to the orders.

The platoon was hunting monsters that had naturally spawned in the wild.

A group emerging from a small-scale gate.

Unlike large-scale gates, there are no signs of their appearance.

This caused issues such as troop casualties and supply delays.

And what about their appetite?

Farm crops.

Cows.

Chickens.

They even eat people.

If they can’t eliminate them, it becomes the military’s responsibility, and ultimately, she could lose her position.

Shin Chayul clicked her tongue.

That can’t happen.

-This is Recon Team 1. We’ve found the target. Currently 500m ahead. 1 o’clock direction.

The recon team reported.

“Move.”

The squad members moved as they were trained.

They lay prone in the snow.

And slowly advanced!

A blurry shape could be seen in the distance.

The monster the platoon was tracking.

The target of this operation was right in front of them.

“Ribbit ribbit.”

Frog.

A large monster with a voracious appetite.

It eats and digests almost anything.

Right now, it was struggling to eat a partially destroyed White Tiger armored vehicle.

An enemy that has to stuff anything into its mouth, like a pelican.

“Move.”

Shin Chayul dispersed her troops.

Actively taking up firing positions.

Just like in the manual.

At Shin Chayul’s firing command, bullets rained down.

Thud thud thud thud─!

“Ribbit ribbit!”

However, regular bullets don’t work on the Frog.

Monsters, as invaders from another dimension, are difficult to penetrate with ordinary firearms.

The Frog jumped high.

“Target disappeared. Target disappeared!”

“It’s in the air!”

This is unbelievable.

“What?”

Shin Chayul raised her head and stared at the sky.

A greenish dot.

Something sparkling like a glow-in-the-dark object adorned the sky.

It’s the Frog.

This guy is a master of this kind of guerrilla warfare.

“This is driving me crazy!”

Shin Chayul’s jaw dropped, and she turned on her radio.

“This is Frog 1. Frog 1. We’ve lost the target.”

-HQ. Confirmed. Return to the assembly point. Be careful not to widen the encirclement. Over.

Having lost the mission target, Shin Chayul felt a throbbing pain in her head, as if it had been pricked by thorns.

It would be fine if it were a regular monster.

But a mutant!

It was like a bolt from the blue.

With the equipment currently supplied, killing it would be close to a miracle.

They needed a hunter.

An awakened individual, a new type of human!

“Attention! The platoon leader is asking a question, is everyone mute?!”

“Awakened Soldier Lee Seong-han!”

A soldier approached Shin Chayul, who was deep in thought.

A single wing on his rank.

An awakened soldier.

And a man at that!

A rare occurrence considering the unit’s gender ratio was 90% female.

The platoon leader glanced at the awakened soldier.

‘Lee Seong-han, that was his name.’

Their features were so distinct that she remembered them clearly.

“What is it?”

“I can kill it.”

“You can kill it? Did I mishear you?”

“No. I can kill it.”

The indifferent response caused a stir among the troops in the barracks.

“I will run there with these two legs and kill it.”

“That’s crazy. You’re going to take that on alone?”

“That’s right.”

The platoon leader chuckled, finding it absurd.

There’s no way he can take it on alone.

“Do you think it’s possible?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m invincible.”

“What.”

Regular weapons?

They don’t work.

Moreover, it’s a mutant.

In other words, an ‘irregular.’

Its specs were superior to even elite monsters.

It was difficult to handle with second-rate equipment.

‘But we can’t just leave it like this.’

She was lost in thought for a moment.

Lee Seong-han.

A new recruit recently assigned to the company three months ago.

She had read his field reports.

He was called a ghost for perfectly completing his missions.

His skills were undeniable.

There was also no one else she could trust and entrust this to.

Shin Chayul reluctantly nodded.

Alright, there’s no other choice.

“Follow me. I’ll prepare your gear.”

“Sir, yes, sir!”

Shin Chayul led Lee Seong-han out of the barracks and into the command post.

The inside of the barracks was hastily constructed, with snow occasionally blowing in, and the only heating was a cylindrical electric heater.

She approached the tactical map in the center and provided him with some data.

Lee Seong-han carefully examined the documents on the table.

Irregular Frog.

It was vastly different from a regular Frog.

Faster than a car.

Strong enough to chew even magic stone bullets.

And so relentless in pursuing its target that it wouldn’t let go once it had locked on.

Intelligent enough to playfully devour lives.

Those were its characteristics.

“Is it possible?”

“It is possible.”

Leaning against a pillar, Shin Cha-yul felt a surge of worry as soon as she heard his answer.

Could a man really be put into such a dangerous task?

It’s true that more male awakened individuals are being deployed these days.

But what could this greenhorn, who hasn’t even experienced the real world, possibly do?

“It’s not that I don’t trust you… But even the most skilled awakened individuals would struggle with standard-issue equipment.”

“Well, we won’t know until we try. Besides, I’m an honorary professor of the Hunter Department, you know?”

Lee Seong-han grinned, showing his teeth, and meticulously pieced together the reports.

“Let’s see… With this?”

Whoosh.

When some of the documents were overlapped at a certain angle, they emitted a bright light.

[Will you accept the 『Special Quest』?]

‘I’ll check it out.’

Slide.

The quest window expanded.

[『Special Quest』]

[Recently, an elite monster known as the ‘Irregular Frog’ has been dominating this area. Eliminate it before it causes more damage.]

[Reward: 30,000,000 won]

[Failure:]

Lee Seong-han grinned, finding it amusing.

“I’ll take that thing down. Perfectly.”

“Really?”

“Do you think this is my first time in the military?”

It was a no-brainer.

Lee Seong-han was sprinting through the forest with large strides.

With each step, snow shot up above his head.

‘Discharge, discharge, discharge, discharge, discharge.’

Lee Seong-han arrived at the forest to hunt the Frog.

He took a shooting stance and scanned his surroundings.

Dense trees.

The coordinates sent by the system were definitely here.

“I’ll catch you, and I’ll get discharged.”

Lee Seong-han grinned, showing his teeth.

The Frog could be a great help to his discharge plan.

It was a D-rank monster with the highest level of danger.

Its combat ability was also formidable.

If it were up to the civilian sector or freelance hunters.

It was a powerful foe that sometimes caused fatalities.

‘I’ll be rewarded according to the risk.’

Lee Seong-han caught his breath.

It meant he could shorten his discharge period that much more.

“Where are you~ Where are you~”

Lee Seong-han hummed as he scouted the forest.

All he could sense were small fries.

It should definitely be around here.

The system wouldn’t lie.

Rustle.

The sound of dry leaves being stepped on echoed from afar.

It didn’t matter if it was a wild animal.

The Frog had to eat anything to be satisfied.

It would be good to set a trap.

“…Found you. My discharge!”

Among the dry bushes.

He saw the Frog chewing on the remains of an armored vehicle.

‘Should I get some more information first?’

Lee Seong-han crouched down under a tree.

He hid behind the tree, out of sight.

It was cold, but it didn’t matter.

Roll…

A rubber tire, melting from the acid, rolled on the snow.

A sour, lemon-like scent.

The distinctive stench of strong acid.

Lee Seong-han was taken aback.

“It even learned acid abilities. First, I need to get rid of the acid gland in its throat.”

Lee Seong-han pinched his nose and reviewed his plan.

It was a foe that had only learned troublesome traits.

A high-intensity plan and preparation were needed.

Lee Seong-han pulled back the charging handle of his rifle.

‘Shall we give it a try?’

[Will you activate ‘Auto Combat’?]

“Activate.”

[Activating ‘Auto Combat’.]

[All engagements will proceed automatically.]

He lost control of his body, as if his senses were numbed.

[Upon elimination, discharge period shortened by 12 days.]

Discharge is approaching.

Lee Seong-han dashed out from behind the tree.

‘Kill. Kill. Kill!’

To be precise, his body was moving on its own.

With precise movements and posture, like a machine.

“Ribbit!!!”

The Frog spat out acid from a distance, opening its mouth wide.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

It was faster than most rifle bullets.

But that was irrelevant to Lee Seong-han.

As long as [Auto Combat] was active, defeat was not an option.

“Here it comes.”

Lee Seong-han slid to the side just in time.

Whoosh!

The acid missed.

The Frog roared, as if it hadn’t expected this situation.

Yes, just open your mouth a little wider.

‘I’ll get rid of the acid gland now.’

Everything was going exactly according to the planned scenario.

Lee Seong-han rolled forward.

Using the momentum of standing up, he threw his combat knife.

The knife hit the root of the tongue, severing it.

Along with the attached acid gland.

The tongue fell to the snow.

It emitted a large amount of smoke, melting the surrounding snow.

“Riiiiibbit!”

The Frog writhed in pain, curling its tongue.

But it was too late.

‘Now’s the time.’

Lee Seong-han identified the opening.

He quickly took a stance.

He took out his rifle, shouldered it.

Thud, thud thud thud─!

He fired in full auto.

The recoil was extremely reduced.

Pow pow pow!!!

The bullets pierced the Frog’s eyes.

The penetrating bullets lodged into the tree on the other side.

“Gwa, Gwaaaaack!”

The Frog, having lost its eyes and mouth, thrashed wildly.

The snow on the ground scattered.

A desperate struggle.

‘This is it.’

Lee Seong-han ran across the snow, crouching his upper body.

Whoosh!

He jumped and landed on top of the Frog. A foul stench rose up.

“Just die already! Shorten my discharge period!”

Lee Seong-han skillfully drew his combat knife from his waistband.

He plunged the knife into the top of the Frog’s head.

Whoosh!

Orange blood spurted out as soon as he stabbed it.

The brain was being fried.

“I’m glad I requested this from the higher-ups.”

Lee Seong-han wiped the blood splattered on his arm.

[Military Magic Stone Combat Knife (A)]

-A combat knife made by sharply cutting a magic stone. It shows excellent performance in any situation.

“Is it dead?”

The Frog, leaking brain fluid, stopped thrashing.

“This is Awakened Soldier. Target eliminated.”

****

-Yo, you actually caught that thing!

“I told you, Lieutenant. You know this will greatly reduce my discharge period, right?”

-Of course! I’ll write up the paperwork right away.

Lee Seong-han pulled out the knife embedded in the skull.

“Ugh, this is expensive.”

Only then did the Frog collapse, as if its energy was depleted.

[You have completed the 『Special Quest』.]

[Calculating earnings.]

[+30,000,000]

Honestly, I thought it would be easy if I kept going like this.

“You.”

“Yes.”

“You only do what you damn please.”

That was 5 hours before I got screwed.