Chapter : 46
Confrontation (2)
As expected of Jindotgae.
No matter how good a company Jindotgae was, there was a limit to how well they could treat a rookie who had no special advantages. It was obvious just from the conversation and atmosphere. Kang In-gyu had not yet shown any strengths.
His head must have been complicated—worrying about the future while also dealing with his current situation. An offer made at a time like this would be more effective than anything else.
Finding a chance to talk was easy for Su-hyeon. They had come here for security, but the members weren’t constantly on edge. Even Su-hyeon wasn’t completely certain about the situation; there was no way they could be either.
Sensors and sentries, huh.
They had placed sensors everywhere and stationed guards throughout the area in preparation for an attack. It was textbook security. Since they had no idea when an attack might come, their deployment followed the basics.
If things can’t be resolved here, the 1st Team somewhere nearby will probably come as reinforcements. Not bad.
He didn’t underestimate Team 1’s strength. The first team of a company like Jindotgae would undoubtedly possess formidable power—enough to handle an ambush on their own if things didn’t go wrong.
But…
The problem is we don’t know who the enemy is.
Team 1 were experts, but their specialty was the monsters of Planet Cameron. The attackers, on the other hand, were specialists in operations like this. Su-hyeon knew very well what kind of people those types were. They were used to dealing with powerful ability users.
“You look like you’re having a hard time. Want some help?”
“Huh? Ah—no, it’s okay.”
He couldn’t even make proper eye contact and looked intimidated. It was surprising to see him so cowed in front of a mercenary from another company—especially one smaller than his own. Unless someone was extremely timid, they wouldn’t behave like that.
How strange. This guy becomes that cursed sorcerer later on?
People’s personalities could change, but seeing someone so completely different from the rumors was still strange. Su-hyeon had imagined a cruel and powerful psychic.
But this…
“You must be exhausted. I’ll help you. Aren’t the others helping? From what I’ve seen, you’ve been handling all the chores alone.”
“Well… I’m the rookie.”
From fetching water to every other small task, Kang In-gyu was doing all the menial work. Yet there was no complaint on his face. He seemed to think it was simply something rookies had to endure.
“Even so, this is a bit much. Being a rookie doesn’t mean you’re not tired. If anything, it’s worse. And if a fight breaks out, rookies are the ones in the most danger. Jindotgae treats people pretty harshly.”
“N-no, it’s really fine.”
Afraid someone might hear Su-hyeon speaking badly about Jindotgae, Kang In-gyu looked around nervously.
“What’s that guy doing over there?”
“What do you mean ‘that guy’? Call him Team Leader.”
“He won’t hear from this distance.”
“I’m going to report you.”
“You disloyal bastard…”
“Disloyal? When I got punished earlier for nothing, did you run laps with me out of loyalty?”
Kim Chang-sik grumbled and shut his mouth. Su-hyeon still had the habits he’d developed when he was a rookie. Luckily he wasn’t around—otherwise the backlash would have come instantly.
Earlier, Jung Sung-jae, who had been punished for something trivial, had been glaring around, hoping to drag someone else into punishment with him if he could. Despite all the complaints, they were adapting quickly to the new system.
“But seriously… what is the team lead doing over there?”
“No idea. He must have some reason. He’s not someone who moves without thinking.”
“Talking to that pathetic-looking guy?”
“Well… maybe he’s gathering information like earlier…”
“From that pathetic guy? What could he possibly get?”
“Did I tell him to? Why are you asking me?”
“Because I’m curious!”
They basically trusted Su-hyeon’s actions, but none of them understood why he was being so kind to Kang In-gyu.
“By the way… who are you?”
“I’m the team leader from Uncle Joe Company. Kim Su-hyeon. Feel free to call me comfortably.”
“Huh? Team leader?”
Kang In-gyu looked at him again with surprise. He didn’t look much more experienced than the others, yet he was already a team leader. It was surprising—and a little enviable.
“Then you must be the healing ability user, right?”
“Has the rumor spread already?”
“Haha… news spreads fast about ability users. Especially after Team Leader Choi Jae-ho failed… people have been talking.”
In the end the mission had succeeded, but practically speaking Jindotgae’s Team 2 had failed. They had been forced to share what they wanted with another team instead of monopolizing it.
The circumstances had been unavoidable, but that didn’t erase the failure.
Apparently the company had been talking about it quite a lot if the rumor had spread this far.
“It probably won’t end in a day or two. If you’re having a hard time, tell me. I can help to some extent.”
“Th-thank you, but… people might notice…”
Kang In-gyu glanced at his teammates. Even this brief conversation seemed to make him nervous.
“Stop worrying about that. What crime are you committing by working? You were hired because you have ability and you’re getting paid. Jindotgae didn’t do you some grand favor. Work with your chest held high.”
The words were reasonable, but they didn’t resonate much with Kang In-gyu. Just getting into a company like Jindotgae—even at the lowest level—felt like incredible luck to him. Of course he’d feel intimidated and careful.
“I’m not very helpful anyway. I just hold everyone back. I should be grateful they even gave me a place.”
“Come on. I told you not to get discouraged. If they start harassing you over something like this, say it straight—‘I’m too disgusted to keep doing this.’”
Kang In-gyu chuckled quietly.
“And then what?”
“Go somewhere else. Do you think Jindotgae is the only company? If nothing else works out, we could take you in.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
“I’m not joking.”
“…What?”
“I’m not the kind of guy who jokes about that. If you get mistreated because I talked to you, that’s partly my responsibility. I have enough authority to accept you.”
“Ah… well…”
Kang In-gyu looked around awkwardly. It was unfamiliar for someone he had just met to show him such kindness.
“You don’t have to go out of your way and take a loss for me…”
“Take a loss? Do I look like an idiot? I’m not that kind of person. If I say I’ll take you onto my team, it’s because you’re worth it.”
I… have value?
“In-gyu! How long are you going to slack off over there?!”
“They’re calling you. Go. Think about what I said.”
“What did you say?”
“If it gets unbearable, just quit and leave.”
“Haha… thanks for saying that.”
Kang In-gyu hurried back to the others. Just from the way they treated him, it was obvious what his position in the team was.
A timid personality with no standout strengths. As a rookie, life must be hard—especially in a company like Jindotgae, where only the talented gathered.
If a few incidents happen, he might switch sides surprisingly quickly. But more importantly… what happened to him later?
What kind of experience could turn someone like that into a ruthless and cruel ability user?
Su-hyeon couldn’t even imagine.
“What kind of conversation went on for so long? Did you get any information?”
“No. I just laid some groundwork for recruiting him.”
“Recruiting?!”
“Lower your voice. If someone hears you, will you take responsibility?”
“No, but recruiting him? That guy? Does he have some hidden talent?”
“Who knows.”
“Still… why him of all people…”
“Enough of that. It’ll get dark soon, so let’s decide the rotation. We can’t stay here forever.”
The forest closest to the clearing belonged to Jindotgae. Uncle Joe Company had to move a bit farther to guard their assigned section.
“Are we splitting up for sentry duty?”
“No. I’ll stand watch alone. The rest of you stay in the clearing.”
“?!”
If they split up and someone got ambushed and killed, it would be troublesome. That was beyond what Su-hyeon could protect.
It was safer to keep everyone waiting in the clearing. If something happened, they would fight together with Jindotgae.
“You’re standing watch alone all night?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll rest in between.”
It wasn’t his first time doing this. Resting while staying alert for enemy attacks was as easy to Su-hyeon as breathing.
“I object, Team Leader.”
“I feel like we had this conversation before. Why is that, Park Su-yong?”
“There’s a limit to what one person can do. I know you’re excellent, but healing abilities aren’t omnipotent. We might be stopped before we can join you.”
Park Su-yong spoke logically. His face didn’t change much, but Su-hyeon could see the worry in his eyes.
He couldn’t ignore someone who stepped forward out of concern for him.
“Unless there’s a special reason, we should split the watch in the standard way—”
“There is a reason. If an attack comes, the standard method is dangerous. That works in the military, but this isn’t the military. There’s no one behind us ready to back us up. The ones who clash will have to decide the fight themselves. Who here is confident they can win a 1-versus-3 fight?”
Silence.
“We don’t know the enemy’s size, but they won’t be pushovers. To deal with enemies like that, it’s better to fight using our strengths. We brought power armor for a reason. Use it. Pour firepower while supporting each other.”
“Then what about the forest?”
“If we can defend it, we defend it. If we can’t, we don’t. Are you planning to block bombs with your body?”
His attitude seemed like he didn’t care about the mission, but strangely it inspired trust in the team members.
At least he wasn’t telling them to sacrifice their lives for the mission.
That matched their values perfectly.
“Don’t play heroes. Fight from an advantageous position. In the clearing with the others.”
“You still haven’t explained why you’re standing watch alone, Team Leader.”
“I can take a few hits and not die, right? It’s easier for me to move while healing myself than to run around healing everyone else.”
