A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 444

Chapter 86: Bitter Cold (5)

Even though it was only 5 PM, the sky was darkening. The wind, blowing straight on, was biting with an icy edge.

Thump!

The battalion commander got out of his military vehicle, a Retona, and closed the door.

He placed a cigarette between his lips, observing the soldiers resting behind him.

‘The wind is really strong.’

The lighter kept failing to ignite.

The battalion commander shielded the lighter with his hand, blocking the wind as he finally lit his cigarette.

Ssssh. Whoooo.

White smoke puffed from his mouth.

The smoke danced on the wind and rose into the sky.

As the nicotine entered his system, his thoughts, previously hazy, began to sharpen.

The battalion commander, smoking, glanced towards the mountain that was their planned campsite, then turned back around.

He surveyed the soldiers who were sitting and resting.

‘I hope nothing goes wrong.’

A sigh mingled with the cigarette smoke.

The battalion commander was up for a promotion review this year.

His current rank was colonel.

Three rose of Sharon insignia adorned his shoulder and combat cap.

But if he got promoted, the insignia would change.

To a sparkling star.

No one else knew how desperately the battalion commander desired the rank of brigadier general.

Who wouldn’t want a promotion?

But in the battalion commander’s case, he craved promotion more intensely than other officers.

Among his close military classmates,

he was the only one who hadn’t yet earned a star.

Even being a colonel was a significant achievement, but the human mind is restless and easily dissatisfied.

He couldn’t help but compare himself to his peers.

‘If I don’t get promoted this year, it’s over. I must get promoted.’

Tap! Tap! Tap!

The battalion commander flicked the ash from his cigarette with his finger.

He stamped out the embers with his foot.

Instead of discarding the cigarette butt on the ground, he returned it to his cigarette pack.

“Battalion Commander.”

The operations officer approached the battalion commander and addressed him.

The operations officer’s name was Kim Kang-san.

He wore glasses and excelled at his job, leading the battalion commander to call Kang-san “Smarty” in private.

“Yes? What’s wrong?”

“I wanted to give you a brief report before we reach the campsite.”

“Go ahead.”

“We are scheduled to arrive in one hour. And……”

“Skip the obvious and tell me what I’m most interested in.”

The battalion commander urged him to get to the point.

“Then should I start with that?”

“Yes. That.”

“Regarding the march, the performance is significantly better than last year’s winter training or commando training.”

Kang-san continued with a broad smile.

“There hasn’t been a single dropout. Not even soldiers who abandoned their packs.”

“Huh? Are you mocking me right now?”

The battalion commander frowned.

Considering the number of soldiers and the challenging course, it seemed impossible that there were no dropouts.

Not even one who abandoned his pack?

“How could I mock you, Battalion Commander? I’m simply stating the truth.”

“I’ve been in the military for decades, and this is unprecedented.”

“It may truly be a historic event.”

Kang-san chimed in.

Marching is no easy feat.

Carrying a 20-kilogram [44 lbs] pack on your shoulders.

Walking almost the distance of a marathon.

And navigating up and down hills along the way.

Normally, at least 40 people would collapse during such a march.

“No one injured or hurt?”

The battalion commander asked, concerned.

Regardless of the impressive march performance, the absence of injuries was crucial to him.

Because it directly impacted his promotion prospects.

If any of the soldiers were seriously injured or died, his promotion would be out of the question.

“Fortunately, no one is. The medical company commander seems to have played a significant role.”

“The medical company commander? He’s a good man, of course, but there’s no need to praise him so excessively, is there?”

The battalion commander scoffed.

The medical company commander’s primary role during the march was simply to follow the column in an ambulance.

“The medical company commander went back and forth between the head and tail of the column throughout the march. He probably walked three times as far as the others.”

“Really?”

“Yes. And that’s not all. He meticulously attended to soldiers who reported pain or discomfort during breaks.”

Kang-san continued enthusiastically.

The most remarkable thing was that the soldiers who spoke with the medical company commander seemed to regain their energy.

And completed the march.

“There was a soldier with severe flat feet.”

“Of course, there would be.”

The battalion commander nodded.

People these days may not realize it, but in the past, individuals with severe flat feet were sometimes exempt from military service.

Because if walking is difficult, completing training properly becomes a challenge.

Normally, the arch of a person’s foot absorbs shock,

but in the case of flat feet,

the sole of the foot is flat, forcing them to endure the full impact transmitted to the sole.

“But after the medical company commander touched his feet a few times, that guy suddenly started walking normally.”

“Ah… isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?”

“It’s true. I saw it with my own eyes.”

Kang-san raised his voice, as if feeling unjustly doubted.

Even so, the battalion commander couldn’t simply take Kang-san’s word for it.

It’s not as if he’s offering a saint’s testimony.

Why is he making such a fuss about a flat-footed patient suddenly walking well?

There must be another explanation.

“Anyway, no dropouts and no injuries, right? But you know……”

“Yes, Battalion Commander.”

“I’m concerned that things are going too smoothly from the start. I’m afraid there will be an accident at the training ground. There’s a saying that easy success breeds complacency, right?”

“If the medical company commander is present, it’ll be alright.”

“Are you starting a fan club for the medical company commander or something?”

“Would you join if I created one?”

Kang-san asked, his tone serious.

That probably indicated that Jun-hoo was indeed trustworthy.

“I hope he performs as well in the training ground as he did on the march……”

The battalion commander muttered, gazing up at the sky.

* * *

“Company Commander. Thank you so much.”

As Jun-hoo walked past the soldiers, one of them spoke to him.

It was the soldier who had been suffering from flat feet.

The soldier hadn’t shown any signs of pain throughout the march.

However, Jun-hoo noticed that he removed his combat boots and massaged his feet during every break, prompting Jun-hoo to approach him.

Upon examination,

the soldier had severe flat feet.

It was so pronounced that a ruler placed on his foot would form a straight line.

The problem was that even with his inner energy [qi or vital energy], Jun-hoo couldn’t permanently correct the soldier’s flat feet.

What should he do?

Should he ignore the soldier’s pain, despite feeling sympathy?

After careful consideration…….

Jun-hoo decided to use martial arts instead of inner energy for the first time in a while.

Among the martial arts, there were Reverse Bone Art and Tendon Strengthening Art.

These techniques temporarily altered the position of bones and muscles.

“Relax and stay still.”

Jun-hoo used a modified version of Reverse Bone Art and Tendon Strengthening Art on the soldier’s sole.

He subtly reconstructed the position of the bones with his fingers.

In doing so, he artificially created the arch of the foot that should have been there.

With the arch restored,

the soldier was overjoyed that he could walk much more comfortably.

“Thanks to you, Company Commander, the march was much easier.”

A smile spread across the soldier’s face as he expressed his gratitude.

Jun-hoo smiled in return.

“Your flat feet haven’t been completely cured. I’ve only temporarily created the arch.”

“……”

“If you experience difficulties during training, or on the return march, come find me again. Understood?”

“Yes, Company Commander. But I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“How did my flat feet improve just by you touching them?”

“You’ll get hurt if you know.”

Jun-hoo ended the conversation with a joke. He passed the soldier and headed towards the front of the marching column.

Thanks to meticulously examining the soldiers.

And using ‘Inner Energy Replenishment’ on those who appeared on the verge of collapse.

The march proceeded without a single dropout.

The Mana Circle also played a crucial role in enabling him to use Inner Energy Replenishment without reservation.

With only the inner energy in his dantian [energy center], he wouldn’t have been able to use Inner Energy Replenishment on dozens of people in such a short time.

‘Should I thank Kyung-soo?’

It was Kyung-soo who provided the key to the Mana Circle.

He borrowed the concept from the fantasy novel Kyung-soo was reading.

1) Accumulate inner energy in the heart instead of the dantian.

2) Since the heart isn’t an empty space, store the inner energy in multiple layers of rings.

If Jun-hoo returned to the Murim [martial arts world] and shared the concept of the Mana Circle, it would cause a revolution.

Even those whose dantians were destroyed would be able to learn martial arts again.

He knew it was selfish,

but Jun-hoo wished he could return to the Murim with the knowledge of the modern world.

Then he could save more people.

The most prominent person who came to mind was Gaegeolchwi.

Gaegeolchwi was the leader of the Beggar Clan, a group of beggars.

He had been complaining of headaches for a long time,

and in his later years, he even caused a commotion within the Beggar Clan, accusing them of planting a Gu [poisonous insect or parasite used in black magic] in his head.

However, now that Jun-hoo considered it, Gaegeolchwi must have had a brain tumor at that time.

The tumor’s growth, pressing on surrounding blood vessels and nerves, must have been mistaken for a Gu attack.

If Jun-hoo had been in the Murim at that time,

he could have treated Gaegeolchwi effectively…….

But the desire to return to the Murim was merely wishful thinking.

Just as he remembered the Murim in the modern world,

there was no guarantee he would remember the modern world in the Murim.

Most importantly,

the fact remained that Jun-hoo in the Murim had died alongside Jeokildo.

Since he was dead, there was no way to return to the Murim.

‘But what if he had survived?’

Jun-hoo made a bold assumption.

What if the Murim Alliance had noticed his reckless attack and sent reinforcements?

Wouldn’t they have urgently treated the wound on his chest?

It was an extremely self-centered interpretation, but

an eccentric hermit might have treated him.

Cheongyasan, considered Jeokildo’s base.

There was a rumor that Hwasin, a disciple of Hwata [legendary Chinese physician], resided in Cheongyasan.

If he had been treated in the Murim, lost consciousness, and then arrived in the modern world,

wouldn’t there be a possibility of returning to the Murim the moment he regained consciousness?

Jun-hoo entertained such an interesting fantasy for a moment.

Whether it’s the modern world or

the Murim, it doesn’t matter.

I will do my best to care for the sick wherever I am.

Jun-hoo, having sorted out his thoughts, took out his cell phone from his field jacket pocket.

The phone number was already dialed on his phone.

It was Si-hoo’s number, which he had obtained from Kyung-soo, a number more than 10 years old.

It had once been saved on Jun-hoo’s cell phone but was deleted after ‘that incident’.

According to Kyung-soo’s information,

luckily, Si-hoo’s old contact information remained in the old emergency contact list. It seemed to have been kept for alumni reunion purposes.

But even after finding the phone number,

Jun-hoo hesitated to make the call for a full 4 hours.

He didn’t know what to say.

‘There’s no point in delaying it any longer. I have to face it sooner or later.’

Jun-hoo bit his lip and pressed the call button.

Ring, ring, ring.

The dry ringing tone, without a ringtone, continued for a long time. The fleeting moment felt stretched like a rubber band.

-Hello.

Finally, a man answered the phone.

It had been so long since he had heard Si-hoo’s voice that he couldn’t immediately identify the speaker.

However, the man’s voice was a low baritone.

Strange noises filled the background.

“Is this Lee Si-hoo’s cell phone?”

Jun-hoo cut straight to the point.