Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 84

Training (4)

“Stand straight! Stand straight!” The voice coming through the gas mask sounded a bit muffled and hoarse.

“Get in position. Stand properly.”

“Heads up! Look forward!”

“Keep the spacing right! Match your toes!”

The shouts coming from all directions were deafening.

Kang Jin-ho stared with curious eyes at the small CS gas canister that the drill instructor sitting in front had placed on a hot plate.

Chemical, biological, and radiological (CBR) training.

It was training to prepare for when the enemy used biochemical weapons, they said.

‘Is it like poison?’

It was difficult to accurately grasp the concept of CBR. Of course, in the Central Plains [a fictional setting often used in martial arts stories], places like the Tang Clan or the Five Poison Sect used poison, but most of the poisons they used were biological.

‘Well, it’s a rare experience.’

When you think about it, the South Korean military is a place that is very helpful in understanding modern weapon systems.

For the average citizen of other countries, unless they volunteer for military service, they would not be able to receive this kind of training.

Although this training is only a superficial experience compared to the training received by the conscripted military in places like the United States, even this superficial experience was very useful information for Kang Jin-ho.

Especially since this was an experience that could never be had unless one enlisted.

“Cough.”

“Ah, I think my gas mask is leaking.”

The trainees lined up in a row began to grumble. Kang Jin-ho was busy calculating as he looked at the CBR chamber filled with acrid smoke.

‘Airborne toxins are impossible to defend against. Holding my breath would work, but if it seeps into the skin, it’s impossible to block.’

The best way is to get out of the area faster than the speed at which the gas spreads after the canister explodes, but… there’s no guarantee that only one canister will explode, and if they explode in multiple places at the same time, there might not be a place to escape to instantly.

If it’s certain that it can’t be avoided, then it’s a matter of how long one can endure it.

“Remove the filter!”

“Hold the filter above your head!”

As they removed the filters and held them above their heads,

The acrid smoke began to seep in.

“We will sing a military song during training. The military song is ‘A Cool Man’! Military song, load!”

“Load!”

“Fire!”

“A cool! Man!”

Even while singing the military song, Kang Jin-ho was busy analyzing the CS gas.

The smoke that penetrated his nose and mouth was causing momentary pain.

‘Enduring this is no easy task.’

Tears and snot were naturally flowing. Voices filled with desperation began to come from the left and right.

With this level of intensity, it seemed like one could still act, even if it was uncomfortable, but considering that this CS gas was for training and was made much weaker than the one used in actual combat, most of the military would be incapacitated if a CBR situation occurred in actual combat.

“Cough!”

Kang Jin-ho couldn’t help but cough.

It was beyond what the human body could handle.

Kang Jin-ho, who had lightly drawn up his inner energy [a concept in martial arts where one cultivates internal power] to protect his eyes, nose, and mouth, looked around with a much more relaxed face.

“Cough! Cough!”

The number of people who were coughing and yelling while bending over, unable to finish the military song, began to increase.

‘They won’t die.’

It can’t be said that there are no adverse effects on the body, but this is just training anyway. Unless they intend to kill the soldiers, they will let them go after a while.

However, that didn’t seem to be the case in the eyes of the 2nd Platoon Leader, who was burning the CS gas.

‘Why is that bastard so relaxed?’

The 2nd Platoon Leader was not in a good mood.

CBR training was actually a training that was not even worthy of being called training.

It’s not like CS gas is used in actual combat, and it’s insane for a sane person to think of having people experience what it’s like to be in a CBR situation without a gas mask. It was not something a normal person would do.

Nevertheless, the reason why CBR training has not disappeared from the training center is because the claim that it has the effect of tightening the minds of new recruits who are starting to lose their military discipline is still working.

In other words, this was officially recognized hazing by the state.

But there was a guy who was getting through this hazing too easily, which was annoying.

“Remove gas masks.”

When an order that was not covered in the prior education was given, the trainees looked up at the 2nd Platoon Leader, not knowing what was going on. The assistant instructors also looked bewildered.

“Didn’t you hear me? Remove gas masks!”

“Remove gas masks!”

Startled by the sharp voice, the trainees hurriedly took off their gas masks.

“Cough!”

As the gas masks that had at least reduced the amount of air coming in were removed, their skin began to tingle, and snot and saliva began to flow like crazy.

“We will sing a military song. The military song is ‘Torch of Anti-Communism’! One, two, three, four!”

The trainees began to sing the military song while constantly coughing. However, there was no way that a proper military song could come out when they were out of their minds from the pain coming from their already bloodshot noses and mouths.

“What’s with that bastard?”

The 2nd Platoon Leader didn’t notice the other trainees who were making a fuss while bending over. He was just looking at Kang Jin-ho, who was singing the military song clearly with a calm face, and he felt a sense of anger rising for no reason.

‘He’s so great, that bastard.’

The stress he had been suffering from like hell because of the accident that had happened a while ago had not yet subsided, and seeing that made him angry.

Throughout this audit period, the most he had heard was that he was worse than a trainee.

Of course, he was grateful that no casualties occurred thanks to Kang Jin-ho. But that was only at first, and later, he kept hearing that he couldn’t even do what the trainees could do, so his annoyance with Kang Jin-ho grew more and more.

‘Okay, let’s see what you can do.’

“Shoulder to shoulder.”

“2nd Platoon Leader?”

The prescribed training time had already passed a long time ago. The assistant instructors were bewildered and turned around when they saw that the trainees were clearly in excessive pain, but he was still trying to continue the training.

“Shoulder to shoulder!”

The trainees, while coughing, groped left and right and put their arms around each other’s shoulders.

“Sit down.”

The 2nd Platoon Leader’s eyes gleamed as he looked at the trainees who were sitting awkwardly.

“Shout a battle cry forward for 5 seconds!”

“Aaaaaaaah!”

The voices were almost desperate.

Just as the training assistant instructors were starting to worry, a trainee in the corner collapsed to the floor, covered his face, and began to scream.

“Aaaaaaaah!”

“Get up! Get up!”

At that moment, a trainee next to him ran out, kicked the door, and began to push it with his body.

“Grab him!”

The assistant instructors rushed over and began to drag the trainee who was trying to escape.

“Aaaaaaaah! Let go, you bastards!”

The assistant instructors used their strength to pin the trainee down and dragged him back to his spot. The trainee was half-fainted, and he was not walking back, but almost crawling back to his spot.

“2nd Platoon Leader!”

The assistant instructors called out to the 2nd Platoon Leader in urgent voices.

‘Those bastards are out of it.’

He had been a bit harsh, but even 10 years ago, this level of training was normal.

These days, they keep trying to train comfortably because of human rights and whatnot. The officers and non-commissioned officers are still receiving this level of CBR training as if it’s normal.

“Get in the right position!”

As the 2nd Platoon Leader shouted, Kang Jin-ho turned his head to the side.

He saw a trainee with his head completely down, drooling.

“Trainee number 100, Kang Jin-ho.”

Kang Jin-ho raised his hand.

“What is it?”

“His condition is strange.”

When Kang Jin-ho pointed to the trainee next to him, the 2nd Platoon Leader frowned.

“Don’t be a drama queen! Raise your head!”

“His condition is not good.”

“What?”

The 2nd Platoon Leader stared at Kang Jin-ho with a look that could devour him. Although his eyes could not be seen through the gas mask, everyone could feel his menacing aura.

“Trainee number 100.”

“Trainee number 100, Kang Jin-ho.”

“Are you the drill instructor?”

“No, I am not.”

“Do you make the judgment, or does this drill instructor make the judgment?”

“The drill instructor makes the judgment.”

“Then wait in your spot. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Kang Jin-ho did not answer and turned his head to look at the trainee again.

He was already half-unconscious, and his breathing was rapidly becoming erratic. This could turn into a big incident.

“We’ll start with the rescue.”

Kang Jin-ho released the arm he had around the other trainee’s shoulder, walked to the side, grabbed the trainee’s arm, and put it over his own shoulder.

“Hey, you bastard! What are you doing?”

The 2nd Platoon Leader shouted as if he was having a fit, but Kang Jin-ho didn’t seem to hear him and didn’t even pay attention as he supported the trainee and walked towards the door.

“Grab that bastard!”

The flustered assistant instructors grabbed onto Kang Jin-ho.

“Trainee number 100! Let go of him!”

“Stop, you bastard.”

However, Kang Jin-ho, without changing his expression, walked towards the door like a bulldozer, dragging three or four assistant instructors with him.

“This bastard, how is he so strong!”

The flustered assistant instructors grabbed and clung to him,

but Kang Jin-ho headed for the door at a pace that was not at all fast.

Then, he knocked on the door twice and said,

“I’m opening the door. If you don’t want to get hurt, don’t block me and step back.”

“What are you talking about?”

The assistant instructors who were waiting outside the door to prevent any trainees from opening the door and coming out could only tilt their heads.

“It sounds like he’s telling us to move?”

“Why? Is he telling us to open it?”

“No, first…”

At that moment!

Bang!

The door flew up as if it had been scattered and soared into the sky. The assistant instructors were completely unaware of the situation and gaped at the door that had risen into the air.

“Wh-what!”

In their eyes, they saw a trainee with the number 100 on his helmet walking out, carrying a fellow trainee and four or five assistant instructors.

To be precise, he was carrying one trainee, and the other assistant instructors were all clinging to trainee number 100.

The assistant instructors, who could not figure out what was going on, stared at the scene with dumbfounded expressions.

“This is…”

Is it even possible for a human to do that?

There were five healthy young men clinging to him, but he was walking as if he was taking a stroll.

If you searched all of South Korea, there would be people with the strength to carry five people without any problems.

It would be possible.

But none of them could walk so calmly as if no one was clinging to them.

It was such an absurd sight that it felt like they were watching a movie or CG rather than an actual situation.

At that moment, Kang Jin-ho stopped in his spot and put the trainee he was carrying on his shoulder down on the floor.

Then, he stepped back slightly.

“Hey, you bastard! What are you doing right now!”

The assistant instructors threw the gas masks they were wearing on the floor and stared at Kang Jin-ho with murderous eyes. Whatever the situation, it was clear that the trainee had done something that he should never have done. They felt a great blow to their pride when they thought that they had been ignored by a trainee.

Just as the assistant instructor was about to shout, Kang Jin-ho pointed to the trainee he had laid on the floor.

“Krrk, krrrk.”

At that moment, the trainee lying on the floor began to convulse.