Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 36

Weapon-Eating Bastard – Episode 36

After the quarterly evaluation ended, the cadets who had ventured outside returned to the main family compound.

Overall, the results of this quarterly evaluation were disappointing.

Not only did the first-year cadets struggle, but the second-year cadets also faced such challenges that few classes succeeded in completing their missions.

The cadets’ expressions reflected a spectrum of complex emotions, from anger, helplessness, frustration, and sadness to the joy and accomplishment of those who had succeeded in their missions, all stemming from their experiences in real combat.

“Class 5 of the first grade is delayed in their return.”

As each class returned, they gathered in the conference room to conduct post-mission reviews and submit their reports.

The first reports came from the first-year cadets.

Class 1 succeeded in their mission.

Class 2 failed their mission.

Class 3 only met half of the mission requirements.

Class 4 gave up during the mission and returned.

The results varied, but overall, there were a significant number of casualties.

The situation for the second and third grades was not much different from that of the first grade.

Class 5, which had been assigned a more dangerous mission, was no exception.

“Is Class 5 the only one who hasn’t arrived yet?”

“Their grades have improved somewhat, but they’re still Class 5. Did they give up on the mission like Class 4?”

“That’s understandable. It was a Special Grade 6 dungeon, right? There’s no way Class 5 could have succeeded.”

“Especially considering the anomaly that was present.”

This evaluation was considered the most challenging in the history of the Cadet Corps.

Therefore, the instructors believed that even Class 5, despite their recent improvements, would have failed the mission.

After some time passed.

“I apologize for being late. There were many injuries, so I was delayed while admitting them to the medical ward.”

Lee Jung-ho entered the conference room.

“There must have been quite a few casualties. I received a report that you entered the main family compound about 30 minutes ago.”

The Cadet Commander looked at Lee Jung-ho with a curious expression.

Lee Jung-ho nodded, maintaining his usual calm demeanor.

“Can I begin right away?”

“Catch your breath first. By the way, where is the class leader of Class 5… the young master?”

The class leader was required to attend the post-mission review without exception.

The report from the class leader, who was present at the scene, held more weight than the instructor’s report.

“Don’t tell me he was injured?”

“Well, he was injured.”

Lee Jung-ho hesitated for a moment.

The Cadet Commander’s expression became more thoughtful.

“It’s not just because of that, actually.”

“I understand.”

It would have been different if a direct descendant had been injured, but he was just a bastard [illegitimate son].

‘If the bastard, who was the class leader in command, is injured to the point where he can’t participate in the post-mission review, does that mean the mission failed? But…’

The Cadet Commander asked with a puzzled look.

“Didn’t the report just before returning state that the mission was a success?”

“Yes, the mission was a success.”

How?

He almost voiced the question but managed to restrain himself.

“Hmm… I understand for now. Have you organized the data?”

“It’s a bit disorganized, but it’s sufficient for reporting.”

“Then let’s begin slowly.”

“Yes.”

Lee Jung-ho slowly rose from his seat and connected the computer to the screen at the front of the conference room.

“Then I will begin the report. Class 5’s mission was to collect information about the anomaly in the Special Grade 6 dungeon, the Forest of Anthropomorphic Trees. The given condition was video recording. The minimum requirement was to observe the ecology of adult-level creatures…”

The data itself was rough and not well-organized, but Lee Jung-ho’s report proceeded in a calm and steady tone.

“I knew it, but that’s a harsh mission.”

“To have a search mission in the Forest of Anthropomorphic Trees, of all places… Stealth tactics won’t work at the cadet level.”

The instructors chuckled.

Even so, they succeeded in the mission. They must have simply walked around the outskirts and filmed a few adult creatures.

Recently, there have been some pretty good filming drones available.

“So, first, Class 5 divided into 4 groups and deployed 132 M4-1s within the dungeon.”

Silence descended.

The instructors and executives of the training center chuckled.

The Cadet Commander waved his hand, looking flustered.

“Wait. Wait a minute. Did I hear that correctly? You used firearms?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“132 rounds? Are you planning to scorch the place!”

The magical balance of the dungeon is always precarious.

Using magic bombs there is like pouring oil on a fire.

“In addition, 52 rounds were used when encountering monsters, so the total usage is 184.”

It’s getting worse.

The Cadet Commander’s expression twisted.

“M4-1… are you talking about that magic incendiary grenade?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

M4-1 is a weapon classified as an incendiary bomb, not a bursting bomb, also known as a high-explosive bomb.

Instead of spreading fragments or iron balls upon explosion, it burns the surrounding magic to generate tremendous heat.

“What about the dungeon? If you detonated that many, it would be scorched! No, in the first place, the mission was clearly to film the anomaly! Don’t tell me you’re going to claim success after causing the dungeon to collapse!”

The aftermath of a dungeon collapse is unpredictable.

So no one used firearms inside dungeons.

“The mission… was successfully completed.”

“Nonsense! Even if you detonate only 30 or 40 rounds, the dungeon will be in chaos, but you said you detonated more than 100 rounds! I have never heard of such an operation being reported!”

That’s right.

The expressions of the people gathered in the conference room conveyed that sentiment.

It was hard to believe that Class 5 had succeeded in the first place because the mission was so difficult.

As the Cadet Commander said, it was hard to call that a success.

“Is the video you filmed a video of the scorched dungeon? Show the video quickly…”

The Cadet Commander shouted loudly.

Squeak-!

The sound of the conference room door opening was heard.

A boy covered in bandages and poultices entered the conference room.

Everyone’s eyes turned to him.

“Sorry I’m late. It took time to recover the video device because it was damaged. The video is here.”

The youngest bastard, Lee Cheol, was holding a storage device in his hand.

* * *

As the video played, the audience’s expressions shifted from moment to moment.

“…You really filmed inside the nest?”

“No, don’t tell me. Did you deliberately get captured?”

“You crazy bastard.”

At first, there was disbelief.

Even if you know the habits of the monsters, to allow yourself to be poisoned and captured!

Everyone’s eyes subtly focused on the youngest bastard, Lee Cheol.

Now that I see it, I think I understand the reason for those wounds.

Soon, the video transitioned to a scene where adult creatures gathered together and exhibited strange behavior.

“That’s…”

“Did anthropomorphic trees have such habits? Surely there should only be babies in the nest.”

Everyone murmured with puzzled expressions as they watched the scene.

And the next scene showed the Queen’s egg.

“A variant?”

“No, that’s a boss monster.”

“But anthropomorphic trees are monsters that don’t have a separate boss monster in the first place, right?”

“It’s a species that hasn’t even been reported in academic literature.”

Then the video shook violently, and flames began to rise.

The incendiary bombs began to explode.

Adult creatures scattered in all directions to extinguish the fire.

“Was this the purpose of the bombs!”

Lee Jung-ho displayed the monitored values with good timing.

The eighth member, Lee Seo-hyun, who had quietly approached me, whispered softly.

“You crazy bastard.”

“What.”

“No, is it normal to detonate a bomb in a dungeon? What were you thinking? And why did you get captured in the first place!”

“Anthropomorphic trees poison delicious prey and transport it to the nest. It’s a well-known habit. This method was the most reliable way to film.”

I explained the situation calmly.

Lee Seo-hyun made a disgusted expression.

“Were you okay…?”

“When I was caught, the creatures tried to inject poison and stabbed me with their fangs. That was a bit painful.”

“Is that something you can say so casually? I knew you were crazy, but this is a bit…”

Lee Seo-hyun trembled and moved away from me.

The video continued.

The appearance of the Queen.

Flames rising in succession, and the screen shaking violently.

‘And around this time…’

Jijijik-! Pat!

The video cut off at the scene of the boss’s appearance and my battle.

‘The video device was broken, but the memory was safe. The problem was that it was filmed too clearly.’

In fact, I wasn’t late because I was restoring the video.

It was for editing.

It was to edit the latter part to show only as much as was necessary, as much as had been decided.

My power was too clearly revealed in the video, so I couldn’t avoid it.

‘Nanny [personal caretaker]. Thank you.’

I lightly thanked the nanny, who is skilled at everything, but a dark silence fell in the conference room.

“…Crazy.”

“Was that why you used firearms?”

“No, even so, how could you know what would happen to the dungeon and detonate a bomb…”

“The collapse may have already occurred.”

“Who is handling the follow-up processing? Did you request cooperation?”

The Cadet Commander and the family members who came to observe from the training center all shook their heads.

It was a video that deviated significantly from the operation manual and common sense.

And then they looked again at the bastard who was wrapped in bandages and covered with poultices.

The reason for those wounds began to become clear.

“The class leader of Class 5… please come forward and answer the questions.”

At the Cadet Commander’s words, I rose from my seat and headed to Lee Jung-ho’s side.

Lee Jung-ho handed me the microphone with a reluctant expression.

Originally, the class leader was supposed to report on the scene.

“Who devised this plan?”

The first question came from the warrior of the training center.

“I did.”

The warrior of the training center seemed rather embarrassed by my confident response.

“Getting captured, filming the video, using firearms… are you claiming responsibility for everything?”

“Yes.”

“Why did you conceive of such an operation in the first place? How could you have known what would happen?”

“I don’t know how many times I have to explain this. Isn’t it written in the report?”

The expressions of the people gathered in the conference room darkened.

I couldn’t possibly say that I didn’t trust the report.

“Using bombs is like carrying an oil tank into a burning house. Is this a normal plan?”

“I simply created the most likely plan to succeed in the mission. If I had created a textbook plan, could the cadets, who have not yet become quasi-warriors, have succeeded in this operation with their current abilities?”

“That’s…”

“I would rather choose to succeed by any means than to fail or abandon the operation.”

“Hmm.”

It was a righteous argument.

The Cadet Commander sighed deeply.

“Even if we disregard the firearms, what is the reason for making such an unreasonable move as getting caught directly… I know how important the commander is on the scene.”

“Class 5 doesn’t become confused just because the commander disappears. There is a competent second-in-command, and all cadets have faithfully completed their training. In the first place, I know that the Cadet Corps teaches all cadets to make proper judgments in any situation, right?”

I looked around the audience.

“I guess the other classes aren’t like that?”

A provocative remark. The logic is also weak.

But it’s hard to refute.

A strange charisma emanated from him.

As long as Lee Cheol is the one uttering such weak words, it makes them feel like an absolute truth.

‘A talent for leading people.’

The Cadet Commander thought so.

Even so, Class 5’s mission plan defied common sense.

“…However, this plan ultimately relied heavily on luck. The poison of the anthropomorphic tree was stronger than expected, and if you’re not careful, the boss monster or adult creature…”

“You’re saying strange things.”

I frowned.

“Soongmu Lee Ga speaks with results. Can there be no variables in actual combat? Anyway, our Class 5 overcame those many variables and successfully completed the quarterly evaluation. That’s all. If you’re going to argue about things that are over, do it somewhere else. This is Soongmu Lee Ga.”

A young brat is lecturing the Cadet Commander, who has devoted his life to the training center belonging to Soongmu Lee Ga.

It was absurd.

But there are no words as accurate as those.

‘…It wasn’t a variable. It wasn’t luck either.’

The Cadet Commander’s eyes narrowed.

The plan or basis is very absurd.

The youngest bastard clearly left it to luck and carried out the plan in a haphazard manner.

No, it seemed like he manipulated it.

‘It looks like that, but he eventually planned it. It looks like he left it to passion or luck, but that bastard was confident in that plan. So he put it into action.’

This plan, which seems to be made up of luck and chance, was simply a plan for that bastard.

“Since a dungeon collapse has occurred due to this incident, the warrior squad will be dispatched for follow-up measures.”

“They must have already left.”

“However, this mission was to film the anomaly. Class 5 has successfully carried out the mission, so the rest is the responsibility of the family that gave the mission.”

The Cadet Commander smiled faintly.

“The plan that the young master made is so unconventional that even if it is left as data, no one will be able to refer to it. It will be difficult to assign an evaluation score.”

I silently stared at the Cadet Commander.

Just when I was about to think, is it like this again.

“However, since you succeeded in the plan without a single death, this can definitely be called a perfect score. Congratulations. This quarterly evaluation. Class 5 is the only class with a perfect score in the entire school year.”

The conference room buzzed at the Cadet Commander’s words.

Looking at the Cadet Commander’s meaningful eyes.

I smiled silently.