A Space Marine Got a Status Window

During World War II, there were many stories.

Among them was the story of the Polish cavalry.

“During World War II, the Polish cavalry charged on horseback against tanks! What idiots!”

Upon hearing that story about men who had charged alongside their horses against vehicles covered in steel, people thought that the Polish cavalrymen of that era were so backward that they didn’t even know what a tank was and that this was why they had ended up being occupied by Germany.

Of course, after that story became famous, people eventually discovered that it had actually been a distortion spread by Nazi Germany and that the facts had been different.

The Polish cavalry of that era not only knew perfectly well what tanks were, but also used fairly effective anti-tank weapons, and the horses were nothing more than a means of transportation.

No one considered the Polish cavalrymen who had charged against the tanks backward anymore.

Their descendants also felt pride in the charges their ancestors had carried out.

Jan Zabłocki was one of them.

One of his ancestors had been one of those men who, during World War II, had ridden toward German tanks, and Jan had heard that story since he was a child.

“The blood of the Winged Hussars runs through our veins. The blood of those capable of charging against anything for their homeland.”

He took pride in that, and that was why Jan Zabłocki ventured into space without the slightest hesitation.

He wanted to display the image of the legendary Winged Hussars, the famous Polish cavalry, in space.

Of course, it had also played a considerable role that the Polish Space Forces, with the intention of attracting young talent, had created a unit called the Winged Hussars that only the best aces could join.

In other words, Jan had also been quite seduced by the prestige of the name and by the fact that, just by managing to enter that unit, he could earn a lot of money and become extremely popular with women.

In any case, Jan Zabłocki enlisted in the Polish Space Forces and distinguished himself as an ace in every respect.

He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Winged Hussars unit.

His subsequent military life wasn’t bad either.

Since he was a member of the elite, the Polish Space Forces only assigned him to places he could handle without too much trouble.

His life changed when he became a lieutenant.

Lieutenant Jan Zabłocki was assigned to planet Palabo, and there he witnessed a Behemoth.

He didn’t see it directly.

At the time, the area where the Behemoth had appeared was quite far from the Polish headquarters.

However, the Korean headquarters, which maintained good relations with Poland, was within the Behemoth’s territory, so they went there to provide support.

Although they didn’t do much after arriving either.

Against an abnormal monster like a Behemoth, anyone who wasn’t a Psyker could practically do nothing.

They could only observe the situation from afar.

That was when he heard a story.

“A Korean Space Marine, meaning a mere soldier, saved a general from a Behemoth? What kind of madness is that?”

“The general sent out a rescue request, and a soldier who was nearby took a vehicle, went there, and got him out.”

“In a vehicle? He drove straight to where the Behemoth was?”

“I don’t know if it’s true. But from what I’ve heard, it seems he’s pretty famous over there. They say he’s a fucking lunatic.”

The story of a certain Korean soldier.

At the time, most people heard that story as nothing more than a funny anecdote, but Jan Zabłocki felt something different.

He wanted to experience a life where he could throw himself into danger for someone else.

From then on, Jan Zabłocki began seeking out brutal assignments instead of peaceful places.

Until then, he had never found a place he could truly call hell.

But eventually, the price for seeking out reckless places arrived.

That moment was now.

“Three Tank Bugs are approaching!”

With the Gate suddenly destroyed, a horde of Tank Bugs was heading toward the headquarters.

Meanwhile, the forces at the Polish headquarters had drastically decreased due to the sudden battles.

In the end, someone had to step forward and buy time against the Tank Bugs.

At that moment, Major Jan Zabłocki understood.

“I’ll buy time. Prepare the hover bikes.”

That day had finally arrived.

That was why he didn’t hesitate.

He immediately headed toward the Tank Bug unit at the head of three transport aircraft and fourteen hover riders.

And the moment Major Jan Zabłocki looked down from the transport aircraft at the approaching Tank Bug horde, he realized something.

‘My ancestor definitely was a fucking lunatic.’

It was impossible to charge at something like that while in your right mind.

‘And that Korean soldier too.’

Even more than before, he began to feel boundless respect for that Korean Space Marine.

Of course, that didn’t mean he was going to turn the transport aircraft around either.

They had already come too far to turn back and, one way or another, that blood flowed through Major Jan Zabłocki’s veins.

The blood of the Polish cavalry.

The blood of those willing to advance for their homeland.

That was why Major Jan Zabłocki said.

“Everyone, come back alive!”

With that order, the fifteen hover bikes jumped out of the transport aircraft.

Wiiiiing!

And Major Jan Zabłocki’s hover bike was the first to charge toward the Tank Bug horde.

As he charged, Major Jan Zabłocki shouted.

“God, watch over us!”

***

“Two kilometers!”

Upon hearing Private First Class Park Boseop’s words, Kim Seojun took a deep breath.

The time had come to enter combat, and Kim Seojun began eliminating, one by one, all the unnecessary thoughts filling his head.

‘A One Shot, One Kill mission……’

The first thing he pushed out of his mind was the mission the Status Window had given him.

The reward was extraordinary, but at that moment, Kim Seojun paid no attention to the mission.

‘It’s fucking impossible nonsense. Tank Bugs can withstand even artillery shells.’

Tank Bugs weren’t considered terrifying simply because they were gigantic.

In fact, to humanity, merely being large meant having an enormous target that was extremely easy to attack.

What was truly terrifying about Tank Bugs was their external defense, which couldn’t even be compared to that of Mogdogs, and even terrifying explosives couldn’t easily penetrate that defense.

‘Even with this rifle, I’ll barely be able to penetrate its shell.’

The same was true of the Gauss sniper rifle Kim Seojun was holding at that moment.

Without a doubt, a Gauss sniper rifle possessed power that was on a completely different level from conventional gunpowder-based weapons.

But even with it, inflicting significant damage on a Tank Bug was practically impossible.

It was like an extremely sharp needle it could hurt a person’s body, but it couldn’t cause a wound capable of killing them.

‘Except for the eyes.’

Even so, the reason Kim Seojun trusted the Gauss sniper rifle and had decided to provide support was the Tank Bugs’ eyes.

Of course, aiming for their eyes wasn’t easy either.

For starters, their eyelids also possessed monstrous durability, and furthermore, Tank Bugs didn’t keep their eyes open constantly.

They only opened them at certain moments, such as when they changed their trajectory or when a major disturbance occurred.

He literally had to take advantage of the blink of an eye.

And even if he managed to hit them in the eyes, he still wouldn’t be able to kill them.

‘Just by attacking their eyes, I can reduce their movement speed.’

In other words, from the beginning, Kim Seojun’s objective wasn’t to hunt the Tank Bugs, but to delay that army’s arrival at the Polish headquarters even a little.

‘I’ll only aim for the eyes.’

At that point, nothing existed in Kim Seojun’s mind except the Tank Bugs’ eyes.

Then he took position.

He lay completely flat on his stomach in the back of the truck.

And assumed a sniper’s position.

All to somehow withstand the weapon’s recoil.

Of course, Kim Seojun knew.

The recoil of a Gauss weapon wasn’t something an ordinary Space Marine could control.

Even the Gauss Rifle Lee Hyena had given him had to be used practically as if it were a shotgun.

And the recoil of that Gauss sniper rifle, far more powerful and belonging to a completely different category, was far beyond what an ordinary Space Marine could handle.

That was why he had prepared.

“Please get on top of me.”

At Kim Seojun’s request, Lee Hyena placed her knees and both arms on Kim Seojun’s body.

He pinned him down using that monstrous strength with which she was capable of splitting a Mogdog in half with an axe.

With that, all preparations were complete.

And at that instant, Kim Seojun immediately injected himself with a Stimpak.

“I’m going to inject myself with a Stimpak.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the Stimpak entered his body.

In truth, that was madness.

Normally, the recommended recovery time between Stimpaks was 72 hours.

And normally, that time was respected.

Because the moment someone ignored that recommendation and injected themselves with a second Stimpak, their physical endurance rapidly declined.

Furthermore, when people spoke of a drop in endurance, it didn’t mean something like.

‘Ah, I’m tired. I’d better go to sleep today.’

It meant literally becoming unable to move one’s limbs.

However, Kim Seojun was injecting himself with his third Stimpak before even 48 hours had passed.

Had it not been for the increase in his Endurance stat thanks to the Status Window, it would have been impossible.

‘I can’t expect the effect to last long.’

Of course, since this was the third one, the amount of time Kim Seojun had was limited.

Even so, he didn’t care.

Because if he managed to stop even a single Tank Bug, dozens or even hundreds of people might survive because of it.

It was then.

Within that slowed world, Kim Seojun saw it.

A Tank Bug’s eyes opened.

Booooom!

The Tank Bugs had briefly opened their eyes because of the commotion caused by the hover riders of the Polish Space Forces.

Of course, it was only for an instant.

Literally for the blink of an eye.

In that brief instant, Kim Seojun pulled the trigger.

The bullet shot forward.

Its speed was absurdly high.

Fwooosh!

For starters, even the sound was completely different from that produced by a conventional bullet.

Rrrrrrrrumble!

And the moment that sound was heard, the military truck driven by Private First Class Park Boseop shook violently.

The recoil had been enough to make the vehicle stagger.

But the most surprising thing was that all of that had happened after the bullet had already struck its target.

Because the velocity of the Gauss sniper rifle was several times greater than the speed of sound.

“Uaaaaah!”

So by the time Park Boseop began controlling the steering wheel to regain the vehicle’s balance, the result had already occurred.

Kiiiiirarararara!

A shriek began to emerge from the Tank Bug’s body.

To be exact, it wasn’t a sound produced by the Tank Bug itself.

Tank Bugs had no mouths.

In reality, due to the change caused by the Tank Bug’s pain, the Bomb Bugs it carried inside had sensed danger and were shrieking.

Upon realizing that, Park Boseop was about to exclaim.

“Wow, this is fucking insane, shit!”

It was then.

Fiiiiiiiiiu!

A second shot was heard, and the military truck staggered violently again.

The shot made Park Boseop swallow the exclamation he had been about to let out.

That was how sudden it had been.

Lee Hyena was also surprised.

But Kim Seojun was different.

That was part of his plan.

‘If one of the Tank Bugs gets hit, naturally the other will open its eyes to check what happened.’

The plan worked.

Two Tank Bugs lost their eyes.

Now only one remained!

At that point, Kim Seojun hesitated.

‘The third one……’

Kim Seojun couldn’t predict how the third Tank Bug would react.

It was then.

‘It opened them!’

Within Kim Seojun’s slowed world, he saw the third Tank Bug open its eyes.

It was an opportunity that wouldn’t come again.

Faced with that opportunity, Kim Seojun was about to pull the trigger.

But then it happened.

‘Wait.’

Within that world slowed to the extreme, he noticed something strange.

He had a hunch.

‘Could it be possible?’

Upon sensing it, Kim Seojun relaxed the finger with which he had been about to pull the trigger.

He waited for an instant.

And then he saw it.

Booooom!

One of the Tank Bugs that had lost its eyes twisted violently and collided with the Tank Bug that still hadn’t been attacked.

The impact caused both Tank Bugs to begin rolling sideways.

And as they rolled, during that situation unfolding literally in the blink of an eye, Kim Seojun saw it.

Beneath the Tank Bug’s tough exoskeleton.

The Bomb Bugs completely filling its interior.

And among that enormous number of Bomb Bugs, he saw three glowing with an intense blue light.

‘They’re armed!’

It was equivalent to a grenade whose safety pin had already been pulled.

In truth, that was normally impossible.

Bomb Bugs never entered an armed state while they remained inside a Tank Bug’s body.

They only armed themselves when the Tank Bug gave them the order.

Much less would they arm themselves when subjected to an external attack.

Because any mistake could cause them to explode inside the Tank Bug itself.

However, in that unprecedented situation, the Tank Bug had given the wrong order or the Bomb Bugs had reacted incorrectly.

And at that instant, Kim Seojun didn’t hesitate.

He pulled the trigger while aiming at one of the Bomb Bugs glowing intensely blue.

It was then.

Ping!

Suddenly, Kim Seojun’s world was plunged into darkness.

That was only the beginning.

Kim Seojun had completely exhausted his Endurance, and all his senses began shutting down one after another.

The last would be his ability to think.

And before even his thoughts shut down, Kim Seojun managed to hear.

[The mission……]

That was the last thing.

Kim Seojun lost consciousness.

Everything happened in an instant.

Babababooooom!

From the perspective of the hover riders of the Polish Space Forces, a monstrous roar simply erupted behind them without warning.

The first to turn his head upon hearing it was Major Jan Zabłocki.

Kieeeeeek!

With dozens of Mogdogs chasing him, Jan Zabłocki was luring them while deliberately controlling the distance so that it seemed as though they were about to catch him without actually doing so.

He turned his head.

And then he saw it.

The Tank Bugs had suddenly begun exploding and overturning.

At that sight, Major Jan Zabłocki couldn’t react.

He simply couldn’t.

The system composed of his reasoning ability and common sense was incapable of understanding what was happening in front of him.

What managed to move Major Jan Zabłocki at that moment was the blood of his ancestors.

The blood of the Polish cavalry made him understand one thing.

‘They brought down the Tank Bugs.’

The most terrifying part of that army had just been stopped.

“Everyone, retreat!”

That meant they no longer had any reason to remain in that hell.

The moment he gave the order, the hover riders who had come with Major Jan Zabłocki, the eleven hover riders who were still alive, reacted.

It wasn’t a reaction born from thought.

It was the instinct of soldiers hardened by countless battles, men experienced enough to have volunteered for an operation as absurd as that one.

Wiiiiiiing!

They no longer needed to maintain a short distance to deliberately lure the Mogdogs, so the hover riders accelerated to maximum speed.

Of course, escaping from there wasn’t easy either.

For starters, Mogdogs were extremely fast.

And behind them they also had some particularly troublesome enemies the Thorn Snakes.

If they managed to escape from there with approximately half their men still alive, they could already consider it a good result.

Precisely because of that.

“Everyone, maximum speed! Run at maximum speed!”

After repeating that order, Major Jan Zabłocki changed the direction of his hover bike.

Toward the Tank Bugs.

“Major?”

Everyone immediately understood what he intended to do.

Major Jan Zabłocki intended to become bait to save his subordinates.

He didn’t hesitate.

On the contrary, Major Jan Zabłocki thought.

‘God, thank you for giving me this blood that I can be proud of!’

He was even glad that he could become bait in that way.

And the riding Major Jan Zabłocki displayed next was so extraordinary that it wouldn’t have been an exaggeration to call it divine.

Like a ghost, he dodged the Mogdogs lunging at him and the thorns fired by the Thorn Snakes, drawing the attention of all the Mogdogs and Thorn Snakes toward himself.

He bought his subordinates time to escape.

A tremendous amount of it!

He maintained that acrobatic run for no less than four minutes.

Put another way, four minutes was his limit.

Crack!

Finally, one of the thorns fired by a Thorn Snake pierced Major Jan Zabłocki’s hover bike.

The hover bike lost its balance and crashed directly into the ground.

Major Jan Zabłocki’s body rolled across the ground like a stone.

Thanks to his riding suit, he didn’t suffer any serious injuries, but by the time he managed to get up, he was already half-surrounded by Mogdogs.

In that situation, instead of hesitating, Major Jan Zabłocki pulled out the rifle he carried on his back.

He prepared to fight to the death.

It was then.

Vroooooom!

Suddenly, the sound of a military truck rang out in the distance.

And at the same time, a shadow appeared above Major Jan Zabłocki’s head.

Bam!

The shadow landed right in front of Major Jan Zabłocki.

And the person who had just landed said.

“I’m reinforcements. Evacuate.”

Upon hearing that voice through the translator, Major Jan Zabłocki naturally showed a stunned expression.

However, his bewilderment didn’t last long.

The person who had just appeared split a Mogdog that had already approached in half with the axe she held in her hand.

The moment he saw that, Major Jan Zabłocki understood.

‘A Psyker!’

The person in front of him was a superhuman capable of treating Mogdogs as if they were nothing.

And he also understood that, before that person, there was only one thing he had to say at that moment.

“Yes, sir!”