Chapter 26

Episode 26: Descent (Part 2) The dishes that I had prepared as a chef.

Their effects were tremendous, but there was one fundamental drawback. 

“First, you have to cook.”

It’s essential to cook in order to give buffs through cooking.

You have to cook and feed to grant those buffs.

That’s the gist of it.

It wasn’t much of a problem when I was with the unit.

I’m proactive in participating in combat myself.

However, it’s not like I didn’t have time to cook in the mess hall either.

But once you descend to the ground, the problems become bigger than expected.

“There’s a significant possibility that the necessary environment for cooking won’t be provided.”

Cooking in the field always entails great risks.

There’s the risk of exposing your location to the enemy due to smells and smoke, among other things.

In situations where you don’t know when you’ll be attacked, it’s impossible to set up cooking equipment for preparing meals.

Until a stable base is established under the mountain.

It’s difficult to cook with peace of mind.

Then, I think about packing lunchboxes, but they tend to spoil quickly.

And this wasn’t limited to battles with monsters alone.

How soldiers would eat before going into battle has been a headache for many leaders for ages.

So, to tackle this problem Combat Rations were created.

“Combat Rations.”

[Skill – Combat Rations (new)]

[Now it is possible to manufacture preserved food for field use]

[Combat rations, while slightly inferior in stats compared to regular meals, are easy to carry due to their long shelf life and compact size. Taste is guaranteed as well]

After dealing with Lieutenant Kim’s matter.

I acquired this skill upon reaching level 10.

The dishes made using this skill have a slight decrease in their basic effects.

However, such penalties come with significant advantages.

One of them being the elimination of expiration dates.

[Lizard meat jerky filled with courage of a Junior Chef]

This was the first dish that I had prepared using this skill.

Jerky that preserves meat for a long time.

In ancient times.

Before the groundbreaking invention of canned food.

It was the traditional form of combat rations widely used in armies worldwide.

“It seems that eventually, even lunchboxes could be transformed into combat rations. But for now, this seems to be the limit.”

Nevertheless, the effect was excellent.

[Upon consumption, all stats will be increased by 5.]

[Upon consumption, the magical power of the ‘Steel Lizard’ contained in the dish permeates the body. Physical Resistance will be increased drastically]

Fixed stat increase.

And even an increase in physical resistance influenced by the lizard used as an ingredient.

But that’s not all.

“Lieutenant Kim.”

“Ahem. All units, assume combat positions!”

After ensuring that all members of the unit had eaten my food, I signaled to Lieutenant Kim.

With a nod, Lieutenant Kim shouted.

[Command Directive – Assume Battle Formations!]

[The combat abilities of allies will be increased by 10%.]

[Temporarily, all allies have been granted the trait – Combat Stance]

[Trait – Combat Stance]

[When you deploy in a formation with a certain size of troops and prepare for battle, your combat efficiency will be increased. Your troops will become immune to confusion caused by the battle]

Lieutenant Kim’s profession was that of a ‘Novice Commander.’

Similar to me it was a rear support providing type occupation.

It’s a buffer-type profession.

Lieutenant Kim’s buffs increase the stats of allies by a certain percentage.

And the characteristic of percentage-based buffs is…

“It’s about creating synergy with fixed number buffs.”

The buffs from my cooking and Lieutenant Kim’s buffs synergize to produce even greater effects.

And with the effect of ‘courage’ infused in the dish.

“This will be an interesting fight.”

“Come here you bastards!”

The monsters leaped into our formation.

They’ve chosen their place to die.

* * *

That’s how it went.

The first battle unfolded as we descended from the mountain.

“We have about ten casualties, but they should be treatable.”

“That’s fortunate.”

Fighting in unfavorable terrain.

Naturally, there were some casualties.

Still, the two awakened healers somehow managed to cover it.

It was fortunate that there weren’t more casualties.

“Sergeant Shin’s cooking had a significant effect.”

Sa Uijun, the medic, said.

He looked at me with wonder as he took out the jerky from his bread pouch.

“To be honest, I thought Sergeant Shin’s cooking effect wouldn’t be seen once we left the unit. To have this much effect with such a small jerky is impressive.”

“I appreciate the praise, but there’s still much room for improvement. Due to my lack of skill, I had to settle for jerky for now, but I’ll continue to improve.”

Jerky made from combat rations.

It performed admirably in this battle.

Receiving cooking buffs even with small jerky that you can carry around is certainly a striking effect.

“But… Jerky is just the most primitive form of combat ration.”

Combat rations used before the advent of canned food.

There must be reasons why they were replaced later on.

Jerky can’t compare to properly made dishes.

I’ll have to increase my skill proficiency to enhance the effects further.

“Are you serious?”

“Huh?”

Sa Uijun, the medic, who heard my answer, responded as if he couldn’t believe it.

“It is impressive as it is now. And you are saying there is more room for development?”

“Ah.”

“If that’s the case, it’s terrifying.”

“Right.”

As I continued with the chef profession, I find it increasingly surprising.

It’s understandable that buffs improve as compensation for lacking combat abilities.

“Luck played a part too.”

My cooking essentially increases in effectiveness relative to the number of people eating it.

It’s similar to a wide-area buff.

With over a hundred unit members benefiting from this buff, my abilities shine accordingly.

Perhaps it’s fortunate to be a chef.

Anyway, the soldiers’ injuries were at a level manageable by the medics and healers.

After the conversation with Sa Uijun, as I was about to leave, a soldier who had been waiting grimaced and spoke up.

“We can’t repair these vehicles.”

Combat engineer, Corporal Lee Gong-woo, was inspecting the vehicles.

“Thought they might be of some help.”

“It’s proven now. Regular vehicles aren’t much use against monsters.”

The vehicles used as barriers were mostly large vans or small trucks.

But the exteriors of those vehicles were torn and shredded by the lizard’s claws, rendering them completely useless.

It’s hard to expect much in terms of protection.

“What about military vehicles then? Are they similar?”

“Military vehicles are definitely sturdier. They seem to withstand the claws better.”

Unlike the battered vans, military vehicles still retained their shape to some extent.

“But seeing vans in that state, it’s hard to fully trust military vehicles.”

“Even military ones could be destroyed if stronger monsters come.”

“They’re not armored vehicles, just military variants of commercial ones.”

Lee Gong-woo finished his words with a bitter expression.

“If we had enough materials, we would have managed somehow.”

Lee Gong-woo’s profession was that of a ‘Combat Engineer’.

In short, it’s also called a Sapper.

As the name suggests, it’s a profession specialized in creating or reinforcing something.

If we had the materials, it wouldn’t have been difficult to enhance the vehicle’s defense.

“But there’s nothing we can do. Our unit isn’t a large one. We don’t have a lot of materials to deal with monsters.”

“I understand the situation, but… sigh, it’s still disappointing.”

However, since the small unit in the mountains didn’t have sufficient materials, the combat engineers awakened in their profession could only contribute to reinforcing the unit’s defenses to some extent.

Currently, they’re mainly engaged in activities akin to warriors, utilizing their ‘Hammer Mastery’ skill.

“If we descend to the surface, we’ll have to secure useful materials.”

The same goes for the effects of the equipment made by Lee Sang-ah, the awakened ‘tailor’.

In this ‘game,’ production jobs are surprisingly powerful.

If these guys can fully utilize their abilities, they might demonstrate tremendous capabilities.

But for now, it’s something we can’t immediately address.

After somewhat organizing the battlefield,

We reformed our formation and resumed our march.

“Wait, halt!”

“Huh?”

However, not long after resuming our movement,

An order to halt came from the front.

It doesn’t seem like a monster attack.

What could it be?

“Reporting, Sergeant Shin?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“We’ve found something that you should see.”

The soldiers leading the march came to me and reported.

“What have you found?”

“Yeah.”

“Lead the way.”

Following the soldiers’ lead, I moved to the front of the formation.

There, I could see what they had discovered.

A few guardrails laid on the path leading to the unit.

And those guardrails…

“They’re broken.”

It looked like a major incident had occurred; they were torn up roughly.

“They weren’t like this before, right?”

“No, they were intact before the monsters appeared.”

For a moment, I wondered if monsters had torn them apart.

But looking at the shape of the broken guardrails,

There seemed to be no reason for monsters to attack them.

“…Could it be?”

The appearance of the broken guardrails.

It resembled something enormous rolling down and tearing away as it fell.

“The areas where guardrails are laid are particularly dangerous if something falls.”

With a hint of concern, I cautiously moved closer to the cliff edge.

“Sergeant Shin! Be careful!”

“Don’t worry, I won’t fall.”

It was a dizzying cliff.

As I leaned over, I could see a Retona, a familiar vehicle, lying near the ground.

“Jaemin, Seungho…”

Soldiers who had left for the upper unit to report just shortly after the monsters appeared.

They were the ones driving that vehicle.

Beyond the guardrails, a Retona used by the unit lay wrecked.

The two drivers who rode that vehicle probably didn’t survive.

“Sergeant Kim Jaemin and Sergeant Gwag Seungho…”

“They went to contact the upper unit, but I didn’t expect them to not make it down alive.”

When we realized communication with the outside was cut off,

Other unit members, including myself, opposed it,

But Lieutenant Kim pushed for sending drivers to try to contact the upper unit. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NøvᴇlFirᴇ(.)nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Even though they were selected volunteers,

In the end, they died here without even making it down from the mountain.

“If they hadn’t gone down from the mountain, they might have still been with us.”

“…”

They weren’t awakened, so they would have been helpless against monster attacks.

They probably ran away in a panic, only to be hunted down and killed.

However,

As I looked closer, there was one thing that bothered me.

“I don’t see any bodies.”

“What do you mean?”

“Jaemin and Seungho. If they were dead, there would be bodies, but I don’t see any.”

The Retona lying below the cliff.

The door of the partially wrecked van was torn open.

But the driver’s seat where the soldiers would have sat was empty.

“Did they luckily survive and move somewhere else?”

“From this height? Even with our awakening, falling from there would result in at least severe injuries.”

The area where the guardrails were laid along the path to the unit consisted of steep cliffs where falling would mean certain death.

It’s hard to imagine that even the two drivers, who weren’t awakened, survived the fall and moved on their own.

“Maybe the monsters took them as food.”

That’s the only plausible guess.

The monsters attacking the unit were not just killing humans but also devouring them.

They must be organisms that need to eat to survive.

However,

Other possibilities kept popping up in my mind.

“It’s a regrettable thought for those two, but… perhaps it’s better to hope they were eaten by the monsters.”

Of course, I couldn’t just rely on prayers.

We needed to prepare for any contingency.

“Min-jae, Lieutenant Kim, I’ll leave command to you for a bit.”

“Hmm?”

“I have something to attend to.”

After leaving command to the two of them,

I moved to the rear of the small truck.

Clang…

Inside the truck were the corpses of the lizards that we had just hunted.

They were piled up inside the truck.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Translator: One Force

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