Chapter 29

“I’m Sorry!” The lad bowed his head deeply as he shouted, and the soldiers behind him followed suit.

“What’s going on?”

Did they cause some trouble behind my back?

As I stared blankly, the lad who bowed his head spoke up.

“W-Well…”

The lad, still bowing his head, opened his mouth.

“Um, we… we spoke ill of Sergeant Shin while you were in the trailer compartment…”

“Oh.”

“We thought… even though you contributed with combat rations, it wasn’t right to step out of combat. That’s what we thought.”

“Actually, considering the performance of combat rations, you were the most contributive even at that moment.”

“We realized later. You were in the trailer compartment preparing for the monsters’ onslaught.”

A soldier, who seemed like a mage among them, spoke up.

There was a slight hint of admiration in his eyes.

“We heard that Sergeant Shin collapsed due to mana depletion.”

“Oh… that makes sense.”

“Mana depletion is something mages sometimes experience… but most of the time, they can’t use their skills anymore once headaches start. Using skills until they pass out is something new.”

“We practically owe our lives to you. And yet… we were speaking ill of you from behind…”

“We came here to sincerely apologize.”

So that’s why they were all gathered here.

These were the dissatisfied soldiers Min-jae mentioned while we were in the trailer compartment.

Sigh.

“I understand.”

To be honest, I might have done the same, right?

No matter how much someone contributes in reality, if they’re not visible, it’s hard to grasp.

If someone is seen lagging behind while others are fighting hard, it’s only natural to feel uneasy.

“…But still, they were talking behind their superior’s back!?”

“Eek!”

I playfully put a headlock on the soldier who had spoken up first.

Since they did gossip, they deserve a bit of this.

“Just kidding, you did well. All of you.”

“Uh, yes?”

I released the headlock and said,

“Well, I unexpectedly became a guild leader, but I’m not sure if I’m cut out for it.”

“Ah…”

“If you guys praise me blindly, I might end up doing something wrong.”

I was sincere.

To me, I’m not that great.

‘How remarkable can be a soldier who was just waiting for his discharge?’

In this case, it’s true that I was trying to find a way to help in combat.

But without the watchful eyes of others,

I might actually make a mistake later on.

As a guild leader, I might start to seek my own benefit without hesitation.

I can’t confidently say that I can reject such temptation when it comes.

“So… keep doubting.”

“….!”

“Whether that lad is doing well or making wrong judgments, I hope you will continue to doubt me and my actions.”

That way, I can lead the guild better.

And there’s a higher chance I’ll survive.

“But still, I already forgave you, didn’t I? You keep apologizing, and I’m the one feeling sorry now.”

It was all just playful gossip anyway.

Even I, when I was the youngest, cursed my seniors a lot.

In fact, I probably got cursed out by the cooks when I was their junior.

“Oh. By the way…”

There was one thing that bothered me.

Since the soldiers were gathered here anyway…

“If you’re truly sorry, can I ask for a favor?”

“A favor? Anything, sir!”

Their apologies seemed quite sincere.

Thankfully, they responded quite enthusiastically.

“I know you’re all tired, and I’m sorry to ask, but could you gather the corpses of the monsters we hunted nearby?”

This was the part that had been bothering me.

Monster corpses were resources.

Their meat was food, and their hides were materials for equipment.

“In fact, Sergeant Jeon Gwang-il is already out with some soldiers, working on it. We’ll join them too.”

What?

“Sergeant Gwang-il?”

They had started working before I even gave the order.

I leaned out of the old farmhouse’s window and glanced outside.

“Corporal, even though I can handle three monsters at once, do you really need to do it alone? You might collapse.”

“I’m doing what I can. Besides, the other trailer compartment was full. Can you call an ice mage?”

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Outside the window, Corporal Jeon Gwang-il was moving monster corpses onto a trailer compartment, followed by several soldiers.

It was right after a tough battle.

Everyone must be exhausted.

“How long have they been like this?”

“As soon as the battle was over, Corporal Jeon started working.

He said he couldn’t just do nothing after causing trouble for you during the battle. And the other warriors couldn’t just watch him work alone, so they took a short break and joined in.”

Securing the monster corpses was definitely necessary.

But it’s never easy to personally step up like that, especially in tough times.

“Well, that’s just how he is.”

He wasn’t an ace from the Facility Division for nothing.

Even when he was in the unit, he always stepped up to do the hard work.

“Then let’s go join them.”

“Uh, okay. Take care, sir!”

“Sure thing.”

The soldiers I had asked for help soon went outside to assist Gwang-il.

“I should make sure to give those lads something extra later.”

I’d like to help them right away, but honestly, just getting up is a struggle right now.

I’ll have to think about it after another nap.

Park Taejun, the awakened astrologer, urged us to head west.

By the way, he doesn’t even know the reason himself.

According to his prediction, is there an indication that luck is more concentrated or particularly favorable?

I honestly don’t understand talk about luck and such.

But the advantages of choosing west are clear.

“It’s broader. More familiar to us.”

After groggily catching a few more breaths due to mana depletion,

Once my health somewhat recovered, I stepped outside the farmhouse.

“Come to think of it, what happened to the elderly couple who owned this place?”

“Well, when we arrived, there was no one here. They probably sought shelter somewhere after the situation broke out.”

“Hmm.”

The farmstead occasionally provided aid to civilians.

It’s a bit unsettling that the owners weren’t around.

Still, it’s something to be thankful for, having a place to rest for the night.

Finishing my thoughts, I scanned the surrounding landscape.

The scenery around was quite familiar.

I have been here quite a few times during different works.

“If we head that way, we can reach the urban area. And wasn’t the shooting range in that direction?”

“That’s correct.”

Though I couldn’t recall everything perfectly, it was a somewhat of a familiar place.

The advantages of this area must have been why we came down westward.

Leaving the troops behind for a moment, I headed towards the nearby fields.

Quite a spacious piece of farmland.

At this rate, maybe…

[Insufficient space for summoning]

“Tsk.”

It was a frustrating outcome for me.

“Does it make any sense that I can’t use the item I obtained with such difficulty because it’s too big?”

[Mobile Fortress Bimana]

At first, I thought it might be something like a giant tank.

When even our logistics sergeant couldn’t summon it, I thought it might be fortress-sized as its name suggests.

But…

“It’s even more than that.”

It was a bit surprising, but there was also an aspect of anticipation.

There’s a fundamental principle in games.

If it’s difficult to use, then its performance is usually outstanding.

If it’s this difficult to use…

When it becomes usable, how powerful it will be.

“Well, judging by the current state, it seems like a distant future thing.”

A moment later.

“Be careful not to fall.”

“Since the power’s off, it should be fine, but just in case…”

“Leave it to me! Didn’t I tell you? Climbing trees is my specialty.”

Me and the other soldiers were gathered near the farmhouse, some of us near the utility pole.

“Hup.”

One of the soldiers climbed the pole with a telescope in hand.

That guy.

Maybe he awakened as a thief or something.

I remember he was always on the slender side.

A guy whose specialty was climbing trees actually climbed the utility pole all the way to the top.

“Let’s see.”

Perched atop the utility pole, he looked through the telescope.

“How is it?”

“Can you see anything?”

“Uh…”

We, watching from below, shouted.

But he didn’t answer, just trailing off.

A moment later.

He shouted, looking downwards.

“Sergeant Sin!”

“What!”

“Are we going in there!?”

“Nothing’s decided yet! Why!”

“If that’s the case! I want to object!”

“What?”

Sliiiide.

The soldier slid down the utility pole like it was greased.

His face seemed a bit paler.

“You want to object… And why is that?”

“It’s just…”

The guy said, trembling.

“Going in there feels like a suicide mission.”

Describing what he saw.

As those of us who didn’t see it directly could only imagine, it was hard to picture exactly.

But there was one thing that was certain.

“It’s serious.”

“Now that we’re out, it seems like the whole world’s gone mad.”

Heading westward over the mountains leads to Inje-gun.

Most of the survivors who joined our unit, including Leader Sang-ma and others, are from Inje-gun.

It’s also a restricted area for our unit when we go out.

And now, it’s turned halfway into hell.

“Well, I heard something like that from the survivors.”

“I had my suspicions too, but it seems worse than I imagined.”

Basically, monsters see humans as prey.

And the place with the most prey is the city.

To them, it’s probably like a free buffet.

So, many monsters gather to hunt the humans there.

The chaos caused by those monsters attracts even more monsters.

The dead humans rise as zombies.

That’s how a thriving city turns into hell.

“What do you plan to do? Going in there seems a bit…”

“Well, it’s probably impossible.”

Nearly a hundred awakened individuals.

We also consider ourselves quite powerful.

But…

“The battlefield has too many variables.”

Some even compare it to modern siege warfare.

The entering side is overwhelmingly disadvantaged.

The city’s buildings limit our vision and firepower.

And with monsters and zombies overflowing the entire city…

Each building becomes a target of suspicion, not knowing what might pop out from inside.

“If we had more firepower, maybe. But with injuries still being treated, dreaming of entering the city is out of the question. Even now, with just two healers, we’re barely covering the limits. If we get more injuries here, we’ll surely have casualties.”

“So, what’s the plan?”

I pondered the soldier’s question for a moment.

“Since we can’t stay here indefinitely anyway, if we have to move…”

There’s one place of concern.

“Let’s head to the barracks.”

“The barracks, sir?”

The most remote outpost in the outskirts of Inje-gun.

Not far from here is our unit’s barracks.

Our unit is a Class-A elite unit that takes hours to reach even by car.

For the soldiers living in the unit, it’s an overly secluded place, especially for the officers commuting.

The barracks were built for such officers.

Also known as BOQ.

But it’s not exclusively for officers.

Our unit members often stop by the barracks’ soldier lounge before or after their leaves.

Then they either leave for their vacation or return to duty.

Every time that happens, the unit members used to show dissatisfaction with the location being far from the downtown area.

“Why isn’t there a convenience store near the barracks?”

“Why are there only buildings in the middle of nowhere?”

“But actually, it’s better now.”

“Really? And why’s that?”

“It’s good to be away from the dangerous city center. And having only buildings in the middle of nowhere is advantageous terrain for us.”

Once we’re on the ground, the most important thing is securing a base for operations.

The barracks could serve as a reasonably good base.

“Then, let’s look into the route to the barracks.”

“The drivers often live at the barracks too. They know all the roads there.”

That’s how the unit’s next destination was decided: the barracks.

The unit members discussed the route to the barracks.

Watching them, I had a different thought.

“The barracks might be a good base, but…”

Actually, the reason for deciding on the barracks as our destination isn’t the whole story.

I didn’t explicitly tell the soldiers, but some of them probably have the same thoughts as me.

As mentioned earlier,

The barracks were where the unit members and officers stayed before and after leaves.

“Those people must have been at the barracks on the Doomsday.”

They may not have fought alongside us against the monsters, but they were still our fellow unit members.

We need to find out what happened to them.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Translator: One Force

TL Note:

1 regular chapter + 2 additional chapters (For NU voting target completion) will be uploaded soon.

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