Chapter 31

“Wow, the soundproofing here is terrible.” As we entered the building, rough breathing sounds echoed from all directions.

The only way to locate the zombies hiding within was through sound.

“This makes it impossible to locate them by sound alone.”

I wondered if the entire building was overrun by zombies.

Rough breathing sounds echoed from all around.

Even though the senses of the awakened were sharper than those of ordinary people, it was difficult to pinpoint the locations of the hidden zombies within.

“I feel uneasy.”

I could sense it instinctively.

Entering like this would be dangerous.

After making my decision, I turned back and issued a command.

“Let’s retreat for now…”

But then…

“Sergeant Shin!”

As I turned around to leave the building, I saw soldiers rushing towards me.

I was momentarily startled, but I quickly realized they weren’t attacking me.

“Grr…”

Above my head.

A distinct rough breathing sound was coming from there.

“Damn it!”

Through the old building’s ceiling pipes.

A zombie that had been hiding there suddenly lunged at me.

Quickly, I raised my hand to protect my head.

“Aaargh!”

“Ugh!”

Thunk!

Fortunately, my reaction wasn’t too slow.

I felt the zombie’s teeth sink into the sleeve of my uniform.

“Not just any uniform, but a military uniform that can withstand several bullets.”

Even if the Zombies bite fiercely, they can’t pierce through the lizard leather of the uniform.

“If it had bitten me in an unprotected area, it would have been over.”

Feeling the cold sweat, I observed the zombie biting my arm.

Had it realized it couldn’t penetrate the uniform?

It seemed to be twitching, as if it were about to bite somewhere else.

“Where!”

My next move was faster.

I swung my arm forcefully, throwing the creature to the ground.

Thud!

Clack!

The zombie slammed onto the building floor.

“Aaargh!”

It immediately tried to get up and lunge at me, but…

Thunk!

With a powerful blow, I shattered its skull with my military boot.

“I’m not a combatant, but I’m also awakened.”

If I strike someone with my military shoes, it’s more than enough to shatter their bones.

“Sergeant Shin!”

“Are you alright!?”

“Just look at me. I’m fine.”

Except for the ambush, the zombies themselves didn’t pose much of a threat.

It was somewhat dangerous, but luckily, I wasn’t bitten.

“But it’s too early to relax.”

Aargh.

Grkk…

Perhaps the recent sounds of combat had provoked them.

The sound coming from inside didn’t seem promising.

The soldiers looked at me, as if asking if it was okay to proceed.

Their eyes seemed to question whether it was safe to enter.

After a moment of consideration, I made a decision and said, “Let’s retreat for now.”

***

“That was Sergeant Park from our division.”

After retreating from the building to the end of the courtyard, it was Gwang-il who spoke up.

He must be referring to the zombie that attacked me in the building we just entered.

Sergeant Park, huh?

“I remember him as someone I was close to. I’m sorry.”

Corporal Jeon Gwang-il was the ace of our facility division.

He was close not only to the soldiers but also to the officers.

Sergeant Park was relatively young, so he got along well with the soldiers.

“No need to apologize.”

Gwang-il seemed to flinch for a moment, then quickly nodded his head and said, “Sergeant Park probably wouldn’t have wanted to live like that either.”

Though Gwang-il responded somewhat positively, the atmosphere among the soldiers had considerably dampened.

It was the same when the drivers saw the zombies.

Seeing someone you knew turned into a zombie wasn’t a pleasant sight.

“Come to think of it, it’s been quite a while since I’ve fed the soldiers dishes like ‘Reassurance’ and ‘Comfort’.”

I’ll have to make those dishes again for mental well-being once the situation stabilizes.

“For now, everyone take a break. And, squad leaders, come over here for a moment.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s have a meeting.”

I pulled aside the squad leaders and moved to a corner.

Once we were away from the soldiers.

“You wanted to visit the barracks, right?”

Jeon Gwang-il spoke up before I could.

“Oh?”

“Are you trying to confirm whether our comrades are alive or dead?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm.”

Gwang-il turned his head to glance at the resting soldiers.

“Did you really have to confirm it? Our soldiers’ morale doesn’t seem great. Wouldn’t it have been better to investigate elsewhere?”

He continued to speak while keeping an eye on the soldiers’ reactions.

“Your point is valid. Actually, I thought the same at first. But… I still felt that it’s necessary to visit the barracks.”

“Why’s that?”

“For mental management.”

“Pardon?”

The faces of Gwang-il and the other team leaders showed confusion.

“Isn’t it strange?”

“Well… to be honest, yes.”

Given the soldiers’ current mood, it might be hard to believe that my goal is mental management.

But my thoughts were different.

Their current state is temporary.

“What if… there were surviving comrades in the barracks?”

“What do you mean?”

“What if there were surviving comrades in the barracks, and we could have saved them?”

If we had just passed by the barracks and later found evidence that surviving soldiers had been there until recently…

“We would feel even more guilty.”

The guilt of not being able to save comrades we could have rescued… Such guilt lasts longer than mere sadness.

Even though the likelihood of there being no survivors was high, we still needed to confirm it.

“Confirming if there are survivors in the barracks. It’s a bigger deal than you might think.”

“I see…”

As I finished explaining, Gwang-il nodded in understanding.

“Surprisingly thoughtful, aren’t you…?”

“Hmm. I’ve only been thinking about the advantages of it as a base of operations, but I’ve never really considered that aspect before… Now that I hear it, it does seem like a valid point.”

Jeon, Sang-ah and Min-jae looked at me again, seeming lost in thought.

In any case, it seemed like everyone understood my decision.

“So… what’s the plan now?”

Min-jae asked with his arms crossed.

Though our goal was set on attacking the barracks, the problem lay in what to do next.

“We must make them rest in peace.”

They were comrades from the same unit.

Leaving them wandering around as undead would be unacceptable.

“That sounds easy, but it might be more difficult than you think.”

Turning around to look at the barracks, Corporal Lee Min-jae remarked, “Those buildings are like dungeons where enemies could pop out from anywhere.”

“Exactly.”

“If it were zombies rushing at us on open ground, we could handle hundreds of them. But in narrow buildings, with zombies hiding everywhere? That’s a whole different story.”

It was difficult to pinpoint the locations of the zombies just from their sounds.

I looked at Lee Sang-ah and asked, “Don’t the survivors have any know-how? Precautions to take when entering a new building?”

“We just become more cautious… that’s about it. Entering a building or area without information is always a risky challenge.”

In terms of combat power, we were far stronger than the survivor group she led.

But that was only in frontal combat situations.

Being ambushed by hidden zombies meant death for anyone, even an awakened.

“Shall we gather all the mages and bombard the area with maximum firepower? It shouldn’t be too difficult to eliminate the zombies hiding.”

“Are you planning to demolish the barracks altogether?”

“Just kidding.”

At my joke, Corporal Jeong Gwang-il gave a wry smile.

Demolishing the barracks altogether… it was a thought, though.

“We should consider that option, though.”

“Yes?”

Noise could indeed be a problem.

If the main strategy seems too difficult, sending the zombified unit members could be considered as an option to clear the way.

If others find it difficult to attack, this is an option worth considering in order to make our zombified comrades rest in peace.

“Are you serious?”

“I am. But it’s still Plan B.”

I raised my head slightly and looked up at the sky.

The sun was high above.

Glancing at my wristwatch, it seemed like it was almost lunchtime.

The best time to attempt Plan A.

“Let’s have lunch first.”

***

At the outskirts of the barracks, in the courtyard.

After confirming that the surroundings were safe to some extent, I opened the military bag I brought.

“Let’s see…”

What came out of the military bag wasn’t a sleeping bag or protective gear.

It was an old cast-iron skillet.

A deep frying pan.

And large chunks of meat wrapped in aluminum foil.

“Oh, is that meat?”

“Yeah. I picked the best cuts.”

“Wow…!”

There was a slight buzz among the soldiers who were feeling down.

“Since Gwang-il and the others brought it, you should thank them.”

“Oh, hehe… What’s there to thank for?”

Gwang-il scratched his head, looking embarrassed.

The meat of monsters hunted down in the mountains.

If they hadn’t worked hard to gather them, we wouldn’t have been able to enjoy it now.

“Hmm.”

But Sergeant Lee Min-jae’s response was ambiguous.

“Will it really make a difference to raise our stats?”

In the past, the soldiers would have questioned why I suddenly said, “Let’s have lunch.”

But they’ve gradually become accustomed to the fact that my meals are not just about nutrition.

‘Of course, there’s a limit to how much it can boost stats or change emotions.’

As Min-jae said.

Originally, it’s not that our combat power was lacking.

It would be difficult for stat buffs alone to help in the current situation.

“Well. Let’s wait a moment.”

I carefully inspected the chunks of meat in the bag.

The meat was wrapped in foil along with ice packs made by the frost-type mages.

Among them, there was one item I was looking for.

“Found it.”

[The eavesdropping Alahfur]

[Ingredient Grade: Medium]

[Freshness: High]

Alahfur was one of the monsters encountered on the way down from the mountains.

It was a monstrous creature with fox-like features and unusually large ears.

“Any fire-type mages here?”

“Yes, Lance Corporal Son Byeong-mun.”

“Could you please light up some firewood here?”

“Ah, sure thing.”

Fwoosh.

Since we didn’t have proper equipment for fancy cooking in the field, it was a bit challenging.

We decided to just grill it as it is.

Maybe it’s because of the magical essence, but monster meat is quite tasty on its own.

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I placed the large piece of meat on the heated frying pan.

With a satisfying sound, the meat began to cook.

Watching it cook, I thought about the skills I possessed.

[Chef’s Eye]

A skill that reveals the handling method and recommended cooking techniques of the target.

Thanks to it, I gained insight into the [Handling Method Enlightenment] for monsters.

But despite its name…

“It doesn’t just reveal handling techniques.”

[Eavesdropping Alahfur Handling Method]

“Alahfur’s large ears serve as organs to detect the positions of predators and prey and are sometimes considered a weakness due to being a vulnerable spot where major blood vessels pass through. By cutting this part off, blood can be easily drained…”

It certainly reveals the handling technique, but it also subtly incorporates the monster’s characteristics, doesn’t it?

“Large ears that detect predators and prey…”

Thanks to that, I can understand not just weaknesses but also the inherent traits of the monster to some extent.

That’s partly why I chose this meat.

“I’m not sure who wrote these handling and cooking techniques, but…”

They have been quite helpful in various ways.

Eventually…

[Calmness inducing well-grilled eavesdropping Alahfur meat prepared by a Junior Chef]

“This dish is made with high-quality ingredients. The effect of the dish is slightly increased.”

[This dish is made with high-quality fresh ingredients. The effect of cooking increases slightly.]

“It’s a dish made with magical ingredients. The effectiveness of the dish will slightly increase.”

…

The dish is complete.

“Everyone, line up with your plates ready.”

“Yes!”

In reality, it wasn’t a formal mealtime.

I simply cut the large piece of meat into appropriate portions for everyone.

They might not be able to eat until they’re full with just the meat, but the soldiers didn’t seem to mind.

Since it was only meat, they wouldn’t be able to eat to their fill, but they didn’t seem to mind it.

“Wow, the texture is like hangjeongsal*.”

“Ugh, it would’ve been perfect with rice and lettuce wraps.”

Rice and lettuce wraps, huh?

We definitely need to secure carbohydrates and vegetables as soon as possible.

But that’s not the priority right now.

After the distributing the meat, the soldiers sat down and started chewing on the meat.

Seeing everyone has already started eating, I also joined in and took a bite.

And then the message appeared.

[All attributes increased by 5]

[The magic imbued in the dish has an effect] 

[The magic of the ‘Eavesdropping Alahfur’ infused in the dish seeps into your body.]

“Hey, everyone, check your status screens.”

“What’s going on?”

“Something… with a strange attribute-”

“Wait a moment.”

My prediction was spot on.

It was hard to suppress the laughter bubbling up inside me.

“Why are you suddenly yelling like that?”

“What’s the matter? You sound like-”

[Acquired Temporary Attribute – Enhanced Hearing (Eavesdropping)]

“Just as planned.”

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Translator: One Force

TL Note:

*Hanjeongsal is a Korean term referring to a premium cut of pork, specifically the pork jowl or pork cheek.

It’s known for its tender texture and flavorful taste.

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