Chapter 41

“It was as if a ghost had appeared.” “After listening to Suyeon’s explanation, Sang-ah and I were left with a bewildered expression.”

A ghost?

…Really?

Suyeon’s described destination was a mart similar to the one we had visited before, albeit larger in scale.

“To be honest, we found it quite strange that the items in that mart were still intact.”

“If you all find it suspicious then why did you all step in?”

“We didn’t have the luxury to turn back just because it seemed suspicious.”

This mart is well known for its large size and location.

There must have been a reason why survivors hadn’t raided such a place.

Or rather, they probably couldn’t raid it.

“There were no issues at the entrance, but… once everyone ventured a bit inside…”

“People started dropping dead suddenly. That’s it.”

“Yes.”

So far, this was what we had heard from Suyeon.

I suggested the two siblings to take a rest for now.

Then I returned to the other squad members and relayed the conversation.

“So, under the condition of letting them join the unit, they agreed to share the information. Come to think of it, I made the decision on my own, so I’m sorry about that.”

“No, if Sergeant Shin has decided it then it shouldn’t be a big problem, right?”

“More hands are always welcome. Though dealing with kids might be a bit annoying.”

It was essentially a decision to expand our unit with new members.

I felt a tad sorry for making the decision somewhat unilaterally, but thankfully, everyone seemed understanding.

Perhaps my trust in humanity played a small role.

But it probably wasn’t the main factor.

Although the soldiers had become somewhat indifferent and harsh towards matters outside of our unit. But when it comes to camaraderie, it revolved around whether you belonged to our unit or not.

Unless you were an outsider.

If it was about becoming a unit member, they tend to be quite lenient.

However, the real problem lay elsewhere.

“Well… recruiting them is not an issue, but…”

After hearing all the stories, one of the soldiers raised his hand with a slightly pale face.

“That… it couldn’t be a real ghost, right?”

“….”

“Sergeant Shin?”

“…Well…”

“P-Please, quickly say it’s not true! It’s terrifying!”

“No. Even if I say that…”

The story where everyone suddenly died without seeing any monsters made it seem like a ghost had appeared.

It was almost unbelievable.

There was a part of me that doubted it could really happen.

“Honestly, given the situation… even if a real ghost appeared, I think I’d believe it.”

There is no place where rumors about ghosts circulate more often than military bases.

In fact, there were often soldiers who returned to their living quarters after duty and made a fuss about seeing a ghost.

If it were the old me…

“You probably just saw it wrong; you fool. Where in the world are ghosts?”

I would have dismissed it.

But now, with monsters appearing everywhere.

“Well… the world has become a place where zombies roam around freely. I wouldn’t be surprised if I see ghosts roaming around.”

“W-Well…”

It’s come to this.

The faces of the soldiers who heard my response changed in various ways.

Some remained indifferent, while others frowned slightly.

“Ahem.”

The problem was with those whose faces were noticeably paled.

“What’s wrong?”

“W-Why are you trembling?”

“W-Who’s trembling!”

Although the soldiers were quite accustomed to combat, dealing with ghosts was a different matter.

Even skilled fighters could be afraid to watch horror movies alone.

Soldiers were no exception.

Although there were some relatively calm soldiers.

Some soldiers turned pale and trembled.

It was quite scary.

Then…

“Do you still call yourselves men after behaving like that?”

One soldier yelled.

Now a familiar towering figure.

“The guys who used to fight monsters and risk their lives are trembling now?! What happened to the bravery you showed when you stabbed a knife into a lizard’s mouth, huh!”

“C-corporal Jeon Gwang-il?”

It was Corporal Jeon Gwang-il.

“The Marines corps said they could even fight ghosts. They said they could defeat ghosts or whatever with their courage!”

“But we’re not Marines, sir…”

“Hey… Is that really Corporal Jeon Gwang-il, who used to run away scared whenever we watched horror movies?”

“Ugh… I’m starting to think maybe it’s not him.”

He used to be one of the most cowardly guys in the unit.

I had a rough idea why he was acting like that now.

“Ahem. It’s probably the side effects of the psychotherapy…”

Injecting excessive “courage” into him was probably the cause.

The effect of the courage sauce must have worn off by now.

But it seemed to have left a lingering aftereffect.

“It seems his fear has been completely eliminated.”

Even though his original personality was quite gentle and there were no issues in normal times.

“What a disgrace! The brave son of the great Republic of Korea is cowering like a baby deer! What is this nonsense?!”

Seeing the soldiers cowering, it seemed that the side effects of the psychotherapy had fully kicked in.

Those who were already afraid became outright sobbing messes.

The soldiers, who were already very scared became tearful due to Gwang-il’s threats.

Then…

“It’s not definitively a real ghost.”

It was Sergeant Lee Min-jae who calmed the atmosphere.

“It could just be a monster that can kill invisibly, making it appear like a ghost. It’s not wise to be so certain that it’s a ghost.”

“Really? It’s hard to think of anything other than a ghost when you hear the description.”

“That’s because we’re trying to perceive the subject with our common sense.”

Min-jae hyung habitually searched his pockets to take out a cigarette.

But it’s been a long time since we have run out of cigarettes.

He cleared his throat awkwardly before continuing.

“Think about it. Most of the monsters that have appeared till now defy our common sense. From the very beginning, the situation where monsters appear is quite abnormal.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

“It’s better not to try to confirm the identity of the monster based on our common sense and abstract images. It will only make it harder for us to understand their real identity. They won’t be as kind as to appear within the boundary of our common senses.”

He had a point.

Confirming the identity of the enemy solely based on stories that we’ve heard, without seeing it ourselves, is quite risky.

In the end…

“We have no choice but to go and experience it firsthand.”

Seeing with our own eyes.

There’s no other way to find out.

“We’ve made things more complicated than expected. But since we can’t just go back empty-handed.”

“I’ll start the vehicles right away.”

Thanks to the modified vehicles, short-distance travel was not a problem.

Once the decision was made, there was no time to hesitate.

The soldiers quickly prepared for departure.

The two siblings who agreed to join us did the same.

As they were brought out to board the vehicles…

“Hmm?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing. It’s just… not the kind of car I imagined.”

“I see.”

The visual of the vehicle was a bit off.

Still, the siblings quickly calmed down and boarded the vehicle.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes. let’s move out!”

The vehicles headed towards the location that Suyeon had mentioned.

And not long after we set off…

I noticed Suyeon, sitting beside me, looking around anxiously.

“Is something bothering you?”

“Huh? Oh, no. It’s just…”

Suyeon seemed uneasy, looking out the window at the surrounding vehicles.

“I was wondering if there was anything like a tank.”

Since we’re soldiers, naturally, one would expect to see tanks or something similar.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have anything like that.”

“Pardon?”

“I said we don’t have tanks or anything like that. Over there, we have Retona, and we do have military vehicles, but nothing like tanks.”

“So, how do you plan to deal with the monsters where we’re headed?”

“Hmm? Well, first, we need to identify the monster. And once we are done with that then it’ll be up to the soldiers to handle them directly.”

“Uh, what?”

Suyeon was startled at my response.

“That, that’s impossible!”

Impossible, she says.

“You were the one who suggested going there with the information!”

“Well, I thought since you all are soldiers, you might have other ways…!”

“Other ways?”

“Like tanks or missiles… Even if there are ghosts inside, wouldn’t destroying the place itself make the ghosts disappear?”

Hmm.

When you think of soldiers dealing with something, that might be the image that comes to mind.

But what to do now?

“As I said earlier, tanks or missiles… Unfortunately, we don’t have those.”

“!!!”

We were a small radar unit stationed on top of the mountain.

Why would we need tanks there?

Oh, we had some of those anti-aircraft guns, but we couldn’t just bring those down.

“If we attack like that, wouldn’t the entire mart be destroyed? We wouldn’t be able to secure the items we need from the mart.”

“Oh. Um, well…”

She hadn’t thought that far ahead, perhaps.

Suyeon’s complexion turned pale.

“Well, then… I’m sorry for suggesting it, but maybe it’s better not to go in…”

“We don’t have the luxury to do that. Unless it’s an enemy we absolutely can’t handle, it’s a shame to retreat without even seeing it.”

“But I told you! There were two awakened ones, and they both died.”

“Hmm. It could be dangerous. But still.”

I think I understand what she’s thinking.

“It was that place where their entire survivor group was completely wiped out. Only the sibling pair survived and returned alive from that place.”

She’s probably worried that we’ll end up in a similar situation since she was the one who guided us there.

An unknown enemy.

Maybe it really is a ghost.

“We’re not entirely without confidence either, you know.”

* * *

We arrived at the large three-story supermarket following Suyeon’s guidance.

That was our initial impression of the mart.

“…It’s strangely intact.”

Intact.

The reason for such an impression was simple.

“It looks too normal.”

Ironically.

The overly normal appearance made it feel eerie.

It wasn’t just a matter of “not being looted.”

“It’s just like the old mart.”

It had been over two months since the day monsters appeared.

Since then, we’ve only seen the collapsed society.

This intact appearance felt eerie to us.

“What kind of creature could be inside?”

“If it’s truly ghost-like and we can’t even touch it, then what should we do?”

The soldiers ask me as they look at me.

There was only one answer that I could give.

“What else can we do? We’ll just have to retreat if we deem it impossible to defeat the enemy. Just in case, the drivers are keeping the engines running.”

“That’s it?”

“And you are calling this deadly plan your strategy?”

Mac had something to eat, so there was a possibility of an attack.

But what can you feed a ghost?

So, we’ll have no other choice but to retreat.

“Of course, that’s only in the worst-case scenario.”

There’s no need to be frightened by thinking of the worst-case scenario already.

“We’ll consider it unknown entity until we get closer.”

“That makes sense.”

The soldiers nod as they listen to my words.

They’ve become quite accustomed to combat now.

The problem is.

“If it’s really a ghost, then you all should retreat!”

We still had some guys who were trembling in fear.

“Man, you all need to calm down first.”

“But Sergeant Shin…”

Corporal Jeon Gwang-il’s face turned red after seeing their confidence levels.

“You won’t be able to fight properly in that state.”

“That’s true.”

“What are you planning to do? It might be better to exclude them from this mission.”

He’s right.

They won’t be helpful in combat if they’re scared like that.

But getting angry won’t solve anything.

Besides.

We still have items specifically prepared for situations like this.

Including the scared guys.

I commanded the awaiting soldiers, “Take out your combat rations.”

“Yes, sir!”

The soldiers took out their combat rations from their hip pockets.

“Eat as instructed. Let’s eat number one.”

“…Enjoy your meal!”

Our unit’s unique combat posture.

Combat rations were being eaten by soldiers.

This time, I ordered everyone to eat number one.

To be honest, it was nothing special.

It’s the one we’re most familiar with.

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

“Hehehe. Ghost hunting, huh.”

The effect was immediate.

The expressions of the soldiers, who had bitten onto the jerky, changed dramatically.

“The zombies were getting boring anyway, this is better.”

“Grrrk….”

“Where’s the enemy? Is there anyone who can satisfy me?”

“Yeeaaah!”

“That’s right, that’s right. I like seeing everyone so enthusiastic.”

The soldiers were brimming with courage and filled with enthusiasm.

“Sis… These soldiers are weird…”

“Were they always like this?”

“Hmm. It’s to boost morale before a potentially dangerous battle.”

The two siblings who hadn’t eaten the combat rations were a little puzzled.

I gave them a vague explanation of what was happening and then moved forward.

Looking at the soldiers who were then full of spirit, I commanded, “Let’s go in.”

“Yeeaaah!”

“To the battlefield!”

Bang!

With courage multiplied, the soldiers pushed open the door and entered the mart.

But their momentum faded away instantly.

“It’s quiet.”

There’s not a hint of an enemy presence in this mart.

All we could hear was the rough breathing of our soldiers.

“Just keep moving forward for now.”

“Yes!”

In the midst of that.

“Oh.”

“…?”

“Something’s not right.”

“What is it?”

Suhyuk, who was following from behind, said.

“This is where Cheol oppa collapsed…”

“What?”

Come to think of it, something was odd.

The survivors who died here.

Their bodies were nowhere to be seen.

A clear anomaly.

“Everyone, hold on-.”

I was about to give the order to stop, but other soldiers were already moving forward without fear.

And then…

“Where are you? Where are my enemies… cough.”

A soldier walking right in front of me.

The guy suddenly let out a sound full of pain.

“Attack!”

Be alert!

I quickly reached out and grabbed his shoulder before throwing him behind me.

“Medic, field medic!”

“Yes sir!”

The soldier thrown behind me had a wound near his waist, blood flowing from it.

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“Understood!”

“The rest of you soldiers, hold your positions! Prepare for an attack!”

“Hold, hold!”

“Everyone, hold your positions!”

Soldiers obediently followed my orders.

“Cough…”

“Just bear with it a little longer.”

I watched as the wounded soldier behind me received treatment for his injury.

Walking just behind him.

I saw clearly what had happened.

The problem is.

“Clearly, there weren’t any enemies. Yet, he got stabbed by something.”

At that moment I couldn’t figure out what that something was.

“It’s the same…”

At that moment.

Suyeon, following behind, spoke.

I didn’t need to hear more to know what she meant.

“It’s just like when our survivor group was wiped out.”

If it’s truly the same situation.

Then the attack won’t end here.

I surveyed the surroundings with tension, but…

…

…

“…What’s going on?”

The attack didn’t continue.

“…What you said earlier.”

“Yes?”

“Explain it again.”

I addressed Suyeon without letting my guard down.

“What happened here? Explain it in more detail.”

“Oh, um, even if you ask for more details… that’s really all there is. Suni ajumma who was leading the group got attacked… and the rest of us got attacked too as everyone hurried to escape.”

Hmm.

But we’re not facing another attack at the moment.

If there’s a difference.

“It’s that we didn’t run away but stopped, right?”

Confirming that the attack wasn’t continuing, I calmly assessed the situation.

Where the soldier was stabbed right in front of me.

There was some blood splattered on the ground.

Nothing seemed strange.

It’s just that it’s very close to the nearby shelf… … ?

At that moment.

[Skill – Ingredient Identification Activated]

Maybe because I was scrutinizing the surroundings.

My skill was activated.

[Ingredient Identification]

[Aluminum]

[Polyamide]

The spot where he was stabbed was the snack corner.

After the last incident, the limitations of cooking ingredients have disappeared for me.

It was now possible to discern the ingredients of not only food items but also snack packaging.

Of course, what’s the use of knowing the information about snack packets…?

I wondered.

[Oak]

[Polyethylene Terephthalate]

[Blue Water Droplet]

[Aluminum]

…

…What?

Something’s…

“Strange was mixed in?”

I surveyed the area once again.

This time, I was actively using my skill.

And the prompt that appeared before my eyes.

[Blue Water Droplet]

The target of that prompt was…

A snack packet that looked ordinary even after rubbing my eyes.

Indeed.

“So that’s what it was, huh?”

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Translator: One Force

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