Chapter 23

The Conscripts

“I have one request.”

“…Yes?”

“We’d like to be officially incorporated into the unit as well.”

To be incorporated into the unit.

“Weren’t you already incorporated? I believe we’ve been protecting you fairly well, at least.”

“That’s not what I mean. You know that, right?”

“…Well, yeah.”

About twenty survivors. They had come to our unit and taken shelter under our protection, but…

‘Strictly speaking, they aren’t members of the unit.’

They were, at best, people under protection.

In exchange for that protection, they did help out with minor chores around the unit, but that was all.

They were not our comrades.

“Being protected by soldiers isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But. That alone won’t let us survive.”

“Hm. We do intend to protect you as best we can, though?”

“No, in a world like this. Unless we fight to survive on our own, when a real crisis comes someday. We’ll just be weeded out and die.”

“I understand what you mean, but this feels a bit sudden.”

“I’ve been thinking about it since the day Gwonchang’s group betrayed us.”

We managed to deal with criminals because our unit was made up of Awakeners, but originally, they had been part of Lee Sang-ah’s survivor group.

If it hadn’t been us, then with Lee Sang-ah as the only Awakener, she probably wouldn’t have been able to stop them.

‘Come to think of it, these people were just lucky.’

It wouldn’t have been strange for them to be wiped out completely.

In the meantime, they had seen us steadily increasing the number of Awakeners in our unit, and after even witnessing us eat monsters to survive, the survivors realized that they, too, had to struggle to live on.

That they had to protect themselves.

“…Accepting you is possible. But if we do.”

In military terms, it would be the conscription of civilians in wartime.

Leaving behind the position of being protected. They would have to fight alongside us against monsters.

“Have you heard the opinions of the other survivors?”

“We discussed it thoroughly before coming to you. We need the strength to survive on our own. In other words.”

“You want to join our unit as Awakeners.”

“Yes.”

“Joining us also means you’ll have to follow orders as members of the unit.”

“Lieutenant Kim seems like a decent commander. I don’t think that’ll be a big problem.”

At that, faint snickers came from the soldiers who had been watching our conversation from afar.

‘Come to think of it, these people still thought Lieutenant Kim was our commander.’

‘Well. That’s something we can explain later.’

After talking it through in various ways, their resolve seemed sufficient. The other soldiers nearby didn’t look particularly opposed, either. In that case…

‘There’s no reason to refuse.’

I extended my hand to Sang-ah.

“Welcome to the unit.”

“…! Thank you. I’ll work hard so I won’t be a burden.”

* * *

Surprisingly, her promise to work hard wasn’t empty words.

“These cuts of meat, you said they’re monster meat, right?”

“That’s right, but.”

“Then you must’ve processed the scales and the hide as well, right?”

“…Huh?”

The ‘Awakening of Lizard Processing’ I had learned through my skill, whether intentionally or not, was a method of neatly processing the target. Thanks to that, even though my purpose had been to cook the meat and obtain edible portions, the hides and scales of the lizards had been cleaned up quite neatly.

“The hide is tough and thick, but… these scales are insanely hard.”

“They’re monsters called lizards. As you said, their scales and hide are at a level where bullets don’t penetrate easily. Without guns, the only way to deal with them is to exploit their weak points.”

Right now, since only one or two stray lizards wandered in at a time, they were manageable. But if we were to face the same number head-on in open terrain. Without knowing their weak points, we probably never would’ve won.

“This is great!”

“…What?”

“You know how there are clothes in the unit that no one wears anymore, right? I’ll borrow some of those.”

After saying that, Sang-ah gathered up the byproducts of the lizards and the clothing used by fallen soldiers, and disappeared somewhere. She even took the byproducts of the chieftain.

And the next day.

“Could you take a look at this?”

“…This is!”

『Steel Hide Command Combat Uniform』

『Steel Hide Combat Uniform』

What she brought was a military uniform.

A beret, uniform, combat boots and even a field jacket, a full set of combat gear. The difference from the military uniforms we knew was that instead of national-defense green, it had black and gray patterns. And that the system messages were displaying their names.

“They’re uniform sets you can make with hide.”

“…Good heavens.”

“The lizard hide, just like you said, has incredible defense? It was so tough that only someone like me, an Awakener, could even work with it… The lizard scales have high defense too, but they’re a bit thick, so I reinforced defense by lining only areas that wouldn’t restrict movement or vital points.”

『Steel Hide Command Combat Uniform』

『A set of hide armor painstakingly crafted by a novice tailor.』

『Clothing made from the byproducts of the Steel Lizard, famous for its powerful defense, specifically from a chieftain-class individual. It boasts extremely high resistance in many areas, and faint traces of the chieftain’s mana remain, granting various effects.』

『When equipped, physical resistance greatly increases.』

『When equipped, magic and elemental resistance increases.』

『When equipped, grants the trait 『Low-grade Charisma』.』

『When equipped, Strength and Agility stats increase.』

The command uniform was made from chieftain hide.

The regular combat uniform seemed to be made from ordinary lizard hide.

There was no need to even mention the special combat uniform. The regular combat uniform was also an excellent item, even if its effects were one tier lower and it lacked trait-granting effects.

Lee Sang-ah, former profession, suit shop clothing designer…Current profession, tailor.

‘A production-type Awakener…!’

Why hadn’t I thought of this direction right away when I heard her profession?

Just like I had cooked dishes with lizard byproducts.

Lee Sang-ah had created armor.

‘The only stat-increasing item we had so far was the 『Clan Insignia』 obtained through the group skill.’

The insignia in the shape of dog tags, the stat increases from that alone had greatly boosted our unit’s overall combat power. And the equipment she made was the same. Not only stat increases, but text stating resistance increases as well.

Up until now, we’d been moving around in military uniforms that had little meaning against monsters, but now we could properly arm ourselves. And maybe because she had originally been a clothing designer, the design itself felt quite refined.

“They look like military uniforms.”

“Well, you’re soldiers, aren’t you? I designed them in a way that could express that identity.”

“…”

It was true that there was no better design to express that identity.

‘Looking closer, there are differences.’

They were digital-pattern uniforms, but the biggest difference was the black and gray base color. Rather than the army, the color scheme brought to mind riot police operating in urban environments.

As for the field jacket, it was longer than the familiar ones. Long enough to cover about half the thighs, almost like a long coat.

“The wider the coverage, the more useful armor is.”

Digital-pattern military uniforms might be good for camouflage, but they weren’t much help in a frontal fight against monsters. This combat uniform, however, looked more than adequate even when assuming combat with monsters.

“I made the officer and enlisted versions slightly different in performance. The command combat uniform made with chieftain hide is for officers, so if Commander Lieutenant Kim or other squad leaders wear them.”

“Ah, about that. The current commander of our unit is me.”

“…What?”

That was how, albeit a little late, Lee Sang-ah fully joined the clan, even being informed that I was the commander.

And under her lead, the unit’s armament began.

“Clothes that increase stats…!”

“Touch it. It’s hide.”

“How can a hide uniform let you move this comfortably…?”

The Awakened soldiers were issued 『Steel Hide Combat Uniforms』.

It wasn’t just clothes.

“For the warrior squads, you’ll need more defense, so I made it so you can layer additional armor on the inside.”

“For the shooter-type Awakeners, here. This version has magazine pouches attached so you can carry magazines.”

“You use a blade, right, Young-jun? I added a way to attach a scabbard to the belt”

The base design didn’t change much, but small differences were added depending on each Awakener’s type.

If the Awakeners receiving the uniforms had any requests, they were immediately reflected.

As a result, even though everyone wore standard-issue uniforms, customization according to individual tendencies was implemented. And…

“Am I… really allowed to take this?”

“Gwang-il, you’re the warrior squad leader. If not you, then who?”

Including me and Lieutenant Kim, the squad-level Awakeners were given 『Command Combat Uniforms』.

The command uniforms were equipment made from chieftain byproducts.

Unlike the lizards that occasionally attacked the unit in small numbers, we currently had no source for such materials, making these rare items.

The last remaining set was.

“Sang-ah, I think you should have one tailored for yourself.”

“…Me?”

After discussing it with the unit members,

we decided it should go to Lee Sang-ah.

“No, why me…”

“You’re the representative of the survivors. In a way, that’s no different from being a squad leader.”

“…Isn’t that a meaningless title now that we’ve joined the unit?”

“No.”

Representative of the survivors. Strictly speaking, now that they had decided to join our unit, maybe they should be treated the same as ordinary soldiers. But…

“We’ll be leaving the unit soon.”

“What do you mean…”

“Once we go outside, there will be times when other survivors join us.”

“…”

“You’ll be responsible for those survivors, Sang-ah.”

Dealing with survivors we would encounter outside. The unit members could do it if they tried, but we had never lived the life of survivors.

As the leader of survivors, someone who had lived through the fallen world.

She was the perfect fit.

“On top of that, you’re a production-type Awakener who supplies equipment.”

“…I’ve ended up in a more important position than I thought.”

“I’ve been through it myself, but even if it’s a bit nerve-wracking at first, you’ll get used to it quickly.”

‘I, too, had been designated clan leader overnight. But well, humans are adaptable animals. You get used to it quickly enough.’

“As a kind of thanks, though it’s not much, here’s something from us.”

I took out the item I’d been carrying and handed it to her.

“This is…?”

Normally, when a soldier transfers into a unit, they’re issued a personal firearm like an M16 or K2 assault rifle. Most officers, unless they’re special forces, are the same, but there are a few exceptions.

“A pistol…?”

“It’s a K5.”

Field-grade officers or senior NCOs in special cases. They’re issued pistols instead of assault rifles.

‘In our unit, the battalion commander, the first Sergeant, and the medical officer. Three people.’

Three pistols whose owners had been lost. They had been quietly stored away in a corner of the command control room.

‘We can’t just throw them away.’

One of them had already been given to Lieutenant Kim, our unit’s highest-ranking officer, at least in name.

As someone who had awakened as a 『Novice Commander』 and focused on command-type traits and skills, Lieutenant Kim lacked combat-type skills.

‘Another one is for me.’

The weapon I’d been using was a long sashimi knife that had belonged to a fallen junior. It fit my ‘Dagger Proficiency’ trait, and somehow felt right in my hand, so I’d been using it until now, but…

‘There’s a limit.’

I first realized that during the fight with the lizard chieftain.

I knew the weak points of the lizard species well. But the massive body of the lizard chieftain was so large that even when I stretched out with all my strength, my blade couldn’t reach its weak points.

Warriors, mages, and the like. Combat-type Awakeners had skills or traits to deal with situations like that, but I was a production-type Awakener.

Lacking combat-type traits, I judged that I needed a secondary weapon.

The same applied to Lee Sang-ah, who was also a production-type Awakener.

“…I’ll have to work hard.”

Perhaps because receiving a pistol that would normally never be allowed to be taken out hit her hard, she accepted the gun with a tense expression.

That was how the unit’s armament was largely completed.

* * *

A few days later.

“Min-cheol, come with me.”

“…Y-Yes!”

“Relax, kid. Don’t be so tense. I’ll be right next to you.”

An already-Awakened senior soldier approached a dying monster with a private.

“Hey, don’t chicken out, don’t chicken out!”

“Once you actually do it, it’s nothing!”

The soldiers watching nearby shouted encouragement at the private.

Thud!

“I-I did it!”

“Congrats. You’re an Awakener now too.”

Private Jang Min-cheol.

The former youngest of our unit succeeded in Awakening.

『Conditions have been met.』

『100 or more members (100/100)』

『A leader acknowledged by a majority of members (1/1)』

『You have succeeded in forming a Guild (100 members).』

『Unlike temporary groups such as parties, or clans, which are early forms of collectives, a guild is a fully structured, formal social organization.』

『Designate positions, establish rules, and create order.』

『Impose the order you have created upon the world.』

『You can now designate adjutants.』

『You may appoint adjutants to divide up guild operations.』

『Adjutants can participate to a certain extent in guild administration, and can communicate remotely through guild messages. Choose carefully!』

『The guild name has not been decided. Please designate a guild name.』

『First guild in the major region – ROK.』

『First guild in the sub-region – ROK. 17.』

『Achievement Acquired – Formation of an Organization.』

『Rewards will be granted to those who move ahead.』

『Reward – Dragon’s Fang』

Everything was ready…Now, it was time to leave.