Chapter 24

The Steel Legion

When I suggested that we abandon the base and move out.

As expected, voices of concern rose at the idea of leaving a safe base and heading into the dangerous surface. Some soldiers didn’t openly object, but you could see the anxiety written all over their faces.

“Let’s just go for it!”

“Kyaaaah!”

Thankfully, after feeding them food packed full of courage, they were showing more enthusiasm than anyone else. Since it was unavoidable, there was no helping it.

“Before we leave the base, let’s get everything sorted out first.”

After preparations for the expedition to the surface were more or less finished.

One last time, I gathered all the soldiers and survivors in one place and held a meeting.

“First, you all know that now that we have 100 awakened, we’ve grown into a guild, right? The first in the country, no less. Give yourselves a round of applause.”

“Woooah.”

Clap clap clap!

A small round of applause with little real meaning passed by.

“And as a benefit we gained from becoming a guild, something called deputy appointment was unlocked.”

“A deputy… you mean?”

Nodding, I opened the system window and went into the guild information.

『Deputies : 0 people (0/5)』

『Deputies are core executives who assist the Guild Master in running the guild.』

『When appointed as a deputy, the buff effect of the 『Token』 skill increases. From deputy rank onward, the messaging function can be used.』

The increase in the buff effect of the Token skill was something I was already enjoying.

The amount of buff granted by the token given through the Token skill varied depending on the wearer’s status, and as the leader, I was already receiving a higher buff than others.

Now that I had risen to Guild Master, that buff amount had increased even further.

The deputies would probably receive similar increases.

What mattered was the next line.

“Those appointed as deputies can communicate at long range with other deputies, or with me as the Guild Master.”

“Long-range communication…”

At those words, murmurs began to ripple through the group. The moment monsters started appearing in the world, all existing means of communication, phones, radios, everything, had been cut off.

The fact that long-distance communication was becoming possible again. That alone meant the range of things we could do would expand.

“So, before we go, I’m going to decide on the deputies.”

When we were all gathered at the base, commanding a group of 100 wasn’t particularly difficult But once we left the base and went out onto the surface, overflowing with zombies and monsters, it would be impossible for all 100 to move together as one.

At times like that, the role of deputies who could command divided units would be crucial.

“First, Sergeant Lee Minjae.”

“Yes.”

He was older than me, and normally we spoke casually to each other. But conscious of the fact that this was an official setting, Minjae spoke formally.

“Sergeant Lee Minjae will assist me in managing the unit, and in emergencies, he’ll take charge of leading divided forces.”

Minjae was basically smart, and even before all this, he was known in the unit for being good at his job. Some soldiers disliked him because of his rather strict personality, but even after the monsters appeared, he never spared his body and worked hard. Thanks to that, his reputation in the unit had improved quite a bit.

The soldiers, too, nodded as if to say they acknowledged Minjae as a fitting choice.

He would likely take on the most fundamental deputy role.

“Next, Corporal Jeon, Corporal Seo Su-hyeok.”

“Yes!”

“Yes, sir.”

The two of them had already been serving as the warrior squad leader and marksman squad leader respectively.

As the most senior members of each job group, they had performed well so far, so it was reasonable to expect them to do well as deputies too.

“Next, Ms. Lee Sang-ah.”

“Yes.”

Lee Sang-ah, the leader of the survivor group that had joined the unit not long ago.

Right now, we were slowly turning the survivors into awakened as well.

Their role would only grow more important.

“‘Ms. Lee Sang-ah’ doesn’t really fit anymore. From now on, I’ll treat you the same as the other soldiers. Any objections?”

“…No, sir!”

Sang-ah and the survivors were now members of the unit.

As a commander, there was no longer any need for special honorifics.

She seemed to feel more strongly that she had truly become part of the unit, and answered with even more force.

“Lee Sang-ah will be in charge of coordinating between our unit and any additional survivors who join in the future.”

It was a natural flow for her, who held the greatest influence among the survivor group, to take on the role of deputy. And once we went out onto the surface, there was a good chance that other survivor groups would join us as well.

Having already led a survivor group once, she would likely be adept at coordinating with them.

That made four deputies chosen. Since each choice had clear reasoning behind it, the soldiers accepted the decisions without much complaint.

And the fifth deputy.

“Lastly, Sergeant Park Taejun.”

“Yes.”

The moment I called his name.

A small stir went through the soldiers.

‘Sergeant Park Taejun?’

‘He’s a good person, sure, but is it really okay to make someone who can’t even walk properly into a deputy?’

To be honest, it was a natural reaction. A deputy was a position that, in place of the Guild Master, would command soldiers and sometimes even fight on the front lines.

Setting aside Taejun’s good reputation in the unit, many had doubts about whether someone with an injured leg could properly fulfill the role of a deputy on the surface.

Even so, the reason I chose Taejun as a deputy was simple.

“Sergeant Park Taejun will not be leaving the base.”

“…What?”

For the first time, a real wave of disturbance spread through the soldiers who had been listening without much objection until now.

We were leaving the base and advancing to the surface. But Taejun, along with a few other soldiers, would remain here.

“This mountain range is our only occupied territory. If all of us leave, the occupation effect will disappear as well.”

“Ah…”

When we first obtained control over this mountain range.

There was a message that appeared.

『As long as you maintain control over the territory, you will obtain ‘Occupation Points.’』

As long as control was maintained, we could obtain Occupation Points.

『Occupation Points』

『Points obtained by controlling occupied territories. The more territories you control, and the longer you control them, the more points you can obtain.』

We didn’t know yet what these Occupation Points could be used for.

‘But this game, for some reason, takes the form of a war of occupation.’

There was no way that points earned by maintaining occupation would be meaningless.

Then we couldn’t afford to give up our only occupied territory, the mountain range and that wasn’t the only reason.

“…As you all know, my class is Astrologer. The clearer the stars are, the easier it is to use my abilities. And there are few places where the stars are as visible as our base.”

Taejun continued his explanation.

“I’ll stay on this mountain, maintain occupation of the range, and relay the information I obtain through my abilities.”

The most senior member of the radar unit, Park Taejun.

He would serve as a radar, checking whether there were any problems along the routes we would take on the surface. So Taejun, along with seven radar unit soldiers close to him, decided to remain at the base.

They would continue managing the base while maintaining occupation, and it would also be easier for Taejun to relay information gained through his abilities.

Food supplies could be handled with the combat rations and emergency food left at the base.

‘Even if enemies invade, it should be fine.’

Only seven soldiers would remain on the mountain range.

Against a large-scale invasion, they would be powerless. But with Taejun’s astronomical abilities, he could detect an invasion in advance and respond by requesting support from our main force on the surface.

That was why I designated Taejun as a deputy.

“If there are no other objections, we’ll go with these five deputies. And lastly…”

The next thing to decide…In some ways, the most important part.

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

“The guild name. Does anyone have any suggestions?”

When we were just a small group like a party or clan, we couldn’t choose a name. But now that 100 awakened had gathered and we’d grown to guild level.

We could choose a guild name that would represent us outwardly.

“Is there really a need to change it? Wouldn’t it be fine to keep using the 423rd Battalion like we are now…?”

One of the soldiers said that, but his opinion was dismissed.

“That might’ve worked a few days ago. But new people have joined us, haven’t they?”

“Ah. That’s true.”

The soldiers and officers of the 423rd Battalion.

If that had been the entirety of our group, using the existing battalion name would have been fine. But now that survivors like Lee Sang-ah had joined us.

The name 423rd Battalion might be useful in connecting those who came from the battalion, but for those who joined later, it would probably feel like a wall.

“Especially since we’ve decided to operate on the surface, there’s a strong chance even more people will join us in the future. We need a new name that represents us, not a unit name.”

A name that wouldn’t make future members feel excluded, while still showing our distinct character.

“How about something like the Gangwon Human Liberation Front?”

“We’re not going to stay only in Gangwon forever, are we? Besides, there are fewer people from Gangwon among us anyway.”

“Knights of the Round Table!”

“Sergeant Kim… that one’s a bit…”

Various suggestions were thrown around among the soldiers, but none of them felt quite right.

“If it’s hard to decide on a full name, how about starting with a keyword?”

“A keyword?”

As we struggled to come up with something, Minjae spoke up.

“If it’s hard to decide the group name right away, we can go step by step. First, a keyword that shows our identity but won’t feel awkward to newcomers.”

“Our distinct character…”

What could really be called our distinct character?

“That we’re from a military unit?”

“From, or rather… we’re still soldiers, aren’t we.”

True enough. We were leaving the base to move, but unless we were officially discharged, we were still soldiers.

Then soldiers…No, maybe we should choose a keyword that fits the military.

The military…

“Steel…”

“Steel?”

The word I muttered without much thought.

At that word, others reacted.

“No, I just associate the military with that. Guns, armored vehicles… they’re all steel, right?”

I didn’t really know the details, and in reality they probably used composite metals rather than actual steel.

But maybe because of the image of toughness.

When I thought of the military, the image that came to mind was steel.

“Steel… it’s not bad.”

“Huh? You think so?”

It was just a word I associated with the military, but was it really okay to decide things like this?

“The image of firmness that ‘steel’ gives is nice.”

“And the first monsters we fought were Steel Lizards, weren’t they?”

The soldiers’ reactions made it seem like this was already settled.

“More than anything, it’s the first word our leader thought of. That gives it symbolic meaning too.”

“…Is that so?”

Glancing around, it didn’t seem like anyone was dissatisfied.

“Alright. Then with steel as the keyword, how should we shape the group name?”

Once again, various suggestions were tossed around.

Knights… Brotherhood… Comrades Association… Hometown Association…

“How about Steel Unit?”

“…No, let’s not use that.”

“Huh? Is it that bad?”

It wasn’t that bad, but for some reason, it felt like something we absolutely shouldn’t use.

And after a bit of discussion..The name chosen by majority vote was this.

『Steel Legion』

“We are a legion.”

“For a legion, we’re kind of small.”

At a soldier’s voice from the corner, small laughter spread through the room.

『The guild structure has been established.』

『Guild : Steel Legion』

『Legion Commander : Shin Young-jun』

『Deputies : Lee Minjae, Park Taejun, Jeon Gwang-il, Seo Su-hyeok, Lee Sang-ah』

『Legion Members : 100』

『Description』

『A militant group founded deep within the ‘mountain range’ of the ROK. 17 region.』

『After briefly competing with the Steel Lizard clan over control of the ‘mountain range,’ the group achieved victory in a large-scale engagement triggered by an attack from a commander-class entity, driving out the Lizard forces and establishing itself as the sole ruling power of the mountain range. Based on the geographical advantages of the mountain range, the group steadily expanded its power, eventually founding the legion.』

『Rooted in a military unit, the faction possesses a large number of military firearms, and based on this, has achieved rapid growth as a powerful awakened group. Though originating from a military unit belonging to the state, the faction seeks to expand its power after redefining its identity following the merger with civilian survivor groups.』

“Heh. They’re pretty detailed about it.”

The text that appeared was practically like a game’s faction description. It felt a bit awkward, but at the same time, there was a sense of pride at how far we’d come, especially the last line.

Now we were leaving the mountain range and seeking to expand our power outward.

‘The problem is, where do we head?’

Our base was located in a vast mountain range stretching across Gangwon Province.

If we left the base and headed down, our choices were either east or west.

To the west, in the Yeongseo region, there were large cities like Chuncheon, and the land was wide. Because the area was large, there were many other military units there, and the location of our unit’s administrative office was also to the west.

On the other hand, to the east, in the Yeongdong region, there were cities like Gangneung, and the sea was right nearby. It was also the location of our higher command unit, the 12th Corps.

“Either we advance into a wide region, or we head toward where our higher unit is located and try to link up.”

“Both options have their pros and cons…”

Then…

“How about we leave it up to the fortune-teller.”

“…It’s not a fortune-teller, it’s an astrologer.”

A few days later.

Creeeeak…!

In the depths of the fog-covered mountain range, a small military base. The front gate of that base, which had remained tightly shut for a long time.

“Let’s go.”

At last, opened.