Chapter 27

Descending the Mountain (3)

Boom…!

A heavy jolt shook the truck from outside.

“…! …!!!”

At the same time, the soldiers’ voices rang out. Even from where I was sitting inside the trailer, I could roughly guess what had happened.

‘Another fight.’

This made it the fourth one. The number of times combat had broken out since I got into the truck.

After some time passed and the commotion died down.

Someone opened the trailer door.

“The fight’s over. We can move the monster corpses in here, right?”

“Good work.”

It was Sergeant Lee Minjae. Several soldiers came up beside Minjae hyung and began carrying the hunted monsters’ corpses into the trailer.

“Five injured. One of them is badly hurt, so we moved him to the medic vehicle for intensive treatment.”

Minjae hyung reported the battle outside in a flat tone.

‘As expected, the damage isn’t small.’

My cooking, and Lieutenant Kim’s command buff. Thanks to that, the unit’s stats had been massively boosted. But the fact that we were still being constantly ambushed in an unfavorable location hadn’t changed.

With the repeated engagements, not only wounded soldiers but even seriously injured ones were starting to appear.

I asked Minjae hyung about something that had been bothering me.

“Doesn’t it feel like the engagements are getting more frequent, or is it just me?”

“It probably is. With all these fights, it seems like monsters nearby are gathering after hearing the noise. That’s why we were trying to hold back on using firearms, but…”

Minjae hyung let out a deep sigh.

“Doesn’t look like it meant much.”

“We should think that saving ammo is why it only ended up this bad. Well, do you need my help with anything?”

“For now, combat rations are enough. I’ll report it if anything feels off.”

By then, the work of loading the monsters’ corpses inside was finished.

I asked him in a low voice.

“How are the soldiers reacting?”

“Of course they’re not happy.”

After a brief sigh, Minjae hyung continued.

“They’re benefiting a lot from the combat rations you make, but…”

“Still, there’s bound to be complaints.”

“Yeah. No matter how much you help by making combat rations, people are saying it’s not right that you’re the only one staying out of the fighting.”

The battles with monsters and me, the only one staying out of them.

‘It’s natural that a lot of guys find it strange.’

The combat rations were definitely a huge help. But compared to the soldiers actually fighting side by side, it felt very different. It wouldn’t be strange for people to criticize me for openly choosing the safe route as a rear-line role.

Minjae hyung glanced around the trailer where I was and said,

“You’re doing your job, so there must be a reason. I’ll handle the soldiers’ complaints, so don’t worry.”

I had stood on the front lines plenty of times back when we fought as a unit.

I’d even thought about joining the combat again. But my combat power, no matter how generously you rated it, was at best mid-to-low tier among the warrior types.

As a ‘cook,’ I was contributing to the battle through combat rations, but… As a combatant, I wasn’t that impressive.

‘In that case, it’s better for me to do what I can do.’

After Minjae hyung left.

Inside the trailer, thick with the stench of blood.

I continued processing the monsters’ corpses.

Separating hide and flesh. Pounding the meat with the handle to tenderize it.

And finally, sprinkling a bit of sauce. It was a simple repetition of the same actions.

How many more battles passed like that?

Screeech…!

The truck I was riding in suddenly came to a stop. From outside the trailer, I could hear the soldiers murmuring.

‘Doesn’t sound like another ambush.’

Did something happen?

I opened the trailer door and stepped outside.

As soon as I did…I saw soldiers gathered in one place, murmuring among themselves.

“Move aside for a second.”

“Se, Sergeant Shin?”

I pushed through the crowd of soldiers and moved to the very front.

Then I could see what had shocked them.

In the distance, something walking around near the road.

“Graaah…”

Rotting skin, a leg that seemed badly broken, causing it to limp. And the familiar military uniform it was wearing.

“I was hoping this wouldn’t happen…”

The two drivers who had died while descending the mountain.

Corporal Kim Jaemin and Corporal Gwak Seung-ho, they had appeared before us as zombies.

‘Is this near that cliff from earlier?’

We’d taken a long detour down the mountain, so it took time, but location-wise, this seemed not far from the cliff where we found the overturned vehicle.

“That’s a zombie…”

Seeing comrades who had once eaten from the same mess hall turned into zombies, many of the soldiers looked shocked. But we couldn’t just stand there staring.

“Graaah… Huh?”

Perhaps sensing the commotion among the soldiers, the zombie turned its face toward us.

Click!

‘…Click sound?’

Of course, they had been issued rifles and ammunition. The soldiers who had been sent to contact higher command when monsters first appeared were now raising their guns at us.

‘Damn it.’

“Everyone, watch out!”

Zombies are supposed to just charge like beasts!

But those zombies were aiming their guns at us.

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat—!

Bullets poured out from the muzzles of the two zombies’ rifles.

* * *

“Shield bearers!”

“Yes!”

Warriors with shields hurriedly stepped to the front line.

Rat-tat-tat-thud—!

“Hngh…!”

Defense-type Awakeners. Steel shields reinforced by their abilities deflected the zombies’ gunfire, but some bullets still flew toward the soldiers.

“Gah!”

“Min-cheol!”

A soldier staggered, apparently hit by a bullet.

I rushed over to him.

“Private Park Min-cheol! Are you okay!?”

“Ugh…”

“Damn it. Hold on a second, I’ll get a medic—”

There’s no way you’re fine after being shot. Just as I was about to call for a healer-type Awakener, the soldier groaning in pain opened his mouth.

“I-I’m fine.”

“What?”

The soldier clutched the spot where he’d been hit.

But, there was no blood visible on his hand.

“I think the uniform saved me. It hurts like hell, though… cough.”

『Steel Hide Combat Uniform.』

A monster that normally requires an entire magazine of regular bullets, and can even endure several shots from an Awakened marksman. This was equipment made from processed lizard hide.

The zombies’ gunfire was just unenhanced, ordinary shooting. The impact was heavy, but no one had suffered a fatal penetrating wound.

‘Thank goodness.’

The soldiers had been shaken by the fact that comrades from the same unit had turned into zombies, but their shock quickly turned into anger at enemies who had fired on allies.

“That bastard shot Min-cheol!”

“Sergeant or whatever…!”

Several enraged soldiers rushed in and took down the two zombies. They had fired their guns, but perhaps lacked the intelligence to reload.

Once their ammo ran dry, the zombies were relatively easy to deal with. It wasn’t a pleasant sight, seeing familiar faces smashed apart by hammers.

“Targets eliminated!”

“Looks like it’s resolved—”

“No.”

The problem didn’t end there.

‘If anything, this is just the beginning.’

After the zombies fired at us. Strange sounds echoed throughout the mountain range.

Caw…!

The sound of crows startled by the gunfire and taking flight.

Rustle!

Scrape!

Graaahhh!

From within the mountains, grotesque cries and the sounds of violently moving creatures began to rise.

“Sergeant Shin… this sound is…”

“Probably what you’re thinking.”

We were already in a situation where monsters were gathering because of the noise from repeated battles. And on top of that, gunfire had just echoed out, a noise far louder than the sounds of Awakeners fighting.

“All the monsters in this area are probably rushing toward us now.”

“We went through all that trouble conserving ammo, and it still turned out like this.”

We had tried to move carefully to reduce monster aggro, but that gunfire had completely drawn their attention.

After a brief moment of thought, I made a decision and spoke.

“We stop moving carefully here.”

“Sir?”

“Marksmen, change firing modes. Mages, lift your firepower restrictions.”

Some of the soldiers spoke with worried expressions.

“Will that be okay?”

“With this much noise, even more monsters might gather.”

“Which is why we get out of here as fast as possible.”

Fighting in the mountains puts us at a huge disadvantage. But once we make it out of the mountains.

Things might be a little different.

Looking around, the shape of the road felt somewhat familiar.

“Driver!”

“Yes, sir!”

“How long until we’re completely out of the mountains?”

“We’re almost there! If there were no monsters, we could break out in about thirty minutes!”

We weren’t far from leaving the mountains.

Roads closer to open ground. From here on, the roads wouldn’t be as dangerous.

“Long-range Awakeners, all board the trucks and provide support fire from the vehicles! Warriors, sprint at full speed and only deal with monsters that latch on!”

“Yes!”

There was no time to hesitate.

After giving the orders, I immediately grabbed onto the trailer of the truck I had been riding. Awakeners without warrior-level physical abilities hurriedly climbed onto nearby vehicles as well.

“All personnel aboard!”

“Move out! Full speed!”

Vroooom…!

The vehicles started moving, and the warriors began marching at full speed, not long after we set off.

“From the right! Incoming!”

When I looked toward where someone had shouted,

I saw over a dozen monsters charging at incredible speed.

“Marksmen squad, commence interception!”

“Wipe them out!”

Orders rang out from Squad Leader Seo Su-hyeok of the marksmen, and Squad Leader Lee Minjae of the mages.

The marksmen’s bullets, already famous for their power, combined with wide-area attacks from mages who had lifted their firepower restrictions, rained down on the mountainside.

Rat-tat-tat—!

Boom, bang…!

The deafening noise was like a battlefield.

“From behind…”

“Front…”

“They’re coming from all sides!”

Unlike the open base we had been in before. The mountain range was dense with large trees and rocks.

Long-range firepower was inevitably limited.

“Damn it, there are too many!”

This was different from before, when even powerful lizards were reduced to near death by firepower before they could get close. Enemies were rushing in from every direction. The marksmen and mages couldn’t eliminate them all.

‘Some of them are going to get close.’

Looks like it’s time to use what I prepared.

I opened the trailer door I’d been clinging to and stepped inside.

Kyaaaah!

The monsters’ cries were already right in front of us.

“Hold them back!”

“Shake them off!”

The warriors running alongside the vehicles swung their weapons at the approaching monsters. Their role was to prevent monsters from latching onto the vehicles. These were warriors who had gone through their fair share of battles.

Most monsters could be shaken off by them. But that would be one thing if the enemies were the lizards we’d fought so many times.

By the time we were halfway down the mountains.

At some point, there were more monsters we’d never seen before than lizards.

‘So this is where the lizards’ territory ends.’

That was definitely not good news. There were countless monsters whose traits were hard to guess.

Craaah!

The warriors kept knocking monsters away from the vehicles. But some of the monsters started to behave strangely. They stepped on the warriors’ swung weapons and leapt high into the air.

“Damn it!”

“What the hell is that!?”

Monsters with grotesquely long legs, six of them. Perhaps as their appearance suggested, their jumping power was no joke. Using the warriors’ weapons as footholds, the creatures hurled themselves toward our formation.

No, to be more precise, they were dropping toward me.

“Sergeant Shin!”

Seeing a monster fall near me, the soldiers shouted in alarm.

“Kyaaahhh!”

Sitting inside the trailer of a small truck racing along, I stared straight at the monster flying toward me.

A beast-like monster covered in green fur.

At a glance, it looked like some kind of wolf with odd skin coloring. But with grotesquely long legs, six of them in total.

Had they been starving for days?

The eyes of the monsters lunging at us were filled with killing intent. Unlike the warriors, I was alone, with no formation around me.

This was probably a pretty dire situation and that was why I did this.

“Here you go.”

With a flick of my hand, I tossed chunks of prepared meat at them.

“Kyaaah… gh?”

The monsters that had been lunging at me bit into the meat I threw. The sight of prey right before their eyes drew their attention away.

“Kyaaah…”

Their momentum visibly weakened.

“Wh, what is that?”

“The monsters’ aggression… it’s dropped?”

The change was obvious. The soldiers who had been rushing to help me noticed it and muttered in disbelief.

『Skill – ‘Chef’s Eye’ is activated.』

『Analyzing ingredients.』

『You have acquired ‘Low-grade Cooking Secret – Enlightenment of the Light-Footed Sleipha Butchering Method.’』

Enlightenment surged through my mind.

In my eyes, the monsters’ ‘butchering methods’ were now clearly visible.