After roughly concluding the meeting, we immediately began to organize the unit.  

Fortunately, the monsters only attacked the places where people were present.  

With all unit members gathered at one place, dealing with those monsters became easy. 

However, “They’re more resilient than I thought.” 

Monsters encased in thick scales. 

Those damn Lizards. 

They didn’t even receive a scratch when struck with a heavy shovel. But luckily, they did get injured when shot with bullets. 

It took nearly a magazine to bring one down. 

‘For one to die, it seems we need to unload at least a whole magazine on them.’ 

Twenty to thirty rounds, per monster. 

Considering there were over ten monsters that attacked the unit today alone, we would soon run out of bullets. 

“We’ll need to replenish the bullets somehow.” 

“Where should we put the bodies of our unit members…?” 

“There’s a cemetery behind the unit. Let’s put the bodies in body bags and bury them there.” 

We roughly decided on this plan. 

While some soldiers patrolled in groups of three, others worked on organizing the unit as efficiently as possible. 

After the meeting ended, two significant conclusions were reached. 

One was to send someone to the higher-ups for communication, and the other was to increase the number of awakened individuals. 

For the former, two soldiers volunteered to go outside the unit, believing it would be safer than staying within. 

As for the latter… 

Apart from me, no awakened individuals appeared even after dealing with quite a number of monsters. 

“Maybe we didn’t awaken because we killed them with bullets.” 

Sergeant Park Taejun from the radar unit remarked. 

He was my classmate and the one who shot one of the monsters that appeared this time. 

“I think there is some way to do it.” 

“You mentioned you faced them directly while we kept them at bay from afar. The difference might lie in that.” 

I recalled the surge of energy within me when I killed the monster, I wondered if it was related to that. 

“When you killed the first monster, you wouldn’t have known its weaknesses, right? How did you manage to kill it then?” 

“Well, I kept splashing boiling oil… and while it was busy eating the youngest one’s corpse, I stabbed it in the neck from behind…” 

“Boiling oil? It’s not a siege.” 

He laughed incredulously at my experience and then continued with a serious tone. 

“Let’s do this. These monsters are tough to kill with just bullets. But if you shoot them until they’re almost dead and then approach to stab their weak points, it might work.” 

As he spoke, he glanced at the sashimi knife in my hand. 

“Unlike you, we’ll use bayonets attached to our rifles to stab them.” 

Soldiers were sharpening their bayonets with grinders, in the warehouse next to the living quarters. Since bayonets have a long range, they would be way safer than my sashimi knife. 

“What if the monster still resists?” 

“Then we will pray for its soul to rest in peace.” 

“You’re insane.” 

“Whatever. Whether more monsters appear or not is a concern for later. Worrying won’t change anything.” 

Taejun seemed to think that more monsters might not appear. 

Indeed, there was no evidence that the monsters that attacked the unit would return. 

However, “There’s no guarantee that what happened once won’t happen again.” 

Even so, just as Taejun said, worrying now would be pointless. 

“In that case, you guys manage things here. I’m going to get some food.” 

With that, I left Taejun behind and returned to the mess hall. 

Lunch time was already over and now it was time for the dinner. 

“This is a mess.” 

“Other soldiers from the unit had already handled the disposal of monster carcasses and other replacements. But the oil that I had sprayed still flickered on the ground, with blood and flesh scattered around.” 

“Let’s clean up first and then cook.” 

After recalling memories of my two juniors, I cleaned the kitchen with hot water and started preparing for the dinner. 

Although some preparations were already completed, doing a task alone that’s usually carried out by at least three people was expected to be challenging. 

But all of a sudden. 

“Huh? Why is this so easy?” 

Every step of preparing ingredients, handling, and cooking felt unusually easy. 

No, not just easy, it felt comfortable. 

“Is this the power of ‘Novice Grade Cooking Skill’?” 

Coupled with ‘Novice Grade Fire Affinity,’ even the usually scorching kitchen felt comfortable. 

Well, even mastering the novice grade knife skills turns one into a master, who could chop wood like slicing tofu. 

Earlier I had worries on how I would cook alone without my two juniors. 

But with this level of proficiency, there shouldn’t be any problems. 

When I completed the dinner menu a message appeared before my eyes. 

“The ‘Novice Chef’s Stir-fried Pork Belly’ is complete!” 

“The ingredient quality is poor, resulting in a slight decrease in cooking ability.” 

“Due to excellent temperature control, the cooking ability has increased.” 

“The chef’s sincerity is rated as ‘ordinary,’ resulting in a slight increase in cooking ability.” 

“‘Novice Chef’s Stir-fried Pork Belly'” 

“Eating it will increase strength and agility for a certain period.” 

“Skill – You can add the Chef’s special sauce.” 

“It will become a buff-giving dish when eaten.” 

“Well, I expected as much.” 

Suddenly, the status window appeared. 

Accompanied by various explanatory texts. 

At first, I was confused and didn’t notice, but with a little reading I understood what it was about. 

“It was quite similar to a game system.” 

And what would a chef do in a game? 

Make dishes with buff effects. 

“But how significant is Strength +1 and Agility +1? Is it a significant effect or a minor one?” 

Even though I was a chef in this game, not all chefs were the same. 

Depending upon the game’s nature the chef skills can play a vital role in providing significant and effective buffs to the players. 

Another point that caught my attention was 

“The Chef’s special sauce?” 

“Delicious food moves people’s hearts!” 

“A great chef can even steer the direction of those hearts..” 

“Through special sauces, one can alter the emotions of those who consumes the food.” 

Hmm. 

So, using this ability, one can somewhat control the emotions of those who eat it. 

“I wonder if there’s really a need for it.” 

I recalled the sight of the soldiers after today’s incident. 

Everyone seemed shocked and fearful due to this sudden event. 

“It would be nice if they calm down a bit after eating.” 

[Chef’s Special Sauce – Comfort] added. 

[Stir-fry Pork Belly for Comfort] 

[Upon consumption, Strength +1, Agility +1 for a certain period.] 

“Eating might make them feel a bit more relaxed.” 

After serving them the completed dishes, I waited in the corner, to observe the results. 

Soldiers started entering the mess hall for dinner. 

“Ah… Captain Shin. Thank you for the meal.” 

“Oh, you’re welcome.” 

They all seemed lacking in energy. 

But they seemed to have come because they knew they needed strength, and for that they had to eat. 

Was my skill even working? 

If it makes them stronger, their muscles should grow, or their veins should bulge, right? 

There should be some physical change. 

But it was hard to distinguish any effects outwardly. 

“Is this just a trash ability?” 

At that moment of doubt. 

I locked my eyes on one soldier who was about to leave after finishing his meal. 

“Captain Shin. Thank you.” 

“Huh? For what?” 

“For cooking. With all this stress from the monsters, I was having a headache. On top of that, I was feeling a bit on edge… but after eating, my stomach feels full, and I feel a bit more relaxed. Thanks for the meal.” 

Hm. 

It seems like the effect isn’t entirely nonexistent. 

“No wonder people say a fille stomach makes you feel better.” 

“And today’s menu was really delicious.” 

“It’s the same as always.” 

“Really? It felt even more delicious than usual…” 

After that conversation. 

Other soldiers also seemed to have slightly relaxed expressions. 

I’m not sure about the stat boosts, but… 

‘If this can help with managing their mental state, it might be a decent ability after all.’ 

They say eating delicious food is the best stress reliever. 

Even if taste is secondary, if it can help relieve stress, it’s not a bad thing. 

“It’s nice to hear ‘thanks for the meal’ so many times.” 

I was feeling pleased as I looked around the mess hall. 

Suddenly! 

Gunshots rang out. 

“…Damn it.” 

I had some expectations. 

Earlier we had assumed that the monsters who had attacked the base before were the last ones, and there wouldn’t be any more attacks. 

But those relentless creatures never gave us a break. 

***

As the sound of the gunshots echoed through the base, I hurriedly left the mess hall and headed towards the source of the sound as quickly as possible. 

“You’re here.” 

Upon arrival. 

Sergeant Park Taejun from the radar unit and Sergeant Lee Min-jae from the communications unit were already there before me. 

“If we heard gunshots then most probably it’s those monsters.” 

“Yeah.” 

Taejun nodded slightly, indicating towards one side. 

“Two of them this time.” 

“Are both of them alive?” 

“Yeah. And…” 

Taejun showed me a gun with a bayonet attached onto its top. 

“I’m going to stab one now.” 

Both monsters were lying there, their strength drained after being shot multiple times. 

Their ferocity was nowhere to be seen. 

The monsters were lying on the ground, struggling to breathe. 

“Hmm.” 

Corporal Lee Min-jae approached the bleeding monster with a bayonet-equipped rifle. 

Taejun was also ready with his bayonet. 

They were the first to step forward for a reason. 

“Let’s awaken those who participated in the meeting first.” 

“Why?” 

“We’ve seen you handle a table like it’s nothing, so we believe in your ability to awaken. But other soldiers might think it’s nonsense, if we ask them to approach the monsters bare-handed. We can’t also gather all the soldiers who have been assigned their respective tasks to showcase them your table-chopping skills. So, we need to awaken first and let them know about this. Since the topic came up, I’ll go first.” 

The person who said that was Corporal Lee Min-jae, who was now approaching the monsters. 

With soldiers who had gathered from all over to witness. 

Corporal Lee Min-jae approached the bleeding monster. 

And then Wham. 

Worried that it might rise, he stomped onto its chest. 

Pointing his bayonet downwards. 

“Huuk.” 

I revealed its weakness, its Left armpit. 

And then Sergeant Minjae, catching his breath, swiftly struck down with the bayonet. 

Fwoosh. 

Blood poured from the pierced artery in the armpit. 

Unlike the messy hacking with a kitchen knife during the first awakening, this was a rather clean strike. 

It was an easy task to cut off a dying creature’s lifeline. 

“Ugh. This feels awful.” 

Sergeant Minjae returned, wiped out his cold sweat, and took out a pack of cigarettes from his back pocket. 

“So, did the system window pop up?” I couldn’t resist and asked out about the awakening. 

Sergeant Minjae chuckled and took out a cigarette, placing it between his lips. 

Then he brought his finger to the ignition spot. 

Crackle. 

Blue electricity sparked from his finger. 

And the cigarette lit up. 

“Apparently, I have awakened as a Novice Mage. My attribute is the lowest level electricity affinity. My skills include lightning strikes and more.” 

“Damn, there are mages too?” 

“Why in the world is the first awakened is more surprised than us?” 

Anyway. 

Our hypothesis was confirmed. 

You will awaken, if you kill a monster from close. 

“Next it’s my turn” 

Perhaps Taejun saw that scene and slowly approached the other monster with the bayonet in his hand. He was careful while approaching the monster but then 

“Kk… Ragh!” 

“Taejun!” 

The dying monster lifted its head and bit Taejun’s leg. 

“Kkrrgh…” 

Even while suffering from the pain of his calf being bitten, Taejun didn’t let go of the bayonet. 

Fwoosh! 

And he succeeded in stabbing the monster’s weakness. 

The monster was pierced in its weakest spot. Soon it lost its strength and collapsed. 

But. 

Taejun’s condition wasn’t normal either. 

“Sergeant Park Taejun!” 

“Damn it, hey! Get the medics!” 

“Uh, our medics are in the physical therapy department, so they can’t handle that kind of treatment.” 

“Just get them already. Something is better than nothing, damn it!” 

Blood was flowing profusely with a hole visible enough in from his calf. 

Soon, medics rushed over and, along with other soldiers, carried him away. 

“Hey…” 

Being dragged away like that, Taejun looked back at me with a pained expression and spoke. 

“I’ve awakened too… the system window.” 

“Yeah, yeah. Well done, kid!” 

Perhaps due to excessive adrenaline from the wound, even while sweating cold, he grinned as he was being dragged. 

“I’m worried about the wound… but Taejun has also awakened.” 

The fact that monsters kept appearing was grim, but it also meant that we can also replenish our power. 

If we continue to increase the awakened like this, soon… 

“A military capable of fighting monsters without bullets will be complete.” 

The path to survival. 

It was becoming clear.