As we are awakening more soldiers, we realized we need to revise our unit’s security arrangement. Simply put, our unit was too vast for just a hundred soldiers to guard it effectively. 

“From the dormitories to the restaurants. Let’s gather workforce and resources in the nearby building. 

“Aren’t we the Radar Unit? We can’t leave the radar alone!” 

“We’re in a situation where all external communications have been cut off. The radar information isn’t reaching other units either. Would the enemy really target the radar, especially since it’s not North Korea?” 

Supplies were stored in the barracks, and soldiers also resided there. 

Some Soldiers were stationed on the rooftops of surrounding buildings to guard the perimeter.  

If any problems arose, soldiers stationed in the central barracks would rush to support each building. 

It was a strategy to intercept monsters before they reached the barracks where soldiers lived. 

If the unit’s fences had been intact, it might have been different, but with the fences already breached by the monsters’ teeth and claws, there was no choice but to resort to this method. 

One of the soldiers, who was scanning the surroundings with a rifle and binoculars from a building rooftop, noticed something unusual. 

“Oh! Sergeants, have you come?” 

“Has another monster appeared?” 

“Yes! It looks similar to that lizard we’ve encountered before, but you’ll understand once you look at it.” 

I received the binoculars from the soldier. 

“There, take a look.” 

Our unit was located on the highest peak of a mountain range, with only mountains visible in the surroundings. 

From atop the building, the terrain of the surrounding mountains was clearly visible. When I looked where the soldier pointed, I indeed saw something. 

A creature covered in black scales. 

At first glance, it seemed similar to the monsters that had attacked the unit so far. 

“…But it’s huge, isn’t it?” 

The monsters that had continuously attacked our unit were lizards resembling Komodo dragons. 

These creatures had tough scales and formidable vitality, but they weren’t particularly large, averaging about 160cm in height. 

“That one seems to be around 2.5 meters.” 

“I see other lizards around it. Perhaps it’s their leader.” 

“Do monsters live in groups too?” 

The lizards that had attacked the unit so far had usually appeared alone, or at most, in groups of two or three. 

But this larger one, resembling a leader, accompanied by ordinary-sized lizards… 

It looked like there were twenty or more of them. 

Unlike the monsters that had attacked the unit individually, this was clearly a dangerous number. 

“We might use up some bullets, but it shouldn’t be a problem, right?” 

Min-jae sounded as if it weren’t a significant issue. 

Indeed, bullets were effective against the lizards. 

It took about twenty shots to bring one down, and with unit members holding rifles on the rooftop, we were in a good position. 

We might use up a lot of bullets, but we could probably wipe them out before they even reach the unit. 

However, I had a different thought. 

“When did you notice it?” 

“I spotted it this morning.” 

“You’ve been observing it since then? How did it behave?” 

“Hmm? It didn’t do anything special. It just kept circling around our base, showing no signs of attacking.” 

Even now, one or two lizards occasionally launched mild attacks on the unit. 

And our unit, with its established defenses, easily repelled them. 

In fact, we were repelling them quite comfortably and increasing the number of our awakened members. 

But that creature hadn’t attacked the unit until it gathered a group of nearly twenty. 

If I were to guess the reason why it hadn’t attacked even with that many numbers… 

“It’s waiting for an opportunity.” 

“Pardon?” 

“Just like Min-jae said, we could handle a straightforward attack. But that creature didn’t do that.” 

“That means…” 

That monster with a height of 2.5 meters, with sharp nails and teeth is not a peace-loving herbivore, and there is only one reason why they aren’t attacking. 

“They know a straightforward assault won’t work. So, they’re scouting around our unit.” 

“Can monsters be that smart?” 

“Imagine how cunning wolves can be when they hunt. These creatures walk on two legs; it won’t be surprising if they’re smarter than wolves.” 

Conversely, it meant that we had become prey to creatures who had intelligence on par with wolves at the very least. 

“What should we do? Maybe we should attack before they find an opportunity…” 

“No, our advantage lies in defending the unit. It’ll be much worse if we venture out into the forest.” 

“Then what…” 

I looked around but none of them had any suggestions. 

Well, there probably wasn’t an immediate solution. 

“…For now, keep observing their movements. And make sure to inform the soldiers on duty.” 

Min-jae instructed nearby soldiers. 

Certainly, from the soldiers’ perspective, that seemed like the best course of action. 

But it might not be enough. 

In that case… 

“Could we broadcast something from the barracks?” 

“Pardon?” 

“Tell the awakened soldiers to come and talk to me one by one.” 

As a cook, I needed to do my best. 

* * * 

Despite the large lizard prowling around the camp, the awakening of the soldiers proceeded smoothly.  

Emphasizing safety meant that the pace wasn’t fast, but the fact that not a single injury occurred carried a significant weight. 

The stability of the unit boosted morale among the soldiers.  

In fact, their mental state had improved considerably compared to the first day. 

Of course, it wasn’t solely because the unit was running smoothly. 

[Chef’s Special Sauce – Peace of Mind] 

[Novice Grade Chef’s Tranquility Enhancing Seasoned Bean Sprouts] 

“Still, being in the unit feels safer since monsters have a hard time getting close, and we have weapons. Plus, there’s a high chance of monsters appearing outside. So, being in the unit feels more comfortable and reassuring.” 

[Chef’s Special Sauce – Comfort] 

[Novice Grade Chef’s Mind Comforting Salted Squid] 

“At first, it was a bit scary, but after dealing with monsters, I’ve become accustomed to it. Now, I feel more comfortable.” 

[Chef’s Special Sauce – Faith] 

[Novice Grade Chef’s stress bursting stir-fried pork] 

“About family worries? If I say I’m not worried, it would be a lie, but our family is strong. Even though I’m the weakest in the family, I’m still alive, so I believe my family will find a way to survive.” 

Thanks to the sustained morale of the soldiers, there were no disruptions to the unit’s defense.  

The number of awakened individuals also increased smoothly, with ten more succeeding over the week, totaling twenty awakened individuals, a fifth of the total unit. 

“Any changes with that big lizard?” 

“Yes, it still seems to be just prowling around the unit. However…” 

“Their numbers have increased again.” 

With no gaps in the unit’s defense, there weren’t any attack attempts from the giant lizard lurking around the perimeter. However, while we were increasing the number of awakened individuals, it seemed like it was gathering other lizards that roamed separately. 

The group of about twenty lizards we first encountered had now exceeded forty. 

“So far, there haven’t been any problems, but what if they exceed a hundred…” 

“Even if they exceed a hundred, it shouldn’t be a big problem. We’ve also increased the number of ‘Marksman’ awakened individuals quite a bit.” 

The first five awakened individuals in the unit had different professions.  

Excluding Taejun, who fainted without being able to speak his profession we had a cook, a berserker, a mage, and marksmen. 

After that, various other professions emerged. Some facility unit’s guys awakened as engineers, while some guards awakened as defense troops/garrison members. 

Soldiers awakened with similar abilities gathered into groups, researching and honing their respective professions. 

One thing we discovered was the “Marksman’s Trick.” 

A “Marksman” awakened individual could neutralize or kill lizards with just two bullets. This was a stark contrast to warriors who had to engage in close combat with the lizards, or magic users who needed to cast spells to be effective. 

Although it had the drawback of consuming bullets, and once out of bullets, they became powerless, assuming there were bullets, a marksman with a normal K2 rifle could accurately hit most of their shots, akin to a walking machine gun. 

There were three marksman awakened individuals among the twenty awakened ones. Even with just these three, a hundred lizards wouldn’t pose a problem. 

As soon as the lizards entered the effective range of the marksmen, they would be showered with bullets. 

By the time they reached the barracks, even ten of them wouldn’t survive. 

And amidst all this, the other soldiers wouldn’t just stand by. 

“The importance of bullets increased accordingly.” 

Now that we knew the firepower of the marksmen, it seemed possible to deploy a sufficient number of marksmen along with warrior-class awakened individuals to tackle the extermination of these monsters. 

While the forest provided cover, the firepower of the marksmen would also be limited, but it was powerful enough to handle any limitations. 

“If we continue to grow at this pace, victory shall be ours.” 

I had made some preparations just in case problems arose, but it seemed like such a situation wouldn’t occur. 

“By next week, the unit’s regular food supply will almost run out, but we’ll be able to awaken about half of the unit. By then, even without the buffs from my food, the unit should run smoothly. The need for regular food will decrease.” 

Everything was going perfectly. 

With that thought in mind, I headed back to the mess hall. 

It was a quiet night after dinner, with all the cleanup done and preparations for breakfast finished. 

I needed to check the remaining stock of ingredients and figure out what dishes could be made from them. 

It was around 10 o’clock, so I could finish by 11 and head back to the barracks to rest. 

As I was about to take out the inventory notes, there was a sound. 

“Huh?” 

Something that sounded like an alarm went off, and the lights in the mess hall went out. 

All of a sudden, the refrigerator making a gentle hum sound stopped producing that sound. 

“A power outage?” 

Come to think of it, it was surprising that the electricity had been working fine until now. 

Given that monsters were appearing outside, it was strange that the electricity was working fine. 

Still, since this was a military base, there were generators prepared for emergencies, so the facilities personnel would soon be dispatched to fix it. 

“No, wait.” 

It was night time now. 

A unit without electricity was locked in darkness. 

“In situations like this…” 

Among the “Marksman” awakened individuals, there wasn’t a trait of being able to see well in the dark. 

I threw down the pen and notebook that I was holding and stood up at once. 

I could feel sweat trickling down my back. 

A unit shrouded in darkness. 

This was the chance that the monsters had been waiting for.