“The soldiers seemed to have returned, hyung.” 

In a room on the third floor of the barracks. 

 A man, peering outside through slightly opened blinds, remarked. 

“Hmph, going for a group stroll in the dead of night, are they? They must be feeling lively.” 

The man addressed as ‘hyung’ replied. 

“…Do you think it might be a problem?” 

“Heh, they’re just a bunch of twenty-year-old babies. Even their head officer is as soft as a kitten when it comes to military spirit. They won’t cause any trouble.” 

In a room, five men sat on their respective beds. 

“More importantly, didn’t I instruct you to verify it properly? Are you doing it properly?” 

“Yes, I’ve asked some soldiers as naturally as possible, but so far, there have been no suspicious answers indicating awakening.” 

The men conversed comfortably as if they knew each other well. 

It was possible because, during the room allocation process for the soldiers, they were initially divided by gender, allowing friends to share rooms. 

“I took a peek too, it seems they use guns when dealing with monsters.” 

“When I asked, there didn’t seem to be any strange reactions either. Everyone seems to be answering without any doubts.” 

“Then it’s highly unlikely that there are any awakened among them. We should proceed as planned without any issues.” 

“Yes. When should we proceed then?” 

“Nevertheless, just to be sure, let’s observe the situation for a few days. If everything seems fine, we’ll proceed immediately. There’s no harm in being cautious.” 

“As you command, hyung.” 

*** 

In the morning, the unit’s gathering was already over. 

I sat in the cafeteria lounge after preparing breakfast. 

I was fiddling with the dog tag hanging around my neck. 

The reason I held onto this dog tag, which I usually didn’t wear, was because… 

Suddenly, I missed the texture of this piece of metal. 

[Clan token- Leader] 

[This is a proof that you are a member of this clan] 

[Depending on the size of the group, it provides stat bonuses] 

This. 

This was the first “equipment item” that I have obtained in this world after it transformed into a game. 

‘A clan.’ 

Last night. 

During the meeting, our unit grew from a “party” size to a “clan” size. 

“30 awakened individuals and one leader.” 

Thirty awakened individuals barely met the criteria. 

The lizards that we had caught during the fight with the chieftain… 

They are still breathing, all becoming materials for the awakening. 

And the lizards that came after that were also utilized for awakening. 

Originally, it wasn’t easy to subdue lizards safely. 

Even if ten of them attacked, only about two could be utilized for awakening. 

But now, with time passing by, our unit has become more adept at dealing with lizards. 

The number of awakened individuals increased, and most importantly, “we got healers.” 

Even if the lizards resist a little and injure someone, the healers step up to provide treatment. 

There was no need to push until the lizards couldn’t resist at all. 

The remnants of lizards that attacked were all used as awakening materials for the unit members. 

Thanks to that, the awakening process sped up, and thirty individuals could awaken. 

And with the appointment of a leader. 

Our unit’s status was elevated to that of a clan. 

According to the achievement displayed: 

“The creation of a group on the clan scale was accomplished by ROK…” 

In other words. 

We were the second in South Korea. 

Come to think of it. 

When five awakened individuals formed a party, we received the third-place reward. 

“Did we surpass that team?” 

It’s surprising how quickly we’re advancing, but… 

“It’s not bad. The achievement rewards are excellent.” 

The dog tag I’m holding right now. 

It’s the reward for creating the second clan. 

[Group Skill (Token)] 

[You can select an item that can be used as a symbol for the group and turn it into a token. Only members of the group can wear it, and it provides stat bonuses based on the size of the group. The bonus value varies depending on the position within the group] 

“Nice.” 

It’s different from the “Bimana” which didn’t have any explanation of how it works. 

It provides stat bonuses to all members of the group. 

It’s simple yet powerful. 

As a leader, I have nothing to say. 

The rise in stats was significant enough for other awakened soldiers to feel. 

It’s like the increase in stats after eating a dish I prepared with the right amount of strength? 

“All members of the unit have it, and the only item suitable for turning into a token is the dog tag, which is a bit disappointing.” 

Using the group skill on the dog tag. 

All the dog tags owned by the awakened soldiers turned into items. 

And the content written on them changed slightly. 

The clan name and rank were added to where the military number used to be. 

And there were small patterns added to the background. 

The dog tag. 

It’s in the form of a necklace, so it can be carried and worn at any time. 

It’s also good for proving affiliation. 

As it was a decision made after consulting with other unit members. 

Honestly, I think it’s the best choice. 

“Of all things, a dog tag…” 

The dog tag is an object which signifies the concept of military service.  

It’s a bit distressing but that’s all there is to it. 

“But why me, of all people?” 

One leader was needed to fulfill the clan’s requirements. 

And it had to be me. 

“Why am I the leader? What kind of chef represents a unit?” 

After last night’s meeting. 

I went to see Min-jae hyung and asked. 

“You were the first to awaken, and you also set the unit’s policy to increase the number of awakened individuals.” 

“No. That was just luck…” 

“You also discovered the monsters’ weaknesses, played a significant role in the large-scale attack…” 

“…” 

“Moreover, when it comes to expanding the buff effects of cooking, you conducted individual interviews with each member to understand their preferences. All this has been done by you and you alone.” 

“That’s…” 

“Won’t it be strange now if someone else becomes our leader now, other than you?” 

When scrutinized like this, there was no room for argument. 

And that’s not all. 

“While other awakened individuals killed lizards with guns to some extent, you killed monsters with just a kitchen knife. And you took down two.” 

“It wasn’t as easy as it sounds.” 

“On the first day of the attack, many unit members saw you walking around with a kitchen knife stained with monster blood.” 

“?” 

“The rumor spread throughout the unit that you were strong enough to kill monsters with just a knife even against those resistant to bullets.” 

No. 

How did such a rumor spread? 

“It’s an unstable situation in many ways. We need a strong leader in our unit.” 

“And that’s me?” 

“Gwang-il, the berserker, has a similar image. But he’s naturally too timid. I, um, it’s a bit awkward to say this myself, but I don’t have that good of a reputation.” 

I’ve heard rumors that if a war breaks out, we will shoot Min-jae in the back of his head. 

He’d say something like that. 

“In the end, there’s no one else but you.” 

Min-jae had been thinking about it from past few days. 

After asking other unit members for their opinions and confirming there was no opposition, he nominated me as the leader. 

Just to survive. 

To live on and eventually open my own restaurant. 

It was just a struggle to make the unit stronger as a means to that end. 

But it seemed different to the unit members. 

“I can’t refuse when it’s put like that.” 

In the end, I accepted the position of leader. 

After discussing a few more matters, we adjourned the meeting. 

Now, the unit members… 

They have accepted me as their commander, and not Lieutenant Kim. 

Sure enough. 

As I sat in the cafeteria waiting… 

“At your service, Sir.” 

“Alright, have you completed all the assigned tasks?” 

“Yes.” 

A soldier came to see me. 

“When someone in the unit asks about our occupations, never mention the job in the status window. Don’t give any strange hints. Understood?” 

“Well done.” 

“I’ve conveyed the instructions to conceal the existence of the awakened individuals as much as possible. Everyone should handle it well.” 

This is… 

One of the proposals I made at yesterday’s meeting. 

I remembered what Taejun said after looking at the stars. 

“You’d better keep your claws hidden.” 

He didn’t exactly know why he said that. 

But in other words, it meant. 

You have to hide your abilities. 

“The guy who asked me about my job…” 

It sends shivers down my spine. 

If he had asked me about my job out of the blue. 

And if I had answered “novice chef” without thinking. 

What would have happened? 

“It’s relatively okay for me since I’m a chef, but for others…” 

While asking about someone’s job might not seem strange, if the person asking is another awakened individual. 

The intent behind the question could be interpreted differently. 

“Are you also an awakened individual?” 

Taejun had already given us the warning. 

It wouldn’t hurt to be careful. 

“Conceal the presence of awakened individuals as much as possible, but don’t delay the task of increasing their numbers.” 

“Yes. Anyway, since the suppression of the monsters is mainly carried out by our marksmen type awakened individuals, there shouldn’t be any issues.” 

“Our marksmen just look like any ordinary soldiers holding guns, after all.” 

It’s just that they simply possess firepower several times greater than that of regular soldiers. 

With differences of up to tens of times depending on level and stats. 

“When it’s time for a soldier to awaken, we’ll instruct them to pretend to go move lizard corpses and then awaken while they’re alone, so you don’t need to worry about hiding. But…” 

“Is there another issue?” 

“The survivors are continuously requesting dialogue. They insist there are things that need to be discussed.” 

Come to think of it, that’s true. 

“That woman, is she the one you’re referring to?” 

The woman who first requested a conversation when she was escorted to the dormitory. 

“Yes. Contrary to appearances, it seemed like she was taking on the role of leader among the survivors.” 

“A conversation…” 

They think Lieutenant Kim is our representative. 

While it would be Lieutenant Kim’s role to step into the dialogue, it’s not something that can be done at this moment. 

“It can’t be helped. I’ll handle Lieutenant Kim.” 

“Are you sure that would be a good idea? Wouldn’t it be better for us to go without Lieutenant Kim…” 

“In this situation, it’s better for the top commander to take charge directly.” 

But that doesn’t mean I’ll let Lieutenant Kim command us freely. 

I might need to exert some influence. 

“Select a representative for the survivors and have them come to the 2nd-floor dormitory meeting room three days from now after dinner.” 

“Yes.” 

“Oh, and for the soldiers participating in the meeting on our side, make sure they don’t leak any information about our unit’s situation, no matter what.” 

“Understood.” 

Then let that soldier handle conveying the message to the survivors. 

“I have my own tasks to attend now.” 

It’s time to do what I need to do. 

*** 

I filled a small tray with several dishes and headed to the cafeteria. 

This time, I made some special dishes. 

“Especially considering I had more freedom with the ingredients than usual.” 

Thanks to that, I could showcase my skills more freely. 

Just looking at the dishes on the tray. 

They were all upscaled by military cafeteria standards. 

Items retrieved from the chef’s lounge. 

The utensils used when officers from other units or senior officials visited for inspections. 

Holding these gorgeously prepared dishes, I headed to… 

The dimly lit basement of the cafeteria. 

It was a bleak space with only one old lamp flickering. 

Grrrrr… 

The sound of a massive machine working. 

Only the buzzing vibration of various boiler devices, water supply systems, generators, etc., filled this small underground space. 

Despite being called a basement, it was essentially a boiler room. 

The basement served as a space to supply heat, hot water, and electricity to the cafeteria building. 

However… 

It was quite spacious, perhaps unnecessarily so, with various storerooms for storing supplies next to the various equipment. 

Small warehouses categorized by purpose. 

Seven in total. 

“A suitable number for makeshift cells.” 

In conventional military settings. 

There’s a concept of detention facilities to replace prisons. 

But our unit, being small in scale. 

As a subordinate battalion belonging to a higher unit. 

We didn’t have any separate detention facility here. 

“Soldiers sent to detention usually go to the detention facilities of the higher unit, right?” 

So, instead of separate detention facilities, they chose… 

This place. 

Seven storage rooms in the basement of the cafeteria were renovated. 

They decided to use them as temporary detention facilities. 

Among the renovated storerooms. 

I opened the door to one and entered. 

Inside was… 

The first occupant of this detention facility. 

“Oh, Young-joon?” 

“Hello.” 

The only officer in our unit, and the highest-ranking non-commissioned officer. 

It was Lieutenant Kim.