Ratatatat…

Kaboom…  

Screech…

In the previously silent 87th Ammunition Battalion,  

A sudden loud noise and vibrations reverberated from a corner.  

And from somewhere not far away, that sound triggered…  

Rustle…  

The queen, who had been slumbering deep within, opened her eyes.  

Hiss…  

A huge, white figure began to rise in the darkness.  

However,  

It wasn’t its complete form.  

Hiss…  

The queen emitted a painful groan as she rose.  

She had scorched patches on her body, and grotesque pus oozed from her wounds.  

The queen’s body was scorched, cut, and injured in various places.  

Suppressing her pain, the queen opened her eyes.  

 As she spread her senses, she felt it…  

“…!!”  

The death of her countless children.  

It hadn’t been long since a major battle had taken place.  

In that battle, the queen had lost most of her children.  

Moreover, she herself had sustained serious injuries.  

It would take time before new children could be born to replace the ones she had lost.  

The queen’s wounds hadn’t fully healed, yet.  

Additionally, from what she sensed, the current invaders seemed to be even stronger than the previous enemies.  

In her weakened state, they posed an even greater threat.  

They were exceedingly threatening foes for her.  

Shaaaa….

The fate of her species hung in the balance.  

As their leader, the queen had to make a decision.  

– With the significant loss of strength, engaging the enemies now would result in heavy losses  

– Even if victorious, the gains would be minimal, as the increase in resources would be small.  

– The risk must be minimized.  

Having made all these judgments in a short span of time, the queen awakened her sleeping children.  

To avoid the enemy, under normal circumstances, she would never have made such a choice, as her pride was at stake.  

But  

– The survival of the species is the top priority.  

The queen was willing to cast aside her pride if it meant ensuring the survival of her species.  

That was her resolve.  

However…  

[Invade and occupy the humans’ military facilities]  

[It must not be taken away by anyone else]  

This thought had been deeply embedded in the queen’s mind.  

Shaaaaaaaaa  

An order leading to the extinction of their species.  

The queen resisted it fiercely.  

However,  

[It must not be taken away by anyone else]  

[It must not be taken away by anyone else]  

[It must not be taken away by anyone else]  

[It must not be taken away by…]  

[It must not be taken away…  

[It must not be taken…]  

 But her resistance was casually disregarded,  

Overwhelmed by an explosive surge of conviction…  

It was enough to erase the queen’s rationality.  

A moment later.  

What took hold in her mind was not the fear of her species’ extinction.  

Rather it was pure rage.  

And hostility.  

Shaaaaaaaaaaahhhh 

The queen rose with her wounded body and awakened the surviving mature children from the previous battle.  

To eliminate the invaders who had encroached upon her territory.  

The land that must not be taken from anyone else.  

* * *  

After the battle with the spider monsters concluded,  

“Whoa, spider webs.”  

“Ugh, the dust is no joke either.”  

We began to search the inside of the dome-shaped ammunition depot thoroughly.  

The depot was completely covered in grayish spider webs, making it difficult to find its original appearance.  

But somehow, we managed to clear away the dusty cobwebs.  

“Look! It’s ammunition!”  

“Just as expected!”  

Our primary objective in visiting the ammunition battalion.  

The ammunition revealed itself.  

“They seem to be in good condition, huh?”  

“Well, they were under the spider webs.”  

“Not like the ones from the hardware store. Even if the monsters had the ammunition, it wouldn’t do them any good.”  

The first discovery was unidentified shells.  

The artillery guys seemed to have a vague idea of what they were, but to my eyes, trained in culinary skills, they were just shells.  

Originally, the real important stuff was elsewhere.  

“Here, the 5mm rounds!”  

“Wow!”  

Our main infantry weapon is the K2 rifle.  

We discovered the 5.56mm ammunition for the K2.  

“Wow, bullets!!”  

“And there are so many of them.”  

“Phew, I almost had to learn bayonet techniques.”  

To be honest, it didn’t excite me much.  

My specialty is “dagger proficiency,” after all.  

Guns are just auxiliary weapons to me.  

But it seemed different for the marksmen awakened among us.  

It was almost like a festive atmosphere for them.  

“I didn’t expect them to be so thrilled.”  

“Ah, you didn’t know, Sergeant?”  

“Know what?”  

“The marksmen have been under a lot of stress. Every time they run out of ammo, some of them even lose hair and get circular baldness. So, you can imagine how they are feeling, right now.”  

“…”  

“Apparently, the marksmen squad was in a frenzy even when they managed to scavenge ammo from the deserters.”  

So, it was that serious!  

Well, Sergeant Seo Su-hyeok, the leader of the marksmen squad, may be quite rough around the edges. But even he couldn’t hide his change in expression upon hearing about ammunition supply.  

The others must have been even more severe.  

But now, it’s different.  

“Just the amount in this ammo depot alone is substantial.”  

Beside the ammo depot, similar igloo-shaped storage units lined up at intervals.  

Considering all of those as well,  

Well,  

Who knows, but even if our sharpshooters unleash a barrage, it shouldn’t pose any problems.  

The marksmen played a crucial role in defending the mountain base before.  

Now that their firepower has returned, our unit’s firepower has increased by at least 1.5 times.  

“No, it’s not just that.”  

It’s not just about the marksmen.  

“Since guns are weapons that even civilians can use.”  

With ample ammunition at hand, combining the firearms retrieved from the 423rd Battalion and those still housed within this ammunition battalion results in a substantial arsenal.  

These firearms can be distributed to the pre-awakened survivors.  

If the pre-awakened survivors can become a capable fighting force, then we can actively accommodate them and rapidly build up our strength.  

However,  

Not everything found in the ammunition depot was good.  

“Whoa, whoa!”  

“Sergeant Sin, come over here!”  

Thinking about this and that while exploring the ammunition depot,  

The soldiers inspecting one corner suddenly started making a commotion.  

Curious about what was going on, I hurried over.  

“This is…”  

In one corner of the ammunition depot, there were things wrapped up in cobwebs that looked like cocoons.  

Among them,  

A soldier tore open one and exposed its contents.  

Inside it was…  

“…a person.”  

* * *  

“Uijun, what’s the situation?”  

The humans found inside the cocoons.  

I urgently called over our unit’s medic to assess their condition.  

“It seems like they were soldiers who were working in the ammunition battalion.”  

However,  

“They’re dead.”  

“…”  

“They may have been alive until a few weeks ago.”  

“What?”  

Once they’re dead, they’re dead.  

I wondered what they meant by possibly being alive until recently.  

“I heard somewhere that spiders don’t immediately eat their prey but paralyze them and preserve them.”  

“Why preserve them instead of just killing them?”  

“To maintain freshness.”  

As I listened to the explanation,  

I understood why there were soldiers’ bodies here.  

“After preserving them in a fresh state, they provide high-quality food for their offspring.”  

The large eggs scattered inside the ammunition depot.  

And the unspoiled bodies.  

They had prepared provisions for the hatchlings emerging from the eggs.  

“Even though they were in a paralyzed state, they had been here for nearly a month without any nutrients provided. Their life functions were already…”  

“I understand.”  

The bodies of humans were slain by monsters.  

Seeing this reminded me of the day our unit was first attacked.  

Images of my fallen comrades flashed through my mind.  

“Tsk.”  

Frustration surged within me after recalling the aftermaths of the doomsday.  

“For now, gather their dog tags and withdraw. Let’s leave the bodies in one place.”  

“Yes.”  

“After the recapture of the base is properly completed, we’ll have to give them a proper burial.”  

Afterward, we opened a few more cocoons in the corner.  

We found more dead bodies of soldiers.  

“What is this?”  

“Looks like a monster, doesn’t it?”  

And there were bodies of unidentified creatures.  

“Are these creatures also serving as food substitutes or something?”  

“Probably. But still, using the ammunition depot as their hatching ground…”  

“But there was nothing in the buildings we passed by so far, right? Why only the ammunition depot?”  

Lee Sang-ah tilted her head with confusion.  

I felt like I knew the reason why the monsters only laid their eggs here, while the other places remained empty.  

“The ammunition depot is the safest place within this unit.”  

In modern warfare, ammunition may be more crucial than rations.   

Just as important as the items stored within it, ammunition depots are meticulously secured.   

Our previous 423rd Battalion may have just piled up bullets in an old warehouse.  

“But this is an ammunition supply depot.”  

A place where ammunition for various weapons, cannons, and missiles is stored.  

Not only are the ammunition themselves crucial,  

But if the enemy attacks an ammunition depot, their primary target would be the ammunition  

It’s a place where they’ll aim for first when they intrude.  

That’s why ammunition depots are camouflaged to look like parts of a mountain from the air.  

With sturdy iron doors and even cave-like buildings.  

“A place that feels safe even to someone like me who doesn’t know much.”  

It must have looked similar to the monsters’ eyes.  

A space to safely protect its precious eggs from external threats.  

“Oh. That means…”  

“On the contrary, does that mean there’s a high chance monsters will jump out every time the ammunition depot is opened?”  

If they considered the ammunition depot a safe place and used it as a hatchery, there would be no reason not to use it as a nest.  

“Is it okay? This battle was literally one-sided.”  

“These monsters, even if a few more of them shows up, it won’t be a big deal!”  

The soldiers shouted confidently.  

“Indeed, that’s true.”  

Despite the battle being over, our side has suffered only some minor injuries.  

And even those minor injuries were perfectly treated by our medics and healers.  

Contrary to our initial worries, our casualties are nonexistent.  

“But we’re only talking about the monsters we fought this time.”  

“Yes?”  

According to the information obtained with the “Chef’s Eyes”  

“These creatures are in their immature fluid state, right?”  

It’s like they are still in their pre-fertilized state.  

Seems like they were undergoing some sort of fertilization before being born into mature spiders.  

“In China, there’s a dish where they cook unborn chicks from eggs, right before they hatch.”  

In fact, the cooking methods presented by the “Chef’s Eyes” are quite similar to that.  

The only difference is their ferocity – they aggressively break out of the eggs when threatened.  

“The adult form of these spiders might be dangerous.”  

“But is there a need to fear adults that we haven’t even met yet?”  

“Well, that makes sense too.”  

It’s just a guess that they could be dangerous.  

Since it hasn’t been confirmed whether they are dangerous or not,  

there’s no need to retreat from here because of fear.  

“Move to the adjacent ammunition depot.”  

“Yes!”  

Following my command, the soldiers headed for the next ammunition depot.  

It too seemed to be in a state resembling a hatchery.  

[You have gained experience points]  

[You have gained experience points]  

[You have gained experience…]  

[You have gained…]  

[You have…]  

“Damn, now that was easy.”  

“Since we’ve fought them once, they seem easier than before.”  

It was just a one-sided massacre.  

“Hehe, there’s so much ammunition.”  

“These creatures. Looks like they want to die.”  

The amount of ammunition that we had secured was a considerable amount.  

Moreover, it’s not just rifle ammunition that’s important.  

“These shells. We might be able to mount them on our combat vehicles, don’t you think?”  

“Hmm. Not a bad idea.”  

Combat engineers specialized in manufacturing war weapons.  

They began discussing ways to use the shells obtained here.  

Everything was progressing more smoothly than expected.  

 While I had been concerned about the monsters being stronger in this area,  

It seems my worries were unfounded.  

“If it’s just this much….”  

The moment such a careless thought crossed my mind.  

Kuguguguguguung.  

“Huh?”  

“What’s that? An earthquake?”  

Suddenly, a massive vibration spread throughout the entire unit.  

Naturally, I wondered if it was an earthquake.  

Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh 

And then the echoing scream followed immediately.  

It indicated that the previous vibration was no ordinary earthquake.  

* * *  

“W-what’s… what!?”  

“What in the world is this sound?”  

An unidentified scream echoed from the center of the ammunition battalion.  

And,  

[The Last Queen of Arachron, Katlanya, expresses her anger]  

Along with that sound appeared a message before my eyes.  

[The Queen’s anger covers the battlefield!]  

[Drastic increase in combat abilities of Arachron White Spider race]  

[Drastic decrease in combat abilities of your allies]  

A familiar message format.  

It didn’t take long to realize what kind of scream had just echoed.  

Damn it.  

It was the same kind of ability used by the Lizard Chieftain while attacking the 423rd Battalion.  

Or a type of ability akin to the one used by Lieutenant Kim.  

It’s a wide-area buff that weakens enemies’ abilities and strengthens allies.   

It’s the kind of thing you often see in games, so it’s not surprising.   

The problem is…  

“.. this battle cry.”  

“I-is such a widespread battle cry even possible!?”  

The monster that emitted this scream.  

We couldn’t even see it with our own eyes.  

“The sound was loud, but it didn’t seem close.”  

Despite being sure of the considerable distance,  

It was a piercing roar that could affect us.  

“This seems dangerous.”  

I moved my body slightly.  

And surprisingly, I felt slightly heavier than before.  

“It has applied a debuff on us.”  

If it’s just a debuff applied to us, then it shouldn’t be a problem.  

But…  

[Drastic increase in combat abilities of Arachron White Spider race]  

That was the problem   

Such a widespread battle cry.  

“How many monsters are receiving that buff over such a wide area?”  

That question was soon answered.  

Dudududududududu… 

Along with the spreading battle cry came the sound of vibrations.  

“It’s right next to us!”  

The origin of the vibration sound was right next to us.  

Another ammunition depot that we haven’t opened yet.  

No.  

“It’s the sound from the monsters’ breeding ground.”  

“Then that vibration just now was…”  

“They must be breaking out of their eggs.”  

Before long,  

Thud! Thud!  

 It was the sound of the ammunition depot’s doors being pounded on.  

A significant number of monsters from the various ammunition depots lined up around us.  

After hearing the battle cry, the monsters forcibly broke out of their eggs and now they’re trying to break down the doors and burst it open.  

“Well, even if a few more show up, we should be able to handle it!”  

“It’s not just a few more, it’s probably dozens of times more.”  

No matter how strong our unit has become,  

If they increase by that much, it’s quite problematic.  

“Lieutenant Kim! What should we do?”  

“Oh, right! Battle formation, everyone!”  

[Command Directive – Assume Battle Formations!]    

[Command Directive – Battle Formations in Effect]    

[Partially mitigates the Queen’s anger]  

[Partial decrease in the debuff]  

Lieutenant Kim has become our unit’s buff vending machine where just by calling his name we can activate and apply several buffs on us.  

But as I confirmed the effects of those buffs, I couldn’t help but furrow my brow.  

“Instead of boosting abilities, it’s only reducing the debuffs.”  

“I-I’m sorry.”  

“No, it’s not your fault, Lieutenant Kim.”  

It’s just, the battle cry was that powerful.  

If it’s just this much, Lieutenant Kim alone won’t be enough.  

“Jeon Gwang-il!”  

“Yes, Corporal Jeon Gwang-il!”  

The squad leader who commanded the warrior squads.  

“Lieutenant Kim might not be sufficient! Gwang-il, you’re up too!”  

“Yes!”  

There was no need to explain further.  

Responding to the command, Gwang-il took a deep breath.  

And then,  

“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh”  

He roared like a wild beast.  

[The Roar of Madness Battle Frenzy echoes through]  

[Allies receive minimal confusion]  

[The novice command mitigates minimal confusion]  

[Allies receive moderate ability increase]  

[Partially mitigates ‘Queen’s Anger’]  

[Removes the ability Batlle Cry effect of ‘Queen’s Anger.’]  

Gwang-il had acquired a similar type of skill from his battles with the lizard chieftain.  

However, he is different from me and Lieutenant Kim, who are primarily support support/support type awakened.  

‘Gwang-il is more of a frontline fighter.’  

Nevertheless, although he has skills in the buffer category,  

His battle cry doesn’t last long, and there’s a limit of about three uses per week.  

Furthermore, it’s coupled with a debuff that causes minimal confusion when used alone.  

It’s an ability that should be conserved as much as possible, given the need to save it.  

Especially for moments like this.  

“I’ve removed all debuffs. This is the best we can do right now.”  

At that moment,  

Thud… Thud…  

Kwoong!  

With a loud noise, the door of the adjacent ammunition depot burst open.  

Spider monsters poured out in a rush from within.  

“To the battlefield!”  

“For the legion’s victory!!!”  

The troops who were in battle formation clashed with the spiders.  

Thanks to Gwang-il and Lieutenant Kim’s Battle Cry, the debuffs on our side disappeared.  

Additional buffs were only available through my combat rations.  

A tremendous decrease in combat power.  

Conversely, the enemies were enhanced with buffs, increasing their combat effectiveness.  

“Tsk.”  

Apart from buffs, our side had the upper hand in overall firepower.  

As long as it’s just the monsters that have popped out suddenly, there shouldn’t be a problem.  

Thud…  

Thud…  

However, sounds of monsters bursting out from other ammunition depot buildings could be heard.  

Perhaps,  

Could the monsters scattered throughout this unit converging to hunt us down?  

“I don’t know the size of their forces, but facing all those monsters at once is absolutely impossible.”  

If that’s the case.  

I made my decision and shouted towards the soldiers,  

“Everyone, retreat slowly and board the vehicles as quickly as possible!”  

“Sergeant Shin!?”  

“Why suddenly board the vehicles during combat…!?”  

The soldiers engaged in battle asked with confusion.  

Our side’s buffs are minimal, while the enemy has many.  

Moreover, we’re clearly about to be outnumbered.  

In that case,  

“We need to change the situation, don’t we?”  

The battle had clearly been in our favor.  

But the situation had suddenly turned upside down.  

I knew who had caused this upheaval.  

[The Last Queen of Arachron, Katlanya, expresses her anger.]  

The monster known as the Last Queen.  

The mastermind who is hunting us with her Battle Cry.  

Her anger had created the current situation.  

So then,  

“It’s only natural to start by taking down the commander.”  

Let’s hunt down the Queen first.