At the tank battalion, barely visible to the naked eye.  

[Aaaaaahhh!!! Aaaaargh!!!!]  

A terrible scream echoed out.  

At the same time, a massive surge of magic was felt.  

Shortly after.  

[Someone who received your meal has made a significant impact in battle]  

[The Chef’s reputation is spreading far and wide]  

[Experience Points Increased]  

A message window appeared before my eyes.  

Along with that, the sound of shelling aimed at the soldiers also died down.  

“Did it work?”  

“Yeah.”  

“…Hah.”  

The one who had been in constant pain tossed his rifle aside and collapsed on the rooftop.  

Then he closed his eyes and spoke.  

“Sergeant Shin.”  

“Yeah, got something to say?”  

“Sorry for the unsolicited advice, but can I offer one piece of advice?”  

“I always welcome advice. What is it?”  

Su-hyeok was sweating profusely and breathing heavily.  

“Such powerful buffs, it’s better to use them sparingly.”  

With utmost care, and with various ingredients supplied by the newly joined farmer.  

A full course meal made with multiple dishes, each specially prepared.  

A maximum buff dish that I could create at this point.  

“I managed to endure it somehow… but honestly, if it had been someone with even slightly weaker mental strength, they would have fainted long ago.”  

While the effects were overwhelming, they were so powerful that even the awakened individuals struggled to handle the backlash.  

‘To withstand such a backlash, one would probably need to be at least around level 20 like me.’  

I nodded at Seo Su-hyeok’s advice.  

“Got it. I’ll try to cook more moderately from now on.”  

“…I’m not sure if that’s possible, but I trust you’ll manage well, Sergeant Shin.”  

Having said that, he slumped down.  

“It seems he passed out.”  

He must have been extremely exhausted.  

“I’ll take good care of him, don’t worry.”  

“Thanks.”  

Leaving the unconscious guy to the medic.  

I moved toward our target, the tank battalion.  

***  

“Sergeant Shin! You’re here!”  

“Yeah. No problems?”  

“No, sir. Thanks to you and Corporal Seo taking out the monster, it was tough during the advance, but we faced no resistance inside.”  

As I reached near the tank battalion.  

The soldiers who had arrived earlier came out to greet me.  

Thankfully, it seemed there were no major issues.  

“What about the tanks and armored vehicles?”  

I asked about the whereabouts of the tanks, the main reason for which we targeted the tank battalion.  

“Well, we didn’t even have to look for them deeply.”  

“Hmm?”  

“Follow me, you’ll see.”  

Just as he said.  

As we followed the soldiers into the main gate of the tank battalion.  

I understood what he meant by not needing to search.  

Near the guard post at the main gate.  

Over twenty tanks were parked.  

“…Why are these here?”  

“They were probably about to intercept us.”  

Ah.  

They weren’t conveniently positioned here for our benefit.  

“Corporal Seo’s sniper shot must have succeeded just before the tanks could mobilize.”  

“Indeed.”  

The tanks that were moving to intercept our legion.  

These tanks stopped right in front of the main gate the moment the eye monster died.  

However.  

There was something else that caught my eye.  

“If I’m not mistaken, those are…”  

“Yes. Military uniforms, to be exact.”  

There were military uniforms scattered around the tanks.  

As I approached and lifted one of the uniform jackets slightly.  

“It’s more accurate to say they were soldiers.”  

“….”  

Inside the uniform were human bones.  

“When I infiltrated earlier, they were still in human form.”  

“The eye monster’s magic must have forcibly sustained them after they died.”  

When I saw the soldiers who still looked human, I held on to the hope that they might be alive.  

However, it seemed that the eye monster didn’t need them to be alive to control them.  

Only the minimal functions necessary for the eye monster were maintained, while the rest of the body slowly decayed.  

Once the monster was eliminated, even those minimal functions disappeared, leaving only bones.  

“Make sure to collect their dog tags. Even though they were in another unit, they were fellow soldiers and deserve a proper burial.”  

“I heard a rumor that there’s a pastor among the survivors settled near the base. I’ll check if a funeral is possible.”  

Next up was the start of the loot inspection.  

“One, two-.”  

“Three!”  

Engineers clinging to the tanks shouted the command.  

Bang!  

“It’s done!”  

They pried open the hatch.  

“Honestly, I wasn’t sure if we could manage this, but it looks like we can.”  

“Wow. The tanks are great, but the fuel is almost empty.”  

Though not originally a tank crew, perhaps because their job was that of an [Engineer].  

Among the knowledge they gained upon awakening were the details of how to operate tanks.  

“If we modify this part like this….”  

“We can strengthen the armor with Mac’s magic. To enhance firepower, first….”  

The engineers entered each tank, checking and discussing modification plans.  

At that moment, ownership of more than twenty tanks was transferred to the “Legion.”  

Although the primary objective of attacking the tank battalion was achieved.  

The loot didn’t end there.  

Another piece of loot lay near the center of the tank battalion, scattered on the road.  

[Ingredient Identification (Enhanced)]  

[Mutant Type – Geyser]  

[Freshness – Medium]  

The corpse of the eye monster, ” Geyser,” that controlled the soldiers.  

I wondered if it felt extreme pain before dying.  

Its pupil was shrunken to the limit.  

The center was pierced by Seo Su-hyeok’s bullet.  

“It looks like an eyeball, but it’s not a real eyeball.”  

I expected a grotesque scene of a burst eyeball.  

But except for the bullet hole, it retained its original shape.  

Touching it, it didn’t feel like a cornea but rather the texture of ordinary meat.  

This is interesting.  

This creature’s combat ability likely wasn’t very high.  

That’s why it tried to defend against approaching enemies by controlling soldiers.  

However, regardless of its combat strength.  

The ability it exhibited was the most powerful I had seen so far.  

This corpse must be useful.  

As I was about to gather and move the eye monster’s corpse.  

“Young-joon.”  

Sergeant Lee Min-jae approached and spoke.  

“We’ve secured our target, the tanks.”  

“Calling it a target is misleading. You know? The tanks are merely a means.”  

“True.”  

The aim of seizing the tanks was to enhance our combat strength.  

And the reason for strengthening our forces was singular.  

To confront the massive enemy in the north

“To exterminate the vampires.”