After the battle, the army began searching the bunker for any remaining stragglers. It was a precautionary measure to ensure no enemies were hiding.  

“P-please save me…”  

In one section, they discovered living humans. Initially, it was thought they might be remnants of the vampires, but:  

[Ingredient Identification (Enhanced)]  

[Species – Human]  

These were indeed ordinary humans.  

“Here we have some survivors!”  

“And here as well…”  

There were more of them than expected.  

“Sniffle…”  

“You’re safe now. Please calm down. What happened here?”  

“I-I don’t know.”  

“They were supposed to guide us to a safe place, but instead, they brought us here. Some others went in a different direction, but we don’t know what happened to them…”  

This was somewhat understandable.  

‘They either became vampires or were turned into vampire prey.’  

What puzzled us was what these people were doing here if they were neither vampires nor prey.  

“I overheard something from the monsters.”  

“What did you hear?”  

“I’m not sure if I heard it correctly, but they said they were planning to create a ‘human farm.’”  

“Hmm.”  

“They said they were setting aside people like us and will manage us carefully. So that we wouldn’t die.”  

A human farm, huh?  

“We’ll take these people with us.”  

“Oh. Can we trust you with them?”  

“Yes, I am a survivor myself.”  

Jeong Soo-ah, who approached the survivors, said:  

“I think it’s important to explain to them what almost happened and who saved them.”  

“…? Well. Please take care of them.”  

“Yes!”  

The rescued survivors could either join our squad or be introduced to survivors settled near our base.  

During this process:  

“Eek! Save me…”  

“Is this one also a survivor?”  

“No, this one is a vampire.”  

This one had recently regained consciousness and was hiding in a corner.   

Bang.  

As soon as the vampire was dealt with:  

[Gangwon-do Survivor Union has been exterminated.]  

[First human species victory in a guild war]  

“Oh?”  

The system recognized this fact.  

[A reward will be given to those who lead the way.]  

[Reward: Growth Potion x10]  

[Increases experience gain rate by 500% temporarily]  

Growth Potion.  

Or   

Elixir of Growth  

 I remember something like this from the very beginning.  

I recall receiving it as a reward in the early days.   

The other squad members used it shortly after obtaining it.  

The effect was quite beneficial.  

I don’t urgently need a level-up right now, so I’ll keep it for now.  

If I can identify it through [Ingredient Detection (Enhanced)], I might be able to mass-produce it someday.  

“My goodness. Even the Elixir of Growth.”  

“This reward isn’t bad.”  

“Indeed. Moreover…”  

I looked around and said:  

“Securing this bunker is the most significant achievement.”  

“Really?”  

“Yes, don’t you remember, there’s a rumor going around about those vampire fellows.”  

That there’s a group around here with a lot of weapons and food.  

And they’re looking for trustworthy comrades.  

But the rumor wasn’t started by us.  

A group with lots of weapons and food, looking for reliable companions.  

“That’s us, isn’t it?”  

“Ah!”  

The survivors in the area have been feeling the limits of hiding and want to join a larger group.  

They have two options:  

The rumor about the Legion.  

And the rumor about the bunker.  

But we’ve already snatched up both of those choices.  

Now all the survivors will come seeking us out.  

We’ll be able to turn the tables now.  

“They must have gone through a lot to spread that rumor. But we will be the ones who’ll reap the benefits.”  

“Heh heh. Not bad at all.”  

“The locations of the outposts we destroyed weren’t bad either. We can dispatch engineers to rebuild those posts and move some troops over here.”  

“Yes.”  

“For a while, we’ll need to focus on clearing the routes between the base and the bunker.”  

Vampires who feed on human blood.  

The invasion was carried out with the idea of cutting off their growing power before it was too late.  

But it led to the bunker as well.  

“There is one regret, though.”  

“In the end, we failed to gain an allied force.”  

Just as the squad leader said.  

The original reason I visited them was to search for an allied force to join the Legion.  

It was taking too long to build up the strength to conquer other places on our own.  

So, I was trying to join forces with others.  

‘Over 300 awakened ones… If only they weren’t vampires.’  

We now have tanks in our possession.  

We would’ve succeeded in subjugating the military zone somehow.  

But they’re vampires.  

Since they’re the enemy of humanity, there’s nothing to be regretful about.  

We’ll have to gradually level up, increase the number of awakened ones, and then attempt the subjugation.  

“…Hmm.”  

But still, it’s a bit disappointing, isn’t it?  

“They were excellent sons…”  

After the war with the vampires and the aftermath were somewhat resolved,  

A small funeral was held on the hill behind the ammunition depot.  

‘The first casualties.’  

From when we were stationed in the mountains to when we settled on the surface,  

We had gone through all kinds of battles, but miraculously, there had been no fatalities so far.  

We had made every effort to prevent any casualties.  

But this battle was a bit different.  

The enemy had numerical superiority over us.  

But we couldn’t avoid the battle either, as their forces were growing too rapidly.  

We had no choice but to forge ahead, knowing it would be a perilous fight.  

“Chef Shin’s cooking mostly made up for the difference in strength, but still, each soldier had to take on more than two vampires.”  

“Don’t be too distraught.”  

“Speaking as a latecomer, the fact that there were no casualties until now is actually quite unbelievable.”  

My mood watching the funeral was naturally not good.  

Others tried to console me, but…  

‘If only my cooking had been a bit stronger… No, if we had secured more troops than the vampires much earlier, it would have been very different.’  

At least, the recent silver lining is that there was a former pastor among the survivors who have started to settle around our base.  

I’m not particularly religious but having someone who knows the proper funeral procedures was a big help.  

Unlike the last time when we left it to the chaplain, we were able to hold a proper, if modest, funeral.  

“…From now on, more people will die, won’t they?”  

“Likely so.”  

While the veterans who had been with the 423rd Battalion were quite distraught,  

“…Another person has died.”  

“He was a good person. It’s a shame.”  

The guild members who joined later, not being from the original unit, had a relatively calm attitude.  

It’s not that they are more callous than others.  

‘They’ve just gotten used to it.’  

In an age where people die so nonchalantly.  

Unlike us who have been fortunate to thrive,  

They have long experienced the tragedy of losing someone.  

That’s why they know from experience.  

More people will be lost going forward.  

And dwelling on those deaths means you yourself may become the next victim.  

‘If I die, the ones who died before me will have no one left to remember them.’  

We will continue to struggle to survive.