We have completed the occupation of Inje-gun, but our unit’s daily life hasn’t changed much.  

“Even though we’ve occupied the mountains, it doesn’t mean all the monsters there have been wiped out.”  

Occupation only means we have the greatest influence.  

There are still unknown monsters or enemies remaining within Inje-gun.  

We didn’t even succeed in completely cleaning up the military zone.  

We only cleared the fastest route to the city hall.  

The area we dealt with is likely less than a third of the whole.  

‘And there are military bases as well.’  

The military bases are said to have monsters even stronger than the average ones.  

Inje-gun is located in Gangwon-do, where most of the South Korean military bases are concentrated, and it’s in the frontmost position.  

There are so many military bases that that have practically “blanketed” over the area.  

Some of those monsters could certainly pose a threat to our unit.  

‘At least the good news is those monsters won’t likely leave their territory,’ according to what Ariella said.  

The monsters that have occupied the military bases seem to be under some sort of obsession, solely dedicated to guarding the “human military facilities” they have occupied.  

They can’t wander outside, so unless something extraordinary happens, they won’t affect the outside.  

So, we’ll have to slowly retake the military bases.  

Anyway, the city is still overflowing with monsters, so the unit members kept on scouting and periodically cleared the area.  

When they’re off-duty and not on patrol, they usually train their abilities on their own.  

In my case, it’s cooking research.  

Once I’m done with cooking, if I have time left, I open the recipe books that the other soldiers have gathered and study new recipes.  

But now, I’m just sitting in the battalion commander’s office, staring into the mirror.  

“Hmm.”  

Recently, I awakened the talent of [Large-Scale Cooking], which drastically reduced the time it takes to prepare meals for the unit members.  

“…Should I just cut it?”  

Because of that, I have too much free time now.  

It’s given me the leisure to occasionally just think about something like my hair.  

The Dooms Day was just a few days before my discharge.  

Our unit wasn’t that strict, so they tolerated me growing out my hair a bit towards the end.  

In fact, up until then, I must have looked like a total buzzcut military guy to civilians.  

But now it’s gotten a bit too long.  

‘After spending months focused on combat and cooking, I just didn’t have the time to cut it.’  

It seems the other soldiers had similar concerns.  

Interestingly, the combat unit members all maintained short hair.  

When I asked them about it, one soldier said:  

“Since we’re often engaged in close-quarters combat, our hair can get caught by the enemy sometimes.  

It’s not compulsory to have a certain hairstyle, it’s just a practical consideration for real combat situations.  

A sporty buzzcut is easy to manage, and we can even cut each other’s hair with knives if needed.   

“It’s not a bad system.”  

One soldier even offered to cut my hair.  

But I politely declined his offer.  

But thinking about it, it does make sense.  

I also often fight in close quarters, and usually chefs also keep their hair short.  

I considered going back to a buzzcut, but…  

“Hmm! I’ll just tidy it up a bit!”  

I only had two days left until discharge.  

Going back to a buzzcut would be too cruel.  

‘Come to think of it, squad leader Lee Sang-ah once mentioned that she’s good at cutting hair.’  

As a ‘tailor’ who awakened as a seamstress, she can apparently cut off zombie heads cleanly.  

But I heard she’s also quite skilled at haircutting.  

It’s a bit unusual for a tailor to have that skill, but I guess it’s not that strange, since I can use my [Knife Proficiency] as a cook to slice up monsters.  

I should ask her to help tidy up my hair later.  

As I was thinking that a soldier knocked and entered the battalion commander’s office.  

“Sergeant Shin, Private Lee Minjae wants you to come to the village for a bit.”  

“Minjae hyung?”  

It’s not like I was that busy right then.  

So, I followed the soldier and moved outside.  

After exiting the camp’s main gate,   

The scenery of a small village came to the site that had been built by the survivors who came to seek refuge near our camp.  

The military camp was surrounded by nothing but rice fields and farmland.  

The closest buildings were just some distant farmhouses and warehouses.  

‘Even this seems livable enough.’  

The buildings recently built near the camp were gray structures.  

These were houses built for those who wanted to settle nearby, for a small fee.  

The buildings were made of metal.  

Normally, this would not be a very suitable material for housing.  

But,  

[Ingredient Identification (Enhanced)]  

[Steel infused with the Mac’s magic energy]  

And with the help of the engineers, the story changes a bit.  

The vehicles are sturdy enough to withstand even the monstrous creatures that can tear them apart bare-handed.  

Somehow, they also have good insulation and cold-resistance properties.  

Let’s walk around the vicinity.  

“Oh, the chef has arrived.”  

The settled people greeted me as I approached.  

“Haha, I hope you all are doing well.”  

“We’re doing great thanks to you all.”  

It’s been quite some time since the initial survivors settled in the area.  

Many more have gathered here after hearing the news.  

‘The population around the camp was now about the same as the number of our troops.’  

Those who paid a fee have been under our guild’s protection.  

For reference, most of that price consists of the food they earned by helping Cheol-wook, the awakened farmer.  

Farming may not be an easy task, so it’s hard to call this a carefree life.  

But many of them are grateful just for not having to worry about dying anymore.  

As a result, the camp’s popularity is overwhelmingly high.  

“Please also convey our gratitude to Lieutenant Kim.”  

“We had lost all hope for the future… but he has agreed to protect us for a small price. He is truly a great man.”  

However, they still believe Lieutenant Kim to be our boss.  

“Haha, you don’t need me to tell him that. I’m sure he already knows your feelings well.”  

Recently, Lieutenant Kim had spoken about this matter.  

-Young-joon, to be honest, this is a bit burdensome. Do you think we can somehow change this?  

-What do you mean?