Northwestern Gangwon Province.
Once, this area was a human city. But now, towering buildings bore savage flags adorned with beast hides, fluttering in the wind.
The bustling streets where humans once walked...
Boom...
Monstrous beings with enormous builds stomped around, their footsteps shaking the earth.
At the center of the city was a large structure that had once been a government office. Seated in the middle was a giant, twice the size of the other monsters.
“Report, Great Shaman.”
These were the ones who had conquered the surrounding area—the **Greenmane Tribe** led by their warlord, the **Great Warrior**. Standing before the towering warrior was a smaller figure.
“If you suggest delaying the invasion once more, I won’t hold back, regardless of what the shamans say...”
“Rest assured.”
The leader of the Greenmane Tribe was meant to be the High Chief, but due to certain circumstances, the High Chief had died, leaving the Great Warrior and the Great Shaman to lead the tribe.
While the warrior controlled the tribe, he was bound to respect the shaman's counsel. This had caused the tribe’s advance to stagnate for quite some time.
In the past, the shaman had issued a warning:
“There is something to the east, but I cannot see it.”
“What do you mean?”
“The towering mountain range to the east... something there is blocking my vision.”
In their tribe, shamans read the stars, and warriors fought. But a presence had obscured the shaman’s sight, making it impossible to foresee the future.
"A presence that can shroud a shaman's sight...”
They had to be cautious, for charging into the unknown without any information was too dangerous.
Finally...
“I have seen it.”
“Does that mean...?”
“The one who obstructed the stars has been dealt with. Though it took some time due to the advantage of the terrain.”
“At last!”
Upon hearing the shaman’s words, the Great Warrior rose with a fierce expression, exuding energy.
“Summon the warriors!”
“They have already been called. In addition...”
The tribe was preparing for a conquest, and the first two steps were clear: gather information and...
“We sent the Shadow Troops ahead.”
...assassinate any key figures who could obstruct the war.
“Those who would hinder us should have been dealt with by now.”
---
**[Shaman: A monster wave is coming.]**
The message from Tae-jun appeared before me, but there was no time to process it.
"...Gah!"
A chilling aura loomed above me, inching closer and closer.
I felt a shiver run down my spine as I tried to draw my sword, but the moment my hand gripped **Dokgogu-sik’s** hilt, instinctively, I knew.
‘I’m too late.’
Even if I managed to draw my sword now, there was no way to block this attack.
Despite knowing it was futile, I drew the sword from its sheath, and a fleeting thought crossed my mind, like a flash of my life passing before my eyes.
-You’ll get hurt someday if you’re not careful, you know?
That was what **Captain Lee Sangah** had said to me not long ago, after visiting the Ammunition Battalion.
-The commander is still human, right? As long as you’re human, you can’t always °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° be perfect.
Things had been going well recently. My team and I had grown significantly, achieving unexpected success in territory captures.
‘We could probably survive this world...’
A small part of me had grown complacent with that thought.
‘I let my guard down.’
And with Tae-jun’s message drawing my focus, I’d lowered my defenses.
‘I made a mistake!’
It wasn’t enough to just let my guard down—I had actively erred.
For a long time, I’d managed to survive and overcome challenges, but I was, after all, only human. I couldn’t always be perfect, and mistakes were inevitable.
In the past, a single error wouldn’t have mattered, but in this world...
-One mistake here could be fatal.
This world didn’t offer the mercy of forgiving a single mistake.
‘Am I going to die here...? So senselessly?’
It was a brief moment, but true fear of death washed over me.
However, Captain Lee Sangah’s words had not ended there.
-People can’t predict everything, so just in case...
After her warning, she had handed me something along with a piece of advice.
-Take it, no arguments.
As the sinister energy above me prepared to split my skull in two...
-Kiii!
A beast’s cry erupted from the pocket of my uniform, and a small black figure shot out, soaring over my head.
A creature resembling a black cat—**Kkamang**, the Steel-Eating Mac—though it looked adorable, this creature was powerful enough to potentially wipe out our unit.
Clang!
“Nice, Kkamang!”
The sound of metal clashing rang out, and I felt the menacing aura that had aimed to cleave my head in two deflect off Kkamang. Taking advantage of the moment, I quickly threw myself to the side, panting.
“Haah... haah...”
Damn it. I’d almost died.
Thanks to Kkamang, I managed to put some distance between myself and the enemy. After steadying myself, I turned to face my attacker.
“What the hell are you?”
**[Ingredient Appraisal (Enhanced)]**
**[Greenmane Orc Shadow Troop]**
Before me stood a massive creature, over two meters tall. I shivered at the sight.
Not only because of the attack itself, but...
‘I didn’t even notice such a massive creature approaching.’
The word “Shadow” in its name gave me a clue.
‘An assassin.’
Just as I used **Environmental Blending** to my advantage, this creature likely had a trait to conceal its presence.
-Grrr...!
-Kiii!
The creature was now facing off against Kkamang, who had something unfamiliar gripped in its mouth—a metallic object identical to the blade in the creature’s right hand.
‘If it weren’t for Kkamang, that thing would have cracked my skull open.’
Realizing this, a cold sweat trickled down my spine, followed by a sense of...
“You little...”
...cold fury.
There were two reasons for my anger.
First—
“I’ve survived countless close calls, and now you think you can kill me unnoticed?”
For a brief moment, I truly thought I was going to die.
‘Pathetic.’
Feeling death’s cold grip had left me enraged.
And second—
‘Getting complacent?’
Shin Youngjun, you absolute fool. Just because things were going well, did you start thinking you were something special? You were seconds away from dying because of your carelessness.
-#%^&!@#.
“Hey. I’m pissed off right now, you know?”
Fortunately, there was a way to release this anger right in front of me.
“You’re going to pay for this.”
**[Chef’s Eye]**
**[Intermediate Cooking Skill – Gained Insight into the ‘Greenmane Orc Butchering Method’]**
**[Intermediate Chef’s Lizard Jerky]**
**[Absolute Taste enhances the cooking effect.]**
With **Dokgogu-sik** in my right hand and **Geomejung-sik** in my left, I launched myself toward the creature.
---
**@#%^&*%@**...
The massive creature collapsed, muttering incoherent words.
**[You have gained experience.]**
Pfft!
“Not so tough after all.”
When the ambush first happened, I thought I’d die. But once we were fighting head-on, it wasn’t as bad.
The real problem, though...
‘An assassin openly targeting my life.’
Could there be only one?
“Ambush!”
I threw open the door of the mess hall and shouted, my voice echoing through the entire building.
“Everyone, prepare for enemy assault!”
There was no way this was the only one.
Especially after Tae-jun’s ominous message.
**[Shaman: A monster wave is coming.]**
Monster wave—a term often used in games, signifying an onslaught of creatures. Typically, it’s something you’d encounter in a defense game, but this was now our reality.
“Sergeant Shin?!”
“What’s going on? An ambush?”
“Exactly as I said! Check all rooms and verify everyone’s status!”
I saw soldiers quickly grabbing weapons in response to my command, dashing through the building to check on their comrades.
‘Seems like not everyone was attacked.’
The soldiers I ordered to check seemed unaware of any ambush, which likely meant they hadn’t been targeted.
It was possible the attack was solely focused on me. But if others were targeted...
‘Maybe they’re only going after key figures?’
As the unit commander and sole food supplier, I was a prime target for assassination.
With that logic, other potential targets came to mind.
‘Minjae, Gwangil, Suhyuk?’
High-ranking members were likely at risk, too.
Then I heard a raucous laugh from the direction of Gwangil’s quarters.
-Hahaha! Just when I was getting bored!
That wasn’t all.
Bang, bang, bang...
A series of gunshots and lightning sounds came from Suhyuk and Minjae’s rooms.
“They seem alright.”
Unless they were caught off guard, most of them could handle themselves. In terms of combat, they were stronger than me on a typical day.
Unlike me, who nearly died from a lack of caution, they seemed to be fending off the ambushes without trouble.
So, who else could be in danger?
Most should be fine, but...
‘Ah.’
One person came to mind—a higher-ranking member
who might not be alright.
“Where’s Lieutenant Kim?”
“Lieutenant Kim?”
“Oh, I know! He’s upstairs interviewing the new recruits...”
Upon hearing this, I bolted.
The interview room was on the top floor of our temporary base.
“Look! The door’s been smashed!”
“No way...”
Lieutenant Kim had once been almost useless back in the 423rd Battalion, but now things were different.
He was a highly efficient **Support Specialist**, crucial for large-scale battles, second only to my cooking in terms of influence.
If he died, it would be a devastating blow to our unit.
“H-Hey!”
“Huh? He’s alive?”
In the interview room, I found Lieutenant Kim sprawled pathetically on the floor. Thankfully, he wasn’t dead.
In front of him lay a monstrous **Greenmane Orc Shadow Troop**, similar to the one that had attacked me.
However, this one wasn’t in one piece—half of its body appeared to have been gnawed away by something.
“Impressive.”
This was a formidable creature. I hadn’t expected Lieutenant Kim and the new recruits to handle it, but I’d forgotten one detail.
One of the new recruits was rather... unique.
**[Hyunjin Lee]**
**[Lv.2 Glutton]**
“Commander...”
“You did well.”
Covered in blood, breathing heavily, she appeared battered—but most of the blood wasn’t hers.
‘She leveled up again. Must’ve happened after taking down this creature.’
Hyunjin had stats higher than mine, even though I thought I was unrivaled.
“Yo, Youngjun. That recruit is no ordinary soldier.”
“Yes, I know that well.”
The monstrous corpse was chewed by something with massive fangs.
“You... ate it?”
“Yes...”
Hyunjin replied weakly, her right arm transformed into a green, muscular limb.
“This... my arm is like this...”
“Don’t worry. You’re not becoming a monster again.”
This fallen creature—similar to her in nature.
‘Guess I was right to consider her a valuable asset.’
Her **Glutton** class granted her one defining trait:
**[Voracity]**
**[The Glutton’s insatiable hunger manifests in a unique form.]**
**[Consuming creatures of other races enhances stats based on their magic.]**
**[By consuming other races, certain physical abilities, traits, or skills may be reproduced.]**
**[Abilities from consumed creatures are retained until fully digested, which takes about one month.]**
Her trait allowed her to reproduce the abilities of her enemies.
A completely versatile skill, adaptable in any situation. No wonder it was so formidable.
Thanks to her, Lieutenant Kim had been saved.
“Once again, you did well. Lieutenant Kim is a key figure we can’t afford to lose.”
“Yes... I’m sorry for damaging the interview room, though. I’m not used to fighting as a human again...”
“Don’t worry about it.”
I wanted to commend her more, but...
“For now, take a rest.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And Lieutenant Kim, please come with me.”
Regrettably, there was no time to celebrate.
“Y-Youngjun? Why am I...”
“Let’s go to the meeting room.”
“The meeting room?”
If Tae-jun’s message was accurate, this attack was merely a preview.
“The real assault... hasn’t even begun yet.”
