After dealing with the ambush from the **Shadow Troops**, I gathered the unit officers in the conference room.
‘No fatalities?’
Despite the fierce attack, fortunately, none of the soldiers had been killed. However, while no one had died, that didn’t mean everyone was unscathed.
“Haah... haah...”
“Gwangil, are you alright?”
“I’m fine... Hrk. Just need a moment to calm down, sir. Hrkk.”
“Oh, okay...”
Due to the surprise battle, **Gwangil** had activated his **Madness** trait. He sat in the conference room, struggling to suppress the rage. There was a reason he was our strongest fighter.
At least he wasn’t ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) visibly injured, which was a relief.
“Minjae, Suhyuk... you can go get medical treatment first if you need it.”
“We’ll be fine.”
“This will heal quickly.”
**Sergeant Minjae Lee** and **Corporal Suhyuk Seo** weren’t as lucky, though. Both had sustained injuries.
“With Gwangil looking fine, there’s no way I’m taking a break just for some wounds,” Minjae said with a shrug.
“Well, neither of you have classes suited for close-quarters combat.”
They were a mage and a marksman, after all—specialized in ranged attacks but vulnerable in melee. Facing assassins who forced them into close combat, they had no choice but to suffer some injuries. Despite their experience and success in fending off their enemies, it was clear they’d had to endure a few hits.
“Then by that logic, shouldn’t you be in the same situation, Sergeant Shin? You’re a chef, after all, yet here you are without a scratch. For someone in combat, it feels like I failed, having been wounded.”
“Oh, about that...”
“No need! I can hold out just fine, so let’s end this discussion.”
It wasn’t that I’d come through completely unscathed due to skill. The truth was, I’d almost been killed. If not for Captain Lee Sangah’s advice to carry **Kkamang**, who’d saved me, I might’ve ended up as a split-headed zombie by now.
But no need to dwell on that—I’d thank Sangah later.
“Anyway. If what Sergeant Tae-jun reported is accurate, then those monsters are headed our way,” Corporal Suhyuk Seo said, pressing on his wound.
While coming to the conference room, I had requested further details from Tae-jun.
“To summarize Tae-jun’s report, he said northwestern Gangwon Province has fallen to a specific monster force.”
Minjae pointed at the map.
“It’s a bit vague, but he implied that if we’re talking about northwestern Gangwon Province...”
“It could be Cheorwon or Hwacheon?” someone guessed.
“Possibly both. Originally, they planned to attack directly to the east—where we are.”
Everyone looked puzzled at that.
“They took over northwestern Gangwon Province months ago?”
“So what were they doing in the meantime?”
Ordinarily, they should have invaded our territory months ago.
“But Tae-jun was holding them back.”
“What?”
Our **Astronomer** had been stationed in the 423rd Battalion, at one of the highest peaks in Gangwon Province. One day, while he was observing the stars as usual, Tae-jun detected a presence attempting to peer into our area.
**[Shaman: I sensed someone other than myself trying to read the stars.]**
He had realized their existence.
**[Shaman: Even the faintest glimpses suggested... they were far beyond what our battalion could handle at the time. I had to delay their advance toward us.]**
**[Chef: So?]**
**[Shaman: So, the fight began.]**
This marked the point when we started hearing less from him.
A battle fought over the movement of the stars.
‘A fight like no other.’
Fortunately, for anything involving the stars, Tae-jun, our Astronomer, had the advantage, with his battalion’s peak location being perfect for stargazing.
Unable to see past Tae-jun’s efforts, the monsters’ force, which had been expanding aggressively, found themselves stuck, unable to gather intel beyond their occupied territory. Their expansion came to a standstill.
“They realized there was someone capable of blocking their sight on this side.”
“Which made them cautious,” another officer reasoned.
“Exactly.”
They chose to hold back and remain within their territory, which gave us several precious months.
**[Shaman: ...But those few months were the limit.]**
I could almost picture Tae-jun sighing in frustration, even though I couldn’t see him.
**[Shaman: Annoying as it is, I must admit they were far more experienced and numerous.]**
After months of tactical maneuvering, Tae-jun had done well to hold them off... but that came to an end just yesterday.
“So, by now, they’ve likely gained enough intel on us.”
“Ugh.”
Until we lost communication, we had always checked with Tae-jun when uncertain.
-Should we go east or west?
-Can we clear this dungeon?
Just small things like that. The monsters probably used similar methods.
Perhaps...
-Does a force capable of thwarting our invasion exist?
Something along those lines.
And as a result, they decided to march toward us.
“They concluded they’re stronger than us, didn’t they?”
“...”
Shortly after taking **Ariella** as my servant, I’d sent her vampires out on recon in all directions. Only a few returned from the northern border, having seen a black wall of sorts. The rest didn’t come back.
“At the time, I just assumed they’d been killed by random monsters. In hindsight, it’s more likely they were taken out by this force.”
“Still... monsters occupying a city?”
“It’s not that strange, is it? Look at Inje County and here—both were overrun by monsters.”
“The problem is that these monsters are unified,” I replied.
If we’re talking about northwestern Gangwon Province, it was likely Cheorwon and Hwacheon.
We had only recently captured Inje County and were still uncertain about capturing Chuncheon City. But they had occupied those two locations months ago.
“This could get tough.”
Honestly, this enemy was the kind to make one’s head throb.
“Ugh...”
“If only we had the Ammunition Battalion’s base defenses.”
We had held onto the Ammunition Battalion’s base for a long time, and it was fortified with various defenses.
‘We’ve got all sorts of weapons from the military, walls, and traps set up by engineers.’
Plus, my friend **Alraune** had promised to protect the base to some extent. Over there, I felt confident that we could defend against even a force several times our size.
“Minjae, what’s our current level of defenses here?”
“In this base?”
“Yeah.”
Minjae thought for a moment, then nodded and replied.
“Nothing to speak of.”
“...”
“The only defenses we have are this building itself and that outer wall. And calling that a defense is a stretch.”
We had yet to establish a proper base in Chuncheon. It was absurd to think we’d have any substantial defenses.
“If Tae-jun is right, those monsters will come at us in massive numbers.”
“Likely.”
Corporal Suhyuk Seo pressed his injury, grimacing.
“We’ve certainly added more soldiers, but without proper defenses, fighting off a large number of monsters will be challenging. So...”
Reluctantly, he continued.
“I recommend a retreat.”
Retreat. The officers frowned at this suggestion.
He wasn’t wrong.
As much as we had strengthened our forces, fighting outnumbered with no defenses...
‘That’s risky.’
And these monsters... they were stronger than we thought.
According to the **Combat Power Gauge**, they radiated a deep yellow energy.
Compared to monsters like **Ariella**, **Alraune**, and **Kkamang**, who exuded a blue aura, they were two levels below.
“The problem is their numbers.”
If Tae-jun’s report was correct, they’d be coming in massive numbers. And the Shadow Troops that attacked us were unexpectedly tough.
If these specialized assassins had been formidable, what if other, combat-focused units came in force?
Even our unit would struggle.
But abandoning Chuncheon...
“That’s not an option.”
“What?”
Suhyuk looked at me, puzzled.
“Why not?”
“Most of the Awakened who were freed from the dungeon are still in the area, right?”
After clearing **Dathmoor**, countless civilians were released, many of whom were precious Awakened fighters.
“We’ve lost a lot of people, and those who survived find it hard to Awaken. Keeping them alive is crucial to bolstering humanity’s strength.”
In the war against monsters, humans were vastly outnumbered.
But with thousands of Awakened already, once they grew stronger...
“The moment they spread across the land, they’ll draw in more survivors and Awaken others.”
Hidden survivors could be led to safety and trained as additional forces.
“It’s not something we can accomplish alone.”
With reports of ever-stronger monsters appearing, we couldn’t afford to abandon the Awakened—the backbone of human strength.
Most of them were still operating around Chuncheon. Many had just Awakened and needed time to level up.
“If we abandon this place, they’ll scatter and be picked off.”
“So what do you plan to do?”
Suhyuk frowned. Though he’d suggested retreat, it was clear he didn’t like the idea.
He must have felt it was the only realistic option.
But my rejection wasn’t without a plan.
“The real problem is the lack of
proper defenses, right?”
“...Yes.”
Compared to the Ammunition Battalion, our defenses here were severely lacking.
If so...
“Then we just have to build those defenses.”
“...What?”
“What?”
Everyone stared at me in disbelief.
“You can’t just whip up a fortress in a day.”
“If it were that simple, we’d—”
“No, I misspoke.”
“Right, it’s impossible—”
“What I meant was, we don’t have to build it.”
When our unit Awakened early on, we were lucky enough to achieve milestones that granted us various rewards. Some items from those rewards hadn’t seen much use yet.
One of them... was perfect for this situation.
“We can just summon it.”
**[Fortress Vimana]**
**[Summon the mobile fortress, Vimana.]**
Its name was a fortress, after all.
I’d kept it stored away until now, but...
A smile crept onto my face.
“It’s finally time to use it.”
