Carnation Operation
Sergeant Hyunwoo Park, the vampire, frowned at the fatigue he hadn't felt in ages. Was it because he'd fought monsters alone all night? He wouldn't normally be this worn out. The faint dawn light filtering from behind him barely pierced the eternal darkness here—the endless night summoned by that vampire.
He'd been battling through nights like this for more than a day or two. Monsters from the vampire's facility descended every evening to wreak havoc, so someone had to hold the line solo. At least this time, there weren't many thralls in sight—a small mercy. He couldn't just kill them outright; neutralizing them was the hardest part.
Finally, Hyunwoo Park let himself hear the voices he'd been ignoring. Pleas from the thralls who still clung to their wits echoed from all sides.
"Hey!! Save us!!!"
"Take down that vampire quick!!!"
"M-my dad's been eaten by the vampire."
"Aren't soldiers supposed to rescue people?"
Ignoring the varied cries, he gazed up at the mountaintop facility. The monsters were retreating. The vampire's forces could operate under sunlight thanks to the eternal night, but they still weakened once dawn broke—no helping that. They wouldn't push an assault when it wasn't strictly nighttime.
"...Survived another night."
He recalled all his sword summons binding the thralls, and they shuffled back toward the facility, brimming with resentment.
"Y-you're just gonna leave us like this?!"
"Take me with you and treat me!!"
"Please... don't let them go!!"
The thralls wailed and begged desperately. But there was nothing to be done. No way to cure them. Exposure to sunlight would just melt them away.
Hyunwoo Park sealed his ears once more and slumped onto a nearby rock, uncapping his canteen. Empty, drained from sipping through the night.
"...Nothing goes right."
As irritation surged, he spotted a familiar sight—a small rat marked with a red symbol, carrying a bottled water on its back straight to him.
"From Lieutenant Kwon, huh."
Did that mean Private Jeong Seunghwa had pulled through? Or just clung to life? Questions swirled, but answers would come only from seeing for himself. Dragging his weary body, Sergeant Park began descending the mountain.
A day later, under a clear sky. Leaving the vampire's eternal darkness behind brought a refreshing breath of early morning air. The outpost had been pushed back further because of the endless night—safety distance and all.
"...It's spread even more."
The domain of night had grown since yesterday. Trees stood withered and twisted, as if drained of soul.
Something's wrong just being on this land.
No wonder he'd felt extra drained today. The darkness crept onward even now. Time to pull the outpost back further—
"Sergeant Park!!!!"
Private Kang Jiwan waved from afar, rushing over. The unit's sole healer scanned him head to toe.
"No issues at all."
"...Good work."
"No, sir! You're the one who's been through hell!"
While his comrades rested, Park had fought alone. The whole unit swarmed him with welcomes upon his return. He checked each one over, grateful no one had died today.
Then someone emerged from a tent—Private Jeong Seunghwa. The red crystal that had pierced his heart was gone. Back to full health in a single day. Hyunwoo Park couldn't hide his shock.
"Seunghwa, what happened to you?"
"The Druid fixed me up, obviously."
"...Impossible."
Truth be told, when Hayun Seong took Seunghwa away, he hadn't held high hopes. Her level was still low, after all. Potatoes were miracle plants in their own right, but the rumors about carrots and others fell short of true miracles.
Still, he'd sent him off with vague hope of stabilization or a countermeasure. And he'd returned better than ever.
"...How?"
"I blacked out, so ask the platoon leader for details."
"Right, where's Lieutenant Kwon?"
Just then, Sua Kwon emerged from the woods, her expression grim.
"Hyunwoo? Sorry to hit you when you're beat, but urgent news."
"What is it?"
Sua Kwon gestured, and dozens of sparrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrowsrows