Chapter 32
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Military Intranet
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“Everyone, calm down! Do not panic! That man is an invader who attacked our country! There’s no need to be swayed by the words of someone like him!”
“That’s right, men. We can’t break here. We have to keep our wits about us if we want to save our parents and rebuild our nation, right?”
“Yes, Platoon Leader, sir!”
Soldier vs. Civilian.
An event quest born from Riggle’s whim.
Amidst it all, the vast majority of soldiers had clearly forsaken the greed before them.
After all, this whole damn situation had been caused by the meddling of a Transcendent Being.
They had no desire to be marionettes dancing on their strings any longer.
“First Company Commander, I want you to order all the officers from Second Company, Headquarters, and Support Company to gather in one place.”
“Sir? You mean right now?”
“Yes, immediately!”
But there was one thing they were overlooking.
“Sir! The battalion commander, all officers, have assembled!”
“Good. From this moment on, we will temporarily change our primary objective. Before we rendezvous with adjacent units, our top priority will be to deal with the monsters in the vicinity. And we will prioritize the elimination of any evildoers who may be residing nearby!”
“What—what does that mean? Surely you don’t intend to follow the invader’s will, sir?”
“Watch your tongue! When did I say we would be dealing with civilians? What I’m talking about is eliminating ‘evildoers,’ and only them. You all know it. They are murderers who have killed people here. It would be absurd to rebuild the nation while letting such people run free, wouldn’t it!”
“But, Battalion Commander, sir. You know as well as I do. During this period, we have no way of knowing if a civilian is an evildoer or not.”
“Come now, you’re not children. Do I have to spell everything out for you? You should be able to judge that for yourselves. I trust you understand my meaning. Relay the message to the soldiers as you see fit. Now, get to it.”
“...Yes, sir.”
The military’s system, which demanded strict adherence to the chain of command, could be seen as remarkably systematic and efficient.
However, every system has its drawbacks as well as its merits.
Especially in the unique circumstances of the ‘military,’ where the damage dealt to a superior officer incurred a 99% reduction penalty, there was no greater hell than when the leadership was corrupt.
‘This is unavoidable. For the greater good, the few must be sacrificed.’
Inside the tent, now empty of the other officers.
The battalion commander who had issued the orders smiled as he looked at his job specialization.
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[Job Specialization - Officer (★★★)]
* Lieutenant Colonel's Authority: Soldiers at or below the rank of Lieutenant Colonel will be affected by a special status condition. (This may increase or decrease depending on the situation.)
* Battalion Commander: You will acquire a portion of the rewards when a player under your command completes a hunt or a quest. This percentage can be adjusted. (1-20%, currently 20%)
* Army Military Intranet: You can use a community message board to communicate with Army officer players of Lieutenant Colonel rank or higher. Messages on this board cannot be shared. However, this community board displays the player's rank and real name, not their nickname.
* ???
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The officers’ job specialization was so meticulously designed, it was as if the Transcendent Beings’ pets had planned this from the very beginning.
Most notable among them was the effect of the ‘Army Military Intranet,’ which had been unlocked with the #1 Chapter Update’s community board feature.
A job specialization designed to allow only players of Lieutenant Colonel rank and above to communicate in secret.
When the battalion commander first saw this, he realized that the karmic path he had walked his entire life had truly been the right one.
And for good reason…
[The Officer's job specialization, Army Military Intranet, is activated.]
[A designated user has posted a message on the board.]
A message on the intranet had popped up the very moment the Soldier vs. Civilian event quest appeared.
It was by no means posted by an ordinary person.
【General Jang Pil-jung: As of now, we are transitioning to an emergency status. Everyone is to focus on growth as much as possible. Though this is an undesirable turn of events, it is also an opportunity. Whatever sacrifices are made in the process, you must bear them in your hearts. First and foremost, we must become stronger to re-establish the framework and discipline of our nation. It’s not just about our internal problems in South Korea; we must build our strength when considering diplomacy with neighboring China and Japan, and even further, with the United States and Russia!】
A four-star general.
A message from the Army Chief of Staff, often called a "four-star."
But the officers reading it were no fools; they knew exactly what the message implied.
【General Jang Pil-jung: This is all for the sake of our people. I trust that even if some of you are dissatisfied with my choice, you will carry out your duties well.】
【Lieutenant General Choi Jae-hyeok: Yes, sir! Your words are absolutely right! I, too, will uphold your will, General!】
【Major General Kim Cheol-su: Yes, sir! For our homeland, I will not hesitate to bloody my hands!】
…….
Of course, there were surely some among them who were not corrupt, who possessed true patriotism and a steadfast will to serve the people, but they could not speak up.
‘No one who isn't a complete idiot would want to stick their neck out in this situation and die early.’
With their ranks and names all exposed.
In the unique environment of the military, defying a superior officer was a shortcut to death.
* * * * *
“An event quest that makes soldiers our enemies. The administrators of this game must be insane!”
“...Sigh. I just don’t understand what we did to deserve this.”
Yeon-ah and Su-hee spoke with looks of utter disbelief.
It was understandable.
In a society where the government was completely incapacitated.
For the countless weak, the military was their last hope, their rescuers. And now, an event was being held to suddenly turn them into enemies.
But Seong-hyeok simply nodded his head as if it were a matter of course.
“You shouldn’t try to understand them. The administrators of this game probably don’t even consider us proper living beings. In fact, that might be closer to the laws of nature.”
“……”
All life is precious.
It’s a very romantic sentiment, but at the same time, a deeply contradictory one.
Nature is fundamentally built on the principle of survival of the fittest.
Within it, animals naturally harm one another to survive.
In a situation where you’ll starve to death if you don’t kill another being for its meat, isn’t it strange to even look for the sanctity of life?
And humans, through the development of tools and science, reigned as the lords of creation, enjoying all that nature had to offer.
There was only one reason why the current situation felt so unacceptable from a ‘human’ perspective.
Transcendent Beings.
The appearance of beings who were overwhelmingly superior predators to humans had stripped them of their authority as lords of creation.
All the things they had taken for granted were now things they had to fight tooth and nail for.
“Of course, that doesn’t mean we can condone their actions. For now, we just have to keep accumulating experience to get stronger.”
“I get that, but this system was made by them too. What’s the use in getting stronger here?”
“Well, what can we do? As long as this is our only option and no other path appears, we have to keep moving forward.”
“...I see.”
Honestly, when the game system was first applied to this topsy-turvy world.
It was a question he had pondered at least once.
His current level and stats.
If he raised them, would it really be possible to face off against the Transcendent Beings and their pets?
But that was a story for the distant future. For now, the top priority was to adapt to the present situation and survive.
Just as the queen bee lays eggs and the worker bees fight and gather honey, Seong-hyeok harvested the honey they brought back and used it to make processed goods.
“Seong-hyeok! We’ve made a lot of traps, so my brother and I are going to go set them up!”
“Oh, before you all go, I’ve made some snacks, so grab a lunchbox!”
Perhaps it was because they were inspired by the diligence of Seong-hyeok and his bees.
Or maybe they were all just naturally hard workers.
The new residents of Seong-hyeok’s bee farm, without being told, steadily did what needed to be done, never being lazy or a burden.
“Khahaha! Hey, Seong-hyeok, my boy! Come over here and take a look. I’ve made something truly magnificent!”
Just as he was finishing up the honey collection.
As Seong-hyeok was about to start making processed goods, Seok-cheol appeared, looking triumphant. Seong-hyeok immediately followed where he led.
“Haha! What do you think? Looks pretty good, doesn’t it?”
Seok-cheol let out a hearty laugh, wiping his sweat-drenched nose as if he wanted to show off.
And he had every right to brag.
Using various types of wood and plywood.
And even adding the beeswax supplied by Seong-hyeok, he had completed a structure.
As one would expect in this bizarre world with a game system, the structure naturally had item effects.
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[Steadfast Gillight Plywood and Beeswax Greenhouse (★★+)]
* Category: Structure
* Allied entities and objects within the building gain the 'Warm Greenhouse of the Steadfast' effect.
※ Warm Greenhouse of the Steadfast: Lessens fatigue and removes the growth penalty for natural vegetation that struggles in the cold. Additionally, for objects that are growable natural vegetation, the growth speed is accelerated by 50%.
* Crop Capacity: 0 / 1,200 (+200)
* Health: 15,500 (+5,500)
* Defense: 150 (+60) Magic Resistance: 80 (+25)
* Durability: 1,050 / 1,050 (+150)
* Description: This is a ★★+ grade Gillight Plywood and Beeswax Greenhouse inscribed with the keyword 'Steadfast'. The main material used is Gillight plywood, which is imbued with the energy of light, and the Ruby Gem and Peridot beeswax have greatly increased its durability, preventing easy decay. It always boasts a warm temperature and accelerates the growth of natural vegetation, allowing plants to grow without being affected by penalties from specific temperatures.
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A structure called a greenhouse.
He had anticipated some effects, but this was nothing to scoff at.
There were the Gillight plywood beehives Seong-hyeok already possessed, and the job specialization of the four-star unique job, Origin of Abundance, which already had some synergy with farming.
If Yeon Su-hee were to be put to work here, life on Seong-hyeok’s bee farm would become even more prosperous.
“By the way, have you always had a natural talent for this kind of thing?”
But the most important thing was that it had taken Seok-cheol only about half a day to complete such a structure.
Construction wasn’t like assembling LEGOs; it made no sense that you could just bang things together and have them come out with the desired functions.
“Ahem. Well, it’s not really like that. It’s mostly thanks to my skills and the materials. The fact that I didn’t have to worry about my life, thanks to the bees’ protection, was a big factor too.”
“I can’t speak for the other parts, but I definitely like that last one.”
“Hahaha! I agree!”
This topsy-turvy world.
A kind of convenience brought by the game.
Pitting soldiers against civilians wasn’t a welcome development, but considering things like the Ruby Gem and Peridot bees, and all the other honey products, it wasn’t all bad.