“Oh my, oh my! Sergeant! That’s incredible! Did you learn that from Aurumstone?!”
Elysia exclaimed with a startled face.
“He kept refusing to teach me no matter what!”
Sinhyeok kneaded the ingredients in order.
He synthesized one, then synthesized another, repeating the process.
“It probably wouldn’t work. It’s a technique that depends heavily on talent.”
“Well, that dwarf did say it was a technique no one could use unless they were from his own clan.”
She gazed in admiration at the medicine that had been made.
“This one should be especially effective.”
“Is that so?”
[Synthesis successful.]
[Following an ancient elf crafting method, you have made High Elf Baby Food.]
‘Hm?’
The name was quite unusual.
“Lady Elysia, what’s this called?”
“It was probably something like that. Baby food, was it? It’s what we high elves eat when we’re young. Children are vulnerable to attributes, you see.”
“Ah.”
‘High elf children sure grow up on expensive stuff.’
[High Elf Baby Food][Heroic][Life][Elixir]
=======================
A universal weaning food created by harmoniously fusing various natural medicinal herbs possessing the attributes of the Five Elements with spirit water and other ingredients, maximizing the body’s mana limits and comprehensively enhancing all stats and senses.
Explosive increase to maximum mana
Comprehensive rise in all stats
Development and refinement of the five senses
=======================
[Warnings]
Excessive consumption may cause coma or extrasensory phenomena
Those with weak constitutions are advised to undergo diagnosis before consumption
Long-term intake may cause one’s sense of reality to fade
=======================
“Whoa, did we really eat something this good?”
Sinhyeok was appalled by the effects the system explained.
‘What the hell, maximum mana, comprehensive stat increase, and even sensory development?’
“Isn’t this much just basic? You need to eat at least this much to be a proper person.”
Elysia looked at him as if wondering why he was so surprised.
“Ah, is that so?”
Nod.
She carefully packed the completed baby food into a container.
“Then take it carefully, and you’ll come again, won’t you~?”
Sinhyeok smiled awkwardly and said,
“Yes, yes… I’ll come again.”
“It would be best if you did~ If you’re curious about how to make an elixir, make sure you come~”
‘Elixir?’
His gaze snapped around.
“An elixir?”
“Yes, a legendary potion that ‘only’ an Alchemist can make.”
She smiled as she stared at Sinhyeok.
“Do you know anything about Alchemists?”
Elysia shook her head.
“No, there probably aren’t many who do. It’s such an ancient legend… And besides, their lineage was cut off ten thousand years ago? No, it was far more distant than that.”
Sinhyeok recalled what he had experienced and asked,
“Could you tell me anything at all?”
“Hmm, well. In legends and oral traditions, they’re sometimes called re-creators.”
‘Re-creation.’
“They’re also called those who handle all things with their fingertips, and some say this.”
Elysia floated a small drop of water in the air.
“In the beginning, the world the Creator God made was one, but the Alchemists spread it far and wide, creating the orcs, dragons, the World Tree, and so on.”
“Pardon?”
“Fascinating, isn’t it? It is a funny legend. It sounds completely absurd, but no one can say for certain that it isn’t true.”
“Why is that?”
“Because their traces still remain. Red and blue mana herbs.”
“……”
“Those are the evidence. Medicinal herbs that act gently on any species, and that grow on any planet, in any world, as long as mana exists.”
Sinhyeok firmly engraved the word Alchemist into his mind.
‘Re-creation.’
What he had experienced when he broke past his limits seemed to be something like that.
“Thank you.”
“Oh, it was nothing. So if you’re curious about elixirs, come again! All right~?”
Sinhyeok left with a smile.
“I shouldn’t come back for a while.”
He resolved as he closed the door to Elysia’s laboratory.
“Whew, that drained me.”
He returned to the administrative office and delivered the special meal to the logistics section chief.
“Chief, here’s the special meal.”
Captain Ryu Jihyeon sprang to his feet.
“Whew, good work. She’s a lot to deal with, isn’t she?”
He looked at him magnanimously, as if he knew everything.
“It isn’t easy. Whew.”
“I’ll be counting on you from now on too.”
“Pardon?”
To the flustered Sinhyeok, he relayed Elysia’s request.
“She said not to let anyone in unless it’s you. She said she’d kill me if I showed up.”
“………Damn it.”
The logistics section chief picked up the High Elf Baby Food and looked surprised.
“Sinhyeok, was Elysia in a really good mood, by any chance?”
“Why do you ask?”
“No, it’s twice as good as usual. The options came out way too well.”
Sinhyeok looked at his slightly surprised expression and asked,
“Isn’t it usually about this level? It showed maximum mana, comprehensive stats, and even development of the five senses.”
He stared at Sinhyeok as the explanation window was read out in detail.
“You can see that now too?”
Nod.
“Oh, congratulations. Now you can handle ‘e.ve.ry.thing.’ in logistics.”
“Pardon? I. Did. Not. Hear. That. Right.”
“Hell yeah~ Looks like you’ll be going out on field support too~”
‘Ah! I messed up!’
The logistics section chief hummed with a broad smile on his face.
“Now I’m finally escaping from shouldering all the work alone~ I’ve been waiting for this forever. I’m going to dump all the work on you!”
With a dispirited face, Sinhyeok mentioned the warnings.
“Chief, it says to be careful about overdosing and long-term consumption. Then shouldn’t we give it to them little by little?”
“What? Sinhyeok, what did you say?”
Sinhyeok smiled at the chief, who asked again as if this were news to him.
“Come on, it all shows up, doesn’t it? Why are you acting like that?”
“No, it doesn’t. When I touch it, I only get the effects and a simple explanation.”
Sinhyeok checked the explanation window again.
[High Elf Baby Food][Heroic][Life][Elixir]
=======================
A universal weaning food created by harmoniously fusing various natural medicinal herbs possessing the attributes of the Five Elements with spirit water and other ingredients, maximizing the body’s mana limits and comprehensively enhancing all stats and senses.
Explosive increase to maximum mana
Comprehensive rise in all stats
Development and refinement of the five senses
=======================
[Warnings]
Excessive consumption may cause coma or extrasensory phenomena
Those with weak constitutions are advised to undergo diagnosis before consumption
Long-term intake may cause one’s sense of reality to fade
=======================
‘There’s an excessive amount of information.’
“Do you see things like attributes and categories too, by any chance?”
“No! You little—! You! Looks like you’ll have to handle it all by yourself?!”
An excessive smile formed around the chief’s mouth.
“Battalion Commander!”
He sprang up and ran out.
“Please make Sergeant Bu Sinhyeok the logistics section chief! Battalion Commander! I’m better suited to staying where I am! Battalion Commander!”
“D-damn it! Chief! No! Chief, wait!”
He ran after the logistics section chief, who had rushed out in high spirits.
“I don’t want to shoulder everything alone! No way!”
With a huge grin, the logistics section chief barged into the battalion commander’s office.
“Battalion Commander!”
Brigadier General Lee Gangyeol, who had returned, looked at Captain Ryu Jihyeon’s beaming smile in puzzlement.
“Sergeant Bu Sinhyeok’s Insight ability is better than mine. It seems he obtained a trait rather than a skill.”
“What?”
“So I have a recommendation! Give Sergeant Bu Sinhyeok the title of logistics section chief!”
Sinhyeok, who came in late, shouted,
“Loyalty! I have business with the battalion commander! Sir! If you make me shoulder everything alone, I’ll desert again!!”
Brigadier General Lee Gangyeol slowly closed his eyes and pressed his temples.
“Goddamn it… Captain Ryu, get down. You, next to him, you get down too.”
“Ah… D-down.”
Captain Ryu Jihyeon, who had come back to his senses, and Bu Sinhyeok, who had ended up following for no reason, got down side by side.
“On one, ‘I won’t talk nonsense.’ On two, ‘I won’t.’ Automatic…”
“I won’t talk nonsense.”
“I won’t.”
“Please keep it that way.”
Captain Ryu Jihyeon muttered quietly,
“Guarantee… my discharge. Guarantee… my discharge.”
“I can hear you. You’ll be discharged when you die.”
“Tch.”
“Up.”
“Up!”
Sinhyeok looked at the battalion commander with aggrieved eyes.
“Why me…?”
“Who told you to come?”
“Ha.”
Lee Gangyeol looked at Sinhyeok, who had happened to come in, and said,
“You, take charge as an inspector.”
Sinhyeok tilted his head at the unfamiliar word.
“What kind of inspector do you mean?”
“Do you not even watch the news?”
Lee Gangyeol was dumbfounded by Sinhyeok, who knew absolutely nothing about recent events.
“When would I have time to watch the news? When I open my eyes, I’m at work and in the workshop, and when I close them, I’m in bed.”
“My goodness. Hey, turn on the TV.”
Sinhyeok immediately scurried over and turned on the TV.
The news played, and he understood the situation.
“The law regarding gate raids has been revised! We have news that the initial search and closure of gates, which the military has handled ever since gates began appearing, will partially be transferred to the civilian sector.”
At those words, Sinhyeok looked at Lee Gangyeol.
“Is that true?”
“It’s true. It was going to blow up someday, and it just happened to be now.”
“No, but even so, to civilians!”
Sinhyeok’s trauma resurfaced.
“Bu Sinhyeok, this is the military. We can’t overturn decisions made from above.”
“……”
Lee Gangyeol stared at Sinhyeok and continued speaking.
“So there will be a selection process for the guilds and raid teams that will be in charge of those searches and closures.”
“Mm?”
‘Why is he telling me that?’
“You handle it. From the army, we’ll be sending you and the operations section chief.”
“You mean me?”
“Yeah. First, we need to prepare the qualification requirements and search manuals and distribute them, so get that ready too.”
When the logistics section chief heard that Sinhyeok would be serving as an inspector, he stammered and tried to stop it.
“B-Battalion Commander. Still, Sergeant Bu isn’t an instructor, and making him an inspector is a bit…”
“No, he’s perfect.”
Lee Gangyeol stared at Sinhyeok with extremely wicked, enraged eyes.
“Sergeant Bu Sinhyeok.”
“Sergeant Bu. Sin. Hyeok!”
At that gaze, Sinhyeok looked back seriously.
“Go and smash them. Those parasitic bastards who dare to sit outside and suck up honey are trying to destroy the sacred security of the Republic of Korea. What should you do?”
Sinhyeok answered with a chilling smile.
“Cut out every last root and exterminate them.”
“Good. That’s the spirit. Carry out your duty with that mindset.”
At the murderous smile, the logistics section chief gulped.
“It’s a nightmare. That insane nightmare is going to be reproduced.”
Even so, Lee Gangyeol showed a single grain of mercy.
“Of course, there will be guilds that aren’t like that. People who fully understand the meaning of this. Treat those people well. Help them as much as you can.”
“Yes, understood. Then when do we start?”
“They said they’ll contact us soon. Start by updating the search manual. The last one was done eight years ago.”
“Yes, sir.”
Sinhyeok tried to leave the room with a very pleasant smile.
“And you’re released from standby within the base now.”
Being released from standby within the base meant he would be deployed for operations.
“With absolute loyalty, sir! Loyalty!”
“Yeah, go.”
The logistics section chief looked worriedly at Sinhyeok as he left.
“Battalion Commander, aren’t you sending someone too vicious?”
“He needs to be at least that vicious. I think I’ll only feel better once half the Association Chairman’s face is paralyzed from stress.”
Lee Gangyeol ground his teeth as he recalled the stress he had suffered during the meeting.
“How dare that worthless demon bastard run his mouth in front of me?!”
“Whew.”
The logistics section chief shook his head and offered a silent prayer in advance for the deceased.
“And since you’re here, report on the status of reserve equipment. How many golems have you made?”
“There’s been no progress yet. He says he’s going to make unmanned golems and is slacking off again.”
“Haa, that dwarf, seriously… Leave him be for now. We have Sinhyeok.”
The logistics section chief glanced at Lee Gangyeol and asked cautiously,
“But if the higher-ups find out about this…”
“You, me, all of us are screwed. It’s treason.”
They were currently possessing more equipment than necessary, beyond the prescribed limits.
“But we’ll have a use for it. Soon. So check the other things properly too, and build up a generous reserve fund.”
Thinking of what Hongik was secretly doing, the logistics section chief asked with a worried face,
“Will a day like that really come?”
“It will. The day the Republic of Korea collapses. And it’s quite close. So give up on dreaming about discharge. You won’t be able to leave anyway.”
The logistics section chief let out a deep sigh.
“L-Loyalty! My discharge……”