Chapter 170: New Monster
Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense
170 – New Monster
Since the onset of the Gate Crisis, the landscape of the DMZ outposts, originally established solely for monitoring the armistice line, had undergone significant changes. Due to the frequent appearance of gates in relatively uninhabited areas, the DMZ, devoid of residents, became one of the prime locations for gate emergence.
Thus, from 2022, when the Gate Crisis began in earnest, the duties of soldiers guarding the DMZ included not only inspecting the armistice line fences but also scouting for and reporting gate occurrences within the boundary area. Naturally, the Ministry of Defense’s decision to expand the surveillance area without increasing the number of personnel caused immense stress for the soldiers stationed in the DMZ.
“Hey, Min-jae. They want us to check the valley up by Jungse-ri today,” Sergeant Ki Sung-woo, who had been promoted last month, said with a frustrated expression, looking at his subordinate.
Private Min-jae, the one being addressed, responded, “Didn’t we check the Jungse-ri valley last week?”
“They want it checked again this week. Grab the flare gun. We’ll head down right after we finish the optical network inspection.”
“What if we actually find a gate? They say the monsters these days can’t be handled with just a K2 rifle.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. What’s the point of scouting if we can’t respond? If we find a gate, try to make as little noise as possible and escape without being noticed. Only fire the flare if you’re sure it’s safe.”