The Military Chef of a Ruined World

[Gained experience points]

[Gained experience points]

“Ugh, Is it over…?”

The battle that unfolded shortly after entering the dungeon ended in an overwhelming victory for our forces.

Not a single person was seriously wounded, not even minor injuries – a complete rout.

But-

“Hey, more are coming!”

“Damn.”

Not long after the battle ended, more monsters came swarming in.

“Commander Shin, we’re alright for now, but if anyone gets injured, it’ll be difficult to treat them in this environment.”

The medic and chaplain approached and reported their concerns.

We had prepared for this dungeon raid to be a protracted battle.

There was no delusion of clearing it in a single fight.

“Keep moving and fighting! Towards that high-rise building!”

The monsters were approaching from the water.

Given their gills, their abilities tend to diminish out of water.

“The door’s smashed! Be careful of the glass as you come in!”

“Us awakened ones don’t get hurt by stuff like that! In, in!”

We managed to successfully enter the building.

Stepping through the flowing water, we found the stairs and made our way up to the second floor.

“Looks like they aren’t following.”

The floodwaters hadn’t risen up to the second floor.

We remained vigilant in case the monsters tried to pursue us, but luckily that didn’t happen.

“…Everyone, rest up!”

“Phew!”

We decided to take a breather.

Though it was daylight outside when we entered, inside the building it was pitch black.

If not for the meal’s effects, we’d all be struggling in the darkness.

“Ugh, I’m a bit worried about leaving the combat vehicles down there.”

“They’re waterproof, aren’t they? We can just grab them when we move out later.”

The vehicles that served as mobile barricades in battle.

But since we couldn’t feed them the prepared meal,

They haven’t fully adapted to the environment.

Our boasted serrated blades and horns also lose speed and effectiveness underwater.

It’s a shame, but not to the point where we need to go out of our way to retrieve them.

As the soldiers rested,

“Where are you going?”

“Upstairs.”

I rose to my feet and decided to explore the upper floors of the building.

With the potions boosting my stats, and even vampire drain abilities,

The fatigue from the recent battle wasn’t even severe.

“Since we planned to scout the high-rise anyway, I’ll go up first.”

“We’re barely alive over here… You’re amazing.”

“Just rest.”

The building had long lost its electricity.

We had no choice but to ascend the emergency stairs one floor at a time.

After climbing several floors,

I sensed some movements above.

“…!”

Perhaps we became too complacent, thinking the water-dwelling monsters wouldn’t pursue us here.

‘Just because the water monsters can’t thrive on land doesn’t mean there are no other threats inside the building.’

It was an overly optimistic judgment.

But it’s too late to regret it now.

Ssss…

I gripped my blade, preparing for battle.

The presences I felt weren’t just one or two.

Entities slowly approaching me.

As they revealed themselves on the stairs below,

‘Okay, one at a time. Dispatch them quickly!’

I swung my blade towards the form.

But-

“W-who’s there!”

An unexpected voice reached my ears.

I hesitated.

My sashimi knife, poised to decapitate, stopped just short of their neck.

‘Shit, almost killed him.’

The man who shouted at me, realizing he had nearly died,

or perhaps unaware that I had nearly killed him-

“Dammit. I don’t know what you’re doing, lurking in the dark, but this building is our territory!”

“I don’t know what building you’re from, but barging in from the first floor without coordination? You trying to start a war or what?”

The men yelled angrily.

But I was simply bewildered, unable to comprehend their words.

‘This building is their territory? What’s this about others coming from different buildings?’

I decided it was best not to react hastily.

Perhaps they were also on edge.

“Why aren’t you answering? Damn, what a waste of fuel…”

A man pulled something from his chest.

Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a torch made of a wooden stick and fabric.

He lit it with a lighter.

Fwoosh.

In the darkness, a torch was lit.

Its red light illuminated me.

“Where did these guys come from? Let’s take a look at their faces…”

“…Huh?”

When the torch shined on me, the men’s faces turned bewildered.

“…?”

“He seems like an unfamiliar person.”

“No, look at his clothes.”

“That’s a military uniform, isn’t it?”

The men were shocked.

I was just as perplexed.

There were so many survivors inside this dungeon.

Just what was going on here?

“Please have a seat.”

The people already inside the building guided our squad upstairs.

As we climbed the stairs, I took a look at each floor.

This seemed to have originally been an office building.

But now there were signs of habitation everywhere.

‘They must have been living here for a while.’

What was interesting was that there seemed to be quite a lot of people.

Honestly, it was quite amazing.

‘There are so many survivors inside this dungeon.’

The previous dungeon we had cleared was different.

The construction workers in the subway had all become prey for the monsters.

But this dungeon seemed different.

“I’m Park Tae-wan.”

A man reached out to shake my hand.

It was usually Lieutenant Kim who would take the lead in these situations.

But this time, the main purpose was to explore the dungeon, not to meet an outside force.

“I’m Sergeant Shin Young-joon.”

I decided to introduce myself first.

Revealing that we were soldiers.

“…So, it’s true then.”

I could tell they were amazed.

“Given the report we heard earlier, and now seeing the military uniform, it’s clear.”

“Sir, apparently there were even armored vehicles submerged on the first floor.”

“I see.”

The excited people started chattering among themselves.

Even Tae-wan couldn’t hide his excitement as he spoke.

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