The Military Chef of a Ruined World

These people say they are hunting monsters.

I think I can understand why Park Tae-wan was reluctant to approach them.

The saying “It’s best to avoid crazy people” is not entirely wrong.

Although that’s not entirely accurate.

“People obsessed with revenge.”

These are individuals whose sole purpose is to take revenge on the monsters that stole their everyday lives.

There are often people outside who are also consumed by hatred towards the monsters.

This group seems to be comprised of just such individuals.

“I can understand why they fight without regard for their own safety.”

Chang-su scratched his head and said,

“Well, that’s about the gist of it. Do you understand our situation now?”

“Yes, I understand the gist of it.”

“We’ve been fighting those fish bastards day in and day out. But as you can see, everyone is obsessed with killing the monsters as painfully as possible. Capturing them alive is harder than you’d think.”

“Ah, I see.”

“It’s fortunate that some of the Fishmen you hunted are still alive. After the fighting is over, people’s excitement tends to die down a bit. Thanks to that, we’ve been able to gain 3 more Awakened. It’s really been a great help.”

Hahaha!!!

A woman was seen continuing to stab the already dead body of a monster.

I’m not sure if this can really be considered a good thing.

I glanced at Chang-su and asked,

“So, do you have a similar situation?”

“Me? My situation isn’t as extraordinary as the others. I was just hoping to finally take off the ‘bachelor’ label and get married, but my fiancée disappeared.”

“….”

That sounds like a pretty significant situation.

“I think that’s enough about our story.”

He seemed unwilling to discuss this topic further.

Chang-su changed the subject.

“Did you come here specifically looking for us?”

“Yes, I heard about you from some other people I met before coming here.”

“Oh? The people in the other buildings don’t seem to think too highly of us.”

“Did you know that?”

“Do we look like idiots? Well, since you’ve come looking for us, why don’t you tell us why.”

Chang-su crossed his arms, as if urging me to go on.

These people were consumed by a desire for revenge.

They all must have quite tragic circumstances.

Of course, their hostility towards the monsters is burning.

And they’ve raised their average level through long battles.

‘The ultimate allies.’

“So, this place is the dungeon you mentioned, and you’re trying to defeat the boss here?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm.”

I told him the same story I had told Tae-wan.

Chang-su scratched his head, pondering the complicated situation.

“Let me ask, if you manage to do that and the dungeon gets closed, what happens to us who are inside? Do we all die when the dungeon collapses?”

“Surely not.”

The dungeon is the result of terraforming by beings from another world.

The collapse of the dungeon means the distorted environment is returning to normal.

“By distorted environment, I mean things like the lack of sunlight, the water covering the city, and the strange monuments with unknown scripts.”

It seems there were other abnormal phenomena that we weren’t aware of.

Anyway, those things would disappear.

Hearing this, Chang-su’s eyes suddenly lit up.

“Wait a minute. The ocean will disappear?”

“The probability of that is quite high.”

“Then the Fishmen creatures won’t be able to breathe outside the water… They’ll naturally be annihilated.”

Stroking his chin, he let out a chilling smile.

“Not only killing the monsters, but also drying up their entire species… And choking to death, one of the most agonizing deaths. Quite ingenious.”

“Huh?”

“Ah, that was just me thinking aloud. Pay no mind. Your proposal is very appealing to me.”

Hearing his response, I was slightly taken aback.

‘Normally, people would focus on the fact that they can now go outside.’

These people seem to have no interest in anything other than the complete eradication of the monsters.

The man muttered, as if only the part about the monsters being wiped out appealed to him.

But well, to each their own.

The important thing was it seemed they were attracted to our proposal.

‘As long as it helps with the dungeon assault, they don’t need to worry about anything else.’

I thought we could persuade them more easily than this.

“But it won’t be easy.”

“Huh?”

What’s with this guy?

Didn’t he just chuckle in approval just a moment ago?

“The proposal is appealing. Especially the part about being able to wipe out all the monsters.”

“Then why…?”

“I just don’t know if I can trust you.”

Chang-su crossed his arms and looked at me with narrowed eyes.

“I’m not lying, but…”

“Even if I generously grant that this dungeon business is true, I don’t know if you’re the kind of people we can fight alongside.”

“….”

Hmm.

He’s not entirely wrong.

“To begin with, I’m curious why you even came here in the first place.”

“What do you mean?”

“We have clear reasons for killing the monsters – it’s for revenge.”

He gestured around the area as he continued.

“As I mentioned before, Aunt Yeong-ja had her whole family eaten by the monsters. That young man over there barely survived by sacrificing his brother. And that’s not all.”

“Do you see that room over there?”

“Yes.”

“That’s the largest room in this building. There are people lying inside.”

Lying down?

I thought it was a bedroom.

“Staring blankly into the void, having lost their minds.”

“…?”

“Many people have lost a lot due to the previous incidents. Some were busy trying to figure out how to live on, while others, like us, were consumed by a desire for revenge.”

Chang-su’s expression darkened as he continued.

“But… some others couldn’t cope with the horrific reality and lost their minds. Many of us have family and friends who have become like that. Their rage towards the beings responsible for making their loved ones that way is what drives them to join our group. But you?”

Chang-su questioned me with an expression of incomprehension.

“Even knowing this is a dangerous place, you’ve come here on purpose. I just don’t understand it.”

Indeed.

It’s probably in that sense that he can’t trust us.

He can’t rely on people whose purpose and motivations are unknown.

After hearing Chang-su’s story, I pondered.

The reasons we came to the dungeon:

One was an urgent request for rescue.

One was to successfully conquer the dungeon, gain rewards, and grow stronger.

But honestly, I had a separate motivation for choosing to assault the dungeon.

“Do you know one thing?”

“?”

“This dungeon is gradually expanding.”

“We’re roughly aware of that. We’re not idiots.”

The dungeon is the result of terraforming by beings from another world.

In other words,

“Those beings have not only invaded the human domain but are also constantly expanding their own territory.”

“So, what’s the big deal…”

“Doesn’t it piss you off?”

If my everyday life had continued as normal,

I’d probably be a civilian by now, leisurely studying cooking or going on a post-discharge trip.

But just the fact that all that has been shattered is frustrating enough.

And now they’re invading our territory, making it their own land.

It’s infuriating, isn’t it?

“We can’t just let them have their way, can we?”

“What, you came to this dangerous place just for that reason?”

“It may be dangerous now, but in the end, that will be the way to survive.”

The environment of this dungeon is a bit unusual.

Even without directly fighting the monsters,

If we’re in the high-rise areas without water, we can somehow manage to live.

However,

Just eking out an existence like that would only prolong our lifespan a bit.

“Sooner or later, you’ll end up getting hunted down while holed up in the high-rises.”

“….”

“We have no intention of just letting them have their way. We’ll keep getting stronger to survive. And for that… Have you perhaps played games before?”

It might have seemed like an abrupt question.

But Chang-su seemed to understand the intent behind what I was saying and nodded.

“…Succeeding in conquering the dungeon is sure to bring great rewards.”

“Well, that’s the idea.”

Chang-su still looked at me with a suspicious gaze.

If we end up working together on the dungeon assault, we’ll have to entrust our backs to each other.

He’s probably being cautious, trying to decide whether he can trust us or not.

“This conversation seems like it will take a while.”

He sighed and said,

“I’ll need to think it over. It’ll take some time, so in the meantime, please stay here.”

“Here?”

“Our numbers are on the small side, so we have extra space. I’ll let you have an entire floor. I’m getting hungry. Have you had any meals yet?”

“Come to think of it, I didn’t know that this was a space where the sun doesn’t shine, and it’s been a while since the effect of the meal I had earlier wore off.”

It’s going to be dinner time.

“Looks like you don’t have much food, so let me serve you a meal.”

“Huh? There’s no need for that.”

I’m the chef here.

There’s no reason for me to have someone else cook.

But it seems like Chang-su thought I was just being overly polite.

“Looks like your gear is light and you don’t have much food either?”

“Well, that’s-.”

“I’m just saying you don’t have to refuse. We often go directly into the water, unlike other groups. So, we have more opportunities to obtain food than others. You don’t need to worry.”

The military field rations that were in the vehicle have mostly been taken by the other survivors we met earlier.

It’s true that the soldiers’ gear is light, since they don’t know when the next battle will come.

So, it seems they thought we had plenty of food.

‘Even if that’s true, there’s no hesitation.’

Even if Chang-su’s words were true, we’re only a little better off than the others at best.

It’s not like we had an abundance of food.

Yet, insisting on serving a meal is…

“We have to be good hosts.”

“….”

“Since you all generously let more awakened join us, a single meal is not too much to ask.”

While not entirely unexpected,

This reaction was quite different from the people we met just before.

‘The others even tried to extort our food.’

In any case, this considerate offer was appreciated.

If he puts it that way, refusing would be impolite.

“Understood.”

“Uh, Captain Shin…?”

The members of my squad who can’t eat the meal look a bit gloomy.

But there’s nothing to be done about that.

“Hey, you guys can just eat the field rations, can’t you?”

“They’re offering to serve us a meal. It would be rude to refuse.”

“But still…”

“Eating one bad meal won’t kill you, you idiots.”

“Ugh.”

After quietly telling the soldiers that,

I decided to wait for the meal to be served.

Clang.

Creeeeak…

People started to cook by the light of the torches.

It’s not much of a meal.

Preparing and grilling some fish in the corner,

and adding some rye bread from the store.

‘It’s quite meager.’

As the chef, I’m worried they might develop malnutrition.

But then again, I heard awakened individuals don’t easily get malnourished.

‘No, it’s not that they don’t get malnourished, but rather they forcibly maintain their body that’s been ruined by consuming their magic power.’

It may not be the best method, but

It’s not like they have many options.

As awakened, they won’t die even with just this kind of meal.

However,

There were some people who were taking the finished meals somewhere.

“Where are those people going?”

“Ah, that’s…”

It was a simple question,

but the answer I received was quite heavy.

“Didn’t I mention earlier? There are people we need to feed.”

“…I see.”

Now that you mention it,

I did recall hearing something like that.

‘There are people who have lost their minds.’

I quietly got up and followed them.

They are taking the food to a room in the corner of the building.

There are a few people in the room.

“….”

“Wooah…”

They were sitting there, staring blankly into space, their minds seemingly gone.

‘Those poor, insane people.’

Our unit almost had some like them too.

After the sudden monster attack on the first day,

There were many who would just stare into space and ramble.

‘Our unit managed to keep their minds together with the food.’

And after coming down to the surface,

I haven’t seen any like that.

The reason was probably this:

‘Those who couldn’t adapt to the changed world must have all died.’

Unlike the outside,

as long as you don’t jump into the water, you won’t be killed in this dungeon.

That’s why those people who had lost their minds were still here.

“Many of us joined because a loved one ended up like this. All of these people have someone in the group who cares for them.”

“The humidity is high, and the hygiene doesn’t look great either. But are there no disease problems?”

“Well, we’ve been trying to gradually change their posture and provide some nursing care, but that’s about it. Oddly enough, no one seems to have contracted any illnesses.”

“So, viruses can’t spread in here?”

“We’re wondering about that too. Even if we’re lucky, I’m not sure if it’s a good thing. But rarely, some of them do regain their senses, as unlikely as that is.”

Come to think of it, the middle-aged woman who went through Awakening earlier had a similar feel to her.

‘Maybe she’s an example of someone who regained their senses at some point.’

Anyway.

Hmm.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

“Hm?”

I approached the people trying to feed the reclined individuals.

“What’s the matter?”

The ones caring for the reclined people were likely their family or acquaintances.

They seemed to give me a slightly hostile look.

I shrugged my shoulders and brushed off their gaze, then went to check on the reclined people.

Their health condition couldn’t be great, of course.

[Ingredient Identification (Enhanced)]

[Freshness – Moderate]

‘Thanks to their dedicated care, they’re not in the worst state.’

The environment was highly humid and not very hygienic.

If any illnesses were going around, they wouldn’t have lasted long. But perhaps the uniqueness of this dungeon had spared them.

Even just basic nursing care seems to have kept them in a reasonably stable condition.

‘With this, it should be alright…’

After organizing my thoughts, I turned to Chang-su.

“About the meal you offered to serve…”

“Hm?”

“I’d like to decline that.”

“…? I’m not sure I understand. If seeing them has weighed on your heart, there’s no need for that. As I said, a single meal-“

“No, it’s not about being polite.”

I stood up and looked at Chang-su.

“I think my cooking would taste better.”

“…..”

Chang-su gave me a look of disbelief.

It’s understandable.

Who refuses a meal offering by saying “My cooking would taste better”?

But oh well, that’s the truth.

“You’re serious?”

“Yes.”

“Well then, suit yourself. But…”

Chang-su glanced at the luggage of our squad members with a puzzled expression.

“As I mentioned before, it doesn’t seem like you’ve brought an abundance of food supplies.”

“Ah, don’t worry about the ingredients. In fact…”

Ignoring the curious gazes of the others, I squatted down on the floor.

“I’ll make meals for the others as well, so could you please let them know not to eat and just wait?”

“What on earth are you talking about…”

After sitting down on the floor,

I reached my hand toward the ground.

In a clumsy posture, as if picking up a coin that fell.

The moment my hand touched the floor,

Swoosh.

“Wha-what!?”

I heard the startled voices of the people.

Well, that’s understandable.

It must have looked like my hand was piercing through the floor.

Ignoring the flustered people,

I spread out my hands that had gone through the floor.

Then,

Thud.

I felt someone handing me something.

I grabbed the item and placed it on the floor.

The people who saw this muttered in disbelief.

“…Cabbage?”

But it didn’t end there.

Thud.

Thud.

Thump.

“Cabbage, carrots, cucumber…”

“What’s that? There are even eggs and meat!”

“…Why is a frying pan coming out of there?”

The floor… or rather, from the shadow cast by my body on the floor,

Every time I reached in and pulled out, cooking ingredients started piling up.

When the gathered ingredients had amassed quite a lot,

I looked at the bewildered people and said:

“Is this enough?”

If it’s still not enough, just say so.

I can keep pulling out more as much as needed.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

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