The Cook of a Perished World - Chapter 1

Prologue

“Wouldn’t it be better to hold a sit-in protest too?”

Lieutenant Kim said in a trembling voice.

Although the expressions on the faces of some soldiers, including me, were frowned.

Also, several soldiers nodded to Lieutenant Kim’s words.

“Now we’re out of food. Eventually, you will have to abandon your unit and move.”

“As for city food… Since our unit is in the mountains, if we dig up things like arrowroot or hunt…” “

No, that’s what I mean…”

Sergeant Park of the radar squad said as if he was frustrated, but the unit members’ eyes were wide open. The fear did not go away.

Of course it is worth it.

A month ago from now.

Monsters suddenly appeared in the world and many people died.

I tried to contact people outside the unit, but the unit’s emergency contact network did not work, let alone regular calls.

Intranet and phone.

Even military frequencies were all blocked.

Anyone could have predicted that the outside world would be so messed up that even the emergency communication network wouldn’t work.

“It’s still not safe here!”

“It must have been like that until now.”

A unit located on a high mountain where even monsters find it difficult to find.

And above all, intrusion obstacles surrounding the unit.

This is why our unit is still alive.

To abandon these advantages and move would be tantamount to suicide.

But now there really wasn’t much food left, and we had to leave the defenses of the military base and move on.

But it seems like the unit members are overly afraid.

“Okay, it’s lunch, shall we eat?”

I need to feed him.

“Now today’s lunch is sari gomtang!”

Sari gomtang.

It was a popular menu among soldiers due to its decent taste.

The high calories contained in rich meat soup are perfect for soldiers who have to do hard work.

Adding a special sauce to it is the icing on the cake.

I used the skill while pretending to add salt to the boiling sari gomtang.

[Chef’s Secret Sauce – Courage]

[Delicious food moves people’s hearts.]

[The courage of those who eat the food increases.]

It is complete.

The soldiers ate gomtang with worried faces.

Lieutenant Kim still ate a spoonful of sari gomtang with a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Anyway. Listen while you finish eating. Whoop, no matter how much I have to go out, I can’t go out now…”

“Are you scared?”

Lieutenant Kim paused for a moment at my words.

“I’m going out… I’m going out…”

The sound of spoons falling to the ground was heard here and there.

Finally, Lieutenant Kim got up from his seat.

“Get out!! Let’s go out! get out! Pack your bags now! You bastards! Does it make sense to become a soldier and be afraid of that? “You deer bastards!”

All members of the unit began to respond to his words.

“Fuck you! “Why don’t you just go out!”

“It was stuffy being confined to the unit, but let’s go for a walk and cut the monster’s head!”

“Kkkkkk. “It would be perfect for post-meal exercise.”

“KIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!”

“Long live the Korean army!!!”

I smiled happily as I heard Lieutenant Kim, who was trembling the most, shout out his brave words.

“After all, people need to eat.”

Sergeant Youngjun Shin.

23 years old.

I am the cook in charge of this unit.

Episode 1 Awakening

The daily life of the South Korean military is generally normal.

Unless there is inspection or training, the same thing is repeated every day.

Fortunately, on the weekends, the unit enjoys a little break from work.

There are also departments where this is not the case.

“Sergeant Shin Youngjun? “It’s stir-fried squid for dinner tonight, but there’s no squid in sight.”

“what? How many times have I told you to check the list of corrosion…”

“Sergeant Shin called Lieutenant Kim and he said he didn’t want to eat fried mackerel for lunch, so he asked if I could cook one for him.”

“No, that bastard… he just said he understood.”

Cooking class.

Since ancient times, the core of combat power comes from nutrition, and the cooks are responsible for supplying that nutrition.

Meals are also related to the three major human needs.

So, even if it’s the weekend, I can’t take a single day off.

If soldiers are fed tasteless food or the same food every day, their morale is bound to drop.

Cooks must cook a variety of menus that change every day to an edible level.

If any problem arises during this process, it must be resolved through the chef’s improvisation.

“I’m sorry…”

“Okay… Isn’t that the pork belly I saved for the unit’s dinner last time? Instead of having stir-fried squid for dinner, give me stir-fried pork belly instead. Kids will love it too. “Kids are crazy about pork belly, so don’t forget to serve it yourself.”

“yep!”

“Get some fresh cream and chicken from the refrigerator. “Lieutenant Kim likes noodle dishes, so if I make something like chicken pasta, he’ll eat it well.”

Roughly something like this.

Even on the weekends, I couldn’t rest properly and it was frustrating.

“There are only a few days left until you are discharged, but you are working hard.”

“That’s right.”

The only consolation is that this is finally over.

I was a late-career sergeant a few days away from my final year of leave.

Of course, where can you find a cooking class where you can relax in your later years?

“What do you plan to do when you are discharged?”

“well.”

The question of his successor was a thought that every soldier who was about to be discharged would ask at least once.

What do I do when I go out into society?

Of course, I also had thoughts.

“I want to learn how to cook properly and open a restaurant.”

“yes? “Isn’t the restaurant industry a complete mess these days?”

I am a cook though.

I wasn’t a person who cooked from the beginning.

I just happened to be assigned the position of cook.

The first time I experienced cooking in the military was not cooking, but something close to cooking.

But there is a reason why I want to cook properly.

“Seeing the kids eating my food and saying it was delicious made me feel proud. So, I’m going to try to learn it properly.”

“Oh then, Sergeant Shin. Would you like to come to the restaurant where I work? As your senior, I will teach you well.”

“Who do you like? And I’m not thinking about Japanese food, man.”

He is my successor.

Junhyuk was a guy who came into society after studying Japanese cuisine.

They say the culinary industry has a stricter hierarchy than the military.

I have no intention of joining my successor as a junior.

“Japanese food is good too.”

“Oh, it’s okay. I saw earlier that all the salt was gone. “Bring me some from the warehouse.”

“yep.”

Ingredients such as salt are stored in a warehouse located slightly away from the restaurant building.

As I watched Junhyuk go out the back door of the restaurant to go to the warehouse, I was lost in my thoughts for a moment.

‘It’s Japanese food…’

Maybe learning Japanese food wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Most of the dishes I learned in the military were Korean, but there is no reason to learn Korean even after I am discharged.

I hate working as a junior to my successor, but wouldn’t it be okay to learn from another restaurant?

‘No, but the flower of cooking is western food.’

The moment I was looking at Junhyuk’s back with that thought in mind.

Junhyuk, who opened the back door,

was seen being hit by ‘something’ sticking out from outside the door.

“uh?”

At first, I wondered who else was playing a prank.

Junhyuk used to be a toy for the sergeants because of his cute appearance.

But that thought quickly disappeared.

Because something was biting Junhyuk’s neck.

“Joo Junhyuk!”

“Big… big gasp.”

I was confused for a moment, but my feet started moving right away.

It doesn’t matter what kind of creature it is.

‘We have to get it quickly!’

It’s embarrassing, but we have to save Junhyuk first.

With that thought in mind, I grabbed a large cooking shovel that was nearby and threw myself away.

Absolutely.

One beat late. There was a crackling sound of flesh being

torn, and

something light pink came out of the monster’s mouth.

I don’t know much about human body organs, but

I knew it was something that shouldn’t be ripped out of the neck.

‘…Junhyuk died…huh?’

An unrealistic sight of the organs of the successor who was talking just a few tens of seconds ago flying around.

Seeing that disgusting sight, I had no choice but to freeze, holding the large shovel tightly.

“Sergeant Shin? “What about that sound you just made… Huh!”

The youngest guy who was frying mackerel in the corner of the restaurant finally saw Junhyuk and screamed in embarrassment.

I was frozen in a daze, but thanks to that sound, I managed to come to my senses.

‘What on earth is that? ‘Fuck you…’

Only then did I clearly see the creature that had attacked Junhyuk.

But seeing it didn’t mean I knew what it was.

If I could find a similar creature, it would be a lizard.

Its entire body, including its streamlined face, was covered in thick scales, and it was almost as tall as a human.

However, unlike snakes, the teeth were sharp, and sharp claws were also visible on the hands that were tearing at Junhyuk’s body.

The vertically slit, reptilian-like eyes were looking at me with a strange shine.

…me?

‘I heard the youngest scream and looked this way!’

The monster that was eating Junhyuk to its heart’s content slowly stood up.

Anyone can see that they are aiming for their next prey.

How many people have ever been in the shoes of prey in their lives?

My hands and feet are shaking and my whole body feels cold.

‘Shit!’

You can see the corpse of the successor lying miserably lying around.

I am.

I don’t want to be like that!

“the youngest!”

“Yes yes?”

“Bring your tools!”

Leaving behind the youngest child, who was hurriedly looking for something that could be used as a weapon.

I swung a large cooking shovel at the monster.

Large shovels used for mass cooking are sufficiently large, heavy, and sturdy.

It is a weapon that, if wielded with sincerity, will not be able to kill a single person.

But….

Kang!

When the weapon and the animal collided, an unexpected sound was heard.

“Kruk!”

“Ahh!”

As if it had been swung at a wall.

Rather, my arm, which had hit the shovel, was numb from the recoil.

I almost lost the shovel due to the intense pain.

I was able to barely hold on to my weapon because the thought that it would be the end if I lost it crossed my mind.

‘It’s not just a piece of metal…!’

Unlike me, who is shaking in pain.

The monster swung its claws as if being hit by a shovel was nothing.

‘Pfft!’

I was able to avoid it by pulling back as soon as I felt pain in my arm.

My heart couldn’t stop pounding as I thought that even if I were just a little late, there would have been one more body.

‘Those scales! It looked dirty and thick for some reason!’

The sturdiness seemed to be more than it seemed.

“Sergeant Shishin!? “What on earth is that!?”

“Do you understand it’s me!”

The youngest guy, who was embarrassed, tried to talk to me, but I was just as embarrassed.

It would be better to be attacked by a tiger roaming the mountains.

‘Fuck you, fuck you! ‘Why does such a monster exist in reality?’

The only thing I could do was curse under my breath due to the irrationality of the monster that suddenly attacked me.

The youngest guy also hurriedly brought a large shovel like me, but it probably didn’t mean much.

The appearance of a monster whose entire body is covered in hard scales.

It was reminiscent of a medieval knight.

‘It is said that one Man-at-Arms, fully armored in iron armor, can massacre farmers holding farming tools.’

As I put myself in the shoes of the civilians being massacred, I felt a chill in my bones.

No matter how hard you swing the weapon, you’re lucky if you scratch the scales.

There is no way to deal with it.

‘If you want to deal with a knight like that, you either have to tire him out somehow or pour hot oil on him…’

Ah.

There was a way to deal with it.

‘Today’s lunch. Fried boneless mackerel….’

I don’t know if something like this will work.

I have no intention of standing still and waiting for death.

I threw the large shovel I was holding at the monster with all my might and threw myself backwards.

“Crack!”

Even though the shovel he threw with all his might hit his head, the monster only flinched for a moment.

Did that actually make you angry?

I felt it running towards me.

‘Please, please, don’t be late!’

In that moment when the monster flinched.

I crossed the narrow dining room and reached the fryer in the back.

A frying pan with bubbling oil with fish scraps floating around.

I grabbed a nearby large ladle with trembling hands and hastily plunged the ladle into the oil.

and. “

Craaaak

!!!”

He sprayed boiling oil on the monster that was so close that he could touch it just by stretching out his hand.

The optimal temperature of oil when frying is at least 180 degrees.

Even in winter, when you cook fried food, the temperature is so high that you start to sweat just by passing by.

The monster with the oil smeared directly on its face began to struggle in pain.

‘Not yet!’

Although he seemed to be in pain, he still had his life clinging to him.

Even after being subjected to something that would make an ordinary person faint from shock.

However, it was confirmed that the oil attack worked.

I continued to swing the ladle with the intention of completely emptying the oil in the pot.

The heat of a boiling pot.

As I sprayed oil roughly, a few drops of oil splashed on me, which was incredibly hot and painful.

‘Please die, please…!’

There is no time to worry about such things.

I gritted my teeth and endured, holding back tears from leaking out.

“Keruk….”

How many times did they spray oil like that?

By the time the restaurant floor was plastered with shiny oil.

The monster that was writhing in pain calmed down to some extent.

‘Is the Lord dead?’

First of all, the movement stopped… but

‘he could be pretending to be dead.’

If you approach him thinking he’s dead and he’s still alive, you’re in big trouble.

I carefully distanced myself from the monster.

“Sergeant Shishin? “Is this guy dead?”

But it seems I’m the only one who thought that way.

The youngest guy approached the monster holding a shovel.

“Hey hey! “He might still be alive, so be careful…!”

“Just make sure I died properly….”

Kwajik.

The monster bit off the youngest guy’s foot as he approached him to turn over the body.

“Kwaaaak!”

“You’re the youngest!”

I rushed out in a hurry, but I kept my distance from the monster just in case.

Squeak….

When I arrived right in front, the monster was already eating the youngest’s stomach.

I thought I was on the verge of death.

It was waiting for its unwary prey to approach.

‘Even the youngest…’

Now, I’m really the only one left.

My teeth start chattering with fear that something like that could happen to me too.

‘Ghee. ‘You need to spray more.’

I took a quick glance at the oil pot.

There was no more oil left.

Right now, the monster is busy eating the youngest one, but I never know when it might target me.

‘Are you running away while you’re distracted by the youngest? No, if I run for no reason and irritate my nerves… I

was frantically wondering what I should do to survive.

‘uh?’

I saw something red on the monster’s back.

Exposed between black scales.

The area is bright red.

‘Is the skin exposed?’

It was a monster whose entire body was covered in hard scales.

The result of repeatedly being doused with hot oil.

The flesh has cooked and the scales have split, exposing the heated skin inside in various places.

Unlike hard scales.

Skin that looks no different from that of an ordinary animal.

Obvious weakness.

‘If you try to run away and get chased, it’s really the end. That’s right…’

Now I’m distracted by the youngest.

It might be better to target the weak point.

The exposed skin area was not large, so hitting it with something like a shovel seemed meaningless.

‘If you’re targeting a weak point, you should stab it, not hit it.’

Fortunately, the restaurant had many weapons suitable for stabbing.

Be careful not to provoke the monster eating your youngest child as much as possible.

Covering my mouth with both hands, I headed to the knife cabinet in the corner of the restaurant.

With trembling hands, I take out the longest and sharpest kitchen knife from the storage box.

‘Junhyuk. ‘I’ll borrow some.’

Junhyuk’s personal sashimi knife, who was studying Japanese cuisine.

This is a knife that I took care of with great care, saying it was given to me by my teacher.

The knife, which had not been neglected, was sharp enough to cut with the slightest touch.

“Cruk ruk…”

The monster still seemed busy eating the youngest one.

It was the first time in my life that I actually saw a person’s internal organs being scattered.

I felt like I was going to get nauseous at any moment, but I held it back somehow.

‘Are you blind because you have oil on your face?’

I wonder if he needs nutrients to heal his wounds.

The monster looked busy eating the youngest’s corpse.

I don’t know if I should say it was fortunate, but thanks to that, it wasn’t difficult to catch up.

‘The right place to aim is the neck…’

Any animal will die if the neck, which connects the head and body, is injured.

I’m sure the inside of the scales aren’t hard enough to bounce a knife off.

‘one two…!’

Through the gap in the scales near the neck.

I stabbed the sashimi knife with all my might.

“Kraaaaaak!”

Did you have any strength left even after coming this far?

Even though the monster was stabbed in the neck, it resisted violently and struggled.

“Please, make it nicer…”

The oil that was sprinkled on him was hot and had not cooled down yet.

Every time I was struck by the struggle of a monster with hard scales, it hurt as if I had been hit by a piece of iron.

“You lose… you bastard…”

But I couldn’t lose either.

I suppressed his resistance with my whole body.

With one hand, he pressed down on the guy’s head, and with the other hand, he stabbed and thrashed the sashimi knife stuck in his neck.

Every muscle in my body screamed.

The painful times continued endlessly.

How long has it been like that?

“Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk…”

When the strength completely disappeared from the body of the guy who was resisting fiercely.

I saw a strange phrase before my eyes.

Tiring-

[Congratulations on your awakening!]

[Awakened person: Shin Young-jun]

[Job: New Chef Lv. 1]

[Abilities: Strength 9, Agility 10, Magic 8, Luck 9]

[Attributes: Lowest dagger skill, Lowest cooking skill, Lowest level Ingredient discrimination, Lowest fire affinity] [

Skill: Chef’s eye, Chef’s special sauce]

[Points: 0pt]

[From the awakened Unique talent detected.]

[Talent: Large-scale cooking]

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.

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“What on earth is this…?”