The Cook of a Perished World - Chapter 112

Episode 112: Liberated City (3)

“I was wondering if I could hand out some combat rations.”

Changsoo smiles and speaks awkwardly.

What he asked me to do was none other than the dish I cooked.

It was combat rations.

“greatness. Was it too shameless?”

“I asked what you were asking for. Was that it?”

“The effect was truly incredible. “The taste is even better than that.”

Well, whatever.

It’s a dish made by someone, so of course it is.

‘hmm.’

but.

As someone who made that dish, I also had some strange thoughts.

‘Should we call it combat rations… isn’t it as tasty and effective compared to properly made dishes?’

What can I say?

I can’t say it’s my signature dish.

They had also tasted the food I cooked properly.

So, I was a little surprised that they only asked for combat rations.

“The taste and effect are great, but in fact, what’s even better is the other part.”

“yes? Cooking is all about taste and effectiveness. What…”

“Isn’t this an item that can provide a buff even without a buffer?”

ah.

That’s the core of the [Battle Rations] skill.

“Plus, it is effective just by eating it, so anyone can use it. In addition, the shelf life is long and the volume is small… It’s ridiculous. “Can I be honest?”

“….”

“If this world were a game, a balance patch would have been made immediately. “It was too overbalanced.”

I think what attracted Changsoo was that, not the taste or effect.

It’s also my ability.

It’s been a long time since I got it, so now I use it without any worries.

Even the [Pope], who seemed to have experience with cooking skills, looked a little surprised when he saw the combat rations.

‘Was this a more fraudulent skill than I thought?’

If you think about it calmly, it seems like that.

“Of course, I wouldn’t ask for such an item for free. “It will definitely cost a lot of money to manufacture it.”

“I’ll give you something.”

“There are many useful things we have collected. It’s not enough, but at least a little bit in return… Huh? “What did you say just now?”

“Take it with you. Combat rations.”

Changsu, who heard what I said, threw up his hands as if embarrassed.

I was the one who asked for combat rations.

“no no. No no no. “It’s probably not something that can be given away so lightly.”

“Yes, but. “Considering that we will have a friendly relationship going forward, I don’t mind giving up a certain amount.”

Actually, that kind of thing is true.

The moment you join a unit, you are basically supplied with dozens of them.

‘The monster’s meat has accumulated quite a bit now, so even if you give away some, it won’t be noticeable.’

It’s not difficult to make.

After realizing the talent of [Large-scale cooking], the cooking speed became incredibly fast.

It’s just beef jerky for combat rations.

If you have the ingredients, you can easily make hundreds or thousands of pieces a day.

“No, you can’t do that.”

So I tried to just hand it over.

It was Changsu who refused.

I said with a laugh.

“Why do you refuse something even if it is given to you for free?”

“I told you. The effectiveness of combat rations is said to be ridiculous. We live in a time when food itself is precious. “You can’t just get something like that for free and throw it away.”

“There’s no need to feel any pressure.”

“That’s more of a burden. What if we had joined that guild? “First of all, I want to have an equal relationship.”

Umm.

Even if you say that.

As Changsu said, I thought about the effects of combat rations.

It’s true that it’s a bigger product than I thought.

in other words.

“If you value it properly and get paid for it, it will be worth a lot of money.”

“Hmm. “I guess so.”

“Is it possible to pay properly?”

There may be a lot of points earned from fighting monsters.

They have been semi-dependent on that [hard rye bread] for their food.

[Hard rye bread] sold in stores costs an absurd amount of points compared to its taste.

You probably won’t be able to afford it.

“There are quite a few things I picked up in the city. There are also items that are valuable in their own way-”

“When we go to the base, we have quite a lot of items stored up. “Some things aren’t even noticeable to the eye.”

“Big… But I still want to get as much as possible. “At least one per person so that our group members can use it in an emergency.”

In that case, just take it when they say they will give it to you.

I need combat rations, but I think I’d rather refuse to receive them for free.

Then what should I do?

“ah. Let’s do it this way.”

“huh?”

It’s an idea that came to me out of nowhere.

It seemed like it would be okay.

“Anyway, the city is overflowing with monsters, so wouldn’t you guys be hunting them down too?”

“yes. “In particular, our group plans to focus on leveling up.”

“Please bring me the corpses of those monsters. Then, I will use those ingredients to make combat rations.”

“Is that possible?”

“Instead, give us 50% of the meat from the monster you brought. “It’s like a kind of fee.”

This method pays its own price.

Because we don’t suffer any losses either.

Changsu’s eyes widened at that story.

“Is the price enough?”

“…Isn’t 50% a lot?”

“You can’t eat monster meat anyway. “Even if the leather could be used in some way, the meat was a part that was thrown away anyway.”

They say that a person who eats the meat of a monster becomes a monster.

From their perspective, it may well feel useless.

“That meat. “It’s worth it to us.”

The meat I cooked has had no side effects so far.

The more ingredients you have, the more profitable it is.

“Hmm. Still. “I think I can take more fees.”

“50% is enough. Or just pretend it never happened.”

“no no! “I said something pointless.”

“Then let’s do that.”

So once the deal was confirmed.

I put my hand into the shadows and took out a box of combat rations.

“…That subspace? It’s strange to see the same thing every time. “Even though I had that ability, my job was a chef.”

[Chef’s special sauce].

I sprinkled a handful of sauce on the contents of the box and handed it to Changsu.

“This is like a down payment.”

“…Thank you so much.”

Thank you.

It was largely thanks to his cooperation that I was able to clear the dungeon relatively quickly.

In particular, Changsu himself is a person who fought together without falling until the very end.

Sauces related to mental safety were sprinkled on the combat rations handed over to Changsu.

Although they are crazy about revenge, they still maintain their humanity.

I hope that dish will help you stabilize your mind.

“I say it again. Thank you. “Please come to us whenever you need our help.”

“Yeah yeah. “Please come in.”

* * *

“what. “There won’t be any problem, right?”

After sending Changsu off like that.

I told the unit’s executives that there was a deal like this.

“Because that guy fought hard. “As long as it’s okay with Sergeant Shin.”

“yes?”

Gwangil says with a smile.

I also thought there would be no problem.

however.

“hmm.”

The soldiers looked at me with strange expressions.

They were Sergeant Lee Min-jae and Corporal Seo Soo-hyuk.

‘…?’

Come to think of it.

Those two, especially in the unit, had a tendency to pursue practicality.

In other words, they are extremely efficient.

Looking at their expressions, a thought occurred to me.

‘Am I being too pushy?’

Current deal.

Changsu’s group is a friendly force anyway, and it’s not difficult to make combat rations.

I handed over the combat rations without much thought.

Considering that the value of combat rations is actually quite great.

It’s true that it looks like it’s giving away a bit.

An ominous feeling crossed my mind.

‘This is 100% nagging.’

They both respect my opinion as much as possible.

When something goes wrong, you tend to get nagging advice in the name of advice.

“Can I ask you one thing?”

“uh? “Uh-huh.”

I was a little nervous at the thought of hearing harsh advice.

Corporal Seo Soo-hyuk’s question was a little different.

“People who often eat high-quality dishes do not see the effects of low-quality dishes. That’s what you said. Are you sure?”

“ah. It did. “I also found out this time.”

[Pope of the Deep], which was the dungeon’s boss monster.

I don’t think the [Pope] in its name was a metaphor.

A being who would have been in the highest position in his world.

Thanks to this, I was able to eat all kinds of high-quality dishes.

‘My cooking couldn’t satisfy his heightened appetite.’

Even thinking about it now, I feel resentful.

If I had the time, I would have improved my cooking skills somehow and then treated myself to a dish so delicious that I would have regretted what I said.

After answering Seo Soo-hyuk’s question, Minjae hyung continued speaking this time.

“Youngjun, you are probably the best chef at the moment.”

“Then, um…”

The two people were lost in thought, as if they were trying to calculate something.

They soon nodded with a faint smile.

“It really is Yeongjun.”

“You are wise.”

“ok?”

what.

It seemed like he was thinking about something for a long time, so I was watching him quietly.

Why is the conclusion like this?

“I understand your plan. I’ll have to tell this to the soldiers too. “If there are any awakened people in the city who need battle rations, please bring monster meat.”

“Others will have to charge higher fees. “We need to let people know that the more friendly they are to our guild, the more benefits there are in that regard.”

I’m not sure what it is.

Two people who carry on their own story without me.

‘I thought I’d be criticized for being rude, but I decided to provide combat rations to others as well.’

What on earth is your intention?

* * *

“…It looks like everyone is here.”

A city that has not yet lost all its moisture.

A group of people were gathered in a corner of the building.

“Maybe thirty people in total. “It’s pretty red.”

“It can’t be helped, right? “Because we had a lot of work to do to trust each other and work together.”

The people gathered here did not seem to have much trust in each other.

At least the person trying to lead the conversation does not feel like he is the focal point.

It is difficult to find anything in common with these people.

It’s not like we were in the same group when we were in that dungeon.

Originally, people would never have gathered in one place because they were suspicious of each other.

“I’ll just check it first.”

Nevertheless, there is one thing in common that brought them together here.

“Our goal is to escape Chuncheon. Do you all agree?”

“hmm.”

“I agree.”

“That’s what we gathered for in the first place, right?”

This city.

They are people who want to leave Chuncheon.

There were many reasons.

“Finally home.”

These people were not citizens of Chuncheon in the first place.

People who stopped by here briefly for work and ended up accidentally trapped in the dungeon.

and.

‘at las… ‘I can go see my family.’

Those whose loved ones are in another city.

When I was trapped in the dungeon, I had no choice but to forget about it.

The story changes once you get out.

family lovers friends.

There were people trying to move to check the whereabouts of their loved ones.

A man who serves as the leader of the meeting.

Lee Joo-hyuk said.

“Then let’s start the meeting. “Our first goal is to move to the Yeongdong region and arrive in Gangneung.”

A man talking while unfolding a map.

“The destination of all the people gathered here is the Yeongdong region. “Once we arrive in Gangneung, we each act individually according to our destination.”

One of the reasons they were able to come together was that their destination was relatively close.

A mountain range that divides Gangwon-do in half.

While Chuncheon is a representative city in the Yeongseo region, the goal of those here was in the Yeongdong region.

After clarifying the goal, the meeting began.

“The roads will be difficult to use. Of course, it was full of broken down vehicles. “They said there were monsters and zombies hiding in every corner of the car.”

“I saw it from the roof of the building, and one of the overpasses was completely collapsed. “I don’t know if places like tunnels will be okay.”

Several issues came up for discussion.

Most problems had their own solutions.

however.

There is one problem that cannot be answered even if the meeting continues.

“Ha, food is also a problem.”

Lee Joo-hyuk said, massaging his forehead as if he was in pain.

Now, most of the roads that helped us move quickly have collapsed or become unusable.

I don’t know how long it will take to get to Gangneung while fighting monsters.

It is impossible to move along that path just by eating grass.

“If you rob something like a supermarket you see on the way.”

“How many months do you think we’ve been trapped in there? “The survivors outside have probably already taken away most of the food.”

“Okay.”

“Hunting a monster and roasting it and eating it.”

“That’s crazy. I want to meet my family, I don’t want to turn into a monster and eat them. “If you want to become a monster, I won’t stop you.”

“No, I’m kidding.”

People continued to worry, but no clear answer was found.

“As we have to travel a long way, the amount of food we must secure will be considerable.”

“Hmm. “I guess so.”

“…Can I ask you one thing?”

“yes?”

“I wanted to ask you how far you are prepared.”

People looked puzzled at Lee Joo-hyuk’s sudden words.

He said with a stern expression.

“I would do anything to see my family. “For every day of delay here, the probability that family members who are still alive will be in danger increases exponentially.”

“I don’t know what you want to say, but I have no intention of losing.”

“At least, in my opinion, there is only one way to quickly supply food.”

“…no way.”

“Taking food away from those who have it.”

People’s faces became a little stiff.

The goal is to secure food by attacking humans.

A similar tragedy occurred when I was trapped in that dungeon.

“you. “What are you talking about?”

“This is a story about when no other way was found. First, we need to find a peaceful way. “Another way to safely obtain food.”

Lee Joo-hyuk interrupted the conversation as if it was a last resort.

Everyone here thought.

‘There’s no way like that.’

Everyone’s intuition pointed to one direction.

In the end, they will attack someone innocent.

But at that moment.

Whiing –

A strong wind blew outside the building they were staying in.

At the same time, a piece of paper that was rolling around outside came into the building through the window.

“What is this?”

“It would be like a flyer. Just throw it away and focus on the meeting…”

“No, there’s something written down?”

Plain white paper.

There was a sentence written there that looked like it had been scrawled by hand.

And there.

[Those who want food. Into the army.]

“…?”

Everyone thought it couldn’t happen.

Instructions on how to obtain food were written.