The Cook of a Perished World - Chapter 120
Episode 120: Abnormal Appetite (2)
“how is it?”
“I think that’s right.”
Jeong Soo-ah’s eyes shine with a flash of blue light.
After she scattered papers around the city saying she was looking for information.
Soon, quite a few reports came in.
Of course, 99% of it was useless information.
It’s fortunate that the information is just wrong.
Most of them are blinded by rewards and make up stories that don’t even exist.
‘Those people made a separate list… is that a good thing in the long run?’
As time passes, problems will arise that cannot be solved by our guild alone.
At that time, there may be cases where it is left to others with appropriate compensation.
Those who cannot be trusted will be excluded.
Fortunately, you can find such people relatively quickly.
While struggling among such useless reports.
Finally, the correct answer appeared.
“Did you say Lee Sang-hyeop…? Please pay compensation immediately.”
“yes. But that’s it.”
“hmm?”
I thought it would be over once I paid for the combat rations.
That wasn’t it
“If it turns out that your information is correct. Some asked if they could receive it in other ways, some as combat rations.”
“…okay?”
“yes. “It looks like they want to do some sort of regular business with us.”
It’s a deal.
Come to think of it, trade between awakened people was active.
We weren’t involved in it.
‘Among the overabundance of items that are useless to us, there will be some that others need… and vice versa in many cases.’
A representative example would be combat rations.
There is also credit for providing this information.
It is also somewhat trustworthy in that it brings correct information.
furthermore.
‘Rather than just receiving food and calling it a day, we aim for long-term profits.’
If you use it well, you might be quite a useful person.
“Tell them that they will look into it positively.”
I guess we should talk more.
If it’s a win-win deal, there’s no reason to turn it down.
by the way.
“I thought it was strangely quiet. “I never thought he would have been hiding.”
I nodded and got up.
“It has been confirmed that the information is true, so let’s go right away.”
“Oh yeah! “I will have the unit stand by.”
“no. “I’m going alone.”
“what?”
Minjae hyung turned his head at my words.
“Going alone… Are you really putting yourself in danger?”
“It’s not that dangerous. “You know?”
Tuk-tuk.
Shadows under your feet.
and.
-Kkiing.
A black cat playing on the chest of my military uniform.
Depending on the environment, the troops inside the shadows may be completely useless.
To put it bluntly, it should be considered unusable in places where sunlight enters.
But that’s not the case now.
Of course.
This is none other than the place where the person with an abnormal appetite is hiding.
“It’s a sewer. “It’s going to get a little dirty.”
Because it was underground in this city.
* * *
Splat….
dark space.
As I move my military boots, the sound of water splashing echoes softly.
I entered the city’s underground waterways.
The musty smell of rotting water spread throughout the surrounding area.
The smell was so terrible that others immediately covered their noses.
“Nothing compared to the smell of salt.”
This is a job where smelling food waste is a daily occurrence.
I guess this is something that can be tolerated.
“It’s surprisingly not narrow.”
Because there are different types of waterways.
The place I am visiting now is the place where that abnormal appetite is hiding.
The other eater I met before was enormous.
Considering that he has a similar physique, he wouldn’t be able to pass through an ordinary underground water pipe.
I thought it was natural that there would be some width.
Click.
After turning on the flashlight I brought from the unit, I moved forward cautiously.
He thought about eating the food, but decided to save it just in case.
I was walking along that dark waterway for a while.
-…Kiik!
So far away that not even the light of the flash can reach.
A small sound was heard.
A distance where even light cannot reach.
Originally, it would have been impossible to see that place.
[Combat Power Meter]
I can see a little bit of that now.
To be precise, it would be correct to say that you can see the magic power that that monster emits.
-how. Can I send the kids out?
“no.”
Let’s get a little closer.
The monster’s appearance appeared in more detail.
[Lasian]
[This is a monster that mainly lives in dark and humid spaces.]
[They have a habit of living in groups, making them difficult to hunt, and they are not very hygienic, so they are not a preferred food ingredient.]
A giant creature resembling a rat covered in dust.
What is rising around its body is… a red energy.
in other words.
Suddenly-
-Kaaaak…!
[Acquire experience points.]
“He’s nothing special.”
After cutting him down with a single sword.
I looked around carefully.
According to the system’s explanation, they live in groups.
If so, there must be a group of them around here.
I looked closely at the surroundings, anticipating their attack.
“…is it quiet?”
what.
Is this guy the one who broke away from the group?
He was a little puzzled though.
Thinking it wasn’t anything to worry about, I went a little further inside.
How much further did we advance?
I saw a group of red energy in front of me.
I thought it was a bunch of monsters I met earlier.
What should I say?
That was only half the answer.
[Rassian’s front legs]
-It’s just a corpse.
It’s true that if it’s Rasian’s group, it’s too much.
The problem is that there aren’t any alive ones.
“…Did you enjoy it?”
Remains of the monster’s body scattered on the floor.
Most of them had marks of being torn apart by what looked like large teeth.
The image is roughly drawn.
After biting and devouring this monster mercilessly.
There was a guy who left, leaving behind only a few scraps.
in other words.
Sigh.
“It means you came to the right place.”
Gaining confidence, I quickened my steps.
Let’s go to the end of the waterway.
“…?”
What can I say about that thing at the end?
It was a huge cavity.
The result of illuminating the surroundings with a flash.
I couldn’t help but widen my eyes a little.
“That’s amazing.”
A cavity so huge that you wonder if you have ever seen such a large space in your life.
Inside, huge pillars are erected at regular intervals.
The height of the pillar alone seemed to be 5 meters.
‘There is a facility like this underground in the city?’
What is this?
Is this a secret bunker secretly created by the government?
Since ancient times, big things touch a man’s heart.
I got a little excited and tried imagining things.
Shining a flashlight on the wall revealed its identity.
[Chuncheon-si deep rainwater storage]
“ah.”
A phrase written in large letters on the wall.
Rainwater storage.
This facility is far from anything like a secret bunker.
Developing a response plan to natural disasters is one of the important tasks of all large cities.
One of the results of that task is here.
“Is it like a water tank built in preparation for heavy rain?”
After exiting the waterway tunnel, I carefully climbed down the stairs to the common.
There was a lot of water and it was quite slippery.
Come to think of it.
In the words of the awakened people of Chuncheon.
It was said that when the dungeon started, the speed at which the water rose was slower than expected.
Thanks to this, I was able to take some food with me and take refuge in a tall building.
‘At the beginning of the destruction, electricity was still available, so this may have been possible thanks to the normal operation of these facilities.’
The bottom of the cavity was in a similar state to that seen in that channel.
Energy of various colors spread everywhere.
“You ate splendidly.”
Fragments of all kinds of monsters were scattered around.
After the dungeon closes.
Monsters appeared all over the city as if they were always there.
It doesn’t seem like the monsters appeared in a random location.
It looks like quite a few monsters have appeared in that waterway and this cavity.
‘Now it seems like everything has been reduced to just one meal.’
anyway.
This means that the corpses of monsters are lying around like this.
It means there’s someone out there who’s making these guys happy.
With that in mind, I was taking a step into the depths of the cave.
-be careful.
“?”
A warning coming from the shadows.
and.
-Grrr….
From inside.
The animal’s heavy breathing was heard.
It was a little difficult to understand.
‘And the sound too. Same with Ariella’s warning… It’s clear that it’s there.’
the problem is.
“Why can’t I see it?”
Characteristics I have.
[Combat Power Meter]
This characteristic is not just about distinguishing the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy.
An ability that allows you to visually see the enemy’s rising magic power.
in other words.
No matter how dark the space, you can find out the enemy’s location by looking at magic power.
That was the reason why I did not eat foods that provided characteristics such as [Dark Vision].
But now.
There was no magical energy visible before my eyes.
I wondered what the cause was.
After reading the description of the characteristic, I understood.
[Combat Power Meter]
[The combat ability of a different race is measured through its magical power.]
A characteristic that measures the combat ability of different races.
in other words.
‘this. ‘So it doesn’t work for my own people?’
If you think about it, it has never been activated against other unit members.
That means…
‘So that guy is classified as a human?’
They say you have an abnormal appetite.
The system is classifying him as a ‘human’.
‘The abnormal appetite guy I killed last time. ‘I guess it wasn’t like that?’
A guy who was acting as the leader of a group of marauders.
That guy was clearly classified by the system as a ‘non-human being.’
No, even if you exclude that guy.
Even the zombies, which looked like they had been devastated by the death of humans, had a red aura around them.
I don’t know the standards.
Anyway.
There is no doubt that that guy in front of me is the target I was looking for.
Let’s take a step closer to him.
-Stop it.
A rough and slurred voice echoes from inside.
I looked there without hiding my surprise.
“Do you really have any reason left?”
A man who escaped the dungeon.
He said that that strange glutton helped him escape from the dungeon.
I didn’t believe it when I heard that.
Of course.
Abnormal appetite.
Because it’s not the first time I’ve met this person.
‘The guy I met last time was the leader of the marauders.’
but.
Even though he was a leader, he did not lead the marauders with any wisdom or leadership.
The reason he was able to reign supreme over a group of marauders…
‘Only strength.’
Because there was only one.
His strength is just like that of a monster.
My speaking ability and actual intelligence are at best the level of a kindergarten child….
No, it was a monster close to a beast.
‘The more humans and monsters you eat, the more power you gain. It seemed like he was losing his temper in return.’
The subjugation of that group of marauders was a long time ago now.
The guy in front of me swallowed more monsters than the leader of that group of marauders.
He wouldn’t have eaten less.
Even so, I still have my sanity.
There is only one reason that I can roughly guess.
“…He seems to have quite strong mental powers.”
The original human being.
The difference in mentality.
What kind of person was that guy?
I only know roughly what I heard from Changsu.
Seeing that reason still remains.
There’s a good chance he was a pretty strong-minded guy.
-Turn off….
The guy continued talking.
-I’m not hungry right now. so. I can send it to you.
“….”
-Hurry…go back….
To go away.
Go back.
I guess I’m not very happy with it.
I thought of something else as I looked at the guy talking to me.
‘This guy. If we do well, we can establish a dialogue, right?’
Cheolpuk….
Either he hates me or not.
I took a step forward and spoke to him.
“There are a few things I’d like to ask.”
-…If you don’t want to die. go away…!
“I heard that you helped someone escape from the dungeon. “If you answer my questions properly, I’ll leave without further ado.”
My job is ‘chef’.
The ‘abnormal appetite’ is said to be the chef’s rival.
If only I could talk to him.
I will be able to give a clear definition of my job.
With that thought in mind, I took a step forward.
-Ah… that’s what I said.
Grrrrr….
The sound of an animal is mixed with the slurred voice.
-I wasn’t hungry right now… but I could hold it in…
“….”
-please. Go back… no more. I don’t want to hurt humans…
What should I say?
He’s a great guy.
‘A person with an abnormal appetite… The more monsters or humans he eats, the more he loses his senses.’
No matter how strong this guy’s mental power is.
Most of that spirit has probably already been worn away.
Even though it is like that.
He held on like that because he didn’t want to attack me.
They are telling you to go back.
I don’t know because I’ve never been like that.
I think it’s okay to feel a little bit of awe.
but.
‘You don’t want to eat me… so go back?’
that.
It’s a useless consideration.
I said with a light laugh.
“Who feeds them?”
-…You brought this on yourself.
Clap.
A huge shape inside.
I feel the monster that was oppressing me rising.
There are many things I want to ask.
I think it might be difficult to get a proper answer right now.
“I need you to calm down a little.”
Flash placed on the floor.
The shadow becomes long as the light catches it.
Tuk-tuk.
Let’s tap our feet lightly on the shadows.
In a long black stain.
Dozens of human figures appeared.
“To my master’s master.”
“Loyalty.”
It may seem difficult to talk about right now, but…
Well, there is nothing to worry about.
“It has been said since ancient times that a stick is medicine.”
If you get a little right, won’t you be in a state worth talking about?
* * *
About abnormal eaters.
I remember what Cheol-wook said.
-There was a case where both monsters and humans were eaten and eaten… The results were not very good.
After completing the dungeon.
I asked a little more about it.
-He hated the monster so much that he refused the food the group gave him and started chewing the monster’s meat.
-Huh.
-It would be nice if that was all it did, but as it started chewing the monster’s meat, its appearance became increasingly strange. Although he had a bit of an outward side, he was an amicable person… but he gradually became more nervous. When those changes began to occur in appearance, he left our group.
After disappearing like that.
It was some time later that this abnormal eater reappeared.
About the food issue.
It was a time when a war between humans broke out.
-Those who failed to stock up on food attacked others… and the war began.
It seems like a large-scale looting occurred.
But horses are predators.
Those who want to protect and those who want to take.
It was said that the scale was comparable, or rather, the looters were slightly ahead.
but.
It was the marauders who lost that war.
The side trying to protect used an amazing strategy.
That wasn’t the reason.
-He came back completely transformed into a monster.
The look in Changsu’s eyes as he said that…
A fear that could not be hidden leaked out.
-What is it like when he deals with the looters? Even thinking about it again, it was terrifying.
Appears suddenly.
A guy who started hunting humans who were on the marauder side.
As a result, the battle in the dungeon ended with the looters’ defeat.
No matter how low level it is.
It is a monster that carried out an overwhelming massacre against hundreds of humans.
-…Be careful. If he’s still alive.
Now, more time has passed and he has devoured more monsters than then.
-It may have become a monster that even you can’t deal with.
Definitely true to what it says.
“The feeling of intimidation is enormous.”
—————!!!
“Kaaak!”
thud!
An ‘abnormal appetite’ who screams loudly.
A vampire who came out of the shadows was thrown away by the hand he swung.
“Brother Tongue!”
“….”
The vampire pinned against the wall seems to have lost consciousness.
He just passed out.
The guy with an abnormal appetite I met before was also strong.
Even though the unit members attacked as a group, they were able to withstand and gain the upper hand.
but.
Now that guy was definitely more than that.
[Identification of food ingredients (enhanced)]
[Lee Hyun-jin]
[Primate Human Species – Abnormal Eaters]
Its appearance was quite different from the one I dealt with before.
What if the guy who served as the leader of the marauders was nothing more than a bloated lump of flesh?
There were barely any traces of humans left here.
“What is that? “Are they scales?”
The most representative ones are the scales that cover the skin.
They look like fish scales and cover the skin.
Vampires are attacking in their own way.
Those scales were absorbing most of the shock.
Looks like fish scales.
There was nothing left to guess.
“Those scales. “It’s the same as the scales of those fishy-smelling fish people.”
“hmm.”
The guy who served as the leader of the marauders.
That guy got rich by eating humans.
But it seems like this one mostly catches and eats monsters.
‘It means that the influence of those monsters has manifested itself in my body.’
Scales aren’t everything.
Long claws.
It also had what looked like large horns on its head.
It looks like a bizarre amalgamation of all kinds of monsters.
Compared to an ordinary piece of flesh, it is bound to be more difficult.
but.
This side’s power was not running at all.
“Let’s go, brothers!”
“Follow your master’s orders!”
What I’m dealing with right now.
Vampires hidden in the shadows.
A predator and a criminal….
Among humans, they are the ones who can be called trash.
It is the result of recycling them with Ariela’s abilities.
but.
Just because it’s recycled doesn’t mean it doesn’t perform well, right?
“Tsk….”
“Brother!”
The large hand of the abnormal eater grabbed a vampire.
-looks delicious….
It seemed like the captured vampire would just become prey for an abnormal appetite.
“Emergency escape!!! Kiyoooot!”
[Fog]
-Really…?
The body of a vampire caught in the hands of an abnormal eater turns into red mist.
[Fog]
The problem is that the cooldown is long.
A trait that allows you to escape danger by turning into a fog that cannot be physically hit.
‘It’s a characteristic of the Gaesagyegi period.’
Unless there is an attack method such as divine power.
It’s like having one extra life.
Weakness: vulnerability to sunlight.
Because it is a monster, it is difficult to show to unit members.
It was a power that had many limitations in many ways to be used openly.
“Hehe. “In the darkness is the battlefield of nobility.”
As there are several penalties.
Vampires were more powerful than ordinary awakened people.
“What an insignificant pig. Do you think you can win against the Night Noble?”
Let your subordinates take action.
Ariella mutters triumphantly.
‘I’m just excited.’
She cringed a little, but decided to move on.
Because she was actually showing that much activity.
‘A race that was as strong as our soldiers at a time when there was no equipment whatsoever.’
Of course, he also wore the unit’s standard equipment.
Now that I’ve eaten my blood sausage dish.
What are the abilities of these vampires?
It was far ahead of the average of our unit members.
That wasn’t all.
thud!
-Gooooooooo-!
-You’re annoying…!
Various iron and fragments shattered by battle.
They are the prey of the [steel-eating tapir].
A black cat that rapidly grew in size by swallowing all kinds of debris.
The guy who suddenly took on a wolf-like appearance struck the abnormal eater in the face.
A monster that would have annihilated our unit a long time ago if its personality had been just a little bit worse.
-Kruk…!
No matter how great an ‘abnormal eater’ you may be.
There was no way there would be no damage.
-I finally understand this.
This alone is a huge amount of power.
It seemed to sense my strength and growled.
-…you. You came to kill me.
but.
“This isn’t enough.”
Ariel too.
Black too.
Compared to its prime, it has become much weaker.
Fortunately, the compatibility with [Mist Flower] is good, so we can push it to this level.
If we keep fighting, there is no guarantee that this side will win.
so.
‘The last of our forces will need to join in.’
[One or more of the chef’s enemies has encountered a glutton.]
[Job Quest – Kill the Adversary is reactivated.]
[Kill the enemy.]
[Fog painting] cannot even be compared.
Overwhelming compatibility.
[Bonuses are granted to all actions only when dealing with an opponent.]
The chef steps in.
* * *
A loud sound echoes through the underground cavity of the city.
A fierce battle that caused the ground to shake and several huge pillars to shatter.
and.
After a long and fierce battle.
-I’m hungry….
Kuung….
The kneeling side is over there.
Its massive body fell to the floor helplessly.