The Cook of a Perished World - Chapter 190

Episode 190: Friend (2)

“…I received something great.”

I am a flower nestled in my right hand.

I muttered while looking at Nepenthes.

‘I can’t believe I’m getting a tattoo like this, something I’ve never done before in my life.’

At first it certainly looked like an ordinary flower.

Now I have chosen to become a parasitic, putting thorns in my body.

Nepenthes had the appearance of a thorn-shaped tattoo.

As someone who has never had a tattoo in my life.

Although it feels a little awkward.

[Trait – ‘Soul-melting Poison – Nepenthes’ is activated.]

Let’s activate the trait.

Transparent liquid flowing from the tattoo.

The appearance is ordinary.

It has no special color or scent.

‘It’s a powerful weapon.’

At least among the poisons I’ve seen so far.

It was definitely the best read.

I’ve met monsters that deal with poison a few times.

Most of them were at a level that could be cured by priests or healers.

But this.

I felt it the moment I saw it.

It’s something that can’t even be compared to that level of poison.

“I happened to take advantage of a moment when he was weak and ate his friend.”

As soon as I regain some strength.

I can’t believe this plant is blooming.

Alraune’s potential.

It may be far beyond what I thought.

“You’re giving me something like this just because I haven’t seen you in a long time.”

This is how it happens.

A sudden thought comes to mind.

“Maybe you should have visited more often?”

Then, you might have received something better a few times.

…Is this such a lame idea?

* * *

anyway.

This time, I came out of the forest comfortably, hugged by the tree roots.

“Have you been there?”

“OK.”

“Then how can we return to Vimana now?”

While I was here.

I met Alraune just to see my friend’s face.

“no. Let’s stop by just one more place.”

“yes?”

If you think about it.

I have one more friend around here.

Sigh.

“423rd Battalion. “It’s close from here.”

“…ah!”

I haven’t been able to stop by because I’ve been busy.

The unit in the mountains was our starting point.

At that place.

My only motivation was in place.

* * *

past.

I remember the first time I left the 423rd Battalion and came down to earth.

An uphill battle.

There was no way to do it with normal methods, so I had to overuse the debuff [Special Sauce].

Even so, I ended up on the ground passed out.

but.

Now quite a bit of time has passed since then.

[With the courage of a war cook]

“KIYOOOOOT!!!”

“Die, you bastards!”

I mean, things are a little different.

The road up the mountain was never easy.

However, our unit’s combat power is also on a different level than it was back then.

Combat vehicles ride through the mountains, pulverizing monsters.

Soldiers were able to step forward and cut down exceptionally strong monsters.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been on this road.”

“That’s right.”

It’s been less than a year since I came down the mountain.

This road made me feel very nostalgic.

‘I still thought about stopping by the 423rd Battalion at least once.’

There are about 10 members remaining in the 423rd Battalion, including Taejun.

I did leave behind a considerable amount of preserved food when I left.

‘Hmm. ‘I left it on for a little while.’

There is a reason why we had such a hard time going down the mountain, but it became relatively easy when going up.

That’s because I developed my abilities over a long period of time.

The soldiers who remained in the 423rd Battalion had to be trapped in this mountain range for that long.

There were times when I thought I should stop by here too.

Because I’ve been so busy so far.

Whenever I thought about stopping by, a new incident occurred and I couldn’t figure out the timing.

Winter has just arrived.

Now is the time to reduce external activities and start managing internally.

There is now room to solve this problem as well.

‘It’s almost time to run out of food.’

That’s not all.

Meanwhile, the level of production workers has also risen significantly.

The soldiers of the 423rd Battalion were not able to enjoy the benefits.

She is probably still wearing the equipment that Lee Sang-ah made when she was not even level 10.

‘Even then, only the armor and weapons will still be store-bought.’

It is said that Taejun is in an environment where he can find out in advance if there is a big crisis due to his ‘astrology’.

It is true that it is unstable in many ways.

Those who were virtually neglected.

As a corps commander, I can’t help but be concerned.

‘I need to properly upgrade my specs this time.’

Now in my [curtain of shadow].

It was full of supplies to hand over to them.

Let’s go up the mountain after going through several battles.

We will soon reach the highest peak of this mountain range.

We were able to arrive at the entrance of the 423rd Battalion.

But…

“….”

“…Uh, what should I say?”

One of the soldiers who saw the entrance of the battalion.

I muttered in a dazed voice.

“Is this what our unit originally looked like?”

“…no. “Is that possible?”

Even when I left the unit.

The 423rd Battalion looked like an ordinary military unit that was a bit desolate.

That’s where it is now.

“…What about those gorgeous water rooms?”

“What are those talismans?”

Rather than a military base…

yeah.

“…shaman’s house?”

It was a fortune teller.

And

at that point inside the house.

“Are you here, Youngjun?”

A fortune teller in military uniform.

Sergeant Park Tae-jun, in a wheelchair, came out to greet us, smiling.

Although I never told you that I would visit.

As if I knew it would come by this time.

“Welcome back to the unit.”

* * *

A unit I visited after a long time.

As I went inside, I looked around at the surrounding scenery.

‘Residence hall… That’s the supply unit building. In the facilities building….’

Looking at the layout of the buildings.

This is definitely the unit we knew about, right?

“hey. “Taejun.”

“hmm?”

“I’m sorry for asking a question as soon as I saw your face for the first time in a while… What on earth happened here?”

“haha. “The scenery has changed a bit, hasn’t it?”

Unlike when we were in the mountains.

Now that time has passed, have we become accustomed to wheelchairs?

Sergeant Park Tae-jun guides us casually while pulling a wheelchair.

‘The road here is quite rough, but they say it’s so smooth.’

What can I say?

Taejun’s mood felt quite different from when I saw him a few months ago.

Well, rather than an ordinary young soldier in his early 20s.

A veteran shaman with decades of experience.

Or something like a hermit living in the mountains.

“little? “It’s not that much, but this.”

“Well, I think it was done in a bit of a flashy way.”

All kinds of colorful water threads and amulets.

There are also unidentifiable drawings or letters engraved on the walls of buildings that can be seen here and there.

On an ordinary road, there was something like a stone tower made of large stones.

‘A scenery you would see at any historical site….’

These guys stayed in the mountains for a long time.

If you think about it, you were stuck in the military unit for several months without any vacation.

All I could eat was tasteless preserved food.

uh.

Is this by any chance?

“I went crazy due to stress.”

“What man?”

“Of course not, right? Hahaha….”

“….”

Sergeant Park Tae-jun looks at me as if he is dumbfounded.

anyway.

Unless you are acting abnormally due to stress.

There must be a reason for this scenery.

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“…?”

“I did it for my abilities.”

Fortunately.

It doesn’t seem like the soldiers are crazy or anything like that.

“Are those fancy decorations or stone towers helpful to your abilities?”

“okay.”

Sergeant Taejun Park’s occupation is [Planetarium].

It is a job that predicts the future by observing the paths of stars.

“Honestly, I was a little surprised when you recommended a shaman using my nickname.”

“Tsk tsk. “It suits you well.”

“Well, it’s just as you said. “If you look at the essence, it is true that it is pointless and does not make much difference.”

These are various decorations that you would only see in a shaman’s house.

I guess that would have a positive effect on him too.

“Originally, I didn’t plan on doing something like this, but it happened.”

“huh? Then how did this happen?”

“Have you already forgotten? “Green Mane Tribe.”

“Ah….”

Now that I think about it.

The Green Mane tribe that was at war with us not long ago.

Among them.

Similar to this guy, there were beings called ‘shamans’ who read horoscopes.

‘This guy had to engage in a spiritual battle with those sorcerers alone.’

At that time, I didn’t know because Taejun didn’t say anything.

Looking at this scenery.

‘It seems like a lot of work for about 10 soldiers to work on.’

Without us knowing.

It looks like there was quite a fierce battle on this side.

“Geographically, I had the advantage. Because it is the closest place to the stars. But they were also very skilled and resourceful. There were a lot of numbers. So…”

“You had to use another method?”

“All of those decorations are arrangements that have astrological significance.”

That’s what I heard.

Decorations that appear flashy sometimes look a little different.

“I’m telling you just in case.”

Out of curiosity, I tried to grab a stone piled on the stone tower.

Immediately, Taejun stopped him.

“If you get one thing wrong, it’s going to be a very, very, very painful problem.”

“Hmm.”

“I understand it looks strange, but. “It would be best not to touch it if possible.”

While chatting like that.

Move inside while looking at the changed scenery of the unit.

How many minutes did it take to walk like that?

It’s time to arrive at the destination.

‘At least the other buildings were noble.’

Far away.

I saw a place decorated so extravagantly that it couldn’t be compared to other buildings.

This is the reason our unit existed.

A place located on the highest peak of this high mountain range.

No stuff.

‘Radar half.’

Raider Van Wango.

This was the exact place where Taejun worked.

“oh my god. “Why have you decorated it like this?”

“I told you. “It was all done out of necessity.”

I’m dumbfounded so let me ask.

Sergeant Park Tae-jun calmly manhandles the radar unit’s building.

“Youngjun. “What comes to mind when you think of radar?”

“huh?”

Sudden question.

I was a little embarrassed, though.

“Well, that’s fine. “Something that detects the surroundings and detects crises?”

“It’s not an exact definition, but it’s the right answer. Even if it’s not you, other people probably have similar images.”

Let’s answer what we think will mean something.

Sergeant Park Tae-jun smiles lightly and nods.

“An object that detects the surroundings and senses crisis. “While such consciousness is common to all mankind, there is also the perception that it is a special object.”

“….”

“Perhaps the reason I became an astronomer was because I was a soldier who operated this radar.”

Just like I, a cook, became a chef.

Just as Sergeant Lee Min-jae, a communications soldier, awakened to the magic of radio waves.

Communicating with satellites floating in space.

A radar squad soldier that scans the surroundings and detects crises.

Sergeant Park Tae-jun.

It has become a planetarium where you can communicate with the stars.

“So… it’s the best place to demonstrate my abilities.”

“Is that so?”

“Well, the radar itself is half obsolete, but it can still be used to amplify my abilities.”

If you think about it,

it’s thanks to this guy for staying here and going through a hard time.

It means that the crisis in our unit has been greatly reduced.

“It looks like you worked hard to demonstrate your abilities here.”

“It’s going to be hard, isn’t it?” “That’s what military life is all about.”

I have a lot to think about.

Our unit had 100 awakened people at the time it went down to the ground.

Its strength was already considerable.

There were many enemies on the ground more powerful than him.

If it weren’t for this guy’s help.

no.

If only this guy and the other unit members had not volunteered to remain in these mountains and suffer.

‘It wouldn’t be surprising if our unit was wiped out a long time ago.’

so that.

He opened his mouth to the soldiers with sincerity.

“thanks.”

I probably should have done it a long time ago.

A belated thank you.