The Cook of a Perished World - Chapter 213
Episode 213: What is this?
A contract with the devil.
When I say that, it feels like something amazing.
‘In the end, they must have been people living normal social lives until a few months ago.’
People like that.
Of course, he signed a contract that required him to lightly sacrifice his life.
Even attacking soldiers through that contract?
‘No matter how much time has passed, it is not easy to change that much in just a few months.’
This is the world.
I think it is possible to become a little selfish.
This is a world where there are not just one or two people who have turned into predators, but rather it is common.
The same goes for attacking us, a military base.
for their own survival.
If the attack was carried out to obtain necessary items, it could have been assumed that it was possible and passed over.
but.
“You sign a contract by sacrificing your life.”
I don’t know what purpose they exist as an organization.
The overriding goal is not one’s own survival.
It means to be in something else.
If it’s for that something.
It also means that you are prepared to sacrifice your life.
‘It’s not normal.’
It was the first attack.
If you feel like it, it wouldn’t be strange to dispatch troops as soon as you find out the location.
but.
These are people who would have been living normal lives just a few months ago.
This is just my intuition.
The reason why guys like that sacrifice their lives.
What are you trying to achieve by doing that?
‘If it’s said that he was brainwashed… then it’s not something that needs to be subjugated.’
I felt like I should know.
Besides…
“I don’t like it.”
I’m not bragging, but…
I still think of the day of destruction sometimes.
My successors died in vain before my eyes.
The sight of the head being torn off by the monster and all kinds of organs scattered.
I can’t forget it at all.
What is human death?
It was much more ugly and disgusting than I knew.
“It makes me lose my appetite.”
To avoid that kind of death.
I’ve been struggling like a dog until now.
But such a death.
There are people who choose lightly.
That’s a bit much.
“You’re annoying, aren’t you?”
* * *
Slurp….
[Characteristic – Environmental Assimilation]
Leading a body that has become transparent due to the effect of the trait.
A city where enemies will reside.
I carefully pushed myself inside.
Square….
‘Hmm?’
I was approaching it without much thought.
Let’s turn our attention to the sound coming from beneath our feet.
I saw snow piled high.
Environmental assimilation simply allows you to blend into your surroundings.
Even if you step on snow, it doesn’t mean that it leaves no traces.
‘They say you shouldn’t step on the snow.’
Although the roads where humans come and go here have been cleared of snow to some extent.
There don’t seem to be many places like that.
‘Then hmm.’
Finish.
I had learned a skill that could be useful in situations like this.
Cooking utensils in the shadows.
From there, take out a large teppanyaki plate.
‘It was easily used for defense in battle.’
Mr. Park’s grandfather’s iron plate is very useful when cooking.
Looking at the tool.
The skill was activated.
[Assistant Chef]
Flying through the air.
Ability to summon an invisible ‘assistant chef’.
‘It’s a win, though.’
No matter what trait or skill.
Depending on how the person using it uses it.
‘The ways to use it are endless.’
The invisible assistant chef.
He lifted the iron plate into the air…
and I.
“Tskcha.”
I put my body on top of it.
An iron plate floating in the air.
Me standing on top of it.
in other words.
‘aeronautics.’
Not so long ago anyway.
You went through a lot of trouble against a monster bigger than me.
My fighting method is quite useful against enemies of similar body type to me.
As you grow larger, you become infinitely helpless.
‘Even if you identify a weak point with [the chef’s eye], there is no answer if it is in a place where you cannot stab it.’
Because there are limits to the assistant chef’s attack power and accuracy.
At least I solved it last time using poison.
There may be cases where that method does not work.
So I thought.
I wish I could fly in the air myself.
The result is this.
‘It has a lot of magical power, but it’s much more of a headache to use it in battle.’
anyway.
It was a flying technique that allowed one to float in the air.
Fortunately, it’s not a combat situation right now.
As long as you don’t step on the snow, there’s no need to fly that high.
Are the cooking utensils that come in contact with my body treated as part of my body?
[Environmental assimilation] characteristics are also shared.
I remain hidden.
He flew low and hid inside the city.
While I was carefully sneaking inside.
Kuung…
I can feel it around me.
A sign of something huge.
‘Sigh.’
I held my breath and looked towards where I felt the presence.
OK.
[Ingredients Identification (Enhancement)]
[Hell Knight]
A black shadow in the shape of a knight.
A huge monster over 3 meters tall was seen moving somewhere along with the sound of heavy footsteps.
‘…You look really strong.’
The color that appears in the [Combat Power Meter] is green.
It’s like the giant monster we met last time.
The level just below boss-level monsters like Ariella.
Our current unit should be able to handle it.
A level that is by no means easy.
‘They lured me by giving away a monster like that… It’s no wonder the Green Mane tribe is in trouble.’
Even after that.
I found several monsters passing by.
‘As expected, it is a considerable amount of power.’
The guy I first met seemed incredibly strong.
Objects comparable to it keep popping up.
Of course, each one is quite strong.
The numbers are significant too.
There were many different types.
‘If I were to join without any information… I would have had quite a hard time.’
but.
Borgin also brought that information.
What more?
[Attribute – ‘Chef’s Eye’ is activated.]
[Advanced Cooking Secret – Obtain ‘Enlightenment of Hell Knight Recipes’.]
[He is a Hell Knight who was once noble, but became corrupted by giving his soul to the devil.]
[The proud soul was quenched in the abyss of hell and lost its light, and now it has lost its sense and is chained to distorted armor.] [To clean it, first remove the hard shell and then focus on the
part that can be called the internal organs. […]
Information that even Borgin would not have known.
I guess I’m glad I’m seeing it with my own eyes.
by the way.
‘They said these guys were troops deployed only for defense, so they’ve been quiet until now.’
Last time the monsters at the military base were liberated.
What if the monsters here along with them attacked?
No matter what, I wonder if it couldn’t have been prevented.
They said they were defensive troops lent by the devil.
It is fortunate that they are monsters that cannot be turned to the outside world.
‘For us, it feels similar to a dragon soldier specializing in defense.’
If there’s a problem.
No matter how much they are called defensive monsters.
‘They say we have to subdue these guys.’
no.
It’s not just those monsters.
‘If we start being attacked… the humans here will also fulfill that damn contract.’
There are quite a few monsters running around right now.
We must assume that more enemies will stop us.
‘It’s going to be quite a tough subjugation.’
With that in mind, I entered inside.
Just like the monster I felt earlier
.
A presence felt from somewhere.
This time too, I held my breath and lowered my body.
Unlike just now.
“Whoa…”
What appeared was not the devil’s minion.
A man with an ordinary appearance walking while sighing.
in other words.
‘He is human.’
[Food Ingredients Identification (Enhancement)]
[Primates – Human Species]
[Occupation: Demon Contractor]
The purpose of my coming here.
It was a devil contractor.
* * *
“Ha… what should I do?”
He seems to be worried about something.
A human being moves while sighing.
‘You must not let down your guard.’
Although it looks ordinary.
Even though he looks like that, he is actually a human who made a contract with the devil.
It means the worst of all evils.
‘I don’t know, but I guess you could say he’s similar to the looters we subdued last time.’
I don’t know why I’m walking around sighing.
To find out as much information about them as possible.
I moved after the man.
Squeak….
Let’s arrive in front of a building.
A man opens the door and goes inside.
‘Following all the way inside… ‘It must be a bit difficult, right?’
I am confident that I will not be caught easily.
Because the inside of the building is narrow.
You never know where the iron plate you are riding on might hit.
‘Then hmm.’
A man begins to climb the stairs inside the building.
And there was a window connected to the stairs.
‘Going outside.’
A little low-altitude flight was possible by riding on a steel plate.
When the height you wish to fly increases.
Perhaps because of my weight, my horsepower consumption increased dramatically.
But whatever.
Because there is no way to do this either.
[Assistant Chef]
Let’s use the skill again.
This time the cooking tools are listed before my eyes.
I put my foot on the handle of one of them.
As an assistant chef, the number of items I can handle at once is about 10, based on my current abilities.
As I put my foot down, the assistant chef brought a cooking tool in front of me that would serve as my next stepping stone.
It feels like stairs are automatically created in the air according to my movements.
‘I don’t feel comfortable stepping on cooking utensils, though.’
The handle or the top of the lid, etc.
Step on the part that doesn’t have any problems and float upward.
Although it is a difficult method to use in combat.
Just floating into the air was an efficient method that consumed less mana.
Eat.
‘Now that I think about it again, I’ve become capable of all kinds of things.’
anyway.
As I saw the man on the other side of the wall climbing the stairs, I stepped on the assistant chef.
We ascended to the sky one step at a time.
yet.
It appears that the desired target number of floors has been reached.
A man entering a room.
‘hmm?’
I move slightly to the side accordingly.
He moved to a place where he could see the window of the room he entered.
OK.
I could see people talking through the window.
‘There are more numbers than I thought?’
Cancel [Assistant Chef], which consumes a lot of magic power.
After hanging onto something that looked like a small protrusion on the exterior wall of the building.
I listened to the sounds coming from inside.
“How…did you say there was a doctor?”
“no. “I guess it doesn’t exist.”
however.
The conversation I heard there was a little strange.
‘doctor?’
I looked to see what was going on.
There was a child lying in the middle of them.
“There are so many people and not a single doctor. Does this make sense?”
“that is. “There wasn’t even one person missing.”
“yes? “What does that mean?”
“Unfortunately, they were all involved in the last operation, so it looks like they have signed a contract.”
“…iced coffee.”
…hmm.
I didn’t really understand what the situation was.
‘no. I can understand the situation itself…’
Apparently, there is a sick child.
It looks like they are doing this because there is no way to treat that child.
‘Isn’t it sick? It’s winter. ‘You might get caught.’
Along with summer, this is the time when the most diseases occur.
Perhaps something similar is happening elsewhere.
but.
What I didn’t understand was the other part.
‘It may be a small group, but a group the size of these guys can’t treat a single disease?’
Looking at the popularity I feel around me.
The number of people is not that small.
The area protected by monsters alone is considerable.
Most of them have awakened to the profession of [Demon Contractor].
Since he would have excellent physical abilities, it would not be difficult to obtain medicinal materials.
Even if you’re unlucky as a doctor and don’t exist.
Even if there is just one healer-type awakened person like a priest…
“At times like this, I feel envious of other people.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ordinary awakened people say that professions like priests can even cure diseases. On the other hand, if we don’t have this job, we don’t get protection from those monsters.”
A man sighing.
After hearing that story.
I could understand why they were doing this.
The only ones that those monsters protect are those who have made a pact with the devil.
in other words.
‘Are you saying there isn’t a single person in any other profession?’
Naturally, everyone chooses the same profession.
Among these, there are no healer-type occupations such as priests.
I can roughly understand the situation.
But what should I say?
‘It’s not the scenery I expected?’
It is the home base of the enemies who suddenly attacked us.
Of course, I thought only evil people would gather there.
The villains are gathering in a dark place and going ‘tsk tsk…’ and plotting bad things.
It is natural for such a scene to occur.
I was planning to find out more information about these guys there.
‘This is a bit much.’
You get sick but you can’t get treatment, so you’re stuck.
This is a situation like this.
I didn’t expect it at all.
Seeing a child in pain.
Adults lost in thought.
“…It’s going to be hard to live long anyway.”
Meanwhile.
A middle-aged man cautiously opened his mouth.
“You all know it’s not like an ordinary cold. “I tried my own medicine, but it didn’t work.”
“….”
“It may be a disease that requires proper treatment, but we don’t have the ability to do so. I’m probably going to die soon. “It would be better if that were the case.”
The man who was speaking seemed to hesitate a little.
Soon he opened his mouth.
“Wouldn’t it be better to proceed with the contract quickly?”
The words that came out of that mouth.
It contained the vicious content I first expected.
contract.
If you say that, it may not seem like a big deal.
[Skill – Contract]
[Perform the contract with the devil. By paying the price, you can present a demand commensurate with the price.]
If what I heard from Borgin is true.
That price is life.
in other words.
‘The child is going to die anyway, so why not sacrifice his life to gain something?’
Nonsense nonsense.
With a frown.
As expected, the thought crossed my mind that they were the evil guys I thought they were.
Right at that moment.
“mister!”
In the words of a middle-aged man.
The others were very surprised and protested.
“You’re still a child!”
“What should I do if it’s a child? “Didn’t we all come prepared to sign a contract anyway?”
“That’s true, though.”
“Even those who have already sacrificed their lives probably didn’t want to die like that. “Whether you are an adult or a child, wanting to live is the same.”
I bet you didn’t want to die like that.
‘Those guys who died in front of me gave up their lives very coolly.’
Although I did scream at the end.
Without even having a chance to say anything, he sacrificed his life to summon a monster.
“But… didn’t he sacrifice his life for the greater good? “This child is prepared to do the same, so his awakening must have been successful.”
“….”
Things keep going back and forth that I don’t understand.
“We didn’t get this job because we were intimidated. huh? “Is there anyone here whose life is precious?”
“You know that.”
From my perspective, life is definitely a waste.
I wondered what you were talking about.
“We don’t value our lives.”
The first man I noticed was walking and sighing.
He said, shaking his head.
‘What kind of bullshit is that?’
From my perspective.
It was nothing but bullshit.
“We are ready to fulfill the contract at any time for the greater good. “It will be the same for this kid.”
“Then…”
“But it must be when the moment comes to make the sacrifice.”
“what?”
The middle-aged man seemed to be wondering what that meant.
I opened my eyes wide and asked back.
“What do you want to say?”
“Just because we are prepared to die doesn’t mean our lives become cheap.”
“hmm?”
“I am determined to give up my life for the cause, but I think we must live as hard as we can until that moment comes. Only then will our sacrifices have value. A life thrown away cheaply…is bound to lose value.”
“….”
“You’re driving a dying child like this one away by telling him to quickly sacrifice himself before he dies. That’s not right. “Aren’t we still human?”
“That’s… I see.”
To the company’s persuasion.
A middle-aged man lets out a small sigh.
“I’m sorry. “I guess I was a little impatient.”
“Oh no! Because this is the situation. I guess everyone has become a little more urgent. I think that could well be the case. “It’s not something you need to apologize for.”
A man who succeeded in persuading a middle-aged man.
He said while looking at the people gathered in the room.
“anyway! “I failed to get a doctor right away, but I did tell the leader about this child.”
“What did the leader say?”
“There is no way right now. He said he would do his best to provide the means possible. He’ll probably take some action soon, so let’s all trust and wait. “Until the contract is fulfilled, we work hard to do our part.”
“Whew. all right.”
“I can’t help it. “First of all, it doesn’t look like he’s going to die right away, so all we can do is try to nurse him as best as we can.”
“Then let’s all go to work. I saw earlier that the water was almost gone. Since it is also used as drinking water, refill it right away…”
Just like that.
People having a solemn conversation and then disbanding warmly.
‘No, that’s why.’
Looking at that.
I couldn’t help but be confused.
“…What is this?”