The Cook of a Perished World - Chapter 22

Episode 22 That’s Monster Meat

“How are the new youngest guys?”

“I think I’m adapting pretty well. In general, he is a bit older. “It is relatively common for an older successor to come in.”

“They will continue to be the youngest until they think they have completely reformed.”

“yep.”

like this.

The threat to our unit was resolved by adding new members.

However, not all of the unit’s problems were resolved.

rather.

“We have collected as much oil as possible left in the unit… but we are now at our limit. “Excluding vehicle oil, the generator will only be able to run for about a week.”

“…okay.”

Food problem.

Electrical problem.

In addition, all kinds of problems occurred when supply was cut off.

‘It was already a limited resource. Because the number of consumers has increased.’

Those problems have been accelerated by the joining of survivors.

In this situation, there is probably only one path we must take.

“We should get ready to leave.”

last time.

I remember when the Lizard Chieftain attacked my unit.

There may be other reasons why we were able to overcome dozens of Lizard troops, but fundamentally, we were in a defensive position.

The reason why they were able to prevent sporadic raids was because they used the facilities of this Hwang Jun-san battalion and waged advantageous defensive battles.

A safe and warm cradle that protected us.

But every child must leave the cradle someday.

Then….

“I have to finish what needs to be done.”

It is true that the time to leave the unit has arrived.

But I won’t just leave.

‘After making all the preparations.’

After achieving everything that could be achieved in the unit.

We will leave the cradle.

To do that, first…

“How many lizards did you hunt today?”

“yes? “There are probably about ten of them.”

“Bring everything to the front of the restaurant.”

We need to take troop feeding to the next level.

* * *

After dinner time that night.

I called people who could be considered senior officers of the unit to the cafeteria.

Minjae’s older brother, Gwangil, and Suhyuk were the first to succeed in awakening and are now the heads of the wizard warrior shooters.

And even Taejun, who uses his planetarium ability to help decide the unit’s affairs.

“What’s wrong with you coming here without even eating dinner?”

“Can I help you with the restaurant work?”

“It’s not like that.”

After seating the people at the table who didn’t understand the English language due to the sudden call.

I went into the kitchen and brought out the dishes I had prepared.

“Try some of this.”

“oh.”

Kalguksu, fried skewers, etc.

People’s expressions changed happily after seeing the various types of dishes.

“Is it delicious? “What’s happening all of a sudden?”

“Didn’t you say there was a shortage of ingredients? A dish with plenty of meat…”

The supply to the unit was cut off.

It’s natural that it’s good because the taste is strong, but it’s also worth wondering about the source of the ingredients.

If you’re curious about the source, you should tell me.

“That’s lizard meat.”

“Phew!”

“Sergeant Shi Shin?”

Lizard.

The very monsters we are fighting.

The expressions on people’s faces changed slightly when they realized that what they had eaten was the monster, but fortunately no one was nauseated.

To be honest, I expected the level of nausea to come out.

Fortunately, those gathered here do not seem to have a strong aversion to monster meat.

“…I don’t think he’s suddenly trying to pick on us. “Let’s hear the reason.”

Of course, I didn’t feed it to him for no reason.

The moment when I decided to eat the monster’s meat.

“Those guys who are now the youngest.”

Although we were the same person.

Those who were enemies to us.

“We’ve only fought against lizards so far. Luckily, they were guys with clear weaknesses.”

“….”

“But if you listen to what the survivors say, there are various monsters outside, including zombies. “There are even humans among them.”

It’s different from when dealing with Lizard.

People who can’t feel at ease when they meet enemies for the first time.

It will be a tough fight.

So we.

“You have to be fully prepared.”

“What does that have to do with this….”

“Monster meat contains magic, so it’s effective.”

Our unit’s food has now been depleted except for the minimum combat rations.

You can buy rye bread at the store, so you won’t starve to death, but it consumes points and has no place in cooking.

They need to find food on the ground, but a lot of time has passed since the incident occurred.

‘I don’t know if the dishes can be stored for a long time, but it must have become difficult to find fresh food such as meat.’

so.

“You have to eat the monster.”

“…I know what you’re talking about, but there are probably a lot of people who don’t like it.”

“Lizards in particular will be very reluctant.”

Originally, about 200 people stayed at our unit on the weekend.

About half of them were eaten by lizards.

There are countless people who saw the person they were sleeping next to or a close friend of theirs being eaten right in front of their eyes.

I was managing the mental health of my unit members through the effects of cooking, otherwise it might have been a serious trauma.

furthermore.

‘A monster that eats humans.’

I have no complaints about hunting.

But if you say you have to eat that monster.

‘A monster that ate people will eat people again?’

Even if that person was someone you knew.

There are clearly people who think it is no different from eating someone they know.

Whether it is an ethical issue or a emotional issue.

There will be a lot of rejection.

but.

“What is rejection?”

To be honest, I don’t have time to worry about that.

I am a cook who has to feed this unit to survive.

I have no intention of overlooking the soldiers’ picky eating habits.

“As I said last time, our number one goal is survival.”

“….”

“So let’s be clear. “Maybe I’ll end up being eaten by a monster…”

Or.

“Will I survive by killing and eating monsters?”

The faces of those who heard me changed slightly.

I may say this after all this, but the answer is already set.

“…Leave it to us to persuade the kids.”

“brother?”

“Because it would be more effective for us, as the team leader, to persuade rather than for you, the chef, to speak directly.”

Other people, including Minjae, were nodding their heads as if there were any differences of opinion.

“I was prepared that one day I would have to make a difficult choice.”

“….”

“Because the world has come to this point. To be honest, the choice to eat a monster seems rather easy.”

Taejun even said something like that was a big deal.

There are people like me who think eating monsters is a big deal, and there are also people like Taejun who think, ‘What’s wrong with that?’

Even if it’s for survival.

I believe that the unit members will understand, even if they are reluctant.

then.

“Then I’ll leave it to you to persuade me. instead.”

“hmm?”

“Whether I can persuade you or not, ask us to meet in the backyard of the restaurant tomorrow evening.”

“Well, that’s not difficult. why?”

“Even if the target is a monster, eating is fundamentally something that should be enjoyable.”

Don’t let monster-made food become a bad memory.

I guess I should try my best.

* * *

It’s not often that you get a chance to eat delicious food in the military.

Our unit’s discipline is still quite lax, so we often have company dinners with soldiers, but at best, we often have dinner parties when the king of each department is discharged from the military.

In units with tight schedules, company dinners are often rare unless there is an event such as a sports day.

And today.

A little after dinner time, all the unit members gathered in the yard behind the restaurant.

It’s been a while since we had a company dinner.

“Wow, this is…!”

[Fried Lizard Supreme by a junior chef with sincerity]

[Stir-fried Lizard with red pepper paste by a junior chef with sincerity]

[Lizard kalguksu by a junior chef with sincerity]

[Grilled Lizard Skewers by a junior chef with sincerity] [The junior chef with sincerity

in cooking Lizard Supreme Lizard Steak]

.

.

.

“What is this feast?”

“Well. “I tried using some strength.”

One of the skills I have is [Chef’s Eyes].

Although it is slightly buried thanks to the ‘realization of cooking methods’ used in battle, there was definitely an effect that allowed one to gain ‘realization of cooking methods’.

Although it is only at the level of teaching a few representative recipes, there is one thing that I was able to learn through this ability.

‘Lizard meat is basically close to chicken.’

A lizard that is basically similar to a reptile.

I remember hearing that snake meat tastes similar to chicken because chicken’s distant ancestors were dinosaurs.

In the same vein, isn’t the taste of lizard similar to chicken?

And chicken is one of the ingredients that Koreans love the most.

“I tried every chicken recipe I knew.”

Chicken stir-fried chicken, chicken noodle soup, chicken skewers, etc.

Take advantage of the fact that they have quite a bit of sauce in stock.

Even though the main ingredient is lizard, I tried making it in a variety of recipes so that you wouldn’t get tired of it as much as possible.

“Is this… curry?”

“uh. “Curry is one of the unit’s emergency rations, so it’s quite plentiful.”

“and! chicken!”

“Because we prepared it with various flavors. “Take your pick.”

Unlike in the early days when fresh ingredients were plentiful, in recent times there were many cases of people filling their meals with combat rations due to the need to conserve ingredients.

Thinking about that, it was the first proper feast in a long time.

Each lizard is almost the size of a person.

Thanks to this, there is so much meat that it rots.

Fortunately, the reaction of the unit members was not bad.

“This is monster meat.”

“It’s delicious…?”

“It tastes good, but look at the stats going up. “It’s a level that can’t be compared to the cooking buffs I’ve eaten so far…”

Some people may not be able to eat even ingredients they are familiar with because they are reluctant to do so.

A typical example would be dog meat or something like that.

The lizard’s meat is even something I’ve never tried before and it comes from monsters.

Nevertheless, seeing everyone eating it deliciously…

honestly, as someone who cooked, I couldn’t help but feel proud.

Nevertheless, there were soldiers who felt rejected.

“I know that eating a monster is very unpleasant and not easy.”

“Sergeant Shin….”

“Still, leave it to me. “I will make it deliciously delicious.”

I approached those people and spoke with some sincerity.

“Well… who doesn’t know Sergeant Shin’s cooking skills?”

“If the monster that is used as material is humanoid, I might be a bit reluctant. I think Lizard will be okay though.”

“No, rather, it’s a shame because it reminds me of the lizards I’ve burned so far, isn’t it?”

Even the soldiers who had shown resistance to eating monsters seemed to soften their expressions.

The taste is delicious, but it is done out of necessity.

at last.

All soldiers agreed to eat monsters.

“It feels good! “I’m going to finish all the soju and beer I’ve hidden away today!”

“Have you hidden alcohol?”

“Leftover alcohol from department dinners. “Where did you think everyone went?”

“Sometimes the bodies of the cooks smell like alcohol!”

Although a monster attacked the unit, the unit members were somehow managed mentally.

Nevertheless, the atmosphere of the unit itself could not help but become a little rigid due to the anxiety that one might die at any time.

‘I’ll be leaving the unit soon.’

Before that, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a dinner party like this to relieve tension.

“Uweek.”

“ah! “Private Kim, I’m about to throw up!”

“Why is a guy who can’t even drink so excited…!”

…Is it a bit too much? Although I can see some scenery that makes me want to see it.

Still, seeing everyone eating and drinking happily, I didn’t feel too bad.

“This is today’s main dish, the Lizard Chieftain dish!”

“What is it? “It’s been a while since I killed him…!”

“I wonder if a day like this will come. “I trimmed it secretly.”

“Oh my…”

I also fed it to Lieutenant Kim, but the Chieftain’s meat tasted better and the cooking effect was higher than that of other lizards.

I decided to throw away all the Chieftain meat today, except for the amount I had left behind just in case.

Fortunately, the ingredients are overflowing to the point of rotting, so they keep refilling the food that runs out, and it’s quite fun to watch.

In one corner, Lee Sang-ah, the representative of the survivors, is seen holding a skewer and looking around…

“Huh?”

Mr. Lee Sang-ah?

The reason you have to eat monsters is because buffs through cooking are essential to survive.

In other words, it is not something that must be forced on survivors who do not participate in battle.

So, only the unit members who are participating in the battle were invited to the dinner, so why did that person, the representative of the survivors, come here?

‘I guess you don’t think it’s strange.’

They alienate the survivors and only take care of the unit members. I thought it would be difficult to think about it that way, so I quickly approached and tried to explain.

“Mr. Sang-a? “There is no other intention behind this.”

“…Are you eating monsters?”

“yes? ah.”

It looks like the unit members have already heard what the lizard meat is like.

Fortunately, they don’t seem to think it’s discrimination, but more than that, they seem surprised by the fact that they’re eating a monster.

‘…Well, it’s really strange to see him eating monsters and liking them.’

Why don’t we see cult groups enjoying wild festivals while eating the meat of demonic beasts in movies?

Although in reality we are completely different, on the outside we may look similar.

“This may seem a little strange, but it is.”

“To survive…to that extent.”

Can you hear me as I try to explain it in my own way?

Sang-ah, who was muttering to herself for a moment, soon raised her head and spoke.

“I have a favor to ask you.”

“yes?”

“We would like you to officially join the unit.”