The Cook of a Perished World - Chapter 35

Episode 35 Everything is delicious when fried. (3)

* * *

“Wounded this way!”

“Hanil was hurt a lot. “Treat him first.”

“yep!”

After getting out of the warehouse, we retreated to a safe place nearby.

Two healers rushed to treat the wounded.

in between.

Other unit members sat down on the floor and took a moment to catch their breath.

“What are you going to do?”

Let me also take a moment to catch my breath.

Sergeant Lee Min-jae came to see me and asked.

“This monster is stronger than you think.”

Minjae speaks while looking towards the warehouse we exited.

“It certainly looks like subjugation will be difficult with our current forces.”

Gwangil also joined in with Minjae.

“I propose a retreat.”

“Retreat.”

“Securing materials is to make future operations easier. It’s not essential right now. “I don’t think there’s any need to take any damage.”

Minjae hyung suggests a retreat.

It’s definitely not wrong.

“What were the commander’s eyes like? that. “If you watch your enemy, you can find out his weaknesses or characteristics.”

“Seeing as Youngjun didn’t say anything, doesn’t that mean the skill didn’t work?”

“no. “It worked.”

As she said.

My skill [Chef’s Eye] tells me how to prepare the target and some of its characteristics.

I discovered the weaknesses of many monsters with this skill.

“That guy too. “I figured out what type of monster it was.”

“really? Then, if you use that information to start a strategy again-.”

“I want to do that too. “I think it’s going to be a little difficult this time.”

“yes?”

The skill was definitely activated.

But that’s the information I got.

[Low level cooking secret – ‘Learning how to prepare a tapir’]

[A tapir is a type of creature that protects its soft body by wrapping a hard object around its body.] [

The preparation method is very easy; first remove the skin and then remove the flesh inside. All you have to do is cut it into bite-sized pieces -.]

It’s like this.

The monster’s name is ‘Mac’.

It is a monster that has a weak body but protects itself by surrounding itself with objects.

‘It’s probably similar to a hermit crab.’

Perhaps that black energy is the main body.

It just took the shape of a huge bear using hardware found around it.

The main body is extremely fragile.

The problem is his weakness.

The question is how to prepare it…

“Remove the skin somehow and then cut it into bite-size pieces.”

“….”

The soldiers who heard the story looked at me with blank expressions.

It is a monster that buffed troops cannot inflict any damage to.

skin.

That is, even if you ask them to remove the steel surrounding their bodies.

“Isn’t that a weakness or something?”

“yes?”

If you had the strength to do that, would you suffer?

If you could remove the shells covering its body, you could just beat it to death.

‘This is what you shouldn’t mistake about my abilities…’

A chef’s eye is a skill that tells you how to prepare ingredients.

To be precise, it doesn’t tell you strategy or weaknesses.

In most cases, the grooming method and weaknesses often coincided.

Thanks to this, I have been able to use it well to identify weaknesses so far.

“There are rare cases where this is not the case.”

“Then is retreat the answer?”

The other leaders were all focused on retreating.

Just like Minjae said earlier.

Securing materials is not essential.

The cost invested in this operation was not much.

Besides, isn’t there a hardware warehouse somewhere else?

Retreat would be the right choice.

But…

there is one thing that is holding me back.

‘I can’t go back even if I’m angry like this.’

furthermore.

There was one thing that bothered me.

“That guy. “At first, I thought it was just a monster made of iron pieces.”

“yes?”

“Why a golem? “There is such a thing.”

Not all monsters have to be living things.

A machine made of iron or something.

There could be such a monster.

“I wondered if that was why they messed up my cooking.”

For a monster like that, I can understand why it didn’t eat the meat I threw at it.

If it’s a monster that doesn’t need food in the first place.

Even if you don’t know how to cook, there’s nothing you can do about it.

But no.

“Looking at the explanation given by my skills, it seems to be an organic organism. “Then you should eat something, so why did you refuse my cooking?”

actually.

This is also the biggest reason why I hesitate to retreat.

The monster that refused to cook my food.

I think I will feel relieved only if I know the reason.

It was then.

“You have to eat something…”

“Huh?”

Corporal Lee Gong-woo heard what I said.

I could see him muttering in a low voice.

“Gongwoo? “Do you have any guesses?”

“yes? ah. Actually, it’s not a big deal.”

“Anything is fine, so tell me. “It doesn’t matter if the information is not helpful.”

Let me urge you.

“Well… there’s hardware lying around in there, right?”

Only then did Corporal Lee Gong-woo carefully open his mouth.

“Some of them had traces as if they had been chewed by something.”

“It’s a sign of gnawing?”

“yes. “I would say that some of the intact hardware was chipped away little by little.”

Sergeant Lee Min-jae said after hearing Corporal Lee Gong-woo’s words.

“Is it possible that I looked at the rust incorrectly?”

“Uhm, probably not. Engineers basically have the characteristic of material identification. “Given its characteristics, it is by no means a common sign.”

“If it’s true, it’s amazing.”

“I don’t think that’ll help much, right?”

The attitude of other people as if their opinions are not very helpful.

Even Corporal Lee Gong-woo, who spoke, seemed to think so.

But my thoughts were different.

Traces of gnawing.

“Is that it?”

“yes?”

“I guess I was making a ridiculous mistake.”

In the first place, that guy was not a human, but a monster.

then.

We should have kept in mind the possibility that meat is not a staple food…!

‘It’s about eating iron.’

It’s like serving a meat dish to a vegetarian and then getting angry because they didn’t eat it.

I can’t believe that a guy who was famous as a chef didn’t even think about such basic things.

‘Well, you got annoyed because I threw away my cooking.’

If I think about it now, there is no such thing as a red and blue field.

Convinced, I shouted to the resting soldiers.

“Flood! Are you there!”

“Yes, Private Jang Hong-su!”

The soldier I called.

Private Jang Hong-su’s occupation is ‘Fire Wizard’.

“Can you light a fire here?”

“yes…? ah. yep. All right.”

After starting a small fire on the floor with the guy’s help.

I opened my military bag, took out a small wok and placed it on top.

And similarly, I took out one more item from my bag.

A small glass bottle containing yellow liquid.

The contents

were sprinkled onto a wok heated with oil.

“Youngjun?”

“What are you trying to do…?”

People are puzzled by my sudden behavior and ask questions.

I answered casually.

“Why do they say that fried shoes are delicious?”

then.

“Wouldn’t it be delicious if the iron pan was fried?”

“…is that correct?”

“uh. well?”

The soldiers ask questions as if they are dumbfounded.

I don’t know if this is right or not.

You must have tried something like a fried iron plate.

In any case, ‘Wouldn’t it be okay if I just do it well?’ Just what I want.

“I don’t know if it will work out or not. “It’s a monster that’s hard to solve through combat right away, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then we should try something before we retreat. “Anyway, you have to lose to get your money’s worth.”

“Uh… I guess that’s true too?”

yet.

All the soldiers gathered began to look at my cooking.

“hmm. “The problem is the materials.”

“Oh, if that’s the case.”

Should I say that I am fortunate?

The monster appeared after I gave the order to retrieve materials.

“Here it is.”

“It was a little dirty because it was rolling around on the floor.”

As soon as the order was given, there were soldiers who picked up items rolling on the floor.

Among them, I chose one item that was in relatively good condition and washed it thoroughly.

‘Let’s see. The temperature is enough.’

Meanwhile, Private Jang Hong-su continued to increase the heat of the oil.

There is no need to worry about the material burning, so the temperature just needs to rise appropriately.

carefully.

A well-cleaned iron plate was placed in the oil.

Pong.

There was no frying sound that you would normally hear when you put food in oil.

Because I threw it in without even coating it with frying powder.

‘Actually, is it difficult to call it fried food?’

But let’s coat it with frying powder.

I wonder if a monster that doesn’t even eat meat would be attracted to something like bread crumbs.

In the end, all I can do is maximize the variety of ‘cooking’.

Of course, the chances of success are not high.

But you have to fall short to get even.

It’s definitely worth a try.

“….”

In silence.

Everyone’s attention was focused on the iron plate with floating oil.

How much time has passed?

“I guess this is enough.”

I put the tongs into the oil and took out the iron plate.

An iron plate soaked in oil.

Then lightly rub your finger on it.

‘Special sauce’ was sprinkled on the iron plate.

“For now, I’m done with this… but.”

“Hmm.”

“It looks like nothing has changed.”

Finished teppan fries.

However, from the outside, it just seems a little more shiny.

It looked like nothing more than an oiled iron plate.

“Failure…?”

“I can’t help it.”

“There is a hardware store near the county office. “It may be dangerous, but we can go through that later.”

When everyone was predicting failure.

Tiring.

“no.”

“yes?”

With a familiar sound.

Phrases that appear before my eyes.

[The dish is complete.]

[Frying on an oil griddle with a low-level chef’s sense of defeat]

[This is an alloy dish that has a deeper flavor thanks to the mixing of mixed magic.]

[It is a simple dish. The effect decreases slightly.]

Grinning.

“It is a success.”

“…!”

A message fills my eyes.

Information about the finished dish flows into my head.

As the dish I made, it included various buffs, but that’s not important.

One important thing.

This greasy iron plate has been recognized as a dish!

[This is a dish that goes beyond the concept of existing dishes.]

But.

The message didn’t end there.

[For the first time in the Ingang family, we have discovered a new horizon in cooking!]

[There are limitations to chefs that many chefs do not realize.]

[That is the limitations of ingredients!]

[No matter how good a chef he is. It is extremely rare to attempt to cook with ingredients that are considered inedible.]

[The endless culinary possibilities are overshadowed by small prejudices.]

[Many great chefs are bound by those limitations and fail to take it to the next level. I was frustrated because I couldn’t do it.]

[Not you.]

[Rewards are given to those who get ahead.]

[Reward: The limit on food ingredients disappears.]

‘…?’

It seems like a grand message has been sent.

On the other hand, compensation is one line.

‘What does it mean for limitations to disappear?’

Just when I was trying to check the meaning of the reward.

“Oh my god…”

someone was heard exclamating.

When I turned my gaze in that direction, what I saw was Corporal Lee Gong-woo.

He was staring intently at the iron plate I was holding.

“Corporal Lee Gong-woo?”

“Do you feel something has changed?”

“huh? “Oh, uh-uh.”

I guess I wasn’t the only one who heard his admiration.

Several soldiers asked Corporal Lee Gong-woo a question.

After staring at the iron plate in fascination, the guy finally came to his senses and answered.

“that. As I said before, our engineers have a characteristic called ‘material identification.’”

Material identification.

It’s probably a similar trait to ‘discriminating food ingredients’ that I have.

Similar to me, who can only differentiate between food ingredients, he will be able to differentiate between ingredients.

“If you look at it that way, it’s that iron plate.”

Corporal Lee Gong-woo continued speaking with an expression of disbelief.

“It seems like a completely different product from the iron plate before it went into oil.”

“It’s a completely different item.”

The expressions of the soldiers who heard that answer also became dumbfounded.

Their eyes turned to the iron plate in my hand.

When you look at it from the outside, it’s just a slightly polished iron plate.

‘for a moment.’

So what?

“So it became a stronger steel plate?”

if so.

With this ability, all materials can be strengthened -.

“yes? no.”

“ah.”

“It seems that the efficiency of the material has actually decreased. “It’s at a level where I can’t possibly use it.”

“Is that so?”

I was wondering if I could strengthen the iron plate with my cooking.

Contrary to expectations, it seems that such a thing is impossible.

“It’s not something to just ignore! A substance changes just by putting it in oil and taking it out? This is something that can only be described as a miracle! “It’s probably possible because Sergeant Shin’s job is a job, but really…” It

seems that that was what surprised him.

The excited guy started rambling and explaining how nonsense this was.

Of course, this is not helpful from my perspective.

I thought about what he was saying through one ear.

‘Isn’t it okay to play around with cooking?’

Cooking is all about cooking.

I guess it means that pranks can’t be used for any other purpose.

“what. Does it matter?”

This isn’t the dish I was hoping for in the first place.

As long as you’re good at cooking, that’s enough.

I said, handing over the finished dish to the soldiers.

“You can feed this to the monster.”

“Is this the debuff food you showed me last time?”

Note that.

Most soldiers still don’t know that my cooking can move their emotions.

Since it is an ability that is not good for being revealed publicly.

Thanks to this, the soldiers had a strange misunderstanding.

A dish fed to monsters when coming down the mountain range.

I understand it as a dish that gives a debuff.

“Actually, I’m not sure if it can be called food.”

“It’s food. that. “It is true that it is a debuff food.”

Since the results were roughly similar, we decided to leave the misunderstanding as is.

Anyway, the dish was completed.

so.

“Operations. Let’s begin.”

* * *

That’s right….

We moved back into the warehouse.

However, this time, unlike before, there were only a small number of people.

Except for me, most of them were shield-type warriors with exceptional defense.

I decided that interception would be impossible anyway.

Only warriors with excellent defensive skills followed along just in case.

“This.”

“It’s back to its original state.”

As soon as I re-entered the warehouse, what I saw was hardware scattered on the floor.

Only the arrangement was different from when I first came, but it was the same in that it was scattered in a mess.

“I was wondering why it was such a mess when I first came.”

A monster that gathers materials and forms a gigantic form when it discovers an enemy.

But does that form itself consume power?

After defeating the enemy, the collected materials seem to be scattered haphazardly.

We stood near the entrance and took a detailed look inside the warehouse.

“What is his body?”

“Hmm. “I can’t see it.”

What you need to find is its body.

The black shadow that moved the hardware.

But is it buried and hidden somewhere?

No matter how much I looked, I couldn’t see it at all.

“Tsk. “Maybe if we get a little closer, they’ll show themselves.”

“It will take the form of the same giant monster as before.”

I wanted to find out the location in this state if possible.

I think it will be difficult.

“Then there is nothing we can do.”

I moved confidently.

Let’s take a few more steps into the warehouse.

Guuu….

‘It’s here!’

I heard a vibration sound that I had already heard before.

Apparently, this sound is made by the materials vibrating.

A black shadow spreads throughout the warehouse along with the sound.

Warriors came forward with shields, wary of the hardware floating in the air.

“Everyone be careful!”

“Even if we fail, we must protect Sergeant Shin.”

Warriors who are on alert as if protecting me.

From the perspective of being protected, it seemed quite reassuring.

I looked closely at the black shadow within that protection.

What particularly caught my eye was the center of the shadow.

A space where shadows gather together and become the darkest.

The first place was surrounded by hardware, as if to protect it from external enemies.

‘Is it over there?’

Perhaps that is where its main body is.

Watching the giant monster’s form almost being completed.

I smoothed out the iron plate I brought with me.

An iron plate shiny with oil.

The heat still remained and it was hot.

If I didn’t have the fire affinity trait, I might have had a problem with my hands as well.

Nevertheless, there is one reason why it was brought in such a hot state.

‘You have to eat it while it’s warm because it’s delicious.’

The hand holding the iron plate is on the right.

He pulled his right hand back and made the letter L.

The left hand extends straight forward.

As someone who has never played anything like baseball, this is the only throwing stance I know.

It was in a grenade throwing stance.

‘Throw!’

Unlike training.

The target this time is not inside the lake, but near the main body of the guy.

A shiny iron plate splits the air.

I thought as I looked at that.

‘Last time, you hit it mercilessly, right?’

Thanks to this, my pride was seriously hurt.

But this time is different.

Steel plates falling around the guy’s body.

A black shadow headed towards that place.

and.

Ok.

A shadow clinging to an iron plate.

The iron plate was sucked into the place where the main body was assumed to be, following the shadow.

“done!”

After seeing that, I shouted to the soldiers.

“Jump!”

“Retreat, retreat!”

“The mission was successful. Everyone retreat!”

The goal was achieved.

My soldiers and I turned around and ran away without hesitation.

When I glanced back, I saw a monster watching us with fascination.

Is it really my mood that makes me feel a little absurd?

‘Will you fight me?’

All the soldiers were brought here just in case.

The battle wasn’t part of the operation in the first place.

Even before the fully formed monster pounces on us.

We completed our retreat.

A monster could be seen coming out from afar and watching the soldiers without leaving the warehouse.

We already knew that he wouldn’t chase us.

‘I can guess the reason to some extent.’

This thing is probably a creature that eats the hardware in the warehouse.

The hardware in the warehouse is not only a tool to protect the body, but it is also food.

‘A warehouse overflowing with hardware is the best home for it.’

There is a possibility that someone may steal the food while you are away.

There is no reason to chase a fleeing intruder.

To him, humans are useless beings that he can’t eat.

“I guess I managed to get away with it somehow.”

“I hope it goes well.”

After completely escaping from the monster’s territory, the soldiers spoke.

Soldiers are worried about whether the operation will go well.

I succeeded in delivering the dish I made to the monster.

In the end, the operation can only be successful if it eats it and the effect activates properly.

I understand your concerns.

I shrugged my shoulders and said.

“It will be fine.”

“yes?”

Unlike the anxious soldiers.

I was confident it would work out.

“It’s going to be okay.”

“How can you say that with such confidence?”

“huh? “That’s right…”

In response to the soldiers’ questions.

My answer was simple.

Because I have faith that it will succeed.

“Who made this dish?”

“ah.”

Of course it will work out.

* * *

and.

My belief was not wrong.

“Kkiiing…Kkiiing….”

What is it?

Looking at it like this.

“It’s pretty cute, right?”