The Military Chef of a Ruined World

They didn’t benefit from the effects of items made by the awakened in our guild or production-focused groups.

“The numbers have increased tremendously, but in terms of combat power, it’s only about 1.5-2 times what it was when it was just our unit.”

“Even that is already enormous.”

“That’s true.”

Corporal Seo Su-hyeok’s gaze seemed rather unconvinced.

Well, what can you do?

Hoping that others would be as elite as our unit members was a luxury.

‘We need to use this military force to conquer the dungeon.’

There was at least one piece of good news.

Jeong Soo-ah approached me and informed.

Her occupation was that of a Spirit Master.

Given that her combat ability was not particularly outstanding,

We have always used her ability like a drone.

The spirit she had contracted was none other than the Spirit of Water.

‘A spirit that can move through water… In this dungeon, it means she can see anywhere.’

Perhaps she can be more useful in combat here than outside.

From her perspective, this was a very favorable dungeon.

“The center was too high in water level, so we couldn’t see inside from the outside, and when we tried to go in, we were obstructed, making reconnaissance difficult.”

“But not anymore, huh.”

“Yes. Whatever was obstructing the vision must have been dealt a fatal blow. Now we should be able to at least roughly scout the center.”

Being able to conduct reconnaissance was highly significant.

The survivors in the city were scattered across the high-rise buildings on the outskirts.

No one knew what was going on in the center.

Just being able to identify where the enemy were distributed would be a huge advantage.

But…

“Huh? This is a bit unexpected.”

“Hm? What’s there?”

The center of the city, submerged in deep water.

The water covering the city was relatively clear.

“There are buildings….”

“…Buildings of a design I’ve never seen in any book.”

“Hmm.”

No matter how much the survivors live in high-rise buildings on the outskirts,

They couldn’t have seen what’s inside.

While people’s eyes were averted,

There were buildings being constructed inside.

“The city center would have had plenty of buildings originally. What happened to those buildings?”

“The buildings that were submerged in water have all disappeared.”

“You don’t mean… They demolished the buildings?”

“I’m not sure, but I don’t think we should imagine what the landscape was like before it was flooded.”

Architectural structures made of mysterious pure white materials.

“Well, if the assumption of the dungeon being a terraforming project is correct, then they’re probably trying to create an environment suitable for their own living. It’s not strange that they’d be building their own style of buildings.”

“It’s surprising that they have a culture advanced enough to construct buildings.”

The areas we’ve visited so far have been the outskirts of the city.

But this place was truly a dungeon.

Aside from the special environment of being submerged in water, it’s not much different from the outside.

In fact, it might even be safer, with no zombies and the monsters only roaming in the water.

‘So, the central area must be different.’

The core forces of the monsters and the boss monsters would be situated there.

The human buildings that were there have all disappeared.

What remains were the structures built in their own style.

Yes, this has truly become a place deserving of being called a dungeon.

Splash…

Hundreds of humans immersed their bodies in the water.

The cold water lowers their body temperature and weighs down their clothes and equipment.

“Tsk.”

“This sensation just never gets familiar.”

The water environment is not originally meant for humans, after all.

Of course, that’s just a minor annoyance.

The real problem arrived soon after.

Fwooosh!

From within the water,

Black forms approached rapidly,

“There, there!”

“They’re coming!”

Normally,

Most of the humans in this city avoided fighting the fishmen.

And even those who did fight had to be extremely cautious.

They were vastly outnumbered and at a disadvantage due to the environment.

So, their choice was understandable.

Disregarding that, Chang-su’s group was the one that frequently clashed with the them.

But even among them, few survived after repeated battles.

However, the situation has changed a bit now.

“Hiyaa!”

A man who used to tremble at the mere sight of the fishmen,

“Haha! That’s a home run, you bastard!”

Swung his huge mallet, knocking away the leaping fishmen monster.

And he wasn’t the only one.

“My body feels so light!”

“Haha! Die, you piranha bastards!”

“Hiyaaaa!!!”

The humans who were once mere prey to the monsters,

Were now slaying those monsters, after becoming our allies a short while ago.

“That’s quite an impressive buff.”

The reason why this became possible was quite simple:

Captain Kim’s Battle Cry, and my magical cooking buffs.

The wide area buffs that our unit is proud of.

“We did have some buffer-type Awakened among us, but… the level is on a different scale. Especially this ‘environmental adaptation’ buff.”

Crack!

Chang-su quickly dispatched the charging monster, stabbing its heart with his spear.

Looking down at his spear, he said,

“Lieutenant, do you know why I’ve started using a spear?”

“Huh? Because of your Awakened ability, right?”

“That’s part of it, but to be precise, it’s a bit different. There were limited options for fighting enemies in the water.”

Most actions were restricted underwater.

Especially larger weapons, which lose a lot of their power due to water resistance.

“The best options were either a piercing spear, or maybe a dagger with a small surface area. Those were the only viable weapons for underwater combat.”

“I see.”

“Most in our group use one of those two. It’s one of the know-hows we’ve built up, having fought those monsters the most. But…”

Unlike Chang-su’s group,

Other Awakened haven’t experienced as much combat with the fishmen.

They’ve only fought a little when awakening new members.

“Swinging a mace underwater? Normally, that would be a worse weapon than bare hands…”

The weapons they wield vary based on the abilities they awakened.

The first awakened who struck down a monster had used a mace like weapon, for instance.

“But now those weapons are performing to their full potential.”

My cooking’s buffs were significant in improving stats, but

The most crucial part was the temporary abilities it can grant.

[Environmental Adaptation – Water]

[Possesses excellent adaptability to a specific environment. When active in water, reduces environmental restrictions on actions by up to 80%]

“That’s an absurd effect.”

“Well, the effect is a bit good, I suppose.”

“A bit?”

Chang–su let out a hollow laugh.

“I asked the other soldiers before, but is this something all the awakened outside can do? That can’t be the case, right?”

“I’m afraid it’s not, unfortunately.”

“Good to hear. I was almost devastated by the loss of confidence.”

The reason we can provide such buffs was that our unit has been tempered through countless battles and grown stronger.

“Honestly, I thought the addition of other groups wouldn’t have much impact. At most, they could just bodily block the monsters, given the environmental constraints.”

“But that’s no longer the case.”

As he said,

Not only have their stats increased,

But the Awakened can now fully utilize their abilities even underwater.

And so,

The monsters who were once the predators were now the ones being pushed back.

Chang-su muttered with a low chuckle,

“Killing them all might… be very much possible now.”