The Military Chef of a Ruined World

[Eroded World – Dasmur]

A mysterious barrier surrounded the central area of Chuncheon city.

Rather than entering the barrier, we decided to first survey the surroundings.

“The water near the river and dam has visibly decreased,” said Soo-ah, gazing into the air with her glowing eyes.

This was the result of reconnaissance through spirits.

“The water within must have been drawn from elsewhere. It’s not like they created something from nothing.”

“I suppose that’s fortunate.”

The dungeon is a space where monsters have been terraforming.

The previous subway dungeon had been relatively small, modified to suit the monsters’ living environment.

‘To completely encircle the heart of this city.’

A transparent wall imprisoning the entire city. The interior has become a completely different world.

This is on a different scale from just remodeling an enclosed space.

Reshaping an open area is a far more drastic act.

It’s only natural for us to have these thoughts.

“The monster who did this must be inside, right?”

“Do you think we can beat a creature capable of this?”

“I’m not sure,” I responded with a shrug to the bewildered soldiers.

“At least the water seems to have been drawn from elsewhere, so it’s not some godly being creating something from nothing.”

“Ah… You’re being quite positive.”

“What’s the point of getting anxious already?”

I am a bit overwhelmed by this sight as well.

The subway dungeon being buried in sand under Inje-gun Station was impressive, but at least that seemed possible to overcome with enough brute force.

This, however, was on a whole other level in both scale and oppressive presence.

‘But I can’t let myself get too demoralized either.’

The important thing is to assess the situation calmly.

It’s still clearly a dangerous threat, but…

‘I wish we had brought the tank with us.’

The long-distance travel was judged to be too fuel-consuming, but now I’m not sure if bringing the tank would have been the right call given this visual.

‘Retreat does seem like the best answer for now.’

Delving into the dungeon or responding to rescue requests is important, but if I’m not confident in our ability to clear it, postponing is the wise choice.

I was about to order the squad to retreat when…

“That’s strange,” said Corporal Su-hyeok.

“Strange?”

“Ever since I ate your cooking, my senses have been a bit heightened, you know?”

After eating the dish that enhanced Su-hyeok’s sniping senses, we’d used similar recipes a few more times to aid the tank’s bombardment.

It seems that has left him more sensitive than before, even now.

“I think I may be the only one who’s noticed, but… this wall seems to be expanding gradually.”

“…?”

Expanding?

“Ah, it might be hard to believe before seeing it directly. Please wait a moment.”

Su-hyeok approached the black wall, with a weapon in hand. He drew a line on the ground about 2cm from the wall.

After some time passed…

“Take a look.”

“…You’re right.”

The line he had drawn had been swallowed into the wall.

The territory of this barrier was steadily expanding.

Dungeons are shaped by the terraforming of monsters.

Meaning…

“So, it’s expanding its domain.”

“The area this wall already occupies is substantial, encircling the entire city. And yet, it’s expanded over 2cm in this short time…”

2cm may not seem like much, but considering the massive scale this circle already covers, it’s an alarming rate.

‘This is an astounding speed.’

As time passes, this domain will only grow larger.

And the expansion of this territory…

is certainly not a good sign.

“Even if we retreat now, at this rate it’ll catch up to us soon enough.”

“Most likely, yes.”

“Well then…”

This feels similar to the vampire subjugation – we likely don’t have the luxury of leisurely building up our strength.

“We’ll have to enter that territory before it expands further.”

“Is that even possible?”

“If it’s not, we’ll just have to make it possible. And…”

Truthfully, I don’t think the answer is entirely hopeless.

‘Water. And darkness.’

The keywords Taejun provided were accurate.

So,

“You said the water levels near the dam and river have dropped significantly, right?”

“Yes, that’s what I heard.”

“Go do some fishing over there.”

“Huh?”

***

[Entering the Eroded World- Dasmur]

[This is a world submerged in water, with only the moonlight shining dimly]

[The people of Dasmur once enjoyed peace and prosperity under divine protection, but now, bereft of their god]

[They seek to recreate their moments of glory on this land]

[This is a clear act of invasion]

[Do not tolerate it]

[The environment is not friendly to humans (Environmental Adaptation – 74%)]

[Species Penalty – Slight decrease in all stats]

We entered the dungeon.

The water rising to chest level soaked our uniforms as a system message appeared.

One phrase I had ignored before now caught my attention:

“Do not tolerate it…”

Was that the system’s will? Or simply a quest prompt to stir our resolve?

‘If it’s the former, does that mean the system sees us as allies?’

I’m not sure.

What we can do now is adapt to the environment in front of us.

“Enter, enter!”

“Ugh…!”

“It’ll be hard to breathe at first! Adapt calmly!”

My guild mates followed me into the dungeon.  

A drastic environmental change.

But this wasn’t our first dungeon, and we had expected something like this.

Having been warned of some discomfort, they were able to adapt without too much panic.

“The combat vehicles have entered as well!”

“Lift up the ones in bad shape first.”

Soon, the vehicles we had brought for combat were all inside the dungeon, waterproofed in anticipation of underwater battles.

With their decent height, those on top of the vehicles should be able to mostly avoid the water.

Before boarding, I approached the entrance we had come through.

‘From the outside, the interior was fairly visible.’

But upon entering, there was an immensely powerful current crashing at the boundary.