The Military Chef of a Ruined World

In terms of an environment conducive to awakening, it’s similar to what our unit had experienced.

Meaning, there are a lot of available forces.

I shrugged lightly and said,

If there are usable forces, we might as well try to make use of them.

You mean cooperating with the humans in the dungeon.

Wouldn’t it be better to cooperate with the people in this building then?

Not them.

The first humans we encountered after entering the dungeon.

If we could have collaborated with them, that would have been the ideal.

They didn’t have the intention of clearing the dungeon… or even the idea of exterminating the monsters.

When I told them that defeating the monsters would allow us to leave, they dismissed it as complete nonsense.

‘Their belated attempts to persuade us, as well as the power struggles between other human factions, were likely just for their own benefit.’

Those kinds of people are not helpful.

Even if we somehow cooperated, there’s no guarantee they wouldn’t flee in a critical situation.

On the other hand,

You mentioned there was a suitable group earlier, right?

Ah!

The information we gathered while handing over the combat rations.

It included details about human factions still living in the city.

And,

That building over there… Hmm, it’s occupied by some peculiar individuals.

Peculiar?

We sometimes have to engage in combat with the fishman when necessary. To awaken people, we have to hunt them.

But the risk is quite high, so most of the time, we only go underwater if it’s really necessary.

So, what you’re saying is…

The people in that building are a bit different.

They’re not aiming for survival, but fishmen hunting.

The troubled expression on Tae-wan’s face as he said this was still memorable.

Since they go into the water without any hesitation, they have acquired some useful items through exchanges.

But they’re not exactly people I like. …It’s best to avoid crazy people like them.

These were the people who had already been obsessed with fishmen hunting even before we arrived.

‘They’re worth meeting.’

That was the conclusion I reached.

Fighting their way here, they had engaged in combat…

“Kill them!”

“Those damn minion bastards!”

“Die!!!”

The humans were shouting furiously as they battled the fishmen.

Letting out obscenities in the heat of battle was common even in our unit.

“Die, die, die, die, die!!!”

“…That’s a bit too much.”

I could see why Tae-wan was hesitant about them.

It was a level of frenzy that went beyond just the excitement of battle.

We only have one or two people in our unit who would display that kind of intensity.

“Tsk. They all have crazed looks in their eyes.”

“Huh? Uh-huh.”

That one person stood next to me with his arms crossed, commenting.

It was not a pretty sight.

Corporal Jeon Gwang-il frowned as he spoke.

“It’s like they have a personal vendetta against the monsters or something.

The way they throw themselves in without even caring for their own bodies, they won’t last long like that.”

“….”

“I understand that some of that fierceness is needed in battle, but those people are taking it too far. Don’t you agree, Sergeant Shin?”

He’s right.

He is, but…

“That’s not really for you to say-”

“Huh? What did you say, sir?”

“…Never mind, forget it.”

Well, what does that matter anyway?

The important thing is one fact:

‘So, the claim that these are people actively fighting the monsters was true.’

In that case, what is there to hesitate about?

“Let’s join the fight!”

“Yes, sir!”

My soldiers and I charged into the battle.

“Hahaha!!! You minion bastards! I’ll send you all to the afterlife in order!”

I decided to let Gwang-il’s monstrous shouts slide for now.

The humans, who were already holding their own against the Fishmen, became even stronger with our unit joining the fight.

“The last one!”

Crack.

The battle was quickly over.

Of course, the number of monsters roaming that place was substantial.

More will be rushing in soon, so this respite won’t last long.

“What do you think you’re doing, you lot?”

Perhaps they also realized that fact.

As soon as the battle ended, a man emerged from among the humans.

I watched him carefully.

[Ingredient Identification (Enhanced)]

[Species – Human]

[Freshness – High]

[Awakened: Gwag Chang-su]

[Class: Junior Grade Berserker Lv. 18]

Seeing the text appearing before my eyes, I was honestly a bit surprised.

‘Level 18?’

That’s a bit higher than the squad leaders in our unit.

Gwang-il, who recently took on the role of unit leader, has just barely reached the ‘Intermediate’ awakened state at around level 20.

Level 18 is an extremely high level, even by our unit’s standards.

We’ve never encountered survivors with this level of advancement.

‘It must take constant fighting against monsters to reach this level…’

Impressive as it is, I extended my right hand towards the man and said,

“Hello, I’m Sergeant Shin Young-joon.”

“Sergeant?”

My outstretched hand was met with an uncomfortable response.

The man frowned and observed me, not even bothering with a handshake.

“I didn’t know there were soldiers living in here? Were you hiding on the outskirts?”

“Nope, we came from outside.”

“Outside?”

The man’s eyes widened slightly, seeming a bit surprised.

“I thought the outside had fallen… Well, no matter.”

That was it.

I expected him to be curious, since we’re from the outside and even military personnel, but he nonchalantly said,

“You asked if I’m doing well? Not particularly.”

“Huh?”

“You lot took away our prey. Honestly, I’m not too pleased about that.”

“We were trying to help-”

“I understand. That’s why I’m only mildly displeased, not outright angry.”

It seems my well-intentioned attempt was just unnecessary meddling.

“I appreciate the goodwill, but I’d prefer it if this doesn’t happen again in the future. Well, I’ll be going now.”

“Wait a moment!”

“What? Do you have more to say? Those fishmen will come swarming if we linger too long. My men are tired, so I want to clear out of here quickly.”