The Military Chef of a Ruined World

Chapter 75.2

“With your skills, you could have gone off on your own once you had enough ammo. Right?”  

He’s not just a rear-echelon buffer like me.  

With his exceptional abilities, he could have split off and built his own power base.  

The surveillance on soldiers going AWOL has been lax for a while now.  

If he had taken just a few guns, he could have gone through the same process as those deserters we encountered and established his own forces.  

Yet, he remained in the unit, acting as an exemplary soldier.  

Why?  

“In the beginning, I did think about deserting. Honestly, my initial plan was to just escape the mountain range as soon as I could.”  

“Wow, you’re really frank about it.”  

Huh?  

“I didn’t really care much about the other members of the unit. We all came from different backgrounds and had different personalities, just ending up in the same unit by chance. I thought they’d be people I’d never see again after discharge.”  

“Well, that’s not an unreasonable perspective.”  

“But recently, I’ve started to develop some affection for the unit members.”  

Corporal Seo Su-hyeok murmured while staring blankly at his own hands.  

“It’s a strange feeling.”  

He seems surprised by his own change.  

“Maybe it’s because we’ve faced so many life-and-death situations together. Even someone like me, who used to be indifferent to others, has accumulated something.”  

“….”  

“Being in the unit makes me feel at ease, and being together with them gives me a sense of comfort.”  

This always rational person has come to realize the value of those around him.  

“I’ve developed a sense of trust… in my comrades.”  

It’s a pretty moving story.  

‘Feeling at ease, a sense of comfort, a sense of trust.’  

The keywords he mentioned.  

Ease, comfort, trust.  

Where have I heard those before?  

‘The special sauces I’ve been feeding the unit members to manage their mental states.’  

[Chef’s Special Sauce – Ease]  

[The Novice Chef’s Comforting Bean Sprout Dish]  

[Chef’s Special Sauce – Comfort]  

[The Novice Chef’s Comforting Spicy Stir-fried Squid]  

[Chef’s Special Sauce – Trust]  

[The Novice Chef’s Dish to Chase Away Anxiety – Spicy Pork]  

In the early days of the unit…  

To prevent the sudden desertion of the unit members whose mental state had been shattered by the unexpected crisis,  

I actively utilized the [Chef’s Special Sauce].  

I had them eat meals cooked with such effects added in every meal.  

“Do you remember the night of the battle when Lizard Chieftain led the troops?”  

“Of course I do. How could I forget?”  

“On that day, my courage seemed to surge inexplicably. Even though it was a battle with no prospect of victory by rational judgment.”  

Well, that’s understandable.  

‘Since the meals served when Chieftain was patrolling around the unit were made with the ‘courage’ sauce.’  

It’s certain.  

The reason this fellow has been changing gradually.  

It’s the influence of my [Chef’s Special Sauce].  

However,  

The emotional changes caused by the [Chef’s Special Sauce] are only temporary.  

What remains even after the effect wears off is not the emotions contained in the special sauce but the residues of those emotions.  

“I felt a sense of camaraderie for the first time.”  

I’ve never served my unit members meals imbued with the emotion of camaraderie.  

The emotions obtained through my cooking,  

The residues of those emotions gathered and affected him.  

Manifesting as an attachment to his comrades.  

“That’s why I didn’t want this unit to fall apart.”  

“….”  

“The unsolicited advice I gave to Sergeant Shin was because I thought what you were doing risked the unit’s disintegration.”  

“I understand. What you said wasn’t exactly wrong either.”  

Especially the part where I threw myself to save the soldiers.  

If I had died due to a mistake, it would have been a huge problem.  

“No, it was wrong.”  

But he seemed to think differently.  

“The reason you are suitable as a leader is that you were the kind of person who would rush out there to save the soldiers. If you had abandoned the other soldiers there, your standing as a leader could have been undermined.”  

“I didn’t rush out there for that reason, really.”  

“I know. Regardless of the reason, you were right at that time, Sergeant. Come to think of it, you’ve always brought the right solution.”  

I’m not quite sure, but  

It seems this fellow has given me a certain recognition.  

“I hope you remain as the battalion commander like this, Sergeant Shin. Forget all the nonsensical advice I gave.”  

“Is that so.”  

“From now on, there won’t be any backtalk either, so please give me any orders.”  

With his head bowed, Seo Su-hyeok took an attitude of waiting for orders.  

Any orders, huh.  

‘Well, in that case…’  

[Arachron White Spider Deviled Eggs Infused with Dedication of an Intermediate Chef]  

“This is the first order.”  

“Yes.”  

“Enjoy this dish.”  

“…Ah, yes.”  

Watching the fellow put the appetizer dish into his mouth, I thought.  

The one who used to calculate everything in numbers and was coldly indifferent to others seems to be gradually changing due to the ’emotions’ of the meals I’ve fed him.  

‘Gwang-il had a similar experience too.’  

The mild-mannered Gwang-il had transformed into a berserker.  

I still feel guilty, thinking it was my fault.  

It seems it wasn’t just Gwang-il.  

‘Especially this fellow… he’s in the transitional period of changing from a cold-blooded person, so he must be quite confused.’  

He’s still the same when it comes to emotions towards anyone other than his unit.  

Like casually suggesting to expel the survivors trying to settle near the unit,  

Or saying the tank battalion soldiers can be killed without hesitation.  

But,  

This is the kind of world we live in.  

“The Iron Legion… their attitude of considering and caring about their own might actually be desirable.”  

As I was watching him with such thoughts,  

The fellow had finished off the main course and was now putting the last dessert into his mouth, as I had ordered.  

[The Full Course Meal is Complete.]  

[A – Arachron White Spider Deviled Eggs]  

[B – …]  

[…]  

[…]  

[A common property has been detected in the magical energies of the dishes]  

[A themed course meal has been completed]  

[Common magical property – Sense]  

[Shin Young-joon’s Original Course Meal – Hypersensitivity]  

[All of the diner’s senses will be greatly amplified.]  

[This meal has been specifically created for a certain individual. The effect will be greatly increased if the intended recipient consumes it]  

‘Just like bombardment, sniping also requires considering and calculating various elements like the wind, so…’  

The complex calculations are something the marksman awakened Seo Su-hyeok can handle on his own.  

My role is to make his senses sharper than ever, I thought.  

The wind, the air flow, and such.  

To allow him to perceive the elements crucial for sniping more accurately.  

And,  

The reaction was immediate.  

“Ugh… Ugh.”  

After finishing the entire meal, Seo Su-hyeok started to tremble violently.  

His breathing rapidly became ragged, and soon he bowed his head, covering his eyes with both hands, convulsing.  

“Seo Su-hyeok!”  

Alarmed by the obvious abnormal symptoms, I approached him.  

I wondered if there was something wrong with my cooking,  

“I-I’m fine.”  

“How can you be fine? There must have been a problem with my cooking-”  

“It was delicious beyond words.”  

“Huh?”  

“Truly… I can only describe it as heavenly.”  

Seems that’s not the issue.  

“Then what’s wrong?”  

“My senses are just too acute.”  

Lifting his head, Seo Su-hyeok gazed into the empty space.  

His pupils focused on tiny specks of dust.  

“I can see the dust in the air… I can feel the air flow on my skin. The stench of rotting corpses around the city is quite foul.”  

Now I understand why he was suffering.  

The senses had become excessively acute.  

It seems even for the awakened him, it was too much to handle.  

This is…  

‘The effect is too good, almost too good.’ 

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