The Military Chef of a Ruined World

Chapter 34

[Animal Oil Mixed with Magic Essence]

It was the completion of the oil.

In modern kitchens, vegetable oils are predominantly used.

However, in the past, animal fats were more commonly utilized.

In particular, pork fat, known as lard, remains a crucial ingredient in Chinese cuisine.

And making this animal fat is straightforward.

You just need to melt the pork fat to extract the oil.

‘Honestly, I wasn’t entirely sure about this process myself. But I was uncertain about the outcome.’

Judging by the results, it seems to have turned out well.

That’s how much of a game-changer oil is in cooking.

My profession is cooking.

So, when problems arise, I must find solutions through cooking.

And when the answer needs to be found in cooking, having oil on hand is quite reassuring.

“Is this how much I can prepare for now?”

The other soldiers, having finished their meals, must be making their own preparations.

As soon as they are ready, the mission to secure materials will begin.

* * *

“So, um, let’s get started.”

During the meeting, Corporal Lee Gong-woo hesitantly pointed to a corner of the military map among the squad leaders.

“Here. Do you see it?”

“Ah, it’s quite close to the barracks.”

“That’s right. There’s a fairly large hardware warehouse here.”

“Oh, I see.”

It seemed he wasn’t just claiming that they needed to stock up on materials without a plan.

Corporal Lee Gong-woo had apparently figured out where they could secure the materials.

“How did you know about this place?”

“Exactly. Even as a local, I didn’t know there was a warehouse here.”

“Ahem. There are times when the unit needs materials urgently. During those times, I had to go down and buy them. This place is closer than the small hardware store on base, so I used it frequently.”

Indeed.

Even as a chef, whenever I ran out of spices, I’d ask the drivers to get some for me. The engineers must have had similar situations.

“It’s a pretty spacious warehouse, so we should be able to find most of the materials we need. And since the monsters appeared on a weekend, there’s less chance of zombies inside.”

It’s close to the barracks, far from the busy areas, so there should be fewer zombies.

It’s the perfect environment for an operation.

“You really thought this through.”

“Ha, ha.”

Corporal Lee Gong-woo laughed awkwardly.

It was clear he was serious about this mission.

“All squad members, ready.”

The same personnel who participated in the barracks operation were selected for this mission.

“Alright, let’s do this.”

“Okay.”

The difference this time was that each squad had an engineer.

And…

Vroom…

An additional vehicle with an engineer onboard had been added.

“A vehicle, huh.”

“I’m worried too.”

“I’m just as concerned, but we don’t have a choice.”

Against the monsters, vehicles were quickly torn apart, rendering them nearly useless.

Yet, their loud exhaust noise attracted unwanted attention perfectly.

Normally, we wouldn’t use them until the roads were somewhat stabilized.

“But this mission is about transporting materials.”

Unless every squad member carried materials with both hands, vehicles were essential for moving the secured materials.

There was no other choice.

“Though we can’t do anything about the vehicle noise, we’ll move as carefully as possible.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Let’s go.”

The squads began to move out.

Everyone made an effort to minimize noise and keep their presence hidden.

However, traveling with a large vehicle made stealth nearly impossible.

“They’re coming from 70 degrees.”

Monsters were everywhere, and avoiding their notice was impossible.

“We have no choice. Keep combat noise to a minimum. Lieutenant Kim.”

“Roger that. Everyone, prepare for combat.”

[Command – Assume Battle Formations!]

A series of brief skirmishes with the monsters ensued.

“Ugh…!”

“Wounded to the rear!”

“I’ll fill the gap in the formation.”

Thanks to minimizing the combat noise, we avoided being surrounded by large hordes. Still…

‘We also have to avoid using magic that causes loud noises.’

As a result, some injuries were inevitable.

Watching the battle, I had a curious thought.

‘Zombies and monsters don’t attack each other?’

Even though monsters often fought amongst themselves, zombies strangely weren’t attacked by the monsters.

It was as if…

‘Like they were avoiding poisoned prey.’

“Hey, I can see the warehouse!”

One of the soldiers pointed ahead.

Following his gaze, I couldn’t help but be genuinely astonished.

“It’s huge!”

The warehouse buildings were massive, far bigger than I had anticipated.

They certainly lived up to the claim of being the largest hardware warehouse in the area, dwarfing any local hardware store by comparison.

“It was a weekend when the incident happened, so there probably weren’t any employees around. The inside is likely empty.”

If that’s the case, we can be somewhat relieved about the possibility of zombies lurking inside.

“Engineers, inform the soldiers of the materials we need. Everyone else, follow the engineers’ directions and only take the necessary materials.”

“Understood!”

“Let’s move!”

Rumble—

The warriors approached the warehouse doors and began to open them.

The doors, though massive, were not locked, and they creaked open with a heavy sound.

But then…

“…?”

“What is this?”

As the doors fully opened, the scene inside was peculiar.

In a normal hardware store, you would expect to see countless shelves filled with materials. Instead…

“Did an earthquake happen…?”

Shelves were toppled over, and the materials we came for were scattered haphazardly on the floor.

It looked like the aftermath of a natural disaster.

“Whatever happened here…”

We didn’t need to know the details.

The disarray would make things a bit more cumbersome, but that was all.

We just needed to gather the materials and leave.

“Engineers, list out the materials. Everyone else, follow the engineers’ instructions and load the materials onto the vehicles.”

“Yes, sir!”

At my command, the soldiers sprang into action.

While following the engineers’ directions and picking up some metal sheets, a strange noise suddenly echoed through the warehouse.

Vroooom…

“…?”

“What was that noise?”

“Everyone, stay alert!”

The unexpected phenomenon had everyone on edge.

The soldiers ceased their material collection and readied their positions.

And after a while…

Clatter…

The metal materials scattered on the floor.

They began to move.

“What, what’s happening?”

“Everyone, be careful!”

Some soldiers muttered in confusion.

It seemed like a dark energy was swirling in the center of the warehouse.

The metal objects touched by that energy floated up into the air and gathered in one place.

Watching that scene, I muttered quietly.

“What could it be…”

Soon, the metal objects formed into a single shape.

“It’s a monster.”

No wonder things were going a bit too smoothly.

It couldn’t be that simple.

“A bear made of steel… perhaps?”

Grrrr…

The form created by the intertwining of the black shadows and metal.

It resembled a gigantic bear.

With its black fur rippling, it was a steel beast.

Its enormous size was truly intimidating.

But we’ve been through our fair share of battles.

“Lieutenant Kim!”

“Everyone, assume combat positions!”

[Command issued – Combat positions are being assumed.]

Lieutenant Kim immediately applied the buffs.

Every soldier adopted our guild’s combat stance.

They took out a piece of jerky from their pockets and chewed on it.

[The dish has been consumed]

[All abilities increased]

[A dish infused with magic. All resistances increased]

The driving force that allowed us to withstand the monsters surging from the mountains.

Various buffs synergized, bringing about even greater increases in power.

“Hahaha! Look at those cute little scraps of metal!”

The soldiers’ morale got an exponential boost after eating my courage infused combat rations.

“I don’t know how we ended up here, but…”

“Step aside for a moment! Here I come!”

A soldier buffed up and charged towards the monster with great momentum.

An awakened warrior wielding a massive sledgehammer.

His strike, capable of shattering rocks effortlessly, descended upon the gigantic creature.

However.

Clang-

The sound that echoed was different from what was expected.

Rather than the sound of breaking, it was more like something bouncing off.

“Huh?”

The anticipated attack to defeat the monster didn’t have any effect.

Instead.

As forcefully swung, the sledgehammer bounced back equally strong.

“What’s this – oof!”

-Boom!

The giant metal paw of the creature, caught off guard, struck the bewildered soldier.

Thud!

“Han-il!”

The impact was so strong that the soldier flew and crashed into the warehouse wall.

Meanwhile, the monster seemed unharmed.

“Han-il got hit!”

“Be careful, it’s stronger than we thought!”

The soldier who initiated the attack immediately faced consequences.

The remaining soldiers calmly shifted to a defensive formation, aiming to exploit the enemy’s openings rather than launching preemptive strikes.

The soldiers surrounding the monster initiated the battle.

“Roar!”

Swish!

“Gack!”

The giant paw barely missed me as it passed by.

The pressure alone nearly lifted me off the ground.

“Insane.”

This monster.

It’s much stronger than I imagined.

“But that doesn’t mean there’s no strategy.”

As the soldiers with shields took the lead, buying time against the monster,

I stepped back slightly and opened the combat rations pouch I carried.

[Red Kangal Jerky Seasoned with Languid Feeling prepared by a Junior Chef]

“Descending from the mountains, this effect should work like a charm.”

The momentum of the monsters, brimming with vitality, miraculously softened in an instant.

No matter how strong the monster is, if it loses its momentum, it shouldn’t be too difficult to deal with!

With that expectation in mind, I tossed the jerky.

As I anticipated,

The creature seemed to be focusing on the more delicious prey in front of it –

Thud.

‘Huh?’

For a moment, I doubted my eyes.

It seemed utterly uninterested in my dish.

Swinging its paw to swat away the food.

-Boom!!!

The armored monster disregarded my dish entirely.

Continuing to lash out at the soldiers.

Meanwhile,

My dish remained discarded in a corner of the warehouse.

It was covered in dust after being kicked up during the battle.

“…What?”

The monster throwing away my dish.

The emotion I felt wasn’t confusion.

Looking at the jerky on the floor, it was something else.

A bit different.

Yeah.

If I had to say.

‘Rejecting the dish I made…?’

Anger.

My pride was wounded.

“This creature…”

Thud.

I felt blood rushing to my head.

In my heart, I wanted to draw my blade and turn that thing into sashimi.

Unfortunately,

It wasn’t the time for that.

“Sergeant Shin!”

“This thing, it’s too tough!”

“Ah.”

Coming back to my senses,

I saw our troops locked in combat with the giant steel bear.

We were also armed with equipment, dishes, and Lieutenants Kim’s buffs.

No one seemed to have suffered major injuries after adopting proper defensive formations.

However…

-Roar!!!

“Tsk.”

The same goes for that bear monster.

There were only minor scratches on its armored body.

There was hardly any real damage.

‘Continuing the battle as it is won’t change anything.’

Suppressing my anger and making a rational judgment,

I shouted to Lieutenant Kim.

“We’re retreating for now! Lieutenant Kim!”

“Retreat slowly to avoid being attacked from behind!”

[Command issued – Everyone Retreat!]

[A bonus has been added to those who have disengaged and retreated from the battle]

“Everyone, fall back!”

“Withdraw as safely as possible!”

With the retreat order given,

Our troops began to retreat as safely as possible to avoid being attacked from behind.

Thanks to Lieutenant Kim’s buffs, the retreat proceeded smoothly.

There could have been trouble if the creature pursued us outside the warehouse.

“…?”

“It doesn’t seem to be following.”

Contrary to our worries,

The creature merely watched from afar as we fled the warehouse.

“Why?”

“I don’t know. Perhaps it’s a creature that firmly guards its territory.”

Anyway, our safety was secured.

But…

My heart still felt uneasy.

‘Rejecting my dish and throwing it away like that.’

I was just a chef at best.

Until now, I never really felt proud of my cooking.

Even when soldiers left food uneaten, I just shrugged it off.

‘But now, I’ll regret it.’

It wasn’t the same anymore.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Translator: One Force

TL Note:

This is the second regular chapter of the day.

2 more additional chapters along with 2 regular chapters for Friday coming up at once.

Sorry for the delays in uploading (Stuck with some IRL work).

I will try to sort out everything by the end of this week only.

Till then enjoy the chapters.

And once again thanks a lot to all the readers for the reviews and ratings.

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