The Military Chef of a Ruined World

Chapter 22

Episode 22: That’s Monster Meat

“How are the new recruits?”

“They seem to be adjusting well. They’re a bit older, but it’s not uncommon for older recruits to join.”

“They’ll remain newbies until they’ve completely turned over a new leaf.”

“Got it.”

And so, the threat to our unit was resolved by adding more recruits.

However, not all our unit’s problems were solved.

In fact…

“We’ve collected as much oil as we could, but we’ve reached our limit. Aside from vehicle fuel, we only have enough to power the generators for about a week.”

Food shortages.

Power shortages.

Various other problems arising from the cut-off supplies.

‘Our resources were already limited. Now with more mouths to feed…’

These issues were exacerbated by the influx of survivors.

In this situation, there’s probably only one path we can take.

“We need to prepare to leave.”

I remember the last time.

When the Lizard Chieftain attacked our unit.

We were able to fend off dozens of lizard forces partly because we were in a defensive position.

“We were able to repel sporadic attacks also because we utilized the facilities of this Hwang Jun-san battalion, thus staging advantageous in the defensive battles.”

But every child must leave the cradle eventually.

If that’s the case…

“I need to finish the things that needs to be done.”

The time to leave the unit was approaching.

But we won’t just leave.

‘Not without thorough preparation.’

After achieving everything we can within the unit,

We will leave the cradle.

But first…

“How many lizards did we hunt today?”

“Um, about ten.”

“Bring them all to the front of the restaurant.”

We need to elevate the unit’s rations to the next level.

That evening, after dinner time had passed, I summoned the key figures of the unit to the mess hall.

First and foremost were Min-jae, Gwang-il, and Su-hyeok, who had succeeded in awakening and now respectively held the positions of mage, warrior, and archer.

And then there was Taejun, who used his astrological abilities to assist in decision-making for the unit. 

“Why did you call us here instead of letting us eat dinner?”

“Are you asking for help in the kitchen?”

“Not quite.”

After seating those who were puzzled by the sudden summons at the table, I went into the kitchen and brought out the prepared dishes.

“Try some of this.”

“Oh.”

Noodles, skewers, fried items, and more.

The expressions of those who saw the various dishes changed pleasantly.

“Is this delicious? What’s the occasion?”

“You mentioned that we were running short on ingredients, didn’t you? So, I made dishes with plenty of meat…”

The unit was facing a situation where supplies were cut off.

While the taste was satisfactory and provided a boost, questions about the source of the ingredients were bound to arise.

If they’re curious about the source, they should be told.

“That’s lizard meat.”

“Eugh!”

“S-Sergeant Shin?”

Lizards.

The monsters we were fighting.

While there was a slight change in the expressions of those who realized they were eating creatures they fought against, fortunately, no one vomited.

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Honestly, I expected someone to vomit.

Thankfully, those gathered here didn’t seem to have a strong aversion to monster meat.

“…It’s not like I suddenly wanted to mess with you all. Let me explain the reason.”

Of course, there was a reason behind serving them monster meat.

The reason for eating monster meat.

“Those newbies who just joined us.”

Though they were once human like us.

They were enemies to us.

“We’ve only fought lizards until now. Fortunately, they had clear weaknesses.”

“…”

“But according to the survivors, there are various monsters out there, including zombies and even humans.”

It’s different from facing lizards.

Unknown enemies, humans we can’t let our guard down against.

It’s going to be a tough fight.

So, we…

“We need to be fully prepared.”

“What does that have to do with this…”

“Monster meat contains magic, making it quite effective.”

Now our unit’s rations are depleted, except for the bare minimum combat rations.

While it’s possible to purchase bread from the store, it costs points, and there’s no space left for food to be used as ingredients.

We need to procure food on the ground, but a lot of time has passed since the situation began.

“If we’re talking about dishes that can be stored for a long time, then maybe, but it’s going to be difficult to find fresh food like meat.”

So…

“We have to eat monsters.”

“…I understand what you’re saying, but many people might find it distasteful.”

“Especially lizard meat, it’s likely to trigger revulsion.”

Originally, there were about 200 personnel staying in our unit over the weekend.

Half of them have been devoured by the lizards.

People have witnessed friends and comrades being eaten alive right beside them, numerous times.

If I hadn’t been managing the unit’s morale through cooking, it could have resulted in severe trauma.

Furthermore…

“Eating monsters.”

There’s no objection to hunting them.

But if we’re told we have to eat them…

“Eating monsters that have eaten humans?”

Especially if the human eaten was someone you knew.

There are also those who clearly think it is no different from eating an acquaintance.

Whether it’s an ethical or emotional issue,

There will likely be significant reluctance.

But…

“Forget the reluctance.”

Honestly, there’s no room to consider such sentiments.

I’m a chef who must feed this unit to survive.

There’s no room for picky eaters among the soldiers.

“I’ve said it before, our primary goal is survival.”

“…”

“So, let’s be clear. Will we become prey to the monsters…?”

Or…

“Will we eat the monsters and survive?”

The expressions of those who heard my words changed slightly.

Despite saying such things aloud, the answer is already clear.

“…Leave convincing the kids to us.”

“Eh?”

“Rather than the chef himself speaking, it’ll be more effective if we, as squad leaders, do the convincing.”

Min-jae and the others nodded without dissent.

“We’ve been preparing ourselves for the day when we have to make tough choices.”

“…”

“With the world in this state, honestly, the choice of eating monsters doesn’t seem that difficult.”

Taejun seemed to imply that it’s not that big of a deal.

While some may see eating monsters as a significant issue, others like Taejun might just shrug it off with a “So what?” attitude, especially if it’s for survival.

Even if the soldiers find it unsettling, I believe they’ll understand.

So…

“I’ll leave the convincing to you. However…”

“Hmm?”

“Whether they’re convinced or not, tell them to gather in the backyard of the mess hall tomorrow evening.”

“That’s not too hard to do. Why?”

“Even if the subject is monsters, eating should fundamentally be an enjoyable activity.”

To ensure that meals made from monsters don’t become tainted memories.

I’ll have to make some effort in that regard.

To be honest in the military, the opportunity to enjoy delicious food isn’t something that comes around often.

While our unit does have a fairly lax discipline, allowing for occasional gatherings among soldiers, such occasions are typically reserved for departmental celebrations or farewells when someone is discharged.

For the tougher units, unless there’s an event like a sports day, even these gatherings are rare, let alone formal dinners.

And today was one of those rare occasions.

After some time past dinner, all unit members gathered in the courtyard behind the mess hall.

It was a long-awaited feast.

“Wow, is this…!”

[Supreme fried lizard made with sincerity by a junior chef]

[Stir-fried lizard with red pepper paste made with care by a junior chef]

[Lizard Kalguksu* made with sincerity by a junior chef]

[Grilled lizard skewers made with great care by a junior chef]

[Lizard steaks made with care by a junior chef]

“What’s with this feast?”

“Oh well… I put in some effort to prepare all this.”

One of the skills I have, [Chef’s Eye].

Although somewhat overshadowed by the ‘Enlightenment of Butchery Techniques’ used in combat, there was definitely an effect of gaining ‘Enlightenment of Cooking Techniques’.

It only provides basic cooking knowledge, but one thing I learned through this ability:

“Lizard meat is fundamentally similar to chicken.”

Given that chickens are distant relatives of dinosaurs, there’s a similarity in taste with other reptile meats like snake meat, as I recall.

In the same context, lizard meat might resemble chicken as well.

And chicken is one of the most beloved ingredients for Koreans.

“I’ve tried all the chicken recipes I know.”

Chicken, stir-fried chicken, chicken kalguksu, chicken skewers, and so on.

I took advantage of the variety of sauces we had in stock.

Even though the main ingredient was lizard, I tried to make it as diverse as possible to avoid monotony.

“Is this… curry?”

“Yeah. Curry is one of the emergency rations in our unit, so we have quite a bit in stock.”

“Wow! Chicken!”

“I prepared a variety of flavors. Take your pick.”

While fresh ingredients were relatively plentiful at the beginning, lately, due to the need to conserve supplies, many meals were filled with combat rations.

Considering that, it was truly a rare treat to have a proper feast after such a long time.

A lizard nearly the size of a person.

Thanks to it, there’s plenty of meat, almost to the point of it rotting.

Fortunately, the reaction from the troops wasn’t bad.

“This… this is monster meat.”

“It’s delicious though…?”

“The taste is great but check out the stat boost. It’s on a whole different level compared to the buffs from the dishes we’ve had before…”

Depending on the person, even familiar ingredients can be off-putting, and they won’t eat them.

Like dog meat, for example, that’s a classic case.

Even though lizard meat is a completely new ingredient to most, and it’s derived from monsters.

Yet seeing everyone enjoy it…

Honestly, as the cook, I can’t help but feel proud.

Still, there were soldiers who felt hesitant.

“Eating monsters is quite off-putting, and it doesn’t sit well emotionally, I get that.”

“Sergeant Shin…”

“But still, give it a try. It’s quite delicious, I promise.”

Approaching them, I spoke sincerely.

“Well… Sergeant Shin’s cooking skills, who doesn’t know about them?”

“Eating monsters might be off-putting if they’re humanoid or something, but lizards seem fine.”

“No, actually, wouldn’t it make us regret all the lizards we’ve killed so far?”

Even the soldiers who were hesitant about eating monsters seemed to soften their expressions.

It’s tasty, but it’s also necessary.

In the end.

Every soldier agreed to eating monsters.

“It’s good! I will crack open all the hidden soju and beer today!”

“Wait, you hid alcohol?”

“The leftover alcohol from the platoon dinners. Where did you think it, all went?”

“Sometimes you can smell alcohol on the alcoholics!”

Even though monsters attacked the unit, and somehow, we managed to keep the troops’ morale in check.

Yet with the anxiety of not knowing when we might die, the atmosphere of the unit inevitably became somewhat stiff.

“We’ll be leaving the unit soon enough.”

Before that, it wouldn’t hurt to have a gathering to relax like this once in a while.

“Uweuk.”

“Oh! Lieutenant Kim is about to puke!”

“What’s so exciting about a guy who can’t even drink…!”

…Was this a bit excessive? Perhaps, but seeing everyone enjoying themselves, eating and drinking it didn’t feel too bad.

“This is the main dish of the day, Lizard Chieftain!”

“Well, how long has it been since he was killed it?!”

“Just in case a day like this came. I secretly prepared it.”

“Unbelievable…”

I even let Lieutenant Kim try it, but Chief’s meat was better in taste and had a stronger effect than other lizard meat.

Except for the reserved amount, I decided to distribute all the Chief’s meat today.

Fortunately, there was plenty of ingredients, so it was quite amusing to continue replenishing the food and watching everyone enjoy it.

In one corner, even the survivor representative, Ms. Lee Sang-ah, was seen holding a skewer…

“Huh?”

Ms. Lee Sang-ah?

The reason she’s here is that for survival eating buffed dishes is essential.

In other words, it’s not necessary to enforce it on survivors who don’t participate in combat and haven’t awakened yet.

So only the personnel participating in combat were invited to the gathering, but why is she here?

‘I guess she doesn’t think it’s strange.’

It would be awkward if we excluded the survivors and only looked after the troops. With that in mind, I quickly approached to explain.

“Mr. Sang-ah? We don’t have any ulterior motives behind this.”

“…Eating monsters?”

“Yes? Oh.”

Apparently, I’ve already heard the unit members talking about lizard meat and such.

It seems like she’s not even considering thoughts about discrimination, but rather appears surprised by the fact that she’s eating monsters.

“Well, seeing someone enjoy eating monster dishes seems rather odd.”

Why is it that in movies, cults revel in feasting on forbidden flesh as if it were a wild celebration?

Though the reality is quite different, superficially, we might appear similar.

“Well, it may seem a bit odd at first glance.”

“To survive… This much…”

I wonder if my attempt at explaining is getting through.

Lee Sang-ah had been muttering to herself for a moment.

Abruptly she lifted her head and spoke up.

“I have a favor to ask.”

“Yes?”

“If possible, we would also like to join your unit, formally.”

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Translator: One Force

TL Note: *Kalguksu (Korean Knife Cut Noodle Soup) is a traditional Korean noodle dish consisting of handmade, knife-cut wheat flour noodles served in a large bowl of broth with various ingredients.

The name “kalguksu” translates to “knife noodles,” referring to the method of cutting the noodles by hand with a knife.

Kalguksu is especially popular in Korea during the summer, as the light broth and fresh ingredients make it a refreshing meal.

However, it is also enjoyed year-round as a comforting and hearty dish.

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