The Military Chef of a Ruined World

I dipped my military-grade sword into it, and the tip was shredded like it had met a grinder.

Simultaneously, a message appeared:

[Once you enter the dungeon, you cannot escape until the clear condition is met]

Getting in may have been easy, but leaving apparently would not be.

Even our reinforced combat vehicles seemed unlikely to withstand the overwhelming water pressure for long.

‘Well, I knew mid-mission withdrawal was impossible anyway.’

The previous dungeon had been the same.

Having stepped inside,

We cannot leave until we clear the dungeon.

‘This will be a prolonged battle.’

I too boarded one of the nearby vehicles.

“Alright, let’s move out!”

The engineer in the vehicle shouted, and they began advancing.

The target was a nearby high-rise building.

We’ll need to get to a higher vantage point to survey the area.

Looking down from the moving vehicle, one of the soldiers muttered,

“The water is so clear.”

“Indeed.”

I’ve seen news footage of cities flooded, where the dirty water of sewers and urban dust make the water anything but clean.

‘This is no ordinary flood.’

The water now engulfing the city was remarkably clear, allowing even old flyers drifting in it to be visible.

Suddenly, a distant ripple in the water caught my eye.

‘That’s not my imagination.’

A black shadow moving rapidly through the water.

And not just one – the shadows were multiplying at an alarming rate.

“Here they come!”

“Assume battle formations!!”

With Lieutenant Kim’s shout, buffs began to spread out among party members.

And then, a creature burst forth from the water, lunging towards us.

Its speed was so great I couldn’t make out the details,

but the silhouette seemed…

‘Odd?’

A humanoid monster with scales and gills.

It is likely not the same species as Earth’s fish, but a similar type of being.

‘Straight-up aquatic combat specialists, huh.’

The enemies charged at us from the water.

Meanwhile, we are land-dwelling humans.

And that land was now submerged in water up to our chests.

While we have combat vehicles, we can’t fight freely atop them.

No matter how skilled a warrior may be,

their abilities will be severely diminished underwater.

It was an extremely unfavorable environment…

‘Or so it would have been.’

But that’s irrelevant now.

“Hahaha!!!”

Warriors leaped into the water, letting out battle cries without hesitation.

The reason was obvious.

[Cooking effects have been applied.]

[Full Course Meal: Deep Sea]

Thanks to the hearty meal:

[Spicy Crab Soup]

[Pickled Seaweed]

[Assorted Sashimi]

[Grilled Nighthawk with Fish Sauce]

While treating Soo-ah’s vision I had used an owl like monster which had a trait called Night Vision.

True to its name, it allowed vision even in darkness.

And the other dishes were all seafood-based.

A simple, conceptually clear composition.

And the effects matched that concept:

[Upon consumption all stats will increase]

[Upon consumption water resistance greatly increases]

[Upon consumption user will temporarily gain the trait (Water Adaptation)]

[Upon consumption user will temporarily gain the trait (Night Vision)]

The warriors in the water swung their weapons.

Considering the resistance of water, the attacks shouldn’t have been that effective.

But-

WHAM!

-AAAAARGH!

The monster let out a scream and was sent reeling.

We boarded the vehicles just to move comfortably.

But now, having fed the entire unit with this meal…

“Haha! Come at us, you fish brats!”

“Honestly, I was scared to fight underwater when they said we would. But it’s easier than fighting on land!”

The flooded city environment was no disadvantage for us.

‘It’s a shame the ingredients used were mostly just common seafood, though.’

Ingredients from monster parts with innate magic would likely outperform regular fish and seaweed.

I’ve never encountered monsters with water-related traits before.

And since this was a multi-course meal, the stat boosts were only modest.

But even so,

Our troops have grown stronger.

-EEEEEK…!

Adapting them to the environment alone was enough for us to overwhelm the enemies.

I too descended from the vehicle, drawing my blade and calmly observed the fishman running towards me.

[Skill – Chef’s Eyes activated]

[Obtained Intermediate Cooking Secret – Enlightenment of Dasmurrian Fishman Preparation]

[Dasmurrian Fishman of the Deep Sea]

[A prized ingredient among the lifeforms of Dasmur, the protector species Dasmurrian]

[There is a local legend that says the one who eats their flesh can achieve immortality]

[A race with great potential, but unable to fully manifest it currently]

[To prepare it, first the gills-]

Dasmurrians, huh.

“Their weakness is the gills on their chest! Stab anything you can into them!”

Conveying the preparation method now flowing into my mind to the soldiers,

I glanced down at the blade in my hand.

[Dokkkogusik]

The knife Grandpa Park made for me, in the form of a long sashimi knife.  

‘It’s been so well-sharpened that I’ve been using it for all sorts of tasks.’

But its original purpose…

was to prepare fish.

Shing.  

It should be easy to slice them with this.