The Military Chef of a Ruined World

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, I painstakingly rose from the ground and approached the fallen gluttonous beast.

As I moved towards the scattered vampire remains, I instructed my comrades, “Make sure he can’t move.”

“Yes…!”

“Ugh. Rise, brothers.”

“Your command, my lord.”

“Ugh. My back…”

Somehow, the vampires, battling through their pain, managed to bind the gluttonous beast to the ground.

Creak!

The beast grunted in irritation; its freedom taken away.

Approaching cautiously, I noted how the creature seemed drained of strength yet retained a feral glare.

At the beginning of the fight, it had uttered words, but now it resembled a wild animal.

“Hmmm. It doesn’t seem like it’ll be able to hear me in this state.”

Fortunately, I had come here for something specific, considering the possibility of speaking to it while it was in this irrational state.

I leaned closer to its face until I was merely inches away from its maw.

Slowly but cautiously, I nudged my foot towards its mouth.

“Hey, hold it right there.”

To my surprise, the immense creature lunged forward, attempting to bite my foot.

“Whoa! Steady.”

Grabbing its jaws just in time, I pried it open.

With one hand holding the upper jaw and his foot on the lower jaw, I forced its mouth wide.

“Alright then, say ‘Ahh.’”

As I forced its mouth open, I tossed in the prepared food.

Boom!

Just as I pulled my hand back, the beast’s mouth slammed shut with a thrash.

Had I been a moment slower, a hand or foot would have been bitten clean off.

“Yikes!”

The monster, still growling fiercely, fixed its gaze upon him.

Its feral snarls were accompanied by drool cascading from its mouth.

This was no mere beast; it felt like he was facing an actual monster.

However, that sensation was brief.

As the food made contact with its stomach,

“…What are you doing?”

To his astonishment, a clear voice emerged from the once monstrous creature.

“Are you coming to your senses?”

“Who are you?”

“I seem to be in good condition.”

Gone was the rampaging beast that had once reignited his primal fears. Before me now was an oddly bristled creature talking in a barely coherent tone.

[Steely Sloth Brisket]

It was a sloth-like creature that bore a powerful build, yet it fought with a lethargy that betrayed any signs of agitation regardless of the assaults it took.

This was its defining trait.

[Trait: Unyielding Mind]

[Maintains calmness and reasoning in most situations.]

Combined with the effect of his [Special Sauce]—“Steely Logic”—the results now spoke volumes.

“I’m hungry…”

“Sorry, but you’ll have to endure it for just a while longer.”

It appeared that while the creature was still starved, to an extent, they could communicate.

“My name is Shin Young-joon.”

“….”

“My profession is a soldier—a chef, to be precise.”

Plopping down in front of it, I began to introduce myself.

The creature, now more responsive than before, was listening.

This was the same creature that, during their dungeon escape, sent help to my unit.

It was likely that it had observed us from a distance before collapsing into despair.

“No need to explain yourself further; I understand perfectly,” he said.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have much time to chat.”

“What do you mean?”

“The effect of that dish won’t last long, and soon you’ll be raging again.”

“….”

“Therefore, we need to converse before that happens, don’t we?”

My gaze caught the sloth-eyed figure regarding him with an intense stare.

Ignoring its scrutiny, I pressed on with the main topic.

“I’m a chef.”

“A chef…?”

“Yes, a chef. At first, I thought it was a silly profession, but it’s turning out to be quite fulfilling.”

“Why does a chef care about me?”

“Recently, I’ve been particularly interested in the nature of this profession.”

I pointed towards a kitchen knife that I had brought along.

“I believe you might have some answers regarding this.”

“….”

“You were once a normal human, right? Explain how you wound up in this form—from beginning to end, if possible.”

The creature’s eyes, embedded within its flesh, glared towards me.

“Do I have to listen to your command?”

“Indeed. You’ll face grave consequences if you refuse.”

“….”

“Well, that was just a joke.”

It seemed the monster had been stung by the abruptness of my commanding tone, glaring with defiance.

“What are you going to do about it?”

“There was a man who escaped the dungeon to reach our unit. He stated that you sent him to us, right?”

“.…”

“After receiving your plea for help, we liberated the city. In other words…”

I pointed a finger towards its forehead.

“You owe us a debt.”

“…Hah.”

“By helping you achieve what you desire, it is only fair that you return the favor.”

Despite its lingering resentment, the creature studied him suspiciously.

“Well, there’s a condition.”

“A condition?”

“Once our discussion concludes, I would like a favor from you.”

A favor?

“What are you thinking, asking me for a favor when you’re not even in a position to do so?”

“If it’s you, I believe it will be an easy matter. But feel free to decline; if you want to avoid it, I won’t say another word.”

“…Alright then.”

I felt no qualms about promising a favor since I can always annul it later.

In this world ruled by might, the stronger party prevailed.

In that case, he could simply deliver a few more blows.

“I’ll hold you to that. I trust your word.”

Whether knowing my intentions or not, the creature seemed to come to an understanding, cautiously closing its eyes.