The Military Chef of a Ruined World

“This is the last one!”

“Aaaaahhh!!!”

A man roared loudly, strangling the monster.

As he said, the battle ended after taking out the last one.

I wiped the blood off my sword and said, “Report the casualties.”

“Yes, sir!”

One of the soldiers soon came over and reported the results of the battle.

“Among the civilian supporters, three are injured. One of our soldiers has minor injuries. Other than that, there are no deaths.”

“Not bad.”

But the people with lower levels and less combat experience also showed their mettle in the fight.

‘So far, we still have the upper hand.’

We’ve just descended into the dungeon to begin the assault.

If Chang-su’s words were true about the monsters in the outer regions being relatively weak.

Then even with my buffs, their contributions must have been a major factor in gaining victory over this fight with the inner area fishmen.

[Identify Ingredients (Enhanced)]

[Deepsea Dasmurian Young adult Fishmen]

The monsters in the outer regions were weak.

Which means…

The further we advance into the dungeon…

Stronger monsters will appear.

“What the hell are these things!”

“Be careful! They’re incredibly strong!”

As we pushed towards the center after taking out the outer monsters,

monsters incomparable to the previous ones started appearing.

[Dasmurian Ascendant]

[The Ascendant of the Dasmurians, the guardian race of the deep sea world of Dasmur]

[The flesh of the Dasmurians, who guard the world of Dasmur, is a precious ingredient in Dasmur’s folklore, said to grant immortality to those who consume it]

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

The previous monsters were [Young Adult].

While their size was only slightly smaller than an average adult male,

the ones appearing now are [Ascendants].

Standing nearly 2 meters tall, with disproportionately long hands and feet.

They’re not just larger, but their strength and toughness have doubled.

“Everyone, stay calm!”

“Their numbers aren’t that many! If a couple of us gang up on one, we can handle them!”

The fortunate thing was that their numbers were not that great.

The leaders of each group organized formations and engaged with them.

Gradually, the casualties decreased.

“At least their numbers are few, so that’s a relief.”

“Yeah, it’s probably thanks to that magic from the last time.”

“Truly impressive. The countless dead bodies that floated up on the water were actually monsters of this caliber, huh?”

Normally, the closer you get to the center, the more numerous and powerful the monsters become.

But the large-scale lightning magic that Min-jae and the mages unleashed greatly reduced the number of monsters in the central area.

“Normally, monsters of this level would have swarmed us in droves.”

“Just the thought of that is horrifying…”

Electro fishing might be illegal, but it was effective.

It’s a good thing we did that.

Moreover, it’s not just the city’s people who were happy after killing the monsters.

Shhk-

I grip my [Dokkkogusik] knife and slice through the monsters.

Perhaps even the knife was pleased when used for the intended purpose.

It feels sharper than ever.

‘The average level of the monsters may have risen, but the party members and Chang-su’s group should be able to handle them on their own.’

The increasing difficulty as we advanced to the center was a problem, but with the boss weakened, there were no obstacles to our progress.

As I was wiping the blood and moving to the next monster…

Karanake… Dasmur…

“….”

The monster, whose life was about to be snuffed out, muttered something.

“These ones use language,” said Gwang-il, who was fighting beside me.

Unlike the outer monsters, these inner ones were able to vocalize.

“They do seem different from the outer monsters somehow.”

“Yeah, I feel a certain… intelligence from them.”

The outer monsters were [Young Adult].

And these ones a step beyond were [Ascendants].

‘If they were human, they’d be at an elementary school level, so it’s not that strange they can speak.’

Seeing monsters that can use language wasn’t entirely an unprecedented event for us.

The goblins that had taken over the Inje-gun Office, and the vampires that were even now engaging monsters outside the view of the party members – including Arielle, who has become my vassal – they could all communicate with each other.

The difference was that while I could communicate with them, I could not understand the language of these monsters at all.

“Take a break!”

“We’ll move into the adjacent building!”

As the party members rested, I sat down and bowed my head, speaking to the shadow.

“Now that I think about it… how were you and those goblins back then able to communicate with me?”

Normally, these monsters should only be spouting incomprehensible language, just like the others.

-It’s simple.

A response soon came from within the shadow.

-I’ve learned the language.

“Learned the language?”

-The goblins likely did the same. It’s rare, but there are species that can quickly pick up other languages. Their speech may have been clumsy, but that doesn’t mean they’re highly intelligent.

“And in your case?”

-My situation is a bit special.

Special, huh.

So, it’s not just a matter of learning it like the goblins.

-After being suddenly summoned to the bunker, the first thing I did was turn the human in front of me into my first vassal.

“And then?”

-When I drank their blood, I gained some of their knowledge.

“What?”

Gaining knowledge by drinking blood? Is that even possible?

-Of course. The blood contains a part of that being’s essence. Some high-ranking vampires even capture humans and impersonate them.

“Unbelievable.”

Capturing and consuming humans, then impersonating them based on the acquired knowledge.

‘This is less like a vampire, and more like some other kind of monster…’

The concept doesn’t seem to match the vampires I know.

“I don’t recall the vampires I’m familiar with having that kind of ability.”

-The very term ‘vampire’ is inaccurate to begin with.

“?”