The Military Chef of a Ruined World

[Warning! Warning! Warning!]

[There are intruders inside the fortress.]

The moment I threw myself into Bimana.

I could see monsters already rampaging inside.

Monsters that seemed to have entered through the destroyed fortress walls and the opened lower fortress gate.

Their numbers were already considerable.

“Everyone, come out!”

“It is time to show them that production classes can fight too!”

“Grab your tools!”

There were already people fighting against the monsters.

The production-class members, including old Mr. Park.

“Here we go!!!“

[Skill - Forging]

[Skill - Superheated Furnace]

BOOOOOOM!

They came out carrying hammers, electric cutters, and all kinds of work tools, swinging them at the monsters.

Old Mr. Park’s hammer, which had pounded blades in a forge filled with scorching heat, was now emitting scorching heat on its own as it pounded the enemies’ heads.

Thanks to the beastkin suppressing that golden energy, it seemed the awakened were also able to fight the enemies to some extent.

“KYAAAAAAH!!!”

However.

“Ghk.”

“Urk.”

“Cough.......”

Naturally, they were production classes.

A special case like me simply overwhelmed enemies with absurd stats and levels, but they were not people specialized in combat.

The course of the battle seemed unfavorable to our side.

The moment I entered the fortress, I turned my gaze and looked toward one building.

A building that looked exceptionally large and magnificent even within this fortress.

The dining hall.

'There are a lot.'

Perhaps because of its size.

The number of monsters gathered around the dining hall seemed especially large.

'No, maybe it is not because of the dining hall’s size.'

The master of those monsters.

Avaritia knew that I was a chef.

For some reason, it also seemed to regard that fact as extremely important.

'It must have tried to target the dining hall from the moment its invitation was rejected.'

The same went for knowing where I could exert the greatest amount of power.

It must have already known and tried to attack it.

The one fortunate thing was.

[The number of enemy entities that have infiltrated the fortress has exceeded the critical threshold.]

The monsters charged forward as though intending to destroy the dining hall.

Just before the attacks of those gray-winged angels reached the building.

CRRRRACK.......

The walls of the dining hall began moving on their own.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

[At the fortress’s discretion, the autonomous defense system is activated.]

The walls of the building shot outward and struck the approaching enemies.

***

'It has been a while since I saw that......!'

The fortress’s level had continued to rise ever since it was first summoned.

The number of facilities and functions that could be installed had also steadily increased...... and among them was autonomous defense, a system that had previously only been seen inside Ariella’s shadow.

......However.

There was a reason why the defense system, which would not have been strange to activate immediately after the enemies infiltrated the fortress, had only been activated now.

[The mana supply to the propulsion system is decreasing.]

RUMBLE......!

The fortress had been half-destroyed by Avaritia’s attack.

The impact still remained, and the fortress was falling in real time even now.

It had at least been resisting the energy of the fall by wringing out the fortress’s mana and supplying it to the propulsion system, but part of the mana being used for that had been diverted to the autonomous defense system.

The amount of mana that could be obtained from the underground mine was nearly infinite.

However.

There was a limit to Bimana’s output in utilizing it.

Once part of the mana it could output was invested into the autonomous defense system, the fortress’s falling speed increased even more.

'There is no time.'

We already did not know how long Mirinae and her disciples would be able to hold out.

Now, we also had to worry about the fortress falling.

I had to clear away those monsters and reach the dining hall as quickly as possible.

To do that.

”Bimanar!!!“

I shouted while cutting down the enemies blocking the path to the dining hall.

Then.

[Artificial Spirit Bimanar answers the lord of the fortress’s summons.]

Several buildings located inside Bimana began rippling like droplets of water.

Soon, they truly transformed into a silvery-gray liquid.

PSHUK!

They stabbed the nearby enemies with sharp blades.

Those assigned to guard the inside of Bimana in preparation for an emergency.

They were the artificial spirits Bimanar, which had obtained bodies using droplets of water.

SLITHER.......

The Bimanars that had killed the enemies through a surprise attack judged that there was no longer any meaning in hiding.

Soon, they began taking on different forms.

[Mimicry - Shin Youngjun]

The first to appear was a Bimanar mimicking my appearance.

It wore something like a white mask over its face, so no one would know that it looked like me, but I, who possessed [Ingredient Appraisal], could tell.

For those droplets to mimic something, they had to devour enough of the target they intended to mimic.

Only someone like me, who possessed a vampire’s regenerative ability, could serve as their food.

It would also be possible to mimic other vampires with fast regeneration, but what they could obtain through the changed appearance was only traits and techniques.

Their stats would remain at Bimanar’s weak level, so there would be little meaning in doing so.

That was why, in the past, I had transformed every one of those entities into me and fought.......

'Things are a little different now.'

Those silver forms took on other shapes.

They likewise wore masks, so their faces were not revealed, but their appearances were slightly different from mine.

[Mimicry - Jeon Gwangil]

[Mimicry - Lee Minjae]

[Mimicry - Seo Suhyeok]

[Mimicry - Lee Sanga]

They were the forms of the unit members.

Bimanar had to consume a sufficient amount before it could mimic someone.

Even so, the reason it had been able to mimic the team leaders was simple.

'Luca'

A healer capable of providing that much healing even to people who did not possess vampire-level regeneration had joined the Legion.

After that, whenever they had time to spare, the team leaders fed themselves to Bimanar and received treatment from Luca.

Since it was a rather brutal process, only the team leaders who knew of Bimanar’s existence had volunteered to feed themselves to it.

However.

The difference that came from that was considerable.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

The most frequently copied one was Corporal Jeon Gwangil.

He, who possessed outstanding martial arts, stood at the front, while Seo Suhyeok and Lee Minjae behind him poured out firepower.

The small number of Lee Sanga copies supported the battle by adding leather to the relevant parts of their clothing when enemy attacks poured in, and dressing them in different outfits suited to the situation whenever the flow of battle changed.

The power of the awakened came less from the strength of a single individual than from the diversity that emerged when many gathered together, and the synergy between them.

Copying me was not a bad option either.

However.

I was not a combat class in the first place, but a production class who used a fighting method that pushed through with stats alone.

There was no way sufficient efficiency could be obtained with Bimanar’s stats...... and if it tried to draw out efficiency regardless.

'It would have to use the effect of [Absolute Taste (Enhanced)].'

Five or more stacks of cooking, which would require the original me to risk death.

If it used the explosive increase in stats caused by that, it would be efficient.

Fighting that way would make it stronger than copying the others, but it had the disadvantage of quickly reaching its limit.

If the aftereffects of the stacks erupted, even the Bimanars would become unable to fight.

During the previous battle against the Chairman of the Association, it had only needed to bring down that one person, but now, there was no telling how long the battle would continue.

Since the other unit members could also receive the enhancement of one dish through [Absolute Taste] anyway, Bimanar had judged that operating many other unit members was more efficient.

'I am almost grateful that it mimicked me at all, even if only in small numbers.'

That was why only a few of the mimicked entities had taken my form.

I thought the reason it had mimicked me even in small numbers was to apply buffs to the unit members, like Team Leader Lee Sanga.

'Hm?'

But that was not it.

[Combat Ration Jerky Infused with the Demigod Chef’s Care]

The buffs that had to be obtained through cooking.

It handled that part with combat rations.

Since the Bimanars’ cooking could not compare to what I, the original, had made, it was naturally more efficient to use the food I had made.

Even so, the reason it had deliberately mimicked me was simple.

SLASH-

'.......'

While the other unit members engaged in a frontal battle and broke through the enemy formation.

The Bimanar in my form concealed itself and headed toward the rear, then stabbed and cut down the backs of enemies that had let down their guard.

That was the optimal combat method Bimanar could display through the mimicked forms it had collected.

Jeon Gwangil took the front, Lee Minjae and Seo Suhyeok handled the firepower, and Lee Sanga provided support.

'An assassin.'

It used me as an assassin.

It was a little unexpected...... but even so, its efficiency was clearly outstanding.

FWAAAAASH......!

A path opened at a speed that could not even be compared to when I cut through the enemies alone.

If the objective had been to eliminate every enemy, it would have taken much longer, but the current objective was to reach the dining hall.

Bimanar also understood my intention and devoted itself solely to opening a path.

As a result.

[You have entered the dining hall.]

[The effects of Dining Hall Lv.13 are activated.]

BOOOOOM.......

While the dining hall building knocked away the pursuing monsters.

I succeeded in entering the dining hall through that opening.

“Senior!”

The moment I rolled through the door and entered.

The gazes of those already inside turned toward me.

The chefs secured by the Legion, excluding me.

Howard and Doyun.

I raised my fallen body and looked at them as I spoke.

“You have a rough idea of the situation outside, right?”

“For now.”

“Then there is no need for a long explanation.”

I looked around the inside of the dining hall and spoke.

“......The recipes?”

The many methods I had prepared.

Cooking was included among them.

However, cooking was originally something that had to be prepared to some degree in advance.

Like the countless dishes I had already stored inside my shadow.

If a battle was expected, the cooking should normally have already been completed to suit that battle.

Even so, there were.......

Two reasons why I had not cooked in advance and had only now thrown myself into the dining hall.

The first of those was precisely.

“Good grief, asking us to complete such absurd recipes in such a short time.”

Recipes.

I had prepared many ingredients.

The problem was that the proper methods of using most of those ingredients were not even known.

In particular, there was a dish that had to be created using several of those ingredients.

Only the ingredients for that dish had been prepared, while not even a hint had been given as to how it should be made.

That was why I had also remained here and focused on developing the recipes until just before the war.

However.

In the end, the recipes had not been completed by the time we began the northern advance.

Since we did not know when that demon would create a sufficient body, we had no choice but to depart in that state.

In the end, I entrusted the rest of the recipe development to the two who remained here.

“So you are saying you failed?”

That action had not been without basis.

After all.

'I am a military cook.'

I was a chef.

But at the same time, I occupied the ambiguous position of also being a soldier.

Those two, however, were different.

Even though their combat abilities were far inferior to mine...... they were closer to chefs in a purer sense.

“No way.”

For that reason.

“Are you not underestimating me too much, Senior?”

“......That means.”

“Though, well. This kid was a great help.”

While the battle was taking place.

They had been fighting another battle.

Doyun nodded with an exhausted face.

Howard stroked Doyun’s head.

[You have been taught recipes!]

The two people who had been fighting a different battle in this dining hall all along.

Handed me a sheet of paper.

[Recipe - Potion of Stat Increase (Strength)]

[Recipe - Potion of Stat Increase (Agility)]

[Recipe - Potion of Stat Increase (Mana)]

[Recipe - Potion of Stat Increase (Luck)]

Now.

It was time to cook in earnest.