Chapter 58

My team and I returned to the base, bringing along Jeong Soo-ah and her group members with us.“Sergeant Shin? Who are these people?”

“They’re survivors we found during this mission.”

“Oh, so they’re new recruits then?”

“Not yet. Just show them to a place where they can rest for now.”

I introduced them to the soldiers who had come out to meet us and then headed further inside.

Jeong Soo-ah asked with a puzzled expression, “So, does this mean we’re part of your unit now? And how should we address you, as captain or…?”

“For now, it’s fine. Instead of joining the unit, your task is to help us get back your captured group members and get revenge.”

“Oh.”

“Until those conditions are met, just call me whatever you’re comfortable with.”

Her group members were guided to the living quarters by the soldiers.

And for me, I took her deeper into the base, towards the dining hall area.

The ammunition battalion’s dining hall had multiple locations due to the large area it covered, but we weren’t utilizing the entire space.

The dining hall that I had newly occupied was quite close to the entrance.

And nearby, we headed towards the food storage area.

“Hello, Commander.”

A soldier standing in front of the storage greeted us.

Her face was quite familiar—one of the two granddaughters of Grandpa Park.

‘So, this must be the ice mage, the older sister.’

The fact that I met the ice mage in front of the food storage meant,

“You’re on freezing duty today, huh?”

“Yes, I was about to use my magic.”

“Sorry about that. But could you wait a bit? I need to take something out.”

Electricity had long been cut off.

While we had been scavenging fuel from every visible vehicle around, the efficiency of running generators on this fuel was abysmal, to say the least.

At the base, most of the tasks that used to run on electricity were now being handled by mages.

The refrigerator was a prime example.

Currently, we have converted one of the storage rooms into a freezer, with mages using their magic daily to maintain the ultra-low temperatures for food preservation.

I opened the door to the freezer.

Inside, it was cold enough to make one shiver.

Stacked high were countless monster meats.

“Wow, that’s impressive.”

“Haven’t you seen it through your Spirit Vision? There’s no need to be so surprised…”

“Seeing through Bangul’s vision is a bit different from seeing it in person. It’s also hard to see the inside of the storage room clearly. But…”

As she observed the inside of the storage room, her face suddenly darkened.

“Coming here means it’s what I think it is, right?”

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but probably, yes.”

What I was planning to do was simple.

Jeong Soo-ah’s ability, the Spirit Vision, was certainly a powerful trait, but its effectiveness depended on the condition of her eyes.

Due to her current poor eye condition, she couldn’t locate the plunderers’ hideout.

So, if we improve her eyesight by feeding her healthy food then we might be able to locate the plunderers.

While contemplating about it a childhood memory popped into my mind.

I used to hate eating oily fish because of their strong smell.

My mom would nag me, saying fish were good for the eyes, and I should eat them, if I don’t want to wear glasses when I grow up.

“Cooking with monster meat…”

Once again, the person in question didn’t want to eat it, but since it was good for her eyes, she should eat my dishes.

There was just one problem.

Of all the monsters we had caught so far, none were particularly known for improving eyesight.

“No matter how powerful a dish is, it’s dependency on the ingredient is above 90%. If the ingredients aren’t good for the eyes, then no matter how well it’s cooked, it won’t make much difference.”

Until recently, I wouldn’t have known how to solve this problem.

Without the right ingredients to improve eyesight, there was no way to help her.

One of the major limitations of my ability was that I had to work with what was available.

However, right then, I had an idea that might work now.

I looked at the piles of monster meat in the freezer.

While I had been laid up with injuries, the soldiers had gone on reconnaissance missions and taken down some monsters.

Many of them were unfamiliar to me.

As I surveyed each piece of meat,

I activated the Ingredient Identification trait.

[Ingredient Identification (Enhanced)]

[Koteulni]

[Freshness – Medium (Frozen)]

[Traits: Blade Claws, Exoskeleton]

‘Not this one.’

[Hoguran]

[Freshness – Low (Frozen)]

[Traits: Fortitude, Dash Specialization]

‘Not this one either.’

I quickly moved past the useless ones, searching for the right monster.

[Koteulni]

[Freshness – High (Frozen)]

[Traits: Crisis Detection, Telescopic]

“Got it.”

I set aside the meat from the discovered monster and continued examining the others.

[Traits: Nocturnal, Night Vision]

“This one too.”

[Traits: Red Rage, Infrared Detection]

“This might be useful as well.”

Among the monsters, none had vision enhancement as their main trait.

However,

‘If quality isn’t available, then I’ll go for quantity.’

It didn’t matter if vision enhancement wasn’t the primary ability of the monster.

Thanks to the enhanced effects of Ingredient Identification trait now I can see more detailed information about the ingredients.

Anything that seemed related to eyesight, no matter how minor, was set aside and organized.

“Um, I think this should do. Soo-ah, do you eat a lot?”

“Huh? I guess I’m just average.”

“Well, you might need to step it up a bit then.”

As a result, a considerable amount of meat piled up.

“I think you’ll have to eat a lot.”

***

When I arrived at the restaurant, I immediately started working.

What I’m trying to do this time is nothing less than.

‘A full course meal.’

The ingredients brought in are not specialized for vision as a whole.

Making one dish at a time is difficult to achieve the desired effect no matter how good it is.

But if you make one course with multiple ingredients?

I should be able to obtain the desired effect.

And to do that.

‘Seems like I’ll have to use all the recipes that I have learned from the other chefs.’

In the end, taste is the most important factor in maximizing the effect of a dish.

‘The variety of dishes can’t be just one either. I’ll have to provide multiple flavors in the sauces to prevent boredom. Ah, the order of serving the food should also be considered.’

Back when I was in the military, all I had to do was cook the menu provided by the mess hall.

But now that I’m trying to create a full course meal, the task of designing the menu has been quite taxing.

But at the same time,

‘Heh, it’s fun.’

What kind of dish should I make to create a delicious meal?

The process of pondering that was enjoyable in itself.

But more than anything, the pleasure comes from seeing the response when people eat the dish.

And so, after much deliberation, the first course was served.

“This is roasted Cotlini with a Lizard Gravy.”

“…Wow.”

I had even brought some decent dishware from the officers’ mess to plate it nicely.

They say cooking should be enjoyed visually as well.

Seeing the dish, Soo-ah exclaimed with admiration, “Honestly, I had dismissed the idea of a dish made with monster meat, but this looks so delicious. What is this dish made of?”

“Shall I explain? Or perhaps it’s better if you don’t.”

“…That was an unwise remark on my part.”

The Lizard was a monster that had devoured many of our comrades.

Since we had an abundance of its meat, I had collected its broth separately.

Then I thickened it by mixing in a bit of flour and seasoned it with salt and pepper to make a gravy sauce.

Later I roasted the meat of another monster, known as Cotlini, which resembled a bird, in the oven.

It was a bit challenging to remove the venom sacs from this poisonous monster, but the taste should be decent.

After hearing all this Jeong Soo-ah picked up the utensils with a tensed expression.

The woman who knew about my cooking skills.

She must have been nervous, thinking I might have done something strange with the food.

But…

She didn’t have much of a choice.

With resolve, she lightly dipped the meat into the sauce and tasted it.

And…

The reaction was as expected.

“Wow, it’s delicious.”

“Of course. Who do you think made it?”

“Well, but still. For it to be this good? Didn’t you say you were just a regular cook? Even high-end restaurants…”

The embarrassed Jeong Soo-ah trailed off, her compliments flowing out as she eagerly wielded her utensils.

Despite her initial fear of my cooking.

After leaving a brief review, she started devouring the dishes with admiration.

‘Let’s see if she can still dislike my cooking.’

Well, it was a bet with myself and looks like I’m the winner.

After confirming she resumed her meal,

I returned to the kitchen to prepare the next dish.

“Now, next is this grilled Shoulder Roach topped with blue water droplet jelly.”

“The freshness of the jelly balances out the bitter taste so well…!”

The slime-like monsters that we had gotten at the supermarket last time.

It is a dish made by mixing jelly with jam to make it refreshing and then served it with monster meat.

…Though the original meat ingredient resembled a cockroach-like monster.

But that’s something the eater doesn’t need to know.

“Now next on the course is this Pulled Goblin Toastada.”

“The outside is crispy, and the meat inside is juicy.”

I had boiled the meat of a Goblin, shredded it, and then fried it in the [Animal Oil Mixed with Magic Essence] on a tortilla that we had obtained from the supermarket.

Followed by,

“A soborodon pasta made with finely ground Arachron meat and Arachron eggs…”

“This egg. I’m not sure what egg it is, but it’s incredibly flavorful!”

It’s a spider egg.

“A Minos tenderloin steak with Lizard Ragout sauce poured over it…”

“This juiciness…!”

The juices of a monster that was eating another monster’s corpse.

Anyway,

As long as it tastes good, that’s all that matters, right?

“By the way, their reaction is surprisingly positive.”

Have they tasted it before?

Seems like they’ve eaten some unusual things before.

Anyway, from the perspective of a chef, she wasn’t a bad customer.

Afterwards, more courses continued.

Each and every one of them was a main dish.

“Is it okay for a course meal to only come with the main meals?”

“Well, if it were a typical restaurant, they wouldn’t dare do something like this considering the cost. But…”

“But.”

“Rather, we don’t have enough side ingredients.”

More than anything, fresh ingredients like vegetables or mushrooms.

There are so many things that we don’t have.

In the end, it feels like I was forced to focus only on the main dishes.

“Still, I paid attention to the taste combination. Having only main dishes might even be a strength and not a weakness.”

Like that,

After tasting all the course dishes,

“I can’t… I can’t eat anymore.”

Now capping off the meal, she had a serving of ice cream for dessert.

The final dessert course was a simple ice cream that I had made with the available ingredients.

As I watched Jeong Soo-ah eating it, I looked into the distance with a slight tension.

‘All these dishes had one thing in common. And if it goes as I had intended…’

Gradually,

I should have heard a familiar sound-.

As I was thinking about all that.

I finally heard that sound.

Ding.

[The Full Course Meal is Complete]

[A – Roasted Cotlini with a Lizard Gravy]

[B – Grilled Shoulder Roach topped with Blue Water Droplet Jelly]

[C – …….]

.

.

.

[A common property has been detected in the magical energies of the dishes]

[A themed course meal has been completed]

[The first from the human species to complete a ‘Course Meal’]

[Those who are ahead of others will be awarded a reward]

[Title – ‘Course Chef’ acquired]

[Title – Course Chef]

[When completing a course dish established under a unified single theme, the effects will be doubled.]

And as intended.

Notifications popped up upon completing the course meal.

It seems I am the only chef-awakened individual who had attempted this.

While the effects were quite satisfactory the important part comes next.

[Common magical property – Eyes]

[Shin Young-joon’s original course meal – Pupil]

[The diner’s eyesight will be greatly restored]

[Massive bonus will be provided to all vision related abilities!]

“That’s it!”

I clenched my fist and silently cheered inside.

“As intended, the effect was noticeable.

According to Jeong Soo-ah’s explanation, the effectiveness of the Spirit Vision varies depending on the condition of the eyes.

With this, the range visible through Spirit Vision would certainly have increased significantly.

“Now that the cooking effect has been applied, she should be able to find the plunderers’ base with those eyes.”

The purpose behind this full course meal was to locate the plunderers’ base using her abilities.

Just as I was about to speak to her about that…

Something seemed different.

She finally spoke.

“Um, excuse me. Could it be… that you had something to do with this?”

It seemed like I wasn’t the only one aware of the changes.

Her hands were going towards her own eyes –

Eyes that had been blinded and turned white.

Startled, she looked at me and said,

“I can… I can see clearly now.”

Yes.

This was the change.

Soo-ah, who had been keeping her eyes closed due to her blindness, now had vibrant, blue eyes where the once-white eyes had been.

The eerie, pale eyes that gave off an unsettling feeling were now replaced by ocean-blue colored iris.

[Theme – Eyes]

[The diner’s eyesight will be greatly restored]

No, it wasn’t just greatly restored.

To be honest “greatly restored” was an understatement.

There are certain degrees to such recoveries.

Right then, “Why does it look so clear?”

The dish was strong enough to open the eyes of a blind man.

And such a miracle was never seen before.

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