Small torches illuminated the inside of the building.

From them, shadows were cast.

When I reached into those shadows, a variety of items came out.

“Cabbage, carrots, cucumbers…”

“What’s that? Eggs and meat too?”

“And now cooking utensils.”

In fact, this isn’t strictly my ability.

[Shadow Veil].

The ability of the baron-class vampire I accepted as a retainer.

Ariella's trait.

- A noble's elegant personal space, how did it end up like this…?

I heard a sigh from inside the shadows.

“Oh right, I remember they said it was extremely rare to invite outsiders.”

I recalled that comment when I first entered.

It seems it was quite a delicate personal space.

- It’s less than a guest room.

Inside, not only was it crammed with 100 vampires,

- But it’s being used as a storage room.

The space was filled with various food supplies.

And my personal belongings.

- Ugh. Huhh…

After subduing Ariella through cooking and accepting her as a retainer,

She generally obeyed my commands.

But the order to fill that space with my things was something she truly despised.

However…

**“What can I do if she hates it while I’m the one doing it?”**

Just because she hated it doesn’t mean she had the right to refuse.

There was no reason to waste this excellent space.

I don’t know the exact principle behind it, but

The items stored in here don’t spoil easily.

It’s likely due to similar reasons as the dungeon not harboring diseases.

In any case, what matters is:

**“This space is the best refrigerator.”**

The reason I didn’t pack much food for this dungeon trip.

I only loaded the easily cooked military combat rations since there was a chance I might get separated from my squad.

All other ingredients were shoved into the shadow.

When I reached inside, the vampires waiting within handed the ingredients to me.

In reality, what was happening inside was probably just the vampires laboring to load and unload.

But to the outsiders, it must have seemed like a variety of cooking ingredients and tools suddenly emerged from the stone floor of the building.

People murmured with expressions of disbelief.

“Is this some kind of space magic?”

“They said there are awakeners among outsiders, so that man must be a wizard.”

“Even so, manipulating space magic? I’ve never heard of that before.”

“How powerful a wizard must he be.”

“...He must not be the leader of those soldiers for nothing.”

It seems there’s a bit of an inflated misunderstanding.

But I decided not to correct them.

**“I need to charm them as allies, so if they misinterpret me as a strong entity, I’d rather be thankful.”**

What bothered me a little was that

It was also the first time for my squad members to see the use of [Shadow Veil].

“Just like Sergeant Shin.”

“Impressive.”

It seemed they were passing it off as something natural.

“...No, is it something that can just be concluded as ‘just like Sergeant Shin’? That kind of ability isn’t even the realm of a cook.”

Though there was a soldier who rarely protested.

“What’s that?”

“He still hasn’t adjusted.”

“Just let it be. If you don’t, it’ll give you a headache, man.”

……Anyway!

The space inside the shadow was quite large.

Even though it was packed with the squad’s surplus food, there was still some room left.

A considerable amount of ingredients.

With the skill [Five Loaves and Two Fish], even a small amount of food can feed a large number of people.

With these two conditions met now,

**“As long as I don’t die… I can feed hundreds of people for several years.”**

I organized the ingredients and looked around at the people, including Chang-soo.

**“They’re not that different from the group I just met with Tae-wan.”**

They were people who had no chance of cooperating in conquering the dungeon.

Moreover, they had half-threatened us to hand over food.

On the other hand, these people were not only cooperative, but they also wanted to treat us to a meal.

Then.

**“I should reward their sincerity.”**

---

The group led by Chang-soo, ‘The Avengers.’

Beom-seok, one of its members, couldn’t hide his astonishment.

**“Space magic, huh.”**

The man who seemed to be the representative of the soldiers displayed an enormous amount of cooking ingredients and tools pulled from an empty floor.

It must have been done using space manipulation magic.

Their group had a relatively small number of members.

However.

Even so, no other group could ignore them.

Those consumed by vengeance hunting merfolk.

They were a group boasting a higher average level than any other awakeners in this city.

But.

**“None of us can even mimic such a feat.”**

Shooting fire, creating ice.

It’s an ability on a different level than that kind of magic.

The most ridiculous thing was.

Thud thud.

“Hmm. This should be enough preparation.”

It seemed the powerful wizard piled up cooking tools on the floor and then suddenly began to cook.

“Wizards! Light the fire!”

“Yes!”

“What’s wrong? Why is the fire so weak?”

“Oh, that’s because our firepower tends to be a bit weak in this dungeon…”

“You know it’s infuriating when the fire is weak while cooking, right? Make it stronger!”

Even a fire-type wizard was sticking around to kindle the flames.

Seeing the process unfold so naturally, it seemed this was a frequent method for him to cook.

Beom-seok, astonished, approached a nearby soldier and asked,

“Isn’t your leader a space-type wizard?”

“Yes?”

“Why is such a person cooking? Is cooking a hobby of his?”

It was pure curiosity, but

The soldier he spoke to looked slightly incredulous at first but soon chuckled.

“Well… if you wait a bit, you’ll find out everything.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Instead of solving his curiosity, the answer only increased it.

Beom-seok felt a bit irritated, but

**“...No. Whether that man’s hobby is cooking or whatever, what does it matter to me?”**

He decided to drop the interest.

What mattered to him was simple.

Killing the monsters.

The same went for those soldiers who came from outside.

The important thing was whether it would help kill the monsters or not.

**“It would be a loss to expend energy on unnecessary matters.”**

He slightly turned his head to look at the door in the corner.

A place that protected those who had lost their minds.

In one of those rooms…

Beom-seok’s father was present.

When he was young,

His father had always confidently held his hand and led him.

In his childhood memories, he appeared as a giant.

As he grew older, his size gradually became more similar to his own.

Yet, the respect he felt only grew as he aged.

However.

With the sudden flooding and the appearance of monsters.

Beom-seok’s father lost everything he had built up over a lifetime.

If it had ended there, it would have been fortunate.

Beom-seok’s father, in fear of facing such a harsh reality,

Chose to imprison his mind deep within himself.

**“Those bastards who made my father like that… If helping me take revenge on them means something, then nothing else matters.”**

The man currently cooking is the same.

Whether his hobby is cooking or not.

That kind of thing is entirely unimportant.

**“It seems he’s quite… no, extraordinarily powerful as a wizard.”**

Their leader was considering an alliance with them.

A powerful wizard.

If they became allies, it would aid in his quest for revenge.

There was no reason to worry about anything else.

Beom-seok leaned against the wall and sat down.

He blankly watched the cooking progress from a distance.

**“...It seems strangely small in quantity.”**

He had grandly claimed he would treat them,

But the meal he was preparing looked like barely enough for one person.

**“Tsk… After coming back from a fight, I’m starving. When will he finish cooking like that?”**

A meal that would only satiate hunger.

While the spectacle of pulling ingredients out of an empty space was indeed astonishing,

Spending time cooking extravagantly to focus on taste seemed like a waste.

At that moment.

A man who divided a single portion of food into dishes placed his hand on top and muttered something.

[Five Loaves and Two Fish]

In that instant.

“...Oh!?”

Before Beom-seok’s eyes,

The food prepared by the man suddenly materialized.

**“Did he move it with that space magic?”**

For a moment, I thought that.

But it didn’t take long to realize that wasn’t the case.

“What, what is this?”

“Did the food get… copied?”

When I looked around, the murmuring of the people indicated that the food had appeared in front of everyone present.

Not just himself, but in front of all the humans here.

Including those soldiers, there were well over 100 individuals.

To everyone there.

Beom-seok, who had been trying not to think about unnecessary matters,

Couldn’t stop the cold sweat running down his back.

**“To casually do something that might be regarded as a miracle in a myth…”**

It was nearly impossible to ignore it and let it go.

Beom-seok approached the soldier who had asked the question earlier and posed another inquiry.

“Hey.”

“I’ll enjoy the meal… Ah. Yes? Is there another question?”

The soldier, who had been smiling at the thought of finally

 taking a bite of food,

Furrowed his brows slightly as he answered.

Beom-seok felt a bit of guilt from that expression.

But he thought he had to ask this one question.

“I’m asking just in case, but are all the humans outside like that?”

“Are they all like that? What do you mean?”

“I mean… are you, other soldiers, and all the humans outside all at a similar level to that man?”

It was a fairly serious question.

The group led by Chang-soo.

**“The Avengers.”**

They were among the strongest in this submerged city.

Beom-seok himself was included in that.

A strong individual who could capture two or three merfolk simultaneously, even in the disadvantageous environment of the water.

But compared to what that man did,

Such combat abilities felt endlessly insignificant.

Then a sudden thought crossed his mind.

**“What if not only that man, but others are also at a similar level?”**

Perhaps.

The ones who prided themselves on being strong in this city might just be frogs in a well.

It was a terrifying thought, one that could render the time spent gaining strength for revenge utterly meaningless.

“No. No, no, no. That can’t be.”

The soldier, having received the question, waved his hands in shock.

**“It’s not?”**

“Of course not! If all our members were at Sergeant Shin’s level, we would have cleared this dungeon in less than an hour after entering. Sergeant Shin is extraordinarily exceptional.” 

“Is that so? Phew… that’s a relief.”

It seemed that horrible imagination was likely not the reality.

Beom-seok let out a sigh of relief.

**“We’ve been with Sergeant Shin for quite a while, but we’re often surprised by what he does.”**

“Is it that impressive?”

“...Anyway, since we’ll be working together in this dungeon, we should consider each other as comrades for now, right?” 

The soldier muttered something strange.

He nodded as if he had understood something.

**“Since we’ll be temporary comrades, let me offer you a service. A simple piece of advice.”**

He spoke with a very serious expression.

“It would be better not to be surprised by what Sergeant Shin does. It’s bound to tire you out mentally. It’s best to just let it be~ and move on.” 

“Just let it be...?”

“Thinking, ‘How can that be?’ won’t yield any answers and will only bring stress. Instead, think of it as how remarkable Sergeant Shin is! It’s easier if you take it simply.” 

Just a moment ago, a similar thing had occurred among the squad members.

[Space like that has nothing to do with a chef, right? How can this be?] X

[It means how great Sergeant Shin is!] O

**“It’s one of the tips to adapt to this changed world, so it would be wise to remember it.”**

“......”

Beom-seok found it slightly absurd.

But that meant a powerful ally was considering becoming an ally.

So he decided to take it positively.

“Well. Enough of this chit-chat. Let’s get to eating. I’m starving to death.”

“Ah. I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologize. Instead, you can expect a lot.” 

“Expect?”

“Sergeant Shin has other amazing abilities, but the best among them is his cooking skills.” 

He chuckled.

Beom-seok thought that even if it was a joke, it was an exaggeration.

**“Still, it looks delicious.”**

A set meal with various side dishes mixed together.

After living off rye bread and fish for months, my mouth began to water slightly.

The moment the dish was brought to my mouth.

“......!?”

The shock of witnessing space magic was **“nothing”** compared to what I felt now.