“What, what is this taste!”

“It’s delicious...!”

The group called ‘The Avengers.’

Watching them eat, I nodded in agreement.

*“Of course. Who made the food?”*

To be honest, when they expressed admiration, calling me a space magician,

I felt a bit disappointed.

*“They haven’t even tasted my cooking yet.”*

Seeing them marvel at something else before I could show them the real thing made me feel a little underappreciated as a chef.

But, well.

It was only a matter of time.

Perhaps their burning desire for revenge diluted other emotions.

The people who had acted somewhat human-like, without much warmth.

They looked like their expressions would only brighten when taking down monsters.

- Crunch, crunch.

- Slurp…

- Smack, smack.

Right now,

The faces of those hurriedly chewing their food were filled with strange vitality.

“Smack, smack. It’s been so long since I had a proper meal, but still.”

“Damn, this is too delicious!”

They couldn’t hide their excitement, shoving the food into their mouths.

I worried they might choke.

*“Hearing that it’s delicious always puts me in a good mood.”*

As I watched the scene, I struggled to suppress a proud smile.

And shortly after,

I realized this was just the beginning.

“Phew! That was great!”

One man, who seemed to have a huge appetite, finished his meal at an incredible speed.

The moment he emptied his bowl and declared he was full.

Ding!

In front of me,

A message appeared.

[You have healed a status ailment through cooking.]

[You have gained experience.]

*“Huh?”*

At the same time, I felt a surge of energy within me known as experience.

…What did I heal?

[Status Ailment - Malnutrition]

[Nutritional imbalance is occurring in the body. Physical abilities are deteriorating.]

[To maintain physical abilities that can be used, mana is continuously consumed.]

[Attributes are decreased.]

*“Ah… I think I saw that message when I checked the people with [Ingredient Identification].”*

The message that appeared for me was also noticeable to those who had their status ailments healed.

“Hey, wait a second.”

The man who finished eating raised his body and spoke.

“Hey, wait a second.”

“Crunch, crunch… What’s with the interruption while I’m eating?”

“After eating the food, the debuff was lifted.”

“What?”

“No, that’s not all. My attributes increased tremendously… Is it a buff skill? Even if it’s temporary, how can my attributes increase this much…?”

“What are you talking about?”

In a dungeon where sunlight doesn’t penetrate, it was impossible to grow vegetables.

Nutritional imbalance was a natural consequence.

And imbalance leads to physical deterioration.

*“It’s something I should have paid attention to a long time ago.”*

In a situation where I just had to cook the menus given by the supply base, I needed to consider nutrition.

That was quite a headache.

They had limited ingredients to begin with, so they probably never had a chance to think through it.

*“At least the mana of the awakeners had been preventing that deterioration.”*

To prevent physical deterioration, mana is continuously consumed.

It seems that had acted as a debuff.

And now.

[Healthy Set Meal with the Essence of a Mid-level Chef]

The moment my cooking replenished their nutrition.

That debuff was cured.

*“Conversely, does that mean these people survived fighting monsters while bearing that debuff?”*

With that debuff lifted.

The abilities of this alliance had sharply increased.

*“Since I’m making it, I thought I’d consider nutrition as well.”*

I never expected it would function this way.

Moreover, the amount of experience I received from healing their status ailments was immense.

The amount of experience gained from curing one person’s ailment was comparable to cooking a week’s worth of meals for my squad.

The influx of energy was overwhelming.

“...Amazing.”

As Chang-soo, who finished his meal, approached me, he spoke.

“The debuff has been lifted, and you can say it’s because of eating proper food, but the fact that eating this food raises attributes... Is this magic? Some enchantment or something...”

“It’s just cooking.”

“It’s not magic?”

At that moment.

From the corner, I saw a man standing up with his dish.

*“If it’s not magic, then what…”*

“Just a moment.”

Chang-soo opened his eyes wide in surprise.

But I ignored him and spoke to the person who had stood up.

“Where are you going?”

“Oh. Sorry…”

Hearing that, Chang-soo said,

“Beom-seok? What’s up?”

“It’s just that, it’s really nothing special.”

The man appeared somewhat embarrassed as he drew attention with such actions.

He scratched his head and replied.

“I’ve never tasted such delicious food before, so I wanted my father to have a little bit…”

“Your father?”

“...One of the people lying in that room is my father.”

Sure enough.

When he stood up with the dish, I wondered if that was the case, and I was glad I had stopped him.

“That dish is meant for you, so please enjoy it.”

“Still.”

“I plan to make separate meals for those people.”

“Really?”

Cooking isn’t just about making a good dish.

It’s also about considering the situation of the guests who are the recipients of the meal.

“That dish is made for those who are somewhat sane like you. Those people are patients.”

“Ah…”

“It should be made as patient food.”

Hearing that, the man’s eyes widened.

“You were actually planning to make a dish for those people?”

“Of course. If I’m going to starve some, I might as well not cook at all.”

Then.

Beom-seok looked at me with a complex expression.

*“...Why is this happening?”*

Not knowing for sure, I confirmed that he quietly retreated.

I approached Chang-soo and said,

“So, I’d like some help with the patient meals.”

“Help? As I said before, just let me know anything.”

“About the merfolk corpses we killed earlier.”

“Why that…?”

I had handled food for those who were somewhat sane using the ingredients I brought with me.

But it would be better to use fresh ingredients for the patient meals.

*“It feels a bit like taking and giving back, but can I use them as ingredients?”*

*“...That’s nonsense!”*

I simply wanted to use fresh ingredients, but hearing my request, Chang-soo looked shocked.

This was the first time I saw this man so startled.

“Didn’t you bring them for awakening? What’s wrong with using them?” 

“No, it’s not that. You’re talking about eating monsters.”

“...Ah.”

Oh no.

In our squad, the culture of cooking and eating monsters was so ingrained that I hadn’t considered it.

*“I forgot that eating a monster that eats humans is quite a disturbing thing.”*

However.

It seemed that Chang-soo’s shock wasn’t just about that.

“Do you understand what happens when you eat the corpse of a monster?”

“......?”

Upon hearing that, not only I but also the soldiers around looked puzzled.

Do they know what happens when they eat a monster’s corpse?

*“Is there anyone who knows better than us?”*

They were people who ate monster dishes for three meals a day.

Soldiers listening to my conversation with Chang-soo said,

“I don’t know exactly what happens.”

“If you just follow what Sergeant Shin says, there shouldn’t be any major issues.”

“Right. Especially since it’s related to cooking and nothing else...” 

“Ugh, hmmm.”

With the soldiers saying that,

“...If something happens, I won’t just sit back and watch.”

Chang-soo sighed as he spoke.

It seems that there’s another reason why they hadn’t eaten the merfolk meat.

Well, that’s something to figure out later.

I decided to head straight to the merfolk corpses and start cooking.

*“It looks quite miserable.”*

The monsters that had been killed quite brutally while being used for awakening.

From the perspective of a production worker utilizing the ingredients of monsters, the visuals might make one frown, wondering how they could treat them so roughly.

But for now, it doesn’t matter.

After getting the wizards to boil water.

I placed the pieces of monster flesh into the water and boiled them well.

At the same time, I soaked the rice that I had kept in the shadow.

*“Have they cooked enough?”*

After some time passed, when the flesh was fully cooked.

I grabbed a strainer and pulled all the pieces out.

Slosh, slosh...

I laid the chef’s knife sideways and smashed the flesh.

*“Even if I handled the meat a bit roughly, it doesn’t matter since it’s going to be mashed anyway.”*

The dish I planned to create was quite simple.

*“When you think of patient food, the first thing that comes to mind is porridge.”*

And since I had fresh ingredients,

*“Fish porridge.”*

In fact,

I had considered making such a dish for the man who had fainted after sending the rescue request.

Since he was completely unconscious, I hesitated because he could fall into a coma if not handled carefully.

*“But those people are just in a daze, so I think they’ll instinctively chew if I put food in their mouths.”*

If it’s soft porridge, they should be able to swallow it without issue.

Lastly, I placed my hand over the dish and gently rubbed my fingers.

[Special Sauce]

 poured to finish.

[The dish is complete!]

[Special Fish Porridge filled with the vitality of a Mid-level Chef]

“It’s done.”

“Is this what we serve...?”

As the dish was completed,

A few people came forward to receive the food.

*“They said they were families of those who lost their minds.”*

The ones who accepted the porridge headed into the room.

As I watched their backs,

I heard one of ‘The Avengers’ mumble softly.

- After all, those are people who have lost their minds, so what’s the point of carefully cooking and feeding them...

- I understand the desire to treat family well, but... it’s meaningless.

Meaningless, you say?

*“Well, we’ll see about that.”*

That’s something we’ll have to wait and see.

“Father, I’m here.”

“...Baa...”

The man named Beom-seok sat in front of an old man.

But.

The elderly man, who was drooling while staring vacantly at the air, couldn’t even recognize his son.

“...Ugh.”

Seeing that, Beom-seok felt a surge of anger.

He gritted his teeth.

But soon shook his head, moving his spoon to serve the porridge.

“Please try this. The ingredients might be a bit rough, but it’s patient food. I’ve tasted the dish made by this person, and it was incredibly delicious.”

As he murmured, he brought the spoonful of porridge to the old man’s mouth.

Was this kind of care a routine for a long time?

His movements looked quite familiar.

With each spoonful of porridge that went into the old man’s mouth.

“...Thank you.”

Finally.

After the bowl was emptied, Beom-seok looked at me and said,

“I feel a little lighter thinking that I’ve served my father delicious food.”

“That’s a relief.”

“After all, he probably can’t taste it, so it’s just self-satisfaction.”

Beom-seok said with a bitter smile.

Upon hearing that, I tilted my head and replied.

*“Can’t he taste it? What do you mean?”*

“Yes? As it appears, all the people in this room have lost their minds.”

This man.

It seems he is misunderstanding something.

“Do you think I would go through the trouble of cooking so hard for people who can’t taste?” 

“Even if you say that... Honestly, I’m not quite sure what you’re trying to say.” 

Beom-seok frowned as if wondering what I was trying to convey.

At that moment.

“Beom-seok? Is that you?”

“......!?”

From behind Beom-seok.

A hoarse voice was heard.

*“I guess I don’t need to explain.”*

When Beom-seok turned in surprise upon hearing that voice, the old man who had been staring vacantly into space was gone.

There stood.

“Ah, Father!?”

“Son. Isn’t it? The face looks similar, but the atmosphere has changed so much I almost didn’t recognize you.” 

It was Beom-seok’s father.

“Ugh. I feel like I’ve just had a nightmare.” 

“It’s a miracle...” 

“By the way, where exactly is this? And why do you look so gaunt?” 

“Let me explain everything to you step by step, Father.” 

“What, what? You’re a grown man, and it’s embarrassing!” 

Beom-seok shed tears as he embraced his father.

They were not the only ones.

“Ugh, why does my body feel so sluggish?” 

“Is it you, dear? Have you come to your senses?” 

“What’s so dark? I need to turn on the light...”

“Mommy...!” 

The people who had lost their minds due to emotional scars began to regain their senses.

They, too, seemed confused about what was happening.

And the families who had been caring for them...

“God.” 

“Thank you... Thank you...” 

Embraced them with tears streaming down their faces.

“What’s going on? What’s happening?” 

“Are those people... regaining their senses?” 

“Suddenly...?” 

With the sudden commotion, the people nearby began to gather.

Seeing the crowd forming, I subtly stepped back and left the room.

“What’s going on? It looks like Sergeant Shin did something again.” 

“What kind of trick did he pull this time?” 

Among them were also squad members.

I decided to ignore them and step back.

*“I’m worried about my parents too, but worrying about it now won’t have any meaning.”*

The urgent task was to survive and grow strong enough to meet my parents.

To do that,

*“Ugh. I’m starving.”*

First, I needed to resolve the meal I hadn’t eaten due to cooking.

---

Beom-seok couldn’t stop the tears flowing down his cheeks.

His father, who had always seemed steadfast like a giant.

After seeing him lose everything to the monsters and lose his mind.

Beom-seok had vowed.

*“I will take revenge on those who made my father like this. Even if it means dedicating my whole life!”*

Each time he saw his father grow thinner,

That vow only grew stronger.

Beom-seok’s life became about revenge.

Whenever he killed the monsters,

He felt exhilaration thinking of avenging his father.

Even after a tough battle, the thrill was enough to make him forget his fatigue.

But occasionally,

Other thoughts crossed his mind.

After killing the monsters.

When he returned to the base with a wet body and cared for his father, who was staring vacantly at the air, he sometimes thought.

*“What’s the point of all this?”*

No matter how many monsters he killed,

His father would not return to his former self.

*“Even if I rampage for revenge... Isn’t it ultimately meaningless?”*

However.

Giving up on revenge wouldn’t bring his father back either.

In this unanswered situation.

Beom-seok chose to immerse himself in revenge rather than entertain the frightening thought that what he was doing was meaningless.

Yeah.

Until that father opened his eyes.

“Right... While I was lying down, those things happened.” 

“Ugh. Yes.” 

Beom-seok explained everything that had transpired to his father.

Yet, he found it hard to hold back the tears that escaped.

After hearing all the stories, Beom-seok’s father fell silent for a moment.

Then nodded and said,

“It must have been tough. Thank you, my son.” 

“Father...” 

“Ugh. I thought I was doing alright for my age. I never thought I’d be reduced to a state where I’d lose my senses and rely on my son.” 

“Ha ha... I thought I was going to die.” 

“Now that I’ve come to my senses, we should face this together.” 

“Face what?” 

“Whatever it is.” 

The expression on the old man’s face seemed to ask what was so obvious.

*“We’ll have to solve the phenomenon occurring in this city. For that, we’ll need to cooperate with those soldiers.”*

“Right.” 

“Well. I don’t know if I’ll be of any help. But for starters, that awakening? That’s something we should focus on first.” 

Although Beom-seok’s father had spent a long time in a daze,

It wasn’t a sudden occurrence.

The abrupt flood and appearance of monsters.

He lost everything he had built throughout his life.

*“Everything I achieved in my life has vanished. Now I... I can’t bear to live.”*

It was the shock that made him lose his mind.

But now, how was he?

“I was foolish. I only thought of what I lost and failed to consider what remains.” 

“......” 

“You don’t know how grateful I am that you are alive. From now on, let’s think of ways to live together.” 

His father, overflowing with positivity and vigor for life, was incomparable to the Beom-seok who had been consumed by vengeance.

“...Father. I want to confess something.” 

“Hmm? What is it?” 

Beom-seok, feeling like a child who had made a mistake, spoke timidly.

“While you were lost in your thoughts, I lived to take revenge on those who made you this way.”