Jeong Soo-ah.

It had been quite some time since she joined the Iron Legion guild. What once felt foreign—wearing a military uniform—now felt as natural as if she'd worn it her entire life.

Her primary duty was reconnaissance using her spirit powers. The use of her Spirit Eyes required significant amounts of both mana and mental fortitude. It was never an easy task, but she always gave it her all.

‘This is a task entrusted to me by my benefactor... I can’t take it lightly.’

When she first awakened and traded her sight for the Spirit Eyes, she believed she would live the rest of her life blind. She was prepared for it, but waking up to a world of darkness was something she could never fully adjust to, no matter how many times she told herself otherwise. There were countless nights when she longed to return to the dreams where she could see everything so clearly.

And then—

It was he who healed her eyes.

‘The great one.’

At first, when she regained her sight, she only felt gratitude. Restoring sight to a blind person was nothing short of a miracle. The realization that such a miracle had happened to her filled her with deep thankfulness, and she thought only of how she could repay the benefactor who made it possible.

But as time passed, her thoughts began to change.

He freed slaves from raiders,

Fed hundreds with a single dish,

And even bestowed holiness upon soldiers, punishing evil through sacred cooking.

Recently, he had revived people on the brink of death and even performed miracles like parting water—despite not being a mage.

Watching these feats, she came to a conclusion.

At this point, there was no room for doubt.

‘A messiah.’

Born into a wealthy family, she had held strong religious beliefs since childhood. From that perspective, the world they lived in was undergoing a tremendous trial. But as scripture taught, the Lord would always send a way to overcome any trial.

‘Commander Shin is undoubtedly the savior sent to redeem the world.’

Part of her wanted to share this belief with others, but she wasn’t foolish. She knew that revealing her thoughts to the average person would provoke skepticism and resistance.

So, she only shared her thoughts with those she believed would understand. Even then, many people now shared her belief, inspired by the commander’s deeds. This was proof of how many lives he had touched.

‘I need to help him.’

This thought became her motivation.

Today, she once again used all her strength to scout the surrounding area and identify any threats. Exhausted, she was about to take a short break when—

“Wow, I thought I was going to lose my mind.”

‘...?’

She heard soldiers talking nearby. She wasn’t one to eavesdrop, so she was about to walk away when—

“He kept insisting he couldn’t wait for the food to be ready, even though it takes a few days to cook, and demanded to see a higher-up. It was ridiculous!”

“You reported that to Sergeant Shin?”

She froze.

Hearing the name of her benefactor, she couldn’t help but stop.

“I know... I feel terrible about it. I panicked.”

“No one else would’ve reported something that minor to the commander. Back in the day, they would’ve called everyone above you up to Sergeant Shin.”

“Ugh.”

“Make sure you apologize properly later.”

“I will. Still, it was so frustrating. And then there were people complaining that the 80% fee for the food was too high.”

“Yeah, that part is annoying.”

The senior soldier scolding his subordinate agreed.

“When you think about the value of Sergeant Shin’s cooking, taking 80% is practically charity. Honestly, without it, they’d be starving or fighting over scraps.”

“Instead of being grateful, they’re complaining it takes too long. It’s pointless to be kind to outsiders.”

Jeong Soo-ah knew that many guild members disliked outsiders. On the flip side, they were incredibly generous to each other—almost to the point of being eerie. She let it go, as she was already part of the guild.

“Sergeant Shin is just too kind. Anyone else would’ve told them to get lost.”

Now she understood the situation.

‘The benefactor has once again extended kindness to someone.’

But she also felt worried.

‘The benefactor is too kind.’

Of course, it was that kindness that led him to perform miracles for her. But after listening to the soldiers, a bad feeling crept into her mind.

The stories about messiahs were many, but not all ended in happiness.

‘Many times... messiahs who believed too much in human goodness were betrayed.’

The benefactor was pure kindness incarnate. But others were not. Those who benefited from his generosity might one day turn on him, wielding the sword of betrayal. And he, being so kind, might just take it without defending himself.

The thought made her chest tighten.

‘I’m sure he has his own thoughts... but I should speak to him just in case.’

And so—

“I think you might be extending too much kindness.”

The benefactor looked at her with a questioning expression.

“Kindness is a virtue, yes. But... there are those in this world who won’t see it as kindness.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Some of the people who fill their bellies and gain strength from your food... could turn against us later.”

It pained her to question the actions of the one she saw as a savior, but if it meant correcting a possible mistake, she had to do it.

“You might think that because you’re kind, others will be the same. But in reality—”

“You think I’m kind?”

“Not everyone is as good-hearted as you.”

Despite her concerns, he remained humble, nodding at her words.

“You’re right.”

Ah... he understands!

She was about to sigh in relief when—

“But you don’t need to worry.”

Oh no.

Was he about to say something like, ‘You don’t need to be so suspicious of others’?

She felt her chest tighten again, but his words surprised her.

“I’m not exactly giving things away for free.”

“...Are you talking about the 80% fee? Compared to the value of what you’re giving, it doesn’t seem like much.”

“Not that.”

What else could there be?

“There are a lot of awakened people in this city.”

“Yes.”

“That’s probably the biggest reward we got from clearing the dungeon.”

“...?”

She didn’t quite understand what he meant, but he continued.

“Their main issue is a lack of food.”

“Yes.”

“They could easily become thousands of raiders, but I can solve that, can’t I? I’m offering to turn useless monster meat into food. Who wouldn’t take that deal?”

He smirked mischievously.

“And my combat rations? Top quality in taste and effect. The chef job seems rare, and even if there are others, I’m confident they can’t compare.”

“Ah.”

“Do you think people who’ve tasted my cooking would be satisfied with anything else?”

Now she understood.

Thousands of awakened individuals.

Once they tasted his food, they wouldn’t be able to settle for anything less. The simple yet divine flavor and effect of his dishes would bind them to him, willingly or not.

‘Only the benefactor can make such food.’

Once someone experienced Shin Young-jun’s cooking, giving it up would be nearly impossible. Thousands of awakened individuals would have no choice but to respect him, whether they liked it or not.

A shiver ran down her spine.

Her eyes now held even greater reverence as she looked at him.

‘The great one... was looking many steps ahead.’

His miracles were worthy of scripture, but his foresight was just as awe-inspiring.

“Well, that’s what Min-jae and Soo-hyuk pointed out. I hadn’t thought that far.”

“Even humility...”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

His humble nature only deepened her admiration.

“There’s one more benefit, though.”

“Yes?”

“A lot of people died. Surviving in this world is already hard, so not many awaken. Out of every five survivors, only one might be awakened.”

The war between humans and monsters.

Humans were at a staggering disadvantage in numbers.

“Many people are still dying out there.”

“Yes.”

“It would be nice if our guild could help them all, but we can’t. So...”

He grinned.

“If we feed these people well and send them out, it could help others in distant places.”

“Ah...”

“Normally, we’d have to send our troops to help. But if people are willing to spread aid just for a meal, it’s a win for everyone.”

“Hehe. True.”

He joked, but then his face grew serious.

“I hope as many people as possible survive.”

“...”

“Sure, there might be some who misuse my food. But.”

He tapped the gun at his side.

“The legion isn’t going to lose to people like that.”

* * *

After speaking with Shin Young-jun, Jeong Soo-ah bowed and returned to her room. She knelt, clasped her hands, and began to pray.

‘Ah, great one.

The soldiers of the legion may be wary of outsiders.

But you are different.

‘The benefactor is striving for the salvation of all humanity.’

To achieve that,

He had a wisdom that went far beyond her imagination.

‘My faith was not misplaced.’

Her already firm belief grew even stronger.

* * *

Ding.

[Conditions fulfilled.]

[1. Fragment of Divinity (1/1)]

[2. Follower with significant faith (1/1)]

[New stat unlocked as a reward for meeting the conditions: Divine Power.]

“...?”

After returning from his conversation with Jeong Soo-ah, while opening the refrigerator to prepare dinner, a sudden message appeared.

“What is this?”

An unexpected message.

He opened his status screen in confusion.

[Divine Power: 1]

A completely new stat had appeared.

Divine Power?

‘Is it because I ate the Pope’s flesh?’

When he cooked and ate the sashimi made from the Pope’s flesh, there had been a message about an effect being applied.

He hadn’t been sure what it meant, but it seemed he had met some hidden condition.

Judging by the description, it seemed similar to holy power...

He asked the priest-class awakened in his unit.

“Divine Power...? Oh, you mean holy power. Of course, I have it. My holy power is over 30...”

“No, without the ‘holy’ part. Just Divine Power.”

“Hmm, never heard of that.”

A stat even the priest didn’t know about.

He’d gained traits and skills before, but this was the first time he’d acquired a new stat. It was unsettling.

He hoped it wasn’t a bad thing.

‘First the regeneration, now this unknown stat.’

It felt as if his growth was accelerating.

He recalled a conversation he once had with his unit when awakened people were just starting to appear.

“Are awakened people stronger or soldiers with guns?”

The conclusion back then had been obvious: soldiers with guns.

No matter how powerful an awakened was, a bullet would kill them all the same.

But after some time, that conversation had gained a new caveat.

“That’s for now.”

Someday, an awakened person might be able to defeat an armed soldier barehanded.

That possibility was starting to feel real.

With the regeneration ability and now this... he wondered if he was stepping beyond the bounds of ordinary humanity.

“Well, whatever.”

He had survived until now.

His various abilities had probably extended his lifespan a bit.

That was what mattered.

‘I’ll probably need this stat someday, too.’

* * *

The days continued in a similar routine.

Today, he reached into the shadow to take out ingredients for the unit’s meal.

Then—

“My lord.”

The vampire, who usually helped move things in silence, suddenly spoke up.

It was unusual for them to talk. He wondered what was going on.

“We are almost out of carrots, cabbage, green onions, and garlic.”

“Ah.”

“Also, we are running low on radishes. We still have some potatoes, but even those are—”

It was surreal to hear such practical news from a vampire.

The vegetable compartment was running low.

When they left the munitions base, they had taken more than enough supplies. With [Five Loaves and Two Fish], there was enough to feed the unit for years.

‘[Five Loaves and Two Fish] requires mana, though.’

If he was caught off guard with his mana depleted, it could spell disaster.

So he hadn’t used the skill for regular meals.

“Are we already out of vegetables?”

There was no shortage of meat, as the city’s awakened constantly brought in more than enough.

Vegetables, though...

He could always restock by visiting the munitions base near Inje.

But then a thought crossed his mind.

‘Compared to meat... the quality of the vegetables feels lacking.’

Saying they were low quality might be unfair.

The farmer-type awakened near the munitions base provided the freshest produce he could grow.

They were far superior to the subpar vegetables he’d used as a regular army cook.

The problem was—

[Prime Cut of Gowaan Honmar]

[A cut from the front limb of the powerful Gowaan Honmar, known for its immense strength.]

Monster meat contained mana. Cooking and eating it provided effects like [Mana infused from the dish seeps into your body].

The effects were incomparable to ordinary beef or pork.

Vegetables, on the other hand...

“They’re fresh, but compared to the meat...”

As his cooking skills improved, he started to feel the limitations of ordinary vegetables.

“But it’s not like we can stop eating them.”

He decided he’d have to visit Inje to restock soon.

While thinking this—

[Sewing Specialist: Commander, are you there?]

A message popped up.

The munitions base near Inje had become relatively stable.

Managing it and recruiting new members was the job of the unit’s Sewing Specialist, Captain Lee Sang-ah.

She had managed the munitions base excellently so far.

Thanks to that stable foundation, the expeditionary force could dedicate their time to dungeon raids and even attempt to settle in Chuncheon.

However—

[Sewing Specialist: ...I think we need your help.]

A call for help had come from their reliable home base.