The source of the jungle was the mountain behind the ammunition base.

However, the mountain’s soil had never seemed particularly rich or fertile.

There was no way it could support a jungle of that magnitude.

As a result:

‘The Alraune is dying from malnutrition.’

In other words, it was as if a person were starving to death.

If there weren’t more complex issues at play, then...

If it was simply a case of ‘I’m starving to death,’ then:

‘Why not just feed it?’

Cook up something that plants would like.

“I never thought I’d see the day when I’d teach a superior officer something like this,” Park Cheol-wook said with a complicated expression, sighing.

“Teaching you how to make fertilizer…”

“Didn’t you say you’d take on any task just a while ago?”

“…Understood.”

His dissatisfaction was brief.

His expression soon turned serious.

“Now that I’m teaching you, it means you’re my student, Commander.”

“That’s right.”

“Which means you have to follow my instructions to the letter.”

I could tell what he was worried about.

When I was just the cook sergeant, things might have been different, but now my position among the guild members was absolute. He was probably concerned that I wouldn’t take his teachings seriously.

But I could reassure him.

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

Up until recently, I was just a cook sergeant myself.

And if there’s one thing a Korean soldier excels at, it’s following orders.

“So, what are the ingredients we need?”

“Ah.”

I had planned to make fertilizer to solve this problem.

But the only time I’d ever seen fertilizer being made was in a movie.

The knowledge I had from school and from that movie scene was limited.

“...Do we need manure or something like that?”

The only ingredient that came to mind was quite unsanitary—an odd fit for someone whose craft was all about hygiene.

“No, no, when is this, the Middle Ages?” Cheol-wook waved his hands dismissively.

“Manure-based fertilizer is old news. Even rural farms don’t use that method anymore. It’s only for hobbyist farmers who want to do things the old-fashioned way.”

Oh.

That was surprising.

“Then what do we use?”

“Almost anything can be used as an ingredient, really. Plants, of course, but also nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium… there are various types if we talk about chemical fertilizers. Realistically, though, what we can use now is…”

He led me to a shed near the fields and opened a bag.

“Animal-based fertilizer.”

Fertilizer made from animal remains.

Given that our unit had an abundance of monster corpses, we had more than enough material for this.

[Low-Grade Farmer’s Carefully Crafted Aracron Fertilizer]

“This is the fertilizer I made from monster carcasses I received after I re-enlisted.”

“That’s impressive.”

“Monster magic has an impact, you know. It’s probably better than high-quality chemical fertilizers.”

Indeed.

A glance with [Ingredient Identification] confirmed it was excellent.

“I don’t know why you need to make fertilizer yourself, Commander. Isn’t that my job?”

“Hm?”

“Your profession is a chef, and I’m a farmer,” he said, scratching his cheek.

“It makes sense that I’d be better at making fertilizer, right?”

“Well.”

It was a logical argument.

Between a chef and a farmer, who would be better at making fertilizer? In most cases, chefs would lack the knowledge to do so.

But that was true for most chefs.

‘I’ve already cooked for a metal-eating beast, so…’

Feeding plants wasn’t an idea that had ever crossed my mind before.

But ever since I prepared meals for [Iron-Eating Beast]… Ka-mang, my concept of cooking had expanded beyond imagination.

Fertilizer was just another type of food, meant to nourish plants.

And if it was cooking…

“It’s my specialty.”

* * *

“Phew… Are you sure it’s safe this time?” Lee Sang-ah sighed.

“I’ve already been there once. It’s safe.”

“But you did that safety check with your own body,” she said, still exasperated.

I stepped into the jungle again, accompanied by the farewells of Sang-ah and the other soldiers.

This time, knowing the way, the second trip up the mountain was easier than the first.

“Whew!”

Finally, I arrived at the center of the jungle, where I found the solitary tree.

The face embedded in its trunk blinked at me.

Swish…

It saw me and then closed its eyes again.

Despite having awakened my [Talent], which greatly reduced the preparation time, making the fertilizer still took some time.

‘It looks even more emaciated than before.’

I glanced around.

The nearby trees also seemed to be in worse condition.

I quietly approached the Alraune.

The human face embedded in the middle of the tree was honestly grotesque.

‘But it’s not like there aren’t plenty of other grotesque monsters.’

I confirmed that it was indeed too weak to move despite my approach.

[Shadow Cloak]

From within the shadows, I pulled out a sack and opened it.

The sack was filled with fertilizer.

But there was no odor typically associated with fertilizer.

It was nearly scentless.

I remembered what Cheol-wook had said:

‘No smell at all… That’s incredible.’

‘Did I do something wrong?’

‘No, quite the opposite. People think fertilizer stinks, but truly high-quality fertilizer doesn’t smell. Since making monster-based fertilizer is difficult, the ones I made still smell quite a bit.’

Not mine, though.

There were plenty of reasons for this.

One, I was on an entirely different level as a chef compared to him.

Making fertilizer was just another form of cooking, and my skills and traits applied just the same.

And another reason was the trait I’d recently acquired:

[Combat Strength Indicator].

‘This trait gauges strength based on the quality and quantity of internal magic.’

Apparently, the monster meat Cheol-wook received was often too damaged to use for cooking.

The monsters he got were random, with their meat often bruised and mashed.

But with my trait, I could roughly measure the power and magic levels of monsters.

So, I selected only those with high-quality magic for my fertilizer.

The result:

[Mid-Grade Chef’s Heartfelt Monster Composite Fertilizer]

A flashy and long name for fertilizer.

I scattered it around the Alraune’s roots and mixed it into the soil.

Blink.

-...?

The Alraune stared at me curiously.

I felt it.

The magic within the fertilizer rapidly spread through the soil and reached toward the Alraune.

‘Now.’

Just as the magic touched the Alraune and was about to be absorbed, I deactivated an active trait.

[The trait - Environmental Assimilation has been deactivated.]

Swish.

My body, which had been merged with the environment, returned to that of an ordinary human.

At that moment:

…!

The Alraune, which had been gazing at me with sleepy eyes, contorted its face into something demonic.

-Kyaaahhh!

“So, you can speak after all?”

A shriek erupted from the face embedded in the tree, fierce and hostile.

And it wasn’t just the Alraune.

The entire jungle around me.

Though it might sound odd to describe trees this way, I could sense overwhelming hostility from all of them.

Then.

Crack…!

A massive tree root burst from the ground, ready to strike me.

Just at that moment.

It stopped.

The enormous root halted just in front of my face.

‘That was close.’

I knew why it stopped.

The magic in the fertilizer I made had begun to be absorbed by the Alraune.

-Kyaaah… ah… ah…?

The creature that had attacked anything foreign in the forest.

To it, I was likely just another invader.

But its rage slowly subsided.

Exactly as planned.

[Chef’s Special Sauce]

[Deep Bond]

“Last time, you acknowledged me as an equal, right?”

But.

That wasn’t enough.

My unit had only rookies left; the only other senior was stuck on that mountain.

I didn’t have any friends nearby.

So.

“You’ll be my best friend.”

The Alraune looked at me.

The eyes embedded in the tree now radiated a friendliness incomparable to before.

Swish…

The roots that had lunged at me, along with the branches, thorns, and other plants that had gathered, quietly withdrew.

Smiling gently.

“I take it you enjoyed the taste.”

It smiled at me like it was greeting an old friend.

It seemed the effect of the dish was perfect.

‘Well, it was made with my full effort.’

Feeding my soldiers such high-grade meals was hard.

Officers over level 20 could handle them to some extent, but…

If ordinary soldiers consumed one of my all-out dishes, the powerful buffs would place extreme stress on their bodies.

But…

The creature before me was a blue-level monster emitting powerful energy.

It could withstand my full-powered dish.

‘What I worried about was whether it would feel so attached that it wouldn’t let me leave or try to fuse with me.’

Fortunately, this creature’s nature—or personality—seemed decent.

My worries didn’t come true.

“So, we’re friends now, right?”

It beamed at me, looking delighted.

But.

This alone wasn’t enough.

[Chef’s Special Sauce] was temporary.

Right now, it might be happily smiling at me, but once the effect wore off, it wouldn’t be surprising if it screamed and attacked again.

However.

Not all effects are temporary.

Corporal

 Jeon Gwang-il’s reckless courage left behind madness.

The extreme comfort and camaraderie led to a reluctance to accept anyone outside the unit.

Though the special sauce’s effects were temporary, the stronger and longer-lasting they were, the more their remnants lingered.

And so.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

I pulled out more sacks of fertilizer from the shadows and stacked them on the ground.

One or two bags wouldn’t be enough, so I brought plenty.

Sorry to say, but.

“Let’s become excessively close.”

Beyond a temporary effect.

Until it felt warmth at just the sight of me.

* * *

“Hah…”

Lee Sang-ah stood before the invading jungle and sighed.

“Are you that worried?”

“Of course, I am,” she said, her expression darkening further.

“We were at a dead end, so I sent out a call for help… but I didn’t think he’d try to resolve it by going in alone.”

Even if there wasn’t a way for her to handle it, letting someone with the rank of Guild Master walk into danger was unacceptable.

If something happened to him, it would be her responsibility for not finding a solution sooner.

“Come on, Sergeant Shin will be fine, won’t he?”

“Given what he’s done so far, yeah.”

Other soldiers laughed, watching her reaction.

It wasn’t that they didn’t care about their commander.

But Sergeant Shin Young-jun always found a way, no matter the challenge.

By now, there was a belief among them that there was nothing he couldn’t handle.

But.

‘…That’s irresponsible.’

Sang-ah didn’t share that sentiment.

She glanced at the relaxed soldiers, exhaling a sigh.

‘His abilities are incredible, but in the end, he’s only human.’

There were even some who considered him almost godlike.

He’d accomplished so much, so she could understand that… but.

‘What if something goes wrong?’

It wouldn’t be Sergeant Shin Young-jun’s fault.

It would be the fault of those who assumed he’d be fine and grew complacent.

She had led a group of about 20 herself once.

She knew how hard it was to lead.

How a single small mistake could lead to huge risks.

She understood it all too well.

‘My group nearly fell apart because of criminals.’

It was Sergeant Shin Young-jun and this unit who saved her during that crisis.

If there was any chance that something bad could happen to her savior, she wouldn’t just shrug it off.

“He doesn’t listen when you try to stop him—that’s the problem.”

Sigh.

As she exhaled, suddenly.

Rustle, rustle.

“…!?”

The jungle they had been working hard to cut back began to move.

Unlike its previous slow expansion, it now shifted violently.

“…Form a battle line!”

At her command, the soldiers quickly drew their weapons.

It wouldn’t have been surprising if a battle started immediately.

Her command was appropriate.

But.

Rustle…

No battle began.

The tree roots that had been encroaching on the base gradually retreated.

And the trees parted to the sides.

It looked as if the ground itself were opening up to create a path.

It was almost awe-inspiring.

And then.

A path appeared between the parted trees.

A man emerged from it.

Seeing him, Sang-ah couldn’t help but let out a laugh and salute.

“…Welcome back, Sergeant. That was faster than expected.”

“Salute.”

The man who returned the salute was none other than Sergeant Shin Young-jun.

He grinned and said:

“It went better than I thought.”