The Military Chef of a Ruined World - Chapter 402



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Watch episode 402.

Dark room.

There were several people sitting in the room.

“Well then, let’s begin this special report.”

“Let’s get started.”

A room with a small light on.

Below, a man stood in front of a whiteboard.

“The barrier opened as the system predicted. This time, I tried to gather information beyond the barrier. Luckily, I obtained some meaningful information.”

The man said, pointing to the papers stuck on the whiteboard.

“Information on key personnel of the [Steel Legion].”

“… … !”

Those who were listening to the man’s story opened their eyes wide.

Because what came out of his mouth was the name of the group that most of the people who survived on this land cared about the most.

“Lieutenant Kim Hyeon-seok, you are the leader of the corps.”

The first thing he pointed to with his hand was.

He was a man in his late 20s to early 30s with an intellectual air.

Those who heard that tilted their heads.

“Lieutenant? Isn’t that too low a rank to be the leader of the corps that transmitted that radio?”

“You look young for your age.”

Okay then.

The man who was reporting shook his head and said.

“You shouldn’t ignore them just because they’re of low rank. They’ve managed to conquer an area in such a short period of time. You have to interpret that as a commander, their capabilities were considerable. The title of lieutenant was also just a title before the destruction… … You have to see them as someone with tremendous commanding power.”

“Hmm, if you say so, then that’s true. I thought they were lucky enough to be in the military on the day of doomsday and were able to grow in strength… … .”

“As I said last time, being in the military is actually a disadvantage. On the contrary, if you look at the fact that someone who was in the military survived… … it means that the leader of that military unit is no ordinary person.”

Next.

The person standing in front pointed below Lieutenant Kim Hyeon-seok and spoke.

“If [the guild system] is followed, there will be five officers under Lieutenant Kim. In the corps, there seem to be sergeants, corporals, and one civilian collaborator in this position.”

“… … The corps commander is a lieutenant, and the officers are soldiers and civilians. I can’t get used to it.”

“Likewise, we shouldn’t ignore them just because of their rank. Considering their speed of conquest… … they are likely to be strong players of around level 29.”

In that regard.

Those who were sitting and listening to the report frowned.

“There are at least five strong players in their late 20s, is that right?”

“Yes. In the case of someone like Lieutenant Kim Hyun-seok, who is the leader, there is a high probability that he will be over level 30.”

“Right. It should be at least to unify a region… … Please continue.”

The man’s hand pointed to a picture.

A montage depicting a man with a sharp expression.

“This is Private Lee Min-jae. I heard he uses lightning magic at a considerable level and even has summoned creatures.”

“Summoner?”

“They say it resembles a snake. It’s said to be small, so it’s not a very strong summoner… … But it’s worth ranking high just because it can control monsters. Sergeant Lee Min-jae himself is said to be a wizard who specializes in area-of-effect magic.”

The next thing he pointed to was a giant warrior.

“Private Jeon Gwang-il. They say he’s a brutal fighter.”

“Cruel?”

“He is a person who enjoys fighting so fiercely that those who witnessed the battle would feel fear. He is likely a person who has difficulty fitting in with a group… … But I think he is being held together by the commanding power of Lieutenant Kim Hyun-seok.”

What was pointed out after that.

It was a man holding a gun.

“This is Private Seo Su-hyeok. He is the epitome of a soldier. His occupation is marksmanship. It seems he mainly works as a sniper.”

“A sniper… … .”

“Unlike Corporal Jeon Gwang-il or Corporal Lee Min-jae, there isn’t much information about them… … but they probably have skills that are incomparable to those of ordinary humans.”

When the report was finished up to that point.

One of those listening to the report tilted his head and asked.

“Didn’t you say there were five executives?”

“They say there was one civilian officer who took the civilians when the battle was over. That makes a total of four.”

Those who frown at those words.

“Lieutenant Kim said there were five officers under the captain… … but one is missing.”

“Unfortunately, as for the remaining one… … we haven’t found out yet.”

In that regard.

Those gathered opened their eyes wide in surprise.

“Is there information you don’t know?”

“Isn’t this the first time?”

A man speaking with a smile

“There are things I don’t know about.”

“Haha… … The gentleman who always brings valuable information so casually is now saying something weak.”

A small laugh.

But there was a strange trust in that smile.

“So? If you lack information… …then this plan is abandoned?”

“No, it’s still a plan worth trying.”

He said as he distributed the documents he had to the people.

I looked into it just in case, and among the information we had was something about Lieutenant Kim Hyun-seok.

In that document.

There was a picture of a soldier and some information about him.

“My colleagues and boss’s evaluations are unbelievably good.”

“Compared to that, the scores on the specialty test are quite low? This is another strange case.”

“Because he’s someone who’s built up that much power in this world. Even if he’s not very good at his main job, he’s definitely good at dealing with people, or something like that.”

“So, what’s the big deal about having Lieutenant Kim’s data?”

“Please look at my family history.”

People who saw that part.

Only then did he nod.

“My father was a soldier, my mother was a police officer. My older brother was a firefighter… … My younger sister was a social activist.”

“This is a patriotic family, huh? Is that why you broadcasted that radio?”

“Yes. Regardless of the composition, the core is the leader of the corps who controls all the members. If we can just successfully dig into Lieutenant Kim. We… … .”

The man standing in front.

He said, holding Lieutenant Kim’s montage in his hand.

“You might be able to get your hands on the legion.”

***

“I have a question about what we talked about last time.”

Lieutenant Kim is the face of our unit.

In the system, all the members of the unit know that I am the commander of the legion, but outsiders all think of him as the ruler of the legion.

“If, really, if. This call is not a trap, and if these people can really be said to be the government of the Republic of Korea.”

This situation has many advantages in many ways.

He was also scheduled to appear as a representative for this trip to Seoul.

“How do you plan to treat them?”

“Hmm.”

In that regard.

I leaned back in the car seat and thought.

‘If they really are the government.’

If we are ordinary survivors, the story is simple.

It’s just a matter of whether you trust them and join them or not.

but.

“I think there must be another reason for asking this question. Am I mistaken?”

“… … I feel like that identity has changed a lot recently, but still.”

Our situation was a little different.

That makes sense.

“We are soldiers, Youngjun.”

We were soldiers.

And, if you are a soldier of the Republic of Korea.

“We, who claim to be a military unit… … might be right to join their command.”

The Republic of Korea military moves under the orders of the Republic of Korea government.

A proposition that was so obvious was being presented to us.

“Oh, of course. The decision is yours. I’m just giving my opinion.”

“Hmm.”

Knock, knock.

He snapped his fingers on the car seat, thought for a moment, then opened his mouth.

“As you know, Lieutenant.”

“… … ?”

“We are no longer an ordinary army.”

At those words, Lieutenant Kim’s expression darkened slightly.

He nodded and said,

“That’s true.”

We maintained our identity as a military force because we thought it was to our advantage.

However, it was not a group that could truly be called a regular army.

Because most of the legionnaires were not from a military background.

“I don’t like it either, but this world has come to revolve around the logic of power. Whether there’s a president, a chief of staff, or a secretary of defense, they won’t be able to manipulate us as they please.”

The essence of our unit is.

By the time I left the 423rd Battalion, it had changed so much.

“If they want to manipulate us against our will, I will stop them.”

“… … .”

“By any means necessary.”

Lieutenant Kim frowned at my words.

I could understand his reaction.

‘After all, only one year has passed since the day of destruction.’

The density of that time was incredibly thick.

Time-wise, only a year has passed.

It may vary from person to person.

The authority of the name ‘government’ still remained vivid among the people.

‘It’s probably not just Lieutenant Kim’s problem.’

The identity of our military unit is closely related to its authority.

Those who react like that may not be that rare, surprisingly.

“The people who gathered in the legion did not gather because they believed in the name of the Republic of Korea government or anything like that.”

but.

Just because I could understand their reactions, it didn’t mean I could accept their opinions.

“These are people who gathered under the name of the ‘Steel Legion,’ not a military unit under the government.”

Legionnaires are those who gather under the name of the Legion.

I am the leader of such people.

Even though he was away for a while, he never gave up his identity for even a moment.

“Lieutenant Kim is the only officer in our unit… … but he is also a member of the corps. It was he who suggested that the corps should be placed under another group.”

“… … .”

“So, let me be clear.”

I have my arms crossed.

He said, looking at Lieutenant Kim.

“You’ll have to give me a good reason to bring that up, Lieutenant Kim Hyun-seok.”

“… … .”

“If not… … I won’t be able to just let it go.”

Lieutenant Kim Hyeon-seok.

He looked at me with trembling eyes.

***

“The reason is… … our identity is that of soldiers.”

“hmm.”

“One of the reasons we have been able to lead this group until now is because of our legitimacy as a government force.”

At first, there were many difficulties.

Certainly, there were many cases where the name value was realized.

“If we deny that, we are no longer a proper army… … we are just local warlords with armed forces.”

“It’s the times like these. I don’t think that kind of trend is problematic.”

“There won’t be any problems right now. At least for now.”

Let me frown.

Lieutenant Kim continued cautiously.

“The problem is later. Later, when time has passed since then… … will we still be able to remain as a proper group as we are now?”

“… … ?”

“There were no problems until now. Even though we grew in size, we were still just one military unit. However, when we occupied Gangwon Province, I felt that the area we ruled had expanded too rapidly.”

The occupation of Gangwon-do was something I had never experienced.

While I was in Gyeonggi-do.

Lieutenant Kim seemed to have had some thoughts while occupying Gangwon Province.

“The number of humans who survived wasn’t that many, but compared to before, it has increased dramatically. And as time goes by, the area we occupy… … the number of humans operating within that area will also increase. And Youngjun.”

“yes.”

“The military is an armed force… … not a political force.”

Only then.

I understood what he was trying to say.

‘We have survived this world by force.’

I don’t know what will happen in the future.

Thanks to the hard work over the years, the legion was able to secure a considerable level of military power.

but.

“So you’re saying that we could collapse because of factors other than force?”

“When there are this many people, internal discord and politics are bound to arise.”

The number of legionnaires is not large.

There are many who belong to the realm of the legion.

Even in Chuncheon, there are a huge number of survivors who have survived and are growing.

“Some of them grew into guilds. Some even had considerable influence in certain regions.”

The power to survive against monsters.

Food that will keep you from starving to death.

Clothing and shelter that will keep you from freezing to death.

Until then, we were satisfied with just meeting the minimum conditions for survival.

But that’s not the case anymore.

When building a village near the former ammunition battalion.

I wanted to create a human society with them as the beginning.

Quite some time has passed now.

The society began to form properly.

‘Politics.’

we are.

We were in a situation where we didn’t even know whether we had the capacity to lead that society or not.

“Youngjun, I don’t doubt your abilities. It’s not just you. There are many talented people in the corps. Minjae, Suhyeok, Gwangil… … Those guys who were ordinary but had some special aspects during their time in the corps now all display incredible charisma.”

“… … .”

“If you think about it, you’re just a young man in your early 20s.”

It’s exactly as Lieutenant Kim said.

I am now a young man in my early twenties.

Normally, I would be at an age where I would be contemplating whether to return to society after being discharged from the military or go back to college.

“It’s not just you and the others, it’s the same for me. I’m in charge of external affairs, but… … To be honest, you know that even the rank of lieutenant is not very high among officers. I’m just older than you, but in a traditional society, I’d be considered a freshman.”

I listened to Lieutenant Kim’s words.

I remembered the attitude he had shown at the beginning of the destruction.

‘He wanted to receive orders from his superiors rather than give them himself.’

The decision to wait for orders from higher-up units may be correct.

He appeared unwilling to take any action until the order was given.

It was too passive to overcome destruction.

“To be entrusted with the position of head of an organization that has grown to this extent… … I am woefully lacking in experience.”

I still think that was an unusual attitude for a commander to have.

‘If you don’t have confidence, you can do that.’

That’s it, after all.

It was an expression of his anxiety about not being able to properly run this unit.

Lieutenant Kim, the external leader of the corps.

Nana, the de facto leader.

If it’s about combat, then I don’t know.

I had no experience in managing large organizations or in politics.

the other side.

“If they are truly the successor to a proper government, they likely have that ability.”

There still remains the hurdle of whether it is true or not.

If they really have the ability to call themselves a government.

Their experience in that area will be far superior to ours.

in other words.

“Assuming that they are truly a proper government… … I would like you to consider the option of joining them.”

When I heard that, I was lost in thought for a moment.

Complex issues such as identity and politics as a soldier.

Lieutenant Kim’s words were not entirely nonsense.

“Lieutenant Kim.”

but.

“I don’t think that’s all.”

“what?”

I think there must be another reason why Lieutenant Kim made that suggestion.

That’s what I thought.