The Military Chef of a Ruined World - Chapter 435



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Episode 435: Existence Outside (1)

“Your power… … is it to turn back time?”

“what?”

Let me say it like this.

Jang Young-woong opened his mouth with an expression that seemed like he didn’t understand.

“What does that mean? I actually turned back time with this power.”

“hmm…….”

“Can’t you see this Seoul? And all those people!”

Got it! And.

Jang Young-woong beating his own chest.

“Me! This is the result of repeating it thousands, tens of thousands of times.”

“Well, I think it’s great.”

When I showed an indifferent attitude.

He said through gritted teeth.

“… … You occupied Gangwon Province without this power. This power may seem ridiculous to you. However, there is something you must know. This Seoul was an extremely difficult place to survive compared to other regions!”

no.

I know.

‘In the first place, we thought there would be no survivors in Seoul.’

How much trouble must he have had to endure to create this look.

What a great feat it is to realize this look.

I understand completely.

But, apart from that.

“The fact that it is a great thing and the nature of its power are two different things, right?”

“……under!”

This part.

I definitely need to get this over with.

“Of course it’s true, it’s hard to believe.”

Jang Young-woong seems to think that I am denying reality.

He shook his head and tried to persuade me.

“But, for some reason, you seem to be somewhat resistant to my powers. If so, you must have seen all the repetitions in the process. Why are you denying reality?”

“Why… … .”

In that regard.

I thought to myself.

‘In the first place, if he had such great ability, he wouldn’t have been able to do it like this.’

When I first realized that this Seoul was repeating itself.

I ordered the widespread destruction of Seoul.

There is only one reason.

‘I should have checked.’

Whether that ability really can turn back time.

or not.

‘Is it just an illusory power that only appears that way?’

And the result.

What I have confirmed is.

‘Seoul looked different than before.’

If it really were the power to turn back time.

It doesn’t make sense for something to appear differently than it did before.

‘This guy’s ability isn’t some great power like turning back time.’

There is a gap and it is an ability that can be exploited.

Because I knew that.

This is how I chose to fight.

“… … Do you really not know?”

“what?”

but.

If I were to tell you something like that, it would sound like nonsense to the author.

then.

“I don’t know if you know but want to pretend not to know or what… … But if you insist on asking, I guess I’ll tell you.”

The very first reason why I had this doubt.

The first thing I realized was that the author’s abilities might not be normal.

I decided to tell you why.

“I had a good time looking around the house. Your wife is pretty and she cooks well.”

“… …Why are you suddenly talking about my family?”

“But… … You must have been quite busy trying to survive this destruction. Have you been able to take enough care of your family?”

“So. Why are you talking about my family… …!”

“You said the baby was 15 months old. He was cute, though.”

The author probably made the invitation without much thought.

Met in that house.

“Have you checked to see if your child is growing well?”

“… … ?”

That baby.

Because it was too small.

* * *

‘This is 15 months?’

I’m not a parenting expert either.

I couldn’t say I knew much about the child’s growth.

but.

When I saw the child in my arms at that time, I couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

‘Anyone can tell that she’s a newborn. She looks like she just came out of the hospital and came home… ‘

They say that babies grow most explosively around 3 months after birth.

The child I saw was so young that I thought he hadn’t even experienced that stage of growth.

Judging from its appearance, it looks like a newborn baby who hasn’t even turned one yet.

‘Isn’t it strange that this child is 15 months old…?’

At first, I just thought it was strange.

But there was also the thought that it might be possible.

Why, immature or something.

Because that’s a case worth considering.

but.

That thought changed after looking around the house a little more.

There was also a family photo inside Jang Young-woong’s house.

Among them, there were some photos that appeared to have been taken before that day of destruction.

The problem is the child in that photo.

‘It’s the same.’

With the child who was in that house.

The point was that they were showing the same growth.

‘At that time, I was just overcome with a sense of discomfort.’

In that sense of discomfort.

I had a thought that maybe Jang Young-woong was lying.

By asking him questions, I could tell he was lying.

But later, after regaining all of his memories.

After recalling those memories, I was able to be sure.

‘It was said that the awakened were fixed at the level of growth they had in their first life. Those who did not awaken in their first life were not able to awaken in the next life either.’

It’s a similar story.

‘It’s because I haven’t grown up.’

The baby I saw.

At best, it would have been a newborn baby, one or two months old.

‘At the point of death in the first life… … it is fixed.’

To my words:

Jang Young-woong opened his mouth in a daze.

“That’s, what… … .”

Jang Young-woong is taken aback by my words.

He chuckled and shook his head as he said.

“Ha, haha… … What kind of nonsense is that? It’s like I don’t even know how my child grows up… … .”

Do you want to somehow deny what I said?

Jang Young-woong shakes his head with a very frowning expression.

but.

“Then, come and see.”

“what?”

I reach out my hand.

He pointed in the direction where Yeouido was.

“See the child and come back. We will stay here. We will not run wild or destroy the city. Take your time… … and come back after seeing the child.”

“… … .”

“You can check for yourself whether your child has grown since a year ago.”

Let me say it like this.

Jang Young-woong clenched his fists and thought for a moment.

“If you tried to mess with my family, I will never forgive you.”

“Yes, yes.”

Soon it began to move out of my sight at incredible speed.

No matter what, he is a fairly high-level awakened person.

In this city, where no one is trying to stop you, you can probably get home pretty quickly.

After I sent him away.

I sat there and spent some time quietly.

And then, a few hours later.

“how…….”

What appeared before my eyes was.

A man with a pale expression and sobbing.

“How… … This could happen… … .”

That face.

I was filled with despair.

* * *

“Nonsense… … That’s impossible.”

this.

That’s why I doubted the identity of that power.

If it really were an absurd power that could turn back time.

Even if we go back to the past.

From that past onwards, time should flow properly to be normal.

That kid is the same too.

Even if he was originally a child who would have died not long after the day of destruction.

If you succeed in going back to the past and saving him.

From then on, it is normal for things to grow smoothly.

“How… … can this happen… … ?”

At that point, no.

I was sure it wasn’t such a grand power.

‘The phenomenon engulfing Seoul is not about turning back time.’

Rather than that.

What should I say?

‘It’s a cover-up.’

The appearance desired by the one who caused this phenomenon.

It is nothing more than a ‘covering’ of the original appearance.

‘It only covers the surface. The essence inside does not change.’

I thought of the buildings that were so easily destroyed.

That’s probably why the buildings were destroyed so easily.

‘Because its nature was already one that was easily destroyed.’

Even if it looks fine on the outside.

The inside must have looked old, worn, and fragile.

‘If you physically destroy it, the overlaid appearance disappears… … and the true appearance is revealed.’

The same goes for that baby.

No matter how normal you may look on the outside.

The essence is probably already… … .

‘… … .’

and.

There was someone who gave me confidence in this thought.

‘The monsters that poured down from Yeouido.’

The guy who seemed to be the leader of those monsters said.

‘I said I sent troops to see what was inside.’

At the time, I didn’t understand what that meant.

But now I could see the gist of what he was saying.

‘There is an [outside] where that guy lives.’

This land is being repeated over and over again by a man named Jang Young-woong.

This Seoul is… … .

‘This world is fake.’

That it’s not real.

‘This landscape, which the author created over thousands or tens of thousands of years, is also… … fake.’

That’s why.

“I don’t think I can accept your offer.”

“I don’t get it…….”

Whether I say so or not.

He continued to mutter to himself.

‘… … It must be hard to accept.’

It was such a shocking story.

I can understand that you can’t accept it.

I sighed and spoke to him.

“I understand that it’s hard to believe, but you have to accept reality… … .”

“No, no.”

however.

“It’s not that it’s hard to believe… … . I’m not trying to deny what you said either.”

“… … ?”

“Yes, you are right. It seems that this power is different from what I thought. The problem is… … that’s not it.”

Contrary to my thoughts.

It seemed that the way he looked wasn’t because he was having a hard time accepting reality.

“Why… didn’t I notice that?”

“… … !”

“Does this… make sense?”

He probably is.

It seemed like he was realizing something different.

“Do I look like an idiot to you?”

“yes?”

“How many times have I spent time with my child while repeating this endlessly? Do you think I’m such a retard that I don’t notice that he’s not growing up?”

Yeah, that’s right.

That part also bothered me a little.

but.

“Well, you must have been busy overcoming this destruction, so that could be the case… … .”

“Damn, if you think about it, I wasn’t that busy!”

Jang Young-woong shouts.

He clutched his head and shouted as if he couldn’t understand at all.

“Out of those thousands, tens of thousands of repetitions, hundreds of times I was mentally broken and spent time with only my family!”

“yes?”

“I don’t care if the world ends or people are all gone! There were many times when I hid in a relatively safe place in Seoul with my family!”

In that regard.

I, too, sensed what he was trying to say.

“And yet you didn’t notice that my child had stopped growing?”

“……that.”

“That doesn’t make sense… … .”

He put down the hand that was clutching his head.

I looked up at the sky with a messed up face.

“How is such an absurd thing possible… … .”

and.

He mutters while looking at the sky.

“Unless someone is trying to trick me… … .”

and.

The very moment he said those words.

-iced coffee…….

“!?”

Above the sky where the sun is setting.

A voice is heard from among the dimly visible stars.

{Poor, poor child… … .}

“……ah.”

Jang Young-woong heard that voice.

He shouted in shock as if he had noticed something.

“I’ve lived thousands, tens of thousands of lives… …but I’ve never forgotten even once.”

{I saw the mountain of regret that was in your heart… … that sadness.}

“This, this voice.”

{That’s why I gave you a chance to correct your regrets… … Ah, what a pity.}

Let me look there too.

Up in the sky.

[The divine power detects an external presence.]

“At that time, that… … !”

Looking at this place from space.

I felt a strong presence.

[The trait is activated.]

I turned my gaze towards that presence.

Beyond even the clouds.

The dark world out there.

[Food ingredient identification (reinforcement)]

[Godmother of the Regretful]

The huge shape there.

Looking down at the land, he let out a sigh of regret.

{If only I could have stayed like this a little longer, I could have forgotten all my regrets and been happy.}