The Military Chef of a Ruined World

Humans.

...Though even calling them that, fundamentally, humans were nothing more than another species of animal.

Kingdom Animalia, phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Primates, family Hominidae, genus Homo, species Homo sapiens.

And because humanity was merely one branch split off along a long evolutionary lineage—

There were also close relatives similar to humans.

Kingdom Animalia, phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Primates, family Hominidae.

Chimpanzees were genetically the closest animals to humans, sharing a common ancestor with them.

Which meant—

'If only humans could receive the system’s grace.'

Then theoretically—

It would not have been strange if chimpanzees could as well.

[We successfully transplanted a human brain.]

[However, the system’s grace did not continue.]

[Even when a lifeform genetically 98% identical to a human was implanted with a human brain, it was not recognized as human.]

[Perhaps our premise itself was flawed.]

[Perhaps the standard that defines humanity does not lie within the brain.]

What followed afterward was utterly horrifying.

Once the chimpanzees with transplanted brains failed to become awakened—

Their attention turned back toward humans instead.

At what point was someone still recognized as an awakened human?

How much of the body could be altered before one ceased to qualify as human?

Every one of those questions—

Was researched and proven through experimentation.

Among them were experiments familiar even to Legion members—

Such as feeding subjects monster flesh and gradually transforming them into monsters.

'Ugh....'

If the experiments had only been conducted on unconscious subjects, that would have been one thing.

But because they hypothesized that the human mind itself might also be an important factor—

In most of those experiments, the subjects’ consciousness had to remain clearly intact.

These people had carried out such experiments on fully conscious humans.

After reading the journal, Lee Sanga looked around the room.

There were several connected chambers branching off from it.

Bang!

When she opened one of them—

Inside were...

Pshhhhh....

As though they had died long ago—

Corpses, grotesquely rotting as gas seeped from them.

If they had merely been ordinary dead bodies, that would have been one thing.

But every single one of them was horribly abnormal.

It was impossible to even properly imagine what kind of insane experiments had taken place here.

“...This is pretty bad.”

“Don’t get close. The corpse poison concentration is severe....”

Watching the scene, Sarin frowned.

“For this level of corpse poison to be leaking from dead bodies... just how deep were their grudges...?”

Even while grimacing, Lee Sanga continued reading the journal.

The experiments went on endlessly—

To the point it was hard to believe the writer had been nothing more than an ordinary graduate student until recently.

'Did Sergeant Shin... know about this?'

No matter how bizarrely controlled he currently seemed to be—

She did not want to believe he was cooperating with the enemy while knowing about things like this.

She prayed the journal was telling the truth when it claimed the leadership knew nothing about it.

[The experiments are progressing.]

[It will not be long before we perfectly fulfill the revelation bestowed upon us by the system.]

Separate from how cruel the contents were—

The research itself appeared to have advanced smoothly.

But then, one day—

[...Something is strange.]

“...?”

It seemed some sort of problem had arisen with their experiments.

No—more precisely—

The problem was not with the experiments themselves.

...Rather, the opposite.

[The system itself declared that it grants its grace only to humans.]

[Our experiments sought to define humanity based upon that premise.]

They had simply been too competent.

And because such capable people had also possessed fanatical religious conviction—

They immersed themselves in research like madmen.

[...How is it possible for these beasts to awaken?]

And in the end—

They succeeded in reaching a domain no one else had even imagined possible.

***

Lee Sanga stared at the animals restrained atop the operating tables.

The countless beasts they had fought on the way here—

Had originally been bound there as well.

And while fighting them, Lee Sanga had clearly felt it.

'Rather than monsters... they felt more like awakened.'

It was not merely that they were physically powerful.

They wielded far too many different kinds of abilities.

That diversity resembled the strength of awakened humans.

And the reason they resembled awakened humans—

Was painfully simple.

[...How is it possible for these beasts to awaken?]

Those animals had truly—

Become successful awakened cases through these experiments.

Creatures already physically stronger than humans to begin with—

Which was why they had survived even after the world’s collapse.

And now those powerful beastly bodies had gained the power of awakened beings on top of that—

Which was why they could display such overwhelming strength.

'...Animals can awaken too?'

The revelation shocked Lee Sanga deeply.

Awakening belonged exclusively to humans.

That had been treated as unquestionable truth by all humanity.

The journal did not explain exactly what method they had used.

But regardless of the method—

The emotions these researchers felt upon seeing the results were beyond anything comparable to Lee Sanga’s shock.

[According to doctrine, the system loves and favors only humanity.]

They had accomplished something miraculous.

But—

To them, that miracle brought no joy whatsoever.

[Then what is this favor being directed toward them?]

[Does undergoing our procedures place even those beasts within the category of humanity?]

[If so, does that not mean humanity is not some glorious species chosen by the system... but °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° merely the same as beasts?]

The religious conviction these people held was extreme.

Fanatics who believed doctrine to be the sole absolute truth.

[Unless...]

...But at the same time, they were also far too intelligent.

[Unless... unless that is not the case.......]

“...That’s where it ends.”

The journal cut off there.

After hearing the story, the beastkin tilted their heads.

“Why would it end there?”

“It certainly seems the diary of a madman... but I fail to see the particular issue.”

At those words—

“Well, I don’t fully understand it myself.”

Staring strangely at the journal, Lee Sanga replied,

“But perhaps people who lived proudly believing they were a species chosen by a god were wounded by learning they were actually no different from other beasts.”

“Heh.”

The beastkin let out dry laughs.

“By that logic, we would be closer to the beasts outside than anyone.”

“...Ah.”

Lee Sanga flinched.

Truthfully, it was something she had already been thinking about herself.

These people were beastkin.

Their appearances resembled half-human, half-animal hybrids.

“...You already knew?”

“Of course. Those creatures practically smell like us. There’s no way we wouldn’t know.”

She had wondered if perhaps they themselves were unaware of it—

But they already knew.

Of course, as residents of another world, they were not exactly the same kinds of beasts.

But the fact remained that creatures with remarkably similar appearances existed.

“And yet you showed no hesitation in killing them.”

“What an obvious thing to say.”

...It was hard to describe.

But watching them hunt beasts resembling themselves had indeed left Lee Sanga feeling strangely unsettled.

“What defines us is not the composition of our flesh or blood. Nor is it simply what species we were born as.”

To begin with—

Though they were collectively called beastkin,

Most of them were entirely different races possessing distinct traits from one another.

“We are born with wild instincts similar to those beasts. Those instincts are powerful beyond measure and extremely difficult to suppress...”

“We suppress that savagery and temper our minds through martial arts. By doing so, we attain reason, then continue refining that reason further still, ultimately striving to ascend and soar the heavens as immortals.”

And yet—

They still regarded one another as fellow disciples.

“If someone walks the same path and possesses reason... then regardless of the species they were born as, they can still become brothers walking the same road.”

The monkey-tailed man, Shin Jong, smirked.

“To be shocked because your species is not superior to others... Even the heavenly dragons would never think something so foolish.”

To people whose culture naturally accepted countless races coexisting together—

The very concept of racial superiority seemed laughable.

For Lee Sanga, who had grown up being taught as unquestionable truth that only humans possessed intellect and thus stood as rulers of all creation—

It was an oddly embarrassing conversation.

“Th-That may be true, but....”

But then—

The horned woman who had silently listened until now—

“I think... there may have been another reason the diary ended there....”

Miyang cautiously opened her mouth.

***

“Another reason?”

“They said they worship something called the system, right? And they performed these experiments under its orders....”

Right.

Even if learning humanity was not inherently superior came as a shock—

That alone was not enough to abruptly break everything apart.

“Then why would a being like the system give them orders like that...?”

“We don’t even know if such a being truly exists.”

“But they said they heard its commands, didn’t they? We should think about it from their perspective.”

Certainly.

Lee Sanga personally regarded them as cultists—

But since they themselves did not, she needed to view the situation from their standpoint.

“They researched the boundaries of humanity, and defined humanity as the category capable of receiving the system’s grace, righttt...?”

According to the journal—

The system claimed it granted grace only to humans.

Thus, using that statement from their god—

They defined humanity as whatever fell within the range capable of receiving the system’s grace.

But then—

'Awakening appeared in monsters too.'

Evidence had appeared contradicting both their doctrine and the system’s own words.

“It was strange from the moment I first heard it. If this system is supposedly the one granting that grace?”

And that was not all.

The grace itself originated from the system.

Yet—

“In the end, this command was basically telling them to investigate the range where that grace applies. But... if it’s the very being handing out the power, why would it need others to investigate where its own power works?”

For some reason—

It had ordered research into the grace in secret, restricted to only a tiny handful of people.

“I thought it was odd from the beginning.”

And—

As everyone silently listened—

Miyang had found the entire thing suspicious from the start.

“That thing called the system.”

The fact it had hidden the research from others.

The nature of the research itself.

The discovery of evidence contradicting the doctrine the system supposedly declared.

“All this about grace. Or rather, what humans call...”

It was difficult to explain.

“The system itself....”

Miyang slowly murmured,

“Could it be that it doesn’t actually know very much about the system...?”

About the power it claimed to grant—

It almost seemed ignorant of it.

“That’s....”

And then—

At that exact moment—

[Do not...!]

Kuuuuung—!

A massive tremor shook the area.

As Lee Sanga and the beastkin slowly turned their heads—

There—

Rising to their feet—

[Do not blaspheme against Him...!]

Were gigantic beasts.