The Military Chef of a Ruined World

[Intermediate Water Spirit Medium]

Jeong Sua’s original class had been Water Spirit Medium.

Just as the name implied, a spirit medium contracted with Bangul, a water spirit.

It had been a fairly decent ability.

The spirit itself possessed respectable power.

And while lacking the raw firepower of mages, it was a class capable of far more versatile applications.

Before Level 10, she had been a Lesser Water Spirit Medium.

At the Level 10 range, a Low-Rank Water Spirit Medium.

And after entering the Level 20 range, she had become an Intermediate Water Spirit Medium.

Even if she continued leveling further—

There was a high probability her abilities would not fundamentally change from there.

Her talent itself was probably simply aligned with spirits—

And especially with water.

But—

‘Once you pass Level 30...... they say your specialization is decided.’

The stage where one found a power more specialized toward oneself.

Reaching that stage certainly meant becoming stronger.

But at the same time—

It also meant one’s path became permanently fixed.

Once one reached Level 30 and the class became finalized—

Leaving that path became nearly impossible.

‘That.’

And—

‘Isn’t the path I want.’

She—

Had a different path she wished to walk.

[Your level has increased.]

[You have reached Lv.29.]

Until now, she had followed her talent and walked the path recommended by the System.

But not anymore.

‘......I’ll delay leveling up.’

And after that—

She drastically reduced how often she participated in battle.

Like the other squad leaders, she had quickly approached Level 30.

But from that point onward, she focused solely on her duties as a reconnaissance squad leader and no longer participated in combat.

Even after successful reconnaissance missions, she did not claim the achievements for herself.

She intentionally distributed information among others to split the experience gains and suppress her own growth.

That was the reason she had rarely displayed herself in battle until now.

Because in truth—

She herself had been deliberately restraining her own growth.

@-......Awakened individuals can grow stronger so easily, yet I truly don’t understand why you would choose such a path.

@-My disciple has personal circumstances. I ask for your understanding.

@-Hmm, very well then. In that case, today’s lesson shall......

And so, while her level growth remained halted—

She learned spirit arts from Borjin, the powerful and wise shaman.

Beginning from the very basics as though she knew nothing at all.

Carefully progressing step by step from fundamentals into advanced applications.

@-......Though they say there won’t be major changes since you already possess a contracted spirit.

And as a result—

@-To successfully summon one without even using a skill after only a few months......

She succeeded in summoning spirits as an ordinary human rather than as an awakened individual.

That was how obsessively she trained and refined her abilities.

And while delaying her level growth and strengthening herself through other methods—

—......You want to know how I changed my specialization?

Upon that continent—

Exactly as she had hoped—

She encountered someone who had changed their abilities in a completely different direction.

Only after receiving advice from that person did she begin leveling again.

[Path to the Heavens]

And before long—

She too began walking that Path.

As a result—

Unlike most awakened individuals—

She succeeded in choosing the path she herself wished to walk through her own will rather than simply following her natural talent.

And that became—

[Holy Spirit Medium of the Legion]

This.

***

PAAAAAAAK!!

The spirit that had resembled a droplet of water.

Bangul’s form rippled gently as it slowly transformed.

[——————]

And what finally appeared—

Was a tiny angel with a voice as sorrowful as morning dew.

A gun in one hand.

A sword in the other.

And military dog tags hanging around its neck......

A somewhat bizarre appearance for something called an angel.

But at the same time—

[Holy Spirit of the Legion]

It was also the most fitting possible appearance for that existence.

[A holy spirit forged from countless beliefs serves as the bridgehead of faith.]

The angel lightly fluttered its wings.

And in response—

An enormous power began to move.

Not from inside the angel itself.

“......Hah. What is this.”

PAAAAAAAAAAAK.......

A tremendous force erupted outward.

None other than—

“You’re fighting against me...... and trying to use my own power......?!”

The wounded man collapsed upon the ground.

The power flowing within the Pope’s body.

[Divine Power : 50]

Divine power—

Began moving under the guidance of the holy spirit.

‘What shamelessness......!’

And yet—

Even while thinking that, the Pope could not stop the energy from leaving his body.

He simply stared at the departing power with a hollow laugh.

‘Ever since I embraced this faith.’

Divine power.

The power wielded by the object of faith.

And because his mind now served a different faith—

He himself could no longer control that power.

KWA-A-A-A-ANG......!

The enormous force passed through the body of the holy spirit.

And then flowed toward the holy spirit’s contractor—

Jeong Sua.

“Khk......!”

The gigantic gray energy.

Receiving that force, she staggered and grimaced.

The power was overwhelmingly immense.

Even though she had already prepared herself mentally after anticipating its might—

Even she, whose class had evolved specifically for handling such power, struggled simply accepting it into her body.

‘......Yes. I expected this wouldn’t be easy.’

Every single point of those stats had been built through enormous miracles.

Even if such power were bestowed upon ordinary humans—

There was no way they could control it easily.

Even Shin Youngjun himself had only recently learned how to grant physical force to it.

No matter how exceptional an awakened individual might be—

Controlling a power so fundamentally different from everything else should have been impossible.

“Kgh...... ngh.......”

But—

PAAAAAAAK.......

As she painfully raised her hand—

The gray energy began moving in response to her will.

Not because of the holy spirit’s assistance.

Nor because she was the greatest supporter of this faith.

Simply—

Because she had already comprehended the method.

PAAAAAAAK.......

“Everyone.......”

And then—

The power guided by her will—

Spread outward toward the others around her.

“Please...... accept it.”

“......Understood.”

“With pleasure.”

“Hoo...... this is nerve-wracking.”

“Let’s do this!”

Beginning from Jeong Sua—

To Seo Suhyeok, Lee Minjae, Lee Sanga, and Jeon Gwangil—

The divine power spread to the five Legion members......

No.

To the Legion’s five officers.

Yes.

Ordinarily, no matter how exceptional they were as awakened individuals, controlling this power should have been impossible.

Just as its name implied—

It was a force permitted only to beings beyond humanity.

[Conditions]

[1. Fragment of Divinity (0/1)]

But—

While walking that Path, they had realized one thing.

Within their bodies—

There existed traces of the being that had once ruled this world in the distant past.

[Fragment of Divinity (1/1)]

Fragments of a great existence—

Mixed ever so slightly within them.

Tiny fragments so faint they had barely even seemed to exist.

Most humans would probably never awaken even a fragment of that fragment throughout their entire lives.

Perhaps throughout all of human history—

Only the greatest heroes and saints had ever awakened its potential.

But—

They had walked the Path.

‘The first stage of the path ascending to heaven...... is drawing out one’s potential to the absolute limit.’

And what they gained there was not merely combat ability.

No......

Rather, the combat ability obtained there had only been secondary.

The truly important thing was something else.

The potential that had originally existed inside them.

Their Legion Commander had reached it long ago—

But perhaps the rest of humanity would spend their entire lives stagnating without ever reaching it.

That possibility itself.

[The first condition has been fulfilled.]

Perhaps—

Even the people from foreign nations who had first walked that Path—

Had succeeded in awakening a portion of that potential.

[Conditions]

[2. Believer possessing sufficient faith]

But because they ultimately failed to fulfill the remaining conditions—

They had eventually been swallowed by the waves of destruction.

‘Faith.’

However......

The Legion was different.

‘The name of the faith spreading throughout the Legion is.......’

‘Legion Faith.’

A faith worshiped by countless survivors.

And the object of that faith was not solely the Legion Commander.

[Believer possessing sufficient faith (1/1)]

[All conditions have been fulfilled!]

All conditions had been satisfied.

And the reward granted at the end was—

[As a reward for fulfilling the conditions, a new stat has been unlocked.]

A new stat with a name so absurdly brief compared to all the hardship required to obtain it.

[Divine Power : 1]

Within the status windows of the five Legion members—

That small line had been engraved.

PAAAAAAAAAAAK!!!

Divine power poured into the Legion members.

The total amount was 50.

Each Legion member had to endure 10.

“Fuuuuh......!”

They already knew how to use it.

In that case, all that remained was enduring the overwhelming pressure.

[1 Divine Power makes the impossible possible.]

[1 Divine Power makes the impossible possible.]

[1 Divine Power makes the impossible possible.]

[1 Divine Power makes the impossible possible.]

[1 Divine Power makes the impossible possible.]

The power of the five Legion members—

And—

[50 Divine Power makes the impossible possible.]

The Legion Commander’s power.

All of it merged together.

The force erupting from the Pope’s body passed through the holy spirit and returned to the Legion members.

And then, through the hands the Legion members stretched forward once more—

Wrapped itself around the Pope’s body.

Within that radiant light—

The five soldiers reached into their belongings.

And what they pulled out were—

[Premium Chef’s Comforting Salted Squid]

[Head Chef’s Special Sauce - Comfort]

[Premium Chef’s Calming Seasoned Bean Sprouts]

[Head Chef’s Special Sauce - Reassurance]

[Premium Chef’s Anxiety-Dispelling Spicy Stir-Fried Pork]

[Head Chef’s Special Sauce - Trust]

Dishes once created by their Legion Commander.

Meals he had prepared for the Legion—

Meals that healed the minds of Legion members and strengthened their camaraderie.

“......Ha.”

And—

Watching those dishes approach him enveloped in radiant light—

The Pope let out a hollow laugh.

Meals he himself had once created.

And nowhere among their effects did they claim to restore one’s mind to its original state.

Their effects prevented mental corruption—

Not reversal to the past.

Ordinarily, these dishes should not have greatly affected him.

[Multiple dishes gather together in harmony.]

[A course meal has been completed!]

But—

He knew.

‘Those are...... dishes.’

Yes.

Created by none other than himself.

The dishes of a chef.

And if that was the case—

[Course Name - Legion]

[A meal that has become symbolic of the Legion members themselves after they consumed it for countless years.]

Then—

It did not matter whether those dishes had been created in the past.

Nor whether their effects were slightly misaligned.

Because—

‘......Who do you think made those dishes?’

The meals entered the Pope’s mouth.

Familiar military-style food.

By no means luxurious or refined cuisine.

And yet......

‘There’s no way they could taste bad.’

That alone was enough.

***

The great light slowly faded.

And from within it—

A man rose to his feet.

A man dressed in magnificent holy vestments.

A figure overflowing with sacred dignity befitting the leader of an entire religious order.

And yet—

“Though I guess it’s a bit late to say this now...... these clothes were uncomfortable as hell.”

The man smirked as he spoke in a tone completely unfitting for such dignity.

“I was already planning to say they didn’t suit you.”

“You lost to Gwangil because you were wearing clothes like that, didn’t you?”

“Well, the design itself isn’t bad.......”

And then—

Lee Sanga approached him and spoke.

“There are different clothes that suit a soldier better.”

He tossed aside the ceremonial dagger decorated in extravagant ornaments and picked up a sashimi knife better suited for a kitchen.

A crude-looking handgun rested within the holster at his side.

“Honestly, I don’t feel great about how familiar this all feels...... but what can you do.”

He removed the sacred white robes.

And put on the clothes she handed him.

“Guess this really is my fate. Might as well accept it.”

His long leave was over.

Sergeant Shin Youngjun had returned to the Legion.