The Military Chef of a Ruined World - Chapter 64.1

[A dungeon has been discovered]

[The beings of other realms possess diverse habits as varied as their kinds]

[Some races have adaptive abilities that allow them to survive in any environment, while others may find lucky resemblances to their homeland in new surroundings]

[Yet, some races find the new world’s environment extremely unpleasant]

[They have decided to alter the environment to suit their tastes]

[This is a clear act of invasion]

[Do not tolerate this.]

The system message referred to the monsters as “beings of the other realm.”

It seems the sudden appearance of these monsters is not due to some strange experiment on Earth’s creatures, but rather they are beings from a different world that we were unaware of.

‘That’s quite an important piece of information. But…’

More significant is the line that follows: ” They have decided to alter the environment to suit their tastes.”

The implication is clear – terraforming.

Remodeling the unsuitable environment to make it suitable for their survival.

The monsters we’ve encountered so far, while formidable, have often been similar in many ways to Earth’s creatures.

Despite not being native to this planet, they adapted to the earthly environment and started hunting humans.

“But it seems there are also monsters that cannot adapt to this environment.”

“Perhaps the ones we’ve seen so far are the minority. The majority of monsters may have died out, unable to adapt to this world.”

Those monsters unable to adapt to Earth’s environment – some may have perished without being able to adjust, while others are actively trying to reshape the environment to suit their needs.

And the result of that is the dungeon.

‘So, this entire subway station has been remodeled?’

A subway station built with the taxpayers’ money.

If it had been completed normally, even us soldiers stationed nearby could have used it.

But now these monsters have simply taken over the place, remodeling it to their liking.

“How arrogant.”

This remodeled space of the monsters is unable to adapt to Earth – it’s likely an unfavorable environment for us, who have adapted to this world.

But in this world,

We cannot shrink back in fear of the risks.

On the Dooms Day, when the monsters stormed the restaurant – if I had run away in fear, I wouldn’t be standing here now.

Only those who boldly grow their strength will earn their right to survive.

Conquering this dungeon will be the same.

As with all game dungeons, the greater the risk, the more it will help us grow.

Leaving behind the tense-looking soldiers,

I stepped forward, entering the black barrier.

To properly show these monster fellows who the true owner of this illegally occupied place is.

Swoosh-

The black curtain felt like nothing more than a simple shadow.

I passed through it effortlessly, without even a sense of touching anything.

But,

I could immediately feel the fact that I had entered the dungeon.

[You have entered the dungeon!]

[Normal Dungeon – Spawning Ground of Black Sand Larvae]

[Famous as pests due to their unique appetite and habits, this is the breeding ground of the black sand larvae.]

[It is the spawning ground of the black sand larvae which are widely known as pests due to their unique eating habits]

[Unlike their scattered populations across the universe, the spawning of black sand worms requires a complex set of environmental factors to be in place.]

[Their mothers have decided to decorate this area as their own homeland, for the sake of their offspring’s spawning]

[This environment is not friendly to the human race]

[All stats will be slightly decreased]

“Huh.”

The abrupt environmental change.

Maybe it’s due to differences in gravity or air pressure.

I felt my body becoming heavy, accompanied by a slight discomfort.

The air also seemed different from that of Earth.

Breathing felt a bit strenuous.

There was even a dry, prickling heat that pricked my skin.

It took some time for my body to adapt to the sudden environmental change.

After weathering the shock of the abrupt change,

I opened my eyes that had been tightly shut.

And beheld the scene unfolding before me.

“A desert, is it?”

Instead of the under-construction subway platform there was an expansive dark sand desert stretching out beyond the darkness.

Starting with me at the forefront, the guild members who had been following me also entered the dungeon.

“Ugh.”

“What, what is this? It’s hard to breathe here.”

“My body feels so heavy…”

“Sit down and wait for your bodies to adjust. It’ll get familiar soon enough.”

The sudden environmental change burdened even the awakened soldiers’ bodies.

But perhaps because they had transcended the human stage after just a little wait, their bodies adapted, and they could endure fairly well.

I subtly shook my arm.

I felt a slight unfamiliar creakiness.

‘Hmm. Even with adaptation, movement is still difficult.’

The environment here must be somewhat different from the Earth we live on.

[This environment is not friendly to the human race]

[All stats will be slightly decreased]

According to that message, this space itself is inflicting a debuff on us.

A debuff – I’ve experienced that before from enemies’ poison-based attacks.

But this is the first time I’ve experienced a debuff just from being in a place.

No wonder Taejun had cautioned against conquering this place.

As I waited for the rest of the squad to enter, I observed the surrounding space.

‘The ceiling is just like the subway, huh.’

The vision isn’t great.

We were relying only on the light of flares.

But upon closer inspection, traces of the under-construction subway could be seen here and there.

The issue lies not in the ceiling, but the ground.

Only the small patch of ground our squad members were standing on maintained the subway’s form.

I gingerly stuck my hand into the ground beyond that.

Swoosh…

The texture when I grasped it, and the way it flowed through my fingers,

suggested this was some kind of sand, likely different from what we know.

“Phew. Sergeant Sin, all members have entered.”

“First, have Uijun and the support team quickly recover the squad’s condition. Then we’ll decide how to proceed with the conquest.”

In that moment,

far into the sand desert,

‘Something moved.’

Maybe it’s because my stats have recently increased.

My senses have become peculiarly more acute than before.

And that sense sent me a warning.

“Everyone.”

“Huh? Yes?”

“Assume battle formations.”

“…!”

Many soldiers had not yet fully recovered their condition.

But the moment the order was given, they promptly rose and readied their weapons.

Shh shh shh ssss

Something…

was approaching, parting the sand desert.

It seemed to be more than just one or two.

And then-