“Please step aside for a moment.”


    “….”


    Chang-su still wore a sour expression, yet he silently moved aside as I stepped forward.


    As someone who had lived solely for vengeance, one might assume he was eager to personally end the monster’s life.


    However, the real heroes of this battle were our unit members. “The right to finish him lies with us.”


    Well, that’s how it is.


    I approached the giant lying in the water, his massive form stiff as a corpse.


    Wondering if he had fainted, I leaned closer to examine him.


    [Impressive.] Startled, I heard his voice suddenly reverberate in my mind despite his body remaining motionless.


    His lips didn’t move at all.


    [Don’t worry; my body has already lost the strength to rise.]


    Hmm.


    Given his condition, it didn’t sound like a lie.


    ‘Among his abilities, it seems there’s something called mentalnguage.’


    Even while unable to move, he couldmunicate this way.


    [Ah, little bug, you have quite the variety of skills.]


    “I’m pretty remarkable, aren’t I?”


    [Haha. What do you call the power that burned my body in the past?]


    “…?”


    “The attack that surged through the water.”


    Ah.


    “Are you talking about lightning?”


    [Yes. That phenomenon is known as lightning, a force that did not exist in my homnd. I’m learning new things right before dying.]


    Monsters from another realm; it seemed that in his world, lightning was entirely unknown.


    “Indeed. It’s no wonder a monster of his caliber would struggle to cope with somethingpletely foreign.”


    It’s indeed unusual to have countermeasures against phenomena one does not evenprehend.


    “You answered my question, so now it’s my turn: Why are you monsters attacking this world?”


    Though it was a serious query, his response was quite vague.


    [I detect a little misunderstanding in that term: invasion.]


    “Are you trying to joke again?”


    [I assure you, I’m speaking the truth. If we mustbel it… I’m more of a refugee than an invader.]


    A refugee?


    “You’ve expanded the boundaries of your dungeon and call it anything but an invasion. That’s quite audacious.”


    [I can exin that as well; it was for the children.]


    At this response, Chang-su, who had been gripping his spear and observing from behind, stepped closer, his eyes widening.


    “What do you mean, fish head?”


    [Haven’t you seen them? The scattered children of our kind throughout this space.]


    Children? …Could it be?


    “It sounds like you’re referring to other fishmen.”


    [Exactly. When you see those small, insignificantly sized children, what thoughtse to mind?]


    Small and insignificant? The beings ssified as fishmen were at least the size of adult males, while the ascendants were over 2 meters tall.


    To this giant, were those sizes considered small?


    [Our species requires ample space to grow; the more extensive the water, therger we can be.]


    Is that what it is? The phenomenon where fish growrger in the ocean but remain stunted in tanks.


    [I squeezed every bit of strength to cover this city, yet it still felt unbearably cramped.]


    Looking back, this giant stood before me, reaching over 10 meters in height.


    [I gathered all my strength to survey this world; I spotted some vast, collected waters, but… even that was inadequate.]


    Perhaps he’s referring to the ocean. But is it inadequate even for them?


    [In order for the children of my kind to grow normally, we need to cover the entire surface of this.]


    “…Huh.”


    Despite the numerous discussions surrounding it, the ultimate goal was to expand this dungeon’s territory to epass the entire world.


    I hadn’t given it much thought myself.


    “…So, was it all for the children?”


    Chang-su’s expression shifted in an oddly ambiguous way.


    I could understand his bewilderment.


    After all, when I first realized that the boss of that subway dungeon possessed maternal instincts, it stirred a whirlwind of emotions within me as well.


    [I’m only disappointed in my failure. I have no regrets.]


    “Then my next question is…”


    [It seems you’re under a misapprehension.]


    I was eager for further rification, but the response came in a different tone.


    [Insect. You call me a monster, but to me, you appear as the true beast, one that devours its own young kins.]


    “….”


    [What I just shared was merelypensation for your understanding of the phenomenon known as lightning. I have no obligation to divulge anything beyond that.]


    So, this is how it’s going to be?


    ‘Well, I have my own ideas.’


    He had mentioned that my talents were quite diverse. If that’s the case,


    ‘I’ll showcase my finest skill.’


    I inched closer to his face, slowly prying open that massive mouth.


    [What are you nning to do?]


    There was no need for me to respond to his question. I ced the dish I had prepared inside his gaping mouth.


    [The dish is infused with the ultimate level happiness of an intermediate chef]


    It was a meal made frombat rations, yet it was crafted with every ounce of effort I could muster.


    ‘This giant is exceptionally strong.’


    Simply eliminating such a creature would be a waste. After all, there was already a precedent of a monster being subdued through cooking, like Arie.


    ‘If I can bring this creature under mymand in a simr fashion…’


    I could gain not only valuable information but also a powerful ally. It would be a win-win situation.


    But then,


    [Hmm. It’s passable, I suppose.]


    “…Huh?”


    Something about that response felt incredibly lukewarm.


    [What’s the sudden motive behind feeding me? Is this your kind’s way of mourning?]


    “Well… after eating it, don’t you feel an overwhelming sense of happiness? Isn’t that the sensation?”


    [Not at all.]


    In that moment, I was taken aback by his response.


    Ding!


    [The subject has an excessively refined pte!]


    A system message popped up, exining why my dish’s effects were not taking hold.


    [The subject has frequently tasted high-grade cuisine, reaching the pinnacle of culinary standards.]


    [The quality of your dish is below the subject’s expectations, leading to a diminished effect.]


    “Excessively refined pte…”


    [I have indeed heard that. Are you aware of my status?]


    Status? The name that popped up when I examined him with [Ingredient Identification (Enhanced)] was undoubtedly—


    “A Pope, right?”


    [I have savored the finest dishes every single day. While your meal isn’t unptable, it does fall shortpared to what my personal chef creates.]


    …This guy.


    It was my first encounter with someone responding like this after trying my dish. My pride as a chef had been soaringtely, but this wound left a deep scratch on it.


    “Just wait. This was a hasty dish, but when I prepare something properly…”


    I wanted to recover my pride by serving him a proper meal, but then I nced at the notification that appeared before me.


    [Cooking effect application rate – 5%]


    The message made me hesitate in surprise.


    ‘5%?’


    So, what does that mean?