Coback al (1)
Lately, I've been cooking in the poor conditions of camping.
That's why being back in a kitchen after so long felt insanely wonderful.
'People really should cook at a sink.'
My spirits naturally lifted.
My body, tired from training, moved automatically.
Using mana and swinging a kitchen knife to grow stronger is fun,
but in the end, my roots are in cooking.
Sizzle, sizzle.
With the pleasant sound of at frying, a savory aroma filled the kitchen.
When the at was cooked just right, I poured in water,
Chwaaak. Plop, plop.
I didn't hold back in adding the ingredients bought from the [shop window].
With the match in three days possibly being my last,
I couldn't let anything go to waste by being stingy.
'Following the authentic recipe, using plenty of points!'
Bubble, bubble.
The broth started boiling viciously, making my mouth water.
Once the at's flavor and fat fully infused the soup and the ingredients cooked through, I tasted it.
Slurp.
"Kuuuuu."
As expected, it was going very well.
The flavor balance was perfect.
Just five more minutes of boiling and it would be the best return match dish.
At this timing, I scooped the perfectly stead rice from the pot into bowls,
waited a bit, then ladled out the soup.
I placed six heavy bowls on a tray and carried them out.
One for each employee who had worked hard today, on the table,
Thud, thud, thud.
The employees straightened up at the table as if they'd never collapsed onto it.
Plerine recognized the dish and her face lit up.
"Boss, is this... that dish?"
Is it really that good?
"Yes, that's right."
"Oh my. To think we can eat this with rice."
Soon, a single tear rolled from beneath her blindfold.
"It'll taste much better than last ti."
anwhile, Naba looked at the dish he was seeing for the first ti and asked quietly,
"Boss. This is my first ti seeing this food..."
He seed annoyed that Plerine knew but he didn't.
I chuckled, patted Naba's head, and told him,
"It's bear at radish soup."
The first kitchen return match dish was none other than bear at radish soup.
There were several reasons why I chose bear at radish soup out of so many dishes.
First, to get revenge on the system that previously judged my dish as "clumsy".
Second, because it's relatively quick to make compared to other soups.
'The employees were nearly starving anyway.'
And the third, main reason was to see how the buff effects change depending on the dish's completeness rating.
In any case, this batch was on another level compared to what I made during camping.
The at was fattier,
I stir-fried it in sesa oil before adding water,
and for seasoning, I didn't just use salt, but soy sauce and a generous amount of minced garlic.
And for the finish, scallion!
'I really did pour my soul into this.'
So now, it was ti to enjoy the taste.
"You both worked hard today. Let's eat."
Just as I was about to take a spoonful,
"Wait, boss."
Plerine turned her head toward the shop door.
"Why?"
"Soone's here."
No sooner had she said that—
Knock, knock.
A knock ca at the door.
A mory imdiately surfaced.
In all my ti running Happiness Gukbap, I'd heard knocks like that just once.
'Is it that bald battalion commander?'
If so, I could only put down my spoon.
How could I, as a soldier, ignore the battalion commander?
Knock, knock.
Another knock sounded.
I suppressed a sigh and reached to stand, bracing myself on the table,
when Plerine grabbed my hand and said,
"I'll go."
"Sit down. It's soone I need to greet."
"? It looks dangerous."
Yes. I know too.
He's a dangerous person.
"That's why I'll go."
Haaa. Why did that bald guy have to suddenly show up again?
Gently freeing my hand from Plerine's, I walked to the shop door.
Clink. Creak.
At the sa ti, I snapped to attention.
"Steel fo—..."
But I didn't finish the phrase.
At the entrance, instead of the bald one,
was a person in a brown robe.
'Adventurer? Custor?'
I beca awkward in an instant and tried to relax,
when—
"Boss!"
A desperate shout made look back.
Plerine was charging at incredible speed— or rather, she had?
"!"
In the blink of an eye, I was behind Plerine's back.
Did she pull behind her to protect ?
Staring, bewildered, at the back of the blind woman's head,
Plerine spoke in a cold voice.
"Who are you? Why did you co back?"
It was frightening, hearing her like this when she usually spoke so gently.
Why was she so on edge?
'Wait, co back?'
Could so forgotten mory have returned?
Just then, the brown-robed man raised both hands to shoulder height, as if to show he had no hostile intent.
"I didn't an to startle you. My apologies."
His noble tone and voice, rare in Granfen.
And Plerine's "Why did you co back?" outburst.
It was easy to recall, then.
'White Fang.'
The White Fang trainee knight I t on the road to Granfen village.
His na, I think, was Schutmann.
But why was he here at the shop?
I'd half expected he'd be in Granfen, but
to have him show up at the shop so suddenly, I was more dumbfounded than surprised.
"You've got keen perception. I didn't expect you to recognize so quickly."
As Schutmann said, he looked nothing like last ti.
Instead of plate mail, he wore a robe and coat,
with a hood pulled down so low I could barely see that he might also be wearing a mask underneath.
'If Plerine hadn't noticed and made a fuss, I might not have recognized him myself.'
Anyway, that wasn't important.
The key point was—why had he co to the shop?
"What brings you here? I haven't spoken of you anywhere."
My tone grew sharp before I knew it,
and Schutmann replied with an awkward smile.
"That's not why I ca, actually... well..."
"?"
"I caught the scent of that at soup I ate before and, following the sll, ended up here. Ahem."
After his cough, silence ensued.
His answer was so unexpected, my brain almost froze.
'What is this. Is this for real?'
I know that the higher your grade, the sharper your senses beco,
but do I really have to believe he tracked us by food sll alone?
'No way. That can't be.'
Rumors have already spread throughout the village that I beca a cook.
What are the odds that a White Fang squire sent to Granfen would "accidentally" enter my shop at a ti like this?
Can I really see this as a coincidence?
'He definitely has a purpose.'
What could it be?
While I rapidly spun through possibilities, Plerine stepped up.
"Sorry, custor, but the shop is closed due to interior construction. Co back next ti."
With her switching between formal and informal speech, I almost wanted to correct her,
but Schutmann replied,
"Isn't there anything you can do? I really want to eat here today."
He showed no sign of backing down.
Plerine looked at with a 'what will you do?' face.
Haa. Damn.
Being the boss really is a tough Class.
*
After a brief deliberation, I made up my mind and spoke.
"We're working on the interior, so there aren't a lot of seats. If you don't mind eating with us, that's fine."
Plerine nodded as if she'd expected this,
and Schutmann answered with a slightly elated voice.
"That's no problem."
"We don't have anything else today, just the sa bear at radish soup from before."
"That's what I ca for."
"... Alright, please have a seat."
I showed Schutmann to the seat across from ,
then went into the kitchen to ladle out the remaining rice and soup.
'Good thing I made plenty.'
There's a reason cooks are better off with a heavy hand, just like .
Anyway, letting Schutmann in was a simple decision.
'No matter how I look at it, the slling-the-soup excuse is a lie.'
If he really ca for the sll,
he should've been surprised upon seeing and Plerine when the door opened.
He wouldn't have known who was in the shop.
But Schutmann didn't bat an eye.
In fact, he seed perfectly calm as if he already knew both Plerine and I were there.
― I didn't an to startle you. My apologies.
'Feels like he's hiding sothing.'
So I intended to probe, to deduce his true purpose for coming.
He didn't know that I recognized his identity,
so I could use that to suss sothing out if I was careful.
With these thoughts, I set the hot soup and rice in front of Schutmann and sat down.
"Please, eat."
"Thank you, I'll enjoy this."
Schutmann, who had by now taken off his hood and face covering, was smiling from ear to ear.
You could see the excitent of a boy on this middle-aged man's face.
'What the? Did he really co for the sll?'
Maybe that's why Plerine was the first to pick up her spoon.
"Thank you for the food."
Naba was quick to follow, scooping up a spoonful of soup and putting it in his mouth.
"Thanks for the al, boss."
As Naba chewed, his eyes gradually grew wide,
almost as if they were about to pop out.
Is it that good, you little guy?
"Ahh..."
This sigh escaped Plerine's lips.
Tears as big as chicken droppings trickled from beneath her blindfold, and I almost snorted.
"Really, eating this with rice makes it—so much tastier."
Schutmann looked at the soup with an emotional face and said,
"It's even better than last ti. This soup is really...!"
His open mouth trembled.
'Hmph, of course it's good. Who do you think made it?'
Their reactions surpassed expectations, and I couldn't help but grin.
I guess you can't fight the nature of a cook.
'Hmm, in that case, I should try so, too.'
Judging by how intently the three ate, there wouldn't be much conversation until every bowl was empty.
First, I scooped a big spoonful of rice and put it in my mouth.
That sweet taste unique to white rice after a long ti.
Sticky, nutty sweetness gently filled my mouth.
'This is it.'
How long had it been since I last ate rice?
I shouldn't have laughed at Plerine's tears.
Even my own tears welled up.
But this was only the beginning of the al.
'Soup. Soup!'
With rice still in my mouth, I spooned up the broth and drank.
Sluurp. Slurrrp.
The aroma of at and radish hit first.
Then the clean scent of minced garlic and scallion balanced things out while the savory broth blended with the rice.
'Ah. No!'
I scread inside.
I ant to savor it as much as possible, but before I knew it, I'd swallowed it.
'Ugh. I can't hold back anymore!'
In the end, instinct triumphed over reason.
I dumped all but a spoonful of rice into the soup bowl.
Plop.
Then, mixing the rice so it would break apart nicely, Plerine asked, curious,
"Why are you mixing the soup and rice?"
"It's not mixing, it's called mal-a-eating—saturating the rice with soup. That's how you get real gukbap."
"What?! Then why didn't you tell sooner?!"
Plerine shouted in annoyance, but I ignored her lightly.
Checking that the rice was properly loosened in the soup,
I took a spoonful with equal parts broth, at, veggies, and rice.
Why three "halves"? Because eating it like this makes it 150% better.
I stuffed it all in my mouth.
'Insane!'
The remaining starch in the rice dissolved into the broth,
the grains soaked up the soup and beca tender.
All of it mingled into perfect harmony dancing in my mouth.
Gulp.
I swallowed with joy.
Imdiately, however, a sense of emptiness struck .
The source of this void was—
'Kimchi!'
Suddenly, I felt stupid and foolish.
How could I forget kimchi while eating radish soup with rice?
But thank goodness.
Before going to Grey Fortress, I'd made so kimchi on the day I cooked ox-tail soup!
I ran to the kitchen and searched for kimchi.
Sniff, sniff.
The sll was sowhere between ripe and not, ambiguous.
I tore off a piece and ate it,
but could only sigh.
"... What a sha."
It was in that limbo state between fresh and fully fernted.
In our industry, we'd say the kimchi has "lost its mind"—right at the worst period for flavor.
The absolute worst timing.
'No way I can waste kimchi like this right now.'
I'd wait until it was truly tasty after more ferntation.
Resigned, I went back to the table, and the three of them stared at .
Guess they expected to bring sothing extra from the kitchen.
Sorry, but there's nothing else.
Ignoring their looks, I resud the al.
Even if the flow was broken and there was no kimchi,
the al was still delicious as ever.
I enthusiastically scooped, chewed, tasted, and swallowed,
and before I knew it, I was scraping up the last drop from the empty bowl.
'Ah. Still, that was a good al.'
After the long journey from Grey Fortress, this was the first al I'd cooked on my return to the kitchen,
and it was truly excellent.
As I finished first and set my bowl down decisively, the system sound rang out.
Ding.
From now on, I needed to focus.
I had to rember the ingredients I used and any buff effects I received.
Dding!
〈 Strength, body temperature, composure, and poison resistance have slightly increased. 〉
〈 Sense of sll and flexibility have increased a little. 〉
〈 By consuming completed Korean dish 'Stead Rice', you gain bonus effects. 〉
〈 The increased strength will not decrease. (30 minutes) 〉
〈 By consuming completed Korean dish 'Decent at-and-vegetable Soup (Mid-low-rank ingredient: Ice Bear),' you gain bonus effects. 〉
〈 Body temperature will not decrease. (2 hours 30 minutes) 〉
〈 The increased sense of sll will not decrease. (3 hours 20 minutes) 〉
〈 The increased flexibility will not decrease. (50 minutes) 〉
〈 //Exlusive effect// Unable to share: effect acquired. 〉
〈 Sense has increased a little. 〉
〈 The increased sense will not decrease. (2 hours 30 minutes) 〉
〈 The increased poison resistance will not decrease. (1 hour) 〉
I couldn't help but think it was a good choice to use quality ingredients and stick to the orthodox cooking thod.
The cooking's grade had gone up from 'clumsy' at-and-vegetable soup to 'decent' at-and-vegetable soup after all.
And with this upgrade to 'decent', the buff duration nearly doubled.
'Even the sense of sll buff now lasts more than 3 hours.'
Additionally, one more exclusive buff had been added.
Whereas before there had only been sense boost and maintenance, now there was also poison resistance maintenance.
'In summary, as the completed dish's grade rises, the buff duration increases and you even gain additional buffs.'
My competitive spirit flared up.
I'm guessing that 'decent' isn't the ultimate grade. I'll soon aim for an even higher grade with a more perfect dish.
That will increase the buff ti and add extra effects, which will be directly linked to my own strength.
While picturing such a hopeful future, I couldn't help but feel more dissatisfied with the at-and-vegetable soup.
The main buffs for at-and-vegetable soup are 'sense of sll' and 'sense'.
While these stats are by no ans bad,
they don't seem particularly suitable for duels that must be settled one-on-one.
'They might be good in situations where I need to track or infiltrate.'
Not that I'll necessarily be faced with such a situation.
While I resolved to try other Korean dishes starting tomorrow,
Schutmann—who'd emptied his bowl—spoke up.
"It wasn't just my imagination."
"What do you an...?"
His words snapped my mind back to full alertness.
Could he be talking about my food's buffs?
"I kept thinking about your soup after I ate it. It was unbelievably delicious, but I wondered whether it was because of the cold weather, or just because I hadn't had a proper al in a while."
Staring intently at his empty bowl, Schutmann continued.
"But it was neither. It was simply delicious food. I can't believe sothing I've never tried before could taste this good. No, this is easily the best dish I've had lately. I was happy the whole ti I ate."
I could feel my face slowly heating up, probably turning red.
"... You flatter ."
Schutmann appreciated only the taste, not the buff effects of my food.
His heartfelt praise and my previous suspicions about him beca entangled in my mind, making things complicated.
'Was it a misunderstanding after all?'
Maybe I was just being too sensitive.
After all, I've had my life on the line so often.
Maybe he really was just drawn in by the sll?
—This was almost my line of thought until Schutmann spoke again.
"That's why it's so difficult."
Suddenly, difficult? What is?
A chill crawled up from beneath my ear.
I recalled that the sense buff from the at-and-vegetable soup was still in effect.
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