Only Choi Yeonseung considered the dish a failure. Aine would’ve still enjoyed it. His useless consideration made her lose her chance to eat it.
After aging the meat, Choi Yeonseung threw it into the Chinese pot and started stir-frying it. The trick was to simmer it with a bit of water rather than cook it one by one!
“......”
“......”
Much to the hunters’ surprise, the end product looked delicious even though he used an obviously inedible main ingredient.
‘Huh? Why did it become appetizing?’
‘Is it because we’re hungry?’
“That looks so good…”
“Calm down, friend. That’s just on the surface.”
“So you’re not going to eat?”“Well, I didn’t say that.”
Smallwood changed opinions. Honestly, its scent had half-shaken him. It smelled so appetizing that it stimulated his hunger!
Choi Yeonseung wasn’t done. Rummaging around, he took out rice and cooked it. He could finally use Earth ingredients again now that he had returned from the Abyss!
“Risotto? Paella?”
“In Asia, rice is a staple food.”
“Ah. I think I saw that in a movie. They really enjoyed it.”
Gulp.
The hunters around him swallowed their saliva.
“When will it be done, friend? Honestly, I think the meat dish is enough on its own!”
The pork bulgogi... No, the chameleon bulgogi looked so good it ignited the hunters’ hunger. However, Choi Yeonseung remained calm.
“When did I say I would give it to you?”
“Huh?”
“What?”
“?”
“You said monsters can’t be eaten. I made this to show you otherwise.”
“......”
The hunters came to a realization.
Ah...!
So...!
“Shouldn’t we eat it first to determine if you’re right, friend? You should give it to us in order so we can make a fair evaluation.”
Smallwood spoke plausibly, but Choi Yeonseung was stubborn.
“No. Now that I’ve given it some thought, I don’t want to force-feed those who don’t like it. I’d feel bad if it doesn’t taste that good.”
“That’s not what I meant, friend...”
“Didn’t you say it was trash?”
“I was talking about the British hunter I met in the past, not your cooking!”
Antony had been thinking about things after listening to the conversation between them. Now he raised his hand.
“Wait!”
“?”
“Come to think of it, Highmountain was the one who said that, not me.”
“......!”
Smallwood was dumbfounded. This bastard!
“Can I eat it, then? I haven’t told you this yet, Choi Yeonseung, but I really appreciate your talent. You’re not as good as I am, but your talent is comparable to mine. You're an amazing cook...”
“......”
“......”
The other hunters looked at Antony in amazement. How could he suddenly speak so eloquently? It was as if he really wanted to eat the meat dish!
Choi Yeonseung nodded. “Well, it won’t be a waste to give it to you, then.”
“T-thank you!”
Antony hurriedly ran over and accepted the chameleon bulgogi. He hadn’t tried rice before, but he felt it was more mouthwatering than a high-end restaurant’s risotto or paella.
‘Huh. He’s got a good appetite.’
Seeing Antony put a piece of meat in his mouth and then shove rice in it amazed Choi Yeonseung. His technique made him seem like he had eaten this dish multiple times! However, this was the first time Antony was trying it. He was just moving out of pure instinct. Antony was definitely talented… at eating.
He’d certainly be furious if he heard this, but...
Munch munch. Lick lips.
“D-delicious! Choi Yeonseung, this is really delicious!” Antony exclaimed as he ate frantically. “I thought it’d be bad since you used sticky rice, but these dishes have superb compatibility! Amazing!”
[Eating a dish that contains strong magic power has restored your magic power!]
[......]
“!!”
Antony was shocked. It wasn’t just delicious. It also replenished magic power! He had consumed a lot of magic power today, so this effect was like the first drop of rain amid a drought.
For hunters, magic power was life. A hunter whose magic power had run out wouldn’t be able to do anything. That was why various companies focused their efforts on developing mana potions! However, this dish had a much stronger effect than those potions.
“This is excellent!”
“I got it, I got it.”
As the person who cooked it, seeing him eat so much made Choi Yeonseung feel proud.
‘Come to think of it, this is the Otherworld. Won’t I get the ingredients back if I use some of them?’
It was a virtual world. Even if he used some ingredients, he would get them back. Choi Yeonseung decided to provide a larger service.
“Hmm… Should I fry the rice and meat together in oil?”
He put oil in and immediately increased the fire’s intensity. A savory smell spread along with a hissing sound.
“... Wait!”
“?”
Elisabeth raised her hand. She looked extremely hungry. “Come to think of it, Highmountain was the one who said that, not me...”
“Hey, you trash!”
Whittaker raised his hand as well. “It has been a while since I’ve been friends with Highmountain on Facebook. Can I eat it?”
“... Just come and eat, everyone. I feel bad for Smallwood, so stop it.”
Choi Yeonseung’s words seemed to have moved Smallwood. He even had tears in his eyes.
“Friend... You’re my only friend! Everyone else is trash!”
“Aren’t you being too harsh, Highmountain?”
“That’s right, Highmountain. That’s too much.”
“I don’t want to hear that from you!”
Smallwood received a plate of meat and rice with a pout on his face. Unlike the others, he knew how to use chopsticks.
“Huhu. I know how to use chopsticks, Choi Yeonseung.”
“Uh... Just use a fork.”
“......”
Smallwood thought he would be praised for doing well. However, he ended up scooping up the rice with an embarrassed expression instead.
‘I only ate it because I was hungry, but thinking about it now, this is actually really delicious!’
Antony found it so delicious that he came forward without realizing it. Come to think of it, this was monster meat!
“Gasp!”
“Ah!”
“Kuheok...!”
***
“???”
“What are they doing?”
The analysts were surprised to see the hunters eat monster meat. This situation was beyond their expectations! Usually, hunters only ever ate monster meat when they had nothing else to satiate their hunger with. So why would someone bring cooking utensils and cook monster meat? It even looked delicious. They were eating it with such happy looks on their faces.
These things couldn’t be embellished!
“Ernest. This...”
“How great!”
Ernest was genuinely impressed. Was it possible to eat like this?
“I-Isn’t it better to stop them?”
The analysts asked. It was common knowledge that most monster meats were inedible! Yet they were eating poison like they were enjoying it…
“Can’t any of you see? Think carefully. These hunters aren’t stupid. Why would they be eating something they can’t eat? If it was toxic, they would’ve spat it out right away. He probably has a rare skill that allows him to cook monsters.”
“!”
Ernest was definitely right. The way they ate so enjoyably made it clear Choi Yeonseung had the skill to cook monster meat!
“... Is there really such a skill?”
“I’ve never heard of anything like that...”
The skill to cook monsters was so rare it had never been seen in the hunter world, which already had all types of skills available. What type of life did he have to live or what constellation did he have to sign a contract with to receive such a skill?
One of the analysts spoke as if he remembered something. “Maybe he got it while wandering the Abyss? He wouldn’t have anything to eat, so...”
“The Abyss is full of magic power. That eliminates the need to eat anything, doesn’t it? Why would he have to eat monsters?”
“P-Perhaps he got bored after staying in there for a long time…?”
That was correct! However, the other analysts shook their heads. From their perspective, that was a bit farfetched!
“In any case, that skill is amazing… No, is it?”
“It can replace food rations, but I don’t think it’s that great.”
The analysts started to think about the benefits of this monster cooking skill. It provided alternative food that gave the hunters some invigoration during the boring raid, but was it really that great?
‘Can’t the hunters just bring more food?’
‘I don’t think it’s that useful unless they’re in a really dire situation...’
The skill seemed useless unless they had lost all their food!
“Everyone, other teams are coming inside.”
The teams that started on the outskirts were slowly gathering in the center. Unlike Choi Yeonseung’s team, who were resting, the other teams had only just arrived in the center!
“The gargoyles are gathering...”
“Let’s see if the hunters can defend against them.”
Choi Yeonseung’s team managed to deter the attack. Would the other teams be able to do the same?
***
They couldn’t.
“The Sisette team was wiped out!”
“Half of the Agnes team has also been eliminated. They’re retreating.”
“Was it too difficult?”
Ernest’s murmuring question prompted the other analysts to reply in unison.
“Yes!”
“This is too much!”
The B-grade hunters were thrown into a difficult dungeon. It was only natural for them to be annihilated. The results could’ve been different if they worked together, but that wasn’t possible since they were put in a competitive situation.
“I have to do this.”
The analysts ignored Ernest’s words and entered a discussion.
“The other hunters have fallen behind. Those that are still inside will suffer.”
“In particular, that team over there...”
Choi Yeonseung’s team was camping alone, close to the center. The rock gargoyles had finished knocking down the other teams and were gathering on the rock walls to surround and attack again! This assault would clearly be much more intense than before.
***
Richard Parker couldn’t stop himself from sighing.
“What’s wrong?”
“?!”
Richard was flustered. Choi Yeonseung, who he thought was sleeping, suddenly spoke to him.
“W-Weren’t you sleeping?”
“With martial arts, naps are enough for me.” For Choi Yeonseung, sleep didn’t mean much. In the first place, there were times when he fought for decades with no sleep in the Abyss...
Choi Yeonseung wondered, “Is there something wrong with standing watch?”
“That’s not it. Just...”
“You were once treated like a king, but now that you’re surrounded by hunters stronger than you, you feel shabby and intimidated?”
“?!?!?!?”
Richard was flustered. How did he know?
“H-How?”
“What do you mean? You don’t think you’re the only one worried about that, do you? Everyone has the same concern.”
It was common for hunters treated as aces to go somewhere else and feel discouraged upon meeting hunters stronger than them. Choi Yeonseung didn’t particularly worry about this, but there were many hunters who were sensitive to such things.
“What do you think I should do?”
“Stop thinking about these things and train.”
“... Other than that.”
“What else is there to do aside from that? Do you want to become stronger in an instant? There’s no such method in the world.”
“Contracting with a constellation...”
“Training is better.”
Instead of signing a contract with a constellation, Choi Yeonseung just trained in the Abyss!
Richard shook his head in irritation. “It’s fine. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“If you won’t consider training at all and want to find another way, you won’t get good results.”
“I’ve been training as well. What made you think I wasn’t?”
“You aren’t talking about going out on your day off, firing a few magic spells and saying, ‘Hmm, this is enough,’ are you?”
Richard blushed. He felt attacked.
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