If you're asking why on earth I learned how to butcher.
"I knew an older brother in Majang-dong."
"Kururu?"
"I learned a few skills after having a few drinks."
In truth, I have never dismantled a complete animal.
He was someone who said that you shouldn't entrust just anyone with handling a knife, so all he did was teach me how to slice meat by part, telling me to try it if I ever had the occasion to buy a large primal cut at home.
The thing is, I've never actually done a proper butchering.
"But even if I've never done it myself, I know how to do it."
I was a good learner.
"Its body isn't cold, so it can't have been dead for long, huh? It's like a warm stone."
"Kuruk?"
"It's because the blood needs to be drained. It's difficult to drain the blood after a lot of time has passed since death."
The blood from its forehead seemed to have soaked into the ground for a while, but for that to be the case, the deer's body was so soft that it scared me a little.
It seemed this world, where food didn't easily rot or spoil, had some effect.
Yes, 'food.'
"…Is a deer that's already dead considered food, though."
And I myself was attempting to butcher it.
'Anyway, it's much easier if the body hasn't stiffened.'
I dragged the house-sized deer and hung it on a Dorongdorong Tree of a suitable height.
Then, I made a hole in its neck so the blood could drain out.
"Honey."
"Kkuk?"
"Your dad has definitely evolved."
"Kururu."
"I thought I had evolved into a portrait, but I didn't know I would get stronger too."
It was hard to tell whether the laws of physics were less applied because it was the world inside a painting, or if I myself had gotten stronger, given that it wasn't difficult to hang a deer larger than myself on a tree.
"Then, while the blood is draining, shall we take out the innards?"
"Kurururururu."
"…Honey, don't drink the blood from below. Ew, that's dirty."
The sight of a tiny bird drinking the trickling blood was a horror in itself.
"Dad is scared."
"Kkung."
"I'm not lying."
The trust between father and son was absurdly low.
"...."
It was funny, so it was fine.
'I need to take out the innards before they spoil.'
According to the laws of the painting world, it was unlikely to spoil easily, but I had the experience of a Mangdung Fruit, which had been exposed to the sun for a long time, becoming as hard as an ore.
I didn't know what kind of problems might arise, so it was best to do what I could when I could.
"The hide is thick."
The fat under the hide was also considerable.
"The system said this deer came from a rainforest, but aren't rainforests usually hot and humid? I don't know why its fur is so thick and it's so full of fat."
"Kuruu."
"Stop drinking the blood, Honey. Dad said it's creepy."
"Kkungkungkung…."
"I won't let you off just because you're cute."
I had no intention of sleeping well with a bird that smelled of blood.
"Kkung."
Honey grumbled with a 'kkungkung', and then suddenly spewed out a pile of something.
"...."
"Kurururururu."
"Jewels…?"
They were the sparkling jewels that Honey loved so much, but it didn't seem like a coincidence that after turning bright red, Honey had regurgitated red jewels and regained its original color.
"Did you turn the blood into jewels?"
"Kuruk."
"As expected of my son, you're no ordinary being."
I decided to stop caring.
"Can Dad use those to paint later?"
"Kurururururu!"
"Thank you for giving me permission, so I won't say anything if you drink more."
"Kuruk!"
"You had a plan all along, I see."
Drinking the blood of a hunted animal might not be that strange of a thing.
As a human, I thought 'what the fuck is that,' but Honey is still a bird, isn't he.
In a way, it was natural for him to have animal instincts.
'As long as he can return to his original state, it really doesn't matter.'
Even though he was a child born of paint, suppressing his animal instincts was not a parent's job.
As long as he didn't die from drinking some deer blood, it was fine.
"I'm about to cut open the stomach, so be careful not to get splattered with innards."
"Kuruu."
"Alright, let's see…."
I focused my senses on my fingertips and felt the deer's belly.
"I heard that for this kind of thing, you should start cutting from the anus to make it easier."
Starting the knife from the anus was a rather cruel story as a fellow living creature, but that's just how the food chain is.
"Heave-ho."
It was a knife I had never sharpened, but perhaps because it was so sharp, the belly cut open easily.
When the abdomen of the upside-down deer was opened, the innards inside were visible and I witnessed something strange.
"...?"
Why is there a jewel in here too?
'It looks much bigger than the jewel Honey spat out.'
In terms of location, it was about where the heart would be.
"…Isn't this a bit funny…?"
A jewel heart; my common sense was being destroyed.
"How did it purify and create blood with something like this?"
"Kurururururuk."
"Come down, Dad will check if it's safe and give it to you later."
In any case, Honey, who couldn't get enough of shiny things, threw a fit, but I shook my head.
No matter what, the feeling of giving an animal's innards was just too strange.
"Let's just finish dismantling it."
I finished cutting open the belly from the anal area to where the ribs were.
It was my first time dismantling like this, but thankfully, the disaster of bursting the innards didn't happen.
"The blood needs to drain properly too."
"Kkuk?"
"If you don't drain the blood in time, it seeps into the meat. Then the texture of the meat itself can easily spoil, and it becomes too gamey… so if possible, you should drain the blood right after you catch the animal."
I carefully took out the rest of the innards so they wouldn't burst.
"It would be a catastrophe if they burst."
I would be seeing hell.
For the hide, you should start from the hind legs where it's easy to reach.
"There's so much fat, I'm not sure if I can use the hide."
"Kkullullu?"
"To dry the hide enough to make something with it, all this fat needs to be gone. But the fur is quite fluffy, so if I make a cape out of it, it'll be useful even when I go back to reality later."
"Kkuk."
"It's a bit much to keep relying on you."
The day before we went sightseeing, I was contemplating whether to draw some winter clothes because I didn't have any, but Honey had helped me.
Just by holding Honey, my whole body would become warm, so there was no need for separate winter clothes.
But I couldn't do that every time.
"I should prepare the hide."
Anyway, it was a good thing that there was a decent amount of fat.
"The aroma of the meat is quite nice. The fat has a savory smell too. You shouldn't throw away fat like this, but refine it and collect it to use later when you make stir-fried dishes, it'll double the flavor."
"...."
"Eating the fat as it is won't be as tasty as you think."
I felt warmed by the sight of Honey coveting the fat, staring at it intently.
This feeling, as if looking in a mirror or an album.
This is family. Honey was definitely a big eater, just like me.
"While you're at it, do you want to gain some more weight?"
"Kkung."
"If you don't want to, then never mind."
The thick hide was cut away.
Checking the grain of the deer's muscle, I slowly peeled off the deer's fur coat.
Fortunately, compared to its abundant fur, the hide wasn't that tough, so I was able to work on it without much difficulty.
"From the hind legs… to the torso…."
I skinned it starting from the hind leg where bone met skin without meat, the part that would be the ankle bone on a human.
Then the torso, the front legs and then I chopped off the skinned hide along with the deer's head to completely dismantle it.
Surprisingly, because I had separated it without any mistakes, the hide was quite intact.
"Let's separate the fat."
"Kururuk."
"…Just a taste."
I gave permission to Honey who was coveting the fat and Honey, having tasted the fat with his father's permission, writhed in agony.
"I told you it wouldn't taste good right now."
"Kku, kku… kururu…."
"Please believe your dad, your dad knows what tastes bad like the back of his hand."
"Kurururururu…."
"Is it that bad you're crying?"
Honey, shocked that the fat didn't taste good despite its savory aroma, whimpered sadly.
I put Honey, who couldn't escape the shock of the bad food, into my cape's hood.
"Now I need to start the butchering in earnest."
Now that I had separated the innards, hide and fat, it was time to remove the meat.
'The aroma is certainly good, just as the system described.'
I had heard that wild animal meat is tough and gamey, but this didn't seem to be the case.
As someone who quite enjoyed cooking, I knew well what kind of smell raw meat gives off.
Even the meat of a well-raised calf was bound to have a unique fishy smell.
But this deer didn't have such an unpleasant smell.
"…It seems to have a bit of a nutty smell."
If I had to say, it was a scent closer to walnuts than peanuts.
"That's funny."
It was the first time in my life I had smelled such a scent from meat, so I was a bit flustered for a moment, but it wasn't a strange feeling like mint-flavored potato chips.
Rather, the scent was quite harmonious, so I felt a different kind of pleasure.
"A different world is certainly a different world."
"Kuruk?"
Even if the ingredients looked similar, there were slight differences in scent and taste from those of Earth.
"Actually, it's a bit of a shame that the heart is a jewel like this. The heart of a freshly caught animal is a pretty good ingredient for cooking, so I was thinking of grilling it… but in this state, it might be a bit ambiguous to eat."
"Kururururururuk."
"Right, I might not, but you probably can. Dad will cook it for you."
It wouldn't taste like much in this state anyway.
"…But there's a lot more of it than I thought…."
Removing the soft meat buried deep inside the back, the loin.
Dismantling the legs and stripping off the tough meat.
"Hmm."
This part seems like it needs to be simmered slowly.
The thigh meat seemed tender enough to be edible.
Besides that, after removing all the ribs and tenderloin….
"Ta-da."
"...."
"A mountain of meat has appeared."
"Kkung."
"Is it a lot?"
"Kuruu."
"I see."
It wasn't for nothing that the system told me to dry it in the sun as processed meat.
With this much, it seemed best to salt or dry most of the meat for storage.
"It won't spoil if I put it in the ice shed, but… still, it's better to make what I can."
For now, jerky and sausage came to mind.
"Should I do the jerky first?"
Sausage takes much longer, after all.
"I need to drain some of the blood first."
"Kurururuk?"
"Just because I hung it upside down to drain the blood, not all of it would have come out. The time it was hanging wasn't that long either, so to properly get rid of the gamey smell, I needed to soak it in water to draw out what little blood was left."
I soon brought a large basin from the cabin.
"Honey, put the meat in."
"Kuruk!"
Honey, held hostage by the delicious jewel heart, was a good worker.
The two of them put the meat for the jerky into the large basin, and on top of it, they poured plenty of water from the stream that flowed leisurely around the cabin.
The stream that spread throughout the forest was always very useful.
"If I were making this on Earth, I would have added some rice wine here…."
The only alcohol I had was wine, but since the meat had almost no gamey smell, it was no problem.
"I should make the marinade while the blood is draining."
"Kuruk?"
"The crops in the garden have all grown, so shouldn't we use them at a time like this?"
Having washed my hands stained with the deer's blood, I picked some crops from the monster patch and then returned to the cabin.
Fortunately, the monster patch did not get angry at me for taking some of its crops.
"It clearly recognizes who its dad is. It was worth giving it sunlight and water."
Standing in the kitchen, I took out several powders from the shelf.
"And let's use some cheong."
I also took out the Mangdung Fruit cheong that had been tucked away in a corner of the kitchen.
It was what I had saved before giving some to Yu Seong-un.
"You have to add this kind of cheong to get a sweet flavor."
"Kururu…."
"It might seem strange, but it's surprisingly delicious."
Sweet and salty was an unchanging truth no matter where you went.
I checked the ingredients.
"Raw onion. There's a lot of meat, so about 10… garlic and ginger powder are already here. I'll add some sugar too. I think I can make it with a little bit of Mangdung Fruit cheong…."
Making jerky was not that difficult.
Finely chop the cleanly prepared onions to make a paste, and mix in various powders that are spicy and sharp to catch any gamey taste.
Add a little cheong for sweetness and a bit of sugar to erase any rough taste, and the jerky marinade is complete.
"The blood should be about to be drained by now."
Quite a bit of time had passed after I put the marinade on a plate and washed the cutting board and knife.
Looking at the sky through the gaps in the leaves, which was already starting to get dark, I left the cabin.
Honey, who glowed like the gentle moonlight at night, helped me not to fall in the dark.
"Ah… this should be about right."
"Kurururu?"
"This is dirty, it's just bloody water. I'll give you something else later."
I placed the wet meat on a sieve and returned to the kitchen.
"I need to finish up quickly and get to sleep too."
The rest was simple now.
Gently shake off the water-logged meat, and when it seems moderately dry, massage in the pre-made marinade.
After letting the marinade seep deep into the meat, I washed my hands.
"It's done…."
"...."
"…Honey, why do you keep coveting the innards?"
No matter how much he was my son, it was a taste I couldn't understand.
In the end, the deer's innards were deliciously shared by Honey and his water bird friends.
The golden water bird lake with blood-stained innards floating around had something mysterious and bizarre about it.
"Ah, take this out."
"Kkung."
"I'm going to make sausage."
-x-X-x-
Around the time I, having successfully finished the jerky content, fell asleep.
The world outside the frame was in the middle of working hours.
"So you called me for this."
"Hey, let's have a chat, why the scary face."
"If you think I'm only in charge of 'Jio's Portrait,' you're gravely mistaken…."
"I'm giving you an incentive."
"Damn capitalist society."
Yu Seong-un had been summoned by the guild master.
"Didn't I tell you I'd organize the report and submit it soon?"
"How am I supposed to wait until then?"
"Why can't you wait for this?"
"You know me."
"I don't know you well."
"People should talk face to face."
"That's an excessive insult to our highly developed modern society."
"There's no affection in the world these days. And our employees are even more so."
"I don't know what kind of affection you're looking for in this crappy world, and I also don't know why you're demanding it from me."
"Everyone's so cold."
"It's your own preference, what nonsense are you talking about."
Bisabeol smiled brightly at the very tired-looking Yu Seong-un and made him some fruit cheong tea.
"Shall we drink this and cheer up?"
"Is this poison?"
"Hey, how can you call a gift from our precious portrait poison."
"I'd rather you give me poison. So I can drink it and lie down…."
No matter how gentle 'Jio's Portrait' was, he was a being of the Source and simply put, a monster.
Dealing with a rare humanoid monster was already overwhelming, but that wasn't the only task Yu Seong-un was in charge of.
"The sea has been quite noisy lately, so I was called out again."
Yu Seong-un was also handling external requests.
"Upon inspection, the movements of the children of the Source were peculiar. I will submit a report regarding that matter soon as well. Probably tomorrow or the day after…."
"You can report that later. It wasn't my request anyway."
"Of course, you wouldn't care."
"So, will you tell me about Jio now?"
"I knew it."
For reference, Bisabeol still hadn't been able to speak with me.
"Isn't it because you act so overwhelmed that Jio avoids conversation with you?"
"Hey, what did I do?"
"There are many employees who have seen The Black Cape, yet the guild master himself has never even had a conversation. At this point, it's dereliction of duty."
"I told you I tried to talk to him."
"I meant you should try changing your approach."
It was a problem related to my characteristics.
"Doesn't Jio dislike rude people?"
"He doesn't hate them."
"That's true, but…."
'Jio's Portrait' dislikes two things.
Being rude, or being evil.
'…But even though he's wary of rude people, he doesn't view them that negatively.'
Aren't there people who like dogs and cats, but dislike reptiles?
It was something like that; I was wary of rude people.
I didn't disparage their existence itself, but I didn't enjoy associating with them.
"That indifferent side is quite similar to a child of the Source."
"I suppose so. Even if he claims to be human, not all parts of him can be the same as a human. He might be trying hard to ignore the fact that he's not human…."
Though in reality, I simply had no thoughts on the matter.
"Well, it seems he doesn't have that indifference for criminals, though."
While I thought 'it can't be helped' when it came to rude people, I showed clear disgust in the face of malice.
I hadn't actually encountered a criminal, but it was a fact that could be known from my usual words and actions.
"Either way, we have to be careful. You should be careful too, Guild Master."
"I'll try to restrain myself."
"You'll just say that again. Anyway, so…."
The reason Bisabeol had called Yu Seong-un was obvious.
"Are you curious about how Jio behaved during his Seoul sightseeing?"
"Of course I'm curious, a being of the Source whose identity we don't even know wandered the human world. And I heard he came back peacefully without even causing any major trouble?"
"That's right."
Of course, there was one unsettling fact.
"Wasn't a Priest of the Sun reported missing?"
"Eh, that's nothing. I looked into it, and his background didn't seem that clean."
"So that's why they seem to be hushing it up internally."
"With the initiation ceremony coming up, they'd be even less willing to make it public."
"…It seems likely that Jio had a hand in the disappearance."
A Hunter who is a Curator can't make do with ordinary observation and memory skills.
Yu Seong-un remembered the man in the scholar's robe he had encountered at Gyeongbokgung and the priest who had gone missing this time was that very person.
"That day, Jio made a camera-like shape with his hands and looked at the man."
"A camera, you say. Considering Jio is a portrait, wouldn't it be closer to a picture frame?"
"That could be. Anyway, after his eyes met the man's, he suggested leaving Gyeongbokgung, and he didn't look very pleased."
"Could it be that he was in a bad mood because he encountered a bad person who didn't suit his taste?"
"I believe that's highly probable."
"So that's how Jio appraises people. That's good information to know."
According to the information Bisabeol had, he was already a shady priest.
Yu Seong-un trusted Bisabeol, and the two of them never even considered the possibility that the priest I had dealt with was not a villain.
"Still, the fact that he handled it quietly allows us to confirm Jio's level of understanding of human society. He probably didn't want it to become a commotion."
No. It was just Honey's solo act that happened while I was sprawled out asleep.
Honey, too, hadn't wanted to avoid a commotion, but rather had sensed a threat to his father, dealt with it, and then simply returned.
But I didn't give off the impression of being that thoughtless.
Rather, there were strong moments when he felt like a being who was all the more silent because he knew so much.
The two of them continued their conversation under the premise that I already knew all of this.
"In that case, I am curious what would happen if he were to face a criminal head-on."
"Why are you curious about something like that? Don't get any strange ideas."
"So cold."
"...."
Does he really want to act like that at his age?
'I shouldn't grow old like that.'
Yu Seong-un ignored Bisabeol, who was pretending to be pitiful.
"The most surprising thing about this tour and observation would have to be the part where Jio lowered his own stature to a human level."
"…Lowered his stature?"
Bisabeol looked surprised for the first time in a while.
"Jio did you do? He lowered his own stature to a human level?"
"Yes, it's surprising, isn't it."
"Before being surprised, it's…."
Bisabeol paused to choose his words.
He soon found a suitable one.
"Disgusting."
As expected, I was not human.
"To carve out his own flesh so nonchalantly."
"I was scared to death when I first saw it too. If Jio were human, he would never have been able to make such a decision."
"And if it was just to avoid causing a commotion, I can't empathize with it even more."
Bisabeol had never spoken to me, but he had 'seen' me many times.
The stature of the Jio that Bisabeol knew was on a level that couldn't be compared to that of a mere human.
"And yet, to deliberately pull himself down to a point where he feels like a human is…."
It was no different from being tortured by being carved up alive.
"Did he seem to have any health issues?"
"There were no issues that I could confirm, and he had the same expressionless face as always."
"I see."
As for me, since I was originally human, the sensation wasn't strange.
But to others, it was an act of eccentricity worse than pulling out one's own eyeballs, cutting off limbs, and taking out innards.
"Were there any other unusual points?"
"Uh…."
Yu Seong-un chose a lighter topic.
"He seemed to like food."
"No wonder he kept giving food as gifts."
"He seemed to be interested in both eating and cooking."
That was also a point of concern.
"I got the feeling he could easily be taken for a sucker."
"Oh my."
That was a bit of a problem.
"You said you talked to him about that, right?"
"I don't know if he understood, though."
"A favorable being of the Source is much trickier to deal with."
If it were an ordinary monster, it could be dealt with normally, but since continuous mutual exchange was necessary, there were more things to be careful about.
Just as protecting is more difficult than attacking.
"Still, it's a relief that he seems very willing to cooperate."
"I suppose he is a good fellow…."
Excluding the eeriness of his stature, I was definitely a good fellow.
"It's just that his very existence is a threat."
"That's not something we can do anything about, is it?"
"I know."
But regardless of my diligence, continuous vigilance seemed necessary.
"…Ah."
"Is there something else?"
"It's about Jio's personality."
"Personality, you say. This is already interesting."
"The Jio with the lowered stature seemed truly human."
This required a bit of an explanation.
"It was to the point where he seemed like a completely different being from the usual Jio."
"If it's to that extent, then it wouldn't simply be a matter of high or low stature, would it?"
"It has been confirmed to have a slight effect on his personality as well."
"Could it be a side effect of lowering his stature?"
"Isn't that highly probable? For us, this side is more harmless, which is good, but…."
The Jio inside the painting, or the Jio who sometimes wandered the building at dawn, had something eerie about him.
He was like a god of death.
'No, it's closer to death itself, which has no will or emotion.'
He wears a pitch-black cape, his footsteps are barely audible, he always walks neatly like a nobleman with his hands behind his back, and he observes the world with curious eyes and yet, his expressionless, gloomy face was somewhat chilly.
That low temperature didn't mean my personality was cold.
It just seemed to say that the being itself could not harbor warmth.
"The Jio who hasn't lowered his stature is extremely polite, orderly and heavy. Even those who have only witnessed the portrait without talking to Jio have often commented that 'it's like a painting of someone's deathbed.'"
I felt like a being personifying a funeral.
And then there was that remoteness.
"He can never be called human."
"But is it something that would bring up the topic of a change in personality?"
"It has been confirmed to have a definite effect."
The Jio with the lowered stature was like a very ordinary person.
"A person who is a little very blunt, and polite."
But the usual me was different.
"A bit more arrogant."
"Hmm?"
"No, the word arrogant is a bit strange… how should I put it…."
It was hard to express.
"…As if he were a person of high rank…."
I looked down on humans.
Like someone with a hobby of raising insects watching a praiseworthy ant carrying a load, or as if adoring it.
"Jio has actually given gifts to people several times. It was partly as a reward, but it definitely took the form of a bestowal. While calling himself an ordinary 29-year-old human, he evaluated and praised employees much older than himself."
To that, Bisabeol asked.
"But the Jio with the lowered stature was different?"
"Yes, at that time he really seemed like an ordinary young man."
The 'Jio' that Yu Seong-un confirmed was a 29-year-old man with good manners and few words.
"Though there were times when he was a bit… overly curious, or tried to pay with jewels…."
"Since he's not a real human, those peculiar aspects can't be helped. But it's still truly amazing that he acted like a sufficiently ordinary young man."
"He said he took separate measures, so that was probably the effect."
There were also points of concern.
"Usually, because of his high stature, I wouldn't even think of trying anything, but since he looks like an ordinary 29-year-old young man, I was suspicious that he might get caught up in some strange scam."
"…Is it to that extent? Still, he has the Emotion Skill…."
"When he is transformed into a human, not only does his personality become much gentler, but there seems to be limits to his abilities as well. He could only confirm his Emotion Skill by making that picture frame-like hand gesture."
And one more thing.
"The longer he was outside, the weaker he became."
It was just that his energy had been completely drained from being exposed to modern society after a long time, but for Yu Seong-un, who paid great attention to every detail of my state, he had no choice but to assign a variety of meanings.
"I'm worried that other people might pick on him."
"That would certainly be a problem."
"Right?"
"Jio is one thing, but that's…."
Bisabeol stroked his chin.
"Just because he lowered his stature doesn't mean his essence has gone anywhere."
Let's say you compress one of two large pieces of metal to be very small.
Then one side would certainly be large and the other small, but the weight would be the same.
In fact, being smaller would make it easier to injure a human.
A similar example would be a bomb.
Even if you process a bomb into a small and cute shape, it still explodes the moment you light it.
In fact, being compressed, it might be much more violent when it explodes.
"Since there's no precise analysis, it's just speculation, but… as much as Jio thinks of himself as human, the backlash will be much greater if you poke at his essence. There's no need to cause such a disaster."
"I think so too."
"Unless the entire nation has agreed to a group suicide?"
Therefore, the Jio when he became 'human' seemed to require definite protection.
"We'll have to issue a Hunter license."
"With just that, there will certainly be fewer fights."
In this world, a Hunter was a kind of powerful figure and a celebrity.
When a fight broke out, just showing a Hunter license resolved most conflicts.
This was because the Association thoroughly prevented fights between Hunters.
"And one more thing."
Yu Seong-un continued.
"This is also related to his personality."
"What more problems could there be here?"
"The Jio in his human state can be defined as a 29-year-old young man named 'Seo Jio.' Right?"
But Yu Seong-un had clearly witnessed it.
"When Jio dipped his feet in Cheonggyecheon…."
"...."
"And when he rode the water taxi."
A change occurred in me.
"He was looking at the water with the gaze of a different person."
That gaze did not belong to the blunt and taciturn 29-year-old young man, Jio.
Rather, it seemed to have more experience, the emotions were more distinct, and while there was a clear sense of distance, it wasn't cold, but gentle like that of a beloved model student.
The smile that was faintly engraved even had a light and cheerful part, like a cool sea breeze.
In many ways, he was different from the existing 'Seo Jio' or the 'Portrait.'
"There was also a change in his form. His hair was dyed white, and his eyes had a watery blue tint."
"Oh, that's quite similar to Curator Yu Seong-un, isn't it?"
"It was a bit… a different feeling from me. It's true that it was a similar type, but…."
That color was much warmer.
Like the summer sun, or the surface of the sea.
"...."
It wasn't certain.
"I will look into it further."
"Let's do that."
There was too little they knew about me.
-x-X-x-
The last of the jerky was hung in the yard.
"...."
I clapped.
"It's a field of meat."
"Kururuk."
"This dad agrees, it's a beautiful sight."
But not all the meat was made into jerky.
Trusting in the forest where ingredients don't spoil, I put a few pieces of raw meat in the ice shed, and also….
"I should make the rest of the meat into sausage or store it."
The system said the effect would activate if it was 'sun-dried processed meat.'
So for now, I had marinated the sliced meat and spread it out like dried fish, but I had deliberately used only tender parts to make it easier to eat later.
It was time to deal with the leftover scraps of meat from making the jerky.
"I separated the intestines and stomach and got rid of the gamey smell, so it should be okay to use them soon."
I hadn't given all of the deer's innards to the water birds.
I had set aside the long, rope-like intestines and the stomach, which was full of traces of what it had clearly eaten a lot of.
I had removed everything that smelled and soaked them in a mixture of grated apple, lemon, and onion, so there would be no trouble with strange smells.
"As far as I know, there's plenty of meat left."
"Kurururu."
"I'm still clumsy at butchering… so there are a lot of scraps, which I think will be perfect for making sausage."
It wouldn't be bad to use it for soup, but hadn't the system said that if I wanted to enhance the effects of the Tree-Horned Deer, I should prepare it as 'sun-dried processed meat'?
It seemed more effective to lump the scraps together into a sausage and hang them up than to dry each piece individually.
It was also one of the excellent ways to store scrap meat.
"Let's make soup with the remaining bones and meat later."
"Kurururururu!"
It seemed like a good idea to make a bone broth in advance.
"Then the important question now is how to season it."
Honey was delighted.
"Honey."
"Pig?"
"Kuruu."
"Right."
I wondered if he had finally accepted his identity.
"While we're at it, I want to look for some new spices…."
Even with a rough glance, this cabin forest was quite vast.
The places I went to were always the same, and there were probably many places and fruits I had yet to see.
"Shall we go on an exploration for the first time in a while?"
"Kkukkukkuk."
"Of course I'm taking you with me."
Remembering how he had combatively devoured the deer's innards, he was incredibly reassuring.
'The animals in this forest might be friendly to me… but there's no rule that says animals from other dimensions have to be the same. It's scary, so I must take Honey with me.'
That's right, I was scared.
"No matter what I think about it, the invasive species was too much."
"Kkuk…?"
"If a deer with horns and hooves made of metal were to rampage, I am confident I would die in 10 seconds."
"Kkungkung…."
"Please protect your frail father."
So, as for where to go to find what spices now.
"If I just start moving, won't I find something I want to do?"
Having reached a clear conclusion, I rummaged around and put on my cape.
Even though I wore it whenever I went a little far, the cape was still just as clean.
'I should upgrade this later too.'
I think I've thought that over 50 times now.
When that happens, I usually don't end up touching it.
"...."
"Kuruu…."
"I'll do it someday."
As usual, I brought a basket and set a top priority.
"I'd like to find a new spice or sauce. There must be unique ingredients that only appear in a fantasy world like this. Like Rurupu or Mangdung Fruit…."
For example, things like pepper, salt, and sugar.
"There's a limit to how much I can rely on the cabin."
The basic ingredients and spices in the cabin's cupboards and pantry are fully stocked.
But I don't know how long they'll last, and I don't know if they'll be automatically replenished like the first time when they run out.
"It's better to prepare in advance than to have to draw them one by one later and have it be a hassle."
"Kururu."
"Especially since salt is essential for survival…."
The water of the water bird lake was salty, so if I could somehow evaporate it, I might be able to get salt.
'I haven't tried it yet, but it probably wouldn't be impossible.'
I suddenly muttered.
"I wouldn't mind if a dairy cow or a chicken fell from somewhere."
He was even wishing for livestock.
"Then I could get milk or eggs whenever I want."
"Kurururu?"
"You… weren't you a male?"
There was no basis for it, but I thought he was a male. Can he lay eggs?
"Were you a daughter and not a son?"
"Kkung."
"Ah, not that."
"Kkungkung."
"…Oh…."
It seems he has no gender.
"That's amazing."
Well, looking at the water birds in the lake who multiplied by splitting their eggs like amoebas, a process like mating didn't seem necessary.
I nodded.
"It's a hassle to think too deeply, so let's just stick with you being my son. Do you agree?"
"Kuruk."
"Excellent."
For a moment, I was almost frightened by my own limitless abilities, but then I realized the only thing I would make with this ability was a baked potato, and I felt at ease again.
"There's no way a harmless person like me could be a creature that threatens world peace."
"...."
"Agree with me right now, Honey. Your dad is a harmless creature."
Honey did not agree until the end.
"So resolute."
Honey was one to say no when it was no.
The cabin forest was very cool.
A cool breeze blew when you went under the shade, and when you received the sunlight, a cozy air like a blanket aired out in spring enveloped the two of them.
Wandering around without a particular purpose had a pleasant charm, like going on a picnic.
"Ah."
Just like that, while walking aimlessly, I finally made a good find.
"I think this is edible."
"Kurururuk."
"Right? The scent is unique too…."
It was a plant with a structure where small, transparent, regular tetrahedral fruits hung in a line like lilies of the valley.
Milky Way Mary
A flower characterized by its transparent fruits and black stem.
It was named 'Milky Way Mary' after its first discoverer, Mary, and its unique appearance.
Each individual plant bears 11 fruits. It is slightly toxic to eat as is, but when dried and hardened, it can be used as a spice with a spicy and piquant aroma.
"...."
First discoverer?
'There was a first discoverer named Mary?'
This information expanded world-building significantly.
Doesn't it mean that the plants, or even animals, growing here might also exist in some other dimension?
"So it wasn't an ecosystem created solely by my imagination."
"Kuruk?"
"No, I'm not in a bad mood."
It was just that the unusually vast world-building was a bit funny.
"Oh, gods of heaven and earth."
Where on earth have I fallen into?
"Life really is a roller coaster."
Elixir Recipe: Soaking it in the sap of a Dorongdorong Tree neutralizes the toxicity and stops the drying process. If stored in a canned form and later ground with the wings of a forest butterfly into small pills, it becomes a good fatigue recovery agent. Store in a dark place away from sunlight.
The system also provided the Elixir Recipe, but I had little interest.
I focused solely on its taste and aroma.
"So you're saying it's pepper?"
Fatigue recovery agent and whatnot didn't even register.
Happy to have found a spice after a long time, I quickly picked the fruit of the 'Milky Way Mary.'
Since the fruit was already ripe, it fell off easily with a light touch.
"I'll have to remember this."
I muttered as I straightened my back after collecting more than a handful of the fruit.
"This must be the Milky Way colony."
The flower bed, sparkling with lots of small, transparent fruits, was too beautiful to see alone.
Perhaps because the forest was so dark, the transparency of the fruit stood out even more, to the point where it really looked like the Milky Way.
"It would be even more amazing to see at night."
"Kururu…."
"Anyway, the pepper is taken care of."
Sniff, sniff, I tried smelling it, but there was no scent right now.
"…Is it structured so that the aroma comes out when it's dried?"
Like the Mangdung Fruit.
'I wonder what kind of spiciness it is.'
It had a spicy and piquant aroma, but I couldn't tell exactly what that felt like.
"It might be like a small, hot chili pepper rather than black pepper."
"Kururu?"
"Or maybe it's similar to a prickly ash berry? But that is more numbing than spicy… I guess I'll have to dry it myself to know what kind of dish I can use it in."
The small fruit sparkled like transparent beads, but it was weak and crinkly like it was made of thin plastic.
Inside, I could feel a pulp that was harder than the skin… but it felt like it would be easily crushed.
"And this gets hard when you dry it."
It was a strange vegetation that seemed to come out of a fairy tale. Its appearance too.
"I should try using it when I grill meat."
I felt a sense of purpose in life and held the basket preciously in my arms.
In the past on Earth, pepper was treated almost like gold, and that's exactly how I felt right now.
"I wonder if there are any other spices?"
"Kuruu?"
"It's too plain to make it with just pepper, after all."
"Kkuk."
"Let's go a little deeper."
Sausage could be made in a great variety of ways.
"First, meat and fat are the basic ingredients."
This part I had already prepared, divided by cut.
I had placed it in a cool pantry so it wouldn't spoil and covered it with a large cloth.
I planned to start mincing the meat once all the other ingredients were gathered.
The meat I had butchered this time didn't have a gamey smell, but I needed other spices to bring out the savory flavor.
It was too boring to make sausage with just salt, pepper and meat.
"A sausage, by its nature, must have a deep aroma and taste."
Fortunately, I had already found the 'Milky Way Mary,' which would serve as both chili and pepper.
"But this alone is not enough."
The fun part of making sausage was that its taste and aroma changed dramatically depending on what herbs and spices were put inside.
A decent sausage would come out with just the Milky Way Mary, which was presumed to have a mixed chili and pepper scent, but….
"Let's just keep going for now."
"Kurururu."
"You have to let me know if a dangerous animal jumps out."
As Honey's parent, I instinctively knew that this round water bird was not weak at all.
He was my small and precious Honey, but he also served as a reliable bodyguard.
As I walked through the forest, I continued.
"There are important conditions for making delicious cured meat."
First, adjust the amount of salt according to the storage period and climate.
"In a forest like this where the ingredients themselves don't rot, it might sound like nonsense, but…."
"Kkuk?"
"If there's too much salt in the cured meat, you can store it for a long time, but it becomes difficult to use in cooking, and if you put in too little salt, the curing itself isn't done properly and the meat spoils."
"Kkungkungkung…."
"Yeah, it's a hassle."
And that's what makes it fun.
All the tricky recipes in the world had a fatal charm that stimulated my challenging spirit.
"The temperature in this forest is moderately mild, but I think it's great that I don't have to worry about the meat spoiling as long as it's cured well. I don't like overly salty jerky or sausage anyway."
"Kururuk…."
"If it's too salty, you can't eat a lot. You get full quickly."
"Kkuk."
"I knew you would agree with my opinion."
The father and son confirmed their mutual trust.
"And second. Dry it according to its purpose."
"Hmph?"
That was a reaction that seemed to say, 'Cured meat has a purpose?'
"Not all sausages are the same."
Having my son by my side was a true happiness because it meant I didn't have to talk to myself. This was why people needed friends.
"It's only natural that the longer you dry it, the tougher the meat gets, so there are various types."
"Kururu…."
"Sure, you'll eat anything, but think about it from a person's perspective."
There were more types of recipes in the world than there were people.
"There are fresh sausages that you eat right away, and there are sausages that you cure until they're completely hard and then cook to eat."
The former were usually boiled or grilled, while the latter were eaten boiled like fresh sausage or sometimes steamed.
"A fresh sausage will overflow with juice with just a little heat, but a completely dried sausage won't. Since no one wants to chew on a hard sausage, I guess it's a way to somehow fill the lack of moisture inside."
And third.
"This is the most important part. Taste and aroma."
"Kururururu."
Honey agreed vehemently.
"You little gourmet."
In fact, I believed that 99.9% of the conditions for an excellent sausage came down to this.
"This dad hates things that don't taste good."
"Krhung."
This time, too, Honey agreed vehemently.
"So since I'm making it anyway, I want to make it well this time too."
The form of the ingredients also changes slightly depending on the type of sausage.
"The ways to make sausage are endless. If you want to eat plain meat, you can add a little salt and just enough of a minimal spice to get rid of any gamey smell. If you need a stimulating side dish, you can add a spice that has a pungent aroma and will make your tongue tingle."
"Nngh…."
"If you want to experience a wider variety of tastes, you can add vegetables as well as spices. Of course, it's a bit difficult if it's a vegetable that releases a lot of water… but in my experience, if you salt it, squeeze out the water, and then add it, you don't get water or mold inside the sausage, which is good."
I rolled my eyes, imagining the sausage I would make.
"I'm starting to crave something spicy, so I'd like to find and take a spice or vegetable that can heat up my tongue. When making that kind of sausage, adding an ingredient that gives a slightly bitter taste makes the flavor richer. Of course, if you add too much, a culinary disaster will be born, but…."
My self-esteem was too high to be anxious about such things.
"There's no way I, with the soul of a spectacular artist, would make such a mistake. Just trust me."
"Kururuk?"
"…Are you worried that spicy food won't suit your palate? Well, it might be too stimulating for a bird."
I nodded.
"Then I guess I have to make a plain sausage too. It's the same when making that kind of sausage; if you want a richer flavor, you can add an ingredient with a mild and soft aroma. Something like a light-scented herb would be good."
"...."
"But I still want to eat something stimulating. How about making one spicy and one really salty sausage. I hope there's an ingredient that pairs well with spices like Milky Way Mary or ginger."
"...."
At Honey's wide-eyed gaze that said 'Can you really do that,' I nodded confidently.
"There's nothing this dad can't do."
What couldn't I do to eat something delicious? I was confident.
And then, something good caught my eye.
Crying Skirt
An unrefined Crying Skirt has a deep blue-green color and a spicy taste and aroma.
Its toxicity can be removed by wiping it with a mixture of sugar and Dorongdorong Tree sap.
"What a perfect description."
'A spicy taste and aroma.'
It couldn't be anything other than what Jio was looking for.
"..."
Of course, there was more to the description of the Weeping Garok.
…A medicinal herb that grows in the shape of a concave bell.
When dried in the sun for over a month, it turns pink, and its leaves become plumper.
The refined pink Weeping Garok has a strong sweetness that could tear the tongue.
Rurupu petals pickled in its extract greatly aid in the recovery of the optic nerve.
Elixir Recipe: Dry the Weeping Garok in the sun for over a month. The right time is when it takes on a deep pink hue and the leaves have thickened to about 3cm. Squeeze the extract from the plump leaves that have absorbed moisture from the air. This alone makes a fine painkiller, and if Rurupu petals are placed inside and stored in a cool place, a medicine good for optic nerve recovery can be made within 3 days.
"..."
But it was too long.
I just skipped it.
'I need a spice, I didn't come here to find medicinal herbs.'
In the end, the only part that caught my eye was 'spicy taste and aroma.' Something about optic nerve recovery was mentioned, but I was doing this to eat delicious sausages, not because I needed medicine.
"Does it look similar to a morning glory?"
It wasn't exactly the same, but the shape was quite similar with its lace-like fluttering leaves and the fact that it was a vine wrapped around a tree.
However, its leaves were much larger than a morning glory's….
"It's almost as big as my hand."
"Kurururu?"
"Yeah, it's pretty big."
Even though Jio's hand was not on the small side, the Weeping Garok was large enough to slightly overflow it.
"The vine being a deep white color is also unusual."
The leaf, called 'Weeping Garok,' boasted a gradation of green that deepened toward the tip.
The vine connected to the leaf was an opaque white, which seemed like it would really stand out in the evening.
"Anyway…."
I had obtained chili peppers.
'I should try making chili powder with this.'
I was very pleased.
"Let's check its condition."
I picked a Weeping Garok, tore it, and smelled it; sure enough, the sharp and spicy aroma was superb.
It wasn't exactly the same as Earth's chili peppers, but it was roughly similar, and it had a strangely mellow scent that seemed like it would go well with the nutty aroma of the meat.
The complex aroma also seemed to make my head spin.
'Is it a mix of chili, mala… and a bit of star anise? It also seems to have a soft sweetness similar to pandan leaf… Since the meat had a scent similar to walnuts or hazelnuts, if I make this well, I could whip up a tantanmen-flavored sausage.'
Thinking that far, Jio muttered.
"But…."
There was a problem.
"Using too much of this would be overwhelming."
As someone who could eat anything well, Jio was fine with the chili scent being as strong as it could be, but the aromas of mala, star anise, and pandan leaf were a bit too strong.
Mala gives a numbing sensation, and the gentle sweetness of the pandan leaf was just a passing note, so I could let that slide, but star anise.
"This one's a bit too strong."
"Kururururu…."
"..."
Tearing off a small piece and putting it in my mouth, it was even more so.
"Yeah, it's too strong."
The scent pierced through my nose and into my brain.
"Is this an assassination."
Technically it would be suicide, but it was a very intense aroma.
Star anise is a spice mainly used to get rid of the gamey smell of pork and it is characterized by a sharp yet somehow bittersweet scent.
The problem was that the 'sweet' part combined with the subtle sweetness of the pandan leaf to create an excessive heaviness.
"I shouldn't use too much of this."
According to the description earlier, this thing becomes incredibly sweet if you do something to it, and seeing the strangely sweet scent mixed in here and there, I vaguely understood. It's plausible it could become that sweet if you handle it well somehow.
"But it's not bad."
"Kuru…."
"I won't give it to you to eat raw, so you don't have to worry, Honey."
They were all going into the sausage anyway.
"..."
"..."
At that point, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
"…Are all the ingredients medicinal herbs?"
"Kkuk."
"What kind of sausage am I trying to make?"
Anyway, if there was too much, I would give the leftovers to Yu Seong-un.
***
After a long adventure.
Jio, who had returned to the cabin, declared proudly.
"I did it."
I found ginger.
"It's very different from the ginger I know, but the scent and taste are similar, so let's just call it ginger."
"Kkung kkung."
"I'm not just glossing over it, it's because they're really similar."
Arum
It has a light brown skin and a faint pinkish hue.
The flesh is a deep red.
It contains a large amount of starch, making it highly efficient when dried into a powder.
It can be eaten without a separate refining process. A plant of the ginger family, characterized by a pungent aroma.
Elixir Recipe: Thinly sliced and dried, it is good for headaches when brewed as a tea. Made into a powder and dried in the sun, it is good for the digestive system and excellent for recovering immunity.
"Right?"
"Kururu…."
It wasn't like Earth had only one type of ginger either.
"There's one called galangal. It has a more complex aroma and a milder taste than the ginger I used to use back in my hometown…."
"..."
"It's okay to say if you're bored."
"Kkuk."
"Alright then."
The 'Arum' I found this time was to Jio's liking.
The taste was quite spicy, but it was closer to a fiery sensation than a numbing one.
The aroma was as pungent as the ginger commonly used in Korea and I thought it could be used as a spicy and pungent spice if used well.
"Ta-da."
I found many other things this time.
"This is nutmeg…."
Raven Walnut
The peel is red, the flesh is white, and the seed is black. It is mainly….
"Sir, am I not speaking right now?"
…The seed part is what is utilized, and it can be used both raw and dried.
It was mainly used as a spice characterized by a soft and deep aroma.
The peel and flesh can be made into medicine.
Elixir Recipe: The seeds can be peeled, and eaten steamed while still soft, or finely minced or dried hard to be used as a spice. The peel, when dried in the sun for more than a day and then steeped, becomes a medicine good for the joints. The flesh, when its juice is squeezed out and hardened, becomes an ointment good for healing external injuries.
"A stubborn friend, I see."
"Kururururu…."
"I'm glad you agree."
Honey seemed to acknowledge it too.
Anyway, I found nutmeg, called Raven Walnut.
On Earth, it was a popular spice for its ability to mask gamey smells without being too pungent, making dishes more refined.
And the biggest gain.
"Discovering vinegar is a truly great discovery."
Wow, the mystery of nature!
"It's not an exaggeration, vinegar made by nature itself…."
"Kururuk?"
"I think trying to eat everything that looks absorbable is a bad habit, son. You might get a stomachache from eating something weird later, so let's try to cultivate an attitude of self-control."
"Kururururururu…."
"Right, vinegar isn't normally made by itself in nature."
Life was truly interesting.
"I was already thinking about making vinegar or wine with Mangdung fruits."
There are various ingredients that can be used to make vinegar.
"You can make vinegar from grains like rice, barley, and wheat… fruits like jujubes and peaches, flowers like lotus and rose, and even honey."
But the method of making it required quite a bit of effort.
"That's how all fermented foods are."
The important thing about fermentation was that if you messed up, it would just become spoiled mush.
Only by maintaining the right temperature and quantity and cultivating the right bacteria can a proper fermented food be completed.
And as I had thought several times already, this place was a paradise for chefs.
"To think that vinegar comes out of a big tree all by itself."
It was a rather peculiar-looking tree.
The base of the trunk near the roots was swollen round like a bead, and among them was a tree that was particularly hard and had a dark red color.
A sour smell drew me closer and I saw vinegar seeping out little by little from the swollen trunk.
"It was quite a sight."
Jio had to call upon the gods of heaven and earth once more.
Candy Trap Tree
A tree with a base that swells like a round candy.
It is monoecious, with its leaves on the outside, but its fruit grows inside the swollen trunk.
If the fruit of the Candy Trap Tree, which has a strong sweet and bitter taste, is not taken out in time, it begins to rot inside.
Depending on various conditions, this fruit mixes with the tree's sap to become vinegar, juice, or fruit wine.
Elixir Recipe: Taking out the fruit before it ferments and soaking it in the sap of a Dorongdorong tree can be used as an excellent nutritional supplement.
'I should look for trees that have juice or fruit wine in them too.'
Anyway, all those miscellaneous ingredients.
"The time has come."
I was ready to make sausages.
"This is true content."
"Kkung?"
"You have fulfilled your purpose with your cuteness. Now, watch."
Jio washed his hands.
"I wonder how the intestines I soaked in advance are doing."
Jio approached the basin where he had soaked the deer's intestines.
Modern sausages usually use collagen casings.
That would have made production much easier, but this was the middle of a forest completely detached from the modern world, so Jio had no choice but to stick to the classic method.
"No matter how much I searched, I couldn't find any casings in the cabin."
"Kkuk?"
"Drawing the casings is a bit much."
Casings made of paint seemed like they would tear easily and felt rather unpleasant.
I also thought that drawing thin, transparent casings one by one would be a tedious task.
Honey, looking at the intestines, cried out kururururuk.
It seemed to be saying that it was different from what it knew.
"It's been prepared, so it will look a bit different from what you know. All the fat and impurities that were filling the inside have been removed, leaving only the skin, so the shape has changed a bit."
The intestines, marinated in sour fruit, had no gamey smell.
"Is it because the meat didn't have a musty smell to begin with?"
After checking the cleaned and deodorized intestines, Jio lifted the basin containing them.
He planned to go down to the kitchen now and start mincing the meat.
"When making sausages, it's better to use tough and strongly flavored cuts. Part of the fun of cooking is deciding how tough of a meat to use and what parts to mix it with, depending on your preference."
"Kururururururu…."
"You can't eat it now, so shall we step back a bit and watch?"
He immediately minced the meat.
"At this rate, the pig-bird will steal it all."
I had to make the sausages quickly.
"It's fine to add a bit more of this part."
"Kkung?"
"That will make the texture better."
How the meat was minced also had a great impact on the texture of the sausage.
Chopping it into coarse chunks made it difficult for them to stick together but resulted in a chewy and lumpy texture, while mincing it finely resulted in a soft texture that crumbled gently in the mouth.
"Mixing it moderately is even better."
On Earth, the size of the minced meat is kept uniform due to issues with drying, but this place was inside a painting overflowing with the mysteries of nature.
Thanks to this, Jio was able to design a sausage with a unique texture.
A little coarsely chunked, or completely minced.
'This way, the texture will be good, and it will fill the casing without any gaps, so the appearance will be better too.'
After mincing all the meat, Jio brought over the ingredients to mix with the minced meat.
'Milky Way Mary' to add the aromas of pepper and chili, 'Weeping Garok' to be in charge of the intense and stimulating taste and aroma, and 'Arum', a member of the ginger family with a distinctly pungent and spicy flavor like chili.
'Raven Walnut' to gently remove any gamey smell and add a luxurious flavor, and the sweet and sour 'Sugar Trap Tree Vinegar' to add variation to the taste....
"..."
I'm excited.
"Nice."
I couldn't control this excitement.
"Who else could have an experience like this?"
Mysterious ingredients from a deep, silent forest where no humans can be found.
The experience of cooking while smelling the refreshing phytoncides, with ingredients that hold flavors I had never imagined.
That day, Jio made about 10kg of sausage.
"..."
"..."
I got a little carried away because I was excited.
"I admit my mistake."
He nodded his head.
"You don't have to worry."
"Kkung."
"We have Mr. Yu Seong-un."
"Kururuk."
The two's opinions on the bad stock aligned.
***
"Jio, are you here?"
Yu Seong-un, who had gone to give Jio some bungeoppang after a long time.
"The student I met last time was selling bungeoppang, so I bought a bag."
"I see. Thank you for your kindness."
"It's nothing, so take it. If you must repay me, I'll take something simple to eat like last time."
"I have just the right food for that."
"Oh, really? I was feeling peckish, so that's great."
How much time had passed?
"..."
He came out of the gallery holding a paper bag full of sausages.
"…It's not appropriate at all."
Although he knew it was a completely different case, he felt a bit scammed.
-x-X-x-
[The Forest's Innards]
[Grade: - ]
Sausage made from Tree-Horned Deer meat and the herbs and berries that grow naturally in the Honey of the Water Vein.
It was processed directly by Jio, the master of the forest, so it can be accepted by the human body.
This sausage, which gives a deep sense of fullness, is excellent for recovering from minor injuries and for boosting immunity.
"Help."
"Woah, you startled me."
"Please help me."
"Could you please stop coming to me whenever you get a troublesome gift, Curator Yu Seong-un?"
"This one I received myself, so I can't even share it with others."
Bisabeol cheerfully replied to the sudden appearance of Yu Seong-un.
"Then why don't you just ask him if you can share it?"
"Looks like that's the only way."
"Have you tried this gift?"
"I ate about three at home and came here."
Yu Seong-un nodded.
"It was delicious."
"Ah, hearing you say that suddenly makes me want some too."
"Please wait until I get Jio's permission."
"If I can't eat it, then why did you bring it to me in the first place?"
"Because it's obvious my position would become difficult if it got into the hands of others."
"Ah, for the safe…"
Bisabeol smiled bitterly.
"As I thought, our employees have a cynical side to them."
"Didn't you gather all those people yourself?"
"Even so, who uses their Guild leader as a safe? No one seems to cherish me much."
"Who created this atmosphere and is now complaining?"
"So what were the effects?"
"You're changing the subject."
Yu Seong-un thought for a moment and then rubbed the back of his neck.
"It's said to be excellent for recovering from injuries and boosting immunity, but I haven't seen any effects yet as I haven't had any such injuries. However…"
"However?"
"I do feel like my eyes have become a bit clearer."
"Your eyes got clearer?"
Even in this world, medical technology related to eyesight was slow to develop.
Worn-out optic nerves wouldn't recover over time.
In that sense, the effect Yu Seong-un mentioned sounded quite interesting.
"Is the effect certain?"
"That's how I feel. If other people eat it too, there will be a comparison group, and we can analyze the effects in more detail."
"Then you'll have to get Jio's permission first. Why didn't you ask him when you received the gift? Knowing Jio's personality, it doesn't seem like he'd flat-out refuse."
"Not only should you not generalize the existence of The Source in such a way, but I was also exhausted at the time after working all night. How was I supposed to know I'd receive a gift like this just by going to deliver some fish-shaped pastry?"
"If you're so tired, why don't you have the cookies you received last time?"
"I finished them a long time ago."
Yu Seong-un had once again become a slave to caffeine.
"What was the verdict from the other employees on the Cheong you received a while back… even though it didn't look like it at all, it was still Cheong."
"The reaction was very good. And they also seemed confused. The biggest advantage of the Honey of the Water Vein, 'recovering a human's physical abilities to their limit,' was…"
"Even if they hadn't read the explanation, they'd still feel it in their bodies, so they must have been suspicious."
Bisabeol smiled and asked.
"Would you like a cup of Fruit Tea before you go?"
"…I'd appreciate that."
Yu Seong-un, on the verge of death from overwork, needed to recover.
After drinking the Fruit Tea, which had a rich, soup-like umami flavor, Yu Seong-un let out a small sigh.
It was genuinely delicious, but consuming something this magnificent just to recover from fatigue made him feel a sense of doubt.
"It would be a great help if we took it into a Dungeon. I think it would also have a significant effect on the mortality rate."
"That's true."
"But if we really do take it with us, it'll cause another commotion."
"That's also true."
"…The existence of The Source being too friendly is also a problem."
It was a new realization.
"So the employees weren't suspicious? Didn't they feel like something was strange?"
"Everyone was curious about the source of the Cheong, but they didn't ask me again. I told them I bought it at an auction, but they had a big reaction of not understanding it with just that."
"So what did you tell them?"
"What do you mean, what did I tell them? No one asked me, so I didn't say anything. Our employees really hate getting involved in complicated matters."
"No employee likes working overtime."
"They're all so heartless, I swear."
Bisabeol said as he drank his share of the Fruit Tea.
"Still, not many people seemed to guess it was a 'Fragment of a Masterpiece.'"
'Fragment of a Masterpiece' was a kind of idiom used within The Collectors, referring to objects, blessings, or curses that a masterpiece confined within Bisabeol's gallery would give to its Curator.
"Even so, there are hardly any people who would think that a masterpiece would give food as a gift…"
"Is that so?"
Among the masterpieces gathered inside Bisabeol's gallery, a considerable number of them had an ego.
Depending on how sophisticated that ego was, a high-level Curator would be assigned to them and the Curator would manage them while focusing on their bond with the masterpiece.
So very, very rarely, and very exceptionally, a Curator would receive a 'Fragment' like this.
"Usually, they give objects."
"Food is also a type of object, if you think about it."
"They give things like accessories, paintings, or weapons more often."
"That's right, mostly."
There couldn't be another masterpiece that was as into cooking as Jio.
"Is cooking Jio's only hobby?"
"No, as I told you before, he also enjoys painting."
"And those paintings become portals or living beings."
"That's right."
"Then what would happen if he painted a landscape?"
"…"
Yu Seong-un's face crumpled like foil.
"I'm resting right now, don't make me feel anxious."
"It wasn't a very profound story."
"I had a rough guess about the possibility, but I don't want to think about it right now."
"How pitiful…"
"What does it matter if a boss says his employee is pitiful, it's just sarcasm, isn't it?"
Seeing his exhausted subordinate, Bisabeol laughed and nodded.
"I'm just curious. Since Jio can create everything with his paintings, I was just intrigued about what would happen if it became a landscape painting."
"Perhaps he could create another world."
"Like a Dungeon?"
"…"
"That's wonderful."
Bisabeol stroked his chin and said.
"As many of our night guards have witnessed, they said Jio moves through some kind of landscape painting."
"What I heard was a little different, it was a landscape painting, not a portrait?"
"It seems to be a portrait when Jio is inside it, and a landscape painting when he's not. Looks quite convenient, doesn't it?"
"That's really crazy…"
"Since the masterpieces hanging in the hallway are said to disappear around sunrise, it seems certain that they can be used for transportation."
"But didn't we already guess that?"
"So my question is, if he can move to a place that already exists through painting…"
Then.
"Can Jio move to other Dungeons as well?"
"…"
"I'm curious."
"That's…"
Yu Seong-un frowned.
"I think that's a little dangerous though."
"Did it sound that way?"
"I don't know exactly what the Guild leader saw in Jio, but from my perspective, with my poor eyesight, it does."
"Jio has already toured the outside world under Curator Yu Seong-un's guidance."
"I did agree to that, but what you're suggesting now is to expand Jio's range of activity, isn't it?"
It felt unsettling.
"The fact that I show Jio more than a masterpiece… Of course, I have nothing to say about it. But this is a habit of gardeners. It's something carved into our souls."
Gardeners were like that.
They don't feel a threat as a threat, and they don't see cruelty as cruel.
For them, who tend to The Garden, the existence of The Source was an object to be cared for.
"As I told you when I accepted the Guild leader's offer and signed the labor contract, and I have told you repeatedly, Gardeners are not on the side of humans."
They were born as humans and have tended to The Garden, so they wish for both to coexist.
It was inevitable that Yu Seong-un would be enchanted by Jio, who seemed to be a being very close to The Source.
You couldn't survive as a Gardener without being entranced by The Source.
It was a timeless preference that couldn't and shouldn't be changed.
"But the Guild leader is a complete human being, aren't you? If I'm not thorough as a Curator, you should point it out and correct it."
"…"
"Guild leader, you allow your masterpiece too… many things. It wouldn't be strange for me to be worried about that."
Bisabeol laughed.
"Isn't it the same principle that allows Yu Seong-un to use me as a safe?"
"…I know I'm not in a position to say anything since I've received several big and small favors thanks to the Guild leader's favoritism."
"Try this first. I made this one with a simple flavor since you don't seem to like spicy food."
He was excited.
Even if he had made sausages himself with ordinary ingredients, he would have been happy, but these were foods made with fantasy ingredients, weren't they?
"This is a sausage made with Arum, Raven Walnut, and vinegar. I also grated in a little bit of Milky Way Mary. Honestly, it's a little too simple for my taste… but I think you'll like it."
"Kuruk."
"That doesn't mean I'm not going to eat it, of course."
Seo Jio put the long sausage into his mouth without cutting it and inwardly nodded.
'…A person who likes stimulating flavors like me might find it a little bland. It's honestly a bit plain, but the seasoning is just right, so it's good to eat with rice.'
The sausage, which had been briefly dried in the sun and then baked, was very crispy on the outside.
At the same time, the casing, which I made by handling the intestines myself, was somehow nutty and chewy, yet soft enough not to resist my teeth.
It was a texture where crispiness, chewiness, and softness coexisted.
"Hmm…"
Pop!
"Ah, it's hot."
The contents inside were overflowing with juice.
The subtle scent of wood seeped into the roof of my mouth.
The sausage, freshly baked in the furnace with a crackling wood fire, was so hot it was almost scalding, and the sweet, somewhat sticky juice, tightly trapped inside the casing, moistened my mouth.
It was warm.
"…"
And delicious.
'…It was made to be simple, but the aroma is still great.'
I reduced the amount of salt as much as possible to bring out the full flavor of the meat itself and added a variety of complex aromas to enhance the compatibility with the original meat.
The result was the sausage I was eating now.
The combination of Raven Walnut, which paired well with the subtle nutty scent of the deer meat, unified the taste of the sausage.
Furthermore, the pungent scent of Arum, hidden deep beneath, and the Sugar Trap Tree Vinegar on top, were making their claim in a mild yet distinct way.
'Now that I'm eating this, it's better than I expected. I thought it would be really plain.'
The faint bitterness from the vinegar itself and the rich smoky scent from the campfire wood were also a great match.
The sausage was good, and the cooking method was excellent as well.
"I think I added the vinegar especially well."
"Kkuk?"
"Is it because it's naturally fermented fruit vinegar? It has a subtle sweetness, but the sourness and bitterness that grab the grease without being too pungent… they really go well together."
Next was the sausage I made for myself.
Pop!
"…"
As soon as I ate the red sausage, my taste buds were stimulated.
'My mouth is hot.'
There was a heat that wrapped around my tongue in a somewhat sticky way.
'The aftertaste isn't very long. It's very smooth and clean spiciness.'
The sausage I made for my own use contained all the new ingredients I had found.
Milky Way Mary with a clean scent like a mix of red pepper and black pepper and Crying Skirt with a strong spiciness and a mysterious, heavy sweetness.
Arum with a ginger scent that unified the various chaotic aromas into one and Raven Walnut that gently covered it with a bland, deep aroma.
Lastly, the Sugar Trap Tree Vinegar added a pungent sourness here and there, giving the taste a nice variation…
"…"
Maybe it was a little too much.
"But it still tastes good."
"Kkung."
"It's okay to try it, don't avoid it."
"Kkung-kkung-kkung…"
"If you don't want to, I can't force you."
Regardless of Honey's opinion of avoiding the spicy sausage, it suited my taste perfectly. It felt like my slightly hollow stomach was being completely filled.
The feeling of chugging samgyetang or going into a boiling hot bath and then heading straight to a bathhouse with sikhye, sweating profusely, and slurping the slushy sikhye through a straw.
This fullness was exactly what I was missing.
"This is great."
Happiness isn't far away.
'I was worried since I was using new ingredients for the first time, but it turned out better than I expected.'
The sausage was meant to be spicy, but the overall subtle sweetness and the oil coating the entire meat made the spiciness very clean.
If a spicy food is cleanly spicy, it's a success more than 90% of the time.
"It was worth it to master the feel of cooking. This is what you call a grandmother's touch."
"Kkung-kkung-kkung-kkung…"
"It's not that Dad made it wrong, it's just that our tastes are a little different."
To me, this was a very delicious spicy flavor.
As someone with good taste, I also enjoyed eating spicy chicken feet.
When eating spicy chicken feet, if it was too spicy, I would dip it in a sauce made of sesame oil or drink a sweet beverage with it.
Then I could eat it like a refined person with a calm mind.
The sausage I made this time was in the same vein.
'The taste and aroma are generally spicy and pungent, but the Crying Skirt also had a subtle sweetness to it. On top of that, the Raven Walnut has the soft sweetness unique to nuts. And the naturally made vinegar from the Sugar Trap Tree, which produces very sweet berries, goes without saying…'
If the spice flavors felt too strong, a soft aroma would suppress them.
If it felt too spicy, the deer fat I had put in a bit too much would wash away the pain on my tongue like silk.
If the fat felt greasy, the vinegar would assert its sour presence, calming my stomach.
Overall, the balance was good.
'The role of the Arum, which tightly bundles the overly complex and intertwined tastes and aromas, is also significant. The effect is much better than I expected.'
With food still in my mouth, I began to plan a new dish.
"If I add Arum when I make various messy things, the quality of the dish will go up a lot."
"Kkung…?"
"Next time, I'll make it less spicy than this. It seems you have a rejection of spicy flavors."
Arum gathered all the spices that were flying out and showing off their individuality in one place.
The effect of that stickiness was so good that I didn't feel burdened by this complex taste at all.
'Plus, I paid attention to the texture of this sausage.'
I nodded.
"Doesn't it have a good chew to it?"
"Kkuruk."
"Yeah, it's delicious, right? The different sizes of the meat pieces definitely make the chewing experience more diverse. I'll have to think about the texture more next time I make it."
"Kkuk-kkuk…"
"I always think this forest is great because it doesn't get moldy."
If it weren't for that, I couldn't have dreamed of doing this work.
'I also used real intestines with high moisture content for the casing… I'd be lucky if it didn't rot during the process.'
If the meat pieces are different sizes, air pockets form inside the casing, and there's a high chance of mold growing in those gaps.
At least, all the sausages I had made so far went through that process.
'Those guys have no willpower.'
If you were real pork, you should have endured the mold with sheer willpower.
"Hmm."
Anyway, thanks to that, this sausage had an excellent texture.
The meat, which I had already mashed into a soft consistency, touched a corner of my mouth even before I chewed, pleasing my tongue, and the bumpy meat pieces happily bounced against my teeth with a cheerful elasticity.
'The juice is also flowing… and the intestine casing has an even better texture than I imagined.'
Since the intestines were plump, it felt like I was chewing on a thin gopchang.
The intestines, which I had cleaned beforehand, didn't have any gamey smell and had the chewiness and nuttiness characteristic of organ meats.
Moreover, the outer casing, baked in the furnace, was crispy like a cracker, while the inside of the casing was still sticky. I could also feel the faint bitterness unique to nuts.
"…"
I muttered to myself.
"I think this is great."
I wanted to live like this forever.
Peacefully.