episode_0014

014

Delicious Things

We returned to the store.

The return was short.

Entering the store, Bangnae is putting a ladle into the [Cauldron] and stirring it around.

She discovers me and flinches in surprise.

Her actions are suspicious.

“What are you doing?”

Bangnae, glancing at me, points to the table with his hand.

On it were 3 Slime Pufferfish that had been cleaned and prepped.

“There were 3 pufferfish?”

“Right.”

This is quite moving.

She is no longer the Bangnae who fumbled around with just one dwarf prisoner.

‘But… having 3 pufferfish has nothing to do with what he’s making in the cauldron, right?’

Something suddenly came to mind, and I quickly snatched the ladle from Bangnae’s hand.

Bangnae protests.

“Bangnae’s making it!”

Inside the cauldron were various fish and seasonings from the 3-1 wave store.

The bubbling boil looks delicious.

“This guy…”

As expected, Bangnae was making Pufferfish Seafood Soup.

Slime Pufferfish is a unique ingredient obtainable only through events.

Cooking these unique ingredients using [Tools] allows you to create food that gives more special buffs.

Among them, there is even food that grants permanent buffs.

But conversely, there is also food that gives no buffs at all.

The Seafood Pufferfish Soup Bangnae was making is exactly that.

The characteristic of Seafood Pufferfish Soup is that it tastes very good.

Among community users who have tasted Seafood Pufferfish Soup, every single one praises its fantastic taste.

To borrow their words, it is a heavenly taste.

‘It’s just delicious trash…’

I glared at Bangnae.

If I had arrived even a little later, I would have had to eat the Seafood Pufferfish Soup for sure.

I said firmly.

“We’re going to eat Pufferfish Salad.”

Although the taste evaluation is the worst, Pufferfish Salad, which gives a permanent buff, is the most rational choice.

Believe it or not, it has the effect of increasing the summon’s strength by as much as the dirt under an ant’s fingernail.

But Bangnae seems to dislike salad.

Bangnae points at the table with a sad face.

“It’s three pufferfish. Bangnae caught them all.”

Since he caught three himself, he must be saying let’s cook one as seafood soup.

But that won’t happen.

“If there are 3 pufferfish, then the salad will be 3 times as much, right?”

As if grumpy, Bangnae pouts.

But there is no compromise.

I just experienced the risk of difficulty increase firsthand, having just gone through [Talkative Material].

I don’t have the luxury to complacently enjoy delicious things.

“Go chop some vegetables for the salad.”

“…Okay.”

While Bangnae prepared the vegetables, I brought the [Slicer] and thinly sliced the Slime Pufferfish.

Slice – Slice –

As I cut the Slime Pufferfish, which already had a terrible fishy smell, an even fouler smell filled the air.

‘Hmm… it is foul.’

Eventually unable to bear it, Bangnae put the chopped vegetables next to me and ran away to the corner of the store.

There, he is covering his nose and looking at his phone.

‘Okay, if you’re not going to help, at least don’t interfere.’

The community is how Bangnae studies these days.

He learns the knowledge, language, know-how, etc. of this world.

The only side effect is that since using that study method, strange tricks have increased.

Seafood Pufferfish Soup is a prime example of that.

But I want to stick to this method of education.

Even if Bangnae gets greedy, it’s about Pufferfish Seafood Soup level.

Since exactly 3 pufferfish appeared, it’s a rebellion that isn’t a rebellion, at the level of wanting to eat one delicious thing.

Excluding things like this, the advantages are countless.

Preparing the pufferfish, utilizing [Tools], and so on.

They are all things learned through the community.

Recently, perhaps because he’s looking at posts related to exercise, his posture has gotten significantly better.

And where he found it, he even got exercise methods for animals and makes the dogs do them too.

It’s a truly excellent positive function of the internet.

“Okay, finished.”

After mixing the finely sliced Slime Pufferfish and vegetables, I sprinkled a little soy sauce.

It smells a bit, but it’s bearable enough to eat with my eyes closed.

Perhaps?

While I was setting up the salad on the table, Bangnae approached and shoved his phone forward.

On the screen was displayed the recipe for a pancake dish that can be made with Mandrake.

“You’re saying let’s cook it as a pancake?”

“Right.”

Unlike pufferfish, Mandrake is not a unique ingredient, so there is no cooking method that gives a permanent buff.

‘Or maybe not… Is it a different individual? Since there’s no information.’

Although they look a little different, the category will be the same as Mandrake, so the cooking method will likely also be similar.

Anyway, if it’s not something where you can definitely get a permanent buff, there’s no reason to reject Bangnae’s opinion.

“Okay. Let’s eat it as a pancake. But to make this, I need oil. Oil is a special ingredient.”

To get oil, I have to go on an expedition to the northern edge of the city and come back.

It’s not something I’m really inclined to do.

Currently, the [Contaminated Origin], the final event, is likely increasing its power somewhere in the city.

Risking danger for delicious things is not an option.

‘Should I reject this too…?’

Still, I’m not really inclined to reject Bangnae’s request after his hard work consecutively.

As if sensing my worry, Bangnae operates his phone and shows the [Start Battle] button.

“If you do this, it comes out.”

“Ah? Right.”

Currently, I am receiving the effect where [Special Stores] definitely appear.

There are a total of 6 types of [Special Store].

There’s a 1/6 chance of obtaining oil.

“Then let’s do this. Although we don’t know which Special Store will appear, we’ll cook using the ingredients that come out from there. I’ll let you choose the menu.”

Bangnae nods his head.

“Bangnae chooses.”

“Okay, okay. Then let’s eat now.”

I called the dogs that had run away outside.

At my call, they come in with uneasy eyes.

After smelling the salad a few times, they bury their heads on the floor.

They look like they’re about to die.

‘Is the smell too strong for the dogs?’

It’s not that I don’t understand.

Since they are guys with a developed sense of smell, it will be much more foul than what I feel.

“Can’t be helped. Bangnae, let’s eat all the salad.”

At my words, Bangnae is startled.

He looks at me with eyes asking what that means.

“Dogs are big and strong, you know. But Bangnae is weak and frail, so you should eat a lot, right?”

At my words, Bangnae pulls up his sleeve and shows his arm forward.

It’s an arm that looks healthy with a moderate amount of muscle.

I pulled up my sleeve and put it next to Bangnae’s arm.

When I did that, Bangnae’s arm that had looked healthy looks like a thin twig.

“I guess it’s right for Bangnae to eat it after all.”

Bangnae points wildly at the dogs.

“Dogs…! Dogs…!”

“Hey now. Let’s be quiet and eat.”

Bangnae ate a lot of salad and became as much healthier as an ant’s fingernail.

***

A short free time after the meal.

I walked in a straight line towards the east of the store, taking in the scenery.

This is a method to find event areas.

By doing regular patrols, I will be able to discover abnormalities.

‘Since there’s no information, I’m clueless. Users who first encountered special meals must have felt this way, right?’

I returned to the store without any particular results.

Now it’s time to challenge 3-2.

I called the zombies who were resting together.

“Everyone gather. It’s time to work.”

At my words, Bangnae clumsily puts on his equipment.

But something is missing.

The Lowest Grade Claws that should be in Bangnae’s left hand are not visible.

“Bangnae, what happened to your claws?”

Bangnae answers as if it’s nothing special.

“Pufferfish ate it.”

Pufferfish ate it?

Aren’t claws made of iron?

As I made a confused face, Bangnae went to the corner and brought back the claws whose form had melted away.

“Here it is.”

Just by looking, it looks like it melted in strong acid.

Claws are weapons worn on the hands. If they melted to that extent, the hand couldn’t be unharmed.

“Are you okay?”

“Uhm…”

As if he thought showing would be faster, Bangnae slightly cut the tip of his finger with the Thorn Sword.

Blood flows from the cut place.

But soon his skin wriggled and completely healed.

‘What is it…? Ah? Regeneration Cells?’

“Pufferfish also ate Bangnae’s hand too. But it all healed.”

His hand holding the claws melted away by the Slime Pufferfish’s poison, and the hand recovered through [Regeneration Cells].

It seems right to interpret it that way.

It’s an amazing discovery.

I thought it was just a function that allowed infinite exercise, but the effect is surprisingly good.

“That’s amazing!”

“Right. Bangnae is amazing.”

‘No… not you, the Regeneration Cells.’

Anyway, with this, I feel I can worry less about Bangnae.

Suddenly, I’m curious about Bangnae’s level compared to the summons of other users at the same stage.

‘Still weaker than a Russian Brown Bear, maybe?’

I also think he might be able to compete to some extent with poison and regeneration ability.

But thinking about it again, that brown bear too must possess high intelligence to the extent that it can communicate with the summoner.

‘What… That deflated me.’

But thinking about it carefully, motivation arose.

If a brown bear appears later, wouldn’t it be possible to turn that bear into a zombie?

“Zombie… that’s not bad?”

“Right. Bangnae is amazing.”

“Okay, okay. Let’s just catch dwarves.”

After checking that even the dogs were ready, I placed my finger on [Start Battle].