Ch.138138. Delicious Eel

In the Farming World, there are monsters that can only be caught when specific conditions are met.

*Bzzt-crackle*

One of them is this Blood Eel.

Living in swamplands and generating strong electrical currents, these eels are known for paralyzing anyone who comes near them with electric shocks, rendering them helpless.

When ordinary users enter this black swamp, they must wear armor made of materials that can block electricity.

Alternatively, they could obtain accessories with options that prevent electric shocks.

Only after taking these precautions can the conditions for catching Blood Eels be met.

In truth, monsters that require special conditions like this are difficult to approach, but once those conditions are satisfied, catching them isn’t much harder than hunting ordinary monsters.

*Slash*

A meter-long eel, with a body thicker than my forearm, thrashes and leaps up, flying toward me to constrict me.

If that crackling body wraps around me, not only would I be electrocuted, but its powerful squeeze would break my bones and drag me into the depths of the swamp.

That’s its one trick.

The Blood Eel.

Not much different from a swamp alligator, really.

I suppose it makes sense when you think about it.

If these creatures could freely navigate this swamp terrain and had high stats that made direct confrontation difficult, they’d be classified as level 5-6 biome monsters rather than level 1.

The decapitated eels fall to the ground with wet thuds.

Rather than focusing on the other Blood Eels, I quickly gather the fallen ones, not wanting to miss a single one.

“Slurp.”

My mouth waters at the sight of the crackling, electricity-flowing Blood Eels.

They say Blood Eels are a perfect health food with no waste.

Regular eels are already delicious in the real world, but how much more chewy must these electricity-producing Blood Eels be?

With the right seasoning, I could easily devour two bowls of rice with seasoned Blood Eel, or if simply salted, I could wash it down with two bottles of soju without breaking a sweat.

[Monster]

– Name: Blood Eel

– Grade: A

– Level: 31

– Stats: Strength (A-), Agility (A), Vitality (B), Magic Power (S)

– Physical: 1M 99CM / 40KG

– Abilities:

1. Electric Discharge (A+)(P)

2. Self-Healing (A+)(P)

That passive self-healing skill is what keeps the Blood Eel’s flesh so chewy.

No matter what wounds they sustain, they recover through their electrical circuits, making their meat inevitably springy and firm.

Of course, I couldn’t hunt them carelessly.

My gear only indirectly blocks the electricity the eels emit; I still take damage from their direct electrical attacks, though it’s reduced by 50%.

So when multiple Blood Eels attacked, I had to dodge appropriately with jumps while hunting.

Slowly.

I collected Blood Eels by circling from the outer edges of the black swamp.

This time, I wouldn’t make the foolish mistake of rushing to cut down the corrupted trees like before.

Of course, cutting down the trees wouldn’t eliminate the corrupted energy or the chaotic forces.

But I could hunt enough Blood Eels first, then go after the boss without rushing.

Since there’s no concept of time in the mist of chaotic energy, I checked the time occasionally and returned home around 11 PM.

As soon as I arrived, I put the Blood Eel skins and blood in storage and placed the eel meat in the large freezer installed in the house.

“Wow. Why do you have so much eel meat?”

“This is seriously delicious. Do we have charcoal at home?”

“Yes. Should we grill it now?”

“It’s killer with a glass of black raspberry wine.”

“We have that too. Just a moment.”

Since it was 11 PM, Kim Sujeong, who was preparing for bed after washing up, went to the utility room next to the kitchen in her pajamas and brought out cooking utensils to the yard.

“Phew. It’s a bit hot, but eating like this is the real deal.”

She lit a charcoal fire in what looked like a brazier, perhaps bought for campfires, and started grilling the eel.

Thanks to my butchering skills, the Blood Eels were already processed, so no special preparation was needed.

“Maybe I should level up my butchering skill first.”

While it doesn’t matter much now, as I progress to higher-level biomes, a higher butchering level will definitely yield better quality leather and meat, with increased chances of higher grades.

The probability of obtaining hero-grade resources or higher also increases with butchering skill.

It’s similar to gathering or mining.

Not essential, but beneficial to have.

I’m not particularly picky about what I eat, but I go crazy for delicacies like this Blood Eel meat.

*Sizzle*

The Blood Eel, grilling until slightly charred on the charcoal, emits a delicious aroma.

“I made some seasoning after watching YouRube. It should be good.”

According to Sujeong, she had separately purchased eel specifically for eating.

“Why are you feeding me eel?”

Eels aren’t just eaten for stamina, but I wonder if the people here are the type to eat eel regularly.

Whatever the reason, the seasoned eel that Sujeong prepared smelled quite good.

The meat from just one Blood Eel was enough to grill multiple times, so by the time we finished grilling, it was piled mountain-high on the plate.

As Sujeong transferred it to a dish, she put a piece in her mouth and covered it with her hand.

“Huh! This is amazing. What is this? Chewy? How can eel be chewy? Mmm! It melts in your mouth. It’s so thick, the texture is incredible. Ow! Hot! The meat juice is no joke. Wow. I need rice. Just a sec.”

After rambling on with her review as if she were a food YouTuber, she ran into the cabin and brought out the rice cooker with white rice.

Then she called up to the second floor.

“Jihyun unnie! Open your window!”

After calling several times, the window of Lee Jihyun’s room opened.

“Hm?”

“Come down and have a late-night snack.”

“Oh… I was about to sleep. That smells good. What is it?”

She looked half-asleep, but the smell of the grilling Blood Eel must have reached her room, piquing her interest.

“It’s Blood Eel! Apparently, it’s a really rare eel. Come down quickly and eat. This is more important than sleeping.”

“Just a moment…”

Jihyun, curious, came down in her pajamas.

Two women in pajamas.

And between them, Lulu, blowing on and tearing into an eel fillet bigger than her body.

“When did you come out?”

“Hueeng. It’s delicious. Blood Eel, such a delicacy…”

“Didn’t your previous owner feed you this?”

“My previous master never went to the swamp areas.”

“I guess not.”

Swamplands are practically poison for mages without the Fly spell.

Not only is it wide open on all sides, but the ground is the most dangerous part, with monsters not visible until they’re close, making it impossible to attack first.

The Black Swamp is even worse—the current flowing through the swamp itself prevents approach without the right items, and even then, dealing with attacking Blood Eels while watching out for distant electrical discharges is too much for one person.

“Mmm.”

Watching everyone eat enthusiastically, I take a bite too.

I fill a bowl with white rice, place a piece of Blood Eel on top, cover it with a perilla leaf, and take a big bite.

“…Ahh.”

This is the taste.

A flavor I haven’t experienced in a long time.

The subtle difference between tasting it in virtual reality versus reality adds to the emotional impact.

Eating the Blood Eel helped me decide exactly where to use my next life skill selection.

“You’ll learn SS+ grade cooking first, then butchering.”

“Really?”

“We’ll unlock cooking recipes from the cooking shop, develop seasonings, and hold occasional omakase dinners exclusively for Farming Company VIPs.”

“Oppa, that’s a brilliant idea. So I’ll become Chef Kim?”

“You already are Chef Kim, dummy.”

“I guess so. Hehehe. Unnie, I’ll make lots of delicious food for you from now on.”

“Thanks, Chef Kim.”

Simply grilling such delicious Blood Eel is an insult to the eel itself.

With cooking skills and the right recipe, we can bring out even deeper flavors.

“This won’t do.”

On a whim, I filled a dish with extra eel and headed to the village.

Despite the late hour when NPCs should be sleeping, Kukum’s forge still had lights on, and Liere was also still awake.

Only Droksam, the tavern NPC, was sleeping, but he came out when I called.

“What brings you here so late, friend? Oh! This chewiness? Blood Eel, you say. You’ve given me something quite precious. Thank you.”

Kukum said the taste of Blood Eel made him crave beer and was about to get some.

I stopped him.

“Don’t bother. Come to our house instead. We’re grilling and eating right now.”

“Ho ho ho. A sudden invitation! Wonderful. A friend’s invitation is always welcome. Let’s enjoy the night. I have work in progress, but it can wait until tomorrow.”

I’m not usually this sociable.

I used to treat NPCs as mere tools, only giving them necessary commands.

But somehow, the Rift Dimension feels like my own home, making Kukum, Liere, and Droksam feel like my neighbors, and I wanted to show off a bit.

Fortunately, none of them seemed to mind.

Droksam welcomed the idea with open arms.

“All the delicious eel meat I can eat? I’ll be right there. Ha ha. I’ll bring some side dishes.”

Liere seemed to keep her distance at first, but after tasting the eel meat, she reluctantly headed to the cabin.

“Since it’s a human’s request I can’t refuse, I’ll join you.”

And so, an impromptu gathering of the Rift Village residents took place in front of the cabin.