Kneading the Wyvern into an A+ Masterpiece
I cautiously poked at the wyvern meat sitting on Cheon Yura's spotless prep counter.
'As expected, all that muscle makes it super tough.'
It felt less like meat and more like a rock.
'...Honestly, it's kinda tossable.'
No matter how tough hunters' bodies are compared to regular folks, something this chewy and hard would be a total turn-off. How was I supposed to soften this up...
There are plenty of tenderizing methods, but they'd take way too long. I'd gotten the meat because I wanted to cook right now, not wait around again.
"Gonna try Kneading on it."
If I could turn a gold bar squishy, could a lump of protein really withstand my Kneading?
I rolled up my sleeves and planted both hands firmly on the wyvern meat.
Kneading Lv. 3
A familiar, warm energy flowed from my fingertips into the wyvern meat.
Squish, squish. Squish.
I slowly pressed down with alternating hands.
"Hehe, grrr..."
Along with the usual drowsiness, a rumbling growl started slipping from my throat naturally.
The more I kneaded, the more my tail swished, my ears perked up, and my lips curved into a grin all on their own.
This is kinda embarrassing if anyone hears... but I can't help it.
Ding-.
A translucent system window popped up in front of my eyes.
Kneading Lv. 3 effect activated.
The target's material has been temporarily converted into the form most ideal for the caster.
"Oh..."
I grinned in satisfaction and prodded the meat with my finger again. What had felt like a rock moments ago now yielded softly, my finger sinking right in.
'Hmm, still a bit firmer than my cheeks.'
I pinched my own cheek for comparison.
Basic tenderizing done—time to kick it into high gear.
I diced the now-soft wyvern meat into big chunks, coarsely ground some sea salt and pepper over it, then tossed in a heap of herbs from the fridge and let it marinate.
Even if the texture was perfect, it still needed some time to soak up the flavors.
While the meat marinated, I pulled out ingredients for the pie crust: mixed butter and flour, added ice water, quickly kneaded into dough, then rolled and folded it repeatedly with a rolling pin.
That's how you get that satisfying crisp crunch when you bite in.
"Hehe... it's been a while, but this is fun."
Cheon Yura watched me humming a tune, tail swishing happily, and cracked a small smile.
'So cute... I just wanna touch those ears once.'
She could sneak a head pat now and then, but Arang always shot her a pouty glare, so she never got a proper feel.
...Anyway, priorities first.
While Arang focused on cooking, Yura quietly slipped out to the hallway beyond the bakery.
She pulled out her smartphone from her pocket and dialed the one person whose voice she most wanted to hear right now.
'Han Serin got me with this, so it's your turn, Cha Eunwol.'
Ring ring ring. Click.
Eunwol picked up before it even rang twice.
"What? Why're you calling outta nowhere, you pest?"
Instead of annoyance at Eunwol's irritated voice through the receiver, a thrilling spark shot through Yura.
She couldn't hold back her grin.
"Hey, Eunwol. Super busy?"
"No time to chat with you. If it's nonsense, I'm hanging up."
"It's kinda nonsense, but I just had to tell you."
Aaah, wonder what her reaction'll be? Don't hate me too much—I went through it too.
"Our lil' Arang just called me unnie?"
"[...What?]"
A cold silence flowed from the receiver.
"Called me Yura unnie? You're still just 'Guild Leader' or whatever, right? Hmm, what to do~ Feels like our Arang likes me more?"
"[Hey! You crazy bitch! What the hell did you do to our Arang!!]"
Eunwol's furious roar nearly burst through the phone, echoing down the hallway.
"What do you mean, 'what'? Our Arang just recognized a good unnie on her own. Good luck~ I'm off to eat the pie my cute lil' sis made. Bye."
Yura savored Eunwol's sputtering outrage before smugly hanging up.
"Fuu. Refreshing."
It felt like all her pent-up indigestion had vanished.
She'd finally landed a solid hit on Eunwol, who always strutted around with Arang glued to her side.
'Your Arang's mine now.'
Buzzing with high spirits, she lightly stepped back into the bakery.
"Yura unnie!"
Spotting her, Arang's tail wagged furiously as she beamed.
'...Just seeing that face melts my stress away.'
Yura's gaze naturally drifted to those perky ears twitching atop her head.
'Someday, I'm gonna grab 'em good.'
"Almost done! Just gotta pop it in the oven now!"
Glancing at the counter, Yura saw the beautifully latticed pie crust, woven to perfection.
She demurely took a seat by the counter.
"Whoa, you finished already? The smell alone is insane. Can't wait."
"Just a sec. I'll have it baked up quick!"
Arang carefully slid the meat pie into the preheated oven and set the timer.
Time passed, and inside the oven, the butter melted, causing the crust to puff up golden-brown.
'Whoa... the smell is nuts.'
The juices from the wyvern meat bubbled within, filling the bakery with a rich aroma. The herbs mixed into the crust and the thick meaty scent wafting through pierced her empty stomach.
Gurgle.
Growls of protest rumbled from both my and Yura unnie's stomachs, demanding food.
Ding!
After the long wait, the timer finally chimed.
"All done!"
I slipped on thick oven mitts and carefully pulled out the massive wyvern meat pie, steam rising in curls.
Crisp! Crunch!
Slicing it into neat portions with a cross cut produced a cheerful sound as the layered crust shattered, revealing thick juices and sauce inside.
"Waaah..."
I plated a big slice and gently pushed it toward Yura unnie.
"Here, all set. It's hot, so blow on it before you eat."
Yura unnie stared at the pie's visuals like she'd lost her soul.
"C-can I really eat first?"
"Of course! You gave me the ingredients and the space— you get first dibs."
'Plus you're basically my royal taster.'
At my go-ahead, Yura unnie shakily picked up her fork.
She speared some crispy crust and packed wyvern meat, blew on it, then cautiously slipped it into her mouth.
Crunch crunch.
"......!"
Cheon Yura chewed once and froze, eyes wide.
It was nothing like the one time she'd tried wyvern on the old man's recommendation—jaw-achingly tough.
It melted silkily on her tongue, blending with the buttery, herby savoriness of the crust and a subtle aroma that perfectly fused with the intense meatiness for a violently delicious punch.
"Hngh... haa, not again... my body's heating up..."
Her pale cheeks flushed beet red in an instant.
Yura set down her fork, cupped her cheeks with both hands, lips twitching as she let out weird, sticky moans.
"The meat's so... hngh, big and... the crust's crispiness is delishhh..."
Twisting in her chair as she devoured slice after slice—it was a sight hard to witness with one's own eyes.
Watching it all up close, I stared at her coldly, fork in hand.
'...Maybe I shouldn't call her unnie anymore?'
Seeing that reaction again after so long... it wasn't easy.
No matter how tasty I made it, a grown adult making those lewd noises while eating was... embarrassingly hot.
"Pervert..."
I whipped my gaze away and cut into my portion, popping it into my mouth.
"Nom. Mmm...?"
The moment I chewed, my eyes went wide too.
"It's delicious!"
Even though I made it, this flavor was a total first for me.
The meat, tenderized by my Kneading like sous-vide, melded perfectly with the sauce and herbs dancing on my tongue.
My tail and ears flapped wildly, mirroring my excitement.
Ding-.
A flashy system window sparkled in the corner of my vision.
◈ Creator: Baek Arang
◈ Effect 1: Upon consuming, if a fatal wound is received within 24 hours, it activates immediately to fully restore the target's vitality once.
◈ Effect 2: For 24 hours after consumption, the active skill Weak Flame Breath can be used.
"......Pfft!"
I nearly spat out my mouthful of pie all over the table.
'What the—effects?!'
Choking and coughing, I widened my eyes and reread the system window over and over.
Fatal wound full recovery once? That was basically an extra life.
And like the slime's liquefaction skill last time, now I could breathe wyvern fire.
...Maybe I shouldn't sell this one?
