Chapter 125

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Translator: Ryuma

Chapter: 125

Chapter Title: Mastering Monster Cuisine

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Something was barreling toward Kang Seol.

"Uwaaaaaah! It's coming! It's coming!"

It was Toki, charging at full tilt.

This carefree, almost flippant demeanor was the polar opposite of the solemn figure from the night before.

And there was good reason for it.

A massive, blisteringly fast creature was hot on his heels.

The Red Desert Crown Scorpion.

Its vicious claws were bad enough, but that tail dripping venom looked like it could skewer him like a kebab on impact.

"I-I brought it, just like I said!"

He hadn't said anything like that.

Kang Seol hurriedly tried to activate his summoning spell.

Whoooosh...

Pssshhhh...

'Damn it!'

The summoning spell just guzzled mana without any effect.

It hadn't been like this when he came as the Blood Saint. The labyrinth was clearly capricious.

'Then...'

Whirrl-!

His ultimate technique, Night Crow, worked perfectly, just like in the other ordeals.

"Get out of the way!"

"Uwaaaaaah!"

Toki tumbled past Kang Seol in a tangle.

In that instant, Kang Seol's black fist smashed into the scorpion's head.

KABOOOM-!

'Kaboom?'

The sound and the feedback in his hand told Kang Seol something was wrong. He dodged in a flash.

SPLAT-!

The scorpion's tail whipped through where he'd been standing.

He'd evaded it, but the sheer power of that tail was enough to chill his blood.

"It... didn't break?"

He'd expected to crush its head outright, but instead, the scorpion just shook its head with no visible damage.

"Not the head! Aim for the tail and claws!"

"Toki?"

"Haaap!"

Toki let out a shout and lunged at the scorpion's dazed tail.

KABOOOM-!

'Kaboom?'

Another ominous thud. Toki bolted without looking back, yelling,

"Not the tail! Go for the claws!"

Kang Seol darted straight into the scorpion's reach in a blink.

His smaller size compared to the beast made it struggle to counter him.

Clack-

He grabbed its right claw.

"Hnnngh..."

Crunch...

Then yanked back with all his might.

Riiiip!

Screeeeech!

And then, from Kang Seol's side, the same sound rang out.

"Haaap!"

Riiiip...

"Now! Stomp it!"

Toki dove into the opening first, stomping down to crack its shell as a demonstration.

"Die! Die!"

Kang Seol knew full well this was Toki's true self.

But knowing didn't make it any less startling.

'He always seemed a bit... flighty.'

They called it 'Embarrassing Toki.'

Anyone who didn't know his real side just used that cringeworthy nickname.

"What are you waiting for? Stomp!"

"...Yes!"

Kang Seol followed his lead, smashing the scorpion's writhing torso.

Crunch! Craaaack!

After a solid struggle, the scorpion finally stopped moving.

"Huff... huff... Good work. That was some fine teamwork."

"...You too."

Toki spoke with evident delight.

"Now watch and learn how to harvest it properly."

"...Yes."

He meticulously explained as he used his knife hand to scoop out chunks of flesh from the shattered carapace and store them.

"Just this much for now—this one's prone to spoiling even after cooking, so it doesn't keep long."

From that day on, after every hunt, Kang Seol and Toki would sit by the fire at night and chat.

"Most folks think cooking monster meat makes it safe, but that's a misconception. As an authority on monster cuisine right here, I can tell you it's dead wrong."

"Yes. Then..."

"Monsters each have their own toxins, intensities, concentrations in certain parts..."

Toki's explanations were long-winded.

But he broke it all down patiently and kindly for Kang Seol.

Kang Seol absorbed every word without missing a beat.

And so time flowed on.

"...Success."

"Hahaha! You've got real talent! You've grasped the basics now."

Kang Seol sampled the monster dish he'd just made with Toki.

Slurp-

'Tasty.'

Monster cooking had one key difference from other methods.

It was utterly freeform.

Toki would ramble about "hand feel" or "chef's intuition" and tweak recipes on the fly every time.

Yet every dish he made was delicious.

He handled monster byproducts so casually that Kang Seol had never once gotten sick from his food.

At first, Kang Seol chalked it up to talent, but soon he got the hang of it himself—starting to salivate during hunts and intuitively knowing how to cook.

Through hands-on trial, Kang Seol discovered Toki's monster cooking had tons of perks beyond just making monsters edible.

And the biggest shone right after meals.

Clink.

Kang Seol set down his empty bowl first.

This right here.

Bonus effects that only triggered from high-grade dishes with premium ingredients popped off constantly.

Monsters themselves seemed treated as special ingredients.

"You've worked hard all this time."

"No, not at all."

"I've got nothing left to teach on cooking. The rest comes with practice—you'll figure it out."

Kang Seol nodded and stared hard at his talent tab in the interface.

'...Huh?'

Training over—it should've upgraded Cooking to Monster Cooking, but no sign of it.

"But! The most important part's left!"

"......"

"This might be the crux of it: picking ingredients."

"Picking... ingredients?"

"Right. Even you know every monster has its own toxins. So far, I've taught you to neutralize them enough for human consumption. You did ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠splendidly. But that's just a tiny slice of monster cooking!"

"...Pardon?"

"What if there's no seasoning, no fire, not even a pot?"

"Well..."

"Don't give me that weak 'I'll just not eat it' nonsense!"

"If that happens, what's your plan?"

"I'd... have to eat it, right?"

"Exactly!"

Kang Seol couldn't believe his own answer.

Eat monster meat raw?

"The human body is a miracle. No matter how toxic the flesh, once adapted, it's just richly flavored meat—nothing more. Starting today, we'll acclimate your body."

Click.

A metallic stench filled the air.

"Flesh from that scorpion we hunted. After aging, the poison mellows to perfect eating texture. Just right—ready?"

"Ready for th—"

"You didn't come this far to quit now, did you?"

"......"

"Thought you'd learn monster cooking from me without a shred of grit? Grit doesn't always win first, but no grit always lands last!"

"...I'll eat it."

Toki, embarrassment incarnate, grabbed a hunk of flesh and psyched himself up.

"May the gods watch over us. Ha! I'll go first!"

Chomp.

The scorpion meat vanished into Toki's mouth.

And...

Thud.

Toki passed out cold.

Kang Seol checked Toki's nose and wrist.

Breathing steady, pulse strong.

Just blacked out from the shock.

With a deep sigh, Kang Seol followed suit and ate the scorpion flesh.

Thud.

Kang Seol passed out too.

And so another month passed.

Munch.

"Finally... full transmission complete. Tough road to get here."

"......"

Kang Seol's eyes burned with intensity.