Chapter 54
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 54
Back at the peaceful cabin, Gio was examining the newest member of his household.
"Is this little one fully grown?"
"Gyarrr."
"Cute."
It was a disarmingly peaceful kind of cuteness.
As the creature rolled onto her back and flailed her four paws, Gio gently took hold of her front paws. Cats from Earth usually hated having their paws touched, but the Anti-Cat didn’t seem to mind at all. He held her front paws and waved them back and forth, as if playing with a newborn baby.
"Purrrr..."
"Doesn’t seem to hate it."
"Mee-yalg."
"A cat is a cat, I suppose."
"Mmm-mung."
"You’re incredibly cold."
The Anti-Cat’s body was chilly, like touching a stalagmite in a deserted cave.
"You’re the exact opposite of Honey."
"Kkoorook?"
"You’re warm, after all."
Perhaps because he had evolved using Lulupu juice, which grew under the sun and moon, Honey’s bean-sized body was exceptionally warm. Lately, it felt as though his temperature had risen even further, thanks to all the affection showered upon him by the Sun God.
"If you’re this cold, it might be hard for you to hang out with Honey..."
He wasn’t sure if there was any scientific basis for it, but it reminded him of how people worried that cold-blooded creatures like fish or frogs might get burned if held by warm human hands.
"Tell me if my touching you makes you uncomfortable, little one."
“……”
"Quiet as a ghost. Good girl, good girl. Very clever."
It seemed she wasn’t uncomfortable.
"And you seem to understand what I’m saying, too."
That was truly fascinating.
She sparkles just like a jewel… almost like some kind of crystal.
The Anti-Cat’s body was about the size of a kitten only a few months old. Her form held a dense, brilliant sparkle, like a finely cut diamond. Perhaps because of this, she appeared somewhat opaque, unlike Honey, whose body was completely transparent.
"Beautiful."
"Moolg."
"You even know how to glow on your own. Good job."
From beside them, Honey stared intently at Gio.
“……”
"...Of course, you’re good too, Honey."
"Kkoong."
"Aw, who’s a good boy?"
"Kkooroo."
Raising kids was hard work.
"By the way, what does our youngest eat to grow?"
From what he had briefly checked, she was said to feed on life force. On Earth, she would be treated as a sort of ghost, but Gio figured that if a ghost were this cute, it wouldn’t hurt to let her drain a little of his life force.
"I might have to build her a cat tower soon… I do have a knack for making cozy tunnel beds."
"Gyarrr."
"There are plenty of tall, rugged trees around here for climbing, but she’ll still need her own space inside the house. If she’s anything like a cat, she’ll be just as sensitive about her territory."
"Myalg."
"Since our youngest used to live in the 'Vein of Jewels,' it might be fun to recreate a similar environment. Making a cozy hideout like a dark anthill and putting some gems inside… that sounds like a plan."
Now, it was time to name her.
"Sparkly..."
“……”
"...Is this déjà vu?"
Her reaction was remarkably similar to when he had first thought of the name "Goldie" for Honey. She gave him a look that seemed to ask, Are you serious, human?
Gio tried to unleash a bit more creativity.
“……”
After a brief silence, he muttered softly, "Dana?"
Among Korean names, it carried the meaning of "someone who is always ahead," but that wasn’t actually why he had thought of it.
"I kept thinking of 'diamond' and wanted to give you a similar name, but 'diamond' is too long. Even shortening it to 'Dia' felt a bit too much."
And shortening it further to "Da-ah" or "Die" felt a bit shameless.
"So I tweaked it a bit. How about Dana?"
"Moo-eung."
"I’m glad you like it."
She had approved.
"Whew."
Gio dedicated this small victory to all the parents and pet owners of the world. Naming was truly no easy task.
"Now, let’s go prepare dinner."
"Kkooroo-roo-roo-rook."
"Naming you made me hungry."
He also needed to tend to the bone broth.
"Fortunately, it seems Student Cha Ah-ra found it to her liking."
Earth’s bone broth required a lot of attention. While the prep work was similar, it demanded constant care afterward—adjusting the heat and skimming off the rising impurities.
"The very first batch of bone broth is too greasy, making it a bit heavy to eat straight. Back home, even when I boiled bones, I couldn’t bear to throw it away, so I always found a way to use it. But there’s no denying that making broth from Earth’s beef is a hassle."
"Meung?"
"It’s just how it is."
Even if she understood human speech, Dana, the newly adopted Anti-Cat, was still adjusting. She draped herself over Gio’s shoulder as if to say, I don’t have the slightest clue what you’re talking about. She was surprisingly heavy, which he found amusing.
On the other hand, Honey, who knew how much Gio enjoyed cooking, listened calmly. A true gourmet knows the origin of the food they eat to appreciate it on a deeper level. Honey and Gio were exactly like that.
"In that regard, the bones of the Tree-Horned Deer are incredibly low-maintenance."
If left alone over low heat for just three days, the bones and cartilage would completely dissolve without any need to skim off impurities.
"When you think about it, there’s really nothing to waste on a Tree-Horned Deer."
"Kkooroorook."
Honey, who had devoured all the internal organs except for a few intestines, expressed intense agreement. Happily wagging his tail feathers, Honey looked back at Gio from the shoulder opposite Dana.
“……”
“……?”
Seeing Honey look as if he had just remembered something, Gio quickly realized what the bird was referring to.
"...Ah."
Come to think of it, there was the Jewel Heart he had obtained while butchering the Tree-Horned Deer.
"I forgot to check on it."
"Kkoong-kkoong-kkoong..."
"If you finish your food today and there are no issues, I’ll give it to you, Honey."
Since jewels were scattered everywhere around him and he could even create them himself, Gio had no desire for the Jewel Heart. However, even though it was clearly a part of a dead body, it felt strangely alive, which made him a bit uneasy.
"But if it looks like it’ll give you an upset stomach, Dad is going to keep it."
"Kkook."
Honey didn’t throw a tantrum over that. Gio smiled warmly.
"Good boy."
He was delighted to have such a well-behaved, good son. Gio didn’t consider himself a particularly virtuous person, so he felt incredibly blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful family members throughout his life.
Gio deftly adjusted Dana’s sliding body as he spoke.
"Actually, the bone broth itself was finished when I served the rice cooked with it to Student Cha Ah-ra. But since I want to keep it in the ice storage to eat over time, I boiled it down a bit more to concentrate it. I can always add more water later when needed."
"Kkooroo-roo-roo-roo-rook."
"Yes, you’ve waited a long time too. I can still picture you hovering around the hearth, dying to eat it. You did a great job holding back. With patience like that, you’re going to grow into a magnificent bird."
Honey had always loved liquid foods. The wait must have been agonizing for him. Acknowledging and praising Honey’s patience, Gio walked over to the cauldron where the bone broth was still simmering.
"Oh..."
As he lifted the lid, a rich, sweet aroma wafted out.
"Nice."
"Kkoorook-kkoorook-kkoorook..."
"It must be hot right now."
"Kkoong."
"Well, if you insist, I’ll ladle some out for you."
Honey had endured the Sun God’s touch multiple times without issue. At this point, broth boiled over firewood was hardly a problem. Gio was about to ladle some broth into a small bowl for Honey.
And then, Gio saw it.
"Honey."
"Kkoorook."
"It would be best for my peace of mind if you got out of there."
He was looking at Honey, who had plunged headfirst into the cauldron.
"Kkoong-kkoong-kkoong..."
"I have no desire to drink broth brewed from my own son. This isn’t a scene from Greek mythology. What kind of monster are you trying to turn me into?"
Having gorged himself in the meantime, Honey had bloated from the size of a parrotbill to that of a pigeon. If they went to a veterinary clinic like this, the vet would undoubtedly warn him that the pet was severely obese and needed strict management.
"It’s already concentrated, so the flavor must be incredibly strong. What are you doing?"
"Kkoong-kkoong-kkoong-kkoong-kkoong..."
"Eating too much salty food is bad for your health. Dad can make it taste even better, so let’s calm down a bit."
Honey grumbled but crawled out of the cauldron anyway.
“……”
"...You too?"
"Aelg-ok."
Perhaps impressed by her brother’s bizarre behavior of boldly crawling into the cauldron to taste the broth, Dana, who had been hanging limply on his shoulder like a slime, plopped down next to the cauldron.
Since Dana’s baseline body temperature is low, this might be a bit too hot for her.
Gio cooled down a small ladle of broth as much as possible before offering it to Dana.
“……”
Lick.
“……”
"Oh."
Seeing her entire body silently emit a soft, gentle glow, Gio nodded.
Looks like she likes it.
She wasn’t a chatterbox like Honey, but it seemed she expressed her mood by making her body glow instead. Feeling a warm sense of pride as both a father and a chef, Gio happily continued preparing the meal.
"We have some rice left over from when Student Cha Ah-ra visited, so let’s eat that."
"Kkoorook."
"Mang."
Dana, who had previously shown little interest in eating, seemed to have had an awakening after tasting the bone broth. It was highly amusing to watch her follow Honey around, trying to meddle in the meal prep.
"As expected, nothing works better on kids than delicious food..."
Gio scraped up every last grain of the rice that had been cooked in the bone broth. After scooping out all the fluffy rice, he cleanly scraped up the scorched layer left at the bottom. Thanks to the fat from the bone broth, it lifted off cleanly.
"Who wants scorched rice?"
When Gio asked, having rolled the scorched rice into a simple snack, both creatures reacted instantly.
"Kkooroo-roo-rook. Kkooroo-roo-rook."
"Mang, meeyalg, alg-ok... meung-mang-mang-mang."
"...Let’s split it."
Though there was a chorus of protests, what choice could be more time-tested and wise than the wisdom of Solomon? Gio cleanly split the scorched rice ball in half, and once he did, his two companions stopped grumbling. While they were distracted by their snacks, Gio finished preparing the rest of the meal.
"I should make a grilled rice ball with the bone broth rice."
Of course, saying this didn’t mean he was literally going to grill just one.
"For side dishes, maybe some grilled eggplant with miso… and I’ll brew a soup."
Gio headed to the backyard, which he called a vegetable garden but considered a monster garden.
The pea vines still seemed to possess a very distinct sense of self.
“……”
Enough to greet him, even.
"...This is starting to get funny."
Sway.
"Yes, hello. Lovely weather, isn’t it?"
“……”
"Thank you for guarding the garden today as well."
Having secured Gio’s greeting, the vine calmly slid back down.
...It’s not like pretending to be an ordinary pea vine is going to make it look ordinary.
Still, Gio decided to respect the pea vine’s privacy. He casually overlooked the fact that normal pea vines weren’t supposed to move.
At any rate, Gio harvested four eggplants and various other vegetables from the garden. After washing them thoroughly, he sliced the eggplants to an appropriate thickness and salted them, then peeled and thinly sliced a radish into squares. He also shelled the peas and rinsed them in water.
"...But putting jerky in it would be a bit much."
Gio brought out some sausages instead.
"Honey, you don’t like spicy food, right?"
"Kkooroo-roo-roo-roo-roo-roo-roo-roo-rook."
"I thought so."
They were mild-flavored sausages.
"Aelg?"
"Well, we’ll find out later if you can eat spicy food. I’m only making one pot of soup, so if I put spicy sausages in it, Honey won’t be able to eat any."
"Meuk."
"I’ll grill some spicy sausages for you later."
It might seem like an odd combination, but boiling sausages in soup actually tasted quite good. Of course, using the processed pink sausages or Spam, where you couldn’t even see the texture of the meat, would be a bit awkward...
"Now, to remove the casings."
Gio prepped the sausages. By slightly cutting the tip of the casing and gently pushing with the back of a knife, the ground meat filling slid right out. The meat had been properly infused with spices, giving off a deep aroma. Gio chopped the filling and the casing into bite-sized pieces.
"Now, I just have to throw everything in."
He added a bit of water to the concentrated bone broth, then tossed in the radish, peas, and prepped sausages. The peas, having grown in the monster garden, were plump but still small compared to the other ingredients, and the sausages were already fully cooked and edible raw. The soup would be ready as soon as the radish softened.
"And next..."
He lightly grilled the rice balls, brushed the eggplants with a sauce made of fruit syrup, miso, and soy sauce, and placed them in the oven. By the time the soup was nearly finished, the rest of the food was ready as well.
"Let’s eat."
"Kkooroo-roo-rook."
"Aelg-oh-oh-ok, meung-mang-mang-mang-mang..."
It was the first time Gio had heard Dana cry out for so long. He was delighted to see her enjoy mealtime so much. Kids were always at their prettiest when they were eating.
"Dad is going to make an offering to the Sun God, so go ahead and start eating without me."
"Meuaeng."
"Kkoorook."
Gio headed straight up to the second-floor art storage room. Several landscape paintings hung there. He walked straight toward Breathing Sea.
As expected, the Sun God was absolutely delighted...
“……”
And bestowed a gift.
"...What is this? A license?"
" "
"Then shouldn’t this go to someone else? It doesn’t feel like it’s mine to have."
" "
"...Yes, I understand."
He wasn’t entirely sure what it was, but since it didn’t seem like a bad thing, Gio decided to accept it with gratitude.