The Tavern's Felyne and the Greatsword's Weight
The tavern Reina led me to was a fairly large two-story building.
Even before stepping inside, standing at the entrance, a savory aroma wafted out faintly.
'This is...?'
It was the same scent I'd caught in the plaza earlier.
The kind of smell that made your mouth water on instinct.
Stepping in, I saw oak barrels lined up tightly along one wall, while on the other side, people were already sipping from wooden mugs even though it was still morning.
A classic medieval tavern vibe.
There was something strangely warm about it that I liked.
Reina and I headed straight for an empty table near the window.
Soon, a Felyne dressed like a chef approached our table with light, bouncy steps.
Tap tap tap.
Because of his small stature, only his head peeked over the table as he looked up at us with round eyes and asked innocently.
“What would you like to order-nyang!”
'They're not giving us a menu?'
Since this was my first time here, I glanced at Reina, who had brought me, hoping she'd recommend something.
“What's good here?”
“Just trust me. I've got a method.”
A method for ordering?
I looked at her with puzzled eyes. She pulled a piece of jerky from her pocket with a confident expression.
At the same time, the Felyne's eyes grew huge.
She waved the jerky gently in front of him.
His head followed the swaying jerky on its own.
His mouth hung open in a daze, looking like drool might spill out any second.
“Nya-nya-nyang...”
Reina smiled and asked.
“What's today's recommended menu?”
“Vegetable soup and mackerel-nyang...”
“Then we'll take that, please.”
The jerky was naturally passed over to the Felyne.
He took it with uncontainable joy, humming a little tune as he scampered off toward the kitchen.
“Got it-nyang!! I'll bring it as fast as I can-nyanya-nyang!!”
'Is that some kind of bribe?'
It was complete chaos with the Felyne. It felt more like training than anything.
Watching her do it so naturally, I shot her a suspicious look.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You seem really used to this.”
“W-what do you mean?”
Her voice trembled slightly.
“Playing with a Felyne like you're training him. Do you have that kind of preference?”
“What are you even saying! It's because he's cute! This is just... like a tip!!”
“Sure, sure. I'll believe you.”
“Agh, you're driving me crazy!!”
Just watching Reina order so naturally without even looking at a menu was enough to tell she'd been here often.
But seeing her stare at me like I was ridiculous made me want to tease her even more.
She had that special quality that made you want to mess with her.
“But it looks like you come here pretty often?”
“Here? Yeah, I come quite a bit. The owner makes really good food.”
Reina leaned back in her chair casually.
“That's why most people from the outpost come here.”
“Must be a popular spot.”
“Yep.”
“So everyone waves jerky around like that?”
“Hey!!”
Her reaction was gold.
While we chatted about this and that, the food arrived quickly—probably thanks to the bribe.
“Here it is-nyang!”
Steaming vegetable soup.
On top of the mackerel, lightly charred over fire, glossy oil slowly dripped down.
It really lived up to being the recommended dish.
The slightly salty soy sauce aroma mixed with a hint of charcoal began to seriously stimulate my appetite.
I was looking around for utensils so I could eat when I suddenly froze in confusion.
'A spoon and a fork...?'
A spoon made sense for the soup.
But they wanted me to eat mackerel with a fork instead of chopsticks?
As a born-and-raised Korean, this was something I couldn't accept.
Watching Reina stab the whole mackerel with her fork and chomp down on it left me speechless.
“Hm? Why aren't you eating? It's good, hurry up.”
At her words, I had no choice but to stab my mackerel with the fork too.
Of course,
I couldn't help being compared to the mukbang goddess sitting across from me.
Chew chew.
'No wonder everyone comes here...'
It was incredibly uncomfortable to eat with, but the taste was exactly as Reina had said.
It was unbelievably delicious.
The subtle charcoal aroma with every bite and the crispy texture of the mackerel skin.
The outside was lightly charred and crunchy, while the flesh inside was impossibly tender and moist.
The soy sauce wasn't overpowering but gently infused, spreading a savory umami rather than just saltiness.
When the oily richness started to feel a bit heavy, the vegetable soup was the perfect follow-up.
The moment the hot broth slid down my throat, I felt my insides completely relax.
The carrots, potatoes, and cabbage were stewed soft, and the stock had a deep flavor that suggested it had been simmered for a long time with meat bones and dried vegetables.
Sweetness and richness filled my mouth.
“Wow...”
When I let out a small exclamation, Reina gave me a smug look.
“How is it?”
“It's seriously good.”
“I told you. This place knows what it's doing.”
“You were right, Senior.”
Even as I spoke, my fork didn't stop moving.
[LateNightKing has donated 1,000 won]
I'm only playing in Baby Mode, but what's it taste like?
A donation flew in right then.
I switched my mic to streamer mode to answer.
This way I could communicate with the viewers during gameplay without any interference.
“Thank you for the 1,000 won donation, LateNightKing. Um, starting with the mackerel—the outside has a light charcoal aroma while the flesh is so moist it's practically oily. The soup... how should I put it? It's fluffy and warms you up from the inside.”
I'd never described food flavors before, so I wasn't sure if I did it right.
But it was exactly how I felt.
And soon after,
Given the time, more and more people started complaining about being hungry.
Guess my description wasn't half bad.
A little proud, I finished off the rest of my food.
Reina had already finished long ago and was watching me.
She seemed to be waiting quietly because she saw how much I was enjoying it.
“All done?”
“Yes.”
“Then let's get going.”
We stood up and headed to the counter to pay.
That's when I spotted a familiar face.
Nyeo.
The guy who'd spat on the ground when he saw me yesterday, then got hit by a rock while running away.
It was strange seeing him quietly working as a server here.
“Are you here to pay-nyang...?”
He must have sensed us approaching because he looked up.
Our eyes met.
He flinched.
Then he started avoiding my gaze.
It was ridiculous how he couldn't even look me in the eye until the bill was settled.
'If you're going to act like this, why did you spit yesterday...'
Though maybe it was because he got hit by a rock while running.
I quietly followed behind Reina, and as I passed him, I glanced back.
Then,
Press.
“Nya-nya-nyat!!”
I firmly stepped on his tail.
I made the surface area as small as possible.
That way it hurt more.
It wasn't out of malice. I just had a kind wish that he wouldn't do something like that again.
It definitely wasn't because I was holding a grudge.
Leaving the guy clutching his tail in pain, we left the shop. A scream erupted from inside.
Reina tilted her head at the sound.
“Did something happen in there?”
I shook my head.
“No, nothing at all.”
“Then what was that scream?”
“Someone must have stubbed their little toe. Come on, don't worry about it and show me around some more.”
Reina looked at me suspiciously, but when I kept pestering her from behind, she had no choice but to walk forward.
“Be quiet.”
Following her lead, we wandered around the village until we realized it was time to pick up our weapons.
We slowly turned our steps toward the forge.
“Here you go!! It's a rusted greatsword made from Domagirius materials!!”
The blacksmiths had already finished the greatsword and were waiting, cooling off their sweat.
Just as the name suggested, it looked like it was made from a lizard's shed skin.
The densely packed scales along the blade were sharpened to a fine edge, making it seem like a powerful weapon all on its own.
[GreatswordKing has donated 1,000 won]
Kya look at that sheen, as expected from a greatsword!!
“What do you think!!”
At Uncle Phil's question, I stroked the greatsword with one hand and said.
“It's pretty.”
In truth, if you only looked at the rusted greatsword's appearance, it was a design that couldn't exist in reality.
'Who would embed scales into a blade?'
Honestly, its practicality was questionable.
But paradoxically, that unrealistic look was exactly what I liked about it.
When I gripped the handle, it felt noticeably heavier than the greatsword I'd held when fighting the Domagirius.
“It might be a bit heavy for you.”
“Can you swing it?”
“If you want, we can change it to a different weapon. We still have materials left.”
On the surface, it sounded like they thought I couldn't handle the weapon.
Like, could someone as slender as me really lift a greatsword?
But looking at their sparkling eyes, I could tell they genuinely wanted something else.
Right then, another donation came in.
GreatswordKing.
His username made it obvious he loved greatswords.
[GreatswordKing has donated 1,000 won]
Sorry I joined the stream late, but do you know how to use a greatsword? I can teach you. Newbies who use greatswords properly are rare so
“It's fine.”
Having figured out the greatsword's center of gravity with my fingertips, I used my body's momentum to lift it.
Then I twisted my toes slightly to add rotation to my body and swung the greatsword sideways.
Whoosh—!
The heavy greatsword sliced through the air, the sound of wind tearing echoing inside the forge.
I crossed my feet to maintain inertia,
switching my grip on the handle to control the sword's direction.
The movements weren't rough at all. Instead, they flowed smoothly like water.
Whoom!
Whoosh!!
As if the space itself trembled heavily, the sound of the blade cutting air continued inside the forge.
And finally.
Thud!
I finished the motion by slamming the tip of the greatsword into the ground.
At that moment, I felt the blacksmiths' held breaths release as their gazes focused on me.
Were they waiting for an evaluation?
“I like it. The feel in my hands is great too.”
Since it had scales embedded in it, I'd probably need to make slight adjustments to my movements when hunting monsters for the finer details.
But this was more than enough to satisfy me.
When I nodded in satisfaction,
“So that wasn't all you had back then...”
Reina stared at me in surprise.
“Hoo. To think you could use a greatsword like that!!”
“Hey, could you show me that swing you just did one more time? Not from behind—face me directly!!”
“How was it? Even if you like it, there might be uncomfortable parts. Tell me everything and I'll fix it right away!!”
The three blacksmiths were looking at me with seriously sparkling eyes.
Right then, I remembered the viewer who had offered to teach me about greatswords earlier.
“GreatswordKing?”
[ClubKing has donated 1,000 won]
I'm sorry. I dared to speak nonsense... All this time, what I called a greatsword was nothing more than a heavy club... Please call me ClubKing from now on...
