Round 22

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“Is this where you’ve been staying?”

Jae-seong looked around the dungeon interior with curious eyes, and then stepped back slightly, as if greeting a slime that had come out from tending the garden.

“Is this a slime?” 

“Its name is Rookie… was it 1 or 3?”

“Uh, yes.”

“You don’t need to be so scared. Even the big ones are timid.”

Unlike me, Jae-seong had a robust build.

He had the appearance of a cozy bear, which matched his actual personality.

“Do these creatures help with the farming?”

“Yes.”

“That’s amazing. How do they farm without hands or feet?”

“Before that, did you bring everything I told you about?”

“I had to leave behind a few big items, unfortunately, but I brought the rest.”

Jae-seong showed his bag containing his cooking tools. As far as I knew, he was learning not only Korean but also Western and Japanese cuisine, and recently even Chinese cuisine, which impressed me.

“For now, the ingredients ready are cherry tomatoes, potatoes, and carrots.”

“The ingredients seem a bit odd. What about onions?”

“Oh, I’ll have to plant some of those later.”

Thinking of onions reminded me of peppers.

Essential for making spicy food.

While Jae-seong lamented, he brought over the last remaining potato, several cherry tomatoes, and carrots about the same size as the tomatoes.

As Jae-seong held the ingredients and looked them over, he tilted his head and then sniffed them.

“The tomatoes and carrots look unusual. I could only recognize the potatoes.”

“Does the unique shape interfere with cooking?”

“Not really, but if you hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known what they were. Can I try them?”

“Sure. Of course.”

Although he had already tried the tomatoes and potatoes, I was curious to see his reaction to the freshly harvested carrots.

Jae-seong smelled them and, seeming very curious, immediately picked up a carrot bite-sized and brought it to his mouth.

Snap!

Crunch!

With a crisp sound, Jae-seong’s expression gradually stiffened. I asked with great anticipation.

“How is it?”

“…Just a moment.”

He gestured to wait and then closed his eyes to savor the carrot. After a while, he didn’t speak.

About five minutes passed.

Just when I thought it was time for him to start talking again, he put another carrot in his mouth.

“Hey, Jae-seong. Speak before you eat, will you?”

Despite my words, Jae-seong continued to chew the carrot earnestly with his eyes closed. Finally, after waiting a bit longer, he opened his eyes and let out a deep sigh.

“This is a bit tricky.”

“Why? What’s the problem?”

His initial response sounded negative, so I asked urgently. However, my worry was in vain as Jae-seong suddenly started rummaging through his bag.

“I’ve got an idea! But there’s too much!”

“Stop scaring me. I thought something was wrong.”

By now, the slimes working below had also crept up and began circling around my younger brother, curiously watching him.

Seeing the slimes, Jae-seong, who had initially recoiled, now seemed utterly unconcerned and focused solely on his task.

“Since I’m not sure, I brought various ingredients to try. Ah, it’s too bad there’s no kitchen…”

Caught up in his own world, Jae-seong muttered to himself and quickly began to prepare, then asked me,

“Bro! Where can I get water?”

“Water comes out from below.”

“Then I guess we’ll have to make it down there. Help me move this, please.”

After moving Jae-seong’s tools together, we seriously began the cooking process. Unlike when I made boiled potatoes, the prospect of a proper meal inadvertently raised my expectations.

“Huh? What’s that?”

“Slime.”

Jae-seong, who had just passed a still synthesizing slime, started cooking.

“I thought about what to make based on the ingredients you mentioned.”

“Curry?”

“Yes.”

The familiar yellow powder caught my eye.

It was turmeric powder.

Squirm?

The slimes, now all gathered and watching Jae-seong with curious gestures, seemed interested in the unfamiliar scent of the spices.

“Ah, there aren’t enough potatoes. Don’t we have more?”

“Um… maybe we can harvest some more soon?”

“For now, since we have only one potato, I’ll make just one serving. I brought a regular potato too. Let’s make it with that and compare.”

Soon, as Jae-seong began preparing the ingredients, I watched blankly. The slimes also lined up quietly beside me and started watching.

Tap tap tap tap!

With flashy hand movements, the ingredients gradually took on a form suitable for cooking.

“Bro, the tomatoes should be ready by now. Turn off the heat and take them out of the water and cool them in cold water.”

“Okay.”

I took the boiled cherry tomatoes out of the water and cooled them in cold water. Then, following Jae-seong’s instruction to peel them, I scraped off the thin skins of the tomatoes.

Squirm!

“Here.”

I gave a peeled cherry tomato to Mark2, who seemed impatient, thinking the food was already ready.

After gobbling it down, he made a gesture, seemingly confused if it was right.

“It’s not finished yet. Just wait a bit.”

After finishing with all the tomatoes, Jae-seong took them as he was frying the other ingredients.

“I’m a bit worried. I hope the flavor isn’t too strong.”

Jae-seong murmured what I had vaguely thought. But the smell of the frying was unbelievably good.

Saliva built up involuntarily, and the waiting slimes bounced their bodies excitedly with anticipation.

Gurgle! Gurgle!

“Now, if I add the curry here…”

As the tomatoes melted into a bubbling pot, Jae-seong added the curry.

“Oh? The smell is amazing?”

I had already eaten, but I was starting to feel hungry again.

However, Jae-seong just stirred the pot with a careful look.

“Just a little longer, and it’s done.”

He covered the pot and we had a moment of patience.

The slimes cutely bounced their bodies, but I told them to wait a bit longer.

“But bro.”

“Hm?”

“Do these guys eat too?”

“Of course. That’s why they’re waiting.”

“Ah…”

“Some of them eat like 10 people’s worth.”

“What should we do? I didn’t bring that much ingredients?”

“They’ve already filled up. Just let them taste it.”

I had already let them fill up while harvesting the carrots. Although it seems like these creatures could eat endlessly.

“It’s done. Finished.”

The curry was complete.

When I opened the lid, an enchanting aroma began to fill the dungeon.

“Wow, quickly, the plates. No, where’s the rice?”

“Here.”

The curry was placed on top of white rice.

Carrots, potatoes, onions, mushrooms, and even pieces of meat.

The visual was a pass, but above all, the smell made it impossible to wait any longer.

“Let’s taste it. Normally, I would need to taste the curry to check the seasoning, but this time I also resisted.”

Jae-seong offered the finished curry with eager eyes.

I scooped up a spoonful and, overwhelmed by the tantalizing aroma of the curry, placed it in my mouth.

“……!”

It was like a scene from a cooking anime I saw when I was young. I thought it was an overreaction back then and it made me laugh, but now it became reality.

Gulp.

The curry sauce assaulted my taste buds and continued to hit as it went down my throat. The aroma was beyond words.

No, the aroma was actually the highlight.

Magic cherry tomatoes, locally grown potatoes, and magic carrots.

I thought combining them might be too much, but instead, they created a synergy that exploded with fragrance.

“Ah, the curry is a bit disappointing.”

The strong personalities of the ingredients almost buried the scent of the turmeric. Maybe I should try growing turmeric myself?

“How is it? Bro! Say something!”

“It’s insane. I’m at a loss for words.”

“How can I understand if you put it that way?”

“Just try it yourself. I wonder if I’ll ever taste curry like this again in my life.”

Without hesitating, Jae-seong also took a bite of the curry. Then his eyes widened before he closed them and began to savor it.

But it’s a bit frustrating that he’s taking almost 5 minutes to taste just one bite.

“Come on, you guys have a bite too.”

While Jae-seong was analyzing the taste, I gave the waiting slimes a chance to taste it.

The slimes, showing their joy through their gestures, shivered their bodies.

“Ha ha! Is it that delicious?”

Their gestures felt so cute, it made me want to feed them more delicious things. I haven’t married or raised kids, but maybe it’s a similar feeling.

The curry was quickly gone as I fed them bite by bite.

Eventually, I had to wake Jae-seong, who was still enjoying the taste, to make curry using ordinary potatoes.

“Hmm……”

The curry made with ordinary potatoes wasn’t bad, but something was lacking.

“I should have eaten this first. It’s not as exciting.”

“Isn’t it still tasty?”

“It’s tasty, but it’s disappointing compared to the first one.”

Of course, even this would probably have people lining up if sold outside. However, the evaluation became harsh since we had just tasted something superior.

“Anyway, besides this, there are many things we can cook, so please grow some onions, green onions, and garlic for me. If possible, peppers and sesame too. It would be great to make gochujang and sesame oil.”

“Okay. These guys are experts anyway; I just need to plant them.”

So far, there had been no failed crops.

There were some that hadn’t been harvested yet, but they seemed to be growing well from the outside.

And hearing Jae-seong’s words, I became curious about what gochujang, sesame oil, doenjang, or soy sauce would taste like if made from my crops.

‘Doenjang might be a bit hard because of the need for meju blocks, but if possible, we could make soy sauce at the same time. Let’s think about it.’

As Jae-seong and I pondered, the slimes had deliciously devoured the curry made with ordinary potatoes. I made quite a lot since it was made with regular potatoes, so it was a satisfying amount for the slimes.

“They cleaned it up completely. No need for washing dishes.”

“Our kids sure eat well.”

“But when do these crops get harvested? Does it take about three or four months?”

“Huh? What are you talking about? It only takes about a week.”

“……What are you talking about? How can it only take a week to harvest crops? Oh! Are you saying it’s nearly harvest time and it will be ready in a week?”

“No. I mean, you just plant the seeds and in about a week they’re ready to harvest. Honestly, things like tomatoes and carrots seem to take about three days. Initially, it used to take two days. Now, the variety has been improved, so it takes a little longer.”

“……”

Jae-seong, at a loss for words, stared at my field.

Still, thinking within the realm of common sense, I could understand Jae-seong’s confusion.

“But bro.”

“Yeah?”

“Do the slimes work continuously without taking breaks?”

Jae-seong, seeing the slime that had finished off the curry and gone back to the field, asked as if puzzled.

“They don’t take breaks; they play.”

“What?”

“Farming isn’t work for them; it’s play. That’s how it is for them.”

“Bro. Even if you’re my brother, this sounds a bit like exploiting labor…”

“What are you talking about! Where else can you find a boss as good as me?”

I let them play in the fields to their hearts’ content, I take care of their meals every day, and I even bring them a personal chef like this! How can anyone call me an exploiter of labor!

I am a slime welfare officer!

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