Round 173

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When I entered the dungeon with my parents, Seon-ah was already in the Slime Village.

“Oh? Mom and Dad are here?”

“I brought the laundry,” Mom said, lifting a shopping bag.

Seon-ah scratched her head sheepishly.

“I wash my clothes by hand, you know.”

“……….. I’ll wash my clothes by hand from now on, too.”

“No, I’ll do it for you. Your brother only wears work clothes anyway, so it doesn’t matter if he washes them by hand.”

“Uh, Mom?”

Am I not your son too?

By the way, my family doesn’t know about the attack that happened the day before. Seon-ah was inside the dungeon, and I didn’t inform my parents either, so they were unaware.

There was no need to make them worry about something trivial.

“Oh, it’s perfect timing. Now that I think about it, it’s good that you both came.”

“Hmm? Could it be that the soybeans are ready?”

“What? Soybeans? Ah, I think they might be. Could you check them?”

I had gathered a lot of seafood yesterday and stored it away. Since my parents were here, we should eat together. Dad would probably love it.

“Grandma, grandma! Lord, lord!”

“Huh?”

“I have a younger sibling now!”

“A sibling?!”

Mom was shocked, and though he didn’t say anything, Dad also looked at me with a surprised expression.

Why are you looking at me? Do you suspect something?

“Yes, Ara has a younger sibling now. His name is Soo.”

“Soo?”

At that moment, a figure waddled towards us. It seemed that the bond between Gomgom and Soo had deepened, as they were now walking arm in arm.

“Gomgom! Soo!”

When Ara waved and called out to them, the slimes tilted their heads as if to say, “Did you call us?” and approached.

No, not you guys.

Of course, I like you too.

I hugged one of the approaching slimes and played with its squishy texture. It felt really nice.

– Squeak.

– Growl!

Like playful grandchildren, Gomgom and Soo stood before my parents with their arms wide open. Normally, it might have seemed threatening, but this time, it was a gesture asking to be hugged.

“Is this one Soo?”

“Yes, he recently joined our family. Ara liked him so much that she made him her little brother.”

Ah, I need to check out Soo’s abilities soon. It’s not urgent, but as soon as my parents leave, I should check.

– Soooo.

When Mom picked up Soo, he made his signature squeaky sound. His big, bright eyes were incredibly adorable.

“I can see why Ara made him her little brother.”

Dad, who was watching from the side, muttered in his usual stoic manner. Coming from him, that was high praise.

“Isn’t it unfair? Why do all the cute ones gather around my brother…………..!”

“You should be thankful to have a brother like him. Ahem.”

Seon-ah mumbled in agreement.

Thanks to that, we spent some time warmly chatting about our new family member, Soo.

Taking advantage of the moment, I quietly got up and headed toward the storage area.

“Alright, alright.”

Recently, the guild had provided a giant refrigerator. It arrived just in time after the attack yesterday, when everyone had gathered. I still remember the bewildered looks on their faces as they watched me receive it.

‘He’s just sitting there nonchalantly receiving a refrigerator after an attack…………..’

But as I’ve repeatedly said, it wasn’t really an attack since no one got hurt. I didn’t feel any sense of crisis, so I thought people might be worrying too much.

Anyway, the refrigerator I acquired ran on magic stones. It was expensive and had high maintenance costs, but it was something we would need eventually.

As I opened the freezer door, a light mist of cold air escaped, revealing the seafood I had stored yesterday.

“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong?”

Ara’s cute voice reached my ears.

When I turned around, I saw Ara peeking her head out from the storage entrance, looking at me.

“Ara, could you help me? I was planning to cook this today and eat together.”

“Ooooooh!! That sounds great!”

Ara, filled with excitement, came running over.

She then lifted the huge fish with ease.

“Everyone’s going to be so surprised when they see this, right?”

“Ehehe! Yes!”

I was really looking forward to my parents’ reactions.

Seon-ah, who had helped me move everything into the refrigerator yesterday, had already seen it.

Seon-ah loves seafood, so she had been eagerly anticipating it. Now that I think about it, our whole family loves seafood.

‘I wish Jae-seong could be here too.’

Next time, I should find out when Jae-seong is coming to Korea and make sure to get some seafood for him as well.

There were mackerel the size of my forearm, a giant monkfish-flounder hybrid, a huge cutlassfish, and a purple lobster even taller than Ara, along with a bunch of smaller seafood.

“Waaaah?! What is that?!”

Outside, there was already a commotion because of the giant cutlassfish Ara was carrying. I wanted to see their reactions firsthand, but it couldn’t be helped.

I kept pulling out more and more.

By the time I had taken everything out, Ara had already moved it all.

“Kyu-seong, what is all this?”

“Remember when we brought back the bamboo? We also discovered the sea back then. These are the things we caught using the fishing rod Dad bought.”

“Wow, is the fishing rod okay?”

“Yes. Ara’s fishing skills are amazing. She has an incredible knack for controlling her strength.”

“Heh! Heh! Heh!”

First, we decided to prepare the fish together.

Since the fish were so large, cleaning them was a big task.

However, since I had already removed the blood and guts, all we needed to do was cut them into large pieces.

“Should we make spicy fish stew with this? Or should we steam it?”

Dad looked at the giant monkfish-flounder hybrid and clicked his tongue in amazement. It must have looked delicious to him.

Fish taste best when they’re ugly—that’s the truth Dad taught me.

“Let’s do both.”

“You’re right. We won’t be able to eat it all at once anyway.”

Stews, steamed dishes, soups, and grilled fish.

Plus, there were smaller seafood items like clams, sea squirts, and sea urchins.

Since I had brought them back just yesterday, they were all fresh.

Except for the fish I had already cleaned, the rest were still alive.

‘Alcohol.’

There was also some alcohol. I don’t drink, but it would be perfect for my parents to have a drink with their meal.

We quickly started cooking.

Since we couldn’t eat everything at once, we selected what to cook immediately.

“It would have been nice to have some soybean paste or red pepper paste.”

“True. After we eat, Mom, could you help me check on the soybeans too?”

“Sure.”

First, we decided to make braised monkfish, as per Dad’s choice.

We soaked the cleaned monkfish-flounder in salt water to remove all the blood.

While it was soaking, we prepared the vegetables, clams, sea squirts, and sea urchins.

Then we made the seasoning paste using garlic and store-bought products. Meanwhile, Mom heated a giant wok with some oil.

After drying the monkfish-flounder with kitchen towels, we stir-fried it lightly in the hot wok.

As it cooked over medium heat, the flesh started to turn white.

“Add the vegetables!”

“Ooooh!”

Ara clasped her hands together, sniffing the air excitedly.

Beside her, the slimes, Kkumuris, Gomgom, and Soo were all gathered around, watching closely.

“Kyu-seong, isn’t it hard?”

“It’s fine.”

Times like these made me glad I was an Awakened.

The giant wok was so heavy that an ordinary person would have had difficulty handling it. Considering the weight of all the ingredients inside, it was almost impossible to lift.

As the vegetables started to release a fragrant aroma and cooked just right, we added the rest of the seafood along with the seasoning paste.

Sizzle!

The sound of it cooking filled the air.

“Ka-ok.” 

“Wow, that smells delicious.” 

The already overwhelming savory aroma filled the air, and when the seasoning and seafood joined in, there couldn’t be a better smell. 

The only regret was that there was no bean sprouts or mung bean sprouts. 

Since I couldn’t go out and buy them now, I had to make do with the ingredients I had. 

‘It’s a bit disappointing, but this should still be…?’ 

Gulp. 

I kept swallowing my saliva. 

Finally, I added a drizzle of sesame oil to complete the dish. 

Whoosh! 

The smell was incredible. 

Even people who dislike seafood wouldn’t be able to resist this. 

Plus, with the spicy seasoning? Ahh. 

It would have been better if I had made the seasoning with my own gochujang (Korean chili paste) and soy sauce, but this was still excellent. 

At least I used garlic, right? 

“Alright, everyone, please come get your portions.” 

Seon-ah started serving the plates to the kids. 

I served portions to my parents first and then to each of the children. 

Finally, I served Seon-ah and myself. 

“Ara, hang in there.” 

Ara whimpered as if she was finding it hard to wait. 

Even so, it was impressive how she held on till the end. 

“Oh dear, our Ara’s neck might stretch waiting. You can eat first, Ara.” 

“No, we eat together.” 

For our sweet Ara, we needed to finish up quickly and start eating. 

Even after serving everyone, there was still plenty left. 

I shouted that anyone who wanted more could ask anytime and then sat down. 

“Let’s eat well!” 

“Let’s eat well.” 

“Let’s eat well!” 

Finally, the anglerfish and halibut, which had now just settled into being called by their combined name, were ready to show off their tender flesh. 

As I picked it up with my chopsticks, I marveled at how springy it felt, almost making me doubt it was fish. 

When I gently pressed it, the broth, full of oil, spilled out smoothly. 

“Mmmm!!” 

“Whoa!!” 

Exclamations were already coming from all around. 

I didn’t hesitate any longer and popped the well-marinated piece of fish into my mouth. 

Chewy! 

The texture was so firm! But as soon as I bit into it, the juices burst out! 

At the same time, the rich, savory flavor of the fish meat struck my taste buds intensely. 

Then, combined with the seasoning, it delivered a flavor explosion! 

“Huff.” 

My tongue, overwhelmed by this assault of flavors, cried out for more agwi (monkfish) stew. My hands, now moving on instinct, grabbed my chopsticks again. 

This time, I put a piece of fish together with the stir-fried vegetables into my mouth. 

Crunch! 

The combination of the crunchy, crispy vegetables and the chewy fish meat created a harmonious blend. 

At the same time, the seasoning perfectly balanced out the potential greasiness of the juices! 

‘Ahhhh…’ 

What have I created this time? 

I’ve committed a sin. The sin of creating a dish so amazing it shouldn’t exist in this world. 

Then, a sudden thought occurred to me. 

If I can cook this well when I’m just winging it, what if Jae-seong cooked it seriously? 

‘Jae-seong, when are you coming to Korea?!’ 

It would be great if you could come with that chef who came with you last time. 

While I was eating, lost in my thoughts, Ara approached me with her empty bowl. 

“Another bowl, please!” 

“Sure! Let’s see if our Ara’s tummy can handle it today!” 

“Yes! I’ll eat until my belly bursts!” 

There was still a mountain of ingredients left. 

I had only used about half of the monkfish and halibut. 

There were still mackerel, cutlassfish, and crayfish—an intimidating yet exciting array of ingredients waiting. 

Personally, I was looking forward to the crayfish the most. 

Lobster, king crab, Dokdo shrimp, and so on… 

These are all expensive crustaceans that anyone would recognize by name. I’ve never actually eaten them before. 

But the giant purple crayfish I caught wouldn’t lose to any of them. 

It might even be tastier. 

-Soooo! 

-Rumble! 

Before I knew it, the others had also finished their bowls and were looking at me with expectant eyes. 

Looks like I should cook the crayfish too, right?!

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