First, butter.
Not just a little butter, but a lot of butter.
More butter!
Considering the enormous size of the lobster, it seemed like I would need an incredible amount of butter.
The cooking process was simple.
I planned to make a butter roast, which just involved grilling it.
“Should I make more?”
“Yeah.”
Seon-ah, holding a plate, approached and curiously observed what I was doing.
As soon as I grabbed the lobster, Seon-ah’s expression turned eager with anticipation.
“I was going to have another plate, but I guess I should save some room.”
“It might take a while to cook.”
Given the size of the lobster, it seemed like it would take at least 20 minutes. But if I used too much heat, the outside would burn while the inside remained raw, so I had to cook it slowly.
I moved the fire I had started over to the nearby furnace.
Kkumuri’s furnace had been upgraded over time and could now hold its own against the ones I had seen in the Iron Blood guild.
‘Of course, it can’t beat the latest equipment that even uses mana stones.’
I gradually increased the temperature inside the furnace, checking it bit by bit. Once it reached the target temperature, I placed the whole lobster inside.
Luckily, the furnace’s opening was large enough to fit the enormous lobster perfectly.
I set it to a slightly lower temperature than when I made pizza, waiting for it to cook thoroughly while preparing the sauce.
A sauce that would complement the lobster.
First, I minced some garlic. I chopped it just large enough that you could still feel its texture.
Next, I put some olive oil in a pan and added all the minced garlic, sautéing it lightly. As the garlic turned slightly golden, I immediately added butter and continued to sauté.
Sizzle.
To finish, I added some store-bought lemon juice.
Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze.
I ended up using all the lemon juice this time.
I’ll have to buy more the next time I go out.
The simple lemon butter sauce I made smelled absolutely delightful.
“Is it ready yet?”
Before I knew it, Ara was peeking in and asking.
I glanced over and saw that the plate of monkfish stew had been cleaned out.
All that monkfish stew was gone, just as I expected—her appetite was formidable.
“It’s grilling in the furnace right now.”
“Can I watch?”
“Of course.”
With so many mouths to feed, the lemon butter sauce had filled almost half the pan. I quickly moved the pan and went to check on the furnace.
Wow!
As I got closer, the savory aroma of the roasting lobster wafted towards me. I could tell it was cooking perfectly just from the smell.
Gulp.
“This smells amazing…”
Even though I had just enjoyed the monkfish stew, my mouth watered at the thought of the taste.
At just the right moment, I took the lobster out.
Then, I brushed on a mixture of embers, lemon juice, and a bit of my liquor before putting it back in the furnace.
“Dad.”
“Hm?”
“I forgot to give you this.”
I scratched my head awkwardly and handed over the liquor. It only came to mind when I was cooking, which made me realize how uninterested I actually was in alcohol.
“What’s this?”
“It’s liquor. They say it’s made from sweet potatoes I grew.”
“Sweet potatoes?”
Even my mother, who had been taking care of the kids, showed interest and came over. Soon, the two of them each poured a glass and asked me and Seon-ah.
“You two should have a glass too.”
“What do you think, Dad?”
Being the youngest, Seon-ah eagerly accepted the glass with a cute smile. I didn’t really want any, but I decided to try a light sip and took the glass.
“I want some too!”
“Ah, Ara…”
This is tricky.
In the end, I fetched some fruit juice that I had stored in one corner of the pantry, made from synthetic fruit extracts.
“Would you like some fruit juice, Ara?”
“Mm-hmm!”
She looked a bit disgruntled, but eventually nodded her head. I guess I’ll have to come up with some new drinks that Ara and the other kids can enjoy later on.
“Cheers, everyone, to good work…”
Suddenly, my father began giving a long speech.
Seon-ah and I listened with bored expressions, while my mother smiled, looking content.
“Cheers!”
“Cheers.”
“Cheers!”
Ara joined in, mimicking us even though she didn’t know what “cheers” meant.
As I sipped the liquor, a sweet aroma spread through my mouth, tingling every part of it.
“Ahh.”
A sound escaped me involuntarily.
I had wanted to drink quietly, but the smoothness of the liquid made it impossible not to react.
“This would taste great in a highball.”
Seon-ah seemed to like it quite a bit and asked my father for another glass. My mother’s reaction wasn’t bad either. My father, who didn’t usually care much for alcohol, now held onto the bottle.
This was unexpected.
“It should be just about ready now.”
I took the lobster out once more.
It looked nearly done, its shell a bright red color. With Ara’s help, I cut the lobster in half.
Crack!
“Wow!”
“Ooooh!!”
As I sliced it lengthwise, the thick, juicy meat was revealed. The pure white flesh, along with the rich golden sauce that looked like its innards, was visible.
I swallowed hard as I brushed the white lobster meat with the prepared sauce. The heavy butter content made the sauce thick, but it quickly melted from the heat and was absorbed into the lobster meat.
“Let’s give it just three more seconds to cook!”
“Okay!”
With Ara’s help, we grabbed it from both sides and put it back in the furnace.
“3! 2! 1!”
Ara counted enthusiastically, and we soon took the lobster out again. The sound of sizzling filled the air, and a beautiful Maillard reaction appeared on the white flesh of the lobster.
“Ahh.”
“Can we eat it now?”
I nodded and moved the lobster. Unlike the monkfish, this time we had grilled the whole lobster, so there was more than enough to eat.
“Tada!”
“Wow.”
As I placed the finished lobster down, the family, who had been sipping on a bottle of alcohol, looked at it with eager eyes.
“I’ll take the meat out.”
Thanks to the perfect cooking, the shell separated cleanly from the meat. The yield was good, with the rich scent of butter and crustacean teasing my nose.
“Alright, let’s eat.”
“Thank you for the food!”
The plates were piled high with lobster meat, stacked up like a mountain.
I also set aside portions for the Kkumuris and slimes, giving each one a piece, and soon, exclamations of delight were heard all around.
-Kwoong!
Gomgom devoured the lobster meat hungrily.
It seemed he liked it even more than the monkfish stew.
My family also ate heartily.
We enjoyed the tender lobster meat with the rich sauce, savoring it as a side dish with our drinks, creating a leisurely atmosphere.
“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong ! Ahhh~!”
“Ahhh!”
As I was still busy moving around, Ara speared a large piece of lobster meat with her fork and brought it to my mouth.
The lobster meat filled my mouth to the brim.
Chew, chew.
Ah, that bouncy texture.
And the savory sweetness unique to crustaceans did not disappoint.
The flavor of the sauce and the seasoning I had prepared was exquisite.
I hadn’t used it all during grilling, so there was still some left to dip the meat in.
Gulp.
As the juices overflowed in my mouth, Ara, looking visibly happy, smiled broadly as she ate the lobster.
“It’s so delicious! I’m so happy!”
“Hahaha. If our Ara is happy, then I’m happy too!”
My father, having had a bit to drink, burst into loud laughter and shouted.
Seeing him in such high spirits, I couldn’t help but smile.
We spent a good amount of time eating and relaxing.
But compared to the monkfish, the lobster was quite small, so we managed to finish it all eventually.
Smack.
After cleansing my palate with some strawberries, I felt like I might burst from being so full.
Yet somehow, it kept going in, as if my stomach had separate compartments for meals and snacks.
“Oh, this feels great.”
Even though the alcohol wasn’t strong, after sharing a bottle, my father stood up with a flushed face.
“I think I’ll soak in the hot spring.”
“Father, it’s not good to bathe after drinking.”
“But this is a hot spring that’s supposed to make you healthier, isn’t it?”
“Uh, well, that’s true.”
Wait, so what happens now?
Drinking and then bathing isn’t good, but this hot spring is officially recognized as one that improves health.
As I pondered this contradiction, my father was already heading to the hot spring with Ara.
“Well, it’s just a few drinks, so it should be fine, right?”
My mother said this as she followed them.
And now I noticed that Seon-ah was also quickly following along.
“Hmm.”
I looked around at the mess left behind and the things I had to clean up.
“…Let’s just clean up.”
***
With the help of the Kkumuris and slimes, I quickly finished the dishwashing and cleaning.
Just in time, my mother returned from the hot spring, and together we harvested the meju (fermented soybean blocks).
We gathered all the meju that had been laid out and brought out the jar I had prepared in advance.
“Time to make soy sauce!”
Ara shouted excitedly.
The jar contained saltwater I had prepared the day before, and now all I had to do was wash the meju and put it in the jar.
Swoosh.
“Scrub, scrub! Time to wash!”
We washed all the meju and put them in the jar.
We didn’t use them all, saving a few for making gochujang (red chili paste) later.
After ensuring the meju was properly submerged, I placed the prepared World Tree charcoal on top.
And since I didn’t have any of my own peppers ready yet, I used store-bought dried peppers and added them as well.
“But Mom, the instructions say to cover it with mesh during the day and close the lid at night, but there’s no day or night here, right?”
“Just switch it every 12 hours, don’t you think?”
“Hmm, I guess that’s what we’ll do for now.”
I hope the soybean paste turns out well on the first try, but if not, I’ll just have to try again.
Of course, since this process takes a long time, it would be a bit disappointing if it fails.
“Hey, Kkumuri!”
-Hehe?
“You’ll be in charge of managing this every 12 hours. Think you can handle it?”
-Hehe.
As I naturally passed the responsibility to Kkumuri, Seon-ah said something behind me, but I ignored it.
A busy person like me can’t worry about this every 12 hours, right?
Since we had finished making the soy sauce, I thought it was a good time to check how the peppers in the field were doing.
“Oh?”
They look nice and plump! The peppers, of course!
They were already hanging heavily from the plants.
But the peppers looked a little different from what I was familiar with.
“Are these bell peppers? Or pimentos?”
Instead of being thin and long, they resembled something closer to a bell pepper. I’m a bit worried since they don’t look like the peppers I know.
Kkumur!
“Oh, hey there. Were you having fun?”
A slime greeted me as if inviting me over.
Just then, Ara, who had been helping Seon-ah move the jars, came running over to the field.
“They’ve grown so much! Are these peppers?”
“Yeah, but they look a bit different from what I’m used to. Haven’t you seen peppers before?”
“Red ones!”
“Right, those.”
Ara, who had seen peppers both at home and when dining out, tilted her head in curiosity.
“They look like bell peppers!”
“You thought the same thing as I did.”
But these are quite large. When can they be harvested?
I planted both red and green peppers, and while the colors are different, they seem to be growing at the same rate.
Squeak!
“They’re ready to be harvested now!”
“Huh?”
They’re ready now?
Then why haven’t we harvested them yet?
Squeak!
“If we leave them a bit longer, they’ll get spicier.”
“Oh, is that how it works?”
In that case, I’ll harvest one red pepper and one green pepper now to taste them. That way, I can adjust the spiciness.
‘Maybe I can harvest them at different times and sort them by spiciness?’
My father has already gone to bed, and my mother went to sleep in the tent after preparing the meju.
Seon-ah seems to be over there playing with Soo and Gomgom after organizing the jars.
So, let’s harvest a few and do a first check.
“Let’s just pick one of each. Choose the best ones.”
Squeak!
The slime, responding as if saluting, began selecting suitable peppers.
Could this mean we can start making gochujang (Korean chili paste) as early as tomorrow?
Cliche Novel 
thanks for the chapter
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