I momentarily froze as I stared at the fruit with an incredible, unexpected effect.
Meanwhile, Ras and Ara were happily sharing and eating the fruit together.
– “There isn’t much of it. It’s a rare fruit.”
“It’s delicious. Hehe.”
Just as Ras said, looking around, it became clear that this plant, called Rapipi, wasn’t abundant.
Curiosity sparked, and I asked Ras.
“If it’s such a rare fruit, how do you get food for that snake?”
– “Once this plant grows a bit, it immediately hides underground. Before that, it bears fruit, and after that, it becomes a huge root.”
“Oh, I see.”
What a fascinating plant.
“Would it be okay if I took a look at the roots as well?”
– “The roots aren’t tasty. They’re also hard to eat.”
“Really? So, it’s only used as food for the snake?”
I packed a few of the remaining fruits into my backpack.
Inside the fruit, there were seeds, and I could probably sprout and grow those seeds.
I felt like I had stumbled upon a good item in an unexpected place.
For a while, we ate the Rapipi fruit while observing the small ecosystem inside the cave.
After confirming that the ancient snake had fallen into a deep sleep, we headed back to the village.
– “Keng! Keng!”
– “Kiying.”
As soon as we returned to the village, we were greeted by the Gnolls.
It was amazing to think that these little creatures prepared such massive food for the ancient snake every time.
“Ras.”
– “You called?”
“So, what do you guys eat?”
– “The small ecosystem created by the snake becomes our food. We hunt small animals, gather fruit, and sometimes eat the leftovers from the snake.”
“Oh…”
It seemed like they were short on food.
Ara, with wide eyes, asked Ras, as if she was thinking the same thing.
“Is that really enough? It seems like so little!”
– “Well, it’s not much, but if we ration it, we can manage.”
It didn’t seem fine at all.
I couldn’t imagine Ras alone being able to provide enough food for all the Gnolls.
The only way they could gather food was from the small ecosystem created by the snake’s leftovers inside the cave, as Ras mentioned earlier.
Of course, Ras could probably go outside and hunt monsters to gather food.
‘But there must be a reason they don’t do that.’
When I thought about it, it seemed dangerous.
Ras? No, the Gnolls.
Even if Ras went out hunting, there was a risk that their village could be discovered.
And if they were attacked while Ras was away on the next hunt, the Gnolls would be wiped out.
There was a reason Ras was living quietly in seclusion here.
“Ras!”
– “Hmm?”
“Move to my house!”
– “Me? Move?”
Ras tilted his head, puzzled by my sudden suggestion.
I turned to Ara, who had chimed in at just the right moment, giving her a thumbs-up in agreement.
“Didn’t I mention that I have the power of teleportation? First, why don’t you take a look at my house?”
– “Right now?”
But there was a catch.
My dungeon ability could only be used by me and my familiars.
In other words, Ras and the Gnolls would have to become my familiars for it to work.
“Hehe”
I was plotting another sneaky plan, but first, I decided to give them a little taste.
I couldn’t just suddenly ask them to become my familiars, so I needed to let them experience it first.
“Wait a moment.”
I immediately used the power of the Master of Gluttony on a nearby door. Then, I said to Ara,
“I’ll bring Bokkeum and Mammon. Just wait a little.”
“Okay!”
Without delay, I entered.
Ras and the Gnolls watched me with curious eyes.
Soon, the scenery changed as I entered the dungeon of gluttony.
Woof!
“Hey, Woofy! To the village!”
The Master of Gluttony’s cooldown was 24 hours.
It seemed like I would have to spend the day in the Dungeon of Wrath.
During this time, I would tempt Ras and the Gnolls and then abduct, no, move them all!
“Hehehe.”
Upon arriving at the village, I immediately fetched Bokkeum.
Unlike Ara, who was registered as a familiar with the government, the others couldn’t board the plane, so I had no choice but to leave them in the dungeon, but everything was prepared.
“Bokkeum, you’ve been waiting, right? Let’s go.”
Inside Bokkeum was everything I had prepped, from supplies to food.
All I had to do was take Bokkeum, and that would be enough!
Then, I quickly ran to the Goblin village and called for Mammon.
“Mammon!”
– “Ah, my lord! How did your errand go?”
“Come with me. Ras and Ara are waiting outside.”
– “It’s been a while since I’ve seen Ras!”
With Mammon on board, I headed back to the dungeon entrance. Did I forget anything?
Honestly, as long as I had Bokkeum, I had everything I needed, so I left without worry.
– “Oh, you’re back quickly.”
– “That voice… Ras?”
– “Mammon! Is that you?!”
Mammon jumped off the back of the dog and ran toward Ras.
Ras welcomed Mammon with open arms.
– “Haha! How long has it been, my friend?”
– “You haven’t changed a bit.”
Mammon seemed a bit awkward as he studied Ras. Ara, seeing this, couldn’t hold back and hugged both of them at once.
“Hehe, this is great! The three of us are together again.”
– “I’m happy too! How long has it been since I’ve seen my friends?”
– “I… I can’t breathe.”
Watching them made my heart feel warm.
Honestly, it had been a long time since they’d seen each other, but they must have been close even before.
“Were you close with the other Seven Deadly Sins as well?”
– “Some of them, yes. Others, not so much. Oh! Ara was friends with all of them.”
“I like everyone!”
Ara’s cheerful personality must have been there from the start.
While listening to their reunion chat, I began to make preparations.
My secret weapon to tempt Ras and the Gnolls: my cooking!
“Bokkeum.”
First, I took out the kitchen tools.
From the mini stove powered by magic stones to knives, pots, and cutting boards.
Next came the ingredients.
Since I figured the Gnolls would like meat, I especially prepared various kinds this time.
Beef, pork, chicken, and even monster meat and fish caught at the beach.
I had everything meticulously prepared.
I also brought spices and crops, all prepped and ready.
To be honest, all I had to do was stir-fry, grill, and boil, as I had already done all the preparations.
‘Let’s start with soup.’
I poured water and turned on the fire.
I added some ingredients and waited for it to boil, then moved on to stir-frying.
Since there were many mouths to feed, I always carried several portable stoves, allowing me to cook multiple dishes at once.
The dishes started coming together quickly.
Since most of the cooking time is spent prepping ingredients, having everything ready made it easy to finish the dishes in no time.
“Ta-da.”
“Wow!”
The kids, who had been gathering to watch the cooking, cheered. Even the Gnolls from the village came running.
First, I grilled the beef as is.
I made it into a steak, paired with carrots and potatoes, and that was it.
For the pork, I made ginger-grilled pork and mixed it with vegetables to finish the dish.
Honestly, it would be perfect with white rice, but let’s look forward to the soon-to-be-harvested rice.
Not only that, but I also made braised chicken in soy sauce and stir-fried chicken, as well as kimchi stew with the remaining pork.
I even made beef and radish soup using the beef.
“Busy, busy!”
After placing the finished dishes on the table, I continued to work hard on the remaining ones.
There were dishes made from monster meat and fresh seafood!
Slurp.
– “Gulp.”
Hearing the kids swallow their saliva, I suddenly remembered something.
“You can start eating first!”
“Are we eating together too?”
“I’ll eat slowly. You go ahead.”
I refocused on cooking.
Even though it was monster meat, it looked no different from beef or pork, so I cooked it lightly.
Grilling, steaming, and braising!
The braised dish took a little longer, but I managed to make something similar to Dongpo pork in no time.
As for the seafood, I either grilled it or made it into a soup.
While raw or sashimi could work, since this was the first time the Gnolls were eating seafood, I decided to go with a more universally liked cooking method.
“Alright, all the cooking is done. Huh?”
As I carried plates and bowls filled with food, I noticed that the other dishes remained untouched.
Just then, Ara bounced over and grabbed the dish I was holding.
“What? You haven’t eaten yet?”
“We’re eating together.”
Ara pouted as if she was sulking, making me want to pinch her cheeks.
– “How could we eat before the Great Lord finished working?”
– “I am being served, so I cannot start eating first. Hmph!”
These little guys—what are they saying?
So cute.
I couldn’t help but smile.
“Alright. Since it’s come to this, let’s eat together. There’s plenty for everyone.”
Considering Ara’s appetite and estimating that the number of Gnolls was about the same as the goblins, I had prepared enough ingredients.
However, there were fewer Gnolls than goblins, so there was more than enough food.
“Let’s eat!”
“Thank you for the food!”
– “Thank you, Great Lord!”
– “Mmm, this looks delicious.”
Ara and Mammon comfortably picked out the food that suited their tastes.
Korean, Western, Chinese, and Japanese cuisine—all were present, albeit not perfectly, so they could choose what they liked. Haha.
However, Ras and the Gnolls looked overwhelmed by the sheer number of dishes.
“I’ll serve you.”
I portioned out food for the kids to make it easier for them to eat.
I served Ras first, then the others.
In hindsight, I wondered if I should have done a buffet-style serving, but once they got used to it, they’d be able to help themselves.
– “Chomp. Huh?!! Whoa?!”
Ras, tasting the food for the first time, widened his eyes in surprise.
He was so shocked by the taste that his expression was one of disbelief.
His already large, shiny eyes grew even bigger.
The other Gnolls had similar reactions.
All of them were astonished by the flavors and scents, quickly devouring the food.
“Hehe.”
For once, Ara stopped eating to watch Ras and the Gnolls.
She seemed satisfied just from their reactions.
– “As expected, the Great Lord’s food is the best in the world! I can’t believe it tastes even better every time!”
“If I let my little brother cook for you, you might not say that. When he comes, I’ll pick some goblins who want to learn to cook and have him teach them.”
– “There are already a few of my subordinates who love cooking! It would be a great honor, Great Lord!”
Now, I think I’ll start eating too.
The steak was huge.
I sliced it and took a bite, and the juices exploded in my mouth.
“Mmm!”
Dipping it into the vegetable sauce I made, the flavor was indescribable.
Next, I tried the dish similar to Dongpo pork.
Although it’s not a dish you can make this quickly, the monster meat made it tender and melt in my mouth.
‘It’s melting.’
The fat of the meat melted at body temperature.
The rich flavor of the meat mixed with the slightly sweet soy sauce, dancing in my mouth.
When the taste became a bit heavy, I took a sip of the kimchi stew or the refreshing beef and radish soup.
The kimchi stew and soup didn’t contain much of my crops, but I made them just because I wanted to, and I’m glad I did.
“Ahhh.”
“Kyaa!”
– “Phew.”
– “Nom nom nom.”
Everyone was enjoying the food in their own way.
Especially Ras, who was completely lost in the food, devouring it with his eyes practically rolled back.
Hehe.
How is it? Doesn’t this make you want to move in?
Cliche Novel 