Currently, my primary focus was, of course, the golden crop. The crop needed to treat Emily, Kyler’s daughter. Of course, the golden crop didn’t guarantee a 100% cure, but it certainly had potential.
‘It’s almost impossible to forcibly awaken sick Emily. So, awakening with my golden crop seemed more realistic.’
According to Cheong, awakening could solve it, though I had my doubts. Could awakening really heal the body? There was no harm in trying. I decided to trust Cheong’s words.
“Eutcha.”
I made a new field. It was a small field, and I was determined to devote all my effort and care to the crop I would plant here.
The crop was sweet potatoes—a crop that enhances health stats, which might suit sick Emily. Utilizing all the know-how accumulated from past experience, I cultivated the sweet potato field.
I thoroughly turned over the soil. Planning to plant the seeds just before winter ended, I looked at the accumulating snow above. Previously, I had been planting by cutting sprouts, but this time, I planned to start from seeds.
I asked the slimes to select a few of the best-quality sweet potatoes to obtain flowers and seeds.
‘And fertilizer!’
I had World Tree leaves for fertilizer. I collected the transparent leaves beforehand and laid them over the newly made field, and then snow covered them again.
I also planned to make and spread more fertilizer. There had been plenty to use for fertilizer, but until now, the slimes had eaten it all. I decided to separately collect wilted plants for fermentation in the storage for soybean paste.
I was packing wilted crops and leaves in a sack when I saw Ara running from afar. She was holding a long fishing rod.
“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong!”
“Yes. Did you fish well?”
“Yes! The cooking is just finished! It’s time to eat!”
Oh, it’s already done.
It was time to taste the dishes made by Jae-seong and the Breed clan.
While Ara was gathering all the other slimes, I finished packing the sacks and stored them properly in the storage.
Soon, as I headed toward the kitchen area, I saw a feast set up in the center of the village.
“Oh!”
“What is it? What is it!”
Ara beamed with a smile.
I couldn’t help but nod in admiration.
“Awesome! Is it serious?”
“It is serious! Hmm!”
As Ara and I approached the table, I saw the Kkumuris and rabbits carrying food. The rabbits hopped vigorously, contrasting with the leisurely moving Kkumuris.
The scene was cute yet somehow peaceful.
“Did you come?”
Mother, who was carrying food with us, greeted us. I immediately took the plate she was holding.
“How can these tiny ones cook so well! They’re so cute yet admirable, aren’t they?”
“They are now our village’s official chefs. We’ve properly employed them this time.”
As we proudly talked, the table was finally set. The plating was carefully done.
“Shall I call Father?”
“Yes! Summon the Grand Lord!”
Ara quickly jumped into the portal.
It wasn’t long before the children and Father appeared with giant fish.
Thump!
“Haha! Our Ras is very strong!”
-My power is the greatest in the world.
Ras boasted in a childlike voice.
We soon processed the seafood and stored it appropriately in the giant freezer. Thanks to the rabbits, the processing was quick.
The seafood was dismantled in no less than five minutes. Indeed, the power of mass production was impressive.
‘It’s almost like a factory?’
I was slightly surprised by the massive processing when Ashu trudged over.
She looked somewhat downhearted, and concerned, I picked up Ashu.
“What’s wrong, Ashu? Something the matter? Even with such delicious-looking dishes finished.”
-Ashu is foolish.
“Huh?”
-Ashu realized today that there is a sky above the sky. Ashu still has a long way to go.
My gaze shifted to Jae-seong unknowingly.
At that moment, Jae-seong, who was looking this way, scratched the back of his head shyly, like a bear, and smiled awkwardly.
“Is it because of Jae-seong?”
-Not because of him. Ashu just realized it.
“Hmm! Isn’t that actually a good thing?”
-Good?
Ashu looked up at me, puzzled.
Smiling at her, I said, “The fact that there’s a sky above the sky means there’s more to reach for. Wouldn’t it be lonely if there felt like nowhere else to go?”
-Aha! Right, Ashu was actually feeling lonely! There’s no one among our tribe who cooks better than Ashu!
Her expression instantly brightened.
Who did she get this simplicity from?
“Ashu has a talent for cooking, so one day you should reach Jae-seong’s level and have a match with him.”
-Oh.
Ashu mulled over my words. Then, with a fiery spirit, she showed her cute little fists.
-Ashu will become the best chef in the world!
“Yeah! Absorb all of Jae-seong’s cooking skills!”
-Yes! Ashu will learn all of Jae-seong Jae-seong’s cooking techniques!
Reinvigorated, Ashu hopped down and approached Jae-seong with confident steps.
-Teach me how to cook!
“Sure, sure. Hahaha.”
Jae-seong treated Ashu with a face that said ‘how cute,’ as if he were a cooking instructor at a children’s workshop.
“But Ashu, have you ever tasted Jae-seong’s cooking?”
-Not yet.
“Really?”
You despaired without even tasting the food? Well, Ashu has eyes, so she must have seen Jae-seong’s culinary skills.
“Let’s eat first! I’m hungry.”
“I’m hungry too!”
“I’m getting hungry.”
We all prepared to eat together, sitting around comfortably. Adding the Breed clan made the wide village center feel packed.
“Mammon, Ras, what do you think about making a village for the Breed clan?”
-The Gnoll Village is also over 80% complete! It would be good to proceed simultaneously!
-Leave it to me. I’ll create it in no time.
Excluding Seon-ah, who was still taking pictures with her camera, we started our meal.
“Bon appétit!”
“I shall eat well!”
“I’m going to eat well.”
Yum! Yum!
Mmm! As expected!
Jae-seong’s cooking was on another level.
It was made from the same ingredients, but it tasted like food from another world.
“How can there be such a difference?”
A deeper flavor of broth.
A stickier texture.
More fantastic aroma and taste.
This is why he’s called a chef.
The slight pride I had felt was quickly humbled.
“This is definitely Jae-seong Jae-seong!!”
Ara was going wild.
Despite Jae-seong making a lot of food, she seemed ready to eat it all herself. Of course, she was actually sharing with the other children and eating slowly, but her spirit was formidable.
-The Grand Lord’s brother is truly an excellent chef.
-I am pleased. Become my personal chef.
The other children were also pleased.
And the Breed clan’s children who tasted Jae-seong’s food were all shocked.
-Beep!
-Beeep… Beep beep…
And among them, Ashu’s expression was the most amusing.
Her face looked as if she’d been struck by lightning.
Yet her mouth kept chewing endlessly.
-How did you do it? Ashu is curious!
Ashu, while eating, approached Jae-seong to inquire about the secrets of his cooking.
Orie, perhaps finding Ashu adorable, stroked her fluffy fur.
“Hehe. It tastes good.”
Our gentle Cheong simply enjoyed the food, eating slowly.
‘This is happiness.’
Enjoying the peace after a long time.
Despite it being winter, I was taken by the warm atmosphere and eagerly ate the food.
“Mmm, the kids made it taste so good too.”
Given that I didn’t cook it myself, I wanted to give it a perfect score of 100 out of 10. Just having food made for me felt incredibly good.
In fact, although we usually ate crops as they were, mostly not cooking the hundreds of portions we had, cooking was quite a hard task.
But now, more than a thousand chefs had joined us. You could say that the cure was worse than the disease, but so what! It’s all about having fun together!
Considering the amount of food needed for all these rabbits, it seemed necessary to expand the fields a bit more.
“We’ll need to make separate fields in the Breed clan’s village too.”
-Kyu-seong Kyu-seong! We also want to try farming!
Ashu, having overheard me, said this while he was chatting with Jae-seong.
Hmm, but she only seems to know how to cook, is that going to be okay?
Let’s teach her anyway.
Who knows? Maybe she’ll be able to farm on her own like the goblins and the gnolls.
Of course, I’ll need to involve some slimes.
Without slimes, seeds wouldn’t even sprout. Slimes aren’t an option; they’re essential.
I was glad I had upgraded their abilities again. I need to increase the number of slimes quickly.
Waddle waddle.
-Queeeng.
Soo, who had been sucking something in, waddled over and plopped down in my lap.
Soo seemed like he would play a significant role in creating the golden crop. I had high hopes for Soo’s blessings.
“Brother Soo, have this.”
Cheong handed something over. It was a broth made from various vegetables, and it felt somewhat strange.
…After all, isn’t Soo a plant too?
Khem, let’s stop thinking about that.
As I watched the cozy pair, I remembered something I had forgotten as I was filling my belly.
“Portal.”
A new portal.
Where should I install it?
Although installation and removal were easy, so I didn’t need to be too cautious, I wanted to install it somewhere impressive.
“Hmm, good.”
Having organized my thoughts, I announced to the kids who were eating or had finished eating.
“Tomorrow, we’ll go find a place to install a new portal!”
“Ohh!”
The golden crop couldn’t really be attempted until after winter ended. Of course, it might suddenly grow in another field if we’re lucky, but since there’s time, I decided to give the kids a fun activity.
“Specifically, you will form teams to explore different parts of this dungeon and choose a place to install the portal.”
“Time to form teams!”
“So, we’ll all visit the places each team picks and vote on them. The team that finds the location chosen by the vote wins!”
“Ohhhhh!!”
Ara, totally excited, stopped eating and jumped up cheering.
The other kids were also thrilled by the sudden event.
“The winning team will get a small wish granted! How about that?”
“A wish! A wish is great! The victory will be ours!”
“You can form your teams now. There are no restrictions on team size, but you all have to stick together. It’s against the rules for one team to scout multiple places at once!”
As I set the rules, the kids were already promoting their teams to each other.
“Join! Join my team! What do you say? I’m confident we’ll win!”
-Gloop!
-Follow me. Glory awaits.
-Hehe?
“Fun is coming! Fun is coming!”
-Ashu will lead the tribe and win this game! Kids, you all heard the rules, right?
Watching the meal turn into chaos, I awkwardly scratched my head.
Cliche Novel 