Surviving on the Northern Front with Gukbap

Chapter 44 : Comeback Meal (1)

Comeback Meal (1)

Lately, I've been cooking in the poor conditions of camping.

That's why being back in a kitchen after so long felt insanely wonderful.

'People really should cook at a sink.'

My spirits naturally lifted.

My body, tired from training, moved automatically.

Using mana and swinging a kitchen knife to grow stronger is fun,

but in the end, my roots are in cooking.

Sizzle, sizzle.

With the pleasant sound of meat frying, a savory aroma filled the kitchen.

When the meat was cooked just right, I poured in water,

Chwaaak. Plop, plop.

I didn't hold back in adding the ingredients bought from the [shop window].

With the match in three days possibly being my last,

I couldn't let anything go to waste by being stingy.

'Following the authentic recipe, using plenty of points!'

Bubble, bubble.

The broth started boiling viciously, making my mouth water.

Once the meat's flavor and fat fully infused the soup and the ingredients cooked through, I tasted it.

Slurp.

"Kuuuuu."

As expected, it was going very well.

The flavor balance was perfect.

Just five more minutes of boiling and it would be the best return match dish.

At this timing, I scooped the perfectly steamed rice from the pot into bowls,

waited a bit, then ladled out the soup.

I placed six heavy bowls on a tray and carried them out.

One for each employee who had worked hard today, on the table,

Thud, thud, thud.

The employees straightened up at the table as if they'd never collapsed onto it.

Plerine recognized the dish and her face lit up.

"Boss, is this... that dish?"

Is it really that good?

"Yes, that's right."

"Oh my. To think we can eat this with rice."

Soon, a single tear rolled from beneath her blindfold.

"It'll taste much better than last time."

Meanwhile, Naba looked at the dish he was seeing for the first time and asked quietly,

"Boss. This is my first time seeing this food..."

He seemed annoyed that Plerine knew but he didn't.

I chuckled, patted Naba's head, and told him,

"It's bear meat radish soup."

The first kitchen return match dish was none other than bear meat radish soup.

There were several reasons why I chose bear meat radish soup out of so many dishes.

First, to get revenge on the system that previously judged my dish as "clumsy".

Second, because it's relatively quick to make compared to other soups.

'The employees were nearly starving anyway.'

And the third, main reason was to see how the buff effects change depending on the dish's completeness rating.

In any case, this batch was on another level compared to what I made during camping.

The meat was fattier,

I stir-fried it in sesame oil before adding water,

and for seasoning, I didn't just use salt, but soy sauce and a generous amount of minced garlic.

And for the finish, scallion!

'I really did pour my soul into this.'

So now, it was time to enjoy the taste.

"You both worked hard today. Let's eat."

Just as I was about to take a spoonful,

"Wait, boss."

Plerine turned her head toward the shop door.

"Why?"

"Someone's here."

No sooner had she said that—

Knock, knock.

A knock came at the door.

A memory immediately surfaced.

In all my time running Happiness Gukbap, I'd heard knocks like that just once.

'Is it that bald battalion commander?'

If so, I could only put down my spoon.

How could I, as a soldier, ignore the battalion commander?

Knock, knock.

Another knock sounded.

I suppressed a sigh and reached to stand, bracing myself on the table,

when Plerine grabbed my hand and said,

"I'll go."

"Sit down. It's someone I need to greet."

"? It looks dangerous."

Yes. I know too.

He's a dangerous person.

"That's why I'll go."

Haaa. Why did that bald guy have to suddenly show up again?

Gently freeing my hand from Plerine's, I walked to the shop door.

Clink. Creak.

At the same time, I snapped to attention.

"Steel fo—..."

But I didn't finish the phrase.

At the entrance, instead of the bald one,

was a person in a brown robe.

'Adventurer? Customer?'

I became awkward in an instant and tried to relax,

when—

"Boss!"

A desperate shout made me look back.

Plerine was charging at incredible speed— or rather, she had?

"!"

In the blink of an eye, I was behind Plerine's back.

Did she pull me behind her to protect me?

Staring, bewildered, at the back of the blind woman's head,

Plerine spoke in a cold voice.

"Who are you? Why did you come back?"

It was frightening, hearing her like this when she usually spoke so gently.

Why was she so on edge?

'Wait, come back?'

Could some forgotten memory have returned?

Just then, the brown-robed man raised both hands to shoulder height, as if to show he had no hostile intent.

"I didn't mean to startle you. My apologies."

His noble tone and voice, rare in Granfen.

And Plerine's "Why did you come back?" outburst.

It was easy to recall, then.

'White Fang.'

The White Fang trainee knight I met on the road to Granfen village.

His name, I think, was Schutmann.

But why was he here at the shop?

I'd half expected he'd be in Granfen, but

to have him show up at the shop so suddenly, I was more dumbfounded than surprised.

"You've got keen perception. I didn't expect you to recognize me so quickly."

As Schutmann said, he looked nothing like last time.

Instead of plate mail, he wore a robe and coat,

with a hood pulled down so low I could barely see that he might also be wearing a mask underneath.

'If Plerine hadn't noticed and made a fuss, I might not have recognized him myself.'

Anyway, that wasn't important.

The key point was—why had he come to the shop?

"What brings you here? I haven't spoken of you anywhere."

My tone grew sharp before I knew it,

and Schutmann replied with an awkward smile.

"That's not why I came, actually... well..."

"?"

"I caught the scent of that meat soup I ate before and, following the smell, ended up here. Ahem."

After his cough, silence ensued.

His answer was so unexpected, my brain almost froze.

'What is this. Is this for real?'

I know that the higher your grade, the sharper your senses become,

but do I really have to believe he tracked us by food smell alone?

'No way. That can't be.'

Rumors have already spread throughout the village that I became a cook.

What are the odds that a White Fang squire sent to Granfen would "accidentally" enter my shop at a time like this?

Can I really see this as a coincidence?

'He definitely has a purpose.'

What could it be?

While I rapidly spun through possibilities, Plerine stepped up.

"Sorry, customer, but the shop is closed due to interior construction. Come back next time."

With her switching between formal and informal speech, I almost wanted to correct her,

but Schutmann replied,

"Isn't there anything you can do? I really want to eat here today."

He showed no sign of backing down.

Plerine looked at me with a 'what will you do?' face.

Haa. Damn.

Being the boss really is a tough Class.

*

After a brief deliberation, I made up my mind and spoke.

"We're working on the interior, so there aren't a lot of seats. If you don't mind eating with us, that's fine."

Plerine nodded as if she'd expected this,

and Schutmann answered with a slightly elated voice.

"That's no problem."

"We don't have anything else today, just the same bear meat radish soup from before."

"That's what I came for."

"... Alright, please have a seat."

I showed Schutmann to the seat across from me,

then went into the kitchen to ladle out the remaining rice and soup.

'Good thing I made plenty.'

There's a reason cooks are better off with a heavy hand, just like me.

Anyway, letting Schutmann in was a simple decision.

'No matter how I look at it, the smelling-the-soup excuse is a lie.'

If he really came for the smell,

he should've been surprised upon seeing me and Plerine when the door opened.

He wouldn't have known who was in the shop.

But Schutmann didn't bat an eye.

In fact, he seemed perfectly calm as if he already knew both Plerine and I were there.

― I didn't mean to startle you. My apologies.

'Feels like he's hiding something.'

So I intended to probe, to deduce his true purpose for coming.

He didn't know that I recognized his identity,

so I could use that to suss something out if I was careful.

With these thoughts, I set the hot soup and rice in front of Schutmann and sat down.

"Please, eat."

"Thank you, I'll enjoy this."

Schutmann, who had by now taken off his hood and face covering, was smiling from ear to ear.

You could see the excitement of a boy on this middle-aged man's face.

'What the? Did he really come for the smell?'

Maybe that's why Plerine was the first to pick up her spoon.

"Thank you for the food."

Naba was quick to follow, scooping up a spoonful of soup and putting it in his mouth.

"Thanks for the meal, boss."

As Naba chewed, his eyes gradually grew wide,

almost as if they were about to pop out.

Is it that good, you little guy?

"Ahh..."

This sigh escaped Plerine's lips.

Tears as big as chicken droppings trickled from beneath her blindfold, and I almost snorted.

"Really, eating this with rice makes it—so much tastier."

Schutmann looked at the soup with an emotional face and said,

"It's even better than last time. This soup is really...!"

His open mouth trembled.

'Hmph, of course it's good. Who do you think made it?'

Their reactions surpassed expectations, and I couldn't help but grin.

I guess you can't fight the nature of a cook.

'Hmm, in that case, I should try some, too.'

Judging by how intently the three ate, there wouldn't be much conversation until every bowl was empty.

First, I scooped a big spoonful of rice and put it in my mouth.

That sweet taste unique to white rice after a long time.

Sticky, nutty sweetness gently filled my mouth.

'This is it.'

How long had it been since I last ate rice?

I shouldn't have laughed at Plerine's tears.

Even my own tears welled up.

But this was only the beginning of the meal.

'Soup. Soup!'

With rice still in my mouth, I spooned up the broth and drank.

Sluurp. Slurrrp.

The aroma of meat and radish hit me first.

Then the clean scent of minced garlic and scallion balanced things out while the savory broth blended with the rice.

'Ah. No!'

I screamed inside.

I meant to savor it as much as possible, but before I knew it, I'd swallowed it.

'Ugh. I can't hold back anymore!'

In the end, instinct triumphed over reason.

I dumped all but a spoonful of rice into the soup bowl.

Plop.

Then, mixing the rice so it would break apart nicely, Plerine asked, curious,

"Why are you mixing the soup and rice?"

"It's not mixing, it's called mal-a-eating—saturating the rice with soup. That's how you get real gukbap."

"What?! Then why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

Plerine shouted in annoyance, but I ignored her lightly.

Checking that the rice was properly loosened in the soup,

I took a spoonful with equal parts broth, meat, veggies, and rice.

Why three "halves"? Because eating it like this makes it 150% better.

I stuffed it all in my mouth.

'Insane!'

The remaining starch in the rice dissolved into the broth,

the grains soaked up the soup and became tender.

All of it mingled into perfect harmony dancing in my mouth.

Gulp.

I swallowed with joy.

Immediately, however, a sense of emptiness struck me.

The source of this void was—

'Kimchi!'

Suddenly, I felt stupid and foolish.

How could I forget kimchi while eating radish soup with rice?

But thank goodness.

Before going to Grey Fortress, I'd made some kimchi on the day I cooked ox-tail soup!

I ran to the kitchen and searched for kimchi.

Sniff, sniff.

The smell was somewhere between ripe and not, ambiguous.

I tore off a piece and ate it,

but could only sigh.

"... What a shame."

It was in that limbo state between fresh and fully fermented.

In our industry, we'd say the kimchi has "lost its mind"—right at the worst period for flavor.

The absolute worst timing.

'No way I can waste kimchi like this right now.'

I'd wait until it was truly tasty after more fermentation.

Resigned, I went back to the table, and the three of them stared at me.

Guess they expected me to bring something extra from the kitchen.

Sorry, but there's nothing else.

Ignoring their looks, I resumed the meal.

Even if the flow was broken and there was no kimchi,

the meal was still delicious as ever.

I enthusiastically scooped, chewed, tasted, and swallowed,

and before I knew it, I was scraping up the last drop from the empty bowl.

'Ah. Still, that was a good meal.'

After the long journey from Grey Fortress, this was the first meal I'd cooked on my return to the kitchen,

and it was truly excellent.

As I finished first and set my bowl down decisively, the system sound rang out.

Ding.

From now on, I needed to focus.

I had to remember the ingredients I used and any buff effects I received.

Dding!

〈 Strength, body temperature, composure, and poison resistance have slightly increased. 〉

〈 Sense of smell and flexibility have increased a little. 〉

〈 By consuming completed Korean dish 'Steamed Rice', you gain bonus effects. 〉

〈 The increased strength will not decrease. (30 minutes) 〉

〈 By consuming completed Korean dish 'Decent Meat-and-vegetable Soup (Mid-low-rank ingredient: Ice Bear),' you gain bonus effects. 〉

〈 Body temperature will not decrease. (2 hours 30 minutes) 〉

〈 The increased sense of smell will not decrease. (3 hours 20 minutes) 〉

〈 The increased flexibility will not decrease. (50 minutes) 〉

〈 //Exlusive effect// Unable to share: effect acquired. 〉

〈 Sense has increased a little. 〉

〈 The increased sense will not decrease. (2 hours 30 minutes) 〉

〈 The increased poison resistance will not decrease. (1 hour) 〉

I couldn't help but think it was a good choice to use quality ingredients and stick to the orthodox cooking method.

The cooking's grade had gone up from 'clumsy' meat-and-vegetable soup to 'decent' meat-and-vegetable soup after all.

And with this upgrade to 'decent', the buff duration nearly doubled.

'Even the sense of smell buff now lasts more than 3 hours.'

Additionally, one more exclusive buff had been added.

Whereas before there had only been sense boost and maintenance, now there was also poison resistance maintenance.

'In summary, as the completed dish's grade rises, the buff duration increases and you even gain additional buffs.'

My competitive spirit flared up.

I'm guessing that 'decent' isn't the ultimate grade. I'll soon aim for an even higher grade with a more perfect dish.

That will increase the buff time and add extra effects, which will be directly linked to my own strength.

While picturing such a hopeful future, I couldn't help but feel more dissatisfied with the meat-and-vegetable soup.

The main buffs for meat-and-vegetable soup are 'sense of smell' and 'sense'.

While these stats are by no means bad,

they don't seem particularly suitable for duels that must be settled one-on-one.

'They might be good in situations where I need to track or infiltrate.'

Not that I'll necessarily be faced with such a situation.

While I resolved to try other Korean dishes starting tomorrow,

Schutmann—who'd emptied his bowl—spoke up.

"It wasn't just my imagination."

"What do you mean...?"

His words snapped my mind back to full alertness.

Could he be talking about my food's buffs?

"I kept thinking about your soup after I ate it. It was unbelievably delicious, but I wondered whether it was because of the cold weather, or just because I hadn't had a proper meal in a while."

Staring intently at his empty bowl, Schutmann continued.

"But it was neither. It was simply delicious food. I can't believe something I've never tried before could taste this good. No, this is easily the best dish I've had lately. I was happy the whole time I ate."

I could feel my face slowly heating up, probably turning red.

"... You flatter me."

Schutmann appreciated only the taste, not the buff effects of my food.

His heartfelt praise and my previous suspicions about him became entangled in my mind, making things complicated.

'Was it a misunderstanding after all?'

Maybe I was just being too sensitive.

After all, I've had my life on the line so often.

Maybe he really was just drawn in by the smell?

—This was almost my line of thought until Schutmann spoke again.

"That's why it's so difficult."

Suddenly, difficult? What is?

A chill crawled up from beneath my ear.

I recalled that the sense buff from the meat-and-vegetable soup was still in effect.