Chapter 4

Hahap

Nom nom

Gulp

The first thing felt when putting Basilisk meat into the mouth.

It was a violence of flavor.

If the usual deliciousness he had experienced so far was a Goblin’s punch, then ‘this’ was an Ogre’s full-powered swing.

No, not even an Ogre. It was a united front of Basilisk and Predatory Water pushing forward.

‘Is, is this Basilisk meat?’

The outside had been sufficiently tenderized, so there was no toughness, but the inside, not fully tenderized, boasted a heavy weight, clearly asserting its presence.

It’s said that snake meat tastes similar to chicken, but whether this flavor comes from snake meat in general or specifically from Basilisk meat, he couldn’t tell. But he swore it had an overwhelming flavor surpassing any chicken he had ever eaten.

‘Not just that. This sweet and sour sauce. Is this the taste of Predatory Water?’

The fruit borne from Predatory Water, which had lured countless animals and monsters as prey.

Ironically, the fruit harvested from countless lives is now harvested by humans and eaten by them.

Is it the energy of countless lives concentrated within?

Or is it the condensed life of Predatory Water?

The intense acidity touches the tongue, exploding the salivary glands, while the subtle sweetness unique to fruits erases the feeling of being too sour, stimulating the appetite.

At the same time, as the Predatory Water sauce enters the mouth, it makes him realize that the Basilisk steak, which he had thought was incredibly delicious, actually had a heavy taste.

But realizing the heavy taste isn’t unpleasant; it’s a refreshing refreshment washed down by the fruit sauce.

Like realizing your body was dirty only after taking a cool shower, feeling refreshed and clean.

Even though the meat in his mouth was all chewed and swallowed, Theo stood still for a while, savoring the aftertaste.

The violence of that flavor made him almost sad that all the food in his mouth was gone.

But suddenly coming to his senses, he realizes that what he ate was just a piece of Basilisk steak.

The fact that he could feel that pleasure several more times made Theo smile broadly and pick up the knife again.

So Theo kept cutting the meat with the knife, spearing it with a fork, and putting it in his mouth.

Continuing to put meat in his mouth, he suddenly felt his throat getting dry from eating only meat.

Unconsciously reaching for the water glass, he realizes there’s another plate on his table he hasn’t touched yet.

‘Mysterious meat stew.’

Clearly, that meat stew looks delicious.

No, considering it’s food from the Lizardman in front of him, who has absurdly good cooking skills, it must be delicious.

‘But…….’

If he eats a mediocre stew, wouldn’t the aftertaste of the Basilisk steak disappear?

Wouldn’t he be dragged back down to the human world from this heavenly taste?

The Basilisk steak Theo ate was shockingly delicious enough to make him think that.

But despite that, Theo unconsciously moves the spoon to the rabbit meat stew.

‘But what if this stew is as delicious as that steak…….’

Gulp.

His hand, filled with anticipation, could no longer stop even if he tried.

And the spoon scoops up a generous portion of meat and puts it in his mouth.

Slurp.

It’s another violence of flavor.

While distracted by the two powerhouses, Basilisk and Predatory Water, a sneak attack from the One-Horned Rabbit.

It was the delightful rebellion of the One-Horned Rabbit, known as the weakest in the monster ecosystem.

The stew’s cooking method itself wasn’t special, but the key was the smoked One-Horned Rabbit meat.

The flavor of various spices he had never tasted before, along with the subtle aroma of wine from the oak barrel used for smoking.

Theo couldn’t help but doubt if this was the same One-Horned Rabbit meat he had occasionally eaten.

Like when the childhood friend he never thought of as a girl dressed up beautifully for a festival, making his heart race?

Of course, Theo didn’t have a childhood friend of the opposite sex, so he couldn’t know for sure, but he thought it must feel like that.

‘This is like the temptation of Predatory Water.’

Predatory Water shows its prey an extremely happy fantasy, making them die in ecstasy.

If Predatory Water showed a fantasy, it would be like this.

By the time he came to his senses, he had already forgotten his fear of the Lizardman and asked for several refills.

Because the first meal after being chased by a silver-grade monster for hours was too violent for a teenager to handle.

‘If I get used to this taste, I won’t be satisfied with ordinary food anymore…….’

.

.

.

‘Wow, you’re eating so deliciously.’

Since he had prepared plenty of Basilisk steak and One-Horned Rabbit stew from the start, a few refills didn’t matter.

Rather, it’s been a while since he shared a meal so deliciously at the same table.

After all, the Lizardman race is born with a severely lacking sense of taste, so whether the meat is roughly grilled or carefully grilled, they just say it’s delicious.

Even I didn’t think much about food before crossing the wall.

How long has it been since a human truly appreciated my cooking skills?

No, thinking about it, isn’t this the first time since I reincarnated into this world?

I thought while watching the boy, who was eating with his face in the plate, smearing sauce and stew all over his nose and cheeks.

As expected, I…….

“Phew…! I really enjoyed it!”

“Good. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“This is the most delicious food I’ve ever eaten in my life! Uh……. Ah! Come to think of it, I don’t know your name yet. I’m Theo. What’s your name, mister?”

As expected, food is the best.

The boy no longer felt fear towards me and asked without hesitation.

“My name is Kurt.”

He asks so quickly.

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.

.

After devouring the full course of Basilisk steak, Theo looked somewhat relieved.

“I originally dreamed of becoming an adventurer.”

“Yeah. A brat with blood still fresh in his head, daring to enter the Verde Jungle, must be either suicidal or aspiring to be an adventurer. Actually, there’s not much difference between the two.”

“Hahaha. Well, so I wanted to become an adventurer, but my sister opposed it. To gain her recognition, I came to this jungle to hunt a Basilisk. Actually, it’s not as big as the one you caught, but I did hunt one Basilisk.”

No wonder it was a bit big.

There was one more. Well, if it was originally living in this jungle, it wouldn’t dare attack me.

“So I was going to take the Basilisk corpse to gain my sister’s recognition……. But I decided to give up.”

So that small one was hunted by this kid.

The kid has quite some talent.

I was watching him to eat him when he got bigger…….

To be caught so easily. Is this why they say sparing leads to regret?

“Seeing you, mister, all my impatience to become an adventurer feels foolish now. So for now, I’ll train hard and aim to gain my sister’s recognition. Not by forcing recognition through dangerous acts, but by truly earning her recognition.”

“Well, thanks to you, I caught a bigger one, so let’s just forget about it…….”

“Mister. Are you listening?”

“No. I wasn’t listening at all.”

At my words, Theo slumped his shoulders as if deflated, then quickly regained his energy and said.

“Mister. I won’t forget this favor.”

“Then why not repay it right now?”

“Hahaha. I’ll put it on a tab!”

What is this, a restaurant?

With those words, Theo left the hut.

He must have a home to return to.

His sister must be waiting worriedly.

After watching Theo disappear for a while, I turned and went back into the hut.

Since I’ve eaten, I should sort out the Basilisk byproducts.

Originally, I planned to hunt the Basilisk after eating, but due to various coincidences, I hunted it before eating.

Since I’ve left it for several hours, I should sort out the byproducts before the Basilisk corpse loses its value.

And I need to finish tidying up the hut.

There’s a lot to do.