Chapter 285

Mari, with the flesh of the Man-eating Crab in her mouth, quietly made a sad face and held it in her mouth.

However, that act was by no means meant to savor the flavor of the Man-eating Crab.

Though she had put the Man-eating Crab in her mouth, she couldn’t even bring herself to chew it, let alone swallow it.

Rather, she felt like she wanted to immediately spit out the flesh of the Man-eating Crab.

Just the fact that the Man-eating Crab’s meat was in her mouth was already horrifying enough.

In Kurt’s past life, snow crabs were an expensive delicacy that he couldn’t afford to eat as much as he wanted, but that was only true in his past life.

In this world, just like the Sea Golem, crustaceans living in the sea were seen as nothing more than large bugs that happened to live in the ocean.

And this perception only grew stronger the further one lived from the coast. For someone like Mari, who had spent her entire life in the forest with no connection to the sea, this perception was even more firmly rooted.

Human information, knowledge, and common sense are always closely tied to information technology and mobility.

In an era where one can easily access vast amounts of information without much effort, common sense differs greatly from an era where most people spend their entire lives only in the region they were born and raised.

For example, even in Kurt’s past life, crustaceans like shrimp and crabs weren’t beloved ingredients in every country. In some parts of Central Asia, like Mongolia, where information technology was slow to develop, shrimp and crabs were still not distinguished from bugs even in modern times.

In that sense, the Man-eating Crab that Mari had put in her mouth was nothing more than a repulsive food to her.

Even a normal snow crab was larger than a human head, but the Man-eating Crab, true to its name, was large enough to threaten and overpower a person.

The “dae” in “daegae” (snow crab) doesn’t mean “big” (大), but rather refers to its long legs resembling bamboo, hence the name.

And the legs of the Man-eating Crab were indeed as thin and long as bamboo.

To her, it was no different from eating a cricket leg the size of bamboo.

But the reason she still put it in her mouth.

Despite not having the courage to chew or swallow, the sole reason she put the Man-eating Crab’s leg in her mouth was because the dish was made by Kurt.

Though it had only been a little over half a year, the kindness, cooking skills, and perhaps the camaraderie she had received from Kurt during their adventures together had eliminated the option of refusing his cooking.

If the steamed Man-eating Crab had been made by any other chef, no matter how famous, she would never have put it in her mouth, no matter how much money was offered.

For her, just putting the meat in her mouth and not immediately spitting it out was already a testament to her loyalty to Kurt.

But her courage ended there.

Though she succeeded in putting the Man-eating Crab’s leg in her mouth with her eyes tightly shut, the moment she did, the alien texture of the crab’s flesh robbed her of all courage to chew.

“Ugh, ugh…”

And so, she was left in a state of indecision, with the steamed Man-eating Crab in her mouth, unable to move.

But Mari’s stalemate didn’t last forever.

Keeping something in your mouth without moving is more taxing on the jaw than one might think.

The jaw strained from being held open.

The salivary glands continuously producing saliva.

Before she knew it, her jaw was trembling, and it felt like if she opened her mouth even slightly, saliva would immediately pour out.

Gulp.

In the end, Mari had no choice but to swallow the steamed Man-eating Crab filling her mouth.

“….”

“Mari…?”

“Are you okay…?”

Mari, having swallowed the steamed Man-eating Crab, remained silent, and Karina and Serena, concerned, cautiously asked her.

And then.

“…This is too much.”

“Huh?”

“This is too much! Kurt!”

“What do you mean…?”

“If you had told me the Man-eating Crab was this delicious, I wouldn’t have swallowed it without chewing properly!”

With that, Mari, before anyone could react, grabbed the leg of the steamed Man-eating Crab Kurt had handed her and began picking out the meat.

Mari, using a skewer with unskilled hands, diligently scraped out the meat.

Her movements were so clumsy that the meat she picked out was all mashed and broken, but since the Man-eating Crab was incomparably larger than a normal crab, even mashed and broken, the amount was by no means small.

Ignoring the state of the steamed Man-eating Crab, she diligently gathered the scraped meat onto a spoon and, without hesitation, put it all into her mouth.

“….”

“….”

In Mari’s eyes as she performed this series of actions, there was no longer the disgust of seeing the crab as a creepy bug, but only the appetite to figure out how to more easily pick out the meat from the shell to eat.

Karina and Serena, stunned by her sudden change in attitude, watched in silence.

.

.

.

The moment the steamed Man-eating Crab entered her mouth, she felt the unique flavor of the crab, a mix of saltiness and sweetness.

When she first put it in her mouth, she was too panicked and tense to properly taste it, but the second time, when she willingly put the crab in her mouth, the taste and aroma came through vividly.

Describing it as just sweet and salty doesn’t do it justice.

To describe the taste of the steamed Man-eating Crab as merely sweet and salty is a lazy expression that doesn’t consider the unique flavor only crabs can offer.

The moment the crab enters your mouth, the warm, moist broth seeping from the crab’s flesh wets your tongue, and what you feel is nothing less than the aroma of the sea.

But it’s similar to the scent of a salty coastal region, yet different.

The crab’s flesh carries a creamy aroma, unlike the rough, unrefined feel of the coast, giving a subtle impression rather than an overwhelming one.

Clearly asserting its presence while remaining subtle and not overbearing.

The crab’s aroma, a blend of seemingly incompatible concepts, is a unique charm found nowhere else.

As the crab’s aroma spreads in your mouth, the perfectly balanced temperature of the crab’s broth, neither cold nor hot, gives a melting satisfaction.

Like stepping into a warm room with a fireplace on a cold winter day, the steaming crab broth melts the chill from within.

Eating the Man-eating Crab was an act that shattered her common sense, but once she broke through that, what awaited her was nothing short of heaven.

Though she was comically struggling to pick out the crab meat, in that moment, no luxury could compare to this small paradise.

Munch.

Munch.

With her mouth full of crab meat, Mari carefully moved her jaw up and down, chewing the crab’s flesh.

Soft.

Along with it, the tenderly cooked crab flesh released its hidden broth without resistance.

But for Mari, who had started chewing the crab, the aroma of the broth quickly became a secondary priority.

After all, the crab’s broth is like an appetizer enjoyed before truly eating the crab.

The crab is ultimately the main character.

The crab’s flesh, while similar to meat, when pressed lightly, crumbles effortlessly along her jaw, offering a soft texture unlike any meat she had ever experienced.

Even eating fish wouldn’t have provided such a soft texture under chewing pressure.

Surprised by the texture of the crab’s flesh breaking apart in her mouth, Mari soon accepted it as a pleasant surprise and continued to munch on the meat.

And soon, she felt the umami that surpassed even the broth.

Though no seasoning or spices were added to enhance the flavor, the crab’s flesh itself carried sweetness, saltiness, and umami.

It was a flavor she had never experienced before, yet one she couldn’t possibly dislike.

A combination of three flavors that no human could dislike, paired with a unique texture and aroma found in no other ingredient.

All these flavors came from simply steaming the crab.

The natural flavor of the ingredient alone was diverse and complex, yet cleanly completed as one.

The taste of the steamed Man-eating Crab was complete with just the ingredient’s flavor.

Thus, upon tasting the irresistible flavor of the Man-eating Crab for the first time, Mari couldn’t stop her hands and mouth…

“Kurt! This shell is too hard! Can you split it for me?”

“You should be able to… No, this thing’s shell is actually used as armor for monsters.”

Having eaten half of the crab leg Kurt had given her, Mari actively asked Kurt to split the shell in half, and though he shook his head, he cleanly cut the leg in half and handed it back to her.

“Thank you! I’ll enjoy it!”

With the Man-eating Crab’s leg split in half, Mari excitedly began picking out the crab meat again.

With its firm aroma, it was delicious, and because it was subtly felt, it never became tiresome.

As a result, she couldn’t stop eating the crab until she was completely full.

That is the magic the crab holds.

And so, the Man-eating Crab, which once dyed the seas near Leila with blood and terrorized countless citizens, ended up in the mouths of those it had threatened.