Chapter 33 : Blessed Milk

The vast grassland.

And a Holstein King leisurely grazing.

Before the Great Cataclysm, most cattle raised for beef were confined to cramped barns.

On the other hand, the Holstein King, living freely on such a wide and peaceful pasture within the Abyss, might be considered fortunate.

Before coming to the grassland, Yuseong had brought some horsetail grass.

Like other monsters in the Abyss, Abyss plants were often similar to those found on the surface.

Just because cows are herbivores doesn’t mean they eat all kinds of grass.

Among them, there were certain grasses that cows especially favored.

Perhaps, to the cows, this grass felt like a special treat—something like ice cream or candy.

“Eat slowly.”

“Mmmmoo.”

The Holstein King enjoyed the horsetail grass held in Yuseong’s hand.

Seeing the happiness on its face, Yuseong’s guess might have been correct.

“Your name is now Dotty Jr.”

Dotty, who had played with him back on the island.

If it weren’t for the memories shared with that calf, he might never have been able to tame the Holstein King so gently.

The Blessing of the Sun Sanctuary was infused in Yuseong’s hand as he stroked Dotty Jr.’s head.

It was a privilege granted to those who had received the Priest’s Blessing.

Limited to the Eighth Layer, it reduced the aggression of monsters while emitting a warm glow from the hand.

Combined with skill in handling cattle, it was enough for the Holstein King to drop its guard.

“Wow, it’s already filling up the whole container.”

Jang Dojin filled the stainless steel milk can with milk.

He hoisted the heavy can onto his back with ease.

“Good job, Dotty.”

Ordinary people wouldn’t realize it, but a single dairy cow could produce an enormous amount of milk.

Since a cow produces about 40 liters a day, imagine how much the Holstein King, roughly the size of a truck, could produce.

Filling a 60-liter container was no big deal.

“Let’s come again tomorrow.”

“Again? This much milk is more than enough for the two of us.”

“We have different plans.”

When Yuseong said that, Jang Dojin didn’t argue any further.

He left the grassland with a heart as full as the milk can.

“…This can’t be real.”

The bewilderment belonged to the group of explorers who had been watching.

Even so, it was still a monster.

“More importantly, you went that close and didn’t even try to catch it—just milked it and left?”

The middle-aged explorer who had advised Yuseong understood him, but the younger explorers did not.

They didn’t know how, but Yuseong had approached the Holstein King without triggering its alertness and then left calmly.

For explorers who prioritized monster essence above all, this was difficult to comprehend.

“Damn it, I want to try that too.”

At that moment, a young explorer in charge of the Pioneer Party’s tanker stepped forward.

“Hey! You’ll get killed if you do that.”

The middle-aged explorer scolded him, but the youth had already headed out boldly with his party.

“Well, I’m wearing a tanker suit, so I shouldn’t die.”

“And if I succeed, it’ll be huge.”

His comrades encouraged him, but the middle-aged explorer sighed as if convinced it would never happen.

Sure enough, the young man roughly picked some grass and tried to imitate Yuseong—but it didn’t work at all.

“Ow, friend… ah, ahh! Gyaaak!”

He was knocked away, slammed by the enraged Holstein King’s head.

Thud!

He was lucky to survive.

The middle-aged explorer clicked his tongue, as if he had expected this outcome.

“You think anyone can do what that guy did?”

What Yuseong showed was something only possible after years of sharing hardship and joy with a cow.

However, no one knew how a young man like Yuseong had gained such experience.

“I thought my Abuji had come back to life. Heh…”

The middle-aged man, once a ranch owner himself, was reminded of his father when he looked at Yuseong.

Yuseong’s comrades hurried off to rescue the fallen youth.

The Holstein King, regardless, resumed grazing peacefully.

***

The milk Yuseong and Jang Dojin had collected was 60 liters.

First, Yuseong set aside a few bottles to chill.

Before fully starting cheese production, Yuseong held a tasting session for the milk.

Jang Dojin wore a confused expression at the milk’s appearance.

For someone who had mostly drunk clear water, this opaque white liquid was unfamiliar.

“The smell is definitely cow, but the texture looks just like white paint.”

“Are you serious? Paint?”

When Yuseong flared up, Jang Dojin sheepishly brought the milk closer.

Then, his surprise became evident.

“Wow, it smells rich. And it’s sweet too.”

The taste far exceeded expectations.

Unlike the Pilapple Ade Yuseong had made before, this milk was rich and sweet.

Yuseong took a sip.

Having been kept cold in a cooler box, it was perfectly chilled.

The rich aroma and the silky texture that wrapped around the tongue.

Fresh milk just taken from a cow was this flavorful.

Most of all, a subtle sweetness lingered, leaving a pleasant aftertaste.

“We can make good cheese with this.”

The Holstein King’s milk held a deep meaning for Yuseong.

Before his reincarnation, as a rookie explorer, he often suffered from stomachaches, but after securing this milk, he could at least maintain proper nutrition.

“How hot is it heating?”

“Still 23 degrees.”

Most of the milk, which hadn’t been separated, was being heated.

Since it was 60 liters, heating took quite some time.

“Give me the bottle with the Pilapple juice.”

“Yes.”

Yuseong added Pilapple juice to the warmed milk—a process to coagulate the protein.

Usually, vinegar or lemon juice was used, but Pilapple was also effective.

Yuseong stirred the milk gently, waiting for the temperature to rise.

Jang Dojin checked the thermometer and signaled to Yuseong.

“Eh, it’s reached 29 degrees.”

“Then turn off the heat.”

“But don’t you have to heat it to 32 degrees?”

“The residual heat will raise it to 32.”

“Ah, I see.”

Tonight’s menu was pizza bread.

Naturally, mozzarella cheese was the perfect choice for pizza cheese.

“Rennet.”

“This is it, right?”

The cheese-making process used a special ingredient unknown to most—an enzyme extracted from a cow’s stomach called ‘rennet.’

Adding just a small amount caused the effect to be dramatic in no time.

“Oh, it’s starting to clump!”

“Looks just like soft tofu.”

“I don’t really know what soft tofu is, but it’s fascinating.”

The milk’s proteins coagulated, forming soft lumps.

It looked just like soft tofu.

As the protein coagulated, moisture separated.

The yellowish liquid formed was called whey, which was strained out with cheesecloth and a pot.

“Pour carefully.”

“Yes.”

Yuseong held the cheesecloth while Jang Dojin slowly poured the mixture into the pot.

They squeezed the cloth tightly to remove as much moisture as possible.

The clumped mass looked like wet dough.

This still lacked elasticity and flavor and was called curd.

They chopped the curd finely and repeated squeezing moisture with cheesecloth.

“…Huh? That’s all that’s left?”

Even though they started with 60 liters of milk, after removing all the whey, the volume had drastically decreased.

“You can consider that 90% of the milk’s weight disappears.”

Since they used 60 liters, the remaining cheese was roughly 6 kilograms.

It still lacked elasticity and had a crumbly texture like ricotta cheese.

To add elasticity and gloss, they briefly placed it in hot saltwater.

Once the curd softened, they stretched it like pulling noodles.

The stretching cheese gave a satisfying sensation that stimulated human instincts.

“Wow, it’s just like slime.”

“That stretchy feeling is the core of mozzarella cheese.”

Exactly.

This process of stretching the curd repeatedly was called stretching.

The more they stretched, the glossier the curd became.

This was how mozzarella cheese was completed.

It was hard work, but rewarding.

“But compared to the milk, the amount has really decreased. It still feels like a lot for us to eat though.”

“…Well, it’s true.”

Even after a 90% reduction, 6 kilograms was no small amount.

“Hey! Just pile it on when you eat!”

If you have lots of cheese, just eat more.

Yuseong cut enough cheese for the pizza bread and stored the rest in the cooler box.

“How do you make that pizza bread?”

“Once you have the cheese ready, it’s simple.”

Unlike real pizza, making pizza bread was very easy.

“Press this loaf of bread.”

“Just like that, whole?”

“Yeah.”

First, the thawed bread.

Pressing it made the texture and elasticity better than just using it as is.

Originally, it was a hassle to put it on a cutting board and press with a rolling pin.

“Whoa!”

Crack!

Thanks to Jang Dojin’s handy press, squashing the whole loaf was simple.

After pressing, they sliced the bread thinly and spread tomato paste.

They sprinkled finely chopped green onions and layered sliced salami on top.

Pepperoni was ideal, but salami was a decent substitute.

“Now, mozzarella cheese.”

They piled mozzarella cheese thick enough to cover all the ingredients.

They put the pizza bread into a pan lightly greased with oil and covered it with a lid.

After about three minutes on low heat, it was ready.

When the lid opened, a savory aroma wafted out along with the sight of the pizza bread.

“Woah!”

Jang Dojin was amazed.

Because they had used so much cheese, it was dripping and oozing out.

“Let’s eat well.”

“Alright.”

Yuseong and Jang Dojin each took a piece of pizza bread.

As the cheese threatened to spill, Yuseong quickly bit into his piece.

“Mm.”

Yuseong thought the essence of pizza was the rich cheese.

As a child on the island, when making pizza, he always preferred pepperoni or cheese pizza over one with many toppings.

This pizza bread he made now was true to that essence.

The rich, slightly tangy mozzarella cheese filled his mouth.

Freshly made, the hot cheese stretched deeply.

Well-made mozzarella was more chewy than sticky.

Made from the purest milk, its richness went without saying.

The large amount of cheese might have been excessive, but that was balanced by the tomato sauce and green onion.

The tangy flavor stimulated appetite, and the refreshing aroma lingered endlessly.

The slightly salty salami finished off the taste perfectly.

It was a flavor earned through the effort of producing milk and making cheese by hand.

[Effort-born Luxury!]

[Stamina has slightly increased.]

[Stamina increase has exceeded the designated Threshold.]

At that moment, a message appeared announcing the effect of Tammijuui.

[You have gained a strong heart that never tires even when running.]

[Privilege ‘Copper Heart’ has been granted.]

[All resistances have slightly increased.]

So far, thanks to Tammijuui, Yuseong had steadily experienced several ability boosts.

Especially stamina, and this time he fully reaped the benefits.

Explorers accumulate achievements and receive privileges to raise their stats accordingly.

Whether stamina, resistance, or magical power, once certain stats rise enough, they cross a ‘Threshold.’

Every time an explorer surpasses that Threshold, they grow significantly stronger.

The deeper the explorer’s experience, the stronger they become—thanks to this.

“If it’s like this, I think we can smoothly reach the Seventh Layer.”

With an untiring strong heart, Yuseong felt his vitality increasing.

The arduous climb of the Seventh Layer that had almost worn him out was now something he could manage.

“Dojin, turn up the heat.”

“Yes!”

Yuseong turned the entire loaf of bread into pizza bread.

Having tasted one slice, he felt the desire to eat more without end.

“Today, we eat well and die.”

For now, they focused solely on pizza bread.

Other distracting thoughts could wait until tomorrow.