Chapter 39: From Hearth to Dungeon

Fortunately, I was able to arrive in the East Continent before the sun had fully set.

As I entered the house, the savory smell of rice wafted gently, as if the auntie was preparing dinner.

“Huh? It’s Fabir Brother!”

Yumini spotted me and came running over with tiny steps.

“Have you been well? Your cheeks have gotten so chubby since I last saw you. You’ve become much healthier?”

“Yes! Thanks to Brother, I’ve been doing really well!”

I stroked Yumini’s head.

“Brother, come on in. I heard you came and went last time, but I missed seeing you.”

“You’ve been well too, Eugene?”

“Oh my, Fabir’s here? Perfect timing. You haven’t eaten yet, right? Let’s eat together.”

“It’s hard to refuse mother’s cooking. Then, excuse me.”

The low table was soon filled with a full spread of food.

“Come in before it gets cold.”

“…I’ll eat well!”

I picked up my chopsticks. 

I wasn’t fully proficient with chopsticks yet, but I had gotten used to picking up side dishes.

“Each vegetable side dish is so delicious. I like East Continent food because it uses a variety of vegetables. The diet seems well-balanced with meat and vegetables.”

“I’ve been paying even more attention to the diet since Yumini got sick. Eating everything without being picky is good for health.”

“Brother, try mixing it like this and eating. It’s super delicious.”

Eugene put various vegetables in a bowl, added a spoonful of gochujang on top, drizzled a bit of sesame oil, and mixed mixed.

“This is called bibimbap; the various vegetables blend together for an amazing taste. Here, try it.”

“Then, shall I have a taste?”

I scooped a big spoonful of the well-mixed bibimbap and brought it to my mouth. 

The fragrant sesame oil harmonized well with the slight bitterness of the vegetables. 

Moreover, the gochujang seasoned it just right.

“Delicious! Vegetables alone can make such tasty food! It’s completely healthy and fresh-tasting!”

Trimming and boiling the vegetables by hand must be no easy task. 

It was a flavor full of Eugene’s mother’s care.

“I’ll eat like this too!”

I inhaled the bibimbap frantically. 

It was truly fantastic.

“That was an amazing meal! And mother, I have something for you.”

I rummaged through the bag I brought.

“This is soybean oil I extracted myself from soybeans I grew.”

“Oh my! Something this precious!”

“You always cook for me, so this is nothing.”

“I’ll enjoy it gratefully.”

Mother carefully took the soybean oil.

“Did you bring the harvested soybeans?”

“I hurried to bring them because I want to learn how to make meju.”

I took out a full load of soybeans harvested today from the bag.

“The soybeans are solid. Meju molded from these will be incredibly savory. While we’re at it, I’ll teach you tofu too.”

“Tofu? Then I’m grateful! I’ll learn diligently!”

Yumini puffed out her cheeks.

“I was going to go to the beach with Brother to catch crabs!”

“Sorry. Not today, but definitely next time.”

“Really? Next time you have to go crab catching with me? We’ll pick seaweed and clams too!”

Yumini grinned.

“Let’s take the soybeans to the kitchen. To boil them, we need to heat water in the cauldron first.”

I followed Eugene’s mother to the kitchen. She put firewood in the hearth.

“Wait a moment. Try using this.”

“What did you bring again?”

“I know from experience how hard it is to cook while inhaling spicy smoke. That’s why I really wanted to give this to mother.”

I took out a sack full of coal.

“This is pollution-free coal; it doesn’t produce smoke. Plus, the heat is high, so even a little makes the fire boil quickly.”

“Oh dear. I keep just receiving; how embarrassing.”

“Think of it as tuition and accept it comfortably.”

“Thank you. I’ll use it well.”

Instead of firewood, she put coal in the hearth and lit it.

“It really doesn’t sting the eyes at all! Amazing, amazing! The more I see you, the more you seem like a magician.”

“Mother too? I think the same every time I see mother’s cooking.”

“Hohoho, you’re good at joking too.”

“It’s not a joke. I’m serious?”

Seeing mother laugh like a girl made a warm smile spread across my face too.

“A compliment feels good. Anyway, shall we wash the soybeans while the water boils?”

We washed the soybeans and boiled them thoroughly in the cauldron.

“You have to boil them until you can easily mash them with your fingers. Now scoop them out, drain the water, and mash them.”

I put the boiled soybeans in a cloth bag.

“I’ll pound this with a mallet to mash it.”

“I’ll do that. I’m good at tasks that require strength.”

I thumped the cloth bag hard with the mallet.

Thump! Thump!

“You’re quite the strongman. At this rate, you’d win a ssireum tournament.”

“Ssireum tournament?”

“Yes, there’s a prize for winning, so go if you have time. In my eyes, you’d more than become the champion.”

I was somewhat confident in strength competitions.

Thump! Thump!

“Now take it out, shape it into bricks, and dry it on rice straw in the room. Come pick it up in a few days.”

“Is that okay? Thank you.”

We molded the meju and sat on the platform to rest for a bit.

“You worked hard making meju. Try drinking this.”

“What is it?”

A cloudy gray liquid gave off a sweet smell.

“It’s sikhye; I made it myself.”

I brought the sikhye to my mouth. 

A soft sweetness different from sugar lingered in my mouth. And I felt some solids.

“Hmm? Aren’t these rice grains?”

“Yes. Made from rice.”

“From rice? No wonder the sweetness felt familiar. You can make drinks from rice too?”

“That’s not all? You can make tteok and alcohol from rice too?”

“Tteok and alcohol?”

My eyes widened. It felt like watching alchemy, not cooking.

“I’ve felt this for a while, but East Continent food is, how should I put it… like food that captures nature.”

“Food that captures nature? That’s a nice thing to hear.”

Care can’t be omitted, but above all, fermentation is truly charming. It matures over time, receiving the essence of nature.

There’s still so much to learn.

Thump thump, my heart fluttered with excitement.

***

The next day, I moved early in the morning to deliver to the herb shop.

“Good morning!”

“Come in. Fabir.”

“Cayton is here too?”

Cayton must have stopped by the herb shop early.

“But where are you going? You’re fully armed?”

Usually he wore training gear, but this time he looked full of spirit.

“Today is dungeon day. I came to get vitality drinks before going.”

“Dungeon?”

A dungeon is an indescribable strange space. Monsters appear, space is distorted, and various bizarre things happen.

It’s an unpredictable space, so you always have to be tense.

“I’m jealous. There are many wondrous resources that only come from dungeons, right?”

“I’m too busy hunting to have leisure for gathering. If you’re curious, come with me sometime?”

“Huh? Can’t non-adventurers enter dungeons?”

“You can enter if accompanied by an adventurer. There are some who gather dungeon resources. But you have to take some risk.”

Dungeons are a treasure trove of resources proportional to the danger. I needed minerals for blacksmithing lessons, so this was perfect.

“If it’s okay, I’d like to go right now; is that alright?”

“Of course.”

“Wait a moment. I’ll quickly grab my pickaxe!”

I asked Dorori to bring the 3-reinforced pickaxe.

“I’m ready.”

“There’s one more place to stop before departing.”

Cayton took me to a nearby bakery.

“You’re buying bread for the dungeon?”

“Hunger strikes nearby while hunting.”

There are vitality drinks, but they don’t fill hunger, so ahye is needed.

“Then, let’s depart.”

I followed Cayton to a nearby beginner dungeon.

“There are a lot of people in front of the dungeon?”

The front of the dungeon was quite bustling.

Makeshift tents were spread here and there, and quite a few people were cooking and eating over hearths. 

It seemed they ate, slept, and lived in front of the dungeon.

“Are they all adventurers?”

“Not just adventurers; there are dungeon merchants among them too.”

“Dungeon merchants?”

“They sell consumables like arrows and daggers, and simple food and drinks too. The flaw is the price is somewhat expensive.”

“First time hearing this. Interesting.”

“Moreover, they buy resources from the dungeon. It’s a loss compared to selling directly in the city, but they sell considering the time to go back and forth to the city.”

“Oh! If you buy resources through direct trade here, you could get desired resources cheaply?”

Dungeon shop…. It does make my mouth water a bit.

“Are you interested in a dungeon shop?”

“A little.”

It’s still a beginner dungeon, so no big advantage, but the story changes for higher dungeons. 

No harm in gathering information early for the future.

“For reference, the food here is disgustingly bad. That’s why I deliberately buy bread. If there were convenient food, it would sell like hotcakes.”

“Good information.”

We soon headed to the dungeon entrance. The dungeon was a dark cave.

A guard at the dungeon entrance blocked us.

“Show your adventurer necklace.”

Cayton showed the guard a copper necklace proving he was an adventurer.

“The person next to you?”

“My companion. He’ll gather resources.”

“Resources?”

The guard scanned me with puzzled eyes.

“Is there a problem?”

“Ah, no. It’s just the first time for something like this.”

He looked at me as if I were very rare.

“Even if it’s a beginner dungeon, the inside is dangerous, so no reckless actions.”

He advised me, then shifted his gaze to Cayton.

“Remember that the adventurer is fully responsible for the companion’s safety. Then, good luck.”

We walked into the dungeon. The air was heavy and humid.