“Delicious!”
Byul absolutely loved dakgalbi. With all of Eric’s endless praise for dakgalbi, her expectations had soared.
Not wanting to disappoint her, I asked people on the street for recommendations and ended up at the most highly recommended dakgalbi restaurant among locals.
“Is it good?”
“Yeah! It’s really good! Uncle Eric, what about you?”
“It’s tasty.”
Eric said it was tasty, but honestly, his expression was just so-so. He almost looked a bit surprised, too.
‘Eric, what’s wrong?’
After sending Eric a joint broadcast request, I messaged him via chat.
I was using the streaming system for a private whisper.
― Um… I think I’ve gotten too used to Your Lordship’s cooking. I can’t seem to taste that flavor from before anymore. It’s a relief Byul eats everything well, but I couldn’t find the taste I was hoping for, haha.
(Anonymous 1): Hahaha, I knew it! I was going to secretly beg for a tribute, but guess there’s no need.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): Yeah, well. Regular dishes that aren’t even considered items can’t possibly be tasty.
(Father of Crops): Dakgalbi, that’s nothing special.
― …Don’t look down on dakgalbi! If Your Lordship makes it, it’ll be so much tastier than this! You’d finally understand what true dakgalbi is!
(Anonymous 1): But in the end, isn’t it just commoner food?
― …! Are you belittling dakgalbi? If Your Lordship makes it, you’ll fall for it, too! I guarantee it!
(Anonymous 1): Didn’t you just say yourself it was underwhelming?
(Oracle of Cheongha): It’s like you’re trying to deny that dakgalbi doesn’t suit your taste.
(The Last Blacksmith): Right, it doesn’t seem like it’s that great a dish.
Eric’s expression grew gloomier as he watched the Constellations’ teasing in the chat.
For Eric, dakgalbi must be a dish tied to precious memories.
Even if he was treated poorly, wasn’t it the first meal his former master served after pulling him out from an eternity of nothingness?
That memory, mixed with the stimulating flavor of dakgalbi, must have made it taste even better and turned it into something special.
And now that this food was being mocked, it’s no wonder he might feel down.
― If you eat the dakgalbi made by Your Lordship… your evaluation will change.
Eric kept repeating the same words.
…Is he hinting that he wants me to make proper dakgalbi for him?
‘Seems that way.’
I smiled wryly and said,
“Later, to offer the Constellations their tribute, I’ll make proper dakgalbi for you.”
At that, Eric’s expression changed instantly.
(Anonymous 1): Hmm, do you really have to? Can’t you just give us the pizza from yesterday again?
― This is food Byul is enjoying. Are you belittling that?
(Anonymous 1): Byul eats everything.
― …
As expected, the Constellations were still critical of dakgalbi. Though, it seemed like they were half-teasing Eric anyway.
‘Still, dakgalbi isn’t a bad dish.’
It’s a food some people take pride in. There are folks in Chuncheon who really love dakgalbi and even take pride in it.
The reason Eric thinks it’s bland is because I didn’t use my skill buffs or make it on The Last Blacksmith’s iron plate, but dakgalbi itself is an incredibly flavorful and delicious dish.
It’s just that Eric’s palate is marinated in those buffs, so he can’t recognize dakgalbi’s taste anymore.
Since I’m partly to blame for turning his tastes so high-end, I guess I should make proper dakgalbi for him.
(The Last Blacksmith): Do you need an iron plate?
‘It’s fine.’
I didn’t need a big iron plate.
There’s the sword Julian gave me that surpasses all limits.
If I transform it into a pan and enlarge it, it becomes an iron plate.
Perfect heat conductivity, drastically shortened cooking time—it’s a magical iron plate.
Let the Operation: Cheer-Up Eric project begin.
Ah, but before that.
“Byul, is it okay if we have dakgalbi for dinner too?”
“Yeah! I love it! It’s so good! And it’ll taste even better if you make it, Dad.”
I asked Byul for permission to serve the same dish twice in a row, but she just smiled and said it was fine. If anything, she seemed happy to have something delicious two times in a row—and even tastier this time.
“Such a good girl.”
Lately, I find it truly delightful and adorable watching a child eat well.
I patted Byul and beamed.
Meanwhile, Eric and the Constellations continued bickering.
*****
In Chuncheon, there are more dakgalbi places than fried chicken shops.
That shows just how seriously people take dakgalbi and makguksu here. Eric may have been disappointed with this dakgalbi, but this is a place that survived among many others.
I actually liked this place’s dakgalbi, and I learned quite a bit.
‘Meat quality is important, but the most important thing is the sauce.’
I always dreamed of being a chef. Making dakgalbi sauce myself wasn’t that hard.
Besides, I have buffed cooking ingredients given to me by the Father of Crops.
Honestly, just adding his golden chili and golden garlic to regular gochujang would make the ultimate sauce.
‘Is there any sugar?’
(Father of Crops): Of course. I even grow sugarcane.
‘No wonder he’s called the Father of Crops.’
After obtaining golden sugar from him, I began preparing the sauce.
[You have acquired Golden Sugar (Grade C Ingredient)!]
[Golden Sugar (Grade C Ingredient)]
– Description: A special buffed ingredient imbued with a bit of mana. Its sweetness is strong, so a small amount brings great effect.
– Effect: Perfectly balances flavors and adds extra punch. Also helps blood circulation.
[You have acquired Flame Herb (Grade C Ingredient)!]
[Flame Herb (Grade C Ingredient)]
– Description: A special buffed ingredient with fire-attribute mana.
– Effect: Its unique heat promotes sweating. Adds a subtle smoky flavor and umami, enhances taste, and is good for skin and dieting. When eaten by a fire-elemental spirit, it slightly boosts their flame energy.
Since I wanted a spicy kick, I added a bit of Flame Herb to the sugar while making the sauce.
Just a pinch of sugar in the base, the right amount of Flame Herb, and a sweet aroma wafted up.
‘This should help Sol, too, since I used Flame Herb.’
I’m looking forward to that.
The stronger the spirits get, the prouder I feel, so I hoped Sol would see meaningful results.
“Everyone, gather around.”
After finishing the sauce, I picked up the sword that surpassed all limits and went to the living room.
“Sol.”
― Yeah! Wait up, ba!
Fwoosh—!
Sol spat out fire, and the sword absorbed it completely.
Soon, the sword morphed into an iron plate, radiating increasing heat.
(The Last Blacksmith): My sword contains various orbs, so it can store spirit fire and be used as a griddle like this. Good idea and great use, Jinwoo. Glad my gift is coming in handy.
I could feel Julian grinning contentedly through his chat.
“Right? Thanks for giving me such a great item.”
I gave a short reply, then tossed in all the ingredients onto the heated pan. The cabbage, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and sauce from the Father of Crops.
And the chicken I bought from a nearby market.
Now, just stir-fry everything well, then add udon noodles and stir again, and the dakgalbi is done.
“Oh, I almost forgot something important.”
For the final touch, I used my skill: Buff Enhancement.
The food’s flavor deepened and a temporary boost to stamina stat by 1 was granted.
“Shall we eat now?”
I heaped generous portions of dakgalbi onto plates. With the Constellations’ bottomless appetites, it was actually tough to balance enough meat and veggies for everyone.
“Man, this is pretty exhausting.”
Might as well show it.
(Anonymous 1): …He’s collecting donations again. This madman.
(Oracle of Cheongha): If the descendant wants coins, we have to give them.
(Returnee of the Demon Realm): Yeah, it’s not a waste to give the neighborhood kid some pocket money.
(Father of Crops): Honestly, it’s getting tough for you, right? Keeping that big spender title isn’t easy, huh?
Once I’d gotten another round of generous support from the Constellations, I finally used my Tribute skill.
Now I had to start saving up coins from scratch again, but there was no choice. I hoped the Constellations would understand.
― Uncle! Give me some too!
― Me too!
― I want to try it too!
“Alright, wait a sec.”
I made sure not to forget the spirits and portioned out their servings as well.
“Now, let me grab some chopsticks. Byul, you eat up too. Eric, have plenty.”
“Yeah, Dad, you too!”
“Thank you, my lord. I’ll eat well!”
The spirits buried their faces in their plates and wolfed down the dakgalbi.
Eric, too, took a bite, then immediately dug in with his chopsticks, barely looking up.
“…! It’s truly delicious! This is the taste I remembered and craved, thank you, my lord!!”
He looked utterly satisfied, unable to stop eating.
I smiled proudly. With good ingredients and equipment, it really was amazing.
Eric wore a strange grin. His eyes half-closed, the corners of his mouth curled up weirdly.
Right, that was definitely the smile of someone about to tease someone else.
I realized who the target of his teasing was.
‘The Constellations.’
They’d spent so long mocking dakgalbi, but the moment they received the tribute, their chat fell silent.
At last, it was Eric’s turn for payback.
*****
Except for Oracle of Cheongha, the taciturn Liberated Swordsman, and Endless Waiting, almost all the Constellations had teased Eric.
Even Demon Realm Returnee Kang Minseok found Eric’s reactions so amusing that he occasionally joined in to poke fun.
Now, every single Constellation who had teased Eric clamped their mouths shut and stopped chatting.
“Did all the Constellations die? Heh heh.”
Full of confidence, Eric fired back, hitting them with the banter he’d received so far.
“It’s good, isn’t it? Come on, admit it. It’s good, right?”
All the weight and dignity had left Eric’s words, and now, like Anonymous 1, he was taunting the Constellations in a childlike tone.
Anonymous, watching this, clenched his fist tight.
“Damn…”
Sitting cross-legged on the blade, he clenched his fist and kept stuffing dakgalbi into his mouth with his other hand.
It was just too good. The spicy sauce whetted the appetite, the chicken tore apart tenderly in the mouth.
The sauce flavor was spot-on, while the vegetables, especially the cabbage, had that subtle sweetness, balancing everything perfectly.
And the sweet potatoes followed with an explosion of flavor, melting away instantly.
All the ingredients worked perfectly with the sweet-savory sauce. It was so good, he actually regretted teasing Eric for hours earlier.
And the same went for the other Constellations. They were all thinking the same thing as Anonymous.
“Why is everyone so quiet? Hm? Come on, just admit it’s good. If it isn’t, send that plate right back as tribute to my lord!”
Eric taunted them again.
“….”
Except for Oracle of Cheongha Habaek, Endless Waiting Ben, and the Liberated Swordsman Evan, every Constellation kept thinking the same thought.
‘It’s delicious, but… I really want to smack Eric just once.’
‘I want to kill him.’
‘That bastard is getting cocky.’
Whether he knew or not, Eric just kept eating dakgalbi and kept his mouth running at the Constellations.