Chapter 63: Lobster Feast in the 13th Layer

In the traditional lobster with butter recipe, you’re supposed to steam the lobster first.

But this isn’t the surface, it’s inside the Abyss.

Steaming a lobster that huge is simply impossible.

To begin with, even on the surface you’d need a custom-made steamer to handle something that big.

So first, you have to cook it directly over the fire, but before that, you need to dismantle it properly.

Crack!

Yuseong pressed the Rose Knife down, stabbing it into the joint connecting the creature’s body and tail.

Without hesitation, he pulled the knife back, starting to separate the body from the tail.

Snap, crack.

The shell of this colossal crustacean, weighing nearly 120kg, was exceedingly tough.

Even with all of Yuseong’s strength, it didn’t come apart completely.

He managed to make just a small gap.

At times like this, brute strength isn’t the answer—you need a bit of technique.

“Iron Rod?”

“Yes.”

As Yuseong held out his hand, Jang Dojin handed over his weapon.

The end was slightly tapered, but it was a stretch to call it a spear—it was more like an iron rod.

Yuseong wedged the tip into the gap he’d made in the shell.

Then, using leverage, he pried it open.

Craaaack!

The lobster tail, in other words, the tail section, separated from the body.

Yuseong, a little regretful, set the body aside.

“What a waste.”

“Can’t we eat the body?”

“Normally, the best part of crustaceans is the innards, but because of the poison, we can’t eat them.”

Big Hand Lobster was a type of Monster.

With regular lobster, the yellow innards are a true delicacy, but because they’re extremely toxic, Jang Dojin couldn’t eat them.

Yuseong could have, but he didn’t feel like sampling that nauseating poison.

“Now that we’ve set aside the claws and the tail, this is all that’s left.”

“Can’t be helped.”

Out of 120kg, once you remove the inedible parts, about 40kg remains, and even from that, after subtracting the weight of the shell, the edible portion shrinks significantly.

Of course, for Yuseong and Jang Dojin, it was still more than enough to eat.

Yuseong didn’t hand the iron rod, used to pry open the shell, back to Jang Dojin just yet.

Crash!

He used the iron rod to skewer the tail and both claws.

Just like using a spit for roasting, that’s how he did it.

“Heave-ho!”

Then, he set the whole thing, iron rod and all, over the fire he’d made a moment earlier.

“Now all we have to do is make the sauce and wait patiently.”

“My weapon…”

“The iron rod is getting infused with flavor while the inside cooks. With ingredients this big, this is the best way to cook them.”

Monsters are generally much larger than surface animals, and this was a very efficient way to do a whole roast.

“That’s not the point… it’s my weapon…”

“The lobster smell might linger a bit. But come on, it smells good, right?”

Jang Dojin wore a miserable face at the fact that his precious iron rod was being used as a roasting spit.

At first, he used an axe, but Yuseong had practically forced him to make a weapon of this shape.

In the end, Jang Dojin did come to like it, but Yuseong would use Jang Dojin’s weapon as a cooking tool at every opportunity.

For a while, every time Jang Dojin swung his iron rod, a savory seafood aroma would waft off for sure.

“I’m going to make the sauce, so keep turning the rod so it doesn’t burn.”

“Y-yes…”

The garlic butter sauce he was about to make was quite simple.

He tossed a generous amount of butter, made from the milk of the famed Holstein King, into a pan.

Added a pinch of salt and the Garlic Basil he’d harvested earlier, finely chopped.

Sprinkled in some whole peppercorns, and it was done.

Now, all they had to do was wait for the tail and claws to cook through nicely.

Jang Dojin, steadily turning the iron rod, smacked his lips.

“Isn’t it just about done by now?”

“Not even close.”

“Man, the smell is unreal…”

Just as Jang Dojin said, a mouthwatering aroma filled the entire clearing.

As heat was applied, the Big Hand Lobster’s color changed again.

Its pinkish shell slowly took on a delicious, vibrant red hue.

The moisture in the flesh steamed out, and dripped onto the burning logs below.

Sssssss.

The steam rose, filling the air with even richer aroma.

“Hey, hyung.”

“What?”

“Everyone’s staring at us.”

He was right.

When Yuseong’s group first arrived, this place had been quite noisy, but now it was almost completely silent.

At first, the attention was just because the famous Explorer Rookie Baek Yuseong had appeared.

But after that, it was different.

They were amazed to see Yuseong cooking a Monster they’d never seen before.

And as it started cooking and giving off an unbelievably mouthwatering aroma, no one could take their eyes off it.

Even if these people had lived on nothing but Energy Bars, the scent of roasting seafood awakened their animal instincts.

“But why are there so many people gathered around?”

“We’ll find out after we eat.”

But Yuseong and Jang Dojin didn’t have to go around asking themselves.

Among those watching the roasting lobster with drooling mouths, there was someone Yuseong knew.

A man, his whole face wrapped in bandages, came running up.

“O-oh, isn’t that Yuseong-nim?!”

“Who…”

“It’s me, Go Byeong Jae!”

Only then did Yuseong recognize him.

He hadn’t noticed because of the bandages, but this was Go Byeong Jae, with whom he’d explored the Pharma da Camellia Colony.

“It’s been ages, haha. We had to turn back because the path was blocked, and then I smelled that savory aroma. I thought maybe it was you, Yuseong-nim, so I rushed right over.”

Though he was injured and had just turned back from a blocked path, his expression looked bright.

“Thanks to you, our Guild is now officially registered as a Guild corporation. Now we can live out in the open with our heads held high!”

Following Go Byeong Jae, several burly, short-haired men approached.

“These guys are the new recruits who joined our Guild this time. Introduce yourselves, you guys. He’s our benefactor.”

Even dressed in suits, the men couldn’t hide their gangsterish air.

As if rehearsed, they all bent deeply at the waist.

“Pleased to meet you, boss!”

“Who are you calling boss?”

Yuseong was practically speechless at their antics.

“I thought you said you quit the gang life.”

“Haha, we’ve quit the gangster stuff for good. But we couldn’t give up the path of chivalry, could we?”

“And what’s the difference between chivalry and being a thug?”

“Ha ha! They’re completely different, of course!”

Go Byeong Jae went on to explain how they’d changed, and how their circumstances had improved.

Yuseong only half-listened, turning his attention back to the roasting lobster.

The tail needed a bit more time, but the claws were perfectly cooked.

Yuseong took one of the claws for himself and handed the other to Jang Dojin.

With steam rising and the shell too hot to touch, they couldn’t open it by hand.

He placed the claw on the cutting board and gripped the Rose Knife in reverse.

Then, using the handle, he struck the claw hard.

“Our Guild leader is now basically at the Frontline…”

Crack!

Go Byeong Jae stopped talking in surprise.

Yuseong waved his hand, gesturing for him to continue.

“Haha, it looks delicious. Anyway, so at the Frontline…”

Whether he was listening or not, Yuseong split open the cracked shell with the blade of the Rose Knife.

Hot steam billowed out.

“It’s perfectly done.”

For crustaceans with thick shells, especially giants like the Big Hand Lobster, it’s hard to cook them just right.

Undercooked, and it’s raw inside. Overcooked, and all the moisture is gone and the meat turns tough and crumbly.

But upon splitting it open, you could see with your own eyes how moist and well-cooked it was.

“Those Frontline Guild guys are no joke, but we…”

Even Go Byeong Jae, who’d been cheerfully chatting, swallowed his saliva.

The rich, briny aroma of the sea mixed with the scent of the burning logs, making their mouths water.

He’d eaten Yuseong’s cooking before.

And once your appetite is awakened, it’s hard to go back.

Even though they’d been living on Energy Bars, his craving for real food had been building deep inside.

Yuseong cut out a chunk of claw meat with his knife.

On the lobster, the claw has the most resilient, bouncy meat.

Yuseong stabbed a generous chunk with the tip of the knife.

“So hot…”

The steaming lobster meat looked beautiful.

He dipped it into the butter sauce he’d made himself.

Letting the yellow butter seep into every crevice of the meat.

Go Byeong Jae, watching the sauce drip, gulped.

“Cough, so, anyway… chuurrup…”

The overwhelming aroma of butter left him speechless.

Yuseong put the chunk of meat into his mouth.

Munch.

Lobster meat is quite different in texture from crab or shrimp, even though they’re all crustaceans.

Definitely firmer than crab, and slightly different from shrimp, too.

Normally, a lobster this huge would probably be tough, but Big Hand Lobster was different.

As you chewed, the meat unraveled in your mouth—at once elastic and tender, a uniquely perfect texture.

He didn’t know why, but the rarer the Monster, the better it tasted.

“Whew, mmm.”

The warmth and rich butter aroma tickled his nose.

Sprinkling it with Garlic Basil was a stroke of genius.

The flavors, which might have grown cloying, were brightened by the herbs.

“Sluuurp… So, the reason we couldn’t move forward was because of the Toin gang up ahead. They messed up my face, too.”

“Toin…?”

For the first time, Yuseong reacted while eating.

“Yes! They’re usually not that aggressive, but suddenly things got noisy. They attacked on sight, and all the other Explorers here probably had to turn back because of them, too.”

“They’re usually a gentle species, though.”

The 13th Layer is a fairly significant level in the Abyss.

If the 8th Level is where you first encounter Sanctuary Statues that can communicate, the 13th Layer is the first place where you meet not Monsters, but intelligent lifeforms.

The Toin, also known as Gnomes, inhabit the 13th to 15th Layers.

They’re not that smart and only come up to about waist-height.

They have their own language and live in primitive tribes.

You don’t get Masok by killing them, which definitely makes them different from Monsters.

There aren’t yet any established Kingdom Law protocols for dealing with such intelligent species, so Explorers tend not to mess with them.

“The problem is, you can’t communicate with them. It’s such a hassle to try to push through.”

It wasn’t out of respect for Toin rights or anything noble.

“If you get hit by a Thorny Vine, unless you’re a serious physical reinforcement type, you’ll drop on the spot.”

“I see.”

It was just that tangling with them put Explorers in danger.

Of course, to Yuseong, they weren’t threatening at all.

Yuseong grabbed another chunk of claw meat and dipped it into the sauce.

Go Byeong Jae and his men’s eyes followed Yuseong’s fingers intently.

A faint light radiated from Yuseong’s body.

Yuseong’s Gift, Tammijuui, was once again enhancing his ability, just as the rumors said.

“I was actually planning to meet them anyway.”

“You’re going to meet the Toin?”

“Yeah.”

Yuseong had already planned to meet the Toin here.

Normally, they lived deep in the woods among themselves, but for some reason, they were angry and roaming the forest.

No need to search for them now.

Yuseong glanced back and forth between the lobster and Go Byeong Jae’s group, all of whom were watching him hungrily, and began to calculate.

“You said they were angry, right?”

He didn’t know why, but the Toin were enraged.

And, as far as Yuseong knew, their anger could usually be soothed in a simple way.

“You called me your benefactor, right?”

“…Yes, of course.”

“Help me out, would you? I’ll share some lobster with you.”

“Come on, you don’t need to give us anything for us to help you, of course we will, haha!”

Even as Go Byeong Jae said that, he couldn’t hide the saliva in his mouth.

“Still, if you share, I, Go Byeong Jae, will never forget your kindness.”

“We won’t forget either, boss!”

Go Byeong Jae’s men also bowed deeply at the waist.

At this point, Yuseong’s food was practically a panacea.

“Dojin, keep roasting the head and body. I’m taking these guys with me for a bit.”

Yuseong gave those instructions to Jang Dojin and stood up.

“Well then, let’s all go do some work.”

Go Byeong Jae and his four subordinates broke into wide grins.

Meanwhile, envy filled the faces of the other Explorers who’d been watching Yuseong.

“So, what kind of work are you going to have us do?”

“Nothing much, just catch a few Monsters for me.”

“Well, we’re pretty good at hunting, aren’t we?”

But it didn’t take long before their faces turned grim.

Ten minutes later, Go Byeong Jae and his men started regretting agreeing to Yuseong’s request.

***

A nearly shaved head and almost nonexistent eyebrows.

As one of the new Red Eye Guild Members under Go Byeong Jae’s training, up until an hour ago, this man had been glaring with a fierce look.

“H-ho-hot, mom, mom…”

Now, he was clinging to a blanket that Jang Dojin draped over him, calling for his mother.

His state was particularly bad, but the other Red Eye Guild Members weren’t much better.

Even Go Byeong Jae, who was in the best shape, looked pale.

“I’m… so cold…”

Despite the sweltering weather, Go Byeong Jae said that.

It wasn’t actually because it was cold.

It was because all his blood had been sucked out.

“Ugh!”

Jang Dojin gagged as he looked into a bucket nearby.

It was filled with Punishing Insects.

Bloated, they must have just gorged on the Red Eye Guild Members’ blood.

The task Yuseong had given them.

At first, he’d only told them to catch leeches in the Dungeon.

It sounded a little gross, but simple enough, so they’d rushed in, not realizing their mistake.

Even after going into the Dungeon, the leeches were nowhere to be seen, and when they asked how to catch them, Yuseong had simply said:

“Just wait, and they’ll come right to you.”

Sure enough, not long after, the leeches swarmed in.

Latching onto the Red Eye Guild Members’ bodies and sucking their blood.

Yuseong calmly picked the leeches off the big Red Eye men’s bodies as they thrashed and screamed.

Yuseong’s sly smile was enough to make even the battle-hardened Go Byeong Jae shudder.

Until now, the only people he’d been afraid of were his Guild leader and Cheon Young-hoon, but today Yuseong claimed the top spot.

Even more shocking was when Yuseong shared some of the Big Hand Lobster tail with them.

Mysteriously, all the wounds on their bodies healed up.

Not only that, but a message appeared saying their strength had increased slightly, permanently.

It was every bit as delicious and effective as the legends had said.

Unfortunately…

Honestly, even if they had to get bitten by leeches again, they’d want to eat that food again.

Go Byeong Jae shook his head and spoke to Yuseong.

“So, Yuseong-nim, how are we supposed to drive away the Toin with this?”

He’d filled a whole bucket with writhing leeches.

Go Byeong Jae thought Yuseong would use this to scare off the Toin.

But would those savages, little different from Monsters, really run away from leeches?

However, Yuseong’s response was unexpected.

“Why would we drive them away?”

“…Excuse me?”

“We went to the trouble of collecting these leeches. We should use them to negotiate.”

“Neg-negotiate?”

Go Byeong Jae realized he’d made a big mistake.

Yuseong had never planned to antagonize the Toin at all.

“W-wait… don’t do it!”

Go Byeong Jae suddenly stopped him.

What Yuseong suggested was absolutely absurd by any normal standard.

He’d assumed they’d be fighting the Toin, and with Yuseong on their side, he’d thought it would be fine.

But negotiation with the Toin was impossible.

Above all,

“How can you negotiate when you can’t even talk to them?!”

You have to at least be able to exchange greetings to negotiate, right?

Just then—

From the previously quiet woods, there was a rustling sound.

“Damn, everyone, get ready to fight!”

Go Byeong Jae shouted urgently.

The rustling wasn’t coming from just one direction.

It came from all around.

In other words, they were already surrounded.

Crunch, crunch!

Parting the underbrush, dozens—no, scores—of Toin appeared.

Small, brown-furred beings.

With faces like rats, all holding blowpipes loaded with poison darts.

They aimed their weapons, and the one who looked like their leader barked an order.

“Blongko Machim!”

“Shit, we’re screwed.”

Just as Go Byeong Jae reached for his sword—

Yuseong gently pressed down Go Byeong Jae’s hand.

And stepped forward.

All eyes—Red Eye and Toin alike—were on Yuseong.

He opened his mouth.

“North River Matsugwang.”

The Toin chieftain hurriedly lowered his blowpipe, and a chilly silence fell.

North River Matsugwang—in Toin language, it meant: “Nice to meet you.”