Tuna, Bluefin Tuna.
Before the Great Cataclysm, it was called the King of Fish.
There were many kinds of fish eaten raw as sashimi, but tuna held a unique status among them.
Its red flesh could easily be mistaken for meat rather than fish.
The flavor was rich and savory, possessing a distinct taste all its own.
The reason tuna’s flavor was so exceptional—
Yuseong speculated that it might come from its massive size.
In the distant seas, enormous tuna weighing several hundred kilograms were sometimes caught.
And the larger the tuna, the more concentrated and rich its flavor.
Even before the Great Cataclysm, tuna weighing over 200 kilograms traded for tens of billions of won, yet they were so scarce that people couldn’t get enough of them.
So, what about the Serpent, whose taste was said to be similar to tuna’s?
Calling it merely big would be an understatement; gigantic was the fitting descriptor for that beast, and Yuseong couldn’t shake his curiosity about just how incredible its flavor could be.
In truth, he had tasted it once before.
Though that was long before now, when Explorers had progressed to a much higher level, they had recklessly beaten down the Serpent and caught it.
At that time, he managed to get some Serpent meat that was a bit spoiled due to poison contamination and a little time passing.
He couldn’t bear to eat it raw, so he grilled it instead, and the richness of the flavor was astounding.
It tasted more like well-marbled beef than fish.
But now, after his Regression, he had caught the Serpent fresh.
After removing the parts that couldn’t be eaten, the most precious cut was separated out—this single slab of fatty belly.
A monster weighing in the hundreds of tons.
He had taken the most delicious part from the body of the king ruling over the 10th Floor.
When the covering cloth was pulled back, the appearance of the fatty belly was strikingly unique.
While Yuseong’s eyes shone with emotion, Lee Yulhui couldn’t hide her bewilderment.
“This is… food?”
Thanks to Yuseong, Yulhui now definitely understood what food truly was.
She had even looked at several old photos of food during her research.
But she’d never had the chance to see raw fish meat before it was prepared.
: What on earth is that?
: I-I know what it is. I saw it on the internet once. Isn’t that Spam?
: It’s Serpent meat. Why would Spam come up, lololol.
: There are edible parts other than Spam…
: Are you crazy, lololol.
Indeed, the Serpent’s fatty belly looked just like a pink smooth slab of wall stone.
“Wow… The visual is quite something. Hmm, it really looks delicious.”
“How can you tell if it’s good just by looking at it?”
Yuseong chuckled softly.
Saying it looked delicious was probably just something for the broadcast.
If you weren’t familiar with it, you couldn’t guess the taste just from appearance.
Yulhui smiled faintly.
“Ahaha, really? I thought it would look similar to red tuna sashimi. It’s quite different from what I imagined.”
“It is red.”
“Huh? No matter how I look at it, it’s pink.”
“If you look closely, you’ll understand.”
Yulhui brought her eyes closer at Yuseong’s words.
Kim Min Cheol zoomed in the camera as far as possible.
“Ah!”
It wasn’t pink.
Only then did Yulhui understand Yuseong’s point.
Basically, the Serpent’s flesh was red.
However, since its fat was spread like spiderwebbing, from a distance it appeared pink.
Just as marbling exists in meat, both tuna and Serpent meat have marbling.
Good marbling was said to look like frost had settled.
But the Serpent’s fatty belly was so beautiful that even that description fell short.
“It will melt in your mouth.”
The voice of Baek Yuseong from behind echoed near Yulhui.
For some reason, her mouth watered uncontrollably.
Swallowing her saliva, Yulhui opened her mouth.
“I’m, I’m really looking forward to this.”
Yuseong finally grabbed the sashimi knife.
He too was full of anticipation.
The chunk of fatty belly before him weighed about 569 grams.
First, he sliced it lengthwise into pieces suitable for sashimi.
Pressing down the upper part of the flesh with his left hand, he moved the well-sharpened sashimi knife horizontally.
Swoosh.
The knife initially met some resistance, but once the blade cut in, it sliced as smoothly as cutting pudding.
The thrilling sensation sent chills down his spine.
“The flesh is soft.”
Slicing sashimi requires consideration of several factors.
Generally, firm fish flesh is sliced thinly, while softer fish can be sliced thicker.
With elastic fish like blowfish, the slices are cut thin enough to see the pattern on the plate behind.
“A little thicker.”
But with Serpent sashimi, slicing it that thin would crush the flesh because it was so soft.
He cut thick pieces, just the right size for eating.
Thanks to the perfectly sharpened knife, it sliced gently.
Although he wasn’t a master at slicing sashimi, Yuseong was confident in his knife skills.
His strokes were precise, and each sashimi piece was cut evenly with the exact same weight.
: Wow, this guy’s a real pro at cutting people.
: What was Baek Yuseong’s weapon again?
: Yuseong’s weapon is a bull dwarf and a round shield, so this is natural.
: Must be a kitchen knife and a frying pan.
: Nah, more than that, the cutting board is what makes it.
As sharp-eyed viewers caught, the cutting board made from the Serpent’s horn was more than just a simple cutting board.
Because it was infused with Ma Power, it always emitted a faint cold aura.
It slightly contracted the soft Serpent flesh, making it more elastic.
Even when moving the sharp sashimi knife over it, no scratches appeared.
Even more impressive was its purifying ability against contamination.
For reasons unknown, blood-like residue left from slicing vanished as if absorbed into the cutting board.
“I’ll have to ask Chief Choi to prepare some sashimi separately.”
The reputation of the board he had crafted was truly excellent.
In an instant, Yuseong sliced off half of the fatty belly into sashimi.
“All done.”
Plating is also part of cooking.
There was no way he would just slap such a premium ingredient on a styrofoam plate and eat it.
Yuseong prepared an elegant wooden plate and arranged the sashimi beautifully.
“Wow, it’s so pretty.”
Yulhui exclaimed in awe.
Kim Min Cheol brought the camera close to capture the plating in detail.
“So, can we eat now?”
“Not yet.”
Yuseong stopped the others who seemed about to dive in.
He took out the fresh wasabi he had received earlier from under the table.
Wasabi releases its aroma best when freshly grated.
He grated the fresh wasabi on a shark-skin grater.
Swish, swish.
Every movement of his hands spread a refreshing scent.
Soon, a handful of fresh wasabi was ready.
“Take a bit on your chopsticks, dip it in soy sauce, and then eat it.”
Yuseong explained how to eat it.
The eager Explorer trio immediately grabbed their chopsticks and rushed forward.
“Woo ha ha! Finally!”
“I’ll eat well.”
Of course, Kang Tae-gun, Seong Jihoo, and Amanda Park all handled their chopsticks deftly.
Only Yulhui struggled with chopsticks, repeatedly dropping pieces of the tuna sashimi.
: Yulhui’s so cute!
: I want to feed her, haha.
: Ah, just eat already, don’t be so shy.
Seeing this, Yuseong stepped in.
“Give it here.”
He took Yulhui’s chopsticks and picked up a piece of sashimi himself.
He put a little wasabi on it and dipped it kindly into soy sauce.
Then he brought it to Yulhui’s lips.
“Eat.”
Yulhui smiled softly but didn’t immediately take it.
She gave a slight eye smile and then spoke.
“What?!”
: What?! What the heck?!
: Someone bring a bamboo spear!
: It’d be great if Yuseong hyung fed me like that.
The viewers were wildly reacting.
Yuseong said, exasperated,
“Eat quickly. I don’t have chopsticks.”
He was frustrated because he only had one chopstick, but Yulhui seemed to come to a realization.
Still, she didn’t care and spoke to the camera.
“Everyone, Yuseong is shy.”
“Everyone must be curious about the taste of Serpent sashimi. Then I’ll try it too.”
With that, Yulhui smiled brightly and popped a slice of fatty belly into her mouth.
Yuseong silently wiped his chopsticks with a tissue.
If it had been the usual Yulhui, she might have rolled her eyes, but not now.
After a few chews, she froze like ice.
The other three Explorers were the same.
: Why is everyone frozen?
: It’s a magical beast, maybe it’s poisoned…
: No way, lol, broadcast accident?
: Hurry up and react!
[‘Bro, feed me too’ donated 50,000 won.]
Someone couldn’t wait for the reaction and even sent a donation.
But Yulhui forgot to even proceed, completely focused on the taste of the fatty belly.
After a few more chews, the sashimi vanished from her mouth.
Beyond melting, it truly disappeared.
Thanks to the finely dispersed fat, the texture was unimaginably soft.
What proved the existence of the fatty belly was one thing.
The rich, savory flavor of the melting fat.
That alone turned Yulhui and the other three into statues.
Yulhui opened her mouth again.
“One more, please.”
“Here, I’ll find another chopstick, so pick it up yourself.”
Yulhui quickly grabbed four chopsticks from Yuseong.
For some reason, she suddenly mastered the chopstick technique she had struggled with just moments ago and picked up a slice in one go.
Dipping it lightly into soy sauce and topping it with wasabi again.
“Hmm, hmm. So savory. How can a magical beast taste like this?”
Saying this, Yulhui was once again surprised at her own words.
This was no ordinary ingredient.
It was unquestionably magical beast meat.
Even Yulhui had the impression that magical beast meat would either be poisonous or taste bad.
But of course, the bite she ate was both the first and the best delicacy of her life.
The reactions of the other three Explorers were the same.
They kept feeding themselves with chopsticks like possessed, eating the sashimi.
Because of the fat, it could have been greasy, but the fresh wasabi’s crisp flavor kept cleansing their palates.
Yulhui barely regained her composure and picked up her chopsticks to explain the taste.
“Everyone, this is really incomparable to any Energy Bar. It’s so savory… Ah, but you shouldn’t eat magical beast meat carelessly. Yuseong is a very skilled professional who prepared it well.”
: Wow, I’m really curious about the taste.
: Look at Yulhui’s expression, this isn’t acting.
: It’s a broadcast; of course she’d say it tastes good. Don’t be fooled, suckers.
: Even if Yulhui is faking it, what about the three Explorers? They look so impressed.
A debate about Serpent sashimi continued.
As some viewers pointed out, the three A-Rank Explorers were indeed amazed by the Serpent’s fatty belly.
“It’s such an incredible taste, I momentarily forgot myself.”
“I didn’t think I’d ever eat anything better than pork belly.”
“How can the Serpent taste like this…”
And at that moment—
A horn grew from its fleshy body.
“Oh!”
Kang Tae-gun gripped his glowing fist tightly.
His thick arm muscles tensed so visibly they were almost apparent to the eye.
“Of course! It’s Yuseong.”
The other three happily accepted the effect of Tammijuui.
Messages about greatly increased strength and cold resistance echoed near them.
Kim Min Cheol captured all of this on camera.
: Wow, Baek Yuseong’s ability rumors were real.
: He’s a great fighter, and if he can buff himself too, isn’t he invincible?
: Judging by their reactions, it seems the effect isn’t just temporary.
Those who had shown keen interest in the Explorers and the Abyss went wild as Yuseong’s Gift appeared.
But it wasn’t only him who received intense reactions.
The “true fans” quietly watching the broadcast cheered for the emergence of a divine figure named Yuseong, even in an age when foods called “Post-Apocalypse” were disappearing.
[‘Seoul’s Best Sushi Restaurant Owner’ donated 1,000,000 won.]
: Yuseong, you reminded me of the taste I’d forgotten… thank you.
Not only that, but overseas fans appeared as well, just as Yulhui had said.
[‘Yami-chan’ donated 170,000 yen.]
Ohtoro is insane—I want to eat it!
[‘Siddharth’ donated 300,000 rupees.]
Looks very delicious!
“Wow, wow… so many of you are donating like this. Thank you.”
Even Yulhui, who was supposed to be the host, was stunned.
: Why are foreigners watching Baek Yuseong eat sashimi? Lolololol.
: Someone translate this for me. But seriously, where is that last person from? Lol.
: They’re crazy, lolol.
Small donations kept coming in afterward.
The stream wasn’t intended to gather donations, so Yuseong and Yulhui hadn’t expected this much money.
Since Yuseong wasn’t a professional streamer, he didn’t particularly react to the donations.
“Thank you.”
He said quietly and kept picking up sashimi to eat.
: Lol, so cool.
: If it were me, I’d be dancing around and making a fuss.
: But still, shouldn’t he have shown something on the first stream after this?
Until most of the Serpent’s fatty belly was nearly finished, the chatroom’s excitement never died down.
Rumors and opinions continued flowing.
: Next, what are you going to eat? Just tell me so I can wait.
They were eagerly awaiting the next video.
A magical beast dismantling show unfamiliar to ordinary people.
Famous Explorers eating it.
The audience was hooked.
Yulhui caught their request perfectly.
“Yuseong, many viewers are curious about the next menu.”
“Next menu?”
Yuseong, patting his full stomach, raised his head contentedly.
“Yes, which magical beast will I catch and bring back next!”
“Hmm…”
Yuseong thought deeply.
The magical beasts he would encounter from now on.
As the Conquest began, he would meet and eat many magical beasts.
But if the broadcasts were to continue like this—
“I want to eat something worthy of an Apocalypse.”
In truth, Yuseong was barely holding back the power rising within him.
The Serpent’s fatty belly.
Its flavor was just one notch shy of the Apocalypse level.
He was lacking just one bit.
Next time he filmed, he wanted to catch a beast worthy of an Apocalypse.
Among the beasts that come after the Serpent, there definitely was one like that…
“There is.”
He was sure.
“The Dinosaur.”
“The dinosaur…”
It had gone extinct on Earth 65 million years ago.
But in the Abyss, it still remained.
: If it’s a dinosaur… isn’t that the one?
: Sounds about right, omg.
And the Explorers and viewers who were interested in the Abyss were thrilled at Yuseong’s words.
They had a good guess of what the next magical beast would be.