Having obtained a mysterious Phantasmal Beast’s egg through a trade with the Druid, I stared blankly down at my hamburger.
In one hand was the hamburger I had been eating until a moment ago, and in the other was an egg that looked like a smooth, black pebble.
“What am I supposed to do with this?”
I couldn’t think of anything. It was a completely unexpected gift.
I thought a Phantasmal Beast’s egg would sparkle or emit a warm aura, but the only thing I felt at my fingertips was a cold, hard sensation. It felt like a normal pebble with no life in it at all.
“How am I supposed to hatch this?”
Feeling at a loss, I set the hamburger down and stared intently at the egg.
‘Should I infuse it with mana?’
‘Or should I keep it warm?’
‘Is that too ordinary?’
All sorts of thoughts crossed my mind.
“Guardian, that egg can hatch if you infuse just a little bit of the owner’s mana and keep it warm.”
“When did you get here?”
“Just now.”
Aria, who had arrived with an armful of bottles containing the sap she received from the Dryads, set them down near the World Tree and flew over to me.
“More importantly, where did you get a Phantasmal Beast’s egg?”
“From a Druid, in exchange for a branch of the World Tree. Aria, do you know much about Phantasmal Beasts?”
“I don’t know everything, but when the World Tree was alive, Phantasmal Beasts used to frolic around it together. Though they’ve all left to go somewhere else now.”
“So that’s what happened.”
“Since it’s a baby Phantasmal Beast, it doesn’t need much mana. You just need to infuse a little bit periodically every morning. Other than that, if you keep it warm, it will hatch eventually.”
“I see.”
With those words, the questions that had filled my head were cleared up all at once. As soon as I heard Aria’s advice, I immediately opened a familiar online shopping app. Then, I searched for a pet heating lamp in the search bar.
“Make sure it’s not too small.”
“Hmm. The egg is bigger than I thought.”
I ordered a suitable heating lamp and a cage. A short while later, a Rocket Delivery arrived with a package attached to it. I carefully placed the egg inside the cage and turned on the heating lamp.
Only when the egg began to warm up under the faint light did I feel a bit relieved.
“Will this be enough?”
“Yes. I think that’s perfect,” she said.
Now that the egg was settled in the cage, all that was left was to wait. Only then did I pick up the hamburger and take a large bite. While I was pouring my heart into watching the egg in the cage, new news arrived.
**[The request from the Steel Blacksmith, Garnet, has been completed.]**
**[The item ‘World Tree Kitchen Knife’ has arrived at the Rocket Store.]**
“It’s here already?”
I caught the box before the Rocket Delivery could even deploy its parachute. Inside the box was a single kitchen knife. The overwhelming aura radiating from it as soon as I opened the box told me it was no ordinary knife, even before I checked the information.
[Culinary Grandmaster’s Kitchen Knife]
Grade: Epic — Masterpiece
Description: A work by the Steel Blacksmith, Garnet. A kitchen knife that combines a blade made of the rare mineral Mithril with a handle made from a sacred World Tree branch. Inspired by the World Tree branch, Garnet poured all his skill into completing this masterpiece. The blade is unbelievably sharp and hard, and the life force of the World Tree can be felt from the handle.
Possessed Effects:
Sharpness Enhancement: Can smoothly cut through tough monster muscle or thick hide as if slicing through tofu.
Vitality Sharing: While the chef holds the knife, the life energy emitted from the World Tree handle increases the chef’s health recovery speed by 20% and reduces the chef’s skill mana consumption by 5%.
Cooking Skill Correction: When cooking with this knife, the success rate of cooking skills increases by 10%, and the quality grade of the finished dish increases by one level.
‘What’s a Masterpiece?’
Then, a small system message appeared.
â–¶ Through the correction effect of the Miniature Anvil and Garnet’s outstanding craftsmanship, this has been born as a ‘Masterpiece’ grade item, possessing value beyond that of a simple weapon.
Combined with Garnet’s soul-infused craftsmanship and the effects of the Miniature Anvil, this kitchen knife had been born as a masterpiece that surpassed simple equipment, possessing abilities that truly defied imagination.
“Ah!”
I felt a sense of awe that went beyond mere admiration. To receive such a precious item without any payment… I sent a message to Garnet, filled with gratitude and a hint of guilt.
[Master Garnet, thank you so much. If there is ever anything you need, please contact me at any time.]
Garnet’s reply was as calm as before.
[Being able to work with a World Tree branch was compensation enough. Please deliver it to your companion.]
‘The more I read the description and effects, the more I’m amazed… This is truly insane.’
“Guardian, I can feel the life force of the World Tree branch in that knife! It looks truly amazing to me too!”
Aria, who was perched on my shoulder, also spoke with sparkling eyes as she looked at the kitchen knife.
“Yeah. A truly proper item has been made.”
I put the World Tree Kitchen Knife back into the box and thought about how much Lee Jun-ho would like it when he saw it.
I sent the finished World Tree Kitchen Knife to Lee Jun-ho. While Lee Jun-ho was agonizing over what to cook while waiting for my message, he saw the Rocket Delivery box in the kitchen and hurriedly opened it in surprise.
[Is this… that kitchen knife?]
Lee Jun-ho carefully took the kitchen knife out and held it in his hand, his eyes widening at its overwhelming presence.
‘It’s certainly something to be surprised by.’
I was surprised just looking at it; I couldn’t imagine how delighted the person who would actually use it would be. Without hesitation, Lee Jun-ho swung the kitchen knife toward the massive mammoth meat in front of him.
*Squelch!*
The massive, tough mammoth meat was sliced through as if it were soft tofu. Lee Jun-ho seemed to be in shock. Watching the mammoth meat—which hadn’t even been scratched no matter how much strength he used before—be cleanly dismantled with a single movement, he couldn’t close his mouth.
[What is this…?]
Lee Jun-ho even used a skill. Unlike ordinary kitchen knives, where the blade and handle would break just by using a skill, the massive mammoth meat was quickly dismantled this time.
[This is insane… If it’s this…!]
“Guardian! You know that’s all thanks to the World Tree branch, right?” Aria said boastfully.
After standing dazed for a long time, Lee Jun-ho adjusted his grip on the kitchen knife with an expression mixed with admiration and joy. He no longer hesitated and began to prepare the massive mammoth meat without restraint.
‘I wonder what kind of dish he’s planning to make?’
First, he thickly sliced the sirloin, which seemed to be the tenderest part of the mammoth meat, into massive chunks.
‘Is the first dish steak?’
After melting butter in a hot pan and sautéing garlic to bring out the aroma, he added a chunk of sirloin prepared to a size that almost filled the entire frying pan. It was likely because the customers he was providing the food to were giants.
‘Is he planning to use the bones, too?’
This time, Lee Jun-ho carved out the parts with bone and the shank, placed the bones in a massive pot, and began to boil them thoroughly. Seeing the rich broth being produced, it seemed he was preparing a stew. He added thinly sliced shank and a spicy seasoning paste to the broth, then threw in a mountain of various vegetables like mushrooms, onions, green onions, and garlic.
“Ah, so it’s a stew!”
Finally, he seasoned a massive chunk of mammoth ribs with salt, pepper, and herbs before placing it over a wood fire. While the meat cooked, his hands moved restlessly as he applied oil to ensure the juices didn’t escape.
“Aha, even a whole BBQ! He’s preparing three types.”
As Lee Jun-ho’s hands moved faster, a faint green life force flowed out from the handle of the kitchen knife and seeped into his body.
‘That’s the effect of the World Tree used as the material, isn’t it?’
Vitality began to return to Lee Jun-ho’s exhausted face, and he moved much more lightly and quickly than before. As the World Tree Kitchen Knife restored his health and reduced his skill mana consumption, Lee Jun-ho displayed his cooking skills perfectly.
I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen, continuously marveling at Lee Jun-ho’s performance as if I were watching a sports broadcast. At this rate, the giants were bound to be satisfied.
“Wait, what’s that…?”
Suddenly, I saw Lee Jun-ho using the kitchen knife in his hand to meticulously prepare the remaining scrap meat. It was quite different from how he had dismantled the massive chunks of mammoth meat.
With the last remaining portion, he created a dish in an amount that wouldn’t suit the giants. He carefully placed thinly sliced meat onto skewers, brushed them with the remaining sauce, and lightly grilled them over the fire.
He placed the finished dish on a plate and lifted it slightly toward the air.
[This is your portion, as a token of my gratitude.]
At Lee Jun-ho’s message, Aria’s eyes beside me went wide.
“Wow! Is that a dish for the Guardian? It looks really delicious!”
Aria spun around me in delight. I quietly smiled as I watched her.
***
While the giants enjoyed their feast, I took a bite of the mammoth skewers Lee Jun-ho had sent and checked the community’s reaction. The hot topic was, without a doubt, the story about the Phantasmal Beasts newly added to the Rocket Store.
[How do I buy a Phantasmal Beast?]
They say you need something called Affinity? How do you get that?
I have enough coins, but I can’t buy it because of some Affinity ã…
— No idea.
ã„´ Look for posts someone might have uploaded about it.
ã„´ Hasn’t no one succeeded yet?
[I have Affinity! Sharing how to get it]
Among the spoils you can get from Ruins-type Rifts, there are occasionally items with the ‘Tamer’ keyword, and those have the Affinity stat attached.
At first, they wouldn’t sell and I was annoyed wondering what they were for, but this is where they’re used. Nice.
— Wow, it’s finally seeing the light of day. Items with the Tamer keyword were treated like absolute trash.
— You don’t necessarily need Ruins-type Rift items; if you focus on clearing the Tower, items with the Affinity stat often drop.
ã„´ For real?
ã„´ Yeah. Spirit summoning items have Affinity too.
ã„´ Spirit summoning? Isn’t that freaking expensive?
Just as everyone was focused on how to obtain Affinity, a post from one user turned the community upside down.
[My beast already hatched!]
So freaking cute!
My Phantasmal Beast is a Great Hawk! It’s small, but it takes out goblins easily.
Our party is hunting orcs right now, and it’s great for taking one out and protecting the backline.
But there’s a quest saying I have to build a bond to make a formal contract…
What do Phantasmal Beasts like?
— Wow, insane. Take some pictures and share them.
ã„´ You know one picture isn’t enough, right?
ã„´ According to the laws of the internet, it’s at least ten pictures or nothing.
ã„´ (Author) Would a video work?
ã„´ Oh, definitely!
ã„´ (Author) I’ll organize it and make a new post.
— A Great Hawk! I hope mine hatches soon too.
— Share its stats as well! Since it’s a Great Hawk, I guess it can assist in combat.
ã„´ Have you tried employing Leon? How’s the difference?
ã„´ (Author) It’s absolutely not at the level where you can compare it to Leon. But since it grows, it feels like it’ll get there eventually.
— Wow, I’m going to get some Affinity items right now.
I finished the mammoth skewers and continued reading the community’s reactions with the empty skewer in my mouth. Meanwhile, a system message arrived, stating that the giants’ feast had ended.
**[The feast request with the Giant race has been successfully completed.]**
**[Rating: [ ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ ] 4.5 points / 5 points]**
**Review: The amount was a bit lacking. But the taste was the best.**
“I sent them the entire mammoth meat they sent, all cooked up. Except for my skewers, I gave them everything. What more do they want?”
Still, my anger melted away as soon as I checked the next system message.
**[The feast request with the Giant race has been successfully completed.]**
**[The reputation of the Rocket Store has increased.]**
**[Favorability with the Giant race has increased by Level 1.]**
**[As a reward, you have obtained a special gift from the Giant race.]**
“As they say, there’s no one in the world who dislikes a gift.”
My eyes sparkled at the unexpected special reward.
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