Chapter 8: Claw Lizard Slayer

[Delicious Lizard Skewer]

-Upon consumption, Satiety +20, Defense +2

[Delicious Lizard Skewer]

-Upon consumption, Satiety +20, Health +5

Irim looked appetizingly at the skewers held in both hands.

He put a piece of the golden-brown skewer, with oil dripping, into his mouth and chewed.

The chewy texture gave a great mouthfeel, and at the same time, nutty and warm juices burst out.

The lizard meat had an impressive texture like a proper mix of half chicken and half frog meat.

Real had perfectly implemented it.

The chewy meat quality spewed out a subtle umami the more he chewed.

Gulp!

Irim satisfactorily swallowed a piece of meat and tore off another.

“Mmm.”

Indeed, one of the most important things in cooking is seasoning.

Salt, which adjusts this seasoning, was an indispensable ingredient in cooking.

The salt that seeped in moderately amplified the taste of the lizard skewer several times over.

Moreover, the smoky flavor contained in the meat from direct fire entered the nasal cavity with every jaw movement, giving an unparalleled sense of happiness.

Irim quickly ate up all two skewers.

[Defense has increased by 2.]

[Health has increased by 5.]

He had endured his desire to eat while making nearly 70 skewers.

He planned to eat after making all 100.

But he couldn’t hold back at all.

Now, let’s make them again.

Satisfied after eating the skewers, Irim focused on cooking again.

Thus, 98 skewers were made, and during that, two skewers had Chef’s Luck applied.

[Delicious Lizard Skewer]

-Upon consumption, Satiety +20, Attack +2

[Delicious Lizard Skewer]

-Upon consumption, Satiety +20, Health +5

Naturally, those were Irim’s share.

After quickly eating the two skewers, Irim’s stats rose again.

Now, the remaining lizard skewers were 96.

He thought about starting business, but Irim changed his mind.

Earning money right now wasn’t urgent.

First, he needed to raise his stats more.

Let’s hunt 100 more and cook them.

Irim started hunting Claw Lizards again.

Since he had plenty of food stocked, from now on, he attacked unconditionally using One-Point Thrust.

Because the secret to ranking up skills seemed to lie in using them frequently.

Currently, Irim’s maximum satiety was 120.

One-Point Thrust consumes 30 satiety per use.

So, he had to hunt by using it 4 times total and eating 6 lizard skewers.

After calculating, Irim aimed the Sturdy Horn at the death point of a passing Claw Lizard.

And cast One-Point Thrust.

“One-Point Thrust.”

Swoosh! Thud!

Krrruk!

The Claw Lizard slumped in one hit.

At that time, an unexpected luck came.

[You have hunted a Claw Lizard.]

[Obtained 1,000 won.]

[Obtained Low-Grade Defense Magic Stone.]

[Low-Grade Defense Magic Stone]

-A magic stone sometimes found in monster carcasses.

-Upon consumption, Defense +5

Oh, a magic stone!

He obtained a magic stone that drops with extremely low probability from low-level monsters.

Irim quickly consumed it, and his defense rose permanently by 5 points.

In a good mood, Irim excitedly massacred the Claw Lizards.

Only with ‘One-Point Thrust’.

***

After hunting about 60 Claw Lizards, only 6 lizard skewers remained.

Irim hunted 4 Claw Lizards in a row, and when his satiety became 0, he consumed all 6 remaining lizard skewers.

It was then.

[Achievement Unlocked!]

Achievement Obtained: Voracious Appetite

Condition: Consume the same food 100 times

Reward: Maximum Satiety +100

“Awesome.”

Irim’s gourmet activities brought luck again.

However, this achievement was unlocked by many people besides Irim.

Because consuming the same food 100 times wasn’t a difficult condition.

Now, Irim’s maximum satiety was 220.

He could use One-Point Thrust 7 times.

“Phew. I need to cook more.”

Since the stocked lizard skewers were depleted, he had to cook again.

Irim turned all 64 Claw Lizard carcasses in his inventory into lizard skewers.

Unfortunately, this time, there was no food with Chef’s Luck applied.

Regretfully, after eating four skewers, he resumed hunting.

When he had hunted about 100 Claw Lizards like that.

Finally, the message Irim wanted appeared in front of him.

[Sufficient experience has accumulated, raising the rank of ‘One-Point Thrust’ to E.]

[One-Point Thrust E, Active]

Concentrates all power at the tip of the weapon to stab the targeted spot. A skill optimized solely for thrusting, instantly increasing attack power by 25%. Consumes 40 satiety.

“Yes.”

As One-Point Thrust ranked up, instant attack power increased from 15% to 25%, and satiety consumption rose from 30 to 40.

But the system message didn’t end there.

[Achievement Unlocked!]

Achievement Obtained: Nightmare of Claw Lizards

Condition: Hunt 200 Claw Lizards

Reward: Obtain title ‘Claw Lizard Slayer!’.

[Title: Claw Lizard Slayer!]

Lore: Your body vibrates with the smell of Claw Lizard blood, and with every step you take, the screams of Claw Lizards echo. Claw Lizards feel instinctive fear from you.

Effect: All stats increase by 20% when facing Claw Lizards

[Title effects apply automatically, and all obtained title effects stack.]

[Title section has been added to the status window.]

Character: Rice

Class (CLASS): Chef

Health: 130

Attack: 23 (+45)

Defense: 22

Agility: 15 (+7)

Cooking: 42

Satiety: 127/220

Title (TITLE): Claw Lizard Slayer!

Equipment (EQUIPMENT)

Weapon: Sturdy Horn

Armor: Natural Enemy’s Shoes

Accessory: None (NONE)

Skills (SKILLS)

Passive: Death Point Vision E, Chef’s Luck E, Great Chicken’s Strength F

Active: One-Point Thrust E

A deep smile appeared on Irim’s lips as he checked the status window.

He had gained so much in Real during this one day.

Especially the title Claw Lizard Slayer would be tremendously useful when facing the Claw Lizard princess.

“Phew. Should I call it a day?”

After only grinding, already six hours had passed.

In reality, he spent more time cooking than hunting monsters.

To work tomorrow, he needed sufficient sleep, so he tried to log out to manage his condition.

But one user approached and asked Irim.

“Rice-nim. Aren’t you selling lizard meat? I’ve been waiting since earlier.”

Then, several users who seemed to be his companions swarmed over.

“What? Rice-nim is doing business?”

“Ah, I saved some money to buy food.”

Seeing the users’ reactions, he couldn’t just leave.

“Then…… I’ll sell what’s left and go.”

In the end, Irim took out Claw Lizard carcasses and the dagger from his inventory.

This is getting tiring too.

***

Today, after butchering nearly over 150 lizards, he was starting to get tired of it.

But since he said he would do business, he couldn’t stop butchering.

While thinking it would be nice if someone helped with just the butchering.

“Rice-nim!”

Raising his head at the familiar voice piercing his ears, a energetic-faced woman was standing in front.

“We meet here again! I was worried if you went further.”

She with light pink hair and ivory eyes was none other than Melina.

The user who claimed to be Irim’s fan from the beginning, having left the Starting Grassland and just arrived at the Spider Forest.

“Do you remember me?”

“Of course. Nice to see you.”

“Hehe. What are you making now?”

“I’m trying to make lizard skewers.”

“Wow. Really? Sounds delicious. How many are you making?”

“About…… forty.”

“Won’t it be tiring to do all that alone?”

“It’s not tiring, but a bit boring. Haha.”

“Then, shall I keep you company and help a bit?”

“Huh?”

“Payment is two skewers! How about it?”

“I’m fine with it…… but are you okay?”

“Of course. I’ve been wanting to eat Rice-nim’s cooking so much. Give that to me.”

Melina snatched the Claw Lizard carcass from Irim’s hand and started trimming with the dagger.

Irim watched her worriedly at first, then gradually relaxed.

It’s stable?

Not as skillful as Irim’s hand movements, but she was neatly deboning the meat.

She seemed like someone who had done some cooking.

Irim skewered the lizard meat that Melina butchered and grilled over the fire.

As the two matched their pace, the Claw Lizard carcasses in the inventory were quickly depleted.

Irim gave 2 out of 42 lizard skewers to Melina.

“Wow! I’ll enjoy!”

Melina took them, put one in her inventory, and ate one right away.

She ate so heartily and prettily that the users watching her swallow salivated.

“Rice-nim! Give me one!”

“I need two!”

When Irim was flustered by the users swarming like bees.

“Wait a minute!”

Melina stood in front of Irim and shouted.

Then, the swarming people were startled, covered their ears, and backed off.

“What, why is the voice so loud?”

“Wow, thought my eardrums would burst.”

Melina had the skill ‘Megaphone F’ obtained from hawking.

That’s why her voice was loud.

“Those who want to eat, line up in a row. The quantity for sale is limited, so first come first served for the skewers.”

At Melina’s words, the chaotic surroundings were neatly organized.

The users lined up straight in front of Irim.

“How many do you need?”

“Two.”

“Here you go.”

“Thank you!”

“How many shall I give?”

“Just one please.”

Thanks to Melina, Irim easily did the food business.

Actually, until before, with users swarming from all sides, he often got confused about who bought how many and how much he received.

But with them lining up and trading like this, it wasn’t chaotic and was good.

The 40 skewers sold out quickly.

The users who tried to buy food but missed the chance showed regret and dispersed.

“You worked hard.”

Melina clapped with a bright smiling face.

“Thanks to you, I did business comfortably. But is two skewers really enough?”

Irim felt sorry for Melina who helped wholeheartedly and asked.

Then, Melina thought for a moment and cautiously opened her mouth.

“If you really feel bad, perhaps…… can I try just one fried egg?”

“Fried egg?”

“Yes! I really like fried eggs. But I’m good at cutting and trimming ingredients, but when it comes to actually cooking them, I have no talent, so perfect half-boiled fried eggs don’t come out. I don’t know how much I wanted to eat after seeing the reviews of people who ate Rice-nim’s fried eggs on the fan cafe.”

“I see.”

By chance, there were 23 Delicious Fried Eggs in Irim’s inventory that he made in the Starting Grassland.

Irim took out two fried eggs, sprinkled salt, and handed them to Melina.

“Try them.”

She had asked with a maybe in mind, but Melina’s eyes filled with emotion as she got two Delicious Fried Eggs.

“Thank you, Rice-nim! I’ll enjoy them.”

Right after finishing her words, Melina put one fried egg whole into her mouth and chewed.

“Nom. Munch munch.”

With both cheeks puffed out, munching, it reminded of a squirrel.

As she tasted the fried egg, her eyes slowly closed.

A faint blush rose on both cheeks.

Irim’s fried egg was indeed perfect as rumored.

The softly chewy texture and the bursting flavor of the half-boiled made her think of mixing it with a bowl of warm rice, soy sauce, and sesame oil.

“Ah…… really touching. Rice-nim, I get to enjoy such luxury…… Huh? Rice-nim?”

When Melina opened her closed eyes, Irim’s figure was not in front of her.

Flustered, she looked around, but he had already logged out.