Surviving on the Northern Front with Gukbap

Chapter 109 : To Become 4th-rank (4)

To Become 4th-rank (4)

Most winters in the North were awful, but there was one good thing.

'We didn't need a refrigerator.'

That's why we could eat the Ice Bear I caught on the way back from Grey Fortress for so long.

But it was April now.

It was just as cold as winter after sunset,

But during the day, it got ambiguously warm.

In other words, if I was unlucky, the meat could spoil.

To make matters worse, this special variant was much larger than the Ice Bear I caught yesterday.

There was enough meat left even after cooking bear stew for the entire squad.

Of course, there was a way to store it all without wasting any.

'Good thing I learned various things from Flaco.'

After Flaco opened up to me, he taught me lots of things.

Everything from how to butcher northern beasts and wild animals like Ice Bear,

To various preservation methods, like smoking and salting the meat.

So, I told my squad,

"Stop what you're doing and work with the meat first. Get over here, quick!"

"Yes!!"

I started by skinning the bear.

Then, the three members of the squad began carving out the meat and moving it to the prep table,

And I noticed the utility knife in Ruth's hand.

'Ah, right. I took the Blood Iron kitchen knife for the hunt.'

Feeling a bit sorry for Ruth, I tossed the Blood Iron kitchen knife to Zaiya and said,

"Zaiya, give whatever you're holding to Ruth."

Zaiya, understanding, tossed the kitchen knife she was using to Ruth and took my knife instead, but—

"Boss, I'd like to try it too, just once."

Ricky said shyly.

Although Zaiya shot a sharp gaze at Ricky,

I was moved, wondering when that foul mouth had become so obedient.

"Switch with her, Zaiya."

"... All right."

Ricky, now holding the Blood Iron kitchen knife, looked at it in awe, admiring the blade.

"Boss, this isn't ordinary! What's its name?"

At Ricky's question, I remembered the name of the Blood Iron kitchen knife, which I had forgotten.

"Black Vein."

Right, it did have a name, but I was too pragmatic to care about romance and had completely forgotten it.

I promised myself I'd start using its name more in the future, and I took out Nash from my chest pocket.

"Let's focus and get this done. If we finish well, I'll even make a special meal."

I could tell from Ruth's reaction that she was thinking of demonic lizard beast meat.

"A special meal? Is it just for our squad?"

How could someone so slow with their hands be the fastest when it came to this kind of thing?

Well, as long as they did their work, I didn't care.

"Work properly first. Anyone who slacks off won't get any."

The speed of our work picked up right away.

I couldn't lose to my subordinates, so I focused just as hard.

I was holding Nash, not a kitchen knife.

Buuuk, buuuk. Seok, Seok.

After cooking with a short sword for a few days, I had gotten a bit used to it, and I didn't fall behind the others' pace.

For reference, I'd tried a few experiments with Nash while moving to our base.

Unfortunately, they all failed.

Since I'd used it several times in cooking, I wondered if the kitchen knife feat for swordsmanship would apply, but it didn't.

Just in case, I tried wielding Nash in my left hand and Blood Iron's kitchen knife in my right, but that also failed.

Vice versa, too.

So I concluded,

'My previous deduction must have been correct.'

As I'd suspected, whether it counted as a kitchen knife would depend on the "creator's intention."

'Damn. Guess it's the Gerald ending after all.'

Unless I could get a rare metal like Blood Iron, I'd have to commission Gerald to make it.

It was disappointing and even a bit miserable, but that was for later.

Taking care of Schutmann came first,

And before that—

'A meal is more urgent.'

I cleared my mind and focused on the task,

And managed to debone the meat sooner than expected.

A mountain of vivid crimson meat piled up beautifully on the prep table.

'It seems like even more when you look at it like this.'

Ruth wiped the sweat off her forehead with satisfaction, but we weren't done yet.

"Salt this portion, start smoking that one. Clean and store all the bones as well."

I gave out orders, and Zaiya divided up the tasks and got the others moving right away.

Now it was time for me to—

'Make bear stew, seriously.'

I'd been cooking for days,

But this time excitement filled me again, driven by my cook's instinct.

Because—

'It's my first time cooking with a special variant Ice Bear.'

Every chef is always excited by new ingredients.

Strictly speaking, it was still Ice Bear,

'But the grade is different, completely different!'

Even with regular beef, the grade changes a chef's motivation,

'If my hunch is correct, this will almost certainly be different!'

In Belkhazium, monsters were clearly categorized,

And the system judged meat quality accordingly.

'Wild boar, in the beast category, was the lowest rank, and Ice Bear in the wild animal category was lower-intermediate rank.'

So the taste was noticeably different.

Wild boar had a strong gamey odor.

You had to prepare it meticulously and use lots of garlic to counter the smell.

But lower-intermediate grade Ice Bear did not have that problem.

'Amazingly, it had almost zero gamey odor.'

This confirmed another link with the game for me.

In the game, eating meat from strong monsters lowered your stress level even further.

'The leader—not leader, but the special variant's meat reduced stress even more.'

On the other hand, eating monster meat built up stress... Wait.

'If that's the case, did demonic lizard beast meat rank higher than Ice Bear?'

Thinking back, I realized I'd overlooked that question, focused as I was on comparing monster meat.

But my worries were soon eased.

'It didn't taste particularly great when eaten raw.'

Also, the demonic lizard beast was on the weaker side even among demonic beasts.

So its meat shouldn't be of higher grade than special variant Ice Bear's.

... Hopefully.

'Anyway, Ian. Focus and start cooking.'

Today's broth would be bear stew made from meat, not bones.

Rather than a milky white broth,

The point was to make a clear, transparent broth with deep flavor.

First, I soaked the meat in salt water to draw out any blood.

Then I washed off the salt to keep it from getting too salty, and pressed it dry with a cloth.

It wasn't the standard way, but I didn't have the luxury of soaking it for hours.

This would do, efficiency-wise; time to be satisfied.

After that, I boiled water vigorously in two large cauldrons.

Now we start parboiling.

This was mandatory for removing smells and impurities.

I rinsed the parboiled meat from the left cauldron in cold water to remove the fat, and—chwaaak.

I swapped out the water in the cauldron.

Since it took time to come to a boil, I moved to the right cauldron next.

Repeat and repeat.

'Damn, this is tough.'

I missed the modern mass-cooking pots at cafeterias.

You know the ones almost as tall as a person.

But you can't find those in the Middle Ages, so I just had to make do with elbow grease.

'Phew. Blanching done.'

It was satisfying once all the meat was blanched and rinsed.

Now, it was time to make the broth.

I put another cauldron on the fire, making three in total.

I split the meat among the clean cauldrons,

Added water, scallion, garlic, ginger, onion, salt, and pepper.

Bubbling it vigorously over high heat made lots of foam.

I removed the scum with a ladle, one by one.

This was the vital step in making bear stew.

'For a clear yet deep taste!'

When the impurities started to decrease, I lowered the heat little by little.

I took away some of the fire from the hearth and gently added more water.

Now, by keeping it at a gentle simmer, I could draw out rich flavor from the meat into the broth.

Of course, all the while, I kept skimming off the scum without rest.

*

Two hours passed.

As is true for most broth-based Korean dishes,

Bear stew tastes better the longer it cooks.

I wanted to simmer it longer.

But—

'I can't delay mealtime any longer.'

News had already spread through the unit that I'd caught a special variant Ice Bear.

Even the officers began coming in and out of the mess, asking questions.

― When's the food ready?

It annoyed me, seeing guys who used to be satisfied with stone bread, but

I couldn't blame them after seeing their mouths water.

The savory smell of meat broth must have spread everywhere.

I sent them away, telling them to wait just a bit longer, but—

Grrrrr.

I heard Zaiya's stomach growl and gave in.

Maybe it was just me, but it felt like Zaiya's helmet turned red.

"Can't hold it anymore?"

"... Sorry."

Hm. No choice.

Even if it didn't suit my standards, I couldn't keep the soldiers hungry any longer.

"Fine. Bring the bowls, ru—"

Before I could finish Ruth's name, he was already back with the bowls.

He'd run full speed, using up mana to get them—so fast.

Smirking, I put rice in the bowls and started ladling broth over them.

'Still awkward at this tolyeom process, though.'

I once went with my father to Naju, the home of bear stew and soup rice.

I watched how they did tolyeom by eye and imitated it a few times.

But then—

Grrrrr.

This time it was Ricky's stomach.

From Ruth's mouth, a drop of saliva fell—thunk.

'Just hold out a bit longer, you guys.'

Soldiers, so little patience...

"I'm only doing this tolyeom for you lot. Everyone else, soldiers or officers, just gets the rice and broth separately. I'm making it tastier specially for you, so wipe your drool and wait."

"Yes!!!"

Laughing at their raucous response, I finished the tolyeom.

For the final touch, I sprinkled chopped scallion on top.

The nutty aroma of the broth was now enhanced by the scallion's refreshing scent.

"Thanks for waiting."

At last, four bowls of bear stew were set on the table.

"Eat well and let's get back to work."

The supply officers helped distribute meals, but our squad would eat first since we were in charge.

A solid meal was key to getting your work done.

"Thank you for the meal!"

Ruth shouted and took a bite. Slurp.

"Mmmpf!!!"

Ruth's eyes went wide,

And Ricky and Zaiya reacted similarly.

Ricky said, excited,

"S-So good, platoon leader!"

I flicked the back of his head and replied,

"Call me boss."

But he didn't respond, too busy aiming his spoon at the kkakdugi bowl.

For reference, this kimchi was another privilege enjoyed only by the cooking squad.

'I set it aside for myself, but oh well.'

I couldn't eat alone, so I shared with my squad.

But they liked kimchi even more than expected, so it was worrying.

'Might have to make more soon.'

Meanwhile, Zaiya put a piece of napa kimchi on his bowl and lifted a big spoonful.

Crunch!

The sound echoed inside his helmet.

'He sure eats well with the helmet on.'

I was worried it might be uncomfortable, but he said he was used to it.

"Boss! This is so good! Maybe it's the special variant, but it's way better than yesterday!"

Zaiya blurted out enthusiastically.

Ruth and Ricky just focused on eating, but Zaiya's loyalty really stood out.

"All right, just eat for now."

"Yes!!"

Only then did Zaiya forget about me and focus on scarfing down the food.

Seeing them eat hungrily made me feel hungry, too.

'Guess I should eat, too.'

I looked down at the clear broth of the bear stew.

The color was appealing.

But—

'If I'd cooked it three more hours, it would've been perfect.'

I'd gone to one of Naju's best local food places once in a while,

And the best time to eat was between 1 and 2pm.

Go too early and the broth was weak; too late, and it was a little gamey.

They started boiling it in the morning, so perhaps five hours of simmering was just right.

'Hm. I'd better make sure there's enough left to simmer more before distribution.'

Thinking this, I scooped up a spoonful and tasted it. Slurp.

"...!!"

What's this? That's delicious.

I'd only cooked it for two hours,

But it was deeper and richer than I'd hoped.

'How is this even possible?'

Until I took a bite, I thought the medieval folks here were exaggerating,

But after tasting it, I understood why.

'Is it really this delicious?'

This time, I got a spoonful with rice, broth, and scallion. Gulp.

Umool. Umool. Umool.

'Wow. Damn.'

My eyes closed on their own.

Guess this was my best tolyeom yet.

The soup and rice didn't feel separate at all—they became one.

Each grain of rice merged with the broth seamlessly.

The starch in the rice dissolved, making the soup dance with the grains.

'Yes. This is bear stew!'

Along with the ecstasy,

I felt a little sorry for the employees back at Happiness Gukbap.

I once made Ice Bear bear stew for them too,

But the tolyeom wasn't this good back then.

'Guess I've improved with practice.'

You really do get better with repetition.

With that thought, I tried the meat by itself this time.

Nyeom. Umool. Umool.

This time, my eyes snapped open.

I saw the crowns of the three eating with their heads down.

'Ah. That's why.'

Even though it only simmered for two hours, the broth tasted deeper than expected.

The fundamental difference, of course, was—

'The meat!'

It was different.

Completely different from ordinary Ice Bear.

Just as I'd thought.

The lowest-level wild boar,

Lower-intermediate grade Ice Bear.

There was a clear difference between those two—

'Special variant meat is yet another grade higher!'

My dopamine soared at my correct prediction.

Today just felt strange.

I happened to run into a special variant,

Managed to pick it up without much trouble, which is unlike me,

And all my guesses turned out bang on.

'Am I really Ian?'

As soon as I started thinking like this, I got anxious again.

Stupid Ian. Are you setting up another flag?

Damn, before bed tonight I'll have to swear: "I withdraw it!"

Anyway,

'Let's just eat now.'

I set aside rational thought and decided to follow my instincts.

I relished the best bear stew I'd ever made in my life.

Slurp. Jjeop. Umoolumool.

It was even better when I alternated with kkakdugi and kimchi.

Crunch!

The piping hot broth poured into my stomach,

The tasty meat brought joy to my palate,

The salty and clean fat harmonized perfectly.

I felt like I could fly away with happiness.

I was elated. So overjoyed.

Where am I?

'Is this earth, or paradise?'

As I finished inhaling the bear stew,

A system voice burst in.

Ding.

〈 Strength, body temperature, and composure increase slightly. 〉

〈 By consuming the finished Korean dish "Steamed Rice", you gain a bonus effect. 〉

〈 The increased strength will not decrease. (30 minutes) 〉

So far, this was as expected.

Even after tolyeom, the system judged it as "Steamed Rice".

Now came the important part:

〈 By consuming the finished Korean dish "Decent Bear Stew (Intermediate ingredient: Ice Bear—Special Variant)," you... 〉

As expected.

By becoming a special variant, the ingredient grade upgraded from lower-intermediate grade to intermediate.

'A shame the dish's grade is still just "decent".'

I didn't expect a higher rating since this was a mass-cooked meal.

Anyway, what mattered most were the effects that followed.

...acquire bonus effects. 〉

〈 Your body temperature will not decrease. (2 hours 30 minutes) 〉

〈 Patience increases slightly. 〉

〈 The increased patience will not decrease. (2 hours 30 minutes) 〉

〈 //Exclusive effect// An unsharable effect is gained. 〉

〈 Patience increases a bit more, applied in small amounts. 〉

〈 Bone strength slightly increases. 〉

〈 The increased bone strength will not decrease. (3 hours 15 minutes) 〉

All of this was as I already knew,

But could that be it?

—No sooner did I wonder than the system voice continued.

〈 Perfect ingredient selection. 〉

〈 Bear Stew ↔ Ice Bear Special Variant 〉

A shiver ran down my spine.

"Perfect ingredient selection"...?

'There's something like this?!'

I had thought there was no end to my system's secrets,

But I'd been too busy lately to pay attention.

I never guessed there'd be such a hidden feature!

'So if you make bear stew with Ice Bear special variant, you get extra effects, huh?'

If you match them exactly?!

While I was about to wrap my head around this, the system voice floored me.

〈 Additional effects granted. 〉

〈 General customer buff effectiveness increases by 10%. (48 hours) 〉

〈 The increased strength will not decrease. (36 hours) 〉

〈 The increased patience will not decrease. (15 hours) 〉

????

Ten percent buff effectiveness for general customers?

Huh? Strength... 36 hours? What?

... Excuse me?

"Bullshit."

I cursed without thinking.

That I only swore this much must've been thanks to the patience buff.

Of course, the three employees—no, squad members—all stopped eating and looked at me.

"What's wrong, platoon leader?"

Ricky asked hesitantly,

But the title "platoon leader" irked me less than the real issue.

"Did we smoke all the bear meat? Even the salted pieces?"

Seeing my expression, Ricky flinched and replied,

"Yes. Just as you ordered."

No. I should've made it all into bear stew.

'Noooo!!!'

Never thought I'd hate the patience buff for keeping me from screaming.