I found out late by searching on my smart watch that horses were fundamentally very strong animals made up of muscle and tendons rather than being soft, edible flesh for humans.
To begin with, they were not animals born for consumption at all. They were animals with great strength that could carry heavy loads or be ridden by humans, which meant there were hardly any breeds developed for food.
Unicorns, on the other hand, were monsters that were dozens of times stronger than regular horses.
Moreover, perhaps because they were creatures close to half-spirits infused with mana inside their bodies, when I tried to grill one well-done, it became so tough that my teeth didn’t even sink in.
On top of that, I accidentally broke my mother’s front teeth while chewing it, causing her trust in my cooking to plummet.
However, the Mangja Seongnyeo has her pride.
I had promised to treat her to something delicious to show filial piety, so how could I just let it go?
Also, traditionally, Koreans must have a soup dish.
As you can see with gukbap, if there’s meat, broth, and warm rice, it can satisfy any hungry belly or mouth.
“So, I’m going to make gukbap.”
[What?]
[Gukbap?]
[What! Gukbap is no joke!]
Mom, chewing on beef sashimi, and Yane’s expressions changed dramatically at the mention of gukbap.
The moment Yane heard the word ‘gukbap,’ her face lit up as she recalled the Walker bone soup we made in the last mutation raid dungeon. Mom’s face, however, tilted slightly as if she’d just heard something strange.
“But Gasnaya, have you ever made gukbap?”
“Yes!”
Mom and the viewers might not know, but I had indeed made gukbap before.
And not just any gukbap—it was delicious enough to satisfy 19 A-grade hunters in a mutation raid dungeon.
That gukbap had been so good, even I thought it tasted better than many soups. Unfortunately, I couldn’t show it to the viewers as there was no video left, but if given the chance, I’d love to head to a dungeon where Walkers appear and broadcast the greatness of that Walker bone soup.
Of course, I couldn’t tell Mom that…
“So, what kind of gukbap?”
Seriously, why ask?
Does she not know that the Mangja Seongnyeo can’t lie?
I was going to try to brush it off, but Mom’s intense gaze bore down on me.
“…It’s Walker bone gukbap…”
“Walker? What’s that?”
“……”
I couldn’t tell Mom the truth about what a Walker was, so I looked away, and suddenly, Yane, who had been quiet, approached Mom.
Tap tap
“Huh? What is it?”
Spit.
“…Ehh?”
Then she blurted out something.
“…What is… that…?”
[No idea?]
[What is that?]
[Isn’t that human bone?]
[Does that human finger bone measure a meter? LOL]
[Hey, it shows up in the wiki. It’s a newly registered humanoid monster from a few months ago.]
Bones.
Walker bones.
That tiny mouth had somehow spat out a Walker’s jawbone, which was inexplicably larger than its size, along with the bizarrely extended bones of its arms and legs.
How the hell had it been chewing on that until now?
And weren’t you supposed to be human!?
If that was the case, I should’ve shared it with someone as well…!
This cursed luck’s sharp blade is a centipede!
“…….W-Walker.”
“….Is that a Walker?”
“…Yeah!”
Yane nodded proudly as if seeking praise, but I had to avoid Mom’s gaze.
“Hey, you crazy Gasnaya!”
Smack!
“Ouch!”
“What on earth!”
Bang!
“Why are you running around with that!?”
Whack!
With each spike in her accent, her slaps to my back felt increasingly painful.
It’s strange.
Even though I’m much stronger and harder, I usually don’t feel pain much. Why does Mom’s back slap feel like it’s climbing up my spine like it’s ignoring damage…?
[LMAO]
[Seriously, Mom’s back smack is so powerful!]
[Ouch, it hurts just watching..]
Eventually, after a while of getting hit, I decided to make something other than gukbap.
“…This time, I’ll really make you believe in me.”
If I messed this dish up too, Mom said she wouldn’t trust my cooking anymore, which was the only way I could escape the back smacks.
By the way, the unicorn that had been selected by Mom with blonde hair and tanning skin was still quietly lingering next to her and Yane.
[Puhihih~]
No way, that unicorn’s face is really irking me.
It truly wouldn’t be the case, but it seemed to have a look that said, ‘Can you handle it?’
“Okay, fine.”
Gukbap was already out of the picture.
Since Mom had said I should make something other than Walker gukbap, I needed to cook something else I was confident in.
The dish with the least chance of failure would be fried foods, but after I grilled the unicorn meat well done and turned it into a rock, frying wasn’t that safe either.
So, the sensible choice would be a dish with broth.
If the meat got too hard, using a soup dish or boiled dish that retained enough moisture would solve the problem.
Broth, broth… gukbap was out.
Ah, stew…!
Yes, stew.
I’d try making unicorn meat stew.
Come to think of it, I had a tomato stew recipe saved on my smart watch.
It used beef tenderloin, but unicorn meat should work just fine.
I hope…
“First, let’s fry some butter and garlic.”
Quickly and decisively.
I quickly peeled garlic and threw a bunch into a large pot, adding a big spoonful of butter too.
[Oh, it really looks like cooking?]
[Nah, this is how you make a rock instead lol]
[LMAO]
[Hehe, Noona… I feel like your cooking skills are getting better…]
[Come cook for us at home..]
Fssssss!
Honestly, it smells good.
But frying butter and garlic shouldn’t smell weird for a Korean, but given my previous failure, I must be extra careful.
“Hey, guys. Do you think Shia will succeed?”
“Kiik?” (Better than dirt, right?)
[Puh-ruung!] (Why should I trust her cooking? Just let me ride on your back and do it! www)
Wait, why does it feel so annoying?
“…Okay. The butter’s melted, and the garlic’s fried, so… meat.”
[Rock, here we go~]
[Yeah, well-done.]
“Ah, damn! Don’t interrupt me!”
It absolutely had to be not well-done.
I needed to grill it just enough on the outside for a brief moment.
Fssssss!
The unicorn meat was well-done in about 3 minutes based on my guess from before.
If I wanted to eat it rare or medium-rare, I couldn’t exceed a cooking time of one minute.
So far, the unicorn meat still felt very soft when I picked it up with tongs, so it seemed okay for now.
“Now for the vegetables… eh?”
[Where are the vegetables?]
[?]
In that moment, it hit me.
Ah, I didn’t chop the vegetables in advance.
“Kiiyahhhhhh!”
“You scared me. What’s going on?”
“Mommmm! Vegetables! VEGETABLES!!!”
I quickly pulled out potatoes, carrots, onions, bell peppers, cabbage, and mushrooms from the transport drone and tossed them at Mom.
Of course, I started to pull some out and chop them too.
“What, what should I do??”
“Chop them into small cubes! Quick!”
“What?! You asked me to do it whenever!”
“Quick, hurry!!”
“Alright, what’s with the panic on you!”
Mom seemed to sense I was in a hurry, so she rapidly began chopping the vegetables into big slices with a cooking knife.
The bulk was the problem, a lot of bulk.
But I couldn’t help it… I eat a lot!
I needed to prepare enough for at least 30 servings!
[Miracle- Holy Entity Descending!]
[LMAO! You’re not even fighting monsters, and you’re bringing out tentacles!]
[Vegetables >>> Monsters]
[LMAO!]
[Look at those flashy tentacles!]
Meanwhile, I had to pull out my tentacles to organize, chop, tear, and peel the veggies.
If anything dirty showed up, I even cursed it while using purification miracles while battling.
I couldn’t let the unicorn meat ruin before I chopped up and added the vegetables!
Huff, puff…
“I’m done chopping! Will this work?”
“Yes!”
Now, to throw them in!
Stir-frying the big chunks of vegetables with the already fried garlic and meat in the ladle finally made it look presentable.
Feeling the meat with the ladle, it still had a softness, so it seemed not too late.
“Ahh…..”
[‘Namu Leaf Fried’ has donated 5,000 won!]
“But Noona, wouldn’t it be fine to just stop chopping and take the pot off the heat while you cut the veggies?”
“Oh………..”
[LOL!]
[‘Ah’ LOL!]
[A…]
[LMAO!]
Oh, how embarrassing….
Mom didn’t see that, did she?
Alright, then that’s fine…
I pretended to ignore Olga’s donation and took out a can of tomatoes.
By the way, this canned tomato was a gift from the elves of the Daesanrim.
It was surprising that elves had canned goods, but in any case, canned tomatoes were optimized for making stew.
Since it was for 30 portions, I had to add about 20 cans with a reasonable amount of water.
“Oh, that smells amazing.”
“Kiik?” (It tastes good, right?)
[Heeheehee~]
Finally, as the delicious smell began to waft up, Mom’s face brightened significantly.
Yane, intrigued, started peeking her head over next to me.
“Good. Now we just need to wait until it thickens.”
While the unicorn meat wasn’t rare, it was medium-rare at least and would remain tender in the stew, so it wouldn’t firm up.
I assumed…
As I gently stirred it with the ladle, the stew would thicken and be complete.
After about 20 minutes of appropriate stirring, when I finally covered the large pot, I could hear bubbling sounds coming from inside.
“Phew, I can breathe easier now.”
[At least it looks good.]
[Wow, that looks delicious.]
[This might be the best dish you’ve ever made, Host?]
[Nah, let’s not discuss taste here LOL]
[I’m sure it’s not..]
[If it turns out to be a stone, I’m going to flip!]
[‘KawaiiHorned’ has set a mission for 500,000 won!]
[If the stew is successful, 500,000 won.]
[‘ShishiroBotang’ has set a mission for 100,000 won!]
[If the stew is complete, 100,000 won.]
Alright.
They’re trying to set missions now?
You think I’m scared of that?
I pumped my magical energy into the flame under the stew to raise the heat even more.
[That’s no joke!]
[Wow.]
[How many years have you been cooking stew?]
“Let’s see… about 30 minutes of experience.”
[LMAO.]
Alright.
5 minutes… 10 minutes… 15 minutes….
“Shia, shouldn’t that be removed now?”
“No, it must be kept simmering.”
“…kiik…”
[Bloop!]
30 minutes… 1 hour.
[Hey, can you make some conversation?]
[Let’s chat.]
[Let’s communicate.]
“Shut up!”
With no mental space to focus on anything else, I kept my eyes glued to the stew pot.
Alright.
An hour and thirty minutes passed.
Okay, let’s open it.
“…Wow.”
[Wow.]
[What is this? Why is it a success!]
[What? Give me back my failure!]
[That looks delicious.]
[Wow, wow.]
[Can’t stand it, ordering chicken now.]
[That looks much better than chicken!]
As soon as I opened the lid, the sight before me was a thickened stew made from tomatoes blessed by the Daesanrim.
The harmonious combination of meat and vegetables created a stew that visually resembled something you’d see at a high-end restaurant, both in appearance and aroma.
“Huh? This one’s a success? It looks really delicious!”
“Kiik! Damn!” (Give me some, damn it!)
[Puhihih!](Hey, hey, you won’t leave me out, right? www)
I proceeded to ladle it into bowls.
I poured some into a bowl for Mom, followed by Yane’s bowl.
That freak would just have to eat the scraps.
“Give it a try.”
“Okay, let’s see…”
Gulp.
Mom took a large spoonful of stew, sampling it alongside the meat as she chewed.
Great.
The fact that it didn’t make a crunching sound was half a victory.
“How is it?”
Awaiting Mom’s reaction while biting my finger.
Chew chew
Swallow.
“Ahh…”
“Mom…?”
“Shia.”
“Yes?”
“…Do you want to quit being a hunter and run a restaurant with me?”
“!”
Ahhh! It’s a success!
“It’s just like hotel food! No, it’s way better!”
“Hehe, hehehe…!”
“Kiik! Damn!” (Give me some, damn it!)
“Here, here. Hehehe, eat a lot.”
[Puh-ruung!]
And from then on, I began to share the stew with Mom and Yane, intoxicated with joy and happiness.
Yes, this is how I wanted it.
I tossed a bowl to that unicorn spawn. Enjoy your meal.
Yane was so into it that she buried her face in the bowl, getting sauce everywhere, and Mom and I devoured the tomato stew frantically.
Above all, the meat was remarkably tender.
The unicorn meat, infused with tomato and moisture, was not at all hard like my previous grilling failure and instead was incredibly tender and delicious.
The sweet, thick tomato broth and vegetable water blended beautifully, making a perfect match with the large chunks of veggie Mom and I had cut.
This is what meat should be!
“Huff!”
“It’s delicious…..”
And just like that, I lost myself in the cooking, forgetting all about the broadcast. The thought of finally serving a proper dish to Mom thrilled me.
■■■■■■
After that, nothing major happened.
For a while, we lived happily.
Not that anything grand or excessively joyful occurred suddenly.
Just like usual, we lounged happily.
Eating happily.
Watching TV or playing on the computer happily.
Especially, now that Mom had become Yoonjeong, sleeping alongside each other in the same bed was extremely comforting.
Each morning, I first saw Mom’s face while washing the dishes in the kitchen, where the remnants of the previous day’s food awaited.
“Ah, Shia. Have you woken up? Since you’re up, can you set the chopsticks?”
“Yes… yawwn.”
“Oh my! Look at your messy hair. This won’t do. I’ll take care of the utensils; you should wash up. What happened to your hair? It looks like it’s been through a bomb blast!”
“Hehe, he…”
Whenever my hair got messy, Menelapie would come over first to tidy it up… Thanks to that, my dedicated maids at the royal palace had a lot less work to do.
Not only did she style my hair, but Menelapie would also wash my body alongside me… She was pretty strong and excellent at scrubbing down!
“Kiik…”
“Are you asleep?”
Snore
“Are you…?”
Kiik… (Go away…)
Then, as I headed to the small room, I would check on Yane, who was curled up in a pile of blankets, sound asleep, resembling a cat. Pulling at Yane’s tentacle playfully would irritate her, provoking her to shout, “Kyaaaak!”
Sometimes I couldn’t help but think she was a rather foul-tempered feline.
By the time I was done washing up and returned, Mom had finished cleaning and was making doenjang jjigae, frying spam, and scrambling eggs.
“Hey! Yane! Let’s eat together! Time to wake up!”
Finally stretching, Yane and I took our seats at the table with Mom to have breakfast.
Today’s side dishes included a large bowl of doenjang jjigae, spam, scrambled eggs with ketchup, and side dishes of green onion kimchi and dandelion greens with sesame sauce.
“Another bowl, please!”
“We’re out of rice.”
Huh? I only ate 7 bowls today…
“Aw…”
“With this rate, a sack of rice disappears in three days, so maybe I should head down south and buy a lot this time.”
“Kiik!” (It’s so good!)
Well, both Yane and I were essentially gluttons, as we devoured around 20 bowls of rice each morning.
Just looking at the ingredients out today, we had 10 cans of spam and around 20 eggs, so everything served was quite generous.
Happiness. Happiness. Happiness.
Feels good.
This was exactly what I wanted.
‘…Menelapie… Teresa… I miss them.’
Of course, there were still many people I missed.
I felt nostalgic for the ones I had yet to meet again.
I missed Yeonhwa, who I hadn’t seen in just a week.
As for Yeonseo Unnie, it seemed like she was really busy traveling back and forth between the government and China, so we hadn’t had proper contact.
I heard that it involved some pretty high-level political issues because of me, but I always kept in mind that if she ever needed my help, I’d be there for her.
“Ugh, up all night making noise. Don’t those kids ever get tired?”
“Right?”
“Is it because of the S-rank promotion match?”
“Tonight, they’re even having a fireworks show hosted by the city hall.”
“Oh my… It looks like sleeping is out of the question.”
“Wanna watch some Netflix together? I heard Resident Evil 16 is being turned into a movie.”
“Huh? Is that still happening?”
Because of the S-rank promotion match, Korea was buzzing with a festival-like atmosphere, but it had no relation to me.
Meeting people is wonderful, but unfortunately, I had become somewhat famous after starting my broadcast, and even if I worked hard to let it slide, many malicious net runners still lingered.
It’s not that I feared those malicious net runners. I just avoided them because they were filthy.
No matter how much they talked nonsense, they didn’t scare me.
Survive in the royal palace for over 60 years.
Those malicious net runners talking nonsense about me was merely cute.
So, as I leisurely and comfortably spent my time…
Knock Knock Knock
A guest arrived.
A visitor who, despite the holographic doorbell, still deemed it necessary to knock on my door.
Had I not been there, they would likely have gone unheard.
“Yes, who is it?”
“SDVIMVFoanVzY1YwSVhjamMzUkt1ZDFOMXdIclFMRW1PbHovbzljQVJlM0RpZUU4TFNXczFtTDhuRExJWVRBYw”
That’s strange.
Thump thump
Why is my heart racing so much today?
It felt like meeting a long-lost lover again, making my heart race of its own accord.
[Greetings, Hunter Isia.]
“Oh?”
It was a knight wearing full plate armor.
He looked like a character dropped straight out of a fantasy movie.
However, I knew who this knight was.
“You’re the Skeleton Knight, right?”
[Yes, that’s correct.]
The Skeleton Knight, who was among the returnees with a particularly unique physique.
Initially mistaken for a monster and attacked, he earned recognition for fighting for humanity against the Great Rift and protecting people.
Today, he’s an A-grade hunter with cult status in the genre hunter gallery.
Thump!
Thump!
Why is my heart racing so much all of a sudden?
“By the way, I should’ve introduced myself earlier. You’re the one who helped me at the Elf Great Forest, aren’t you, Skeleton Knight?”
[I see you know already.]
…
How long had it been since I had those memories?
I had fought beside the others at the Ace Guild to defeat the Chaos Ants invading the area.
The way he helped in the midst of chaos was something I’d never forget.
“Given that I’ve lived long enough, I’ve heard about you from the people around me. And I thought I could sense your presence somehow.”
[The fact that I didn’t get to introduce myself back then, I apologize. I’ve had a lot going on personally.]
“Come in for a moment.”
[Thank you for your hospitality.]
The knight appeared to be very polite.
He must have been quite popular before he returned.
“Mom, I’m going to talk to this person for a bit, okay?”
“Do you want me to bring you something to drink?”
“Yeah, thank you.”
The Skeleton Knight stepped silently into the house despite being in full plate armor.
Seeing him take off his shoes, it was evident he had perfectly adapted to Korean customs.
[Sorry for suddenly dropping by. Please feel free to speak. You seem older than me.]
“Is that alright?”
[You addressed Yu-jin casually.]
“That works for me. So, what’s the matter?”
[…..]
“Just say it casually. Even though I’m the Mangja Seongnyeo, I don’t dislike talking to people. I like hearing out troubles, and also, you’ve helped me once, right?”
It’s only dutiful that if someone has aided you once, you pay it back in kind as a Seongnyeo.
If the Skeleton Knight had come all this way, there must have been a purpose or something urgent he needed my help with.
I could somewhat fathom what that might be.
[It’s about the fragments.]
“….”
Fragments, huh.
The Demon King fragments.
Yeah, either way, Yu-jin was also aware of the existence of fragments.
It wouldn’t be surprising for the Skeleton Knight working under Yu-jin to know about the fragments as well.
[From what I hear, the Seongnyeo who encountered the Mountain Guild must be aware that the fragments have already begun to infiltrate this world.]
“How did you know I had friction with the Mountain Guild?”
[My superior, Yu-jin… rather than a superior, I’m more of a business partner with mutual interests. Yu-jin and I have been adversaries of the Mountain Guild for a long time. Recently they’ve been causing ruckus in Korea while encroaching on Yu-jin’s territory, so I naturally heard about your situation too.]
I hadn’t known Yu-jin and the Mountain Guild had been hostile to each other.
[The Demon King’s fragment has spread far and wide within the earth. It’s likely the influence of the fragments has become very profound.]
“However, the fact that it hasn’t shown itself yet…”
[That must be due to a lack of power. The earth, through gates, is home to numerous awakened individuals and strong entities. Most likely, the fragments are not yet ripe enough to emerge against them.]
“You seem pretty knowledgeable. That’s plausible.”
The Dark Lord isn’t an idiot.
He lurks in the shadows of the world, penetrating the powerful, sowing discord among humanity, and weakening them before finally summoning his own presence when he deems himself invincible.
[Moreover, what I’ve learned during my centuries on earth is that, like us returnees, the fragments invade from different worlds.]
“That’s probably true. The fact that a portal opened suddenly in this clean area might have been due to the fragments.”
Demon King fragments are, by their very nature, incomprehensively large malignant entities and sources of limitless energy.
Initially, humans who contacted the fragments tried to exploit them as energy sources or reactors but became enchanted by the fragments, slowly leading the world to decay.
They say the discovery of fragments by dark magicians in the past was a harbinger of doom.
[Additionally, it seems that the movements of the fragments have not been typical lately. The fragments that had previously been operating in various corners of the world have suddenly quieted as if they were fearful.]
“Fearful?”
Wow, the Demon King must really have lost his nerve.
[And this… while still a guess, another fragment may soon invade the earth. They may teleport to a dungeon or a new dungeon, and occurrences like this may become more frequent in the future.]
“How do you know this?”
[Even though I’m a dead being, I feel more than most alive.]
Well, because the Skeleton Knight has faced death itself and is reborn to walk again through black magic or sorcerous magic, it would make sense for him to be sensitive to the shredding of the fragments.
It’s akin to me.
Due to having the body of the Mangja Seongnyeo, I can sense the location of the fragments far more acutely compared to others.
“Alright, cool. Just let me know when they invade.”
[Thank you.]
“Because I absolutely don’t want to see that damn Demon King show up again. There’s a good chance that the fragments existing in this world are hidden away. The ones trying to invade must be destroyed immediately upon sight.”
[If a location is determined, I will contact you separately…]
“Oh, by the way, what’s your name?”
[Pardon?]
“I don’t think I’ve heard your name yet, and I highly doubt your name is actually ‘Skeleton Knight,’ is it?”
[Well, that’s true but…]
The Skeleton Knight shrugged his shoulders and opened the lower part of his helmet to sip from a cup sitting on the table.
He didn’t seem to have any issue with eating or drinking despite being Skeleton Knight.
[My name is Tia.]
“Oh, I see. Tia… wait, what?”
Tia..?
Where have I heard this name?
Tia Lauria.
“Tia… you say?”
[Yes, just Tia. My full name is Tia Lauria.]
‘Tia Lauria, Captain of the Royal Knights’ 3rd Division, 31-year-old female…’
[Shia? Why do you look like that?]
“Ah………………………”
What emerges from my eyes, is it blood or tears?
It doesn’t matter which.
Because in my gaze towards Tia, an unidentifiable hot liquid poured down endlessly.
Tia, Tia. Lauria.
The girl I had eaten…
The Skeleton Knight was standing before my very eyes.
