Chapter 35: The Transmigrator is Korean (3)
Eating Korean food in a medieval fantasy world.
No one can resolve the immense awkwardness felt from this single sentence.
If you said a woodcutter from the Goryeo Dynasty was walking down the street chewing on a baguette, could you even imagine it?
“Mmm.”
But Artier managed to do that difficult thing yesterday.
Thanks to that, the smile showed no signs of disappearing from Artier's lips for the entire day today.
‘It would be perfect now if I just had rice and kimchi.’
Artier, who was being greedy for a moment, quickly gave up on the idea.
Kimchi was one thing, but rice? It was an impossible dream here.
“Artier, are you in there?”
“What is it?”
At Gerard's voice from outside the door, Artier broke out of his delusion.
When he left the room, he saw Gerard holding a wooden box filled with glass bottles.
“The slime ooze you requested has arrived.”
“Ooh…… finally!”
Artier hurriedly handed Gerard the silver coins for the request fee and took the box.
Inside the bottles, a syrupy, sloshing liquid was emitting a faint glow in the sunlight.
[Slime Ooze (Normal)]
Slippery and viscous, it is often used as a material for traps.
‘Good. This is the material I was looking for.’
As written in the description, slime ooze was originally an item used as a material for traps.
Its main purpose was to bind the feet of the target who stepped on the trap, but in reality, almost no one used this trap in the game.
‘The slowing effect is weak, and it dries up quickly, so the duration is short too.’
An unpopular material shunned by all.
It wasn't for nothing that the receptionist was flustered by Gerard's request.
“If what Gerard-ssi said is true, I just need to mix this ooze with Gnoll's blood and dry it, right?”
“That's right.”
“Is there a reason for drying it?”
“To store it more easily. If you make it into a powder and divide it, the weight decreases, making it easy to carry, and it won't rot either.”
“In that case……”
Artier's inventory couldn't hold an infinite number of items either.
He decided to try following the process Gerard mentioned.
“But I'm not sure if we can dry it all before we leave.”
“Can't you just buy drying magic? They sell that kind of magic everywhere.”
“Ah.”
Right.
Artier slapped his head and placed the box down in his room.
“I'll go to the general store.”
“Alright.”
This was a world where magic was a part of daily life.
Perhaps because of that, the general store sold all sorts of things. Among them were things like magic that were helpful in daily life.
[Magic Stone (Magic)]
Embedded Magic: (Drying Magic) Evaporates the moisture of the target object. Living creatures can resist with mana.
‘This should do it.’
It wasn't a scroll that used expensive parchment, but a simple magic enchanted onto a common stone that could be easily found nearby.
Although it could only contain low-grade skills compared to a scroll, thanks to the cost of the raw material converging to zero, it was priced at a level that ordinary people could afford without burden.
Since he was here, Artier picked out other magic stones and consumables one by one.
He had consumed quite a few items during the defense of Dorman, so even though he only picked up what he needed, it became quite a large amount.
“Potions and a sacred prayer. And a bug-repelling magic stone too……”
When he placed the full load of consumables on the counter, the shop owner's mouth stretched from ear to ear.
“You're a well-prepared friend, aren't you? Are you going on a long journey somewhere?”
“I'm just preparing in case.”
“For that, you're packing quite a lot of things.”
The merchant was puzzled, but Artier, as if used to it, chuckled and said.
“If you stock up on consumables, you'll find a use for them someday.”
Explaining would just be a waste of breath.
Artier, who had no intention of continuing the conversation, paid the price and left the store.
Having stocked up on plenty of necessary items, he felt content.
***
Returning to the kitchen, Artier mixed the Gnoll's blood and slime ooze together and infused mana into the magic stone containing the drying magic.
Then, smoke rose from the reddish pudding-like ooze, and a moment later, only a fine red powder remained in the bowl.
‘It looks like ramen soup powder……!’
Gulp.
Artier swallowed his saliva at the familiar appearance.
When he touched it with his finger, he felt a tingling sensation.
“Now, should I test it?”
As it happened, today was his day to be in charge of meals.
This meant he could immediately execute the recipe he had dreamed of without any hesitation.
[Small Pot (Normal)]
Option: Cooking effect +10%
Sizzle…….
In Artier's hand was a single-serving pot he had purchased for this very day.
He put the prepared ingredients into the pot and started stir-frying it on the hearth, and soon a mouth-watering smell filled the kitchen.
“Ooh, that smells good.”
Collie entered, opening the kitchen door.
As if waiting, Artier put the stir-fried vegetables he had cooked into a bowl.
“Uh…… Master? The food is red, is that okay?”
Collie seemed quite flustered by the red food he had never seen before.
However, Artier, on the contrary, put the vegetables into his mouth with a satisfied expression.
As the sharp spicy taste spread, a smile blossomed on his lips.
“Ugh, this is the taste.”
“Is it really delicious?”
“Yeah. Want to try?”
“I'll pass. It looks like I'd get poisoned if I ate it.”
“Still, I worked hard to make it, calling it poison is too much.”
Just as Artier was grumbling and about to bring other normal dishes.
[You have been poisoned.]
An unbelievable message popped up in front of him.
“……Huh?”
At first, I thought I had seen it wrong.
Just in case, I rubbed my eyes, but the content of the notification that I had been poisoned did not change.
‘What is this? That can't be right! My health bar is perfectly fine right now……?!’
Flinch.
At that moment, Artier noticed his health bar flicker and drop, albeit for a very brief moment.
Perhaps because he had eaten a small amount, his health was recovering naturally as soon as it dropped.
“Don't tell me?”
His gaze turned to the red powder he had been using just a moment ago.
[Gnor-gel Powder (Magic)]
Description: A powder made by mixing and drying Gnoll's blood and slime ooze. It contains a potent poison that makes one breathe fire.
Option: Deals continuous damage upon consumption.
……Clatter.
After checking the information, Artier completely broke down.
***
“I'm sorry. I didn't think poison would be created this way either.”
Gerard hastily offered an apology.
Of course, Artier knew too. This wasn't Gerard's fault in the first place.
Gerard had only told him a rumor he had heard in passing once.
“No. It's my fault for not checking properly.”
In the first place, the method of trying to obtain a spice using a monster's by-product might have been the problem itself.
There was a reason why no one did it despite it being so good.
“Still, it was a method I suggested, so I should take responsibility. I will get you some chili powder.”
“Eeh? Leader, no way. Just to buy a handful would cost as much as a decent house.”
“Jeina is right. You don't have to do that because of me.”
Spices in this world boast a particularly high price.
To the extent that if you don't look like you have money, the shop owner won't even show you the goods.
He couldn't place such a burden on Gerard.
“I'm going to go clear my head a bit. Go on and eat.”
Artier went out the door and began to walk the empty streets of Pons.
But no matter how much he walked, his troubled heart did not find relief.
On the contrary, the taste of the stir-fried vegetables he had just tasted kept lingering in his mind.
‘It tasted good, but to think it was poison.’
He couldn't be careless just because the damage was weak. He had only eaten a single bite.
Who knew how strong it would get if he ate it all?
He couldn't get a game over for a ridiculous reason by clinging to a foolish attachment.
‘But do I have to keep eating these greasy foods from now on?’
Artier, who was lost in thought, realized at some point that he was standing next to a general store.
Coincidentally, just beyond the glass window, he could see a sack of the chili powder Artier had been looking for so desperately.
‘……They put it in a good spot for stealing.’
In <Cross Destiny>, it was of course possible to steal things.
If you mainly used daggers and learned stealth and pickpocketing skills, you could quickly acquire various resources in the early game.
Perhaps because he had tasted spiciness after a long time, Artier was feeling an unbearable desire.
‘Get a grip. Are you going to commit a crime just for food?’
Naturally, the moment you get caught, your life falls into ruin.
A minor crime might end with just a few days in jail, but a serious crime could result in execution.
Above all, the Karma Points would decrease immensely, so it was something that should never be attempted.
Artier shook off the lingering desire and turned his steps.
If he kept staring, he might really end up causing trouble.
“Haa……”
Artier, who was walking away, tilted his head in confusion at the small information window that popped up in front of him, then let out a hollow laugh.
What had appeared before his eyes was the information window for the chili powder he had been staring at just a moment ago.
‘How intently was I staring for an info window to pop up.’
Artier, who was about to dismiss the info window without thinking, stopped his hand at the phrase he had casually read past.
“Huh?”
[Red Pepper Powder (Magic)]
Description: A powder made by drying and grinding Red Pepper. It contains a potent poison that makes one breathe fire.
Option: Deals continuous damage upon consumption.
The phrase written on the chili powder was quite familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.
“Chili powder is poison too?”
Muttering to himself, Artier felt as if he had been hit on the head by something.
Come to think of it, it was a natural thing. Spiciness is actually not a taste, but pain.
And the state of continuously feeling pain is, in a game…….
Thud!
“Ah, Artier, you came back sooner than I thought……?”
Upon his return, Artier ignored Gerard and rushed straight to the kitchen.
Then, he once again shoved the cooling stir-fried vegetables into his mouth.
[You have been poisoned.]
“Ma-Master! Didn't you say that was poison?!”
“Mmm.”
Munch, munch.
Artier took a large bite of a nearby piece of bread.
After swallowing it with a gulp and downing a glass of water, he could see his slowly depleting health bar fill up again.
“It is.”
“Pardon?”
“It's poison, but.”
Artier beamed and held up the stir-fried vegetables.
“I remember now. In my hometown, that's why we enjoy eating it.”
“……Pardon?”
Jeina, who was watching this from the kitchen entrance, glanced at a sweating Gerard.
“Leader, is our little brother really okay?”
“Now, even I'm not so sure.”
After spoiled food, now poison.
In their eyes, Artier was increasingly becoming a monster.