Evan D. Sherden, Training the Core. (2)

Bane was the owner of Brotherhood Skewers, a Monster Cuisine brand, and was now well known in the dungeon city of Sherden and the capital, Silk Line, and in Mana Road’s dungeon city, the city of Pellati.

He recognized Monster meat’s immense potential, and since then, he had specialized and mastered Monster Cuisine. His steaks, which used the sauce made from naturally grown fruits and vegetables inside the Dungeon, were his specialty.

“I’m finally doing this!”

Bane, master of Monster Cuisine, was overflowing with emotions. It was because almost 45 pounds of Ogre ribs were right before his eyes.

“I’m finally trimming Ogre rib! It’s almost as if my life’s purpose is complete!”

“I’m surprised that you never dealt with Ogre ribs before. Didn’t any guild bring Ogre ribs before today?”

Evan was surprised by Bane’s unexpected reaction. It was largely because Ogre ribs were a fancy delicacy in the Yo-Ma Great War Series 3, and Ogres were being hunted in the dungeon cities for quite some time now. The guilds would have probably hunted Ogres before.

“There’s more to it than you think, Young Master. There’s a limit on how much you can loot from a monster. And with the strongest monsters on the planet—like the Ogre—bones, tendons, teeth, claws, and even the eyeballs are invaluable. Ogre ribs are the least of their concern when it comes to looting.”

“Bane, are you implying that I made an irrational choice? You know that I chose to loot one of the toughest ribs, right?”

“Master Evan, you are the best in my eyes!”

“So… I’m the best only for people like you?”

“Ummm, and also…”

Bane continued to speak as he checked the rib that had been trimmed clean.

“You know that the quality of the meat differs with every butcher’s skill. But most of the so-called top guilds are not skilled enough. It’s more like they’re just bringing in the meat along with the bones and tendons they want. But if you want to get quality meat, that will not be enough.”

“That’s true.”

“With that said, Master Evan has done a flawless job. It’s as if I went down to the Dungeon and butchered it myself.”

Needless to say, Evan was a master at looting since he had cleared all the looting mini-games with a perfect score in all the Yo-Ma Great War Series.

Moreover, for Evan, whose alchemy was unrivaled, monster looting was something he could do with both eyes closed.

“Anyway, thank you so much for letting me trim this meat. Handling this delicacy is going to help me improve my skills.”

He wasn’t wrong at all. It was well known in the Yo-Ma Great War Series that you would gain great amounts of experience if you successfully cooked meat from a high-level monster.

Evan grinned as he spoke.

“Two-thirds of them… No, actually, it would be a little less than that. Cook about 20 pounds of it separately and deliver it to the Marquis’ family. I’m planning to serve it as a special dish for my family and the knights. I have informed them, so they will be expecting you.”

“Just as I thought. The regular folks won’t even be able to afford this. Of course, you deserve it for free as much as you want.”

“And cook the rest for me. I plan to host a dinner party for the Dungeon Knights.”

Evan’s birthday was hosted just a few days ago. But since there were so many formalities, VIP guests, and other statutory procedures, not everyone could enjoy the way they were supposed to. Therefore, as the leader of the Dungeon Knights, Evan planned this to be a part of team-building and also serve them with a rare dish they couldn’t eat elsewhere. And also, to help them improve their abilities.

‘Consuming a high-ranking monster’s meat also grants a permanent buff in many cases.’

It was true. The energy drink Arisha gifted Evan and the rare drop from the sea monsters worked similarly. However, monster meat, along with other body parts, had the effect of permanently increasing stats!

‘Ogre meat increases the strength by 3. And if a person with higher cooking skills cooks it, more stats could be distributed randomly.’

If one were to compare it to leveling up, it wouldn’t seem like much, but the higher the level you became, the more effective the bonus stats were. There was a reason why people were crazy about artifacts with bonus stats.

Therefore, Yo-Ma Great War Series players had systematically organized data to showcase which monster can raise which stat and in what proportion. Evan, of course, had this all written down on his notepad.

“Bane, you should join us too.”

“Master Evan, I am not even a Dungeon Knight, will my presence be acceptable?”

“You’re like our private chef, so why wouldn’t it be? I am going to present many rare monster meats like this in the future.”

“Huh, you just made your private chef! Alright, let me play along, Master Evan.”

“Then, it’s settled!”

Bane felt honored, and Evan was happy, too.

It was going to be a great opportunity for Bane as well since he will get to handle many rare monster meats. So, with that, the first banquet of the Dungeon Knights began. In addition to the former Dungeon Knights, Bane, the owner of Brotherhood Skewers who cooked the Ogre ribs, and Bernard and Illoin were there.

“Okay, everyone, have your glasses filled!”

Evan, the commander of the Dungeon Knights and the organizer of the banquet, went around and poured orange juice into everyone’s glasses. Bernard couldn’t bear it.

“What the… Where’s the liquor, kid?”

“If I can’t drink it, nobody can. If you need a drink that much, go outside and have a drink with a chicken skewer or something.”

“Aren’t you a little thug!”

Bernard was on the verge of creating a commotion. While pretending to be calm, Bernard said, “Alright, I’ll settle for orange juice this once.”

“Evan, thanks for inviting us here. I heard that Ogre meat is really good for you. When we were on the road and hunted Ogres, we didn’t have anyone to cook it properly, so we always burnt it.”

“It’s really hard to cook high-level monsters. We had a hard time managing the right temperature.”

“Try this then, ma’am.”

Bane offered Illoin and Bernard the delicacy. Bernard and Illoin were mesmerized by the chef’s high spirits.

“Well then… Oh my….”

“Oh lord!”

The moment Bernard bit the skewer, the meat’s tenderness flooded his taste buds. The sauce played an important role in enhancing the taste. Illoin didn’t make it noticeable, but bubbles were bursting in her mouth as well.

“This is really good!”

“Get me one more!”

“Enjoy as much as you want, there’s enough for everyone.”

Seeing everyone excited made Evan pleased; he took his first bite now.

He always looked forward to checking out the cuisine’s actual taste, which was only explained through the texts in the game.

“Oh my…!”

As soon as he bit off the meat, Evan’s eyes dilated. No words could express the ecstasy he felt in the meat’s taste.

The texture was different from any other meat. The tasty sweet sauce and the soft chewy meat were an indescribable blend. It was almost as if everyone’s mouths were melting from the aroma and tenderness of the meat.

Each wanted to take another bite as soon as the first was over. The rich aftertaste was just incredible!

Bane’s cooking skills were impressive, managing an ingredient that he has never cooked before and putting it together with a perfect sauce.

“Our cook is a genius.”

“No arguments with that.”

Bane couldn’t refute their praise.

“Just bring all the monster meat to me. As your private chef, I will roll up my sleeves and get to cooking.”

“Alright. Someday, I will definitely bring you dragon meat. Let’s eat dragon steak then.”

“It’s a damn shame we don’t have liquor…”

“Wait till I turn 18.”

Under Evan’s strict restrictions, there was not a glimpse of liquor to be found, but the banquet was still going great. Especially Ella, who just joined the Dungeon Knights, although not a formal member yet, seemed particularly satisfied.

[I thought he was a fool when I saw him looting the Ogre. But this is just…!]

[You’re underestimating Master Evan. There’s no fault in his actions, just like this skewer.]

Someone spoke in the Dwarven language and surprised Ella. It was Horta, Evan’s personal blacksmith, who had now been spending time together with Ella in the main headquarters of the Dungeon Knights.

Since Horta was about to spend a lot of time with Ella, Evan actually gave him the translation artifact.

[But I kind of want to have a drink… Hey Horta, let’s pack some of this and have a drink with it later.]

[Alright, but it’s not okay to sneak it in. I’ll ask Master Evan for his permission.]

[Can I be a part of that get-together?]

It was Illoin, the elf, who interrupted Horta and Ella’s conversation. Ella gave her a strange look.

[You are the forest fairy who was side by side with that young human… I’ve never seen a forest fairy marry a human. Are you in your right mind?]

[Sure am. I’m sure you know how cautious fairies get when choosing their mates. The same goes for me. I proposed to him because there was no one better than Bernard.]

Illoin replied with a chuckle. The response showed that she was not bothered at all. She wasn’t going to treat her as a child, but Ella was slightly upset by her reaction.

[You proposed first?! That just proves you’re a fool.]

[Phew, is it customary for a land fairy to call someone a fool when you don’t know the person, just like you did with my dear friend Evan?]

[Well, this place is weird. Especially you, even more than the human prophet. I can’t believe you married a human.]

[Why not?]

[Well… Because, fundamentally, they are a different race, and they have different ways of thinking, ideology, and behavior than us. And…]

Ella, who couldn’t stand Illoin’s glare, looked away.

[They all die so early. Mating with humans is cruel for both them and for us.]

[You…]

At that point, everything became clear. Illoin whispered in her ears so that Horta and everyone else couldn’t hear.

[You’re a half-blood, aren’t you?]

[??!]

[You resemble a human more than the average land fairies. Humans may not know, but you cannot fool me. I’m a fairy like you, after all. And that’s the reason why you’re reacting so sensitively. Isn’t that right?]

[…Yes. My mother was human.]

Ella reluctantly affirmed with bitterness by nodding. Illoin could understand why Ella, who had a human mother, reacted negatively to humans’ and fairies’ union.

However, Ella was a fairy who chose to come out in the human world despite her intentions. Illoin felt the need to have some deeper conversation with her.

[Would you like to have a drink together?]

[Phew. I heard that the Forest Fairy is all high and mighty.]

[Well, in order to love, high and mighty won’t cut it. Hmmm. Yeah, I can talk more about it over a drink.]

[…You’re really persistent, aren’t you?]

Finally, Ella gave in. Since it was not as hard as imagined, after all, it might have been that Ella wanted to talk with Illoin right from the start.

Illoin then spoke with a heartwarming smile.

[Thank you for accepting my request. Then, let us talk without the presence of our mates.]

[What?! Horta is just a colleague! I admire his talents and attitude as a blacksmith, so I think of him as a colleague!]

[Yes, of course, I know that. Now, let’s go.]

Illoin nodded at Bernard, who had been looking at them, and led Ella out of the banquet.

Bernard approached Horta as he had no idea what was going on.

“The fairies are keeping secrets from us.”

“It seems so. Just wanted them to let us know when they will be back.”

“I heard from Evan that you’re building a workshop in this building?”

“The Young Master has been helping out a lot.”

“Let’s finish it today. I’ll also help you.”

“Really?”

If the legendary alchemist helped create a blacksmith’s workshop, it would definitely be finished in a few hours. When Horta’s face lightened up as he asked this, Bernard laughed in reply, waving his skewer. He then said, “After all, that was the price of getting this.”

“Master Evan knows what he’s doing.”

“He is a shrewd little fellow, asking a favor to his master for such a thing. Well, let’s finish these off and start working.”

“Alright!”

Later that day, by the time Ella finished talking with Illoin and returned, the two blacksmiths’ workshop had already been completed, as assured by Bernard.

Ella, who was drunk, was very surprised to see the workshop, but she nodded as if convinced when she heard Horta’s explanation. She seemed to have heard of Bernard’s ability from Illoin herself.

On the other hand, Horta felt a little curious as to what she talked about with Illoin, but he dared not ask.

It was the next day that the two blacksmiths began to produce weapons with the magic alloy EB metal.