NOVEL NEXT Chapter 30
Chapter 30: Cooking
“Ah~ So that’s the Half-Elf you mentioned back then.”
Jung Young-wook’s party members nodded as if they understood.
They had heard him mention Kim Si-hu before.
“But weren’t the two of them friends? Is it okay to call him that?”
“Friends? …That guy?”
Jung Young-wook chuckled softly.
“If we call all heroes from the same academy friends, then I guess he fits that description too.”
“Why is your answer so ambiguous?”
“Hey, Young-wook told us last time.”
“About what?”
“That he almost missed being top graduate because of him.”
Both of them were graduates of the 31st class from the Blue Moon Hero Academy.
Among them, Jung Young-wook graduated second in the Magic Department, while Kim Si-hu graduated first.
‘If that guy hadn’t been around…’
The top and second place were separated by just a few points.
To Jung Young-wook, Kim Si-hu was the one who snatched away the glory he could have claimed.
“Is he really that good at magic? Which guild is he part of?”
“He started his own guild a few months ago.”
“He must be confident in his skills to do that.”
“Well, it’s not bad….”
Jung Young-wook trailed off.
“Actually, when we were at Hero Academy, there were several professors from different races among the magic faculty. It seemed like those professors were a bit lenient with him, giving him extra points. But they would deduct points from other humans for various excuses.”
“……They gave him a boost because he was of a different race?”
“Wow, that’s really messed up. Can professors who teach students behave like that?”
“Who knows? If it weren’t for the points deducted in my third year, I would have been top graduate.”
“How can you call someone like that a friend? He’s just an annoying hybrid.”
“It’s all in the past now, so I’m just letting it go. If he didn’t have that title, it would be hard for him to get treated well anywhere. I’ll just have to be magnanimous and move on.”
Jung Young-wook spoke as if he had shaken off the past completely.
He viewed his second place not as a matter of skill but as one of fairness.
He was certain that if the faculty at Blue Moon Hero Academy was composed only of humans and not mixed races, he would have undoubtedly been the top graduate.
One of the party members placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“Your kindness is going to be your downfall, Young-wook. If it were me, I would have flipped that pathetic academy upside down.”
“They’ll live like that and eventually get their comeuppance one day.”
“Hey, enough about the hybrids. Let’s head to the conference room.”
*
“Achoo!”
For some reason, Kim Si-hu coughed and wiped his nose with the back of his hand.
Sitting on an office chair, a smile was on his face.
“Ho—”
He breathed onto the surface of the transparent object in his hand.
Then, using a soft cloth in his other hand, he carefully wiped it.
[Promotion Commemorative Plaque]
[SWEET FUN – Rank 1 Party]
[This party has become a model for others by consistently working for the safety of Korea and has successfully promoted to Rank 4, thus this plaque is awarded.]
…….
…….
The message written on it was a crystal plaque sent from the Hero Department.
Usually, it was made of a beautiful translucent substance that glimmered gently when illuminated.
Kim Si-hu treated this as a very precious item.
Yoo Ji-han asked him.
“Is it really that great?”
“Of course! We’ve been promoted to Rank 4……. I honestly still can’t believe it. If we consider just the duration of our active period, isn’t this nearly the fastest promotion?”
“It’s largely thanks to hunting that mutation.”
Yang Ji-cheol’s definite reason for advocating Sweet Fun’s promotion was the mutation hunt.
Yoo Ji-han wasn’t exactly sure what discussions took place within the Hero Department, but he felt confident that the mutation hunt greatly helped the party.
“What was that chicken’s name again? MU-1302 or something?”
“Just call it a monster chicken.”
“Did Mongdang get it back?”
“They said they received it and are keeping it well.”
Sweet Fun received the monster chicken’s carcass from the Hero Department’s research institute.
With a contribution rate of 100%, no other guild was involved.
The monster chicken solely belonged to Sweet Fun.
As Kim Si-hu placed the plaque down on his desk, he said,
“Actually, I got a call earlier. They asked us if we wanted to sell the mutation.”
“Huh? The guild’s name for the hunt hasn’t been disclosed to the media, right?”
“They said some information from within the Hero Department’s research institute leaked out.”
“Hmm… I should communicate with Yang Ji-cheol about that later.”
People were already approaching Sweet Fun wanting to purchase the mutation.
Since it was a creature that had never appeared before, everyone was very curious about it.
“So how much did the person who contacted you offer?”
“The first caller offered 100 million. The next one offered 80 million. I was expecting around 300 million or 500 million, but they didn’t go that high.”
“Well, it is still a mutation, but it ultimately transformed from a giant monster. There’s bound to be a limit on expectations.”
Even mutations had their ranks.
The average price for a giant monster, which the monster chicken originated from, was about 100,000 won each.
Usually, there are expected levels for each monster, so offering 100 million for the giant monster’s mutation could be seen as quite substantial.
Moreover, according to the information released by the Hero Department’s research institute, the monster chicken was not exactly a special specimen.
It had no poison in its body, and its feathers and bones were not of particularly high quality compared to materials commonly used for equipment.
“Are we going to dismantle it as planned?”
“Yeah. They’ll record the dismantling video separately at Mongdang. We should make the beak into equipment for our use.”
“Looks like we need to visit Nam Ho-yeol.”
Yoo Ji-han made plans to craft something useful out of the beak of the monster chicken.
If he could flatten the firm beak, it could be used as a small shield or as an addition to armor.
“But it feels a bit too wasteful just to sell that.”
“Huh?”
“Since the monster chicken is ultimately a chicken, right?”
“So?”
“Don’t you think we should try eating the chicken?”
“……Are you serious?”
Kim Si-hu gasped in shock.
He never expected someone would suggest wanting to taste the mutation.
“According to recent reports, meat from transformed monsters tastes amazing. Plus, chicken has always been a nourishing food, so it might have some good benefits.”
“R-really?”
Yoo Ji-han was sincere about wanting to eat the monster chicken.
For instance, ginseng that turned into a monster, often referred to as grotesque ginseng, is usually treated as a rare elixir, so chicken, which is one of the nourishing foods, could possibly yield similar effects.
Since it had been confirmed that the creature had no poison in its body, it was worth a try.
“I’m thinking of trying just a bit if you’re okay with it. What do you think?”
“If that’s what you want to do….”
“What’s your favorite part of the chicken?”
“Of course, it’s the chicken leg.”
“Chicken leg, confirmed.”
Yoo Ji-han immediately contacted Mongdang’s Jang Sa-im.
And he requested that during the dismantling of the monster chicken, they separately pack one of its legs.
Then Jang Sa-im said to him,
“Ji-han, just to check, are you planning to eat that directly?”
“Yes. I want to try it.”
“I know a fantastic chef. Would you like me to introduce him?”
“A chef?”
“He’s a friend of mine who has been preparing to transfer to a monster restaurant. If he gets the chance to cook a mutation, it could greatly benefit his culinary career. Of course, I guarantee he’s an excellent cook.”
Jang Sa-im offered to connect Sweet Fun with a chef who would cook the monster chicken.
Opportunities to cook mutant creatures were not available to just any chef, so in the monster culinary industry, there were instances where chefs got paid just to cook those dishes.
‘The world truly is vast.’
Yoo Ji-han reacted with curiosity upon discovering this information for the first time.
The market generated from hero activities was much larger and broader than he had imagined.
“That friend could probably prepare for about 10 million won for the cooking fee.”
10 million won.
That meant they would be willing to pay Sweet Fun just for the experience of cooking the mutation, not to eat it.
However, after consulting with Kim Si-hu, Yoo Ji-han decided to decline the money.
He didn’t want the average chef to feel pressured about the money.
“Just make sure the food is delicious.”
“Yes! I’ll communicate that.”
*
Duru—!
“Hello, this is the International Creature Protection Federation. How may I assist you?”
As soon as he picked up the phone, a woman’s kind voice followed.
Employees in white shirts and suits, with ID badges hanging around their necks.
In an office divided by partitions, they were working diligently.
This place, which looked like an ordinary company, was the Korean branch of the International Creature Protection Federation, or IUPC.
“Jin-gok, how long do you think the promotional poster work we discussed yesterday will take?”
“I believe it’ll be finished in about three hours.”
“Got it. Let me know when it’s done.”
Many netizens harbor a somewhat negative perception of IUPC due to the protests and various incidents they’re involved in.
However, contrary to what people imagine, their office operations were no different from those of an ordinary company.
The work being done inside involved only normal activities.
The public relations team striving to raise awareness for the federation, designers creating various posters and enhancing the federation’s image, and the department managing incoming donations mostly worked here.
“Hey, when is our next volunteer activity?”
“It’s on the 21st of this month.”
“When we volunteered last time, an elderly lady I handed essential goods to gave me a big hug. It really warmed my heart.”
“We’re doing such good things at the company.”
“I often feel regret. People should recognize this good work more.”
IUPC sometimes plans volunteer activities and even uses a portion of the donations to help those in need.
All of these efforts aimed to improve the federation’s reputation.
Whether it had an effect or not, the number of supporters for IUPC was gradually increasing.
However, there was information unknown even to the employees of IUPC.
In a building completely detached from the publicly shared address of the IUPC office.
Without a single passerby, appearing almost like a factory that had gone out of business, some IUPC staff members were gathered there.
“Caw!”
“Coo-roo! Coo-rook!”
“Hee-hee, hee-haw—!”
Inside the building, numerous large and small iron cages were installed.
And surprisingly, a variety of monsters of different kinds were imprisoned within.
According to IUPC, they were ‘protecting’ creatures from evil heroes.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Monsters roared and banged violently on the iron cages!
A man watching them from in front of the cages smiled.
“Are you guys really hungry?”
“It’s already snack time for the kids.”
“Shall I get the snacks?”
“Just one, something suitable.”
A woman scanned several burlap sacks placed in a corner of the building with her eyes.
“I wonder which one is the freshest…”
She was contemplating the monster’s feed.
Unlike the other monsters being protected, the ones here were picky eaters wanting only fresh food, so she had to sort through the options herself.
At that moment, one of the large bags shook slightly.
“I think this one will do!”
With a bright smile, she untied the string that tightened the burlap sack.
And after a brief moment…….
What emerged from within the completely untied sack was an old man, trembling in fear, all bound up.