Chapter 97
Haruto studied the Dryad pollen in the glass bottle, then returned to the main body of the plant for a closer look.
He discovered that the Dryad itself carried a faint, pleasant fragrance.
Haruto promptly cut it down.
Its bark could be ground into a spice, while the trunk could be used as smoking wood.
Even the vines that had connected the Dryad to its humanoid flowers were edible.
Combined with the fruit and flower buds he had already collected, practically every part of the Dryad was useful.
While cutting it apart, Haruto also discovered several Mandrakes growing nearby.
The ones on the fifth floor were considerably larger than those he had gathered before, so he collected them as well.
Haruto left the park with a rich haul and resumed his search for monsters, only for his good fortune to continue.
He had barely walked a hundred meters when a faint sound reached his ears.
Haruto stopped and looked ahead.
A Cockatrice approached at a leisurely pace, strutting proudly with its head held high.
The sight immediately brought a smile to Haruto’s face.
He had wanted to compare Dragon and Phoenix Soup made from a Basilisk with one made from a Cockatrice.
He had already captured several Basilisks, but a Cockatrice had remained elusive.
Haruto had expected to search for quite some time before finding one, yet here it was, not far beyond the park.
Naturally, he had no intention of letting it escape.
The Cockatrice had no opportunity to resist.
Before it could launch an attack, Haruto closed the distance and swiftly severed both of its heads.
After storing the body inside Gourmet Restaurant, he followed the tracks it had left behind.
It did not take long to locate its nest in a partially collapsed room.
The nest was padded with dry grass and feathers, with four enormous Cockatrice eggs resting inside.
Haruto collected them all without hesitation.
He then continued exploring the ruined town on the fifth floor.
With his sharp senses and overwhelming strength, he captured several more monsters, including Demon Wolves and a Minotaur.
The growing haul only lifted his spirits further.
...
Once hunger began gnawing at his stomach, Haruto settled inside a relatively intact stone house near a water source and began preparing dinner.
He took out a slab of Kelpie meat and cut it into evenly sized chunks.
After setting an iron pot over the fire, he filled it with water.
Once the water boiled, he added the meat and blanched it to remove the blood and impurities.
The cooked surface turned a tender pink.
Haruto drained the pieces and set them aside.
He poured olive oil into the pot and, once it was hot, added chopped scallion, ginger, garlic, star anise, Dryad bark, and several other seasonings.
He slowly fried the spices over low heat.
As they sizzled, their rich fragrance filled the stone house and immediately stirred the appetite.
Once the aromatics developed a lightly toasted scent, Haruto added soy sauce, cooking wine, and several other seasonings.
After mixing them thoroughly, he returned the Kelpie meat to the pot and stir-fried it rapidly, coating every piece in the dark, glossy sauce.
He then added enough water to cover the meat, followed by rock sugar and a small amount of salt.
Once the liquid came to a boil, Haruto lowered the heat and left it to simmer.
The sauce bubbled gently as the fragrance of meat and spices gradually blended together, filling the entire room with a mouthwatering aroma.
While the Kelpie cooked, Haruto took out one of the Dryad fruits and cut away its top.
The shell was hard, while the inside was packed with orange-yellow flesh carrying a faint, refreshing fragrance.
He scooped out the pulp, cut it into small pieces, then washed several Dryad flower buds and sliced them into thin strips.
Next, Haruto took out one of the Dryad’s vines.
He peeled away its outer skin, boiled the tender core in water, and ground it into a smooth paste.
Haruto set another pot over the fire and brought some fresh water to a boil.
He added the ground vine paste first, stirring until it dispersed evenly through the water.
Once the mixture returned to a boil, he added the diced Dryad fruit, lowered the heat, and let it simmer for twenty minutes.
Finally, he added the shredded flower buds and cooked everything for another three minutes.
The Dryad Porridge was complete.
Haruto poured it back into the hollow shell of the fruit he had saved earlier.
By then, the Kelpie meat had simmered until tender.
He lifted the lid, and a deep, savory fragrance rushed out.
The finished meat gleamed a rich reddish brown, with thick sauce clinging invitingly to every piece.
Haruto removed it from the pot, sliced it into thick steaks, and arranged them on a plate.
That was his dinner.
He picked up a piece of Kelpie meat and bit into it.
The fibers were slightly coarse, but the flesh itself was firm without becoming dry.
As his teeth sank in, rich sauce and meat juices burst across his tongue, savory and salty with a faint sweetness lingering at the end.
The fresh aroma contributed by the Dryad bark elevated the dish even further, leaving a long, pleasant aftertaste.
Haruto lifted the hollow Dryad fruit and took a spoonful of porridge.
A gentle floral fragrance and the natural sweetness of the fruit spread across his tongue.
The porridge was thick and rich, yet remarkably smooth, without the slightest trace of heaviness.
"I didn’t expect this to turn out so well."
Surprise flashed through Haruto’s eyes.
He had only wanted to make a simple bowl of porridge and had not put much thought into the recipe.
Yet when the different parts of the Dryad were combined, they created a wonderfully balanced flavor.
Even his Gourmet Cells stirred awake and became increasingly active.
After eating his fill, Haruto spread a blanket across the floor of the stone house, took out a magic book, and began studying.
The following morning, he ate breakfast and resumed hunting monsters.
...
Over the next two days, Haruto moved through the town’s ruins, capturing many more creatures with his overwhelming strength while growing steadily more familiar with the fifth floor.
One evening, after finishing dinner, Haruto took out a magic book and prepared to read.
Then a sudden urge to experiment rose within him.
He had been studying for quite some time and believed he had already grasped most of the basics.
Haruto decided there was no reason to keep waiting.
Following the method written in the book, he focused his mind and tried to sense the magic power within his body while chanting the obscure incantation.
"..."
As the final syllable left his lips, a faint thread of magic emerged from within him and gathered in his palm.
It condensed into a tiny sphere of light.
The orb released a gentle white glow, slowly rose from his hand, and floated in midair, illuminating the surrounding area.
"It worked!"
Delight surged through Haruto.
He had only intended to test the spell, never expecting to succeed on his first genuine attempt.
The sudden sense of accomplishment filled him with excitement.
Unable to resist, he gathered his magic once more and repeated the incantation.
Another sphere of light formed in his palm and rose into the air.
Then another.
Before long, more than a dozen glowing orbs floated overhead.
Their combined radiance illuminated the surrounding streets as brightly as daylight.
However, on the naturally dark fifth floor, such brilliant light was no different from a beacon blazing in the middle of the night.
It immediately attracted the attention of numerous monsters nearby.
Haruto had already considered that possibility, but he did not care in the slightest.
Any monster drawn to the light was simply an ingredient delivering itself to his door.