Chapter 48 – Obtaining a Cooking Skill

[Grower: Tower Farmer Park Se-jun]

As Theo became a mid-tier wandering merchant and the grower’s information was displayed on the D-grade Magical Cherry Tomatoes,

“Who is Tower Farmer Park Se-jun?”

“Looking at the name, is he Korean?”

“More than that, was there a job called Tower Farmer?”

People sent by hunters and wealthy individuals from various countries around the world began to head to Korea to obtain Se-jun’s information.

The president’s office of the Korean Awakened Association. Inside the president’s office, there was nothing besides a desk and a table. And it was as cold as a freezer.

A muscular old man in his 60s with white hair, sitting at the head of the table, stripped of his shirt and sat with his bare feet on a 1-meter-thick sheet of ice, glaring at a man.

Sizzle.

His feet were so hot that the ice was melting in this cold place.

“Dong-sik. I won’t make a long story. If you know anything, tell me everything.”

Han Tae-jun, the association president, said to Kim Dong-sik, the leader of Team 5 of the Phoenix Guild and his youngest disciple.

“Master, what do you mean by that?”

Kim Dong-sik, wearing a thick padded jacket, asked while exhaling white breath.

“I heard that you went to Mr. Park Se-jun’s house twice.”

“Ah. That…”

“Have you ever met Mr. Park Se-jun?”

Han Tae-jun asked with a serious expression.

“I haven’t. Only through a cat wandering merchant named Theo…”

Kim Dong-sik explained what he knew in detail to Han Tae-jun. He did not foolishly try to hide anything.

If he got caught doing that, he would be beaten by Han Tae-jun until he was truly on the verge of death. He could not be beaten like that after turning 40.

Although his master Han Tae-jun was currently retired after receiving the Curse of Flames and had to keep cooling his body like that, he was a massive monster who had unofficially climbed to the 52nd floor of the tower.

The reason Kim Dong-sik had easily believed Theo’s words when Se-jun said he climbed to the 40th floor was also because he had already seen the peerless genius, his master Han Tae-jun.

“So that happened. Good. Dong-sik. You guard Mr. Park Se-jun’s family.”

Association President Han Tae-jun wanted to block in advance the possibility of the producer of the Magical Cherry Tomatoes, who was receiving the world’s attention, leaving for another country due to family issues.

“Yes?”

“Why? What? Since you already know them, it’s better for you to do it. Any complaints?”

“N… No.”

He had, but he could not say them.

“Don’t worry. I will have you take turns with your senior disciples.”

Thus, by Han Tae-jun’s dogmatic decision, Kim Dong-sik was organized into the personnel guarding Se-jun’s family.

***

Roar-!

Fortunately, as soon as the Blue Moon rose, Aileen stepped forward as promised, so the surface fields were safe.

“What a relief.”

Watching Aileen flying in the sky where the Blue Moon rose, Se-jun looked at the crops in relief.

And after some time passed,

Sss.

A blue energy began to form in the cherry tomato field, potato field, and sweet potato field.

“Uh?!”

Come to think of it, he had forgotten. That it was time to harvest the sweet potatoes too.

“Oh my god! I forgot about the sweet potatoes!”

Blaming his own foolishness, Se-jun checked the crops where the Blue Moon’s energy formed.

13 in the cherry tomato field, 3 in the potato field, and 7 in the sweet potato field. The Blue Moon’s energy was forming.

Se-jun hurriedly memorized the locations of the crops before the Blue Moon’s energy was fully absorbed.

And when the blue energy was fully absorbed into the crops, he harvested the potatoes and sweet potatoes first, whose colors were not visible since the harvest was hidden underground.

“Was it here?”

Se-jun went to the position he memorized in advance and pulled the potato stem.

Thud, thud, thud.

Among the potatoes hanging in clusters along the potato stem, a blue potato was visible.

Having pulled two more potato stems like that to obtain a total of 3 Potatoes of Strength containing the Blue Moon’s energy, Se-jun hurriedly went to the sweet potato field.

And

Thud, thud.

he dug out 7 Pumpkin Sweet Potatoes of Strength containing the Blue Moon’s energy.

Lastly, when he was harvesting the Magical Cherry Tomatoes containing the Blue Moon’s energy,

[The tower administrator boasts, asking if you saw her active role.]

“Of course I saw it. Come on, hurry up and make a quest to take this.”

Se-jun held out 5 blue cherry tomatoes, 1 potato, and 1 sweet potato. He stepped forward to give the crops first even though Aileen had not asked for them. It was because he hoped Aileen would continue to actively block the Blue Moon in the future.

And

[The tower administrator says thank you.]

[The tower administrator shouts to leave the Blue Moon to her in the future too.]

Aileen did not betray Se-jun’s expectations.

[The tower administrator hesitantly says she requests the potato and sweet potato to be cooked.]

Perhaps Aileen felt sorry for demanding more while receiving, so she spoke cautiously.

“I’ll do it.”

Since Se-jun had experienced Aileen’s disaster-grade cooking skills, he did it without a word of complaint. Although he wondered if this could even be called cooking, Se-jun felt he would not feel good if Aileen ruined the potatoes and pumpkin sweet potatoes while baking them.

Both not being able to eat the crops, and seeing Aileen’s message weeping that she ruined the cooking.

Since he planned to make steamed potatoes and roasted sweet potatoes anyway, it was not much trouble.

While the harvested potatoes and pumpkin sweet potatoes were being completed into steamed potatoes and roasted pumpkin sweet potatoes, Se-jun picked up one cherry tomato containing the Blue Moon’s energy and examined its options.

[Magical Cherry Tomato Containing the Blue Moon’s Energy]

It was a cherry tomato grown in the tower that had absorbed enough nutrients and was delicious.

With the Blue Moon’s energy contained in it, the taste had become even better.

Cultivated by a farmer familiar with farming, its taste and efficiency had improved.

Upon consumption, mana permanently increased by 0.3.

Grower: Tower Farmer Park Se-jun

Expiration Date: 120 days

Grade: C

“Mana increases by 0.3.”

Until now, the stat increase difference between crops containing the Blue Moon’s energy and ordinary crops was constant at double, but from C-grade, perhaps because the efficiency of crops containing the Blue Moon’s energy was better, the difference became smaller than double.

“I should eat only 4 for now.”

Although he would not eat it right now because he had to use it as lighting when obtaining food outside the pond, Se-jun prepared to make his mana 10 or higher to eat the Giant Electric Eel’s Core at any time.

When Se-jun put the cherry tomato he was holding in his mouth and chewed,

Pop.

Squirt!

The taut skin split, and the sweet and sour juice inside burst out. The cherry tomato juice, containing the Blue Moon’s energy in C-grade, had a richer taste.

“Mmm, delicious.”

[You have consumed the Magical Cherry Tomato Containing the Blue Moon’s Energy.]

[Mana permanently increases by 0.3.]

Before the lingering taste disappeared, Se-jun put a blue cherry tomato in his mouth again.

Pop.

[You have consumed the Magical Cherry Tomato Containing the Blue Moon’s Energy.]

[Mana permanently increases by 0.3.]

Having eaten 4 blue cherry tomatoes like that, Se-jun finally made his mana 10 or higher. Exactly, it was 10.25.

After a while, when the steamed potatoes and roasted pumpkin sweet potatoes were completed, Se-jun sent 5 cherry tomatoes, 1 steamed potato, and 1 roasted pumpkin sweet potato to Aileen, completing the quest.

And Se-jun peeled the blue skin of the steamed potato.

“Whew, whew.”

Se-jun blew on the potato to cool it down quickly. He intended to eat all the potatoes containing the Blue Moon’s energy and destroy the evidence while no one was around.

“It’s a pity there’s no sugar.”

Of course, dipping it in salt tasted okay too, but thinking that he could not eat sugar made him crave it more for some reason.

Then,

“Ah!”

Come to think of it, although he did not have sugar, he had something better than sugar. The organic honey collected by the poison honeybees from the cherry tomato flowers he grew himself.

Se-jun hastily brought the glass jar containing honey, opened the lid, and poured the honey into a bowl.

Glug, glug.

Unlike when he gave honey to Kkueng, the tilt of the glass jar lowered without hesitation.

And

Dip.

Se-jun dipped the steamed potato deeply into the bowl containing honey, took it out, and put it in his mouth. The potato coated in honey entered Se-jun’s mouth.

“Hoo-ah. Heeee-ah.”

Se-jun chewed the potato while cooling the hot potato with his breath. Every time he chewed the potato, the honey, which had turned into water due to the hot temperature, seeped between the fluffy potato pieces, finding harmony in taste.

Gulp.

……

No other words were needed. This was indeed a honey combination.

[You have consumed the Potato of Strength Containing the Blue Moon’s Energy.]

[Mana permanently increases by 0.3.]

When he had eaten one steamed potato completely like that,

[You have achieved the achievement of replicating the forgotten tower dish, Honey Potato.]

“This is a forgotten dish?”

More than that, I just dipped a steamed potato in honey?

***

Aileen ate the 5 Magical Cherry Tomatoes containing the Blue Moon’s energy received from Se-jun all at once,

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

and focused on her dragon heart, which beat slowly and weakly but steadily. Perhaps because her body had adapted this time, she did not even faint.

“Grr. Grr. Grr.”

Feeling the thumping beats of her dragon heart, Aileen swallowed the steamed potato and the roasted pumpkin sweet potato in order.

“What a pity.”

The potato and sweet potato disappeared as if melting in an instant. Just as Aileen was feeling regretful while savoring the lingering taste,

“Huh?”

Beyond the crystal ball, the praiseworthy human dipped the steamed potato into something.

And

[The achievement of replicating the forgotten tower dish, Honey Potato, was achieved.]

Aileen nodded her head. Replicating delicious food… as expected, he was a praiseworthy human.

“Since he did a praiseworthy thing, I must give him a reward.”

Thump, thump.

Aileen’s heart beat faster. Although this time it was a different beat, not the dragon heart,

“Praiseworthy human, receive the quest!”

Aileen, blinded by the honey potato, did not notice.

***

[The tower administrator nods while looking at you, who has achieved a great achievement.]

[A quest has occurred.]

[Quest: Serve Honey Potatoes to the tower administrator.]

Reward: 1 Job Skill

On Refusal: Well, if you refuse, I will be disappointed, but I won’t show it!

“What?”

Disappointed but won’t show it? Then she shouldn’t have shown it in the quest…

“I can just make it with regular potatoes, right?”

There was no reason to refuse since she was giving a skill for the first time in a while. It was not difficult either.

[The tower administrator nods vigorously, saying she also has a sense of shame.]

Se-jun peeled 5 steamed potatoes from the pot and placed them in the bowl containing honey.

“Here.”

The bowl in Se-jun’s hand disappeared entirely.

And

[You have completed the quest.]

[You have acquired the Special Job Skill – Cooking Lv. 1 as a quest completion reward.]

He obtained a new skill.

“Cooking?”

[The recipe for Honey Potato is registered in Special Job Skill – Cooking Lv. 1.]

“A recipe?”

Se-jun checked the cooking skill.

[Special Job Skill – Cooking Lv. 1]

-The taste and effects of dishes made using ingredients from the tower increase very slightly.

-Registered Recipes: 1

“The effects increase very slightly?”

When Se-jun peeled the blue skin of the steamed potato again and dipped it in honey,

[You have completed the Honey Potato of Strength Containing the Blue Moon’s Energy.]

[The proficiency of Cooking Lv. 1 increases slightly.]

[Due to the effect of Cooking Lv. 1, the taste and effect of the Honey Potato of Strength Containing the Blue Moon’s Energy increase very slightly.]

[Honey Potato of Strength Containing the Blue Moon’s Energy]

Steamed the Potato of Strength containing the Blue Moon’s energy, peeled it, and seasoned it with honey.

Due to the harmony between the steamed potato and honey, the taste has become sweet and soft.

The taste improved very slightly.

Upon consumption, strength permanently increased by 0.3. (The mana increased by the effect of Cooking Lv. 1 was too small to be displayed.)

Cook: Tower Farmer Park Se-jun

Expiration Date: 1 day

Grade: C

“I won’t be able to make it in advance and eat it.”

The expiration date was one day, and the increase in strength was almost unchanged. Se-jun decided to be satisfied with the taste being improved.

“Shall I try eating it?”

Se-jun put the completed Honey Potato in his mouth.

And

Gulp.

Sweep, sweep.

He buried the blue potato peel in the cherry tomato field, completely eliminating any trace of having eaten the Potato of Strength containing the Blue Moon’s energy.

The 212th day of being stranded. Se-jun’s 8th Blue Moon passed very peacefully.