Chapter 51 – Making Mattang

When Se-jun pulled the sweet potato vine,

Thud, thud, thud.

Along the sweet potato vine, golden Pumpkin Sweet Potatoes of the Sun came up in rows, lighting up the surroundings.

[You have harvested 15 Pumpkin Sweet Potatoes of the Sun at the same time.]

[Job experience points increase slightly.]

[The proficiency of Harvesting Lv. 4 increases slightly.]

[Due to the effect of Proficiency Increase Lv. 1, the proficiency of Harvesting Lv. 4 increases by an additional 5%.]

[You have acquired 450 experience points.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have acquired 1 bonus stat point.]

“Whew. It’s finished.”

With the harvest of the Pumpkin Sweet Potatoes of the Sun, which were planted last, ending the harvest of all sweet potatoes, Se-jun leveled up and reached level 19.

He invested the bonus stat point into mana. He intended to increase his mana until he unlocked the sealed and of the Thunder Rain skill.

With all harvesting finished like that, Se-jun approached the fireside where dinner was being prepared. The rabbits were already steaming and roasting the harvested potatoes and sweet potatoes while preparing other dishes.

“Now let’s eat dinner.”

Squeak!

Pyah!

The rabbits, who had been waiting only for Se-jun’s work to end, busily began to carry food.

At that time,

Kkueeeng! Kkueng-eeng!

Kkueng’s sorrowful crying sound was heard from outside the cave.

“Kkueng is fighting with his mom, saying he doesn’t want to go home-nyan.”

Theo translated Kkueng’s words.

“Hasn’t he gone home yet?”

“He says he will go after eating potatoes and sweet potatoes-nyan.”

Seeing the potatoes and sweet potatoes harvested inside the cave, Kkueng seemed to be throwing a tantrum to eat them before going. Se-jun carried a large basket made by the Gray Rabbits filled with potatoes and pumpkin sweet potatoes and went up to the surface.

“Eat this today and let’s eat again tomorrow. Got it?”

When Se-jun handed the basket to Kkueng,

Kkueng!

Kkueng, who got what he wanted, nodded at Se-jun’s words and quickly climbed onto the head of the mother Crimson Giant Bear.

“Ah! Should I have told him not to eat the basket?”

Se-jun realized late that he had not given Kkueng a warning about the basket, but in the meantime, the mother Crimson Giant Bear had gone too far to catch.

“Great Black Dragon. Shall I go and deliver the message not to eat the basket?”

Elka approached Se-jun and said.

“No. It’s fine. More than that, you’re hungry, right? Let’s eat quickly.”

While Se-jun was packing food for Kkueng, the rabbits came up carrying food for the wolves to eat.

“Thank you, Great Black Dragon…”

“It’s too long. Just call me Se-jun from now on.”

“Understood, Lord Se-jun. We will eat dinner well.”

Se-jun and the rabbits packed the meals for Kkueng and the wolves, and finally, everyone sat in a circle around the fireside to eat.

In front of Se-jun and the rabbits, plates and bowls woven from green onion leaves by the Gray Rabbits, containing food, were placed.

Originally, they also placed food on green onion leaves to eat, but it felt different from that. It was just made by weaving green onion leaves, but it felt like a proper setup.

Step.

“I’m hungry-nyan.”

Theo climbed onto Se-jun’s lap as if it were natural.

“Let’s eat.”

With Se-jun’s words, the rabbits began to eat the food placed in front of them.

And

“Here.”

“It’s delicious-nyan!”

Se-jun ate the grilled fish, deboned the flesh, and put it into Theo’s mouth.

At first, Se-jun had found it bothersome even for Theo to climb onto his lap. Now, he was naturally accepting deboning the fish and feeding him.

‘Puhuhut. Just as planned-nyan!’

The 213th day of being stranded. Theo’s day was passing peacefully.

***

Kkueng!

When morning came, Kkueng appeared, poking his head into the cave.

“Hup.”

Se-jun stood up and added a stroke to the wall, starting the morning of the 214th day.

He washed his face in a hurry and made do for breakfast with the leftover roasted sweet potatoes from yesterday. Today was going to be as busy as yesterday, or even busier.

Since the ground was empty due to harvesting the crops, they had to plant new crops again.

Like that, Se-jun and the rabbits ate a simple breakfast and began their morning farming.

Se-jun tried to make Theo work today too, but

“No-nyan! Representative Theo will go to make use of his talent-nyan!”

Theo began packing Magical Cherry Tomatoes and Pumpkin Sweet Potatoes of Strength into his bundle, saying he was preparing for the next merchant trip. Since the potatoes were still few in number, it seemed a yield sufficient to sell would only come at the next harvest.

“Try taking a few green onions of detoxification as well. There might be hunters who want them.”

“Understood-nyan.”

Since the green onions of detoxification were overflowing because he split-planted them every time the roots multiplied, Se-jun had him take 100 green onions of detoxification.

Theo thought there was no way the green onion of detoxification would sell, but he packed them for now since Se-jun said so. Se-jun’s words were the truth.

Leaving Theo who was packing his bundle like that, Se-jun quickly harvested cherry tomatoes and came up to the surface with about 10,000 sweet potato vines to plant in the surface fields.

Kkueng!

Grrr.

Going up to the surface, Kkueng was playing with the wolves. It seemed he had finally found opponents of matching levels.

And beside them, the basket Kkueng had taken yesterday lay in a pristine condition. Fortunately, he had brought it back without eating it.

“Guys, help me out.”

Se-jun took Kkueng and the wolves to the empty field next to the green onion field, which was covered with green onion leaves to prevent moisture evaporation.

“Please clear away the green onion leaves.”

“Yes, Lord Se-jun.”

As the wolves bit and cleared the green onion leaves, Kkueng also followed the wolves, excitedly picking up the green onion leaves and piling them up neatly.

Since he had always piled up green onion leaves in the green onion field and eaten honey, he thought this was the same kind of task.

While the wolves and Kkueng cleared the green onion leaves like that, Se-jun planted the sweet potato vines.

Stab.

Stabbing with his dagger to create a space to insert the sweet potato vine, he inserted the sweet potato vine and filled the space, and that was it.

[You have planted a Pumpkin Sweet Potato vine.]

[Due to the effect of Sowing Lv. 4, the probability of the Pumpkin Sweet Potato vine taking root increases.]

[Due to the effect of Sowing Lv. 4, the probability of suffering insect damage from pests decreases slightly.]

[Job experience points increase very slightly.]

[The proficiency of Sowing Lv. 4 increases very slightly.]

[Due to the effect of Proficiency Increase Lv. 1, the proficiency of Sowing Lv. 4 increases by an additional 5%.]

While Se-jun was diligently planting the sweet potato vines like that,

Kkueng!

Having finished his work, Kkueng brought the glass jar.

“Alright.”

After pouring one glug of honey for Kkueng, he looked around and saw the wolves scratching the ground for no reason and looking elsewhere.

“You guys come here too.”

“W… We are fine.”

The wolves shook their heads and declined.

But they could not deceive Se-jun. Because the wolves’ tails were wagging vigorously, answering for them.

“Come quickly.”

When Se-jun spoke firmly,

“Yes.”

The wolves ran over quickly, pretending to yield.

“Here.”

Se-jun poured honey on a green onion leaf that had fallen nearby and gave it to the wolves.

Lick, lick, lick.

The wolves got excited by the taste of honey they tried for the first time and began to eat frantically.

At that time,

Kkueeeeng.

Kkueng, who had already finished his own honey, shoved his head between the wolves and tried to steal and eat the wolves’ honey.

“Kkueng, no!”

When Se-jun spoke strongly and restrained Kkueng,

Kkueeeng…

Kkueng turned his body and pouted. However, he was still in the palm of Se-jun’s hand.

“We are going to eat something more delicious than Honey Potatoes for lunch.”

Kkueng?!

At Se-jun’s monologue, Kkueng’s body turned about 30 degrees and reacted. Something more delicious than Honey Potatoes?!

“But this is a food that causes big trouble if a bad bear who steals and eats other’s food eats it. It’s a pity, but Kkueng won’t be able to eat it.”

Kkueng! Kkueng!

At Se-jun’s thunderbolt-like words, Kkueng hastily turned around and shook both front paws, denying it. ‘Kkueng is not a bad bear! I didn’t steal and eat other’s things!!!’

“Alright. I thought our Kkueng was a bad bear who steals other’s things. Sorry for the misunderstanding. Instead, I will give Kkueng 5 times more than the others for lunch.”

Since the amount Kkueng ate was already over 10 times that of the rabbits, it made no big difference.

Kkueng!

Kkueng, whose mood improved quickly at Se-jun’s words, went to pick up green onion leaves diligently again.

“I must go to cook.”

He had originally planned to eat simply, but because of what he had said to Kkueng, he had to make something more delicious than Honey Potatoes.

“Well, there is no way this could be tasteless.”

The dish Se-jun would make for lunch was one he had wanted to make so much since harvesting the sweet potatoes. Specifically, Sweet Potato Mattang.

He could not eat it during that time due to the lack of ingredients and tools, but now the conditions to make the perfect Sweet Potato Mattang were created.

Se-jun decided to make a new dish by adding potatoes to it.

“Namely, Potato Sweet Potato Mattang.”

Se-jun went down to the cave, washed the potatoes and sweet potatoes, and began to boil them using three pots.

And just as he was taking out the boiled potatoes and sweet potatoes,

“Chairman Park, what are you doing-nyan?”

Theo, who finished packing his bundle, approached Se-jun.

“Oh! Representative Theo, you came at the right time.”

“Puhuhut. Am I that welcome-nyan?”

“Of course you are. Cut this with your claws.”

Se-jun pointed to the potatoes and sweet potatoes.

“Puhuhut. That level is a joke to Representative Theo-nyan!”

The strongest entity limited to inside the cave tried to show off his ability.

But

“Are you going to cut them just like that?”

“Yes-nyan. What’s the problem-nyan?”

“You must wash your claws first.”

He failed Se-jun’s hygiene inspection.

“Understood-nyan!”

Theo rushed to wash his claws in the pond, came back, and cut the potatoes and sweet potatoes, displaying his skills to his heart’s content.

“Chairman Park! Look at my dazzling paw swipes-nyan!”

While Theo worked hard like that, Se-jun began to heat the pot.

Whoosh.

Since the fire at the fireside was strong, the pot heated up in no time.

“Good.”

Once the pot was heated, Se-jun placed a chunk of the Giant Electric Eel’s fat, which he had set aside, onto the pot.

Sizzle.

The fat melted and turned into liquid, making a delicious sound along with a savory smell.

Poured.

Se-jun put the potatoes and sweet potatoes into the pot and began to fry the outer surfaces. When eating Mattang, it felt crispy and slightly sticky. To create that feeling, he had to fry the outer surfaces.

The fried potatoes and sweet potatoes were transferred onto the leaf plate next to them. And once the frying ended, he put honey into the pot and simmered it.

And as the honey caramelized and turned brown, he put the potatoes and sweet potatoes back in and stirred them as if coating them.

Gradually, honey coated the outer surfaces of the potatoes and sweet potatoes, and they began to glisten.

“Done.”

When Se-jun scooped out the potatoes and sweet potatoes and cooled them, finishing the cooking,

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

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

[The recipe for Sweet Potato Mattang is registered in Cooking Lv. 1.]

[The recipe for Potato Mattang is registered in Cooking Lv. 1.]

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

[The proficiency of Cooking Lv. 1 has been filled, and its level rises.]

By achieving the achievements, his Cooking skill level rose. However, regrettably, the Potato Sweet Potato Mattang Se-jun developed was not recognized by the tower.

While Se-jun was making the Potato Sweet Potato Mattang again,

“Fry fish for me here too-nyan!”

Theo brought a piranha, pointed to the oil remaining after frying the potatoes and sweet potatoes, and said. The fish lover instinctively knew. The combination of fish and oil.

“Alright.”

Sizzle.

“Here, this.”

Since the fire was strong, Se-jun fried the piranha in the oil that heated up quickly as soon as the pot was placed, and handed the fried fish to Theo.

“It’s delicious-nyan!”

Having tasted the piranha fried in eel fat, Theo decided to receive this week’s weekly wage in fried fish.

After a short while, the lunch preparation was completed, and

“Let’s eat lunch!”

At Se-jun’s shout, the rabbits rushed over, put the Potato Sweet Potato Mattang in the baskets, and carried them to the surface.

Kku! Eng! Kku! Eng!

Excited at the thought of eating food more delicious than Honey Potatoes, Kkueng drooled and pulled up the baskets diligently.

And it was lunchtime.

Kkueng!

Having tasted the Potato Sweet Potato Mattang, which was more delicious than Honey Potatoes as Se-jun said, Kkueng did not steal and eat other’s food recklessly thereafter.

The 214th day of being stranded. Kkueng learned that he should not steal and eat food, but just be conceded it. It was Kkueng who understood it slightly differently from Se-jun’s intention.