The closer I get to the Demon Mountain, the more magical beasts and monsters appear. Herbivorous magical beasts like rabbits, deer, and boars have become rare, replaced by wolves, bears, and reptilian magical beasts.
As for monsters, goblins, orcs, and their higher-tier species are often found in groups. When you spot one, there are usually at least five or six more lurking nearby.
Goblins, in particular, build settlements and increase in number, so they must be exterminated on sight.
Somehow, goblins that form settlements give birth to higher-tier species. —No, are they evolving?
Hobgoblins are larger than goblins by a size. They wield weapons with dexterity and possess considerable strength. Some goblins even evolve into magicians, which is quite troublesome.
While hobgoblins can only use basic magic, when magic is cast during a battle, it becomes troublesome. Magic attacks can be deflected with the protection of the Creator God, but they can’t be negated, which results in disorientation.
“Goblins are a hassle. They’re numerous, and yet, their value is only in magic stones.”
In contrast, orcs are better. The magic stones and meat can be exchanged for a decent amount of points, and above all, orc meat is delicious.
“High orc meat, it’s similar to Iberico pork. The aroma and taste of the meat are exquisite, especially the ham… It was fantastic.”
I recall the Iberico ham I ate at a hidden restaurant during a family outing.
The thinly sliced red meat resembled rose petals. When I placed the slightly salty ham on my tongue, the sweet fat stimulated my taste buds, and before I knew it, I had devoured the entire plate. It was a small portion, but so satisfying. Amazing.
“I want to stock up on high orc meat, just like Iberico pork. I’d actually welcome an orc raid.”
Once the rainy season hits the vast forest near the Demon Mountain, hunting may become impossible, so I want to stockpile as much meat as possible.
After all, in the large forest near the Demon Mountain, there are many magical beasts such as the silver fox, black wolf, and murder grizzly.
“Fox and wolf pelts are beautiful, but they have no use. You can’t eat them, and while the materials are worth a decent amount of points, it’s still not very useful…”
In the forest, where omnivorous and carnivorous magical beasts have increased, untouched fruits grow in abundance.
Grapes, peaches, pears, apples, plums, loquats, figs, and even orange trees grow here.
I aimed at the magical beasts that came for the ripe fruits, and while carnivorous beasts were waiting in ambush, I made sure to turn them into delicious points.
“Ah, there’s one today too. A big and flashy bird.”
A beautifully plump bird with bright golden feathers was innocently pecking at a peach with its beak.
According to the appraisal, it was a magical beast pheasant—Golden Pheasant. The meat is edible and, in fact, quite delicious, which made my eyes sparkle.
It would be a waste to let it escape.
Since the magical beast was sensitive to its surroundings, I carefully gathered my magic and attacked its head with a Wind Cutter.
“Got it! I was able to catch it today!”
Actually, I had let it escape yesterday.
It’s a clever magical beast, and if it senses something off, it’ll fly away in an instant. Moreover, it’s a rare user of lightning magic, leaving behind a thunderstrike as a parting gift, which was quite troublesome.
I threw the plump pheasant carcass into my [Item Box]. The points were an incredible fifty thousand!
The beautiful tail feathers, of course, and the meat were high-point items. Most impressively, the magic stone alone was worth forty thousand points.
As expected of the lightning attribute.
“This one was rare after all…”
Since it seems to be a rare magic stone, I’ll secure it along with the meat. I turned the tail feathers into points.
While searching for the presence of magical beasts and monsters, I harvested the ripe fruits and felled surrounding trees to allow for more sunlight. The trees that contained more magical energy seemed to be highly valued by the Earth gods, resulting in slightly higher points.
From there, I continued forward, defeating a group of black wolves and monitor lizards.
“Let’s set up camp here for today.”
I found a lemon tree, so I made it my base. This is the first time I’ve seen wild lemons. They smell great, so I picked as many as I could.
I stored any troublesome fallen logs and large rocks in my [Item Box], then chopped down trees that were blocking the sunlight.
After setting up the tent, I began preparing lunch.
“I feel like having some grilled pheasant.”
I had already finished the meat of the Cocco bird, so I was craving chicken for the first time in a while.
I used earth magic to quickly make a stove, placed a grill on top, and just needed to grill the meat.
I worked diligently to skewer the meat, seasoning it with salt and pepper as I grilled it. Since I had lemons, I decided to squeeze some over the meat. The pheasant was quite large, so the meat was probably over 5 kilograms.
I decided to grill a lot, also preparing some for later.
“Mmm, it’s delicious. The salt and lemon go really well together. It’s easier to taste the meat than with sauce.”
The plump pheasant meat dripped fat as it was grilled over the charcoal.
The slightly burnt smell stimulated my appetite, and before I knew it, I kept bringing the grilled meat to my mouth while grilling.
“This is bad. I’m starting to want some beer…”
Why did I choose grilled meat for lunch?
With a slight sense of regret, I kept flipping the skewers, making sure to grill the pheasant meat evenly.
When I dismantled the materials, I was surprised to find that the meat also included the liver and other organs.
“I’ll save the liver for tonight. I gathered some wild garlic, so I’ll make stir-fried liver with garlic chives. I’ll also grill the heart and gizzards for skewers. Should I grill the bonjiri too? The loin… Can I eat that?”
When I checked with appraisal, it said it was edible.
The part connected to the gizzard felt similar to beef tongue, so I decided to eat it with salt and lemon.
I wanted to make roasted chicken with the thigh meat, so I mainly used the breast for the skewers.
“Even though it’s breast meat, it’s tender and delicious. Pheasant meat is pretty good.”
It’s a rare magical beast, but it seems to like fruits, so I’ll probably encounter it again.
After filling up with skewered meat and rice balls, I took a break.
“Ah, now that I think about it, Natsuki said she wanted pound cake…”
Currently, my three cousins are in the middle of a dungeon boot camp. The steady leveling up seems pretty tough for the high school girls who aren’t too interested in the game, and they seemed to be accumulating stress.
“If I had pancake mix, milk, eggs, and sugar, I could make the batter, but I don’t have an oven…”
While scratching the back of my head, I noticed a mess tin carelessly left on the table.
“Come to think of it, I think I saw a video where they baked a cake using a mess tin.”
I vaguely remember watching it while listening to camping videos as background music during my downtime.
If I surround it with cooking paper to prevent burning and bake it over low heat, it should work, right?
I have plenty of ingredients, and if I fail, I can just eat it myself.
“Alright, let’s do it. Making pound cake with a mess tin!”
I’ve made pound cakes using pancake mix a few times before.
It might be a good idea to try both plain and dried fruit versions.
“If it works out, I’d like to make a savory cake with meat. Haruto and Akimi would probably be more interested in that.”
I was surprised when I first learned about savory cakes (cak salé), but they actually taste pretty good.
I vaguely remember some recipes using pheasant or even rabbit meat for these types of cakes.
“If I make it with curry flavor, it should be easy to eat.”
Excited, I took the ingredients for the pound cake out of my [Item Box] and started setting them up on the table.
