Chapter 202

Chapter 202
Chapter 202: Never Mind The Heir, I’ll Focus On Healing

It was a fact that the second prince abandoning Jack made for a completely ridiculous tale.

Did Lion fail to notice the unique way they genuinely looked out for one another?

‘He never let it show, but the second prince truly…’

Wasn’t Jack the solitary soul he could depend upon in this vast world?

Jack was the only companion who had remained by his side since his early days.

Judging by a straightforward assessment, Jack would have shielded the second prince through every hardship imaginable.

Only stepping up as the Merchant Guild Leader now, and acting overly protective?

‘This bond wasn’t forged overnight.’

At any rate, they had endured by guarding each other as fiercely as possible.

Otherwise, either one of them would have perished long ago.

However…

‘Jack is deeply troubled.’

Lion was well aware of the root cause behind that anxiety.

It was likely the persistent worry that the second prince, anchoring Jack’s entire existence, might suddenly vanish.

‘Because Jack failed to break the curse.’

Even after witnessing the agony that curse inflicted over countless years, Jack remained powerless to remove it.

‘He must have exhausted every option.’

Freya stood as a living testament to that truth.

Didn’t he pour massive financial backing into alchemy?

Even if the role commanded immense influence over underworld cash flows, sustaining such lavish support while enduring Freya’s difficult temperament could never have been a simple choice.

Unless there was a profound underlying motivation.

Come to think of it, weren’t all those actions the footprints of his desperate quest to cure the second prince?

There were undoubtedly numerous other efforts Lion knew nothing about.

Yet every single attempt ultimately came to naught.

Even culminating in the moment the second prince himself had to hunt down a disguised Lion simply because no other path remained.

Thus, looking through Jack’s eyes, how utterly hollow and self-reproaching he must have felt.

He likely believed that climbing to the pinnacle of the underworld would let him protect his one and only person, only to realize his practical helplessness.

“Well…”

I understand it completely.

Honestly, even in Lion’s shoes, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t sink into the exact same despair and frustration.

Though it pained him to admit it, he and Jack shared quite a few commonalities.

To be precise, it mirrored the past when they were both slightly younger.

Back then, my own self was somewhat…

“…Ah. I filtered out all the impurities.”

Having buried those memories he wished to forget, Lion turned his gaze to the freshly strained ganjang, completely clear of debris.

The shade differed slightly from the standard ganjang most people recognized.

It carried a soft, golden tint, resembling a mixture where sesame oil and ganjang met halfway at the bottom.

Sampling a tiny drop revealed a nuanced wave of sweet and spicy notes.

“Mmm!”

The initial signs looked quite promising.

Naturally, plenty of work still lay ahead.

It wasn’t yet the familiar ganjang of everyday use.

First, this purified liquid needed to be reduced down and left to mature so it could develop the proper color and aroma.

“Still, managing to boil it all in one go is a relief.”

Lion shifted his gaze toward the alchemy pot.

That vessel continued to display its formidable utility as always…

“…Is it showing its age?”

It felt subtly different from when he first laid eyes on it.

How should he phrase it?

It gave the impression of having passed through countless hands over the years.

To be fair, it remained an unmatched masterpiece of alchemy, but routine maintenance seemed overdue.

Well, a bit of wear didn’t mean it was broken, so boiling the ganjang posed no real obstacle.

“Just this once.”

Lion poured the crystal-clear ganjang liquid straight into the alchemy pot and began simmering it down at a gentle pace.

Using excessive heat would risk scorching the bottom or ruining the batch with a bitter aftertaste.

After coming this far, he refused to let a careless mistake ruin his ganjang.

“Ppippi.”

Nature, looking somewhat exhausted from continuous child-rearing duties, fluttered over to land on his shoulder while leaving Pus behind.

She appeared to have slipped away purely to grab a moment of rest.

“Taking a break from watching the little one?”

“Ppii!”

Nature let out a chirp that practically screamed relief and hovered close to the simmering pot.

No matter how fond she was of Pus, keeping up with that endless energy was no small feat.

Of course, thanks to Nature’s temporary escape, Lion could enjoy a brief reprieve from babysitting… or rather, child-raising.

‘Now that I think about it…’

He had toyed with the idea of crafting a toy for Pus, but he had neglected to set up a dedicated resting spot for Nature.

Ordinarily, they might just share a bed, but with Pus around, she required a private sanctuary.

‘I need to build her a new nest before worrying about toys.’

Carrying that thought, he walked back to where the jangdoks stood.

Since Nature was keeping an eye on the ganjang, his next task waited here with the doenjang.

Without hesitation, Lion began mashing down the meju blocks he had set aside earlier.

This doenjang demanded far more meticulous care than the ganjang, which only required straining and boiling.

Breaking down every stubborn piece of meju into the finest texture possible would make it much easier to consume later.

Lion pressed down with his full weight, thoroughly kneading and crushing the mass.

‘If it dries out too much, I’ll mix in a splash of ganjang.’

Saving a bit of the ganjang beforehand turned out to be a smart move.

Whenever the doenjang felt too dense to hold its moisture, Lion incorporated a little ganjang.

Once the mixture achieved a buttery smoothness completely free of gritty lumps, Lion firmly packed it into a jangdok that had been thoroughly sterilized with fire.

Finally, he scattered a layer of salt across the top, tidied the surrounding area, secured a cloth wrapper over the mouth, and clicked the lid into place.

“Hoo!”

The finish line was finally in sight.

Lion straightened his aching back and let out a wide grin.

Honestly, he never anticipated that brewing traditional jang would turn into such an elaborate ordeal, but a profound sense of pride warmed his chest.

“Ppippi!”

“Yours is finished simmering too.”

Responding to Nature’s call, he checked the pot and found the ganjang reduced to the ideal consistency.

The color had deepened richly, and the flavor was unmistakably concentrated.

“This is perfection.”

At Lion’s murmur of satisfaction, Nature used her abilities to seamlessly transfer the hot ganjang into an empty jangdok.

Watching a glowing amber stream gracefully glide through the air was a truly mesmerizing sight.

‘As expected, greater mastery over spirit arts makes channeling power effortless.’

He had always possessed the ability to manipulate elemental forces, but rigid limitations back then often forced him to rely on his own mana reserves.

These days, however…

‘I don’t feel any strain at all.’

If anything, the extensive wind and water manipulation required to look after Pus barely registered as a drain on his mana.

‘Still, it’s quite strange…’

Oddly enough, no external physical shifts accompanied the growth.

Based on what Lion knew, Nature’s true form was supposed to be rather…

“Ppi, ppiit!”

“Hm? Ah. Finished pouring already?”

“Ppippi!”

Lion glanced down at the ganjang, which still radiated heat and wisps of steam.

Once the steam vanished entirely, he could seal the lid tight.

“Ppihu…!”

Unbeknownst to Lion, Nature used her wings to wipe beads of sweat from her round face.

“Right then, time to kick off the aging process.”

Tidying up the workspace, Lion rolled up his sleeves and planted himself directly in front of the doenjang pot.

He gently rested his palm against the earthenware vessel.

Now, by properly channeling accelerated fermentation, the jang would mature into a deep, delicious flavor in record time.

Normally, doenjang required roughly three months to reach maturity…

“Hmm. Looks like I’ll be camping out here for the next three or four days.”

Though he would need to sustain the accelerated fermentation much longer than anticipated, Lion remained entirely calm.

‘I did tell Rikschel to drop by if anything came up, though…’

Well, everything should be fine, right?

Hadn’t Lion already called this place home for over a month?

Besides, thanks to the supplies he brought over piece by piece, the area had transformed into quite a comfortable dwelling.

It offered every essential amenity alongside plenty of provisions.

“Hahaha. Let’s get started.”

And thus, Lion’s intensive jang-aging challenge officially commenced.

—

Throughout the aging phase, Lion maintained a steady stream of accelerated fermentation.

He spent hours stationed right beside the crocks, interspersed with moments where he opened the lids, shaved away the surface layers of the doenjang to stave off mold, and wiped down the rims to banish any foreign particles.

Meanwhile, Nature and the endlessly mischievous Pus alternated between snuggling close to Lion and darting off to play by themselves in the flower garden, passing the days quite happily.

One particular detail, however, caught him off guard.

“Kiying!”

Perhaps echoing the ambient mana Lion continuously poured into the accelerated fermentation, a faint current of mana began radiating from Pus’s tiny frame!

Admittedly, the output remained so fragile and fleeting that standard mages wouldn’t have sensed a thing.

‘A monster’s bloodline really is something else.’

The creature wasn’t even a month old, yet it was already attempting to channel mana.

And doing so entirely through instinct, without a single lesson.

Still, while marveling at Pus’s innate genius and whittling materials for a new toy, time slipped away in a blur.

“There.”

Saliva pooled in Lion’s mouth as he carefully lifted the lid.

And the moment he peeled back the inner cloth wrapper…!

『Doenjang Beyond Memory (★★★)』

-A deep, robust doenjang that leaves commercial store-bought varieties in the dust.

-A flavor profile that transcends mere memories! Absolutely phenomenal!

-A top-tier culinary component. Incorporating it elevates any dish to new heights!

『Usage – Food』

『☞Click to view the recipe.』

『Pushing the Accelerated Fermentation skill to its absolute limit has further enhanced its proficiency!』

『Cooking Proficiency has advanced to Skilled Lv.3.』

“A complete success.”

Lion whispered, struggling to keep his bubbling emotions in check.

That milestone alone brought immense satisfaction, but what he truly looked forward to was the cooking made possible by this very ingredient.

‘With just this…!’

Gulp.

Swallowing hard, Lion scooped up a generous mound of doenjang with a spatula.

With the core ingredient finally complete, it was time to cook.

“First things first, water.”

Portioning out the doenjang, Lion strode over toward the hearth.

Every subsequent motion flowed with effortless grace.

He dissolved the doenjang into a base of rice water, tossing in a mix of chopped vegetables and labyrinth mushrooms as it began to bubble.

A crucial technique required attention here.

Dense root vegetables like potatoes needed to go in earlier to ensure proper cooking, though anyone in a rush could simply dump everything in together.

After all, doenjang jjigae only grew richer as the deep essence of the vegetables bled into the broth.

While the potatoes softened, he seared thinly sliced beef brisket in a separate pan.

Tossing the meat directly into the soup pot remained an option, but the resulting grease would prove overwhelming and dull the unique signature flavor of the doenjang jjigae.

Sizzle!

The paper-thin beef strips cooked in seconds, releasing a mouth-watering aroma of savory fat.

At the exact right moment, he transferred the meat into the simmering jjigae and tested the potatoes with a fork to check their tenderness.

Then came the final touch pulled straight from his inventory.

That secret component was…

‘Tofu…!’

He had thoughtfully set it aside alongside the jang preparations.

How could anyone consider a bowl of doenjang jjigae complete without tofu?

Sipping the rich, spicy broth while biting into a steaming cube of tofu was heavenly, just as mashing it into a bowl of warm rice offered unmatched comfort.

“I cooked a fresh batch of rice this morning.”

Slightly cooled rice paired flawlessly with piping-hot doenjang jjigae.

To finish it off, he sliced a fresh chili pepper and let the whole pot simmer just a little longer…!

Hiss!

『Ultimate Beef Brisket Doenjang Jjigae (★★★★)』

The dish was complete.

The Ultimate Beef Brisket Doenjang Jjigae.