Chapter 37

Chapter 37
Chapter 37: Never Mind The Heir, I’ll Focus On Healing

Without delay, Lion cut up the fleshy pulp and dropped the extracted seeds directly into a pot of boiling water.

In the meantime, I need to get the crab ready…….

“I’ve heard you have to dispatch crabs all at once.”

I recall hearing that the nervous system remains active for quite a while, causing them to suffer.

Even if it wasn’t a proven fact, the thought made him uneasy, prompting him to handle the preparation carefully.

Lion raised his knife and firmly drove it into the top of the crab’s head, allowing the blood to drain away completely.

Getting rid of the blood was a necessary step to eliminate any fishy odors.

Next, he separated the torso, tossed the head and legs into the boiling water, and seasoned the simmering broth.

“Oh.”

The soup base began to develop and deepen much faster than he anticipated.

“Then, moving on…….”

Lion retrieved the flour that had been sitting quietly in his inventory and began to knead it.

He had covertly swiped it from the family kitchen back when he was baking cookies, so the timing worked out perfectly.

“Kalguksu? No. Hand-pulled dough soup is a better choice, just as I originally planned.”

The dry powder transformed into a moderately firm ball of dough upon mixing with water. He then slammed it repeatedly against the cutting board to build up its elasticity before leaving it to rest for a short while.

“The dough feels right. Next up…….”

He trimmed some young mushrooms he had foraged from the forest, added them to the pot to simmer, and then cooked the previously prepped crab body in the boiling liquid.

Though it looked a bit rustic, the crab was massive, and this alone already gave the dish the appearance of an appealing seafood stew.

“This isn’t the finish line yet.”

He tore the pliable dough into thin strips and casually dropped them into the pot.

As the thick broth blended with the starch from the flour, turning a rich, appetizing milky white, his hunger intensified.

“It’s just about done.”

To calm his cravings, he tossed in a generous handful of crown daisy greens and let it simmer a bit longer…!

『Mire Seafood Hand-pulled Dough Soup (★★)』

-The broth, which perfectly extracts the unique flavor of seafood, has become a savory and deep soup dish.

-The deep flavor of spicy fruit and spicy seeds adds to the dish’s completeness.

-Seeing that it brings out a deep flavor with few ingredients, the cook’s skill seems considerable.

Lion ladled a substantial portion of the hand-pulled dough soup into a bowl.

The thick, piping-hot steam rising from the surface looked genuinely mouth-watering.

“As expected, when you eat hand-pulled dough soup, you have to taste the broth first.”

Lion carefully scooped up some of the milky liquid with his spoon and sipped it down.

“Kuh.”

The flavor of the hand-pulled dough soup, after such a long absence, was incredible.

First off, this piping-hot broth!

Swallowing it while it was still scalding hot, burning a trail down his esophagus, felt as though every bit of sluggishness in his stomach was being washed away.

After a few more spoonfuls of the broth, Lion scooped up some of the dough pieces, blew on them to cool them down, and popped them into his mouth.

Chew, chew!

The varying thickness of the hand-torn pieces provided distinct, interesting textures as they mixed together in his mouth.

“Right. This is the authentic taste of hand-pulled dough soup!”

Dough processed by machines lacks this irregular roughness, making its flavor inferior.

Tearing it by hand like this produces a variety of textures, which works out much better.

The mushrooms and crown daisy leaves, chewed right along with the dough, added a nice counterpoint to the otherwise simple mouthfeel.

Furthermore, the novel savory taste born from the harmonious combination of the aromatic vegetable juices and the rich broth formed a delicacy that only those who have tried it can truly appreciate.

“Shall I test the crab now?”

Lion pulled out the thoroughly cooked red crab body and carefully cracked away the outer shell.

The meat, as thick as that of a lobster, released cleanly from the shell, showing off its plump, juicy form.

“This is driving me crazy.”

Just gazing at it sent his appetite soaring.

Lion speared the thick chunk of meat firmly with a fork and took a large bite.

“Wow…!”

The resistance he met with the fork was already substantial, and the sensation against his teeth was pure bliss.

Besides, why on earth is this meat so sweet?

The texture felt akin to eating chewy lobster or raw shrimp, but the flavor carried the distinct sweetness of a blue crab.

No wonder the broth tasted so phenomenal!

A bite of crab. A bite of hand-pulled dough soup.

Whenever his throat felt dry, he sipped the broth, and whenever it felt too rich, he refreshed his palate with the crown daisy.

After enjoying a long, satisfying meal, Lion finally set his spoon down.

“That was genuinely delicious.”

He felt it might be the finest meal he had ever prepared for himself.

Lion patted his comfortably full stomach and leaned back lazily in his chair.

If he could just drift off to a nap right after a blood sugar spike like this, it would be the height of happiness.

“Time to get moving.”

Once dusk starts to fall, there isn’t much you can accomplish out in the forest anyway.

So he needed to make the most of his time while the sun was still high.

Lion stepped back into the woods.

This time, he ventured a bit deeper, keeping his eyes peeled.

“I’m certain I spotted a decent tree around here somewhere.”

Ah, there it is.

『Mire Wood』

-A tree with few leaves and branches. It is small but soft and has a good scent.

-It’s a tree, but it’s waterproof!

-It seems like many things can be made from this.

『Usage: Woodworking』

『☞Woodworking talent is not unlocked, so the recipe cannot be viewed.』

The specimen Lion located was a small tree of just the right proportions.

With a trunk of this scale, he figured the risk of injury from a fall would be relatively low.

Avoiding injury was the top priority within the labyrinth, so caution was mandatory.

Even so, living without any tools proved difficult, prompting Lion to make a choice.

He decided to craft his own tools straight from timber.

And if he managed to fashion an item of decent quality, his plan was to list it for sale at the Shilling Shop.

“That’s precisely why I bought this for an occasion like this.”

Lion checked the tools he had purchased using almost all of his remaining funds.

『Basic Carpenter’s Woodworking Set』

-50,000 Shillings

-This set was prepared by a woodworking artisan for beginners who want to do woodworking.

-It does not contain any extraordinary equipment.

-However, it has all the basic equipment.

While the rest of the description lacked flashy perks, the fact that it was put together by a genuine woodworking artisan made it seem valuable enough.

And in practice, it turned out to be quite user-friendly, likely designed with beginners in mind.

Especially this axe…….

『Cut the part where the tree will fall in a V-shape.』

It even came with instructions, much like an artisan’s repair manual!

Naturally, it didn’t specify the exact angle or force required, but that was enough.

An artisan’s secret technique!

This detail mattered a great deal when felling timber.

“It’s not about brute force.”

Well, of course, someone possessing Sword Master-tier strength could probably chop it down without a second thought…….

At any rate, being someone with a frail physique that required careful planning couldn’t be helped.

Lion diligently set to work, chipping away at the side where the tree was meant to fall using the axe.

Even though it was a slender tree, the process took a fair amount of time.

Thwack! Thwack!

After several steady swings, a groove of roughly 30 degrees was finally carved out.

Next, he moved to the opposite side and made a semi-circular cut with the saw slightly higher than the grooved section.

This step was meant to create a proper clearance for inserting a wedge.

Because the saw was sturdy, however, the semi-circular cut was completed in no time.

Lion slid a wedge into the opening and drove it home with a hammer.

Then. Wobble.

Crack! KABOOM!

The tree went down with a rather terrifying crash.

『Acquired 55 Mire Wood Lumber (Small).』

『Acquired 25 Mire Wood Lumber (Medium).』

『Acquired 10 Mire Wood Lumber (Large).』

Despite being a relatively compact tree—only slightly taller than Lion himself—a surprising volume of materials was harvested.

“Phew.”

Lion cut the timber down into manageable lengths using his saw, packed them into his inventory, and prepared to head back.

However…….

“Was there a path like that over there?”

A small cabin stood right where the tree had fallen.

A hut inside this labyrinth?

“……Should I check it out?”

Lion walked forward without hesitation.

Upon closer inspection, the cottage, cleverly camouflaged among the surrounding trees and undergrowth, came into full view.

It was…… remarkably ordinary.

In fact, the interior was completely empty save for a single bed, which made it feel much less suspicious.

『By the authority of the Library Labyrinth Master, you can now use the ‘Hut’.』

“Is this really mine to use?”

『Everything in this place is your property.』

……This is turning out pretty well, isn’t it?

There were several reasons why he had shelled out a large sum for the woodworking kit.

Ranging from small items like chopsticks to large projects like a shelter.

Spending a whole month sleeping in the open air was out of the question, so he had at least considered building a basic bench.

“……Hold on a second!”

The Library Master had stated that he could withdraw everything.

So, would it actually be feasible to relocate this cabin to his base camp?

“Can you move this building?”

『Yes.』

Fantastic!

I chopped down a tree and ended up with a house.

“This is going to make surviving here for a month much simpler.”

Because all I need to do is craft things to use inside the house!

『Shall we execute the transfer immediately?』

“Wait a moment.”

Lion sprinted back to his base camp in high spirits.

Then, wielding a sickle and a hoe, he cleared away the weeds and grass to carve out a proper plot for the cabin.

“Install it right here!”

『It will produce a slight rumble and take a brief moment.』

……A rumble?

『5』

『4』

『3…….』

Lion instinctively slapped both hands over his ears.

Now that he thought about it, the falling tree had generated an immense racket.

Which meant the sound of an entire house being relocated would likely be…

『2』

『1』

BOOM!

Week one of labyrinth life.

Lion had secured a home.

“……Shall I try moving in?”

Lion immediately brought over his belongings and arranged them neatly inside the cabin.

Finally, he stacked the firewood he had gathered alongside today’s lumber outside the structure, making the place look genuinely lived-in.

Even after completing all those chores, the sun was still shining brightly overhead!

“Now then, shall I try crafting some actual everyday necessities?”

He pulled out his woodworking knife and a smoothing plane, beginning to fashion tools one by one.

First came the pair of chopsticks he had been wanting, followed by various bowls!

Because there were plenty of items he needed, even though his initial attempts looked a bit clumsy, functional pieces began to roll out.

『Ugly Wooden Bowl』

-It’s ugly, but it won’t leak broth.

Naturally, his early creations fell into the “ugly” category.

The awkwardly shaped chopsticks couldn’t even pick up a piece of fruit, let alone anything else, and promptly ended up as firewood.

『Ordinary Wooden Plate』

-It looks quite decent.

『Usable Chopsticks』

-They are not too thick or too thin, just the right chopsticks.

-The balance is quite good.

『Creativity that makes various works quickly! You awaken to a new talent!』

『New Talent: Woodworking』

『Woodworking Proficiency has become Apprentice Lv.1.』

From ordinary, they evolved into usable gear, and soon items matching the quality of everyday household goods were rolling right out of Lion’s hands.

Honestly, for surviving in the labyrinth, this level of craftsmanship was more than enough.

Yet, hadn’t Lion noticed something earlier?

Items rated at one star or higher held the potential to be sold!

Granted, he didn’t yet know precisely what kind of merchandise the Shilling Shop favored.

It seemed they didn’t just buy any random one-star item.

However, they certainly seemed willing to purchase goods that possessed a certain aesthetic appeal.

He had sold the crown daisy flower using that exact logic, after all.

Which meant there was a strong likelihood they would buy what Lion was producing right now.

Something like…….

『Mire Wood Flowerpot (★)』

-A unique flowerpot made of wood. It is beautiful, but can it really be used as a flowerpot?

-Selling price: From 1,000 Shillings.

It was a decorative flowerpot meant to house the crown daisy blossom.