Fruit Preserve Is Easy to Make

Fruit preserve is truly easy to make.

"The prep work is a bit of a hassle, but you just mix equal parts fruit and sugar and let it sit. That's fruit preserve."

Ji-oh brought over clean, sterilized glass jars filled with friendship and peace, love and affection.

They were so large they were closer to crocks than jars, but Ji-oh—who took after his grandmother, once the biggest spender in the village—had no intention of being stingy with ingredients when he cooked. They needed to be this size.

"Alright, let's see."

He thoroughly washed the plump Mangdung Fruits and the Drought Mandarins that carried a sour, bitter scent. The flesh of the Mangdung Fruit was soft like tender jelly and full of juice, while the Drought Mandarins were firm and low on juice, like underripe tangerines.

The Mangdung Fruit's skin was so thin it would melt away, so he simply quartered them without any extra steps. For the Drought Mandarins, he peeled away even the white translucent outer skin until only the flesh remained.

"And then…"

You just pour it in.

Better to put the juicier Mangdung Fruit on top.

At the very bottom of the glass jar, he layered Drought Mandarins and sprinkled a light dusting of sugar over them. Next he added Mangdung Fruit and poured sugar generously to form a layer. Once the sugar layer was solidly packed, he simply repeated the process.

Ji-oh pressed firmly so no air pockets formed between the pieces of fruit.

"Can't have it spoiling."

Food in this forest never spoiled or grew mold, but the process was still necessary so the flesh would blend properly and the sugar syrup would soak through. Ji-oh filled the glass jar without a single gap.

"Done."

All that remained was to seal it and store it in a cool, shaded place for a few days.

"I hope it ripens fast, but I suppose it needs some time."

"Kkung kkung kkung."

"You can't eat it yet. If you dig in now, it's just fruit with sugar on it. Once the flesh gets softer and the fragrance seeps into the syrup, then we can drink it as tea."

"Kkuk."

"Cooking is sometimes the art of waiting."

Honey grumbled with discontented kkung sounds, but there was nothing to be done. The fruit preserve needed time to fully mature.

"It won't take that long. The weather here is warm, so the sugar will melt faster. The juice will come out willingly, too."

"Kkung."

"Don't flatten yourself against the floor—you'll get dusty. Geez. At this rate you'll scrub our whole floor clean. You'll go from honey bird to dust bird."

Having returned from their adventure for a successful batch of fruit preserve, it was late and they were hungry. Rather than waiting on fruit preserve that might ripen who-knew-when, it was time to hunt down a meal.

"Hmm…"

Maybe keep it really simple.

"Let's make rice balls."

"Kkuk?"

"Can you eat rice too?"

"Kkurrrrrrrrr."

"Where does food even get digested in that transparent body of yours…"

Honey truly had the makings of a pig. Ji-oh, father of this round little pig-bird, nodded with pride.

"Kkurrrrr!!"

"Alright, alright. Let's go."

The rice balls Ji-oh would make this time were food in the truest sense of the word.

Freshly cooked rice, a pinch of salt, a drizzle of sesame oil.

"Good thing I cooked rice in advance."

The cabin had a wood-fired oven, but no electric rice cooker. There was no electricity in this world to begin with, so it couldn't be helped. That was why Ji-oh had drawn a cast-iron cauldron in advance and set it in the kitchen behind the cabin.

When he lifted the heavy iron lid, pure white steam billowed up.

"Nice."

He nodded—and the steam drifting around them vanished without a trace.

"……?"

That was when he noticed Honey beside him.

"……."

Maybe it was his imagination, but Honey seemed a little bigger.

"Kkururu."

"…Don't tell me you're eating all the moisture rising off the rice right now?"

"Kkung."

"You smell like freshly cooked rice. It's so savory that if I slept next to you, I'd be too hungry to fall asleep."

"Kkurung."

"I've seen people steam their faces for their skin, but this is the first time I've seen a creature that eats the steam itself…"

So this was the meaning of "save it for your stomach, not your skin."

"That's novel."

The distinctive sweet scent of Lurupu juice mingled with the savory aroma of freshly cooked rice. He couldn't even define what the smell was.

In a vaguely unsettled mood, Ji-oh scooped up rice. No matter how amazing the creature was, living things still needed to eat.

"I'll make porridge with the scorched rice stuck to the bottom. It's incredibly easy on the stomach, so it's good to have on hand anytime. I've never known anyone who got indigestion from eating this."

"Kkureu."

"Rice balls first, then later. Scorched-rice porridge is perfect first thing in the morning when you're half-asleep—really clears you right out."

Back in the kitchen, Ji-oh lightly sprinkled salt and sesame oil over the fluffy rice. The cabin pantry was stocked with all the basics, so there was no need to overthink it.

What happens when I use it all up?

It would be fun if it restocked automatically like when he'd first checked the cabin, and if not, he could just draw more, so either way was fine. But so far it didn't seem to be refilling.

Ji-oh gently stirred the hot rice with chopsticks, adjusting the seasoning.

"Honestly, this alone tastes good."

The smooth, savory flavor unique to freshly cooked white rice, wrapped in the rich fragrance of sesame oil, with a light touch of salt—rice balls like that, eaten right after making them, warmed the stomach so thoroughly.

"It's a great meal for when you need to eat rice but don't want to go all out."

"Kkurrrrr."

"Eat some if you can. I'm not sure how you eat, but… was the steam from the pot not enough earlier? You look bigger—you're not already full, are you?"

"Kkureuk."

"Alright then, give it a try."

The sight of water eating rice.

Looks interesting, so I'll leave him to it.

With that silent resolution, Ji-oh shaped the rice balls.

About thirty-nine in total.

"……."

"……."

"Dad's hungry."

"Kkurrrruk…"

"That's why I'm hungry."

Ji-oh was a big eater.

"Sometimes you just need to eat a ton like this so your stomach feels solid."

But he didn't stop there.

"I'm going to pan-fry them once for texture. Rice balls browned golden on both sides have better texture, and the savory flavor gets deeper too."

"Kkung…"

"Whether it's because the sesame oil aroma gets stronger or because the grain toasts a little, I'm not sure… but pan-frying them like this tastes way better than plain rice balls."

"Kkuk kkung."

"Yeah, eating only rice might get boring."

Ji-oh lamented the situation his own laziness had created. He should have known a day of regret like this would come.

"I should've made some side dishes in advance. Then even just rice would have been a more colorful meal."

"Kkeuuuung…"

"I could make a stew with fish from the lake, or toss various things together and ferment some salted seafood. A meat soup would be nice too, but eating meat here feels a little wrong."

If he were to hunt land animals rather than fish, he wouldn't even know how—and he was reluctant to eat the cute, round creatures that suited his tastes. Besides, how much meat would even come off those small round bodies?

"Maybe I should ask Mr. Yu Seong-un about this kind of thing."

"Kkurrrrrrr."

"Along with the seeds, right?"

Ji-oh set a well-shaped rice ball on a pan that had been thoroughly heated over the brazier. With a sizzle, the rich scent of sesame oil rose together with the savory aroma of toasting grain.

Simple, but a good combination.

Having fried all the rice balls, Ji-oh sat at the table and took a bite.

"……."

It was delicious, as expected.

…Maybe because the rice turned out perfectly chewy—thanks to the pan-frying, both the texture and the aroma are great. The salt is just right, so it doesn't get tiresome.

The rice he'd used was something Ji-oh had drawn, so its quality was neither excellent nor poor. He couldn't really rely on the ingredients' power—but the rice balls were still quite delicious.

"Maybe it's because it's a meal after hard work."

"Kkurrrrrrrrung."

"……."

A rice-ball-shaped bird entered Ji-oh's field of vision.

"Oh."

No—that was Honey, who had swallowed a rice ball.

"Heavens above."

"Kkuruk."

"You swallowed it."

"Kkurururuung."

"Even though it's bigger than your body."

Ji-oh understood three seconds later.

"That's hilarious."

"Kkuk."

"While we're at it, want another one? Maybe you'll get even bigger."

"Kkurrrreum."

"Right, you probably haven't finished digesting yet. Of course. You look it."

"Kkureu?"

"Yeah, Dad knows everything."

And so a peaceful day passed.

"……."

Footsteps…

Yu Seong-un tilted his head in front of the portrait.

"He's not opening his eyes these days either."

He had waited from midnight until the current time of five in the morning, but the portrait never opened its eyes.

Yu Seong-un rubbed his chin with a finger and muttered.

"There doesn't seem to be a separate rule for this part."

The portrait tended to open its eyes during the hours when the fewest staff were around.

The times they could hold a conversation varied day by day. As long as no rude questions were asked, he didn't necessarily flee—but that didn't mean he was always looking out beyond the painting, either.

He seemed to like the world inside the portrait.

Personally, I think that's the wiser choice.

However the world inside the portrait was constructed, it would be far better than watching the filthy, tangled modern society outside. At least, that was how Yu Seong-un saw it.

"…Thinking about it that way…"

Perhaps Ji-oh's Portrait simply preferred quiet.

"I could count that as one of the rules, too."

Yu Seong-un sat with his back against the wall in front of the portrait and took out his notebook.

I should record this.

His job was to observe, analyze, maintain, and manage unknown objects and phenomena. For someone with as vast a store of knowledge as Yu Seong-un, Ji-oh's Portrait was nearly the first subject that demanded this much careful attention.

Fortunately, Ji-oh's Portrait was relatively well-disposed toward humans. Answering questions when asked, and returning goodwill for goodwill—you could call that fairly gentlemanly.

"That about covers the summary."

Thanks to that, the analysis wasn't too difficult.

…This part is definitely unusual.

He still hadn't figured out Ji-oh's true nature, but caution was warranted. There was a reason humanoid monsters were classified as top-tier threat factors regardless of their attitude.

Because those things barely knew anything about humans.

Eleven years ago, the first humanoid monster friendly toward Earthlings was observed. Based on that, associations from various countries sought ways to exchange with the inhabitants beyond the dimensional gates.

But then the bodies of the envoys who crossed the gate in the name of friendship returned as "healthy mutants."

That humanoid monster had expressed it as a show of goodwill…

From the monster's perspective, the envoys' bodies had many inefficiencies, so it increased their legs to four or split their mouths into six.

It was goodwill—and at the same time, a catastrophe for humans. The saying that monsters are monsters for a reason was born then.

"Still terrifying no matter how many times I think about it."

After that incident, humanoid monsters became targets for elimination without exception.

No matter how much goodwill they held toward humans, there was no way of knowing in what form—or when—that goodwill might reveal a horrific true nature.

So I'd like to simply stay wary of this portrait too, but there are too many suspicious points for that. Ji-oh knows far too much about humans to be called an ordinary humanoid monster. He doesn't unconditionally hate Earth's creatures either.

He was neither extremely friendly nor extremely hostile toward humans.

A little cynical, and at the same time polite and full of consideration. Ji-oh's Portrait was like an ordinary human who just happened to be severely stoic.

"……."

Tap.

Yu Seong-un pressed his pen against the notebook.

"That part is even harder to understand."

Ji-oh didn't look like a mere monster.

Unless you're a curator or a Gardener, you'd say he's still a monster either way, but…

Still no certainty.

"Right, he really could be a monster."

He could be an item with a sense of self, or simply a cursed portrait, or a hallucination of a level beyond anything they could imagine.

Dungeons have only existed for about thirty years, so it's not like we can know everything.

So for now, Yu Seong-un's best course was simply to analyze this portrait and respond accordingly.

"Hmm…"

There was one thing he was curious about.

The portrait's eyes seemed impossibly distant, not quite human. Combined with a beauty that didn't look like it belonged to anyone of this world, and a palette that was both pale and striking, it gave off a strange sense of unreality.

That AI-like formal speech and unchanging expression probably added to the pressure, too.

But.

"When all's said and done, Ji-oh is still a gentleman."

As the rules he'd organized earlier showed, based on everything so far, Ji-oh was by no means a threatening or violent counterpart. As his deep understanding of humans made clear, he clearly considered and respected them.

Unlike the ignorant humanoid monsters until now, he's thinking from the humans' point of view.

That meant a depth of understanding you wouldn't see in other monsters.

And based on that, he expresses his goodwill and shows consideration.

He even gave gifts, didn't he?

"……."

After a moment's thought, Yu Seong-un wrote a new sentence in his notebook.

…I'm not certain, but.

Looking at everyone Ji-oh had given gifts to so far, they were all people he owed a debt to, or who had treated him with goodwill.

As a portrait that could distinguish human good from evil, perhaps he simply liked kind, well-mannered people.

Well, anyway.

That wasn't the important part.

"…The problem is why the other staff members were so terrified they ran away…"

Every employee here was someone Bi Sa-beol had personally insisted on training or recruiting. Bi Sa-beol's collecting mania extended not only to objects but to people—and a man so attached to his staff wouldn't pick fools or incompetents.

So no matter how low-ranking the employee, especially those who managed his beloved gallery—would Bi Sa-beol hire them carelessly? They were all strong-willed, capable people.

"And yet the moment they faced Ji-oh, they were intimidated and overwhelmed."

Yu Seong-un had never faced Ji-oh directly.

The last time he had come outside, Yu Seong-un had only followed and monitored from behind. So what one felt facing Ji-oh head-on… he didn't know.

He could only vaguely guess.

"……."

If simply existing could pressure humans, then the grade of that soul must be enormous.

…If that's the case, should we be grateful he's quietly sleeping inside the portrait?

Yu Seong-un let out a long sigh with a troubled expression.

"Bi Sa-beol, just what did you bring back…"

Is he finally planning to destroy Earth?

It was one of those days when the cigarettes he'd quit five years ago started looking tempting.

(To be continued)