Chapter 392

By the time Haruto finished explaining the proper way to blanch meat to Shion, the pork belly had begun changing color. Its exterior had turned pale, while the flesh beneath the surface was gradually becoming opaque.

Haruto used a skimmer to remove the pork from the pot, then carefully rinsed each piece with warm water to wash away any remaining impurities. Once the meat was thoroughly cleaned, he set it aside to drain.

The blanched pork belly had become pleasantly firm, its flesh retaining an attractive pinkish color. Even at this stage, it was beginning to release a delicate meaty fragrance.

Next, Haruto poured a small amount of nut oil into a wok.

Once the oil reached a moderate frying temperature, he added slices of ginger, sections of green onion, star anise, and cinnamon.

The hot oil immediately drew out the aromas of the spices and aromatics, filling the surrounding air with a rich, appetizing fragrance.

Haruto stirred them a few times, waiting until the ginger and green onion began turning slightly golden and their aromas reached their peak.

Then he arranged the drained pork belly in the wok, placing each piece skin-side down.

Sssssss!

The moment the meat touched the hot oil, a mouthwatering sizzling sound erupted.

A rich pork fragrance spread through the cooking area almost immediately.

Haruto picked up his spatula and began turning the pieces, ensuring that every surface received an even coating of fragrant oil.

As the meat cooked, its natural fat gradually rendered into the wok.

Tiny bubbles formed around the pork, sizzling continuously as the edges of each cube developed a delicate golden crust.

The surface became increasingly glossy, while the fragrance of the meat grew richer and more concentrated.

Before long, the aroma had drifted throughout the village.

Rimuru and the others couldn’t stop swallowing as they watched.

Even Hakurou, who was usually the very picture of composure, found himself stroking his beard and repeatedly glancing toward the cooking station.

Once the pork belly had developed a light golden sear and released a sufficient amount of fat, Haruto poured a little dark soy sauce along the edge of the wok.

He immediately tossed the meat, allowing the sauce to spread evenly across every piece.

Within moments, the pork had taken on a beautiful deep-brown color.

Next came a splash of natural cooking wine.

As the alcohol met the hot wok, a fragrant cloud of steam rose into the air, carrying the combined aromas of wine, spices, and meat.

Just smelling it was enough to make everyone’s appetite grow.

Haruto then added an appropriate amount of rock sugar and light soy sauce, followed by another small splash of dark soy sauce to deepen the color.

After mixing everything thoroughly, he poured in enough hot water to cover the pork belly by approximately two finger-widths.

As he added the water, he continued explaining the process to Shion.

"You need to use hot water at this stage. If you suddenly add cold water, the meat can contract, making its texture tougher and drier."

Shion listened attentively, clearly determined to remember every detail.

Once the liquid reached a vigorous boil, Haruto covered the wok and allowed the pork to simmer.

He then turned toward Kagura, who was standing nearby.

"Kagura, could you heat the clay pot for me? Keep it over medium-low heat. The temperature needs to remain steady, without sudden changes."

"Sure!"

Kagura nodded and immediately began helping.

By the time the clay pot was thoroughly heated, the pork belly had also finished its initial simmering.

Haruto lifted the wok’s lid.

A dense cloud of fragrant steam immediately rose toward his face.

The liquid inside had reduced by approximately half, and the pork belly had developed an even deeper color.

Every piece was now a brilliant reddish-brown, its glossy surface showing how thoroughly it had absorbed the sauce.

Haruto added some salt and oyster sauce, then adjusted the sweetness with another small amount of rock sugar.

After tossing everything together, he poured in a little starch slurry and quickly stirred the contents of the wok to reduce and thicken the sauce.

As the starch cooked, the liquid became increasingly glossy and viscous.

The thickened sauce clung tightly to each piece of pork belly, coating the meat in a beautiful, translucent glaze.

Once the consistency was right, Haruto transferred the pork and its rich sauce into the preheated clay pot.

He carefully rearranged the pieces so that every cube sat neatly with its skin facing downward.

Then he poured the remaining sauce over the meat and covered the clay pot with its lid.

All that remained was to allow the flavors to develop further.

Unfortunately for everyone watching, the next stage was practically torture.

The fragrance rising from the clay pot grew steadily richer and more irresistible.

Every passing minute seemed to make the waiting harder.

The aroma teased their appetites relentlessly, leaving their mouths watering no matter how many times they swallowed.

Gobta had already planted himself beside the cooking station.

He crouched there without any intention of leaving, staring fixedly at the clay pot. Judging from his expression, he was barely stopping himself from drooling all over the ground.

Nearby, Ranga lay watching with equal anticipation.

His tail wagged so rapidly that it swept dust from the ground behind him.

As the fragrance reached its peak, Haruto finally reached for the lid.

"Time’s up!"

He lifted it.

A brilliant flash of red light appeared, accompanied by an even more concentrated burst of fragrance.

The rich aroma rushed outward, spreading throughout the surrounding area.

Everyone instinctively took a deep breath.

Expressions of pure enjoyment appeared across their faces.

Inside the clay pot sat the finished Dongpo Pork.

Each piece possessed a magnificent reddish sheen, its surface glistening like polished agate.

The cubes trembled delicately with the slightest movement, their tender layers of meat and fat held together beneath a thick, glossy coating of sauce.

Despite the generous amount of fat, the dish didn’t look greasy.

Instead, the pork possessed a warm, appetizing luster that made it almost impossible to look away.

The rich aroma of meat blended perfectly with the savory fragrance of soy sauce and the mellow sweetness of cooking wine.

Simply breathing it in seemed to fill everyone with a comforting warmth.

Haruto began transferring the finished Dongpo Pork into individual serving bowls.

Each cube was beautifully square and evenly shaped, its reddish-brown surface gleaming beneath the firelight.

The thick sauce slowly slid down the sides of the meat, collecting in a shallow, glossy pool at the bottom of each bowl.

Finally, Haruto sprinkled a small pinch of white sesame seeds over every portion.

"And that’s the Dongpo Pork finished. Come on, give it a try."

He began distributing the bowls among the waiting villagers.

"So you were making Dongpo Pork!"

Rimuru looked at the beautifully glazed meat in front of him and nodded in recognition.

Come to think of it, he had eaten Dongpo Pork before reincarnating.

He wasn’t particularly familiar with how it was prepared, but he certainly remembered the dish.

As he recalled the food from his previous life, Rimuru picked up his chopsticks and prepared to take a bite.

Then he suddenly froze.

Something had just occurred to him.

He raised his head and stared at Haruto.

"Wait a second! How do you know how to make Dongpo Pork?!"

"Because I’m an Otherworlder too, of course."

Haruto answered casually while picking up a piece of pork with his chopsticks.

"WHAT?!"

Rimuru’s mouth fell open.

For several seconds, he couldn’t think of anything to say.

Veldora had previously mentioned that quite a few Otherworlders existed in this world.

Still, Rimuru had never expected to encounter another one so soon.

And this particular Otherworlder had arrived riding an enormous dragon, introduced himself as a Super Chef, and casually offered to trade an enormous quantity of food.

There was a lot to unpack.

Rimuru immediately wanted to ask which country Haruto came from and when he’d crossed over into this world.

Unfortunately, before he could begin questioning him, Haruto interrupted.

"Whatever you want to ask can wait until after we’ve eaten. Good food comes first."

With that, Haruto took a bite of the Dongpo Pork.

A satisfied expression immediately appeared on his face.

The first thing to touch his tongue was the tender pork skin.

It was soft and pleasantly springy, possessing a delicate, gelatinous texture that practically melted under the slightest pressure.

The rich savory sauce and the sweetness of caramelized sugar had thoroughly permeated it.

Although the skin had a wonderfully sticky richness, it didn’t cling unpleasantly to his teeth.

Instead, it dissolved smoothly in his mouth.

Next came the fatty layer.

The fat was extraordinarily rich, yet there was none of the unpleasant greasiness that could make pork belly feel heavy.

It melted almost immediately, spreading through his mouth like warm butter.

A deep, concentrated pork fragrance followed, lingering as the fat dissolved and slid down his throat.

Then his teeth reached the lean meat.

Despite the lengthy cooking process, it hadn’t become dry or stringy.

The meat was wonderfully tender, having absorbed an enormous amount of the thick, savory sauce.

As Haruto bit into it, delicious juices spread across his tongue, carrying a perfectly balanced combination of saltiness and sweetness.

The fragrance of soy sauce and spices blended with the distinctive natural savoriness of the Rock-Armored Boar.

The resulting flavor possessed remarkable depth.

What impressed Haruto most was the texture.

The meat was tender enough to yield effortlessly to his teeth, but it still retained just enough structure to avoid falling completely apart.

The balance was excellent.

It was rich without being greasy, tender without becoming mushy, and every mouthful offered a deeply satisfying combination of flavor and texture.

By the time Haruto finished his first piece, he was thoroughly pleased with the result.

Then something else happened.

He suddenly became aware of a new ability.

[Skill: Rock Armor acquired.]

Haruto raised an eyebrow.

He wasn’t particularly surprised.

After receiving the Unique Skill Gourmet, he had already experienced the process of acquiring skills from ingredients several times.

The skill he’d just obtained was clearly derived from the Rock-Armored Boar.

As for its usefulness...

Well, Haruto wasn’t especially excited.

His defenses were already exceptionally strong, and he possessed both Physical Attack Resistance and Elemental Attack Resistance.

Adding another defensive ability probably wouldn’t make an enormous difference.

Still, a free skill was a free skill.

There was certainly no reason to complain.

Meanwhile, Rimuru had been watching Haruto enjoy his food.

Although he was still bursting with questions, he reluctantly decided to postpone them and concentrate on the Dongpo Pork.

He was just about to take his first bite when a startled shout came from nearby.

"WHOA! WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?!"

Rimuru turned toward the source of the voice.

Gobta was staring at his own arm in complete astonishment.

A thin layer of rocky armor had appeared across the surface of his skin.

Haruto noticed it as well.

He paused for a moment before realizing what must have happened.

’Wait... Is that because of Gourmet?’

Until now, he had assumed that Ability Acquisition could only activate when he personally consumed a dish.

After all, Gourmet was his Unique Skill.

He hadn’t imagined that other people eating food he’d prepared might also obtain abilities from the ingredients.

Apparently, there was still a great deal he didn’t understand about how Gourmet worked.

Then another question occurred to him.

Kagura and Kanna had already eaten plenty of the monster dishes he’d prepared in this world.

So why hadn’t either of them acquired any new skills?

Haruto rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

’Maybe it’s a matter of probability... and compatibility.’

The more he considered it, the more plausible the explanation seemed.

During their earlier travels through the Great Forest of Jura, he’d prepared dishes such as grilled Evil Centipede, Armored Lizard stew, and steamed Black Spider.

Those monsters possessed abilities like poisonous-mist breath, enhanced armor, and silk production.

However, none of those abilities were particularly compatible with Kagura or Kanna.

Kagura specialized in manipulating wind, while Kanna’s powers revolved around mirrors and reflection.

It made sense that abilities unrelated to their natural characteristics would be more difficult for them to acquire.

Gobta, on the other hand, was a physical fighter.

A defensive skill like Rock Armor suited him much better.

That could explain why the skill had activated for him.

Haruto turned toward the still-bewildered goblin.

"Don’t worry. It’s nothing bad. You’ve simply acquired the Rock-Armored Boar’s Rock Armor skill."

Gobta blinked.

Then he cautiously touched the strange material covering his arm.

It felt cool and hard beneath his fingertips.

There was no mistaking it.

This really was stone!

Gobta looked down at the half-eaten piece of Dongpo Pork remaining in his bowl.

A moment later, realization struck.

"Wait... Don’t tell me I got this from eating that meat?!"

He stared at Haruto in disbelief.

"YOU CAN GET SKILLS JUST BY EATING FOOD?!"

The surrounding villagers immediately fell silent.

Their gazes shifted toward the bowls of Dongpo Pork in front of them, then back to the genuine layer of rock armor covering Gobta’s arm.

Every face was filled with astonishment.

"That’s incredible!"

"Just eating a dish can give you a skill?!"

"How is that even possible?"

Rimuru was equally shocked.

’You can gain abilities from eating cooked food?’

Wasn’t that remarkably similar to his own Predator skill?

The idea was astonishing.

He had always associated acquiring skills from consumed creatures with his own unusual abilities.

Yet here was a chef whose cooking apparently allowed other people to do something similar.

’So this is what a Super Chef can do?’

Rimuru felt that he’d seriously underestimated the meaning of Haruto’s title.

This guy was anything but ordinary!

"What are you all staring at? Hurry up and eat!"

Haruto laughed at their reactions.

"The fat will start solidifying once it cools, and the texture won’t be nearly as good."

With that reminder, he picked up another piece of Dongpo Pork and happily continued eating.

The villagers finally snapped out of their astonishment.

One after another, they grabbed their chopsticks and eagerly began tasting the dish.

Food delicious enough to make everyone’s mouth water was already something worth celebrating.

But food that might also grant new skills?

That was an opportunity nobody wanted to miss.

Rimuru followed their example.

He picked up a piece of Dongpo Pork, blew gently to cool it, and took a bite.

His eyes immediately lit up.

’THIS IS AMAZING!’

It was unbelievably delicious!

Compared with the Dongpo Pork he’d eaten in his previous life, this was easily a hundred times better.

The skin was soft, smooth, and wonderfully gelatinous.

The fatty layers melted in his mouth without the slightest trace of greasiness, while the lean meat was tender, succulent, and thoroughly infused with flavor.

Every bite delivered an extraordinary combination of rich pork, fragrant sauce, and perfectly balanced sweetness.

The intense meaty aroma lingered pleasantly long after he swallowed.

Rimuru was completely absorbed in enjoying the dish.

Then, without warning, the familiar voice of Great Sage sounded inside his mind.

[Skill: Rock Armor acquired.]

Rimuru froze.

’!!!’

He’d acquired the skill too!