Chapter 22

Chapter 22. Acresia's New Skill

I called Rin, who was growing plants, and Ria, who was training.

Then I asked Rin to taste the healthy juice made with Applecherry.

And I asked Ria to taste the sandwich.

Soon Rin tasted the healthy juice first.

After tasting it, she closed both eyes and opened her mouth, grinning widely.

Ria smiled seeing that expression.

"Look at Rin's satisfied expression. Hehe!"

"Right, she is cute."

Soon Ria also tasted the sandwich.

"It is delicious! It seems even more delicious because it is a collaboration between Rin and Seon-u."

Right.

A collaboration between Rin and me.

Soon I gave Rin a thumbs up.

Rin also gave me a thumbs up.

Ria saw that and said.

"I also want to join quickly."

"Join, where?"

"The cooking collaboration. I will plant the vegetable seeds Seon-u bought me today right away. Please also use those vegetables in the healthy juice and sandwiches."

Then it would truly become a collaboration of the three of us.

"Alright."

* * *

After finishing the juice and sandwich taste test.

This time I tested the skill with Ria together on the hill above the cave.

[Acresia Exclusive Discharge Skill: Can shoot objects stored in Acresia powerfully at long range.]

Something with a concept completely opposite to absorption.

"Then I will try using it."

"Okay."

I opened Acresia and stored one pebble.

Then I tried using the skill toward a rock in the distance.

-Discharge.

Then I was shocked.

WHOOSH! BOOM!

The speed of a bullet fired from a gun is usually similar to the speed of sound, or exceeds up to more than twice the speed of sound at maximum.

The pebble that flew with Acresia's discharge skill was at a speed matching a bullet's speed.

However, its power was more than a bullet.

Almost at cannon level.

The rock that was hit was destroyed and fragments scattered.

As it consumed much Mana, the Mana imbued in the pebble exerted considerable power.

"Goodness……"

I had expected the speed and destructive power at the level of a baseball player throwing a ball.

The speed and destructive power far exceeded expectations.

Ria, who was watching from the side, said.

"It is faster and more powerful than expected. If a mere pebble exerts that much power, if you use stronger metal, it would work on High-Grade Monsters and above, would it not?"

"Would it?"

"Of course. Even I would take quite a blow if hit head-on. Try aiming at me once and using it. I will block it."

"Alright."

I know Ria's strength.

Therefore I can use Ria as a target without worry.

Thus I discharged the pebble stored in Acresia toward Ria.

A pebble flying at a speed hard to follow even with the dynamic vision of a Second Awakened.

Soon Ria reached her hand toward the pebble.

Then.

THUD!

Like a catcher catching a baseball with a glove, she wrapped her hand in aura and caught it lightly.

Soon the pebble turned to powder and scattered.

"……"

As expected, she is strong.

Soon Ria approached.

"It hurt quite a bit."

She approached while brushing off her hand.

This is strange, she clearly caught it lightly.

"That is a lie."

"Huh? A lie, haha……"

"You caught it lightly."

"Oh no, I was caught."

It seems she tried to raise my spirits.

Soon Ria continued speaking.

"But still, if the pebble is this much, if it were strong metal or a sharp material, even I could not block it this easily."

"Is that so."

Then should I purchase arrows.

Or should I purchase metal balls.

If not that, should I shoot a spear?

Wait, this seems like a good idea.

"I will test one more time."

"Shall I help this time too?"

"Can you do that? But…… is it possible to block without damaging the weapon?"

Because it is a weapon worth as much as one hundred eighty million won.

"It is possible. I just need to negate the power with Mana before collision and deflect it."

"Then please do that."

Ria positioned herself at a distance again.

I discharged the expensive spear I had stored in Acresia toward Ria.

Then Ria wrapped herself in Mana.

It was as if a wall of Mana was protecting Ria.

The spear that flew at fast speed soon collided with the barrier.

A confrontation between spear and shield.

The victor was the shield.

THUNK!

The spear was deflected into the air.

I recovered the spear floating in the air again using the absorption skill.

Soon Ria approached and said.

"It almost broke through. As expected, when you discharge a heavy and sharp spear along with good material, the power is different. If two weapons flew simultaneously, it definitely would have broken through."

"Really? Two simultaneously."

I continued new tests.

I tried discharging several pebbles simultaneously.

Up to seven is manageable.

However, each time I add one more, Mana consumption multiplies and becomes burdensome.

It seems I can discharge up to two spears or weapons at maximum.

"Absorption and discharge, you have both offense and defense."

Acresia displayed its ability as much as it absorbed a Transcendent-Grade Monster.

I have not reached S-Grade yet, but have I not reached A-Grade Hunter level?

Combat-related stats are not that high.

Fraudulent skills make up for lacking stats.

If Mana reserves are further secured, I could even covet S-Grade level.

'Since I captured a Transcendent-Grade Monster with Ria's help.'

If two S-Grade Hunters combine their strength, can they really catch a Transcendent-Grade Monster?

Probably it would not be easy.

Soon Ria said with a smile.

"Congratulations, Seon-u."

"Thank you, it is thanks to Ria."

* * *

Ria began planting seeds in the cultivated field.

Rin helped Ria from the side.

And I continued the installation work of connecting the roof.

Just a little more and I finish the work that took a long time.

Thus at the end of work, I finally finished installing the roof.

'Now it looks like a house.'

Before I knew it, Ria and Rin on Ria's shoulder had come to watch.

Ria looked at the house and said.

"Connecting the roof makes it so pretty. Now it truly looks like one house."

"After finishing deck installation and planting grass, it will look even better."

"It will be wonderful."

Tomorrow I should finish the deck, and the next day finish the grass work.

"On the day we finish everything, let us pop champagne."

"Good."

"I will cook fine dining."

"Fine dining? What is that?"

"My specialty. Think of it as high-class course cuisine. I will prepare foods that go well with celebratory drinks."

"Really? I already look forward to it."

"You can look forward to it. First I must make Fruit Wine to drink then with Applecherry."

"You will make Fruit Wine with Applecherry? If you make it from now, fermentation time will be insufficient."

"There is a possible method."

Recently I saw a video on a Mutuber channel introducing Awakened.

In the video I watched, a wine shop owner appeared, and that person's skill was precisely fermentation.

To be precise, the decay skill.

'Decay and fermentation are ultimately a hair's breadth difference.'

If decomposed by harmful microorganisms, it is decay.

If decomposed by beneficial microorganisms, it is fermentation.

That Hunter's skill name is decay, but the skill itself is ultimately accelerating the time of designated objects.

In other words, if used for a certain time on fermented foods like Kimchi or Soybean Paste, Soy Sauce, it ferments.

If used on food ingredients that rot easily, it decays.

He demonstrated that on Mutuber.

While saying.

-Those who urgently need alcohol fermentation, please make a reservation and visit our shop. We will treat you expensively. Haha!

Seeing that, I truly contacted the shop and made a reservation.

Then that wine shop Hunter owner was surprised.

It had been said as a joke, and only prank calls had come for reservations.

He said he did not know there would be someone who truly made a reservation.

'To do that, first let us make the Fruit Wine to ferment.'

First I washed the picked Applecherries, removed the seeds, peeled the skin, then chopped them very finely and put them in a bowl.

Afterward I added about one-fifth of the Applecherry amount in sugar to the bowl.

'Applecherry itself has strong sweetness, so there is no need to add much sugar.'

After mixing well, I put it in a fermentation glass bottle.

I added spirits along with a small amount of water to raise the alcohol content.

If spirits are not added, it has very weak alcohol content even after completion.

Adding wine yeast to it finishes it.

'One ten-liter container will be enough.'

Come to think of it, since it is fermenting, I remember.

While I am at it, should I also make that……?

I had bought ingredients and forgotten them while putting them in Acresia.

I said to Ria, who was watching.

"Ria, you said you wanted to learn Korean food?"

"Right. Recently I could not learn because I was learning to cook Poke."

"Since you have finished learning Poke, let us move to Korean food. Starting today I will teach you the sauce that becomes the foundation of Korean food."

"That is so good."

Is it truly something to be pleased about?

The foundation of Korean-style sauce precisely starts with beans.

Making Meju with those beans is the first step.

First I started boiling soaked soybeans washed well and soaked in water in a large pot.

"It takes about seven hours to boil properly."

"You boil it for a long time."

Thus seven hours later.

After spreading out the boiled beans well to cool them.

I mash them so the beans bind well together.

Afterward I clumped them and shaped them into vertically long rectangles.

Then tying them with string finishes step one.

"The smell is savory and good. The taste is also not bad, being plain. But how does this become sauce?"

Ria had doubts while looking at the Meju.

I said while putting the made Meju into Acresia for now.

"After primary fermentation of Meju, if you put it in a jar and do secondary fermentation in salt water, that salt water becomes Soy Sauce I often use in cooking, and if you season the Meju remaining after making Soy Sauce and do tertiary fermentation, they become Soybean Paste and Red Pepper Paste respectively."

"Oh, from one thing called this Meju, three seasonings Seon-u frequently uses in Korean food come out?"

"Right. Korean food is the aesthetics of fermentation."

"I see. Korean food is interesting."

Soon I also taught her that drying and grinding peppers makes Red Pepper Powder, and that oil extracted by pressing Sesame and Perilla is Sesame Oil and Perilla Oil.

Ria listened with great concentration as if not to miss anything I taught.

So the conclusion came out.

"I will plant all Soybean, pepper, Sesame, and Perilla. Seon-u, can I ask you to purchase seeds for these? I want to try planting them all."

"Uh, alright…… I will buy them all."

At this rate the entire area around the house will all become fields.

That is not bad either.

Do everything you want.

It is enough if Ria is happy.

Moreover, next to Ria is the reliable S-Grade farmer Rin together.

* * *

After finishing deck installation.

I came out of the Rift and drove the car toward the wine shop of the Awakened who has the fermentation skill.

'Will a Buff appear if I ferment Fruit Wine?'

In the current incomplete stage, it did not appear.

After arriving near the wine shop, I parked the car and entered the shop.

The owner must have stepped away for a moment, as no one is here.

'Since I came, should I buy some wine?'

Fruit Wine is good, but there is wine that goes well with each food.

Thus while looking at various wines, I saw the display case of homemade wine the owner made.

'Wow, amazing.'

There is also wine aged for one hundred ten years using the skill.

'The price is expensive. But I am curious what wine aged for one hundred ten years tastes like.'

That wine is five million nine hundred thousand won.

Looking through, the longer it was aged, the more expensive it was.

Certainly, just as the owner said in the Mutuber video, it seems like a very good skill with no equal for the owner.

Enjoying hobbies, and earning more money than living a Hunter life risking life.

Just because one is a Hunter does not mean one must unconditionally enter Rifts.

Then I felt presence from behind.

"Welcome, customer. Is there a wine you are looking for?"

When I turned around, the owner I saw on Mutuber was making a business smile.

"Hello, I am An Seon-u, who made a reservation for Fruit Wine fermentation."

"Ah, you are that person? You truly came."

"Yes, I will pop champagne soon, so I need Fruit Wine then."

"I see, understood. For the cost, I will charge the same as the price I set by period when fermenting the homemade wine I make."

"Understood."

"Then shall I see the Fruit Wine? Because Fruit Wine fermentation period also differs depending on what fruit it is. But where is the Fruit Wine……?"

"Just a moment."

I opened Acresia and took out the Fruit Wine contained in the ten-liter container.

The owner was surprised seeing Acresia.

"So you were a Hunter with a Subspace warehouse skill."

"Yes."

"Did you perhaps hear that news?"

"What news?"

"Recently a new face Hunter with a Subspace warehouse skill like you appeared, and the Subspace warehouse boasts tremendous storage space. Moreover, the dishes that Hunter made have Buffs."

What, that is me.