Now That's Delicious!

The way to a man's heart was through his stomach! Ye Chen had no interest in winning an old man's heart, but for the sake of his future, he was going all in!

"Do you really think you can persuade me just by going into the kitchen and making a dish?"

Sakonji Urokodaki was starting to get a headache. The young man before him really was an oddball, but to settle the matter as quickly as possible, he agreed anyway.

"If that's what you think, then do as you please."

Once Ye Chen heard his agreement, he rolled up his sleeves without another word and went into the kitchen. Then he closed the door to keep everyone outside from watching, leaving them with one last remark.

"No peeking while the chef is cooking!"

That was what he said, but the real reason was that he needed to redeem some things through the system. He couldn't let anyone see ingredients materialize out of thin air in his hands, could he?

"Meow..."

Outside, Xiao Hua scratched its head, baffled by Ye Chen's behavior. Sakonji Urokodaki shook his head helplessly and found a place to sit, while Makomo sat down beside Xiao Hua, occasionally enjoying a little cat petting.

"Shit, talk is all well and good, but how am I supposed to make some seriously amazing food?"

Ye Chen lowered his head and thought for a moment, checked his remaining 3,178 exchange points, then opened the system shop.

"System, purchase the Monster Hunter cook's notes."

[Ding. 400 exchange points deducted. Cook's notes obtained. Use now?]

"Yes."

In an instant, Ye Chen felt a wealth of things he had never known before flood into his head-all sorts of cooking techniques and knowledge.

"There aren't nearly enough ingredients."

Ye Chen inspected the ingredients in the kitchen: just a few ounces of meat and some vegetables. Was that enough? No! Not enough! As a chef, how could he settle for such simple dishes?

"System, redeem one portion of Raw Meat, one Bird Egg, one portion of Honey, one portion of blue mushrooms, and one sushifish!"

[Ding. 45 exchange points consumed. Assorted ingredients obtained.]

Soon, a whole assortment of ingredients appeared before him, piling up across the entire kitchen table. There were a full two kilograms of Raw Meat, a sushifish roughly half a meter long, a heap of blue mushrooms, a jar containing about a kilogram of Honey, and a Bird Egg as big as a volleyball (Bird Eggs in Monster Hunter were about the size of ostrich eggs). The sheer quantities made it clear that he had gotten his points' worth.

Seeing how many exchange points he had spent made Ye Chen's heart ache, but there was no helping it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Today, he would bring the cooking skills he had kept hidden for years into full play!

The moment he picked up the kitchen knife, his hands moved without hesitation. He grabbed a bunch of the vegetables already in the kitchen and began chopping with fluid, effortless movements. In less than half a minute, he moved on to the next step.

"This system is freaking awesome. It's not just combat-even everyday skills can be this good."

As Ye Chen cooked, he felt more and more impressive. He could fight on the battlefield, carry himself with grace, and work wonders in the kitchen. He was practically the perfect housewife... Pfft, the perfect man.

Before even fifteen minutes had passed, Sakonji Urokodaki and Makomo caught a delicious aroma outside. Xiao Hua froze on the spot too, unconsciously wiping the corner of its mouth. The scent carried the freshness of vegetables, the sweetness of honey, and the savory aroma of fish, each balanced to perfection and enough to whet anyone's appetite.

"This kid seems to have some skill..."

Sakonji Urokodaki looked toward the kitchen in surprise. When the boy said he would cook, he had expected nothing more than an ordinary home-cooked dish. Who knew he had been hiding such talent? The aroma alone proved that his cooking was no worse than that of some professional chefs.

Makomo remained silent, but the anticipation in her eyes had already given her away.

Soon, the kitchen door opened, and Ye Chen emerged carrying two platters. Both looked enticing at first glance: one held vegetables cooked to perfection, and the other held a fish drizzled with honey. Since the fish had been steamed, it could hardly be called a sushifish anymore. The light coating of honey over its body was enough to make anyone hungry just looking at it, never mind the aroma wafting through the air.

Ye Chen placed the two dishes on the table, then turned back and brought out another two: a simple stir-fry of blue mushrooms and Bird Egg, and honey-roasted meat.

"All right, let's eat."

Ye Chen looked at his dishes with pride. They weren't particularly difficult to make-in fact, Monster Hunter hardly had any complicated dishes-but the flavor was absolutely top-notch.

"..." Sakonji Urokodaki stared at the dishes on the table, looking rather bewildered. It wasn't Ye Chen's skill that puzzled him, but the ingredients. He remembered there being only a few ounces of meat and some vegetables in the kitchen. Where had this guy gotten so much food? He hadn't brought anything in with him, had he?

"Where did your ingredients come from?"

Sakonji Urokodaki gave Ye Chen a puzzled look.

"I carry them with me."

Ye Chen could spin bullshit convincing enough to fool even himself. He continued, "As a chef, of course I carry ingredients with me. Otherwise, how could I maintain any quality of life?"

"How did you carry two whole kilograms of meat and a fish that big on you? And what's with that ridiculously huge eggshell in the kitchen?"

Sakonji Urokodaki couldn't make sense of it. Is something wrong with my memory? I may be old, but surely I haven't reached that point yet?

"Hey, aren't you asking a few too many questions? Are you eating or not?"

Ye Chen grew impatient. I cooked for you, and you're still going on and on. He picked up a piece of meat and popped it into his mouth, and his eyes instantly lit up.

"Holy shit, that's delicious!"

After that first bite, Ye Chen kept helping himself to more. In all his time in this world, apart from his stay at Tamayo's house, he had mostly eaten meat and fish he roasted himself. Now that he had redeemed those cooking skills, the food was simply incredible.

"..."

Sakonji Urokodaki gave him a strange look. What the hell? A chef getting this excited over his own food, as though he's tasting it for the first time? Ridiculous.

"Mmm! Delicious! Your cooking really is wonderful, Mr. Ye Chen!"

Makomo tried some too and was astonished. With skills like these, he could easily become a chef in the city, couldn't he? Yet he had come here hoping to join the Demon Slayer Corps? Its members risked their lives, after all, and could die on a mission at any moment.

Seeing Makomo heap praise on the food as well, Sakonji Urokodaki glanced at the dishes before him, wondering whether they really tasted that good.

"Ahem, Mr. Urokodaki."

Seeing Sakonji Urokodaki about to try his food, Ye Chen cleared his throat. "Before you decide whether to eat, let me warn you: once you do, you won't be able to turn down my request!"

Holy shit, that cocky?

Sakonji Urokodaki was startled. You're that confident? The smug look on Ye Chen's face immediately stirred his competitive spirit.

"Oh? Ye Chen, after hearing that, I'll certainly hold your food to a higher standard. I'll compare it to the cooking of the city's chefs. If it doesn't measure up, you can forget your earlier request!"

Sakonji Urokodaki knew Ye Chen was baiting him, but he didn't mind. He had lived a long life and once been a man of standing. What great chef's cooking hadn't he tasted? As if this boy's cooking could win him over. With that, he picked up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth.

"Oh my, that's delicious!"