Chapter 20: Hope Restored to Dever Village

– Master! Hurry up and cook these! What should we make? I’m so excited!

“Hold on. First, I need to return to the village.”

After successfully hunting the Blade-beak boss monster,

I used the brief moment the field was empty to safely collect their droppings.

Of course, I didn’t forget to take the eggs from their nests and obtain chicken meat through butchering.

< Giant Blade-beak Meat >

Grade: Magic

Description: Meat butchered from the giant individual that ruled as the leader of the Blade-beaks. Its elasticity is remarkable compared to ordinary chicken meat.

Ability: Provides additional effects related to agility to the completed dish.

< Giant Blade-beak Eggs >

Grade: Magic

Description: Eggs that were destined to succeed the Giant Blade-beak line. They are brimming with vitality and full of energy. (Fertilized eggs)

Ability: Provides additional effects related to vitality to the completed dish.

‘No wonder the manual was making a fuss.’

It was a boss monster, after all.

The meat and eggs I obtained from that massive creature were both Magic-grade ingredients.

Like the wild boar meat I had eaten before, this was bound to be delicious.

To preserve their freshness, I stored the meat and eggs in my Food Storage as soon as I obtained them.

“Oh, you’ve arrived! We’ve all been waiting!”

As soon as I arrived at Dever Village, I saw Daden, the owner of the village restaurant.

Not only him, but also several villagers, including an elderly man who appeared to be the village chief.

“Were the things I requested all prepared?”

“Of course! Since they weren’t difficult items, we did our best to prepare them perfectly!”

“Thank you.”

“Thank you? We’re the ones who should be grateful! Please, come this way.”

Guided by Daden, I arrived at a place where, as he said, the ingredients I had requested were piled up.

Piles of clover, pine needles, decayed leaves, and more.

At first glance, they looked completely useless.

As I stood before them to begin my work, I could hear the villagers whispering among themselves.

“But is it really possible to restore the field with those things?”

“Sigh, what can we do? We’re grasping at straws here.”

“If this fails again, we’ll…”

It seemed they didn’t fully trust me.

Well, a stranger suddenly appeared, offering to restore their fields without asking for anything in return.

Even I would find it strange if I were in their position.

Dragging this out would only increase the murmuring.

I began to mix the ingredients they had gathered with the Blade-beak droppings I had collected.

– Oh, I see! You’re preparing alchemy!

“Did Lord Gatros use alchemy too?”

– Of course! My previous master could do everything!

Truly, the more I heard, the more remarkable he was.

Usually, heroes excelled in one field—like a great mage or a sword master.

But Gatros seemed to be proficient in all abilities, including cooking.

I just found it curious why such a capable person wasn’t more famous.

– Oh ho! It’s Green Alchemy.

“Right. It’s the best way to revive dead soil.”

I had already gathered all the ingredients.

Soon, I finished preparing and mixing them.

I placed my hand over the mixture and quietly chanted.

“Green Alchemy – Breath of the Earth.”

Fwoosh—!

“Oh, look! It’s glowing!”

“Is he a mage? No, an alchemist?”

“Maybe it really is possible? To restore the field!”

Indeed, showing them once was better than explaining a hundred times.

Daden had explained until he was blue in the face, but no one believed him.

But with one skill effect, all the villagers reacted.

The materials I had mixed quickly clumped together and melted.

Soon after, a bucket I had prepared was filled with a green liquid.

<Potion – Breath of the Earth>

Grade: Magic

Description: A liquid containing the power to revive even dead land. Created by Lee Chang by mixing various ingredients in a golden ratio using Color Alchemy.

Ability: Restores dead land that has lost all its nutrients.

Perfect.

Though I had learned it, I had almost never actually used Breath of the Earth.

It was a potion I had only used for ‘practice,’ since it was considered a foundational Green Alchemy formula.

But looking at the item description, I was confident it had succeeded.

“Mr. Daden, could you help me with this?”

“Yes, Mage!”

“Haha, this is alchemy. It’s called Color Alchemy.”

“Oh dear, I’m sorry! For not even recognizing that…”

“It’s fine. Could everyone help sprinkle this on the field? There should be enough.”

“Understood! Hey, everyone, hurry! Let’s restore the field!”

The villagers still seemed half in doubt.

But perhaps thanks to the flashy effects of alchemy, they all obediently followed my instructions.

After all, they had nothing to lose.

About ten minutes after they started sprinkling the potion I made on the field, thanks to the help of most of the villagers, they were able to cover most of the vast field.

“But nothing’s happening even after sprinkling it.”

“I’m worried this might just be another waste of effort. All flashy on the outside.”

“Huh? Look over there! The spot we sprinkled first!”

“Gasp!”

The villagers, who had started murmuring again as if hoping for a reaction immediately, fell silent.

If Breath of the Earth had taken even a moment longer to manifest, I might have been branded a fraud.

“The field is glowing!”

“And look there! A sprout!”

The soil was different from the powdery, crumbling earth before.

Even though we had only sprinkled potion once, the improvement in the soil’s condition was visibly noticeable.

Moreover, pale green sprouts were rising from it.

The seeds that had been quietly huddled underground, lacking nutrients, were quickly stretching toward the sun.

Of course, I had no intention of stopping here.

“Growing sprouts. Breathing life. Warm earth. Grow.”

Crackle!

“Mother, look! The potatoes are growing so fast!”

“Oh! My goodness!”

The mana I had fully recovered on the way to the village drained rapidly.

Though it was the most basic of spells, its effect was quite good.

To instill hope in the villagers, showing them potatoes growing before their eyes was the best way.

As evidence, most of the villagers watching were cheering.

Hugging each other, walking to the field to touch the potato sprouts.

Though they had distrusted me only moments ago, it was a heartwarming scene nonetheless.

“Thank you so much, Alchemist!”

“Haha, I’m glad it worked as intended. I was a little worried it might not.”

“Sob, thanks to you, the children won’t have to starve. Thank you so much.”

“Oh dear, thank you, Alchemist!”

“Sob! Thank you so much!”

“Haha…”

The villagers were not just happy; some were weeping with tears.

Watching them, I felt a lump form in my throat.

And seeing that, I realized my work wasn’t over yet.

“If it’s alright, may I treat you all to a meal?”

***

– Master, what are you going to make? Huh? Egg dishes?

“No, not eggs. I want to help these people regain their strength.”

Most of the villagers had sunken cheeks.

Though the fields had regained their vitality and everyone was smiling again, their physical condition was still a mess.

– Ooh! Rebuilding strength, nice! Let me search for a recipe!

“Yeah, please.”

Fwoosh—!

While the manual searched for a recipe, I took out the Blade-beak meat I had stored in my Food Storage.

Though it was called Blade-beak, it looked exactly like chicken meat.

Thanks to Cooking Swordplay, all the feathers were already removed.

I split open the bellies, removed the innards, and washed them clean with water.

– Ta-da! For rebuilding strength, it has to be chicken porridge!

“Oh. Chicken porridge is good. But don’t you need medicinal herbs for chicken porridge?”

– Ah, are they hard to get? Then I’ll find something else…

Chicken porridge, a restorative dish made by simmering chicken until tender.

Though it looked simple, it actually required quite a few ingredients.

It needed various medicinal herbs, as well as vegetables to remove any gamey smell.

I still had plenty of vegetables from Jackson’s hut, but medicinal herbs were different.

I had no way to get them right now.

Just as the manual was about to search for another recipe,

“Alchemist! If it’s medicinal herbs, what kind do you mean?”

“Ah… Manual?”

Daden approached me as I was preparing to cook.

But even I, who enjoyed cooking, didn’t know all the medicinal herbs that went into chicken porridge.

When attention turned to it, the manual eagerly began listing ingredients.

– Siberian ginseng, mulberry tree, castor aralia, astragalus, angelica, dried jujubes, I’d say. Well, missing one or two won’t be a big problem!

“If that’s the case… Hey, Boden! Did you hear that?”

“I’ll have to go check, but we probably have most of them! Since they weren’t edible right away, we’ve been storing them in the warehouse!”

“Ah, then could I ask for them?”

“Leave it to me! It’s for our sake, so of course we should help!”

– Oh, looks like we can make this properly, master?

Well, no matter how hungry you are, you can’t just consume those kinds of medicinal herbs.

Soon, a man called Boden returned with an armful of medicinal herbs.

The dried jujubes looked a little lacking, but overall, they seemed quite decent.

“Alright, shall we begin?”

– Chicken porridge! My mouth is already watering!

“You can use this pot! It’s the biggest one in our restaurant!”

The chicken meat, with the wingtips, tail, and fat removed, and the blood between the bones thoroughly cleaned.

I put the whole chicken into the pot Daden had brought.

It was a large pot, comparable to the one in the training ground, as befitted a restaurant pot.

I added water, onions, green onions, and garlic, then lit the fire.

“Chorong.”

Whoosh!

“Oh! To use alchemy, magic, and even spirit magic!”

“Oh my, thank you. To send us an envoy…”

When it looked sufficiently cooked, I flipped the chicken and let it simmer again.

Then the rich, savory aroma unique to chicken porridge spread throughout the village.

“How long has it been since I smelled such rich aroma?”

“Slurp! My mouth is already watering!”

“Mother! I’m hungry!”

“Wait a little longer. The Alchemist is going to make something delicious.”

As the light broth was being extracted, I turned away for a moment to make the dipping sauce.

I mixed green onions, garlic, sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce well.

– Master! Only the white parts of the green onion leaves!

“Huh? Why?”

– The leaves have a mild aroma and less juice, making them perfect for sauces!

“Oh, really?”

The manual’s helpful tips kept popping up!

I had only ever eaten chicken porridge occasionally on the hottest summer days; this was my first time making it, so I carefully followed the manual’s instructions.

After some time had passed, the broth around the chicken looked visibly rich and thick.

All the villagers’ gazes were now fixed on the pot.

– I think it’s done? Master, try tearing off a piece of the chicken breast!

“Okay.”

Stab!

I picked up a long pair of wooden chopsticks and poked the plump-looking chicken breast.

The chopsticks sank in gently, as if poking pudding.

When I spread the chopsticks apart, the dry chicken breast came apart easily.

“Done!”

The warm chicken porridge for the residents of Dever Village was complete.

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