Thanks to awakening my [Traits & Talents], I had drastically shortened the time needed, but making fertilizer still took some.
‘It looks worse than the last time I came.’
Gazing around my surroundings, I noticed the other nearby trees were similarly struggling.
I quietly approached Alraune.
The human face protruding from the tree was, honestly, quite grotesque.
‘Well, it’s rare to find monsters that aren’t.’
I confirmed its weakened state, even as it hung limply.
[Shadow Veil]
I produced a burlap sack from the shadows.
It was filled with fertilizer.
However, it did not carry the smell typically associated with fertilizer—an almost complete absence of scent.
Cheol-wook’s earlier remark echoed in my mind.
“The fact that there’s no smell… That’s impressive.”
“What went wrong?”
“It’s actually the opposite. People often think fertilizer should reek, but truly high-quality fertilizer has no odor whatsoever. The challenge of making fertilizer from monster carcasses can lead to strong smells, and mine still stinks.”
That meant what I held was a high-quality product.
Of course, there were various reasons for that.
One being that I was an intermediate chef- a level far beyond Cheol-wook.
With no limits on my culinary practices, making fertilizer was just another dish to prepare.
My skills and traits would apply directly to any process.
And further, I had recently acquired the trait [Combat Power Evaluation].
“This trait gauges powerful opponents based on the quantity and quality of their internal magic.”
It came to my attention that the monster meat Cheol-wook had used to prepare fertilizer was not ideal for cooking.
The carcasses he received were often damaged beyond use, too bruised or crushed to be edible.
Mustering up the courage to accept random monsters always led to variation.
However, with my new trait, I could roughly assess the strength of the monsters and select only those with abundant magical properties.
The result?
[Intermediate Chef’s: Mixed Monster Bone & Meat Fertilizer]
A name more extravagant than one would expect for fertilizer.
I sprinkled it into the soil around Alraune and mixed it in.
Blink.
“…?”
Alraune gazed at my actions with curiosity.
What I felt next was the magical essence of the fertilizer mingling quickly with the soil, drawing toward Alraune.
‘Now.’
Just before the energy touched its body for absorption, I switched off one of my active traits.
[Trait – Environmental Camouflage Deactivated].
Swoosh.
The body that had blended seamlessly into its surroundings began to revert to that of an ordinary human.
In that moment.
…!
Alraune, who had been looking at me with sleepy eyes, suddenly contorted its face into a grotesque mask.
-Kyuhhhhhhh!
“What?! You can talk?!”
A fearsome scream erupted from the face embedded in the tree.
Its expression was far from pleasant.
That wasn’t all;
In the vast jungle around me, despite their nature as trees, I sensed alarming hostility radiating from every one of them.
Then, with a rumble…
A colossal root burst through the ground, aiming to strike me.
At that instance, it halted in front of me.
‘That took me by surprise.’
The root had stopped for one clear reason—my carefully made dish, the power of the fertilizer, was getting absorbed by the Alraune.
-Kyuhh… Ah…?
Just as I had intended.
[Chef’s Special Sauce]
[Deep Affinity]
“Last time, you acknowledged my presence as an equal, didn’t you?”
But that isn’t enough.
With just the remaining rank-and-file soldiers in my squad and the solitary comrade trapped in the mountain, I had no real friends around me.
So,
“I suppose I need to become your best friend.”
Through those eyes, filled with a new sense of friendship as Alraune regarded me,
Alraune looked at me with eyes filled with a new sense of friendship and retracted the roots that were about to attack me.
Its face was breaming with overwhelming joy.
“I guess the taste was satisfactory.”
Alraune smiled brightly, like a close friend would.
Clearly, this dish’s effect was powerful.
‘Well, I have put my heart and soul into it.’
Feeding the unit with a dish of utmost dedication was challenging.
Perhaps those at the 20th level could handle it, but the lower-ranked soldiers would be overwhelmed by the excessive buffs a true masterpiece would provide.
In contrast…