ARIFURETA: Cooking to be the Strongest?

With the short demonstration of Shin's peculiar tools concluded—a demonstration that Yue, with a playful glint in her crimson eyes, insisted would be continued later—Shin turned his attention back to their dinner.

He cracked open the hardened mud casing, a satisfying pop echoing in the small cave.

As the mud fell away, he carefully unraveled the large vine leaves, revealing the perfectly roasted package within.

The enticing aroma of the cooked meat immediately filled the small space, promising a well-deserved meal after the day's grueling battle.

"Looks promising," Shin murmured, a hint of satisfaction in his voice.

With his obsidian knife, now back in his hand with a familiar shimmer, he effortlessly cut into the glistening, pinkish-white flesh of the monster.

The blade sliced through the tender meat with no resistance, a testament to both the knife's inexplicable sharpness and the meat's perfect doneness.

He arranged two portions on large, broad leaves he'd cleaned earlier, setting one for himself and one for Yue. The firelight flickered, making the cooked meat shimmer with an inviting glow.

"Itadakimasu," Shin murmured softly, a small, private prayer of thanks, before taking his first bite. Hmm, not bad, he thought, savoring the flavor.

The taste of the simply seasoned meat was surprisingly rich, and the more he chewed, the more savory juices flowed, coating his tongue.

It was genuinely good, though a faint pang of longing hit him.

If only he had a few more spices—some pepper, a stronger herb—he could elevate this basic flavor into something truly extraordinary.

Still, he relished his meal, each bite a small victory against the harshness of the Abyss.

Yue, however, remained still, her portion untouched.

Her crimson eyes, usually filled with innocent curiosity, were now clouded with a deep skepticism.

It was common knowledge, an ingrained survival instinct among most sentient beings in this world, that monster meat contained a potent toxicity.

Raw or cooked, the pervasive mana within these creatures could cause rapid degradation of the body, leading to excruciating pain, organ failure, and often, a swift, agonizing death.

Even with her immortal body and high-speed regeneration, consuming such toxins would undoubtedly result in a pain she wished to avoid, even if it wouldn't be fatal.

"Yue, what's up?" Shin asked, noticing her hesitation.

He had already said his own quiet grace and was currently halfway through his portion, completely unfazed.

"Shin, are you really eating that?" she asked, her voice laced with incredulity.

"Hmm?" Shin tilted his head, a piece of meat still in his mouth.

He swallowed before answering.

"Well, they said monster meat is toxic to humans, but until now, I haven't felt any discomfort eating it."

This fact had bewildered many, including some of his former classmates, though he hadn't fully understood why until now.

"Well, I didn't really have a choice back then," Shin continued, remembering the early, desperate days of his fall.

"But I even ate raw monster meat once. Aside from the disgusting flavor, it really didn't affect me much at all, aside from a strange strength gain."

Yue listened, her brow furrowed in thought.

His words were baffling, contradicting everything she knew.

Yet, he sat before her, clearly unharmed, even thriving.

Slowly, hesitantly, she reached out her hand towards the portion Shin had set for her.

The cooked monster meat, though simply plated on leaves, still exuded an undeniably enticing aroma that tugged at her ancient, unaccustomed senses.

She swallowed, a faint gulp audible in the quiet cave.

This would be her first true meal, aside from Shin's blood, in centuries.

With deliberate grace, she picked up a makeshift bone fork and knife Shin had crafted.

She pierced a piece of meat with the fork, then sliced it with the crude bone knife.

The meat was so tender that it barely resisted, parting with effortless ease.

If Yue hadn't personally watched Shin prepare the scorpion monster meat, she wouldn't even have thought this was monster meat at all.

It looked, smelled, and felt like perfectly prepared, savory flesh.

She then brought the piece to her tiny mouth.

The first bite came, and her eyes instantly gleamed.

Just like Shin, the more she chewed, the more the rich, savory juices flooded her senses.

A wave of unexpected flavor washed over her, a taste sensation unlike anything she had experienced in her long existence.

She swallowed, then, without a moment's hesitation, took another piece, and then another.

The painful effects of eating monster meat did not come.

The mana, which was supposed to be toxic—being wild, unrefined, and incompatible with human bodies—did not assault her. Instead, the mana in the meat attuned to her own mana and gently restored it.

Yue remembered this sensation; it was strikingly similar to the restorative effect of Shin's blood.

She ate with a quiet, graceful efficiency, barely stopping, bringing each morsel to her mouth with elegant precision.

Shin, on the other hand, had paused his own eating, simply observing Yue.

A faint smile touched his lips.

She really eats like those royalty princesses in the movies Amaya-nee used to watch, he mused.

Though the monster meat had never shown any toxic effects on him, he wasn't naive enough to simply let Yue consume it without precaution.

In his hand, concealed from her view, he had already prepared one of his three remaining pouches of ambrosia, just in case any adverse reaction should occur.

With both of them finishing their meals, a sense of quiet satisfaction settled in the cave.

Yue looked at Shin, a genuine smile gracing her lips.

"Thank you, Shin. That was... truly delicious."

"You're welcome," Shin replied with a warm smile, then couldn't resist a gentle tease.

"So, any discomfort? How does monster meat taste, Princess?"

Yue shook her head, her smile widening.

"No discomfort at all, Shin. Instead," she paused, her eyes gaining a thoughtful glint,

"I felt my magic power was also slightly restored by the mana in the meat."

Shin's eyes widened slightly.

So maybe that's it, he thought, a new theory forming.

The mana in the meat might be the reason why I can restore my stamina so fast when eating cooked monster meat.

He also remembered the first time he ate raw monster meat; he'd felt something attempting to modify his body, but it had been suppressed by an unknown force back then, long before he had the obsidian knife.

And the preceding days... is the energy strangely accumulating inside me actually mana? Or is the mana being converted to something else which is the energy used ot restored the torn pages of the old book? And maybe I can tap into it later?

Shin felt a surge of new questions.

This rare leisure time with a companion, and her unique perspective, was giving him an opportunity to piece together more about his own strange constitution.

He fell into serious thought, lost in the possibilities.

"Shin?" Yue's soft voice pulled him from his daze.

"Ah, sorry. I just remembered something," he replied, his serious expression quickly shifting to a playful one, seeing Yue's obvious relish for the meal. He then shared his ongoing theory with her.

"And you know, the quality also improved because of the obsidian knife. It cuts the meat in a way that just... enhances it."

Yue's eyes immediately lit up, a fresh spark of curiosity in their depths.

"Then you must continue the demonstration of your tools later!" she declared, her earlier disappointment completely forgotten.

Shin chuckled. "Alright, alright. Just wait for me to clean up first before that, okay?"

Yue nodded eagerly, her smile widening. "Mmm! And I can help you, Shin!"

Shin, seeing her enthusiasm, readily agreed.

The faster they cleaned, the earlier he could satisfy Yue's curiosity about his mysterious tools. 

Together, in the flickering light of the fire and the soft glow of the holy crystal, they began to clear away the remnants of their meal.