Multiverse Gourmet Hunter

Haruto brought out a square table and placed the two mimic dishes on top.

Then he looked toward Frieren, Fern, and Sense.

"The food’s ready. Want to try it?"

"It already looks good. I’m eating."

Frieren agreed without the slightest hesitation. In fact, she had already seated herself at the table before she even finished speaking.

Her eyes remained fixed on the two dishes, anticipation written all over her face.

She had encountered more mimics than she could possibly count over the years, yet never once had she imagined that one could be transformed into something this appetizing.

Thinking back on all the times she had been bitten by them, Frieren decided she should probably eat a little extra today.

Fern was still somewhat hesitant.

She had never heard of anyone turning monsters into food, much less tasted one herself. But the rich aroma lingering in the air relentlessly tempted her appetite, and her stomach even betrayed her with a quiet rumble.

She looked at Frieren’s eager expression, then at the two beautifully presented dishes on the table.

Eventually, she nodded.

"Then I’ll... try some too."

With both Frieren and Fern willing to eat, Sense finally took a seat as well.

"Let’s eat."

Haruto picked up his chopsticks, lifted a portion of the stir-fried mimic meat, and placed it into his mouth.

The savory, lightly spicy sauce spread rapidly across his tongue. Ginger, scallion, and garlic blended with the faint heat of the chilies, immediately waking up his palate.

When he bit down, the first sensation was the firm surface of the meat.

Then the juices burst free.

An exceptionally pure meaty richness flooded his mouth, blending with the deep savoriness of the sauce.

The texture itself was superb.

After being pounded and blanched, the meat had softened without losing its satisfying chew. It was tender without becoming mushy and springy without being tough, with not even the slightest trace of unpleasant gameiness.

All that remained was the mimic’s distinctive, faintly sweet meatiness.

Every fiber had absorbed the sauce, yet the seasoning never overwhelmed the natural flavor of the ingredient.

The two worked together perfectly.

Every bite was deeply satisfying.

As Haruto swallowed, the mana within the meat was absorbed directly by his Gourmet Cells.

He could clearly feel them strengthen by a tiny amount.

Satisfaction appeared in his eyes.

Then he spooned up a piece of the braised mimic tongue.

The moment it entered his mouth, the first thing to melt across his tongue was the tomato-based sauce coating its surface.

The sweet acidity of the tomatoes, the mellow sweetness of caramelized onion, and the layered fragrance of the spices gently enveloped his palate.

He barely needed to press the meat with his tongue before it began to fall apart.

Rich juices burst free, while layer after layer of aroma lingered throughout his mouth.

It was tender enough to require almost no chewing, yet it had none of the mushiness of meat cooked too far.

Each bite still retained a satisfying sense of substance.

The connective tissue had completely melted into gelatin, leaving a silky richness across his tongue and a long, lingering finish.

Beside him, Frieren could no longer wait.

She spooned up a large piece of braised mimic tongue and immediately put it into her mouth.

The instant she tasted it, her eyes widened into perfect circles.

Her spoon froze halfway through the air.

Frieren had eaten plenty of delicious food over the course of her long life.

But she had never tasted anything quite like this.

The tender meat seemed to melt gently in her mouth, while its intense savoriness blended with the sweet-and-sour sauce and swept across all her senses at once.

The sheer depth of flavor was unlike anything she had experienced before.

It completely overturned not only her understanding of food, but also her understanding of monsters.

She had never imagined that a monster could be turned into something this delicious.

More astonishing still, after she swallowed, Frieren felt something change within her.

Her mana had increased slightly.

She froze for two seconds.

Then her hands suddenly sped up.

Frieren scooped up an even larger piece of braised meat and stuffed it into her mouth, immediately followed by a bundle of stir-fried mimic strips.

The spicy, springy bite of the stir-fry contrasted beautifully with the soft, rich braised tongue.

One bite followed another.

She could not stop.

Before long, even her cheeks had puffed out slightly.

"This is so good... Mimic meat is really good!"

Watching Frieren eat with such obvious satisfaction finally overcame Fern’s remaining hesitation.

She cautiously took a bite.

And was immediately conquered by the flavor.

After several more mouthfuls, Fern finally remembered her manners and turned toward Haruto.

"This is truly delicious, Haruto-san. Thank you very much."

Then she immediately picked up another piece of meat.

Sense, meanwhile, did not dare speak at all.

She was far too busy chewing and seemed afraid that opening her mouth would somehow waste what she was eating.

Haruto watched the three of them enjoying his cooking, and the smile on his face grew even wider.

Seeing people genuinely happy to eat his food always gave him a deep sense of satisfaction.

Unfortunately, unlike Haruto, none of the three had Gourmet Cells.

Before long, all of them were completely full.

Frieren stared at the large amount of mimic cuisine still left on the table with unmistakable frustration.

She wanted more.

Her stomach simply refused to cooperate.

Fern was in much the same state, one hand resting lightly over her slightly rounded stomach while a faint flush from overeating remained on her cheeks.

Even though she could not possibly fit another bite, the thought, ’Maybe just one more...’ stubbornly refused to disappear.

Sense looked equally reluctant to stop.

The three could only watch helplessly as Haruto proceeded to finish everything that remained.

"That stomach of yours is enviable."

Frieren sounded genuinely jealous.

If she had Haruto’s appetite, she could eat so much more delicious food.

Haruto merely smiled without explaining.

Gourmet Cells certainly came with their own inconveniences, but given that he had the Gourmet Restaurant to carry vast quantities of food wherever he went, the advantages far outweighed the disadvantages.

Frieren did not dwell on his appetite for long.

Instead, she leaned slightly closer, her expression becoming eager again.

"Hey, Haruto. That magic circle you used for heating earlier was interesting."

"It isn’t ordinary fire magic used on this continent, and it can control temperature very precisely."

"Could you teach it to me?"

Her eyes were practically sparkling.

A heating magic circle like that was exactly the sort of unusual magic Frieren loved collecting.

"Sure."

Haruto agreed immediately.

He had already expected Frieren to become interested in it.

In fact, that was one of the reasons he had deliberately chosen to use the magic circle in front of her.

Before Frieren could celebrate, Haruto continued.

"And it’s not just the heating circle. I know quite a few other unusual forms of magic with different practical uses. I can teach those to you too."

"In exchange, I’d like you to improve the sealing spell you used earlier and teach me the completed version afterward."

If Haruto wanted to continue eating monsters from this world, Frieren’s sealing magic was clearly indispensable.

The current one-hour limit was simply too short.

It needed further refinement.

"No problem."

Frieren agreed almost instantly.

"I’m interested in improving it anyway."

For Frieren, there was no downside.

She had already intended to develop the modified sealing spell further, and now she could obtain unfamiliar magic she had never seen before from Haruto in exchange.

It was an excellent deal.

Of course, even though the two immediately reached an agreement, this was hardly the right time to sit down and begin exchanging magic.

Without needing to say anything more, they temporarily set the matter aside.

Once everyone had packed up, the four resumed their journey deeper into the dungeon.

Haruto walked alongside the others, quietly reviewing the shortcomings of his first attempt at mimic cuisine as they went.

Eventually, after passing through a long corridor, they reached the final stretch before the deepest part of the dungeon.

Then Frieren, who had been walking in front, abruptly stopped.

Her gaze settled on a stone wall beside them, its surface carved with reliefs of human figures.

She studied it carefully.

"Fern, show me the map."

Frieren did not even turn around.

"Huh?"

Fern looked puzzled.

"We’ve already explored this entire floor."

Even so, she activated the spell recording their dungeon progress.

A complete map appeared before them, every passage and room clearly marked.

Frieren ignored Fern’s comment.

She stepped closer to the wall and lightly tapped the cold stone with one finger.

An interested smile slowly appeared on her face.

"There’s a hidden room behind this wall. Definitely."

"There has to be treasure inside."

Her fingers traced the carved patterns, and her eyes grew brighter.

"Maybe there’s a rare grimoire in there."

Fern did not doubt Frieren’s judgment.

After all, Frieren had explored an enormous number of dungeons over the course of her life.

But Fern checked the map again and again.

There was no passage indicated there.

No hidden room either.

Frieren was well aware of that.

After briefly examining the wall, she placed her hand over a carved image of the sun.

She pressed the center of the symbol and twisted it gently.

A deep grinding sound rolled through the corridor.

The solid stone wall split apart.

Behind it was a narrow hidden passage.