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Chapter 3: Get the pot!\n \n \nOne year after eating the slime...\n \nSix sharp legs are moving like a winding water mill.\n \nA loud sound echoed through the forest, and a big ant
monster rushing furiously towards me.\n \n"Jii, jii."\n \nHe made a sound and moved his antenna from side to
side. What I see in his big eyes is a small child - yes, that's me.\n \nA year after I ate the slime, I'm still living in the
mountain.\n \nThough I say this myself, I've grown a bit stronger.\n \nI'm gaining muscle and my chest seems to be getting
wider.\n \nThe seizures would come and go, but once I eat the
slime, my condition is back to normal.\n \nAs I run, I take a slime candy in my pocket and throw
it into my mouth.\n \nIt's time for my medication. It's a very, very sweet
medicine.\n \nI suppress my seizures in this way and finally ready
to fight.\n \nMy opponent is an Iron Ant.\n \nAccording to the Monster Ecology Research Guild, Iron
Ant's rank must be "E".\n \nAmong the seven levels of danger, Iron Ant is the 2nd
from the bottom. Slimes and Black Crows are rank F, so it's stronger than most
small-sized monsters.\n \nThey are much larger than ordinary ants, about the
size of a big-sized dog. Its outer shell is covered with iron armor-like skin,
making it almost impossible to pierce or cut.\n \nPerhaps it would be better to use poisoned arrows and
aim for the gaps in his armor like I did with Black Crow, but I am not that
great with archery.\n \nSo I prepared a trap.\n \nI turn around and face the Iron Ant.\n \nI kick a stone that I am using as a landmark with my
foot. At that moment, the ground rises up and engulfs the Iron Ant.\n \nThe Giant Ant is caught in the net that I had set up.\n \nHe struggled and tried to cut it with his fangs, but
his efforts failed. On the contrary, the Iron Ant kept getting tangled up in
the net.\n \n"Jii, jii." He made a creepy sound that
sounded sad.\n \n"It's a forest spider thread. You won't be able
to get out of it."\n \nThe Forest Spider is a rank D, one rank higher than
the Iron Ant. This rope is made from the threads of their nests. Once entangled,
even a troll can't escape.\n \nThe sticky thread tangles easily.\n \nBut I found a way to use it.\n \nI found some wild wheat and ground it with a stone to
a powder. I covered my hands with it so that I could touch it.\n \nI had prepared a spear made from a single horn beaver.\n \nThe horn of this monster seems to contain a lot of
iron and is very strong. It's so tough that it can pierce through a steel plate
easily.\n \nI pointed my spear at the Iron Ant.\n \nStabbing a monster caught in a net was easy.\n \nAs usual, I used the poison from the silkworm plant to
completely knock him out.\n \nAfter a while, I cut the rope, put down the Iron Ant,
and it stopped struggling.\n \nIn the beginning, I couldn't tell the poison's
concentration, but recently I can tell the concentration. If the poison are too
strong, I felt a slight numbness on my tongue, so now I adjusted the dose
according to the monster's size.\n \nAs I carefully put it down on the ground, I couldn't
help but smile when seeing the Iron Ant caught in the forest spider's net.\n \n"I've always wanted to catch you."\n \nIn Iron Ant's compound eyes, I see the reflection of a
child with a horrible smile that makes me shiver.\n \nYes. I've been waiting for this very moment...\n \nAll the work I had done in the morning on the forest
Spider's nest to catch the Iron Ant had finally paid off.\n \nShall I eat it?\n \nNo, no.\n \nWhat I wanted to get from the Iron Ant is the armor
that covers its outer shell.\n \nThis time, I took out a knife from my pocket. It is
also made from the beaver's horn.\n \nThe single-horned beaver horn is hard, but it can be
easily cut with my stone ax. This is a very important item for me now.\n \nI use my knife to peel off the iron Ant's armor that
covers its outer shell. It's like ripping off a fish's thick fins.\n \nFinally, I get the Iron Ant's outer shell.\n \nWhen I lightly flick it with my finger, it makes a
metal-like sound.\n \n"Thin and tough ....... And most importantly,
it's light! Now I can make a hot pot dish."\n \nFinally, after one year of hard work, the time has
come.\n \nI am tired of eating only roasted food.\n \nI can make steamed dishes if I can get some bamboo,
but it's difficult to make stewed dishes.\n \nI've been using heat-resistant leaf plates to boil
water, but I haven't found any plants that can withstand cooking for a long
time.\n \nBut thanks to the Iron Ant's armor, my diet of only
roasted food will end today.\n \nI strip off all the armor that covers the Iron Ant. In
addition to the pot, I can make a knife and weapons if I can process it.\n \nIt's difficult now, but I can make all kinds of things
if I can melt the iron.\n \nThe oil secreted by Iron Ant is also important.\n \nI learned that Iron Ants maintain their armor by
spitting oil out of their mouths to keep it from rusting. This is the result of
a year of research.\n \nI drained the oil from the Iron Ant's mouth and gave
it one last stab.\n \nThe magic stone fell down and shattered.\n \nOf course, the armor part remained. The monster
dismantling experiment was a success.\n \nAfter the hunt, I decided to eat.\n \nI quickly turned over the Iron Ant's head, the helmet.\n \nIt is perfect for a pot because it has an indentation
that can hold water.\n \nI tried to use some stones I found in the river as a
pot, but they can't contain much water, and the ingredients can't submerge in
the water. In addition, the stones are too thick to transfer heat and it would
take too long to cook the ingredients.\n \nBut the Iron Ant's head is big, so its helmet can
contain as much water and ingredients as I want.\n \nMoreover, it is thin and strong, making it perfect for
a pot.\n \nI washed it carefully in the river and put it on the
fire.\n \n"Yes! I've successfully boiled the water."\n \nIt is not surprising, but something about it made me
cry.\n \nThank you, Iron Ant.\n \nEven though you disappeared a while ago, thanks to
you, my food life will be colorful.\n \n"Now, let's start with......."\n \nI've already decided what I'm going to boil.\n \nBaby Boar.\n \nThe name "baby" may remind you of a little
boar, but that's a big mistake.\n \nDespite its cute name, it is a monster as big as an
adult boar, with a big round nose, sharp fangs, and a red mane that runs from
the top of its head to its tail.\n \nOver the years, it would grow and become a terrifying
rank B monster known as Giant Boar.\n \nThe Baby Boar's rank is E. It's as dangerous as a
boar, but it's so fast that if it bumps into you, you'll be blown away. They're
usually accompanied by their parents, the giant boars. It's hard for me to get
close to them.\n \nThis meat was cut from a Baby Boar that was
accidentally caught in a Boar trap.\n \nThe meat has already been cleaned and seasoned with
rock salt. I cut the meat into bite-sized pieces and put it in hot water.\n \nNext, put water, herbs, and candy made from slime in
the pot to sweeten it, and add the Baby Boar. Cover with a lid and wait for a
while......\n \nIt's not just stewed pork; it's stewed Baby Boar.\n \n"Hot, hot......"\n \nThe white steam covered my face.\n \nThis is the stew I've been waiting for so long. After
a year of waiting, the Baby Boar in the pot looks sparkling.\n \nI immediately stabbed it with a skewer and put it in
my mouth.\n \n"So tender......"\n \nThe meat slides around in my mouth.\n \nAfter feeling the texture of the meat, it melts in my
mouth. It's irresistible!\n \nThe slime candy's sweetness was well absorbed into the
Baby Boar's meat. When I chew it, it is squeezed and spread in my mouth along
with the meat's flavor.\n \n"............!"\n \nI am speechless. It was that delicious.\n \nThe herbs I added seemed to work well. Since I had
boiled it once, it didn't have much of a stinky smell.\n \nI had tried grilling baby boar once, but it has a
strong smell and I think it's not suitable to be grilled.\n \nI thought it would be great for stews, and I am right.\n \n"Thanks for the food!"\n \nI clasp my hands together.\n \nAs usual, I ate all the meat I had cooked. My stomach
is full.\n \nI touch my face with my hands, and my skin feels
plumper. I guess its effect is anti-aging. I'm still a kid, so I don't really
understand.\n \nIf I had fish sauce and sake, it would be perfect.
Sake is one thing, but the fish sauce can be made by fermenting fish. I wonder
if I can make it.\n \nAh. But this place is in the middle of a mountain
(sigh).\n \nI wonder if fish sauce can be made from river fish.\n \nI remember reading about seasoning in a book, which
can be made by fermenting beans to produce a taste similar to fish sauce.\n \nI'm sure there are some wild beans around here
somewhere, so I should try to make it.\n \nI wasn't sure how it would turn out at first, but I'm
starting to enjoy life in the mountains.\n \nHunting monsters and turning them into meat is
interesting.\n \nThere are some magical plants and wild herbs that I
only knew about from books, and there are plenty of edible plants growing in
the mountains.\n \nI'll try to cook them more deliciously.\n \nThis is how I got hooked on Monster Cuisine.\n \n
