It’s time for cooking.

※Please note, in the end, this is a situation written as a novel.

※When actually cooking meat, be careful of how well it is cooked. Even if it has browned, there is a possibility that all the bacteria have not been eradicated.

※Even if it is beef, avoid cooking and eating items that have been left for a while or those that are not marked “for steak use” due to their preprocessing methods, as rare.

In the afternoon, in the kitchen of the Silver Wolf Inn, the last order was finished.

Arata: “Thank you for your cooperation.”

Jason: “……Yeah.”

Jason-san, the chef and husband of the Silver Wolf Inn’s proprietress, Jena-san, responds curtly to my greeting.

Today, I asked Jason-san to teach me the tricks of cooking meat.

Planning to explore this world in the future, I wanted the skill of 【cooking】.

This is a skill that is unlocked by asking NPCs who specialize in cooking for instruction.

With this skill, it becomes possible to cook, and you can make meals by cooking food items.

These meals have various effects that are helpful for game progress.

For example, the increase in experience points and the increased drop rate of items are the most typical examples.

Also, there’s the reason that I want the 【cooking】 skill for when I’m camping during my journey.

What I’m being taught is the signature dish of Silver Wolf Inn, the 『Orc Steak』.

I’m being taught during the free time after the lunch service, but Jason also has to prepare for the night service.

Therefore, while watching Jason-san cooking, I will make a steak next to him.

First, Jason-san handed me a slim knife.

Jason: “Use this to pierce the meat.”

With that said, Jason-san repeatedly thrusts the knife into a large chunk of meat.

I see.

So, I’m supposed to cut the meat’s fibers.

I understood this as knowledge, but in actuality, it’s a more thorough slicing process than I imagined.

By doing this preprocessing, the steak will be tender when cooked, the heat will penetrate easier, and it will also more readily take on flavor.

So, without ruining the shape of the meat, I carefully insert the knife into the meat.

Once I’ve sliced it with the blade enough, I have to prepare a frying pan.

The frying pan has a deep bottom and is used like a pot.

I must add about two tablespoons of oil, which is a lot, and put it on the fire.

“When the oil starts to slide, you can add garlic.”

Jason-san tilts the frying pan to show me how smoothly the oil is moving.

At this point, I rub salt and pepper into the meat that I processed earlier.

Arata: “Why now?”

Jason: “We don’t want to draw out the water.”

If I sprinkle salt and time passes, water comes out, right?

It shouldn’t take that long to heat up the frying pan.

But the fact that he pays attention to even this short of a time span shows the commitment of a top chef.

I quickly add the seasoning and put the meat in the frying pan.

With a sizzling sound, the oil bursts.

Jason-san, who had lowered the heat slightly, quickly puts a lid on the frying pan and leaves it alone.

Arata: “Aren’t you going to check the color?”

Jason: “Don’t touch it too much. It will make it harder to cook through.”

Slowly, slowly, the meat cooks.

I wonder how he judges how well the meat is cooked?

Every now and then, Jason-san opens the lid and checks the meat.

Following his line of sight, it seems he is looking at the side of the meat.

I see.

He’s judging how far the meat has cooked from the change in color on the side.

Just when I was starting to worry that it might be overcooked, Jason-san finally turns the meat over.

The grilled surface has a delicious golden color.

The backside is also heated in the same way.

And then, he puts the lid back on again.

On the other side of the lid, the meat juice and fat overflowing from the orc meat make a beautiful crackling sound.

Since it’s steak, I thought you could just grill them, but it takes more time than I expected.

It’s been about 10 minutes since I started cooking.

Finally, when the meat is cooked, I open the lid.

The sound of the meat’s fat popping.

The delicious smell that had been trapped in the frying pan is released.

I move the steak to a plate and sprinkle a little more salt and pepper.

Jason-san brought me a knife and fork for my portion.

Jason: “Try eating it.”

Arata: “Thank you for the meal.”

I eat steak in the kitchen standing alongside Jason-san.

First, I cut it into bite-sized pieces with a knife.

The heat has… gone through.

Transparent fat oozes from the cross-section.

Carefully so as not to let it spill, I gently carry it into my mouth.

……Delicious.

The sweetness of the meat that envelops the tongue.

It’s still a bit hot, but the more you chew, the more the umami flavor spreads throughout your mouth.

Now that the instruction is over, I immediately acquire the 【cooking】 skill.

I opened the skill board and was about to allocate SP when I noticed something strange.

【Cooking Lv.2】 has been added to the skill column.

And, my SP hasn’t decreased.

Could it be possible to acquire skills without consuming SP if you take actions related to the skill?

Jason: “How is it?”

Arata: “It’s delicious.”

Jason: “I see. … As you cook more, it’ll become even tastier.”

Arata: “I’ll do my best.”

The steak I cooked, while cooked thoroughly, was clearly inferior to the one Jason-san cooked.

However, the steak was so delicious that I couldn’t believe I had cooked it myself.