Chapter 52. Too Many Cooks Send the Soup Up the Mountain
“Yaaaaawn. I’m tired again today.”
Yukgap let out a long yawn as he stepped out of the kitchen.
Through the window, dawn was beginning to brighten the sky.
Restaurant Shelley usually opened in the evening and stayed open until early the next morning.
The appearance of morning light meant it was time to close for the day.
“Is Victoria planning to stay up all night again?”
He glanced toward the laboratory while cleaning the six daggers he had used throughout the day.
Victoria had been holed up in there for several days, repairing Robert and supposedly upgrading him while she was at it.
She had been so absorbed in the work that she was barely eating properly.
“She must be starving.”
Yukgap muttered while looking toward the lab.
Of all the organs in the human body, the brain consumed an enormous amount of energy.
Victoria had been pushing hers nonstop for days.
Even if she did not say anything, she had to be exhausted.
After thinking about it for a while, Yukgap made up his mind.
“Fine. As her employee, I can at least make her a light snack.”
Humming to himself, he opened the refrigerator.
Fortunately, they had gone grocery shopping the night before, so there were plenty of ingredients.
“What should I make?”
Yukgap looked around thoughtfully.
Then he noticed a yellow pumpkin shoved into one corner of the refrigerator.
“Come to think of it, she liked the pumpkin soup I made last time.”
He remembered what had happened a while ago and looked at the pumpkin.
He had made pumpkin soup as a test, and Victoria had enjoyed it.
Soup was easy on an empty stomach, and pumpkin itself was sweet and nutritious.
It was perfect for Victoria after several days of overworking herself.
“Then soup it is.”
Yukgap pulled the large pumpkin from the refrigerator.
It was plump and perfect for soup.
“First, steam the pumpkin... then slice the onion and garlic...”
He recalled the recipe he had seen online and began preparing the ingredients one by one.
The moment his daggers began moving, everything was cut into perfect bite-sized pieces almost instantly.
“Good. Ingredients are ready.”
By then, the bright yellow pumpkin had softened nicely in the steamer.
“Now I just boil everything together.”
Yukgap placed the pumpkin flesh and chopped vegetables into a pot of water.
It did not take long for the soup to begin bubbling gently.
A sweet aroma filled the kitchen.
“Hmm. The seasoning’s a little weak.”
He tasted the soup as it began to boil.
The pumpkin itself tasted good, but something was still missing.
It needed a little more depth.
While rummaging through the cupboard, Yukgap found a container filled with white powder.
“What’s this? I’ve never seen this seasoning before. Salt?”
He examined it.
It looked like salt, but there was no noticeable smell.
After thinking about it for a moment, he shook some of the powder into the soup.
“Yeah. That fixes the seasoning.”
Yukgap tasted the mysterious seasoning and nodded.
He still had no idea what it was, but the flavor was definitely richer than before.
Victoria would probably like this.
“Victoria! I made some soup, so eat it if you get hungry!”
Yukgap placed the pot in one corner of the kitchen and shouted toward the laboratory.
But Victoria was apparently too absorbed in repairing Robert to respond.
“Well, I guess I’ll get some rest.”
Yawning again, Yukgap headed toward his room.
All he could do was hope Victoria enjoyed the soup he had made.
“I’m soooo hungry.”
Victoria staggered into the kitchen with an exhausted face.
She had spent days wrestling with Robert’s repairs, and now she was starving.
At this point, she felt like she could chew on a rock.
Then a sweet aroma caught her attention.
“Huh? What’s that? I smell food.”
Victoria naturally followed the scent.
There, she found a pot filled with pumpkin soup.
“Did Yukgap leave this for me? I can eat it, right?”
She casually grabbed a ladle and stirred the soup.
But all she could see inside were vegetables.
Victoria immediately frowned.
“Why are there so many vegetables? The brain needs protein. Yukgap’s a carnivore himself, so why does he love vegetables so much?”
Grumbling, Victoria opened the refrigerator.
Then she noticed some bacon in the corner.
“Perfect! There’s bacon.”
She picked it up happily.
Unfortunately, there was not much.
Only a few thin slices.
“But this isn’t nearly enough.”
Disappointment crossed her face.
Then a good idea came to mind.
“Good thing I prepared protein-cell proliferation culture solution for situations like this.”
Victoria dropped the bacon and some of the culture solution into the soup.
Bubble, bubble.
The bacon inside began growing.
At the same time, the amount of soup increased.
“Did I make a little too much? Well, Yukgap can take care of the leftovers.”
Muttering irresponsibly, Victoria ladled out some soup for herself.
Then her eyes landed on a glass container nearby.
She froze.
“Huh? Isn’t this crystallized Elixir powder? Did I leave it here by mistake?”
She hurriedly picked it up.
This was not something that should have been sitting in the kitchen.
Victoria muttered to herself,
“It’s dangerous if it comes into contact with organic matter. I should put it away.”
“I’m here. Is nobody around?”
Seryun raised his voice as he entered Restaurant Shelley.
No one answered.
Apparently, everyone was asleep.
“Seriously? Today is settlement day. Where did everyone go?”
Seryun grumbled.
Then a sweet scent drifting through the air caught his attention.
“What is that smell?”
Curious, he followed it.
At the apparent source of the aroma sat a pot of pumpkin soup slowly cooling down.
But for some reason, it was now packed full of bacon.
“So someone made soup. But this is far too much bacon. No matter how much you like meat, this is nutritionally unbalanced.”
Seryun clicked his tongue at the bacon-filled pumpkin soup.
“Tch, tch. I suppose I should add vegetables and increase the broth. Otherwise, this will turn into bacon soup. But boiling vegetables until enough flavor comes out is terribly bothersome.”
As though he had been waiting for a chance like this, Seryun took out a solidified lump.
Then he dropped it into the soup.
“That is why I created solidified broth. You should all be grateful that a once-in-an-era genius like me exists.”
Praising himself, Seryun began heating the soup again.
The solidified broth slowly dissolved and mixed into it.
“The broth contains organically structured cells, so they activate quickly when exposed to water. Normally, I would use protein-cell proliferation culture solution, but then it would multiply beyond control. This amount should be sufficient.”
Seryun smiled with satisfaction as steam rose from the pot.
“I really do meddle too much.”
[Activation commencing.]
The moment Robert regained consciousness, he immediately began moving with heavy footsteps.
Perhaps because Victoria had worked so hard repairing him, his cognitive functions had returned to normal.
No.
They were sharper than ever.
[My name is Robert. The reason for my creation is to assist Doctor Victoria Frankenstein, daughter of Shelley Frankenstein.]
Robert immediately reaffirmed his mission.
It was the meaning of his existence.
Something he could never forget.
Yet how many times had he shown weakness in front of Victoria?
[Until now, I displayed only weakness. But things are different now. I have received a new update and been reborn!]
Filled with pride, Robert began looking for something useful to do.
Then his temperature sensors detected something unusual.
[An abnormal temperature signature is coming from the kitchen.]
Robert immediately headed there.
Inside was a single pot of soup.
At first glance, it looked ordinary.
But Robert instantly realized that the substance inside was anything but normal.
[Evidence of independent alchemical experimentation detected within this liquid.]
Robert rapidly analyzed the soup.
[This is presumed to be a new experimental organism created by Doctor Frankenstein. Organic activity detected within the specimen.]
Robert lifted the entire pot.
There was no need to think any further.
[I was created to assist the Doctor! I shall safely transport the Doctor’s alchemical specimen to the laboratory and cultivate it!]
[SKREEEEEEEE!]
A grotesque bright-yellow creature screamed while flailing its tentacles.
Sharp thorns gleamed dangerously from the ends of each one.
“What the hell did you make, Yukgap?!”
Victoria shouted at him as she stared at the monster that had suddenly appeared.
Yukgap gripped his daggers and breathed heavily.
“How many times do I have to tell you?! I just made pumpkin soup for you!”
They had come running down after hearing the sudden commotion.
Now a yellow tentacled creature was thrashing around inside the restaurant.
The real problem was its composition and smell.
There was no doubt about it.
That thing had come from Yukgap’s pumpkin soup.
“Then why does it look like that?! It even evolved on its own!”
Seryun, who had somehow been dragged into the disaster too, stared at Yukgap in horror.
But Yukgap had no idea either.
“How should I know?!”
While they argued, the mysterious creature born from the pumpkin soup swung its long tentacles and charged.
[SKREEEEEEEEEE!]
Its tentacles cut through the air with a threatening sound like whips.
Robert bravely blocked the attacks with his body and issued a warning.
[Emergency! Emergency! Emergency! Subject has gone berserk!]
Yukgap stared at the unknown monster fighting Robert.
The creature that had somehow been born from the pumpkin soup he had made.
All he could do was curse.
“Damn it. I definitely made normal pumpkin soup. What the hell happened while I was gone?”
No one knew the truth.
