I turned the page slowly, revealing the first recipe in full.
My eyes scanned the words, and it quickly became apparent that this recipe, hid more beneath its surface.
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The First Pillar: Sour
Recipe: Sourlime Boar Shank with Wildfruit Relish
“A dish that carries the bite of bitterness, tempered by the sharpness of citrus. It leaves an aftertaste, much like the memories of old scars—lingering, hard to swallow, yet impossible to forget.
A well-prepared dish is much like life itself, shaped by the flavors it encounters. The sourlime boar shank begins with a young boar—a prized catch in its prime. Its meat is tender, with a promise of strength beneath the surface, just waiting for the right seasoning to bring out its full potential.
But the key to this dish is not found in the richness of the boar’s natural flavor. No, that’s far too easy, too expected. Instead, we turn to sourlime, a fruit that bites with a sharp tang. Many cooks might shy away from using it, fearing it would overpower the delicate essence of the meat. But therein lies the lesson—sometimes, the boldest flavors are the ones that shape us most profoundly.
The shank must be marinated, allowing the sourlime’s acidity to seep into every fiber, breaking down its toughness while infusing it with a complex, invigorating taste. It’s a long process, requiring patience as the sourlime mingles with the sweetness of wildfruit relish—a combination that feels wrong at first, but surprises with every bite. The tartness of the lime, the sweetness of the berries, and the richness of the meat create a balance that challenges the tongue."
It’s a reminder that even the sourest ingredients can be tempered, transformed into something greater. With time, the once-overpowering bite of the sourlime mellows, revealing a depth of flavor that can only come from embracing the unexpected. The boar’s meat, once seen as too simple, too ordinary, becomes something extraordinary through the very elements that might have been its downfall.
This dish is for those who know that true flavor comes not from avoiding the harsh notes, but by letting them shape the dish, turning what was once seen as a flaw into a signature taste. A tribute to those who refuse to let their story be written by others, who allow even the sourness of life to become part of their strength."
Ingredients:
* 1 young boar shank, tender and fresh
* 3 sourlimes, juiced
* 1 cup wildfruit berries
* 2 tablespoons honey
* A pinch of sea salt
* Fresh herbs of your choosing
* 1 cup red wine
* Olive oil for searing
Preparation:
1. Begin with the young boar shank, chosen for its strength and promise. Gently score the meat, allowing room for the flavors to seep in. Coat with sea salt, just enough to remind of the natural struggles that shape its strength.
2. In a large bowl, combine the sourlime juice with wildfruit berries and honey. The sourlime’s bite is harsh at first, but the sweetness of the berries will soften its edge, making it a complex marinade.
3. Submerge the shank in the marinade, letting it rest for at least 24 hours. Let the sour mingle with the sweetness, transforming the boar’s character while the meat tenderizes.
4. Heat olive oil in a pan until it shimmers. Sear the shank until each side is browned, the exterior marked by a crust that holds memories of its time in the marinade.
5. Reduce the red wine in a separate pan with rosemary, thyme, and sage, creating a sauce that brings warmth to the final dish.
6. Serve with the reduced sauce and a spoonful of the wildfruit relish, allowing each bite to surprise, blending the sour and sweet with the depth of the meat.
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I closed the book for a moment, my thoughts racing as I tried to piece together the hidden meaning behind the words. This wasn’t just a recipe. It was a riddle—a story buried in metaphor.
The young boar, prized and promising... that had to be Valerian, my Bloodzerker.
He’d once been seen as the hope of the Steelheart family—a bright talent with limitless potential.
But then came the sourlime—the sharp, unexpected twist. The moment he acquired his [Blood Rage] skill , his family turned against him, labeling him a disgrace.
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The sourlime’s bite, too strong to be palatable at first, was like their rejection. They saw him as a flaw that couldn’t be accepted, just as cooks would fear using too much acidity in a delicate dish.
The family hunted him down, attempting to erase the shame they thought he brought upon them, just as a chef might try to discard a ruined dish.
But the recipe spoke of embracing those bold, harsh notes. I made sure my Bloodzerker didn’t back down; leaving the family, deciding to make a name for himself—marinating in the bitterness of exile, letting it shape him, but not define him. Determined to transform what was seen as his greatest flaw into his strength.
The process of marination... this must be the period where he grew tougher, harder from challenging the dungeon.
Embracing the sourness that had been thrust upon him and blended it with his own aspirations, creating a new flavor—one that was his alone. Hence, the unexpected decision of going for the Blood Mage class.
In the end, the book hinted at the same thing my Bloodzerker had done in his earliest stages.
And the author? They knew this story, the true version—hidden beneath a recipe. But why cloak it in this way? What was their goal? The questions kept piling up, but then a realization hit me. There was no mention of the four pillar through the page.
I paused, staring at the page, a realization slowly creeping in. It wasn’t just the story hidden beneath the metaphor of the recipe—it was the title itself that held the key: Sour.
That was it! This had to be connected to the “four pillars” mentioned before. And the way this story had been written, almost like a personal narrative woven into the flavors, made me think of someone who had known my Bloodzerker inside and out from the beginning. Someone who had seen the early struggles, who had watched my character grow from the very start...
There was only one person it could be. The one who had stood by my side since I first started playing this character—the maid assigned to me as a support NPC from the very start, Elara.
Elara... the one who assisted me through my initial steps, who had been my companion. She was there when I acquired my Blood Mage class, and she was there when the Steelheart family cast me aside. She knew my strengths, my weaknesses, the sour notes that shaped my Bloodzerker into the legend it became.
Could it be that Elara was behind this hidden story? That she had become The First Pillar of Flavor; Sour?
The thought lingered, but I couldn’t quite commit to it. Elara was never one for delicate or poetic words.
She was blunt, often crude, never one to hold back what she thought. And cooking? That had never been her thing No, she couldn’t have been the one to write this, not directly.
But maybe she didn’t have to be the author. Maybe she had been part of the process, guiding the narrative.
Elara knew me better than anyone during those early stages. What if she had shared those memories, those feelings, with someone else who could translate them into this book?
A new thought struck me, one that made my heart race.
What if this book was more than just one person’s work? What if it was a collaboration, with each chapter—the flavors of Sour, Sweet, Salty, Bitter—representing a piece of my journey, each tied to a different member of my party?
Sour would be Elara, the one who had witnessed my struggles, who knew the bitterness of rejection and my desperate attempts to carve my own path. It made sense—she had always embodied that part of my character's life.
And as for who actually wrote this? There was only one person among us who had both the storytelling talent and a love for crafting recipes—Cyrus, our party’s chef. He could take the essence of a story and infuse it into a dish.
Yes, that had to be it. Elara had likely shared her story, her perspective, and Cyrus had translated it into this hidden narrative, using food as his medium.
It felt right, like the missing piece of a puzzle falling into place.
And the more I thought about it, the more it made sense that this could be Elara.There was more to it than just her sharp attitude.
I remembered her skill—[Sour Rend]. A skill that corroded her enemies' defenses over time, wearing them down like the acidity of a sour fruit slowly breaking through the toughest of barriers.
She was the ideal support for my Bloodzerker, who focused purely on dealing physical damage. Her role allowed me to take on tougher enemies—those with hardened physical defenses that made it difficult to land effective blows.
With her by my side, I could break through barriers that would have otherwise slowed me down.
https://i.imgur.com/XFMghel.png [https://i.imgur.com/XFMghel.png]
[Sour Rend]
[Sour Rend inflicts a corrosive effect on a target, weakening their physical defenses making them more vulnerable to physical attacks. The effect stacks with each use and lasts for a short duration..]
[Usage: Ideal for supporting physical damage by breaking through tough defenses.]
I couldn’t contain my curiosity any longer. If the sour chapter belonged to Elara, then who would the next flavor represent? Without wasting another second, I turned the page.
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The Second Pillar: Sweet
Recipe: Blessed Jasmine Pears