"When training animals, the most effective method is using food."

...That's it!

Journey, who was watching a video, jumped off the couch with excitement.
If her doting mother had seen this, she would've laughed and playfully smacked her on the back.
But fortunately for her, her mom, who occasionally visited her apartment, wasn’t around today, so Journey’s back was spared.

“Humans are animals too, right?!”

A leap of logic, indeed.
If her viewers had heard this, the chat would’ve been flooded with question marks, but Da-eun (Journey) wasn’t aware of how absurd she sounded.

“Sharing a meal has always had meaning beyond just eating food.”

When important guests visit, people offer them a grand meal.
Even those with little would go to great lengths to ensure their guests didn’t go hungry.
And didn’t people become closer when they ate together, even when things felt awkward at first?
In short, sharing food is a way to build bonds, increase familiarity, and bridge gaps between people.
Not to mention, it subtly makes it harder for the recipient to refuse the host's future requests.

“If I feed him something delicious, we’ll definitely get closer.”

Think about it—didn’t you always find adults cooler when they gave you snacks as a kid?
Maybe the same would apply to the Gravekeeper.

"Who doesn’t like tasty food?"

Though her reasoning was questionable, the conclusion was surprisingly sound.
And if there’s one thing Da-eun is known for, it’s her determination. Once she decides on something, she acts on it.

With her mind made up, Da-eun quickly hopped into her VR capsule and turned on her stream.
In a flash, she transformed from Da-eun to Journey and explained her plan to her viewers.

“So yeah, recommend me some tasty food! Nothing too expensive or hard to get, though.”

The chat exploded with food suggestions.
Everyone was sharing their favorite dishes.
Journey wrote down everything, excluding the things that were out of reach due to distance or cost.

Even in her inventory, food would eventually spoil.
Although the pocket dimension in her inventory kept things preserved for a bit longer, it wasn’t indefinite.
There were special storage bags made by magic engineers, but they were way too expensive for just anyone to buy.
So, players who weren’t good cooks would find themselves surviving on dry jerky and bland soups if they spent too much time outside town.

“Since I got meat from him last time, I think I should return the favor with a meat dish too.”

The Cockatrice meat the Gravekeeper had given her was incredibly tasty.
But honestly, there was room for improvement.

“If just grilling it made it taste that good, how amazing would it be if it was cooked properly?”

Just thinking about it made her mouth water.
Wait, no, focus!
Journey quickly wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

“I noticed he doesn’t seem to have complicated cooking tools.”

-When did you even see that?
-Probably snooping around looking for something to steal.
-Hmm... sounds about right.

“That’s not the point! Anyway, he lives in the mountains, so he probably doesn’t have the tools for elaborate meals. If I bring him a well-prepared dish, he’ll appreciate it, don’t you think?”

-'This is way better than what you gave me!'
-Establishing dominance through food!
-Such a classy way to repay a favor... by serving revenge on a plate!
-Farewell!

“Come on, it’s not like that!”

Luckily, there was a nearby place famous for its delicious meat dishes.
They made it by scoring the meat, marinating it with spices and wine, and then doing... something else. Journey couldn’t remember the details, but the fact that it was a complicated dish meant it was perfect for her plan.

With her trolling viewers in tow, she bought the food and headed back to the mountain where the Gravekeeper lived.
Along the way, she hid whenever monsters appeared, holding her breath until they passed, and at one point, she bit her tongue trying to study Granick while riding.
Thankfully, this time she reached the Gravekeeper’s dwelling without encountering any Cockatrices.
Wiping the sweat from her brow, Journey prepared herself.

“Hello!”

“...”

As expected, there was no reply.

“At least I’m not getting kicked out.”

Not getting attacked immediately was a win in her book.
With that optimistic mindset, Journey approached confidently.

“Food, as thanks!”

“…?”

Journey still struggled with full sentences, so she settled for a simple combination of words, pulling out the food from her inventory.
It wasn’t steaming hot anymore, but it still held some warmth.

“I brought food.”

“…Haa?”

She recognized that sound—it was closer to a sigh than a word.
But despite the exasperation, Journey bravely held out the dish toward the Gravekeeper.
Just like she had done yesterday, the Gravekeeper stared at the food for a while before finally accepting it.
It felt like watching a wary cat slowly approach, and Journey found herself murmuring in awe.

“Doesn’t he seem like a wild animal that’s super cautious?”

“…?”

“Oh, no, no, forget that!”

The Gravekeeper tilted his head at her mumbled comment.

“What are you doing now…?”

The Gravekeeper sighed again and took a fork, seemingly from his cabin, to poke the meat and take a bite.
A tense moment followed.

Chew. Chew.

“…Hmm.”

No reaction?
Journey had expected at least something. But the Gravekeeper ate with a completely neutral expression, mechanically moving the fork back and forth.
Even chewing jerky would probably evoke more emotion.

“Could it be... he doesn’t like it?”

Chew.

“It’s delicious, though.”

Journey took a bite herself and found it just as tasty as before.
Sure, it would’ve been even better when it was fresh and hot, but even now, it was still great.

-'His pride is hurt. You know what they say: you give them some meat, and they bring a fancier dish the next day!'
-'Did he take it as a challenge?
-'You’re serving revenge, not food!

“Could that really be it…?”

While Journey was lost in thought, the Gravekeeper had finished the entire dish.

“Well, he ate it all, so it couldn’t have been bad.”

He wasn’t a rock, so how could he have no reaction at all?
At the very least, he could’ve shown some sign of enjoyment.
Was he some kind of golem?

Clatter.

The Gravekeeper quietly placed the empty dish down and stood up without saying a word.
He then went off to tend to his flower garden as if nothing had happened.