Zongman, Rebirth of the Heaven-Defying Kirito

I log into SAO again after a long absence.

In an alley in the Hero City, a white light flashed and a character exclusively for Kirito officially appeared.

He looked at his hands, then clenched the two swords behind him. After looking around, he found that he was in the place where he logged off last time.

"My black swordsman is back!"

It has been more than half a month since I last logged into the game.

In the first half of the month, he debuted with Kenshin and Black Idol, and then there was the Kiriko-san book incident.

People really are afraid of becoming famous. This statement came true so quickly.

Fortunately, the one who is popular recently is Miss Kiriko. What does it have to do with me, the black swordsman?

"I just wonder how things are going in the guild after not seeing you for half a month?"

Thinking of this, he sent a message in the guild chat:

[I'm back. Has the guild gotten into any trouble recently? ]

A simple inquiry quickly received a reply:

[Illya: It's incredible that you are still alive, my dear brother! ]

[Shirou: See, I told you that the president wouldn't abandon us for no reason~]

[Mikasa: ...I thought the guild was going to be in name only. ]

Putting aside Kenshin and Kuro's concern and care, Kirito was somewhat confused by the responses of the other three members of the guild.

What? You feel like you've disappeared when you haven't been online for a long time, right?

It seems like it's time for me to show up in front of everyone, and by the way, ask my two brothers why I look like a quitter even though I came online so many days in advance?

So he edited and sent:

[It's been a long time since we met, I'm here to treat you today, let's go to the tavern on the first floor. ]

[Illya: Great! ]

After the remaining few people agreed, the matter was decided.

Then he crushed the teleportation crystal, the scenery in front of him flashed, and he came to the tavern he often visited.

Before the guild had a clear gathering place, it seemed that this tavern was the place where everyone in the guild often went.

But that's true. After all, both newcomers and veterans come here, and it's a good place to collect intelligence because of the mix of good and bad people.

Kirito pushed the door open and walked in. A familiar scene came into view, accompanied by laughter and the sound of cups colliding. Playing games happily with friends, this is the true meaning of SAO.

He then sat in a corner of the store, patiently waiting for the guild members to arrive.

Not long after, Shirou and Illya entered the store, and after a circle, they sat in front of Kirito.

Illya said with full energy: "Hey, we are first place!"

Shirou also smiled and greeted them: "Hey, President, it's been a long time."

Then came Mikasa, Kenshin and Kuro. It seemed that they had wasted time killing monsters.

When everyone was present, Kirito opened the menu and prepared to order some dishes, but unexpectedly, what caught his eye were some strange things.

"Hmm? What...what are these?"

The others were not overly surprised by Kirito's doubts.

Kenshin even explained, "Don't be afraid, Tong, I just experienced these two days ago."

Kirito scratched his head, this is not a question of being afraid or not.

But the things on the menu are really...how can I put it, to sum it up in four words, unbelievable!

"Grilled bee orchid scorpion, charcoal-grilled dragon steak, sword fighting beast offal...what the hell are these?"

These are just the ones that can be named; some of the rest even look completely inedible.

"And this frozen gem core is listed in the dessert category. I remember it was all rocks, right?"

"No," Illya explained, shaking her finger. "That thing tastes especially good when it's chilled. It's like an ice cream cone with nuts in it. I highly recommend it, but it's only for players above level 30."

Kirito looked at the menu again, and it was true.

The page for the Iced Gem Core does have a big note:

'Please check your personal level before tasting this dish. It tastes best when you are above level 30. Players below level 30 may not be able to chew it due to insufficient ability, so please be aware.'

Then Kirito turned a few more pages.

For example, when eating cold zombie meat, you need to pay attention to the poison resistance, and when eating giant stones, you need to pay attention to your personal appetite... In addition to these, there are many other things that seem to be inedible.

"Ah, no, what happened during the time I was away from SAO?"

Kirito remembered that the menu here used to include normal food such as mixed rice and grilled steak. How come after just half a month, the menu has become so incomprehensible?

Where have you been? Is this still SAO?

Why do people here eat both stones and zombies?

Seeing Kirito's confused expression, Shirou also said: "President, why don't you try these new dishes? They have only recently appeared in SAO. They can be considered a dietary improvement."

Diet progress? Diet regression!

It seems that humans have finally evolved to the point where they can use fire to fry rice, but now there are dishes like cold-mixed zombie meat among the ingredients.

This is not just degeneration to the point of grinding teeth and sucking blood, but it has already fallen into heresy!

No, I can't eat, even if I starve to death in SAO;

Even if the big sister takes me to a high altitude and I fall down and die, I would rather not eat anything here!

Then Shirou added: "Although these foods may look a little strange, they are not only delicious, but also have flavors that do not exist in reality~"

Oh? There is such a thing?

Kirito immediately picked out the key points in the words: 'tastes good' and 'taste that doesn't exist in reality'.

As we all know, our hero is known as an old lady and is a great cook.

If he says it tastes good, then it probably tastes pretty good.

And most importantly, this is a taste that doesn't exist in reality...

Kirito was completely shaken.

How about...give it a try?

Thinking of this, he ordered some food that he thought was edible and consoled himself:

I do this not just to enjoy delicious food, but to take on the responsibility of a GM, just like Shennong who tastes hundreds of herbs, and dares to be the first in the world to test poisons for the majority of players!

Then, one after another strange but delicious dishes with special flavors were served on the wooden table.

The half-human-sized roasted bee scorpion is carefully roasted, with the skin showing a charred golden brown color and exuding a light herbal aroma.

Kirito carefully pulled off one of the legs and took a bite. It was surprisingly crispy. As he chewed, the meat inside gradually emerged. The taste was both tender and smooth like meat, but also had a slightly greasy feeling similar to nuts.

Then a large piece of charcoal-grilled dragon steak was served together with the base. The fat of the dragon meat melted under the high temperature, exuding a deep aroma, and then added with SAO's unique spices.

When you cut the meat with a fork, you will find it crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. A small bite will give you a unique spicy taste, coupled with the firm and juicy meat, the taste is rich and layered.

The flavor of the sword fighting beast offal is...hard to replicate.

Kirito picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. The liver, lungs, intestines, heart and stomach were still tough and chewy after being boiled in brine for a long time, and there was even a primitive smell of blood mixed in the meat.

I have to say that the food in SAO is quite weird, but it tastes really good.