Gourmet Gaming

“Heh...” McCann muttered as she watched the hotteok frying in the pan. It was just like a hotteok cart that one might stumble upon by accident and luck on a cold winter day!

‘How much for three hotteoks?’

‘I2,000 won.’

‘Eh? Hotteoks have become extremely expensive now. Everything is rising, except for my salary. Please give me three hotteoks.’

Then, the auntie owner would start to fry hotteoks and show off her skills. People would just stare at her in a daze as they waited for their hotteoks. McCann was feeling the same sense of anticipation these people did.

[This is the perfect time to flip them.]

Minhyuk listened to the Food God’s Cooking Acquisition skill as he flipped the hotteoks.

“Wow! Look at that perfectly golden hotteok! You can really fry well.”

“Hohohoho!” Minhyuk laughed proudly, setting the buff ability to the highest. He was doing this because it would be worth it! Then, Minhyuk placed one well-grilled hotteok in a paper cup and handed it over to McCann.

Gulp━

McCann gulped before slowly opening her mouth to take a big bite of the hotteok. Just then, Minhyuk suddenly said, “It’s hot so please be careful!” 

“Ah, yes,” McCann answered, carefully biting on her hotteok with her teeth instead of putting it in her mouth right away. Hot sugar immediately rushed out of the hotteok the moment she bit into it.

“Hot! Hooo!”

McCann quickly rolled the bite of hotteok and the hot sugar in her mouth to lessen the heat. She could taste the chewiness of the dough, the sweetness of the sugar and the hint of cinnamon as she rolled the piece in her mouth. The harmonious flavor enhanced the taste of the hotteok. She closed her eyes and savored it, thinking, ‘It, it’s really delicious...! How can this hotteok be this delicious?!’

Of course it would be delicious. Minhyuk’s Food God’s Cooking Acquisition skills always helped him in making the best and most delicious dishes. On top of that, his high DEX increased the taste of his dishes. McCann looked like she was about to burst in tears with how delicious the hotteok was.

‘For a moment, I thought I was Cooking Master Bay[1]...’ Minhyuk thought when he saw how deeply moved McCann was. She looked like a golden dragon would burst out behind her and ascend to the heavens as she burst out in tears, saying, ‘No. This, this taste!’

After she finished eating the hotteok…

[You have eaten a hotteok.]

[Your attack power and defensive power will increase by 5% while your energy will increase by 3% for 8 hours.]

“...!” 

McCann looked at the hotteok, then at Minhyuk, as she felt a power surge through her body and melting away her fatigue. When she tried to reach for another hotteok…

“Are you going to renew the contract?” Minhyuk asked solemnly. 

Ron’s face floated in McCann’s head. It was that cranky and bad-tempered blacksmith again! However, she wanted to continue eating hotteoks right now which put her in a dilemma. After pondering for a long time, she finally spoke in defeat, “I’ll renew the contract.”

“Well then, please have another one!”

It seemed like hotteoks have the power to renew contracts! After renewing a contract, Minhyuk immediately went outside. His next destination? The farmer’s house. When he arrived at the farmer’s house, he could see the farmer’s fatigue from over a mile away. The farmer said, “Damn, I’m so damn tired. When will I ever finish all of these things?”

Then, Minhyuk interjected and said, “I’ll help you get all of these corn!”

“Boy. Farming isn’t as easy here as it is in your world.”

“It’s fine. But if I harvest all of it, will you renew your contract?”

“Hmph! I don’t think you can do it anyway? Well, I’ll wager with you!” The farmer scoffed as Minhyuk began his corn harvesting spree.

[You have harvested corn.]

[You have harvested corn.]

[You have gained 1 DEX.]

[You have triggered the skill, Will.]

[All of your skills related to dexterity will increase by 24%.]

The skill, Will, would only be triggered when he was extremely focused or dedicated to something! Minhyuk was able to concentrate well since he was harvesting corn. Besides, according to Farmer Brett’s promise, Minhyuk would be able to get twenty ears of corn once he finished harvesting! Of course, he would not forget to harvest one and steam them from time to time! 

After two hours, Brett came back, only to see that most of the corn had already been harvested. He stammered, “N…no. How can this be? Don’t tell me you’ve mastered the Intermediate Farming skill? No, it’s not just that. I think you’re even faster than that?!”

Minhyuk’s Intermediate Farming skill had improved by 1.6 times! That was why his intermediate farming skill was much more powerful than normal. In response, he asked, “The contract?”

“Hmm, hmm. I’ll do it,” Brett said.

That was not the end. Minhyuk wanted to have five more ears of corn. Brett wanted to refuse him at first, but when he received one of the grilled buttered corn that Minhyuk made…

“I thought that I would die out of exhaustion earlier, but now my body is filled with strength! No, how can corn be this delicious?!”

…he renewed his contract while he was overcome with emotions. The corn was truly just that delicious. He even went ahead and added ten more ears of corn to what he gave to Minhyuk. Minhyuk smiled happily.

‘DEX is really useful!’

To be honest, Minhyuk’s DEX was completely unbelievable right now. His DEX Acquisition Rate was four times higher compared to others. He even gained 500 points after eating, so he was looking at almost 1,000 DEX right now!

“Ouch!” A child cried out as he fell down while passing by.

“Are you okay? Let this Hyung treat your wounds. Bandage!”

Rustle!

[The bandage has been wrapped well.]

[You have gained an additional +1% injury recovery.]

[The recovery time has become slightly faster.]

“Wow, Thanks! Hyung! All the other foreigners are unkind and bad, but Hyung is different!”

“You don’t have to thank me. Hyung is staying over at Ron’s smithy over there. Just go there and come play with us if you’re bored!”

“Yes!”

Of course, what Minhyuk really meant was, ‘Bring your parents and sign a contract!’. Just like that, Minhyuk began to sweep through Barras Kingdom’s streets to sign new contracts.

***

Three days later.

Hyeminnie did not come for three days, so Blacksmith Ron took the opportunity to go to the market and buy ingredients. He was busy working in the smithy to create a new weapon so he also took this time to take a breath of fresh air. He thought, ‘I wonder if that boy is increasing his fame well? What if he was kicked out without even signing a new contract, right...’

Ron might have requested this of him but in his heart, he knew that signing or renewing a contract was not an easy task, especially after losing the customers’ trust once! Just when he was walking and thinking… 

“Huh? Uncle Ron, hello.”

“Hmm?”

He was the cranky and bad-tempered Ron! Ron wondered why this boy would greet him enthusiastically? When he looked up at the person standing next to the boy, he saw Nell, the innkeeper. She said, “Ron, hello! I just heard from my son that your young friend treated my son’s wound earlier. Hoho!” 

“My friend?” Ron asked, thinking deeply for a moment. Then, he realized that they might be talking about Minhyuk! He continued to say, “I see.”

“Yes, I am very thankful for that. This might be a bit of a small request, but my chairs and tables are getting a bit too old and worn out, so I was thinking of asking you to make some for me.” 

“Is that so? Then, please come this way,” Ron said as he led Nell to the smithy to draw up a contract. That was twenty chairs! Oh, and five tables too!

‘Ho. He’s doing better than what I thought?’ Ron thought, walking back towards the market again. Then, a woman suddenly called out to him.

“Ron, hello. We were supposed to break the contract a while ago, but I thought about it again and I realized that I went too far. Let me make it up to you! I want to pay for the goods from before,” The woman, McCann, said. The strict auntie, McCann!

Ron nodded blankly when he heard her talk and smiled widely at him. He said, “Ah, yes. Yes... I’m very sorry. I was the one who did not fulfill the delivery time.”

“Ah, wait. Can you also tell Minhyuk to come over some time to cook something delicious for me?”

“Yes? Something delicious?”

“Yes. I still can’t forget the taste of hotteok that he made for me, you know~”

“I understand,” Ron said. But before he could even walk further…

“Oy, Ron! We’re out of pickaxes and hoes, I’ll leave it to your smithy!”

“Ah, Brett.”

“Wait, you have that friend named Minhyuk, right? The grilled buttered corn that he made was very delicious and he’s also very hardworking and kind. Tell that friend of yours to come over and visit me sometime!”

“Ah, yes,” Ron said.

People kept on greeting him and making small talk with him as he walked down the street. He felt that the whole marketplace had become Minhyuk’s den overnight. Along with it, contract renewals, as well as new contracts, kept on pouring in.

“How on earth did he do it? He’s closer and more friendly to my neighbors compared to me. I have lived here for five years!” Ron said, both in awe of Minhyuk’s abilities and pity for himself.

***

Minhyuk smiled in satisfaction as he looked at the proficiency of his skills. He did farming, bandaging, and cooking to win the people’s favor, which allowed him to eat more delicious food in the future! He could also feel that his skill level has increased as well so he went ahead and checked his skill window.

(Intermediate Farming)

Passive Skill

Level: 3

Effects: 

•You will be 66(+39)% faster whenever you gather and dig for materials and ingredients. 

•You have a 36(+21)% chance of obtaining better materials and ingredients.

•You have a 3(+1.8)% chance of obtaining special materials.

•You can grow a variety of things just by planting seeds.

Even his Novice Bandage has increased to Level 4. This was because Minhyuk always trained his bandage wrapping skill with his mannequin whenever he had the time. Due to that, his skill when treating injured people had also increased and became faster, so his skill proficiency and level had improved a lot.

(Novice Bandage)

Passive Skill

Level: 4

Effects:

•Wound and injury recovery +1.8% +1%

•+0.6 times acceleration on the slow recovery pace.

The ‘very’ from the ‘very slow recovery pace’ had already disappeared. In other words, it means that it has become a bit faster. Minhyuk also planned to learn blacksmithing skills since Ron said that he would also teach him once he completed his hidden quest. When he entered the smithy, he looked around and saw that Ron was missing again.

“Where did he go?” Minhyuk wondered aloud, before deciding to sit down and start cooking on his own.

‘Hehe, Nell gave me some well-ripened kimchi!’

Nell was the owner of the inn. She was the mother of the child that Minhyuk had treated not too long ago. She gave Minhyuk some well-ripened kimchi as thanks. Whenever Minhyuk placed kimchi in his mouth, he would continue to say ‘Sour!’ but he still kept on munching on it. This time, Minhyuk was going to cook some kimchi fried rice. Kimchi fried rice was a dish that was simple, easy to cook, and was well-loved by people of all ages. One only needed to stir-fry some kimchi, rice and sesame oil, and it would already be delicious!

Minhyuk first cut the kimchi into smaller pieces, then prepared the rice. Once he had prepared everything, he drizzled some oil on the frying pan and let it heat up before cracking some eggs and frying them.

Sizzle!

Fried eggs were best when placed on top of kimchi fried rice! It was like the finishing touch of the masterpiece called kimchi fried rice as it softens out and mellows out the spiciness of the dish. After frying at least fifteen eggs, Minhyuk began to stir fry the kimchi in the frying pan. The smell of stir-fried kimchi wafted all over the room.

Shwaaaaaa!

Then he crushed the rice and added it to the stir-fried kimchi. Minhyuk mixed them well before adding a spoonful of red chili paste and a sprinkle of sesame oil. This would give the kimchi fried rice a deeper flavor and a wonderful taste and smell.

Shwaaaaaa!

Minhyuk kept on mixing the fried rice until it became a vibrant, delicious-looking red. Then, he quickly placed some on a plate before adding a fried egg on top of it. Finally, it was complete!

“Thank you for the meal!” Minhyuk said, quickly tearing the egg in half and mixing it with his kimchi fried rice. Then, he ate a spoonful.

“Chew!”

The fragrant and savory scent of the sesame oil and the well-fried kimchi wafted to his nose as the spicy, sour and savory undertones of the crunchy kimchi spread in his mouth. It was immediately followed by the light and sweet flavor of the rice and the egg. Minhyuk once again realized that kimchi fried rice was something indispensable for Koreans.

“Kyahahahaha! It’s really delicious!” Minhyuk shouted as he ate his kimchi fried rice in earnest.  Chew, chew! After eating for quite some time, he could already see the bottom of the pan. But then…

“This poopy!” A familiar voice rang loudly in the room. Minhyuk turned around only to see Hyeminnie standing by the door, gulping and wiping her drool from her mouth, as she stared at the kimchi fried rice.

1. A parody of Cooking Master Boy ☜