Chapter 21: Samgyeopsal is Always Right

[Luxury Wanderer’s Outfit (Bound)]

A remarkable garment that provides both heat resistance and cold resistance, perfect for wanderers traveling through all seasons.

Defense +50, Attack +10, Health +40

“Jackpot.”

Irim couldn’t help but mutter.

Eater, watching his reaction with satisfaction, grinned.

“Right? It’s a jackpot, isn’t it? I thought ‘Excellent’ was the highest tier for equipment, but there’s a ‘Luxury’ tier too.”

As he spoke, Eater was certain there were even higher tiers above Luxury.

At the same time, Irim had a thought.

If that’s the case, are there tiers above ‘Delicious’ for food too?

It seemed likely.

The food he made here was impressive, but it didn’t come close to the level of master chefs in the real world.

In a place with so little to eat, his food benefited from a halo effect.

If he could create even higher-quality dishes, he might be able to produce food with a ‘Luxury’ prefix.

“Rice, try it on!”

“Oh, sure.”

Urged by Eater, Irim took the outfit.

But then he looked a bit troubled.

“Uh… there are a lot of people around. Changing here is a bit…”

“Haha, Rice, just think about equipping it.”

Irim did as instructed.

A message window appeared.

[Would you like to equip the ‘Luxury Wanderer’s Outfit (Bound)’?]

[Yes / No]

Irim selected ‘Yes.’

In the next moment, the outfit in his hands disappeared. 

When he came to his senses, his clothes had changed.

He was now wearing new pants and a jacket.

The pants were soft, stretchy, and snug, in a skinny style. 

The jacket was a stylish rider’s jacket, one that would turn heads even in the real world, with wool lining the collar at the back of the neck.

Both were dark green, appearing black in dim light and only subtly revealing their green hue under illumination.

The Wanderer’s Outfit was a matching set of pants and jacket.

Irim looked strikingly cool in his new attire.

“Wow, clothes really make the man. Or maybe the character’s so great that the clothes shine?”

Eater rubbed his chin, eyeing Irim up and down.

“Does it suit me?”

“Who made it? Of course it suits you. You look awesome.”

“Thank you so much for making such a great item, Eater.”

“I got an achievement out of it, so I’m not at a loss. Let’s keep this symbiotic relationship going. Sound good?”

Free armor in exchange for good materials? How could that be a bad deal?

“Not bad at all.”

“What’s next for you, Rice?”

“I was about to go hunting.”

“Got it. I’ve got some business in the village, so I can’t join you. Oh, by the way, this is a secret…”

Eater glanced around before whispering to Irim.

“I actually got a profession-specific quest in this village.”

“Really?”

“Wait, you know what a profession-specific quest is?”

Eater looked at Irim in surprise.

For someone clueless about online games, knowing about profession-specific quests was unexpected.

And yet, Irim seemed to already know…

Eater chuckled.

“You got one too, didn’t you, Rice? A profession-specific quest.”

“Yes, it just happened.”

“Is your luck stat maxed out or what? How do you ‘just happen’ to solo a boss and get a profession-specific quest? I’m guessing you got it at the restaurant?”

“Yes.”

“As expected. I got mine at the armor shop. This game’s unique because there are so few crafting profession players, so profession-specific quests for crafters are rare.”

Real was a game that offered 10 billion Won to whoever defeated the Demon King.

As a result, most players aimed to grow as combat characters rather than crafters.

Strong characters needed good gear, of course.

But with the game’s setting—where humanity’s civilization was stolen by the Demon King—buying good gear from shops was nearly impossible.

This meant players had to craft their own, but there were too few crafting characters.

Most players assumed someone else would take up crafting and chose combat roles instead.

That’s why the items sold in Tirko Village’s square were subpar yet overpriced.

High demand and low supply naturally drove prices up.

Over time, more players would likely become crafters, but Real was still less than ten days old.

In such an environment, profession-specific quests for crafters were rare.

So, Irim and Eater were in a unique position.

“Look forward to it. Soon, my creations will be displayed in the armor shop.”

From what Eater said, it seemed his quest involved teaching the armor shop owner crafting techniques.

“I’ll definitely buy something good when it’s available.”

“Nah, I can’t make anything better than what you’re wearing now. I don’t have the materials. Anyway, enjoy the game!”

“You too, Eater.”

After the brief encounter with Eater, Irim left Tirko Village.

The scene in the field hadn’t changed.

Monsters were everywhere, and players were busy hunting them.

Spotted pigs and Killbees were being steadily taken down, but the field was vast, and the respawn rate was fast, so no one was left wandering without prey.

Irim, gripping his Tough Horn, approached the monsters.

Each had a single star by their name, indicating they were 1-star monsters.

But they were far stronger than the 1-star monsters he’d encountered before.

Even within the same star rank, there were level differences.

“Argh!”

A player who underestimated a 1-star monster collapsed on the ground.

He had been trying to hunt a Killbee but got stung multiple times and was game-overed.

Dying like that meant being unable to log back in for an hour.

Thud.

Two items dropped where the player vanished.

Irim approached and examined them.

[37,000 Won]

[Rectangular Iron Shield]

A crude iron shield. Heavy. Cannot use two-handed weapons while holding.

Defense +5

The items were some money and a plain rectangular iron shield with a handle, offering only 5 defense.

Irim picked them up.

Taking items dropped by a dead player felt a bit guilty, but if he didn’t, someone else would.

Irim decided to ease his conscience about it.

“Let’s get started.”

Irim first approached a spotted pig.

Maybe he’d get to grill samgyeopsal in the game.

Before losing his sense of taste and smell, Irim hadn’t eaten samgyeopsal for a while.

He loved it so much that he ate it constantly for a month and got tired of it.

But after the accident, he regretted not eating more.

Reflecting on neglecting samgyeopsal, he tightly gripped the Tough Horn.

Oink, oink!

A spotted pig with its back turned came into view.

It was the size of a mini pig but had considerable attack and defense.

Irim spotted a weak point on its right hindquarter.

Without using his One-Point Strike skill, he thrust the Tough Horn directly into it.

Stab!

Squeeee!

The pig squealed and collapsed instantly.

A one-hit kill!

Thanks to achievement bonuses, consumed stones, and gear boosts, his total attack power was a whopping 82.

With the average player’s attack power around 35, his was more than double.

No wonder the spotted pig went down so easily.

He earned 1,000 Won from the kill but nothing else.

Irim collected the pig’s carcass.

Then, a frustrated voice rang out from a distance.

“Ugh, it’s inedible again!”

The shouting player held a dagger, and a butchered pig carcass lay in pieces on the ground.

Another player nearby asked, “Failed again?”

“Man, getting samgyeopsal is ridiculously hard. How am I supposed to butcher this thing?”

“But you got meat from Horned Chickens and Claw Lizards, right?”

“Yeah, but no matter how hard I try, this one’s impossible.”

“Dude, let’s just go to the restaurant and eat bread and soup.”

“Hell no, just thinking about it makes me nauseous.”

“No choice, man.”

The two players trudged away.

They didn’t know.

Since moving to the integrated server, only players with specific professions could obtain meat from monsters.

These included Hunters, Butchers, and Chefs.

And Irim was a Chef.

His chef-specific skill, ‘Chef’s Discernment F,’ displayed the pig carcass’s details.

[Spotted Pig Carcass]

Freshness: High

Trait: Butchering can yield a small amount of samgyeopsal.

“Nice.”

Irim drew his dagger and sat by the lakeside.

In the real world, slaughter pigs are halved, then divided into six parts for deboning.

But the spotted pig was small, so that wasn’t necessary.

He skinned it, removed the entrails, and discarded everything except the belly.

With only the torso left, he cut away the ribs, separating the loin and samgyeopsal.

His movements were lightning-fast.

Irim trimmed the samgyeopsal’s membrane and stray hairs, completing the butchering.

The resulting samgyeopsal was about the size of an adult’s palm.

Cutting it into grillable pieces gave it the classic butcher-shop samgyeopsal look.

The amount was small, but it was something.

Unable to wait, Irim looked for a flat stone to grill it on.

Then, a better idea struck him.

The iron shield dropped by the game-overed player!

Irim pulled it out and washed it in the lake.

He dug a pit, filled it with branches, lit a fire, and placed the shield over it.

And just like that, a perfect grilling pan was ready.

“Here we go.”

Irim placed three strips of samgyeopsal side by side on the heated shield.

Sizzle!

The savory aroma he hadn’t smelled in a year hit his nose.

This is it. This.

The scent alone made his mouth water.

The unmistakable smell every Korean knows.

The smell of samgyeopsal cooking!

Irim sprinkled salt on the sizzling pork.

As the red meat gradually turned white, he couldn’t stop swallowing.

After an agonizing wait, he picked up a perfectly cooked strip and put it in his mouth.

The moment he started chewing—

“…!”

The crispy exterior and juicy, tender interior, combined with the chewy fat, sent his mind reeling.

The meaty aroma flooding his senses was phenomenal.

Overwhelmed by the taste he’d forgotten for over a year, Irim felt a lump in his throat.

Gulp!

After chewing thoroughly and swallowing, Irim looked at the remaining two strips with more emotion than ever since logging into Real.

As expected, samgyeopsal was always right.