Chapter 31: Mayonejo

Irim checked his inventory.  

Starch, cooking oil, salt… ugh, no frying powder.  

To make fried chicken, he needed frying powder.  

He activated his Chef’s Blessing skill.  

[What do you desire?] 

Salt, sugar, pepper, coarse red pepper powder, fine red pepper powder, soy sauce, vinegar, starch syrup, sesame oil.  

The skill only provided seasonings and spices, so frying powder wasn’t on the list.  

Such a pity. 

If I had frying powder, it’d be perfect.  

He hadn’t expected Paltau’s desired dish to be the quintessential Korean late-night snack, fried chicken.  

It was a clear nod to the game’s Korean origins.  

Seeing Irim’s serious expression, Paltau sneered, “What? Don’t know how to make chicken?”  

Irim shook his head.  

“I know it. I know it very well.”  

“Your face says otherwise.”  

“It’s just that one ingredient for making chicken is hard to get. But…”  

Irim quickly scanned the ingredients in his inventory, his mind racing.  

“I can make something similar.”  

“Similar?”  

“Yes. It might be less crispy than fried chicken, but the flavor and richness won’t fall short.”  

“Forget it. If it’s not fried chicken, I’m not interested.”  

Paltau sank deeper into his chair and closed his eyes.  

Snooze~  

Within three seconds, he was fast asleep.  

“Let’s go downstairs.”  

Irim left the room with Ferguson.  

***  

“This is tricky. My father won’t touch anything that’s not fried chicken.”  

Ferguson clutched his hair in frustration.  

“We won’t know until we try.”  

“Really?”  

“Just wait here. I’ll come back once I’ve gathered all the ingredients.”  

Irim stepped out of the blacksmith’s shop.  

Ferguson’s hopeful eyes followed his departing figure.  

***  

At the same time Irim was active in Real, the Korean Real fan cafe was in an uproar.  

Over a hundred posts had been uploaded, all on the same topic.  

– Guys, have you tried the pork belly at Tirko Village’s Pig Restaurant?  

– I almost cried eating the pork belly. (+Detailed Real review)  

– Rice-nim, may you be blessed. I don’t know who you are, but…  

– Pig Restaurant is a revolution in Real.  

– How is the pork belly in the game tastier than in real life?  

– Pork bulgogi in a virtual reality game, is this for real?  

The buzz about Pig Restaurant started in the fan cafe and spread rapidly.  

As a result, a massive number of players became interested in the restaurant.  

– Wasn’t that place just selling bread and soup before?  

– Let me clarify: Someone named ‘Rice’ taught the restaurant new dishes, but it’s unclear if they’re a player or an NPC. (That’s the deal.)

– Rice was kinda famous in the Gangwon Server. They’re a player.  

– Rice used to make and sell food in the Gangwon Server. They’re really skilled, and now they’re getting famous like this.  

Posts about Pig Restaurant and Rice kept flooding the fan cafe, and players who saw them logged into Real to verify the rumors.  

Meanwhile, someone was quietly seething with jealousy.  

“Ugh, always Rice, Rice, Rice.”  

It was Kim Daewon.  

During a brief break in the kitchen, he checked the Real fan cafe on his smartphone.  

Searching his own nickname yielded barely any results.  

In contrast, the posts about Rice were overwhelming.  

Tch. 

He is good at cooking.  

He couldn’t help but recall how he’d tried to belittle Rice at Pig Restaurant with Melina, only to be thoroughly humiliated.  

Kim Daewon acknowledged Rice’s skill but was consumed by envy.  

How does he grill pork belly to get that flavor? 

The pork bulgogi… it was delicious but not that special… No, in a world where ingredients are hard to come by, that’s pretty impressive.

Wait… the sandwich had mayonnaise too. 

Where did he get that? 

Ugh, Rice, Rice, Rice, Rice!  

“Head Chef!”  

“Rice!”  

“What?”  

Startled, Kim Daewon snapped out of it and looked up.  

Yoo Mirae stood at the order counter, eyes wide.  

“Oh, uh, what’s up?”  

“Two bibimbaps.”  

“Got it.”  

Yoo Mirae tilted her head and left the kitchen.  

Why’s he so out of it? 

And why mention Rice all of a sudden? 

Now I’m thinking of Rice. I wonder if I’ll run into him if I log in today.  

She regretted not sending Rice a whisper during her last login.  

***  

“More pork belly here!”  

“Two sandwiches to go, please!”  

“Four pork bulgogi, please!”  

Rozelan’s Pig Restaurant was packed with players drawn by the rumors.  

Not long ago, the place was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, but now it had four part-time workers in the dining area.  

Interestingly, two were NPCs, and two were players.  

Since the menu changed and players started flooding in, Rozelan barely had time to leave the kitchen.  

This naturally led to the introduction of a “part-time job” system in the restaurant.  

By default, four NPCs worked part-time, but if players applied, they could replace NPCs.  

Currently, only two players had signed up, so NPCs filled the remaining two spots.  

Irim, passing by, noticed the bustling scene.  

It’s packed.  

He felt proud seeing players eagerly ordering the dishes he’d taught.  

Then he noticed numbers floating above the restaurant’s roof.  

They kept rising.  

[51,500₩]  

[52,000₩]  

[53,500₩]  

What’s that? 

Some kind of revenue?  

As he pondered, a system message appeared.  

[When dishes you taught are sold at a restaurant, you receive 10% of the profits as an incentive. However, incentives are limited to two dishes per restaurant. You can check your incentives in the ‘Restaurant Incentive Status’ window and withdraw them anytime.]  

So, the numbers above Pig Restaurant were 10% of the profits from the dishes Irim taught.  

He opened the Restaurant Incentive Status window.  

[Restaurant Incentive Status]

<Tirko Village Pig Restaurant – Pork Belly, Pork Bulgogi>  

Incentive: 55,500₩  

All menu items at Pig Restaurant cost 5,000 won.  

Thus, each sale earned Irim 500 won.  

He decided to withdraw the accumulated amount.  

The funds were instantly transferred.  

This is a goldmine.  

Teaching dishes meant money would roll in even while he did nothing.  

As he progressed through the game and visited other villages, teaching their restaurants could eliminate any financial worries in Real.  

More money meant better equipment, which would make hunting stronger monsters easier, leading to more delicious dishes.  

If this wasn’t a goldmine, what was?  

But the system messages didn’t stop there.  

[You have contributed to the development of Tirko Village. You have earned 10 Contribution Points. Contribution Points allow you to buy items from merchants at a discount or sell them at a higher price. Check your points in the ‘Contribution Status’ window.]  

[Achievement Unlocked!]  

Achievement: Somewhat Famous  

Condition: Earn Contribution Points  

Reward: Acquisition of the ‘Fame’ stat  

[Fame, Status]  

As your Fame increases, more NPCs will recognize you, and the likelihood of receiving profession-specific quests from them will rise.  

[You have gained 1 Fame.]  

Contribution and Fame.  

Acquiring these game-enhancing stats, Irim grinned and passed by the restaurant.  

***  

Leaving the village, Irim planned to return to the Starting Grassland.  

He needed chicken.  

Since frying powder was unobtainable, he gave up on it.  

He stopped by the plaza, hoping to buy chicken from other players, but no one was selling.  

So, he decided to hunt for it himself.  

The dish he had in mind instead of fried chicken was Japanese-style fried chicken, karaage.  

It involved marinating deboned chicken in a soy sauce-based seasoning, coating it in starch, and frying it.  

While less crispy than fried chicken, it retained more of the meat’s flavor and juiciness.  

Let’s go hunt some.  

As Irim quickened his pace—  

Kiiiruuu!  

A piercing cry tore through the air.  

Looking up, he saw ten giant, white-feathered birds the size of large dogs descending at terrifying speed.  

Their beaks were all aimed at him.  

What are those things?  

Irim checked the names above their heads.  

‘Mayonejo.’  

[Mayonejo has detected the scent of its eggs in Rice’s inventory. Mayonejo considers Rice an enemy.]  

They were the mothers of the eggs he’d collected.  

Irim hurriedly drew his Sturdy Horn.  

There were no star markers next to their names, indicating no player had hunted them yet.  

But he could see their weak points.  

Two-star or lower monsters!  

He was confident he could handle them.  

Irim dodged the beak of the first descending Mayonejo.  

Boom!  

Its beak slammed into the ground, scattering dirt and pebbles.  

The creature quickly stood and charged at Irim with its muscular legs, closing the distance.  

Kiiiruu!  

It flapped its wings, sending feathers shooting like sharp arrows.  

Irim raised his iron shield to block them.  

As the Mayonejo’s beak came dangerously close to crushing his head, Irim rolled forward to evade.  

Thud!  

The beak struck the ground instead.  

In that moment, Irim spotted the creature’s weak point.  

The solar plexus!  

He activated One-Point Strike.  

[One-Point Strike!]  

The Sturdy Horn flashed like lightning, striking the weak point precisely.  

Kiiiruuuk!!  

With a single cry, the Mayonejo collapsed, lifeless.  

I can take them down in one hit.  

One down, nine to go.  

But the remaining Mayonejos didn’t charge.  

Instead, they stopped their descent and began to fly away.  

[Frightened by your presence, the Mayonejos are fleeing.]  

Having seen their companion fall in one strike, they realized they were no match and fled.  

I could’ve gotten more meat.  

Smacking his lips in disappointment, Irim examined the Mayonejo’s corpse.  

[Mayonejo Corpse]  

– Freshness: High  

– Characteristics: When butchered and cooked, its flavor is very similar to chicken, with less gaminess and a rich taste. Those who know it often prefer it over chicken.  

Well, look at that.  

There was no need to go to the Starting Grassland anymore.