Immediately after purchasing the Emblem Buff Enhancement Ticket.
Since a large amount of coins had been spent, I checked the requests to earn more.
In the newly updated list, there were some new requests along with some familiar ones.
[Purchase of Satyr Harp Strings]
Requester: Satyr ‘Fauno’
Content: I was playing the harp to let the mountain goats I raise hear beautiful songs, but the strings broke. I heard the tendons of the Shadow Wolf that lives in The Tower are very tough. I want to make new strings with those. If you help me, I will give you fresh goat milk, the pride of our tribe, in return.
Reward: 10L of fresh goat milk
[Purchase of Golden Barley]
Requester: Dwarf Miner ‘Barque’
Content: I’m trying to make beer, but I’ve completely run out of barley for the malt. I’m thinking of making malt with a new variety of barley this time. Please find me 3 sacks of Golden Barley, which can only be found in The Tower. If you bring me proper ingredients, I will give you a skill book containing Dwarf Blasting Technique.
Reward: Dwarf Blasting Technique Skill Book
[Purchase of Golden Eggs]
Requester: Halfling Survival Chef O’Donnell
Content: There are days like that, days when you crave something sweet. Do you like pudding? Please find me the Golden Eggs laid by the Crown-crested chicken. If you do, I will hand over the Golden Pudding I made along with the recipe.
Reward: 3 Golden Puddings and O’Donnell’s Golden Pudding Recipe
This was already the third time I was handling a request from the Halfling chef O’Donnell.
The Golden Eggs requested today were the same.
O’Donnell’s requests were always popular.
Among the materials found in The Tower, he requested reasonable amounts of ingredients that humans could actually use as food, so hunters could easily pay with items instead of coins.
Thanks to that, every time a request popped up, Rocket Store members would rush to be the first to deliver the goods.
“It’s the same this time.”
I thought about sending the Golden Eggs to O’Donnell immediately, but I wanted to experiment one more time, thinking back to Kargar’s case.
“But what else should I send?”
I wanted to send some other special eggs as a bonus, but unless it’s a request item from another race, I don’t have a function to demand specific items from hunters.
So, I had no choice but to check the shopping mall normally.
“Should I try sending regular eggs together? They’ll be used as ingredients for pudding, so maybe he might run low on quantity.”
When my curiosity kicks in, even I think I can be a bit reckless.
In the end, I decided to send a few regular eggs as a bonus.
The request was completed, and a system message appeared along with the usual reward.
[Request Cleared: Purchase of Golden Eggs]
[Halfling O’Donnell’s request has been successfully completed.]
[Obtained 3 of O’Donnell’s Golden Puddings and the recipe as a reward.]
[Affinity with the Halfling race increases by 2 levels.]
“Everything up to here is normal.”
As expected, O’Donnell’s additional reply arrived.
However, the reaction was quite different from Kargar’s.
[…I have received the eggs well. Thank you for the regular eggs you sent as a bonus, but unfortunately, they are not of much use to me. Did you know? In making pudding, the rich flavor and smooth texture of the egg yolk are vital. In that regard, the Golden Eggs laid by the Crown-crested chicken are the best. Conversely, if you use regular eggs in Golden Pudding, the flavor of the pudding drops, making it worse than not using them at all. Still, I will gratefully accept your kindness.]
I felt embarrassed by O’Donnell’s reply.
Unlike the case with Kargar, I realized that my unilateral action was actually a meaningless gesture.
“I shouldn’t just meddle whenever I feel like it.”
This was a good lesson.
Thinking about it, there could easily be races like the suspicious Lamia, Narcia, or others who don’t necessarily take a favor as a favor.
“In the future, let’s look at the person and the situation before overstepping.”
Separately from that, the reward for this request—the pudding and the recipe—arrived along with the characteristic rocket equipped with a parachute.
“Guardian. Isn’t this pudding? It smells really good!”
“How do you know what pudding is?”
“I saw it coming out of the Rocket Store! I’ve been wanting to try it because they said it has a soft, squishy texture and is sweet.”
Aria’s eyes sparkled as she coveted the pudding.
Like a puppy waiting for a command to eat, Aria looked at me with pleading eyes.
“Do you want to eat one now?”
“Really?”
“Here.”
I placed one pudding on a plate, handed it to Aria, and took a bite myself.
As soon as the smooth and sweet pudding touched my tongue, a flavor beyond expectation unfolded.
“What exactly have I been eating as pudding until now?”
The taste was so different that comparison was meaningless.
If people tasted this, how much would they love it?
It’s truly a shame that it can only be sold as a limited item.
“Ah. That’s right.”
Suddenly, an idea to propose to O’Donnell came to mind.
I used my negotiation skill to suggest whether he would like to open a shop in the Rocket Store like Lumi’s farm, or if that was difficult, to periodically make desserts and supply them to the Rocket Store.
“If this works out, it’ll be a huge hit.”
However, O’Donnell’s answer was firm.
[I appreciate the offer, but I’m sorry. Rather than settling in a specific region to cook, I want to travel aimlessly and try making dishes with new flavors all the time. To me, that is a greater joy.]
A back-to-back rejection.
If it were O’Donnell’s desserts, they could have become a popular new product for the Rocket Store.
However, just when I thought it was over, O’Donnell sent a counter-proposal.
â–¶ Halfling Survival Chef O’Donnell, who rejected your proposal, has sent a special request instead.
“A special request?”
I wondered if this happened because I had consistently built up affinity.
[Halfling O’Donnell’s Culinary Philosophy]
Requester: Halfling Survival Chef O’Donnell
Content: I am very happy to learn that my cooking is providing great joy in your world. My secret is not a simple recipe. It contains my life and philosophy built up through countless nights of camping. Since I feel bad for rejecting your proposal, I will make an offer instead. Please find a talent among humans who can understand my culinary philosophy and inherit this secret. If that talent passes my test, I will generously pass on everything I have learned and mastered as a Survival Chef.
Reward: Unlock Survival Chef, a higher class of Chef.
“He wants me to find a talent suitable to be the successor of the Survival Chef?”
I was swept by shock.
There already existed a non-combat class called Chef on Earth.
But what was being presented now was a higher class of that Chef.
And it was a higher-tier class that strongly gave off the vibe of a combat class.
“I thought it was a class unique to Halflings. To think it could be passed on to humans, another race.”
This meant that exchange with other races through the Rocket Store went beyond simple item trading and provided opportunities to unlock new classes for humanity.
The ripple effect was hard to even imagine.
“Wouldn’t this be at least on the same level as the appearance of the Rocket Store itself?”
If I succeeded in this request and continued to unlock new classes in the future, humanity’s growth potential was unimaginable.
“Then, naturally, the day I leave this room will be pushed forward too.”
To do that, I had to succeed in this request first.
As befitting a special request, the system presented choices.
[Respond to O’Donnell’s proposal.]
→ Accept: Find a suitable person to take the test and, upon passing, unlock the “Survival Chef” class.
→ Refuse: Affinity with O’Donnell decreases.
→ Adamant Refusal: Relationship with O’Donnell is severed, and affinity with the Halfling race drops significantly.
I shook my head as soon as I saw the second and third options.
“This is insane. He rejects my proposals one after another, but if I refuse him, my favorability drops? Talk about a double standard.”
I worked so hard to raise that affinity.
No matter how unfair it was, it wasn’t in my nature to accept a disadvantage.
“I’m a merchant right now, aren’t I? I can’t do a losing business.”
In the end, choosing the first option was the wisest judgment.
“The problem is… how do I find a hunter chef suitable to be a Survival Chef? I can’t exactly post a public notice.”
Chefs are a non-combat class.
It’s not easy for them to climb The Tower, let alone enter a Rift.
It was an unknown whether a chef even existed among the Rocket Store members.
“Was I too hasty?”
I got too excited by the words “unlocking a new class” and “affinity will drop.”
Looking back and thinking carefully, this was a much more difficult request than I thought.
Until now, there hadn’t been a single word in the hunter community about a chef hunter directly participating in a raid.
“Am I screwed? Should I refuse even now?”
I let out a sigh of frustration.
Without any expectation, I scrolled down the list of Rocket Store members.
“Of course, there’s no way a chef hunter would be among the members… wait? He’s really here?”
Just one person.
There was only one person in this vast list, but a hunter with the Chef class existed.
“They say a lucky man finds rice cake even when he falls on his back.”
Coincidentally, the person in question was currently conquering the 4th floor after hiring Leon as a mercenary.
“I need to check this out right now.”
***
The moment Lee Jun-ho awakened the Chef class, he was the happiest person in the world.
However, that joy did not last long.
This was because he quickly grew tired of a life where he was trapped in a kitchen every day, working as an assistant to a famous chef hunter.
“Climbing The Tower is out of the question. Was a chef not what I truly wanted?”
It was definitely true that he liked cooking.
But at the same time, Lee Jun-ho realized that he harbored a longing for the life of a hunter who proves himself through combat.
Even so, the reality was that a non-combat class couldn’t challenge The Tower, and his worries only deepened.
Seeing her son with such concerns, his mother lamented that he was born with a contrarian spirit, and his friends called him a crazy lunatic who didn’t know how good he had it.
Lee Jun-ho had no choice but to nod in agreement.
“Yeah. I’m a contrarian. Right now I’m blocked by the wall of reality, but still, someday I want to walk the path no one else takes.”
In the midst of that, an unknown space called the Rocket Store appeared, and the entire country of South Korea was in an uproar.
“You can buy recipes that never existed in the world with coins?”
At that rumor, Lee Jun-ho decided to challenge The Tower without hesitation.
– More recipes will probably come in later, so should I try climbing The Tower myself? If I buy them from people, I’ll have to pay a premium.
ã„´ Forget it, a chef?
Of course, the reaction from the community was negative.
However, this was an opportunity to prove Lee Jun-ho’s own way of walking the path of a chef, beyond simply obtaining new recipes.
“Yeah. Since when did I ever listen to what other people said?”
Striking while the iron was hot, Lee Jun-ho bought and learned common skill books with the money he had saved and challenged The Tower.
Even though the 1st and 2nd floors were tutorials, it was easier than he thought.
“I can do it too.”
However, the crisis came on the 3rd floor.
In a situation where he might have lost his life if not for the existence of the Rocket Store, Lee Jun-ho dramatically escaped the crisis and became a member of the Rocket Store.
Even so, Lee Jun-ho did not give up on the challenge and made plans to go higher, hiring the mercenary Leon to conquer the 4th floor.
“Now, Leon. Let’s eat.”
On one side of the 4th floor of The Tower.
A small restaurant was opened, reasonably well-equipped by gathering flat rocks.
Lee Jun-ho placed a pot over the campfire Albert had prepared.
“The fire is strong outdoors. I have to focus more than usual.”
His movements handling the sharp knife were as skillful as a warrior wielding a sword.
Leon silently watched the surroundings before sitting down once the meal was finished.
“I never imagined I would eat such wonderful food inside The Tower.”
“Because there is nothing more important than eating delicious food.”
Lee Jun-ho smiled as he served the meal.
When monsters appeared, Lee Jun-ho also helped the fight using common skills, but since it wasn’t his specialty, the main combat had to be handled by Leon and Albert.
Instead, he made a wonderful dish by mixing seasonings with the meat of the Red Wolf Leon had hunted and some wild vegetables.
“Wow. To think you made such a dish with Red Wolf meat. There’s no gamey smell at all! I want to make the same dish in our world and show it to people.”
“I’ll gladly teach you!”
“Thank you!”
“I don’t know how to repay this kindness.”
“No. I’m a burden to you two because I’m not good at fighting, so I feel better if I can at least do this!”
“Don’t say ‘at least this.’ Eating such wonderful food in the middle of battle makes my will burn even brighter.”
Lee Jun-ho smiled with satisfaction, looking at Leon’s gallant figure.
But at that moment, an unexpected hologram window floated before his eyes.
[Special Request: Proof of Gourmet]
Requester: Rocket Store
Content: We are looking for someone to understand and inherit the culinary philosophy of the Halflings, who do not give up on gourmet food even in extreme situations. Challenge the test presented by Survival Chef O’Donnell to obtain the Survival Chef class.
Reward: Survival Chef Class Change
Lee Jun-ho’s eyes widened.
He was facing a new possibility that he had desired so much, yet had never even imagined.