[Delicious Grilled Samgyeopsal]
Satiation +30 upon consumption
That was the description of the samgyeopsal Irim was eating.
The taste was phenomenal, and it boosted satiation by 30.
As he savored one strip, then two, Irim couldn’t help but crave fluffy white rice.
If I could have a spoonful of perfectly cooked white rice, a piece of samgyeopsal dipped in ssamjang, and a slice of garlic… Oh man.
Add a shot of soju, and it would be the ultimate combination.
There’s got to be rice somewhere, right?
And it should be possible to make gochujang or doenjang too.
Given how realistically this game implemented food, Irim was certain such ingredients existed.
As he glanced around, he noticed things he’d overlooked before.
Huh?
Scattered across the field were peppercorns.
There was also a wild chili pepper patch.
In one corner, someone was tending a field.
The crops there were just carrots and cucumbers.
The field itself was vast, but only a small portion was in use.
Looks like I can get quite a few vegetables here.
Irim scanned the area, wondering if there was anything else nearby.
Then he spotted a patch of “Worm Flowers” blooming not far away.
These flowers, unseen in the real world, had black petals. Irim picked one and checked its details with his Chef’s Discernment skill.
[Worm Flower]
Freshness: High
Trait: Boil the petals in water to obtain soy sauce.
Soy sauce?
Irim was momentarily stunned, but then recalled that “worm” was an old term for soy sauce.
During his deep dive into cooking, he’d researched the origins of ingredients.
He remembered that in an old Korean text, Gyuhap Chongseo, soy sauce was referred to as “jireum.”
In Gangwon Province’s dialect, “jireum” could still be heard, derived from an old word for “salty.”
In short, Worm Flowers were essentially “Soy Sauce Flowers.”
A setting only possible in a game.
Soy sauce was a precious ingredient for a chef.
To think he could obtain it!
Irim hurriedly picked every Worm Flower in sight, storing 102 in his inventory.
While he was at it, he decided to gather peppercorns too.
He hadn’t noticed earlier, but there were two types: White Peppercorns and Black Peppercorns.
In reality, there’s no distinction—black pepper is dried with the skin, white pepper without.
They’re the same fruit.
But in the game, they were treated as different species.
Black pepper has a stronger flavor and aroma, typically used for meat dishes, while white pepper is often used for fish.
Irim collected about 100 of each.
Curiously, the peppercorns dried instantly upon picking, as if they’d been sun-dried for days.
Wow, that’s convenient.
This saved him the time of drying them manually.
This should be enough. Once I gather more samgyeopsal, I’ll secure some vegetables too.
Irim thought, eyeing the chili pepper, cucumber, and carrot fields.
Sitting back down, he was about to eat the last strip of samgyeopsal when—
“Hey, is that samgyeopsal?”
“No way! Yo, come here! It’s samgyeopsal!”
“How’d you get samgyeopsal? Is there a special method?”
“Bro, please, just one bite! Humanely speaking!”
“Oppa~ Wanna trade secrets? I really want to know how to get samgyeopsal.”
Drawn by the savory aroma, players swarmed around Irim like hyenas, salivating.
But Irim, having dealt with this before, handled it smoothly without panicking.
“I just got lucky and don’t really know how I did it. Sorry.”
Even if he didn’t share how to get samgyeopsal, completing his quest would likely make it available for purchase in the village.
Apologizing, Irim retrieved his rectangular iron shield and picked up his Tough Horn.
The crowd behind him let out disappointed groans.
Irim began hunting spotted pigs in earnest.
Let’s aim for about a hundred.
Stab!
Squeee!
No sooner had he thought it than he struck the weak point of a nearby pig, killing it instantly.
Irim collected the carcass and charged at another.
Stab! Stab! Stab!
Squeee! Squeal! Oink!
Irim was practically massacring the spotted pigs.
In a frenzy of stabbing, he quickly reached his goal of 100.
“Phew!”
He moved to a secluded spot to start butchering.
If others saw him extracting samgyeopsal, they’d swarm him asking for the method.
Irim swiftly butchered and processed the pigs to extract samgyeopsal.
When he’d processed about 90, a message appeared.
[Achievement Unlocked!]
Achievement: Heir of the Butcher!
Condition: Butcher 400 or more monsters.
Reward: Skill ‘Butchering F’
[Acquired Skill ‘Butchering F’]
[Butchering F, Passive]
Reduces the amount of meat lost during butchering.
“Huh?”
Irim checked the message.
Opening his status window, he saw ‘Butchering F’ added to his passive skills.
He immediately butchered another pig carcass.
The samgyeopsal yield was slightly higher than before.
Irim processed the remaining nine carcasses, extracting more samgyeopsal, then lit a fire and heated the iron shield.
He sliced the samgyeopsal processed with his new skill into long strips and placed them on the shield.
Previously, he got three strips per pig; this time, he got four.
Sizzle!
He sprinkled salt on the samgyeopsal as it cooked, releasing red juices on the hot iron.
Wait, I have peppercorns too.
Irim took a black peppercorn from his inventory.
Grinding it and sprinkling it on the meat would elevate the flavor.
But dried whole peppercorns were tough and needed a grinder.
Maybe I can crush it by hand?
In the game, Irim’s strength was considerable, so it seemed possible.
He rubbed a black peppercorn between his palms, and it turned into fine powder.
Yes!
He sprinkled it evenly over the samgyeopsal.
The meat, seasoned with salt and pepper, sizzled with an irresistible aroma.
Gulp!
Irim’s mouth watered as he stared at it.
The scent of peppered samgyeopsal was on another level.
He grilled it carefully, aiming for a crispy exterior while keeping the interior juicy.
Unlike beef, samgyeopsal is often cooked well-done, but that’s not necessary.
Modern pork is free of parasites.
More people now enjoy it slightly undercooked, just enough to remove the pink.
In a game, parasites were even less of a concern.
“Done.”
Irim used a Horned Chicken’s small horn to skewer all four strips and checked their details.
[Delicious Samgyeopsal Skewer]
Satiation +35 upon consumption
The increased meat yield added 5 to the satiation value.
The Butchering skill was a game-changer for Irim as a chef.
“Well then, let’s eat.”
Irim put an entire strip in his mouth and chewed.
The savory juices from the perfectly cooked meat coated his tongue.
The refined, pepper-enhanced aroma filled his mouth.
Insane.
It was truly an insane flavor.
“This is driving me nuts.”
In the virtual reality game Real, there were administrators.
They were transcendent beings in the game world.
They could go anywhere, take anything, and see whatever they wanted.
Among them was a woman operating under the name ‘Letisia,’ who was lately losing her mind over Rice.
Initially, she’d only watched him out of curiosity for his unusual playstyle.
But now, she found herself frequently checking on him.
His cooking process was entertaining, but his eating was the real highlight.
Rice ate every dish as if it were his last meal, making viewers’ mouths water.
Mukbang had been a trend in Korea for a long time.
There were countless mukbang BJs out there.
But none ate as deliciously as Rice.
He seemed to savor every bite with his entire being, as if it were the last food on earth.
Even now, he was relishing samgyeopsal with such joy that, administrator or not, Letisia wanted to materialize in the game and beg for a bite.
…Tonight, our team’s dinner is samgyeopsal.
Thanks to Irim, Letisia’s team was about to have a samgyeopsal feast.