Chapter 4: Great Unicorn Chicken Steak

Irim had no idea.

He didn’t know there was a fan cafe for the virtual reality game Real.

In fact, Real’s fan cafe was more active than any other game’s. Since the game company withheld most information about the game, users were busy exchanging opinions.

Of course, no one shared critical details like how to unlock valuable achievements.

But the sight of a strikingly handsome character diligently frying eggs and making chicken skewers in the newbie zone was spectacle enough to be talked about in the fan cafe.

As a result, a small but growing number of users recognized the nickname “Rice” in-game.

Melina was one of those who had heard about Rice through the fan cafe.

Hearing her explanation, Irim’s eyes widened.

“I didn’t know Real had a fan cafe.”

“You’ve never played an online game before?”

“No. This is my first time.”

“Really? Then…”

Melina stopped short of asking if he was a kid fresh out of kindergarten.

Real was an adult-only game.

“Rice-nim, did you know Real has a recording function?”

“No.”

“I thought so. If you use it, before you log out, it saves your entire play session and sends it to a linked web drive or email. You should save the footage of you defeating the Great Unicorn Chicken just now.”

“Why?”

Sinking, who was nearby, answered.

“Why? Because Real might soon allow videos to be uploaded to InTube.”

InTube.

A platform where countless streamers worldwide upload videos or livestream, interacting with viewers.

Irim knew that uploading videos to InTube and partnering for ads could earn money.

So he was curious.

“Can’t we upload Real gameplay videos to InTube right now?”

“No. I’m not sure of the details, but it seems the company behind Real and InTube haven’t finalized some kind of agreement. Originally, they planned to partner with InTube from the launch, but… well, something complicated must be going on.”

The recording function in Real was clearly designed with InTube in mind.

Though it was unclear why video uploads were restricted, both Real and InTube warned that posting videos without permission could result in severe legal consequences, so only a few bold users dared to try.

“I heard in the fan cafe that some users who uploaded videos got permanently banned from Real within an hour,” Melina added.

“That happened already? It’s only been open for a short time.”

“From day one, the number of concurrent players broke all-time game records. With that many people, there’s bound to be a few with guts bigger than their brains. What’s more surprising is the game company’s response. Their reaction speed is insane. It’s like the admins are monitoring around the clock in shifts.”

“I see.”

“By the way, Rice-nim, isn’t it time to leave the newbie zone?” Sinking changed the topic.

“Should I?”

“Come on, you soloed the Great Unicorn Chicken! You took down the final boss here, so what’s left to do? I was planning to move on soon myself. Wanna come with?”

At Sinking’s words, Irim asked, “If I go to another area, there’ll be different monsters, right?”

“Of course.”

Irim nodded and stored the butchered Great Unicorn Chicken carcass in his inventory.

“Let’s go.”

He was curious about what other monsters’ meat might taste like.

As the two walked away, Melina’s voice called out from behind.

“Rice-nim! I’ll work hard to get combat traits and leave the newbie zone too! Let’s meet again later!”

Irim thought she was quite a cheerful woman.

Leaving the newbie zone, the Starting Grassland, they arrived at a place called Spider Forest.

It was a dense area filled with towering trees, home to monsters called “Red Baby Spiders.”

And the “Red Queen Spider,” which kept producing Red Baby Spiders, was the boss of this field.

Red Baby Spiders were 1-star monsters, and Irim could see their death points.

But the Red Queen Spider’s death point was invisible.

It was a 2-star monster.

Fortunately, like the Great Unicorn Chicken, it wouldn’t attack unless provoked within its range.

Still, Irim was disappointed that the monsters here were spiders.

_What can you make with spiders?_

But his disappointment was short-lived.

He learned there were other monsters besides spiders, and his mood lifted again.

The natural enemy of Red Baby Spiders, the Claw Lizard, lived here.

Irim recalled eating grilled lizard in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.

With the innards removed, it was grilled whole over charcoal, slathered with nuoc mam sauce, and eaten with cilantro.

The shape might be off-putting to some, but the taste was quite good.

_I’ll make lizard dishes here._

Of course, he planned to sell them too.

The money he had earned from selling food and hunting monsters had surpassed 350,000 won.

While heading here, he talked a lot with Sinking.

Sinking said he hadn’t even earned 100,000 won from hunting.

So Irim had made a considerable amount.

But he didn’t know where to spend it.

Since he hadn’t reached a village yet, the money was just piling up.

“Once we pass through this forest, there’s a village. They have restaurants, weapon shops, and armor shops, so save your money,” Sinking advised.

Sinking knew a lot about Real.

He had gathered information by frequenting the official cafe and inventory sites.

In contrast, Irim, who played the game solely to cook and savor tastes and aromas, was clueless about anything else.

He cared about nothing but cooking.

“I’m about to hit my playtime limit, so I’ll stop here. What about you, Rice-nim?”

“I’ll keep going a bit longer.”

“Alright. Mind if I add you as a friend?”

“Of course not.”

Sinking added Irim as a friend and gave a wink.

“Then have fun~!”

With that, Sinking vanished like a hologram.

After the cheerful chatterbox left, Irim’s surroundings grew quiet again.

In the distance, he could see users hunting.

Irim found a secluded spot and took out the Great Unicorn Chicken carcass from his inventory.

The carcass was cleanly skinned, divided into torso, legs, and wings.

_I didn’t clean out the innards earlier._

Irim slit open the Great Unicorn Chicken’s belly.

Instead of innards, about twenty fist-sized eggs spilled out.

“Hm?”

They looked like regular eggs.

But when he checked their information, Irim couldn’t help feeling like he’d struck gold.

[Attack Buff Egg]

– Grants +5 Attack for 10 minutes upon consumption

Stackable

[Agility Buff Egg]

– Grants +5 Agility for 10 minutes upon consumption

Stackable

[Defense Buff Egg]

– Grants +5 Defense for 10 minutes upon consumption

Stackable

“Jackpot.”

There were 10 Attack Buff Eggs, 5 Agility Buff Eggs, and 5 Defense Buff Eggs.

And their effects could stack.

Irim immediately stored the eggs in his inventory.

He was thrilled by the unexpected acquisition of rare items.

He stripped all the meat from the Great Unicorn Chicken’s carcass.

During the butchering, he made another surprising find.

The Great Unicorn Chicken’s horn.

[Sturdy Horn]

– Attack +30, Weapon

Being stabbed by the Great Unicorn Chicken’s sturdy horn really hurts.

Until now, aside from his dagger, Irim hadn’t seen anyone carrying a proper weapon.

But this Sturdy Horn was a legitimate weapon, boosting attack by 30.

Its tip was structured like a saber, with a grip for the hand.

Irim equipped his new weapon, then stored all the butchered chicken meat in his inventory, except for one thigh.

The Great Unicorn Chicken’s meat was indeed different in texture from a regular Unicorn Chicken’s.

_I can’t just make skewers with this kind of meat._

Irim dug a pit, stacked branches, lit a fire, and placed a flat stone on top.

As the stone heated, he took rosemary from his inventory. He had gathered plenty in the Starting Grassland.

_If only I had salt._

That was his biggest regret.

For Irim, who hadn’t tasted anything in a year, even plainly grilled meat was delicious. Still, the absence of salt was a shame.

He scanned the forest.

He was looking for ingredients to enhance his dish.

Then, his eyes caught small insects clinging to tree trunks.

What mattered was their name.

[Salt Bug]

_Salt Bug? Could it be…_

Irim approached the bugs.

Sensing his presence, a bug spread its folded wings and flew off.

It looked very much like a cicada.

Where the Salt Bug had been, white powder was left behind.

Irim scooped some up with his finger and tasted it.

A sharp, salty flavor spread from the tip of his tongue.

“Ah…”

The salty taste, felt for the first time in a year, sent shivers through Irim.

He eagerly chased down Salt Bugs, collecting their salty powder.

He rubbed it evenly onto the Great Unicorn Chicken’s thigh and placed it on the slightly steaming stone.

Sizzle~!

The meat’s surface cooked quickly, releasing a savory aroma.

Irim’s mouth watered involuntarily.

When one side was cooked, he flipped it to cook the other.

He rubbed rosemary onto the heated surface.

Thigh meat is softer and juicier than breast meat.

If cooked well, it could make a delicious, juicy steak.

_This should do it._

Irim pierced the perfectly cooked thigh with his dagger and lifted it.

Then, a flood of system messages appeared.

[Through repeated actions, you have acquired the profession ‘Chef.’]

[You have acquired the profession stat ‘Cooking.’]

[You have acquired the profession skill ‘Chef’s Luck F.’]

[Chef’s Luck F, Passive]

When a dish of Delicious rank or higher is created, there is a very low chance of it gaining one temporary buff effect or one permanent stat increase effect.

[Delicious Chicken Thigh Steak has been completed.]

[Chef’s Luck takes effect. The dish gains a permanent stat increase effect.]

Irim’s gaze turned to the dish’s status window.

[Delicious Chicken Thigh Steak]

– Grants +30 Satiety, +1 Attack upon consumption

_Look at that._

Thanks to Chef’s Luck, the dish gained a +1 Attack effect.

His status window had also changed.

Character: Rice

Class: Chef

Health: 120

Attack: 15 (+45)

Defense: 15

Agility: 15

Cooking: 10

Satiety: 52/120

Equipment

Weapon: Sturdy Horn

Armor: None

Accessories: None

Skills

Passive: Death Point Vision F, Chef’s Luck F, Great Chicken’s Strength F

Active: One-Point Thrust F

“Chef. I like it.”

A smile spread across Irim’s face as he looked at his profession.

“Well then… Bon appétit.”

Irim took a big bite of the chicken thigh steak.

The perfectly salted meat was tender, bursting with rich juices.

_Salt is indeed the truth._

The difference between seasoned and unseasoned food was night and day.

Irim devoured the steak in no time.

“Phew.”

This was truly food worthy of the name.

[Attack increased by 1.]

As Irim rubbed his full belly with a satisfied face, people began to gather around him.

Guessing what they’d say, Irim smiled and asked, “Chicken steak, 7,000 won each. Want one?”