Chapter 13

Chapter 13. Opening for Business

Even entering the Outpost required procedures.

They had to verify Hunter IDs and fill out entry logs.

On top of that, there was a protection fee of one Lowest-Grade Magic Stone per person per day.

The reason was that this place was protected on rotation by subcontractor guilds of major guilds.

'Nothing in this world is free.'

In exchange for providing a relatively safe resting place, you had to pay a protection fee.

In that sense, around 300,000 won, the market price of a Lowest-Grade Magic Stone, seemed like a reasonable amount.

As we entered the interior, it looked to be roughly the size of a 400-meter perimeter athletic field.

'It's bigger than I thought.'

To think they built such a spacious Outpost in this dangerous place.

I felt the greatness of humanity once again.

It hadn't even been a year since the Rift phenomenon began.

That said, the interior wasn't fancy.

'Everyone's basically living like homeless people.'

People were camping huddled together around campfires lit here and there.

With nothing but a single sleeping bag and no proper camping equipment.

Occasionally, I saw parties that had pitched tents.

"Let's find a spot and rest."

"Alright."

It looked like there were at least 150 Hunters staying here at a rough estimate.

Perhaps because of that, the smell was intense too.

'This isn't easy.'

At times like this, having a sensitive sense of smell isn't particularly great.

We found a spot in a corner and lit a campfire.

Soon, when I pulled out a pot from my backpack, my party members looked expectant.

"Chef, what dish is it this time?"

Ever since I first made them sandwiches, they had always called me Chef whenever I cooked.

"Don't get your hopes up. There are too many eyes watching, so today I'm just going to boil some instant ramen from the backpack."

"Ah... ramen..."

"Ramen isn't bad, I guess. I definitely like ramen, and ramen eaten outdoors is definitely delicious, but why do I feel disappointed...?"

Joel expressed his confusion.

Jeong Ye-rim provided him with an answer.

"You idiot, it's because the food Chef Oppa's been making has raised your taste standards, so ramen doesn't satisfy you anymore."

"Ah! That's it."

Adorable kids.

We started eating the ramen, boiled in the most basic way without any additional ingredients.

Then I noticed the surrounding Hunters glancing at us and licking their lips.

'Boiled ramen must be a luxury here.'

Just bringing pots and cooking utensils would be burdensome.

The weight a Porter can carry is limited.

Even just bringing food that can be eaten without cooking is barely enough.

That made me even more certain.

Certain that food would sell well.

And so we ate our ramen, and as it grew dark, we sat around the campfire chatting before going to sleep.

***

The next day.

After breakfast, party leader Kim Myeong-hun left for a while and returned to say,

"Hyung, I found a party to hunt with ours. Their average Hunter rank is similar to ours."

"Really? That's great. Be careful out there."

"Yes, Hyung, you're going to sell food today, right?"

"I have to."

"We'll buy some when we get back too. Please save some for us!"

"I won't sell to party members. I'll just make it for you, so just come back safely."

"Awesome! Loyalty!"

Soon, the party members left for hunting.

They would probably have a simple lunch with the jerky they packed in their pockets and return around dinner time.

I rested a bit more, then started preparing in earnest for the lunch business, leaving a couple hours before lunchtime.

'Two set menus.'

Simply a steak and risotto set.

And a steak and Kimchi Fried Rice set.

At the same price, the former had more merit between the two.

Outside the Rift, 99 out of 100 people would choose the former.

Because Kimchi Fried Rice is something people often make at home.

But this place was the Outpost for Korean Hunters on the second floor of the Rift.

'Koreans go crazy if they don't eat spicy food for even a few days, their stomachs feel queasy.'

I was often like that too when I was abroad.

Therefore, Kimchi Fried Rice would probably sell much better.

'It's not just ordinary Kimchi Fried Rice either.'

I planned to try something new this time.

I immediately started setting up at the outer spot where our party had been staying.

I opened Acresia and quickly pulled out kitchen supplies.

Three large stainless steel tables, cooking utensils, ingredients.

Then Hunters started coming to watch.

"Wait, is that a Subspace Storage...? That big?"

"Stuff keeps coming out of it? The capacity is insane."

"I partied with a Porter who had a Subspace Storage skill once, and it was tiny and had really small storage capacity."

It was the reaction I had expected.

Soon, one Hunter came over to ask how much storage capacity the Subspace had.

"Enough to fit a few tables."

I vaguely deflected.

Then another middle-aged Hunter asked a question.

A man with a deep scar between his right jaw and cheek, giving him a fierce impression.

"You're working hard. But what are you taking all this out for?"

His face just looked fierce, but his tone was kind.

"Thank you for your hard work. I'm preparing to sell food."

"Oh...! Like a Rift food truck or something?"

"Something like that. Though there's no truck."

When he asked what kind of food I was selling, I told him the menu too.

Then the middle-aged Hunter looked satisfied.

"Kimchi Fried Rice, huh. I've been suffering eating nothing but tasteless jerky and grain powder for a week, so I'll look forward to that spicy Kimchi Fried Rice."

Other Hunters also expressed their anticipation, saying, "The menu is Kimchi Fried Rice!"

As expected, Kimchi Fried Rice had higher preference.

"I'll meet your expectations."

I immediately started preparing ingredients.

First, preparing the vegetables.

Chop chop chop!

Vegetables being cut rapidly at regular intervals.

"Wow, that knife work is art."

"Must be a former cook."

"Look how evenly the ingredients are being cut."

Should I have set up a screen until opening?

There were quite a few Hunters watching, which made me feel pressured.

Soon I sliced German premium sausages.

And cut well-fermented kimchi.

Then prepared the shrimp.

I finished preparing the ingredients by putting each one in a large bowl.

Then I set up three gas burners.

'From what I learned recently, the electronic devices that malfunction inside Rifts due to nuclear radiation are those containing circuits or semiconductor elements. In other words, old-style gas stoves without gas control systems are completely unaffected.'

Because I didn't know this until recently, whenever I cooked for Ria, I always made food by burning firewood.

Well, cooking with wood fire does feel more delicious.

However, the drawbacks are that it's hard to light the fire and controlling it is cumbersome.

Soon I lit the gas burners, drizzled avocado oil in the pans, and pre-cooked the kimchi and rice.

I also pre-cooked the risotto once.

This was to shorten cooking time when orders came in.

After finishing the pre-cooking, I prepped the other ingredients and completed the business preparations.

"We're open for business. Taking orders."

I declared the start of business.

Then one young male Hunter who had been watching approached the order table.

"Give me one Kimchi Fried Rice and steak set. But how does payment work? Cards obviously won't work, and I have a little cash."

"I don't accept cash. One set menu costs exactly one Lowest-Grade Magic Stone, no exceptions."

The man was shocked at my answer.

"What? A food set worth 300,000 won? This isn't some fine dining restaurant!"

I am a chef from that very fine dining restaurant, though.

In any case, it's true that this wasn't a fine dining course meal.

As he threw a fit saying it was too expensive, the scarred man who had spoken to me first came over from where he'd been watching in the back.

"Do you think this is outside the Rift? Given the location, it's natural to charge high considering the transportation costs. And look at the ingredients."

He pointed at the ingredients.

"Obviously expensive premium shrimp, high-quality beef, sausages that look expensive just from their appearance, and do you know what that is?"

"...What is it?"

When the irritated customer asked meekly, the scarred man explained each one.

"Truffle oil and truffles, and next to that is saffron too. All the ingredients used are those from high-end restaurants. For a food set with such ingredients, one Lowest-Grade Magic Stone is a fair price."

Oh, this man has a good eye?

I picked up on his words and explained the menu.

"Among the set menus, the steak will be 100g of Grade 2+ Korean beef sirloin. The Kimchi Fried Rice comes in three versions. Shrimp Kimchi Fried Rice using carabinero prawns and mantis shrimp, Korean beef short rib Kimchi Fried Rice, and German sausage Kimchi Fried Rice. Three types. And I'll lightly drizzle truffle oil on top of each Kimchi Fried Rice to add a subtle fragrance, and place a small amount of truffle slices on top."

Carabinero prawns are ultra-premium shrimp that easily cost over 20,000 won per prawn.

Called emperor shrimp, they're incomparable to other shrimp.

Since they're large and have very intense flavor, I planned to use half a prawn per bowl.

The man who heard my menu explanation was intrigued.

"Oh! So it's truly tri-color Kimchi Fried Rice using only the highest-grade ingredients."

"That's right."

"Interesting. Then the risotto must be saffron risotto?"

"Correct. You know your stuff. The saffron risotto will be accompanied by grilled scallop adductors."

"Good. Give me both the Kimchi Fried Rice set and the risotto set. Make the steak medium rare."

He held out two Lowest-Grade Magic Stones.

"Order received."

I accepted them and immediately started cooking.

First, I placed the steak on the grill and seared it briefly over the high heat on the left.

After searing, I moved it to the medium heat on the right and started cooking it slowly.

Leaving it for a moment, I placed three round pans on the three burners and added the pre-cooked Kimchi Fried Rice.

Then I added the shrimp, beef short rib, and German sausage to each along with pre-made sauces that matched each ingredient well, and stir-fried all three pans simultaneously.

"Oh, the sauces for the tri-color Kimchi Fried Rice are all different too?"

"Yes, I flavored them with sauces that bring out each ingredient's characteristics. I blended the sauces to create seafood flavor, beef short rib flavor, and classic Kimchi Fried Rice flavor. While doing so, I didn't add too much so the taste wouldn't be excessive and would stay within the framework of Kimchi Fried Rice."

I responded even while busily cooking.

Soon I flipped the steak once.

I finished the tri-color Kimchi Fried Rice and plated it in a disposable bowl, divided into thirds so they wouldn't mix.

Then I lightly drizzled truffle oil and finished plating by slicing one truffle slice onto each Kimchi Fried Rice.

Next, I immediately checked the steak's doneness and let it rest briefly.

During that time, I seared another steak and immediately started cooking the saffron.

Soon the man watching me cook asked.

"I'm not a cook, but just looking at you, your skills seem far from ordinary. Did you work at some restaurant? I've been to most of the famous places in Seoul. Or did you work in Europe?"

Seeing him say he wasn't a cook, he must be a gourmand who enjoys fine dining.

I hesitated for a moment before answering, but since there was nothing to hide, I replied.

"I worked in Europe, and in Korea I worked at a fine dining restaurant called Pungjeong."

"Oh, Pungjeong. Anyone who doesn't know that restaurant must be a spy."

It was indeed a restaurant as famous as Chef Kang Seong-jae's Moshu, who had been a judge on Season 1 of the Youngflix cooking survival show.

Until two years ago, that is.

"What was your position there?"

"I was the sous chef."

"I see. I visited Pungjeong many times since its Michelin one-star days. Can you tell me when you quit?"

"Two years ago."

"Ahh...! That's it, that's right. Haha! That's why it didn't taste good when I visited recently."

When he said it didn't taste good recently, I became inwardly curious about when that was.

"When was recently?"

"About a year ago, maybe? The menu changed drastically and even the original menu items tasted different, so I never went back after that."

"Haha..."

While I felt satisfied thinking it served them right, I also felt bitter.

The bitterness was probably because of memories of working hard every day to make Pungjeong the best restaurant.

Soon I placed the rested steak along with the tri-color Kimchi Fried Rice on a tray.

And my secret weapon.

I ladled clam soup broth infused with Cheongyang Chili Pepper to add spiciness into a disposable bowl and placed it on the tray.

"Enjoy your meal. I'll cook the risotto set and bring it out soon."

The man swallowed his saliva as he received the tray.

"It already smells delicious. I'll enjoy this, Chef."

Looking around, the watching Hunters were swallowing their saliva and focusing on the man.

Soon he picked up the disposable bowl and took a spoonful of Kimchi Fried Rice.

The first thing he ate was the shrimp Kimchi Fried Rice among the tri-color versions.

"Mmm! The harmony here is exquisite. The rich flavor of the carabinero prawns and mantis shrimp combined with the taste of Kimchi Fried Rice, and the subtle, barely-there truffle fragrance create an amazing harmony. To think Kimchi Fried Rice could have such a refined taste."

I stirred the risotto pan quickly while listening to his reaction.

'Korean food is undervalued in perception.'

Korean food can produce refined tastes comparable to Western fine dining when using top-grade ingredients.

In fact, there were quite a few restaurants that received Michelin stars as Korean-based fine dining.

Despite being trained abroad, I preferred Korean food over Western cuisine.

Soon the man tasted a spoonful of each of the other two types of Kimchi Fried Rice.

"Ha! This is something. They're the same Kimchi Fried Rice yet completely different. And yet it's amazing how all three don't lose the essence of spicy Kimchi Fried Rice."

Next, he tried the steak and nodded.

"To taste fine dining-level food in a Rift. The Magic Stone is not wasted at all on this taste."

And even the clam broth.

"Kugh! This is fantastic! Thanks to the spicy and refreshing broth, my stomach feels completely settled!"

I brewed the Cheongyang Chili Pepper heavily to get exactly this reaction.

'No chili can match Cheongyang Chili Pepper for refreshing yet sharp taste.'

Soon I finished cooking the risotto set, plated it, and served it, and he didn't spare his praise, saying it was delicious too.

Priming the pump is very important in business.

Seeing the scarred man eating deliciously, customers who had been drooling started ordering one by one.

"I've been eating nothing but calorie bars for a week and I just can't take it anymore. Chef! One Kimchi Fried Rice set!"

"Honey, son, I'm sorry... Let's postpone moving a little longer. Boss, one Kimchi Fried Rice set please!"