Episode 2. The Answer is Cooking
“You’re really going to buy these?”
Looking at Sindae, who had arrived at the main branch of the Hunter Association near Gyeongbokgung Station, the employee still gazed at him with an expression of disbelief.
“Is it that strange?”
What Sindae held were rune stones, said to grant skills.
While most rune stones fetched at least 10 million won, the ones Sindae had chosen were unusual stones costing only 500,000 won each.
“No… it’s not that…”
*What is with this man? Why is he trying to buy cooking skill rune stones?*
Sindae had chosen three rune stones.
[Special Steak Preparation Skill of the Masina Kingdom.]
[Whole Roast Preparation Skill of the Orcs.]
[Exciting and Cheerful Meat-Grilling Skill of the Dwarves.]
There were all kinds of rune stones, after all.
If hunters found these kinds of rune stones in dungeons, most would feel like they’d stepped in dung. The ones at the Association were merely such discarded rune stones that had been collected.
*If he wants to learn cooking, he should just go to a culinary school…*
The employee thought this for a moment before soon shrugging his shoulders.
*Anyway, it’s good for me as long as they sell.*
Thinking the fact that someone had appeared to buy dust-gathering rune stones was what mattered, the employee handed them over. Sindae flashed a grin.
*If I cook monster meat with these, it’ll definitely taste good.*
The method he’d thought of the previous day was none other than learning cooking skills.
When Sindae shattered the three rune stones, new messages appeared before his eyes.
[You have learned the Special Steak Preparation Skill of the Masina Kingdom.]
[You have learned the Whole Roast Preparation Skill of the Orcs.]
[You have learned the Exciting and Cheerful Meat-Grilling Skill of the Dwarves.]
Wanting to test them immediately, Sindae quickly ran to his studio apartment.
He took out the leftover Yeti meat from yesterday’s butchering and cut it into steak-sized pieces.
[You may use the Special Steak Preparation Skill of the Masina Kingdom.]
*All right!*
Sindae clenched both fists at the news that the skill could be activated.
He activated the skill, and soon found himself tossing butter and asparagus on a frying pan while grilling the Yeti meat.
“Please, let this taste good…”
When the meat seemed cooked to the right degree, Sindae placed the Yeti steak onto a plate.
Putting the meat, dripping with juices and fat, into his mouth with anticipation, his eyes went wide with surprise.
*G… good heavens…*
“It’s delicious…”
Meat juice bursting in his mouth.
And the tender texture and buttery aroma made him wonder if this was really the same tough, paper-like Yeti meat he’d eaten the day before.
Having finished the Yeti meat in no time, Sindae put on a pleasant smile.
*Cooking was the answer… But as expected, my stats don’t increase?*
Because he had already eaten Yeti meat once and gained 5 stamina, no messages about increases appeared again.
“By the way, is no monster meat coming out today either?”
Looking through the Hunter Market website, Sindae sighed at the complete absence of monster meat.
*At this rate, it’s going to take longer…*
His goal was to become an Awakener stronger than Gayeon.
The fact that she was an A-grade Awakener meant her maximum level was 100.
To catch up to her, Sindae had decided to raid dungeons with stats raised by eating various monster meats.
“I want to get all my stats over 100 before entering a dungeon…”
Basically, starting stats were 10.
To get one stat to 100, it meant he had to reach at least level 9.
And so Sindae had decided to get all his stats to 100 before entering a dungeon.
Strength
Agility
Vitality
Mana
Excluding mana, which he had no use for, raising Strength, Agility, and Vitality each to 100 meant he would have to reach at least level 27.
*Level 27 already surpasses F-grade.*
The limit for an F-grade Awakener to grow stronger was level 20.
From level 27 onwards was the realm of E-grade Awakeners.
“Isn’t there a good way?”
Sindae scrolled through the Hunter Market.
His eyes grew wide as he soon saw a job posting.
“Huh?! Couldn’t I do this?”
[Osiris Guild recruiting temporary workers for the collection team.]
[We are recruiting temporary collection team members for the 3-star Melon Cow dungeon. We look forward to many applications.]
“That’s right… if it’s the collection team…”
The collection team gathered the corpses of monsters hunted by Hunters.
With this, he could sufficiently obtain monster meat.
Sindae’s lips curved up before he knew it, and without further thought, he applied to the Osiris Guild’s collection team.
***
“Bak Sindae?”
I Yeongjin, the foreman of the collection team, looked at Sindae in the 3-star Melon Cow dungeon and tilted his head.
*He still seems young…*
Yeongjin found it odd that a young Awakener would do such rough work on a collection team.
He alternated between looking at Sindae’s age on the documents and his rugged face before him.
“Excuse me, but how old are you?”
“I’m 24.”
Yeongjin was surprised by the answer of 24.
Sindae looked easily 28, so he looked at him with a somewhat surprised expression.
“Ahem… have you ever worked on a collection team before?”
“Not until now.”
Because he had caused an accident immediately upon entering a dungeon in the army and hadn’t been able to enter since, he had never done collection team work.
“Is that so? It’s simple anyway, so don’t worry. You just enter the dungeon and move the monster corpses onto trucks. Easy, right?”
“Is that all I have to do?”
“Hm… for some monsters, we harvest them on the spot to obtain hides, but you don’t need to do that, Sindae, so don’t worry.”
Sindae nodded at Yeongjin’s words.
Before long, Yeongjin’s collection team gathered and they entered the dungeon.
*It smells like melon…*
A melon scent stimulated his nose.
Sindae could quickly tell where this melon scent was coming from.
The situation made it clear that it was coming from the Melon Cows lying dead and bleeding on the wide grassland, each appearing to be 2 meters in size.
Looking around, he began to see collection team members moving Melon Cows onto trucks as if accustomed to it.
“Hey, kid, stop spacing out and work.”
“Sigh… kids these days aren’t sharp…”
Two men skinning Melon Cows nearby clicked their tongues, seemingly displeased at Sindae looking around the dungeon.
“Anyway, kids these days… In my day, we moved monsters without being told.”
“That’s right, Sindae. Aigoo… what did they learn out there.”
It was obvious they were throwing their weight around at a temporary worker like himself.
However, Sindae watched them skinning without much thought.
*That’s so awkward?*
Watching even as scars appeared here and there on the hide, Sindae clicked his tongue in pity.
“That’s not how you skin it…”
Muttering without realizing due to his frustrated feelings, the two men skinning glared at Sindae.
“What did you just say?”
“Did I mishear, Sindae? I must have misheard, right?”
“If you skin it like that, the hide gets damaged.”
When Sindae pointed precisely at the damaged parts of the hide and spoke, the men couldn’t help but redden at the sight of young Sindae pointing out their errors.
“Look at this cocky bastard… mind your own business…”
“Hey, what’s going on over there!”
As the situation grew rowdier, Yeongjin frowned and approached.
“No, Foreman, do you know what this brat said?”
“Haah… this young’un told us we’re skinning it wrong.”
*Making a fuss over nothing…*
He pitied the two getting angry over such a trivial matter, but because they were the only skilled workers on the collection team he belonged to, Yeongjin couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
“Bak Sindae, apologize quickly. Let’s pass this over amicably and get to work.”
At the thought of Sindae apologizing to them, the two men brightened up, but Sindae smirked.
“Foreman, can I do the butchering—no, the skinning?”
Yeongjin looked at Sindae as if asking what he was talking about.
Sindae flashed a grin at Yeongjin.
“If there’s even a single scratch on the hide, I won’t take today’s wages, and furthermore, I’ll pay for that Melon Cow out of my own pocket.”
“Wow, this kid’s really cocky.”
“This could’ve ended with an apology!”
Yeongjin was a bit flustered by Sindae’s unexpected proposal.
Looking at Sindae, who seemed brimming with confidence, he sighed.
“Are you confident?”
“F… Foreman, the guild will chew you out!”
“T… that’s right, Foreman, why are you doing this?”
Looking at the two startled by the fact that he might actually let him, Sindae drew his apprentice sword.
“See for yourself.”
***
“Wh… what in the… world…”
“How can it be this… this fast?”
When Sindae handed over the perfectly skinned Melon Cow hide to Yeongjin, he couldn’t close his mouth in surprise.
*5… 5 minutes?*
A task that took even the existing technicians before him over 20 minutes.
Moreover, depending on luck, the hide quality was low-grade at worst, mid-grade at best. He had even been scolded by the guild several times over it.
Yet the hide Sindae handed over was clearly highest-grade without a scratch at a glance.
“Wh… what do you do, Mr. Sindae?”
To Yeongjin, who couldn’t believe that this man who said he had never done collection team work could skin a hide so cleanly, Sindae merely smirked.
*It was easy because I’m a butcher.*
Having learned apprentice skills from his father since childhood and with the job of butcher, Sindae easily skinned the hide.
What helped him greatly was the white line that appeared before his eyes like a hint whenever he used his apprentice sword on the hide.
“I guess it was easy because I’m just a butcher.”
While people looked at the hide in surprise, Sindae secretly pocketed some Melon Cow beef.
Soon, Yeongjin came to his senses and looked at Sindae.
*An Awakener who can skin highest-grade hides this fast is absolutely necessary for our collection team.*
“Umm, Mr. Sindae, could we talk for a moment?”
Not failing to notice from Yeongjin’s words that he would scout Sindae, the two men’s expressions changed as they watched. Sindae nodded.
***
“Do you happen to have any thoughts of joining the collection team?”
“The collection team?”
“To be exact, Osiris Guild Collection Team 2. If you join, I can recommend you for a permanent position.”
*If it’s the Osiris Guild…*
Though not a large guild, it was known as a strong mid-sized guild.
“I’m sorry. I don’t plan on joining a guild yet.”
“Ah… I… I see.”
Yeongjin expressed disappointment at Sindae’s words, and Sindae smirked at him.
“But I’ll keep coming out as a temporary worker.”
“Y… you’ll come as a temporary worker?!”
“Yes. I’ll come if you keep just two things.”
Sindae spread two fingers and flashed a grin.