Jan suddenly felt like the empress was similar to Minhyuk. What was surprising was the fact that the vassals around her seemed to be used to it, like it was something that they had already experienced countless times.

"Let's go back," Ellie said, turning to leave. Since the person she was interested in had disappeared, she lost all interest in attending the tournament’s awarding ceremony. With that, she quickly left.

'He went to eat something delicious...' Ellie thought, chuckling at the words. She did not know about the others, but for some reason, she understood the man’s thoughts perfectly. Ellie was someone who had money, excellent swordsmanship, the Eivelis Empire, and everything else in this world. However, even with all of that, she still felt like she was missing something in her life.

What she missed was ‘delicious food’, something that was once Ellie’s pleasure, her safe haven. Others might think that the man was being disrespectful, but Ellie felt that she could relate to what the man was thinking. She was once similar, stopping at nothing in order to eat something delicious when she was young. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks. She thought, ‘Were those really his pure and genuine thoughts…?’ 

Ellie believed that no one could be so pure these days. She stopped walking and turned to look back to the spot where he should have been. She thought, 'Len. Why did you give him Ellie's Kitchen Knife?' 

Ellie had a feeling that she would meet with the man that Len had acknowledged and recognized, sooner or later.

***

Prasell, the Emperor's City. 

Levitt was running a cold noodles store in this place, just like he did in real life. The reason why he opened one here was… 

'Delicious cold noodles!' 

Cold noodles were the perfect food to help one get rid of the heat; it was also a very nice delicacy, even in winter. Adding some vinegar and mustard to the cold soup, before mixing and taking a sip of it, would definitely give one the most authentic flavor of cold noodles!

There was also the spicy cold noodles that would always be topped with finely chopped bright-red seasonings, strips of cucumbers, pears, meat, and a half of a boiled egg. Pouring out a bit of the cold noodle soup into this dish and mixing it together with the egg yolk would bring out its perfect red color, and taste.

What would happen if one ate both of these delicacies with marinated pork or beef ribs? Everyone that had eaten this combination would recall the joy at the spicy and sweet flavors, as well as the chewy texture of the cold noodles, and would smile again at the taste of the sweet, warm and tender marinated ribs. 

Alas, this shop only had flies for customers.

"What?! Where did he go?" Levitt asked aloud. He was sitting on one of the chairs in his empty cold noodles store, watching the tournament. The champion of the tournament that displayed overwhelming skills, outstanding physical abilities, and a great appetite, had suddenly disappeared. The reason why Levitt had been watching the tournament with high expectations was to figure out the man’s identity. Anyone would be interested in the person that surpassed Lucia in this tournament.

‘Ha… Let’s just continue to watch the competition. Tsk,’ He thought. Just then…

Clang, clang!

The bell on his store’s door rang loudly as a customer came inside. Levitt stood up only to stare dumbly at his visitor. He thought, ‘Huh?’ which was followed by an outburst, “Huuuuuuuuuuuuuh?!”

“Hello! I want to order some cold noodles for takeaway!”

“...By any chance, are you the champion of the tournament?”

The customer who came in was none other than Minhyuk. He was currently licking his lips in anticipation and excitement. He said, “Can you pack 100 bowls of cold noodles and 100 bowls of spicy cold noodles?”

“...Yes?”

Levitt was extremely surprised to hear his order. 

‘That’s a total of 200 bowls! What is he going to do with that much?!’ 

So, he asked, “A…are you going to hand it over to other people to celebrate your victory in the tournament?”

“Nope. I’ll eat them all!” Minhyuk answered, smiling brightly. Then he added, “I heard that the cold noodles sold here are very refreshing and delicious. I also heard that the owner is a handsome man!”

“Haha! Is that so? Of course, of course it can be packed!” Levit guffawed joyously as he answered.

It was a bit shocking to see the champion of the tournament enter his shop, but Levitt felt extremely satisfied to know that he was here to buy cold noodles from his store. Besides, no one would dislike a person that has high expectations for the taste of his dishes. Levitt walked towards his kitchen as he introduced his specialty to his customer. He said, “We use Hamhung[1] noodles for our store’s cold noodles. We also have a machine in the store that helps us with pulling the noodles.”

“Ooh, so you don’t buy it?!”

“Of course not. Buying it and serving it to the customers is a form of disrespect towards the customers. Besides, the noodles will be chewier if you make them yourself.”

“Uncle.”

“Yes?” Levitt asked, tilting his head at the man that called out to him.

“I’m really, really excited!”

Excited. Hearing this word was enough to put a big smile on Levitt’s face. It seemed like the young man was someone that could make anyone feel good. Besides, being excited meant that his heart was thumping wildly in anticipation for the food. For Levitt, having someone wait for his food excitedly made him feel like he could achieve the peak of deliciousness in making his cold noodles. He was determined not to disappoint such an excited customer. Because of that, Levitt gave his all as he started to make cold noodles.

“How much cucumber and pear should I put in for you?”

“Just the normal amount for the cucumber, and as much as you can for the pear!”

The sweet, crunchy pear was a must for the cold, refreshing cold noodles.

“I see, you sure know how to eat it, huh?” Levitt said, forgetting that the man in front of him was the tournament’s champion. All he knew was that he wanted to cook delicious cold noodles for this person.

“Ah. Every time I finish cooking a bowl, you should put it in your inventory.”

“Yes, yes!” 

Levitt wondered if he could really finish 200 bowls of cold noodles. Even so, he continued to pack the cold noodles and hand them over to Minhyuk, so that the latter could place them in his inventory. Just like that, Levitt finished cooking 220 bowls of cold noodles for Minhyuk.

“There’s 20 extra bowls?”

“Think of it as an added freebie!”

“Thank you very much, your business will definitely thrive and prosper!”

Levitt chuckled at him. After he finished the calculations, he suddenly became curious. He could not help himself and asked, “Are you really just going to eat these cold noodles?”

“Nope!” Minhyuk answered and smiled, his face filled with anticipation and excitement. He continued to say, “I’m going to eat it with seasoned beef ribs!”

“Kyaa!” Levitt exclaimed in surprise. Cold noodles and beef ribs were truly the ultimate pair.

However, Minhyuk’s expression suddenly turned dark. He said, “But, I don’t think I will be able to eat marinated beef ribs.”

“W…why?” Levitt asked, suddenly feeling sympathetic when he saw Minhyuk’s expression of sorrow.

“Because, to do that, I need to season it and marinate it for quite a long time.”

Well-seasoned marinated beef ribs could not be eaten right away just because one seasoned it well. Of course, the regular beef ribs were also delicious, but cold noodles should be partnered with well-seasoned, deeply marinated beef ribs. Minhyuk thought that he could eat the well-seasoned marinated beef ribs after a week, but in the meantime, he could just satisfy his craving by eating the regular beef ribs first. 

Levitt pondered deeply. He wanted to help this sad customer in front of him. At that moment, he thought of something. He said, “If you go to the local Pork Ribs Restaurant, Calo will be able to marinate it for you right away!”

“Eh?” Minhyuk asked, tilting his head in confusion.

“Calo has the job class of Marinating Chef. As far as I have heard, he has the skill to marinate and ripen anything right away! Something that would take you a few weeks to will be done quickly!”

“Oh. Such a great power exists in this world?!” Minhyuk asked excitedly. By looking at his expression, one would think he found a ‘legendary item’.

Levitt smiled and nodded. He said, “Yes, but you should first meet with Calo.”

“Yes!” Minhyuk answered and bowed politely at him before leaving his store.

Levitt stood up and smacked his lips. He said, “Wow... Marinated beef ribs and cold noodles sound really delicious!”

His mouth watered at the thought. Then, he suddenly caught himself halfway through his train of thought. He wondered aloud to himself in his now-empty store again, “So, why did he leave the competition so suddenly?”

It seemed like he still had not solved this mystery.

***

Minhyuk was running excitedly. Thanks to Levitt's advice, he met with the man named Calo, and was able to marinate and mature his meat perfectly in just a matter of minutes. He even wanted to learn the skill, but it was an impossible feat. Calo was able to have that skill set only because he had the hidden class, 'Marinating Master'. As soon as he started the game, he started to marinate and mature different dishes every day, just so he could get the hidden class. Minhyuk was also able to buy some charcoal from him. The charcoal that he gave him was said to be a magical charcoal that could create a fire that would not die down for 12 hours. 

"Hello!" 

Fwoooooooom! 

"Did something just pass by?" 

"I think so." 

The guards that were guarding the gates of Prasell, were quite astonished at Minhyuk’s running speed. The reason for Minhyuk’s speed was because he was using both Haste and Bardy Swordsmanship. Not long after, Minhyuk was able to reach a quiet area, in the sense that the place was void of any humans. 

The moment Minhyuk defeated the minotaurus and acquired the ingredients, he was able to acquire all of the parts, including its bones. That was the reason why everyone thought that Minhyuk had placed the whole minotaurus in his inventory. In addition, the food that he would get from the ingredients that he acquired from the minotaurus was said to be much more delicious compared to regular ingredients. Of course, this was according to the Eccentric Food God skill. 

Minhyuk’s mouth twitched with joy. The first thing that he did was to make a fire with the charcoal and put it under the square grilling pan. Next, he pulled out different ingredients like lettuce, perilla leaves, garlic, and spicy dipping sauce. These ingredients were almost the same as when he had grilled pork belly last time. There were also some radish wraps, sliced onions, and other sauces. He also did not forget to pull out his cold noodles and spicy cold noodles. 

Minhyuk began to cook after he placed the cutting board in front of him, and brought out the rump steak, the meat generally used for beef sashimi. Usually, rump steak or round steak[2] would be used for beef sashimi. However, rump steak was generally preferred because it was much chewier than the round steak. Choosing the part of beef to be used for beef sashimi was something that was entirely dependent on the person’s preference, and Minhyuk quite preferred the chewiness of the rump steak. Minhyuk pushed his knife forward as he started slicing the rump steak.

Shiik—

Shiik—

The thinly sliced rump steak looked very appetizing with its red color. In fact, its color was perfect. The sliced red rump meat looked glossy and seemed to wiggle when it was poked. After he finished slicing the meat, he used a paper towel to remove the blood. 

[Remove blood from the rump steak and season it well for a chewier texture.] 

He heard a notification from Food God's Cooking Acquisition. Then, after draining the blood, Minhyuk began to make the sauce. He added two spoons of minced garlic and two spoons of sesame oil for the savory, toasted flavor. Then, he added a spoon of sugar, a spoon of oligosaccharide syrup, half a spoon of sesame seeds, and a dash of pepper to finish the sauce. Although it was optional, he also added some plum extract for a better flavor. Then, he poured the sauce on the rump steak and kneaded it to mix, so that the seasonings would spread over the meat well. 

He placed the reddish and well-seasoned slices of beef sashimi along the sides of a round, white plate. Then, he cracked some eggs and separated the yolks from the whites. The yolk was placed in the middle of the plated beef sashimi. The eggs were freshly produced by the golden egg-laying chicken. Minhyuk slurped on the whites that were left after removing the yolk. He personally believed that throwing away any food was bad and it was only proper that he eat it so it would not be wasted. He then sliced the pears thinly and arranged it next to the beef. The beef sashimi was finally plated. The yolk, which was as round as the moon in the sky, the shredded radish, and the thinly sliced pears sat on top of the beef sashimi, giving the dish the look of a delicious flower that bloomed perfectly well. 

Gulp—

Minhyuk swallowed his saliva. However, it was not the right time yet. The rest of the meat was not yet placed and cooked on top of the grill! Quickly grabbing his tongs, Minhyuk picked up the meat from the bowl. The marinated beef rib looked perfect with the meat hanging around the bone perfectly. The moment he placed the meat on the grill… 

Sizzleeeeeee! 

An entrancing sound rang out, signaling the start of the grilling. 

1. A place. It’s very cold here so it is said that this was where spicy cold noodles originated. They make spicy cold noodles to fight off the cold. Hamhung noodles are made from buckwheat and sweet potato starch. They are also thinner and chewier than other noodles ☜

2. eye of round part ☜