chapter 5

There was a buzzing sound in my ear.

After a strange sensation as if trapped in a whirlpool and caught in, barely two feet touched the ground.

“Marcus, what are you doing?”

Vision is back.

‘Foreigner?’

A young woman with reddish brown hair was screaming. In fluent Korean.

The woman was wearing the dress one day seen in the movie. Wearing a wrinkled one-piece. Maybe it was a movie about a gladiator…

“You’ll burn all the bread!”

Looking down, there was a frying pan on the grill, a round bread in the oil.

It was frying at a furious rate.

As the woman says, it’s about to burn.

Han-Gil quickly grabbed a nearby plate and put the bread on it.

“Anyway, if you look away for a second, you’ll end up in an accident like this!” I can’t live.”

The woman sighed deeply, then walked out with a plate in her hand, ranting.

Only then did Han-Gil look around again.

Objective: Make and sell a dish for 30 servings.

Time limit: 3 hours

Reward: 1,500 Gourmet Points

Failure: You cannot reconnect to the hidden stage again.

-Gourmet points can be used in the shop.

-In the store, you can purchase ingredients, recipes, and cooking-related information.

-Purchased ingredients will be delivered

To ‘Han’s Kitchen’ (located in Itaewon, Korea).

+

After the quest window disappeared, a countdown window appeared in the upper |eft corner of the field of view.

03:00:00

02:59:59

02:59:58

Han-Gil shook his head vigorously and tried to reorganize the current situation.

So…..

The hidden stage of (Best Gourmet) was opened, and he said that if you pass all stages, you can become a top-notch chef.

And he was in the ancient Roman Empire. Inside the body of a man called Marcus.

I ask myself, “Is this a dream?”

I felt the heat of the charcoal as it was, and the biting smoke scratched my throat and I was coughing.

All these sensations.

Were too vivid for a dream.

‘First, let’s complete the quest.’

It was said that if you fail, you cannot access the hidden stage again, so it seemed good to clear it.

Han-Gil first left the kitchen.

‘It’s small.’

There were only four tables in the dining hall, but there were no customers. At the entrance, there was a large counter in the shape of a’C’, in which the red-haired woman he just saw was sitting.

“Oh, I was going to call you, but I’m going grocery shopping, so keep an eye on the counter. I’m off!”

The young woman, still in her twenties, stood up as soon as she saw him. From the tone of command, it seemed to be a restaurant owner.

The woman hurried out without giving Han-Gil a chance to answer, and Han-Gil approached the counter and looked at the food on display like a buffet.

There are several jars made of reddish-brown clay.

It contained non-cooked foods such as bread, cheese, olives, and fruits. There was also a pot on a small brazier with charcoal. There was cooked food in it.

Just three.

White, or small mini donuts, and omelet similar to egg rolls.

Han-Gil took out a small plate and sampled each cooked food.

“Ugh!”

As soon as I ate, my face was distorted.

The donuts tasted like a sponge soaked in oil, and the omelets were like layers of wet cardboard. This is the flavor that occurs when the oil is not sufficiently heated. The white porridge, which was actually quite tasty, was a scalding pot of water.

‘Is all Roman food like this? If not……’

People passing by in front of the restaurant did not give a glance to this side.

An empty restaurant.

It wasn’t because it was Roman food, but the taste of this restaurant seemed terrible.

To complete the quest, I have to sell 30 servings of dishes……’

It was hard for thirty customers to come to a restaurant like this. Even if I gave this dish away for free, it had a taste that made me want to throw up.

Han-Gil first took out a jar with food and poured the contents on the floor. After burying a lot of dirt to avoid recycling the fallen food, I went back to the kitchen.

***

‘What kind of menu to make?’

I decided to make a dish that was close to the one I had just eaten since I assumed there would be preferences for such unfamiliar foods.

But there were too few ingredients.

There was no meat or seafood at all, only flour, eggs and vegetables.

‘Why is it Rome? What to get here?’

It was said that if the quest was successful, materials could be obtained. I didn’t even have salt, which is the most basic.

Small jars and bottles on the countertop contained some spices.

‘What is this?’

Han-Gil, who was checking the bottle one by one, suddenly stopped. He hurriedly picked up a rolling spoon on the countertop and poured the contents of the bottle on it.

An emerald liquid that flows gently…

It’s olive oil.

‘Of course, olive oil is the best…’

Was the olive oil so fragrant?

The fresh natural scent of freshly cut grass was mixed with the sweet scent of ripe apples.

When I placed a spoonful of olive oil in my mouth unconsciously, the soft oil filled my mouth, the scent exploded.

A cool, slick sensation that gently tickles the tongue, similar to soup.

‘This is… more like olive juice than oil?’

Bitterness and sweetness were also tasted at the same time, but the two flavors were contrasting, with the sweetness being more dominant. The aftertaste was spicy like pepper and tickled my throat.

It was strong and fragrant, with a fascinating flavor.

“Wow!”

After swallowing the olive oil in his mouth, Han-Gil burst into elasticity, and a translucent window appeared again.

[Early harvested olive oil (Level 1) has been registered with the Gourmet shop.]

Product Name: Early harvest olive oil

Rating: 1

Origin: Tuscany, Italy.

Price: 300 Gourmet Points.

Tip: Olive oil made by cold pressing the early harvested olives in a traditional way.

Come to think of it……

I read it while studying materials before. Among olive oils, there is one olive oil that is said to be the best.

Early harvested olive oil.

It is oil squeezed out of olive fruits that are still green before the season of full-scale olive harvesting comes. It has low acidity and rich fragrance, but it is expensive and difficult to obtain.

Ripe olives can be easily harvested using a machine, but early harvested olives must be picked and harvested by hand. In addition, the oil doesn’t come out well, so nearly twice as many olives are needed to make the same bottle of olive oil.

Olive oil is said to be edible only by farmers as it is not suitable for commercial production.

Some farms produce early harvested olive oil in small quantities, but they are said to be made only enough to deliver to high-end restaurants.

In short, it is a difficult ingredient to find, even if you have money.

‘Did it say it would deliver the ingredients I want?’

Han-Gil looked at the bottle of olive oil in front of him and swallowed. I couldn’t resist at the urge to taste it again. As if searching for water in the desert, his curiosity and thirst for a new taste dominated Han-Gil’s spirit.

Gulp.

Gulp.

Gulp.

It wasn’t until I savored it three more times that I managed to pull myself together by putting down the olive oil.

It’s the taste of magic.

I could get this olive oil through the tutorial. In reality…

My motivation was suddenly fueled.

‘I don’t have any ingredients…. what to make?’

Han-Gil once again began to think about the menu by looking at the ingredients in front of him.

People around me had low expectations for restaurants.

It seemed unlikely that people would come just to try a new dish out of curiosity.

You have to make a dish that stops people’s footsteps just by smelling it.

I need an intense herbal medicine.

Turk! Took tuck!

While thinking about the road, raindrops began to fall through the windows that were open without glass. Seeing the drizzle of rain, there was only one dish that came to mind.

A dish that automatically comes to mind when it rains.

A dish that doesn’t change your likes and dislikes.

A dish that makes you drool even if you smell it.

Han-Gil has never seen anyone-whether foreigners or Koreans- who hates it.