The Omnipurpose Restaurant in Dungeon City

Kyle was starting to wonder if this situation might be a dream.
There was a mysterious restaurant in the alley he always passed by, which he hadn’t noticed before.
When he mustered up the courage to enter, the kind owner offered to treat him to a meal for free.
And the food that came out was unique dishes he had never seen before in his life?
He had hoped for something special different from usual to commemorate becoming an official adventurer, but wasn’t this too different?
However, the aroma wafting from the Jeyuk-bokkeum set(?) laid out before him constantly stimulated Kyle’s nose, asserting that this was reality.
“Would you like to try it now?”
“Ah, yes, I’ll gratefully eat it.”
The confusing thoughts ended only when he heard Jin’s invitation.
‘Right, let’s eat first and think later.’
Wouldn’t it be rude to just stare blankly in front of the person who went to the trouble of making food?
And whether it was a dream or not, not eating food, especially such delicious-looking food, was practically a sin for Kyle, who came from an orphanage.
Having made up his mind, Kyle picked up a piece of meat stir-fried in the unidentified black sauce with his fork.
‘Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I’ve had meat that wasn’t jerky.’
The orphanage where Kyle grew up wasn’t so poor that they often starved the children for more than a day, but it wasn’t affluent enough to feed them fresh meat either.
Opportunities to eat meat were few and far between, and even then, it was mostly dried jerky or at best, sausages.
The last time he had proper meat was a few years ago during a festival when they received donated cheap meat that was left over.
It was cheap meat with low marketability and not much quantity per person, but.
Even that was the most delicious food Kyle had eaten in his life.
‘Will this dish called Jeyuk-bokkeum be as delicious as that, since it’s meat?’
Recalling that time, he put the Jeyuk-bokkeum in his mouth.

“….?!”
The memory of the most delicious moment in his life began to fade to black and white, covered in the black seasoning of the Jeyuk-bokkeum.
The first thing he felt was a subtle smoky aroma that spread as soon as he put it in his mouth.
However, it was a different flavor from the smoky smell of sausages that had been smoked for a long time for preservation.
It wasn’t overwhelming enough to bury other tastes and smells, but just the right level of assistance to evoke the wild scent of fire.
An instinctive attraction imprinted since the time humans first discovered fire and cooked food over it.
Kyle didn’t know, but in the modern world where Jin lived, this was commonly called “wok hei” or “breath of the wok”.
The taste that followed the aroma was also unstoppable in its shock.
‘What is this diverse flavor?’
The taste Kyle had expected right before eating was simply saltiness.
Not because he was underestimating Jin’s cooking, but because Kyle didn’t know many flavors.
As someone from an orphanage with little culinary knowledge, Kyle only knew very simple and fragmentary tastes.
All Kyle knew was that salt’s saltiness was used to adjust the seasoning of food.
But this dish called Jeyuk-bokkeum was completely different!
Salty? Of course it was. But that wasn’t all.
Along with the saltiness, there was sweetness. It was sweet.
It was actually sweet and salty, sweet and salty.
But strangely, the combination of this sweetness didn’t feel awkward or strange.
Rather, it was a very stimulating and attractive taste that clung to the tongue.
Well, sweetness and saltiness are typically the tastes that humans are primitively interested in.
And the combination of sweet and salty is a top-tier synergy that’s even scientifically recognized.
Aren’t they the very epitome of the established powers and vested interests in the world of seasonings, pushing and pulling each other?
What if the meat flavor of the tender yet chewy lean meat and the richness of the fat synergize with such seasoning?
‘Isn’t this the taste of the heavenly food that Sister said only good people who go to heaven can eat?’
It was truly an explosion of umami!
It was incomparable to the meat he had eaten before.
“Owner! What is this black sauce?!”
Therefore, it was an unavoidable reflexive action to excitedly ask Jin in a loud voice.
“Ah, that’s a sauce called soy sauce. It has a salty taste like salt, but gives a much richer umami flavor.”
Soy sauce. It was a name Kyle had never heard before.
But he could relate to the part about the richer flavor that Jin mentioned.
“Then is this sweetness also coming from the sauce called soy sauce?”
“No, it’s not. While soy sauce does have a slight sweetness, there are separate ingredients added here to create sweetness.”
It seemed that soy sauce wasn’t an all-purpose sauce that could create such a flavor on its own.
Isn’t that even more amazing then?
If it wasn’t an all-purpose sauce, it meant that Jin had created this heavenly taste with his own cooking skills.
The gaze of admiration soon turned to the other dishes.
If the Jeyuk-bokkeum was this delicious.
What about the other foods?
Gulp-
Kyle carefully picked up a spoon and scooped up a large portion of the white grain mass in the bowl next to it.
Chomp!
And put it straight into his mouth.
Chew chew
“Um…? Owner, this doesn’t taste like anything?”
Kyle, who had eaten with high expectations, asked in confusion.
To be precise, as he kept chewing, he could taste a faint sweetness and a unique savory aroma of grains, but basically, he couldn’t taste anything.
“Ahaha, that’s not meant to be eaten separately like that. Try eating it together with the Jeyuk-bokkeum. It’ll be more delicious.”
According to Jin, who explained with a smile, this was a food called rice made by cooking a grain called rice, and it was a kind of staple food similar to bread.
Just like dipping bread in soup, you eat rice together with other dishes.
‘Is this how you eat it?’
Kyle scooped up another spoonful of rice, put it in his mouth, and immediately followed it with a forkful of Jeyuk-bokkeum.
“….!”
Realization came quickly.
‘The taste is completely different from before!’
The Jeyuk-bokkeum, which he already thought was heavenly, became even more delicious when eaten with rice.
The seasoning, which was slightly strong when eaten alone, fit perfectly, as if it was made assuming it would be eaten together from the start.
The rice, which had no taste on its own, could therefore harmoniously embrace the intense flavor of the Jeyuk-bokkeum and spread it throughout the mouth.
And this satisfaction.
The pleasure of filling the mouth abundantly and chewing vigorously, which he hadn’t felt when eating the Jeyuk-bokkeum alone, gave an unexpectedly great satisfaction.
After that, it was a state of ecstasy.
A continuous process of putting food in his mouth, chewing, tasting, marveling, and swallowing.
When he had devoured about half of the Jeyuk-bokkeum and rice in an instant.
Kyle finally realized that there was still food he hadn’t tried yet.
Jin had explained earlier that it was a soup called Hwangtae Kongnamul-guk (Dried Pollack and Bean Sprout Soup).
‘I can’t believe I forgot about this.’
He had been looking forward to it as it was a dish containing fish he had never seen before, but he had forgotten about it due to the shock of the Jeyuk-bokkeum.
Fortunately, it was still steaming hot.
Slurp-
Kyle took a big spoonful of the soup along with the plentiful solid ingredients.
‘A mild taste, but not bland.’
It was a light and clean-tasting soup, contrasting with the rich taste of the Jeyuk-bokkeum.
But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t delicious.
He could taste a savory aroma and a calm yet deep umami flavor that wasn’t explosive.
The texture of the dried pollack strips and bean sprouts was diverse, and the more he chewed, the more a nutty flavor seeped out.
On top of that, there was a refreshing and relieving feeling that cleared his throat, which had become clogged from eating hastily.
“Whew~”
A moan mixed with a sigh naturally escaped.
Jin, who watched this, nodded thinking ‘I guess the refreshing taste is universal,’ but Kyle didn’t notice.
Because he started inhaling the Jeyuk-bokkeum again with his palate reset thanks to the Hwangtae Kongnamul-guk washing it down.

“Whew, thank you for the delicious meal. It was really tasty!”
It didn’t take long for Kyle to finish all the food prepared.
Even after finishing everything and getting a refill!
As expected of the combination of an always hungry high school boy + an adventurer who uses his body, the amount and speed of eating were terrifying.
And when refilling, lettuce and ssamjang (dipping sauce for wraps) were provided as well.
Since it was the second time eating, trying a different method would prevent boredom and make it more memorable.
When he added ssamjang to the Jeyuk-bokkeum, his eyes lit up again as he inhaled it, saying it was delicious.
‘Is this how you eat it? It’s a bit big to eat in one bite, should I bite it?’
‘No, you shouldn’t!’
However, Kyle, who was eating ssam (wrap) for the first time, almost committed the heinous crime of trying to bite the ssam instead of eating it in one bite.
With a scolding shout!
He was immediately corrected that ssam should never be bitten and must be eaten in one bite.
He did spill some because he couldn’t wrap it properly, or it burst because he put too much in.
But later, he seemed to have gotten the hang of it and was wrapping and eating them diligently.
“I’m glad you enjoyed the meal.”
This wasn’t just lip service.
People who cook are naturally more pleased by a single word of thanks saying it was delicious than a hundred flowery phrases.
And while talking during the meal, he also gathered information.
Like how the reality he was possessed into was almost exactly the same as when it was a game.
Or how Jin’s base was summoned in a secluded alley away from the central street, standing out with its unique appearance.
And the important information that today was the very first day Kyle became an official adventurer.
“Actually, that’s why I came in here. I wanted to eat something better than usual to celebrate becoming an official adventurer.”
But he never imagined he would eat such delicious food, he said.
“Ugh, what should I do now? I’ll keep thinking about this delicious food now that I’ve tasted it.”
“You can come again next time.”
“I appreciate your words, but… as I said before, I can’t keep receiving free favors.”
Kyle said with an embarrassed smile.
Actually, this was a topic he had brought up earlier.
That he should come by often as Jin would treat him to free meals like this time.
He was immediately refused though.
The reason was, as he just said, that one shouldn’t keep receiving free favors.
If he did, he might mistake kindness for an inherent right, and it would negatively affect his own growth.
“When I grow as an adventurer and can afford the meal cost, I’ll come back proudly.”
“From what I see, you seem to have plenty of talent. I think we’ll be able to see that soon.”
“Haha, thank you for the kind words, even if they’re just empty flattery.”
“I’m not just saying that, I really think you could even become an S-rank adventurer.”
Kyle laughed it off, thinking it was a joke.
No, it’s 100% sincere, this is frustrating.
‘You have talent. Really.’
Why would Jin keep being so nice to Kyle like this?
Just out of fan sentiment because he’s a character from his life’s game? If that were the case, he would have set up a free soup kitchen and fed all the dungeon city residents.
A blue-chip stock whose future high point is certain to break through the ceiling. That’s what Kyle is.
Wouldn’t you be a fool not to invest in this?
And it’s an undervalued early stage?
You can easily take the position of an angel investor who helped during tough times.
Although, perhaps because he’s the seed of a blue-chip stock, initial investments above a certain level are strictly blocked.
“Anyway, for a Jeyuk-bokkeum set like you just ate, I’ll only charge 1 silver per serving, so please do come.”
Fortunately, Jin has cooking as a weapon.
So delicious that Kyle said with his own mouth he thought he had died and gone to heaven.
It sounds like an exaggerated reaction from some cooking manga, but anyway, it means it was that delicious.
So he’ll come back to this restaurant someday, and we can seize the opportunity for additional investment then.
“Oh, by the way, if you haven’t decided on an inn to stay at, I recommend an inn called Eclipse on the opposite street. It’s a good place for novice adventurers to stay.”
This way, he could casually drop information he had gained from playing the game.
Eclipse is the inn where players stay until they secure their own base.
Perhaps for user convenience, it has good facilities while being cheap, so it would be perfect for Kyle, a novice adventurer, to stay.
Kyle gets to find a good value-for-money inn.
Jin can score points by using game information and also pinpoint Kyle’s location.
It was a win-win situation.

“Take care.”
Ding-a-ling-
As he finished his greeting and left the restaurant, a wave of hot air hit him.
Perhaps because he had just been enjoying the cool air from the air conditioner, it felt particularly hot.
Even though it was just the difference of one door, there was a stark change as if the spaces were separated.
Kyle turned his head again to look at the restaurant.
It truly was a mysterious restaurant.
Both the building and the food.
But it wasn’t a dream.
The taste of Jeyuk-bokkeum was still lingering on the tip of his tongue.
‘Will I be able to come again?’
Kyle took out his wooden badge for F-rank adventurers.
He couldn’t come back while still having a wooden badge.
The price of 1 silver was undoubtedly ridiculously cheap compared to the taste of the Jeyuk-bokkeum.
It was clear that Jin was being considerate of him.
Even Kyle, who was ignorant about food, could tell that much.
But even so, it was also true that it was a difficult price for a lowest-rank adventurer to afford.
In the end, to come back, he needed to raise his rank and increase his earnings.
However, strangely, Kyle no longer felt overwhelmed by this cheap wooden badge.
Rather, he felt like strength and will were welling up.
Maybe it’s because he now had a goal of eating delicious food.
Or maybe it’s because he was encouraged by the owner of the mysterious restaurant, telling him he had talent and that he could do it.
(If the owner of that restaurant had heard this, he would have burst out laughing, saying it was due to the buff effect of the food, but fortunately, Kyle had already left the restaurant.)
“The Omnipurpose Restaurant. I will definitely come again.”
The name that the owner answered after pondering for a moment when Kyle asked before leaving.
Engraving that name in his heart, he took a step forward.
‘Didn’t the owner recommend an inn called Eclipse?’
Towards the new shelter that this mysterious connection had led him to.
The day when the fledgling adventurer Kyle would grow rapidly and surprise the adventurers’ guild might not be far off.