Leveling Up through Eating

Translator: ChubbyCheeks 

QC: MattForgenti

13 Buffed Tonkatsu

“You have learned it all. Excellent.” 

Len looked at Minhyuk with surprise. 

“Thank you very much. Teacher!” 

“I’m not your teacher.” 

“You’re the one who taught me how to cook so you’re my teacher!” 

Len grinned at him. He said it as if he didn’t like Minhyuk calling him that. 

Minhyuk wanted to check the contents of all of his new skills. But he couldn’t just ignore Len and say ‘Ah, wait hyung. Let me just check my skills.’ 

“Come here.” 

“Yes?” 

“I’ll teach you how to fry tonkatsu.”

Len led Minhyuk to where Brock was frying the tonkatsu. When he saw them coming over, he took a step back and took a break from frying the pork. 

“Damn, bro. Captain Len never taught anyone how to cook personally before, isn’t he too good to you?” 

“Hehe.” 

Minhyuk felt very pleased. He smiled widely at them. 

With these recipes, the more he cooks the better he would be. His proficiency with his cooking skills would also increase. 

‘But there were plenty of notifications that flooded in earlier……’ 

He heard that he mastered everything and even learned the Food God’s cooking skills. 

“Then, look at this meat first. The blood should be drained out of the meat first, then it should be seasoned lightly with salt and pepper.” 

“Yes, yes.” 

In a flash, Len started explaining to him the how-to’s of frying tonkatsu. As he was listening to Len’s explanation, he suddenly heard a notification in his head. 

[If you season the meat with too much salt, it would be less juicy and the flavor of the meat will drop. It is important that you season the meat with just the right amount of seasonings.] 

When Minhyuk heard the notification, it was as if it was something that he had originally known. The information was injected in his head so naturally, that it seemed like he already knew it. 

‘Heok……?!’ 

Minhyuk thought about it carefully. His eyes widened after realizing something… 

‘Was this because of the Food God’s Cooking Acquisition……?’ 

He did not have the time to confirm it yet but he guessed that it was the reason for the notification. 

“Then, coat the meat with some flour.” 

[Flour is usually used but you can also use frying powder. It would be crispier if you used the frying powder.] 

He continuously heard the notifications and information was also continuously added in his head. 

“Then coat it with egg. After coating with egg, coat it with frying powder then place it on this plate. If you add parsley powder and bread crumbs then the flavor and texture of the tonkatsu will improve.” 

“Yes!” 

“Watch me fry this first.” 

Len walked in front of the hot wok with the breaded tonkatsu in his hand.

He first dropped a small breadcrumbs in the oil. 

Fshhhh—

“The breadcrumbs will drop down the center of the wok, once it floats up then that means that the temperature is at 170 degrees. That’s the right temperature to fry the tonkatsu. If the temperature is higher, adjust it by adding more oil. Lower temperature will also require you to adjust the fire so your fire control should be delicate.”

The breadcrumbs that he dropped in the center of the wok started to float up. Once he saw that it had floated up, he put the tonkatsu in the oil. 

Fshhhhhh! 

It was a pleasant sound. 

Its color changed quickly. Tonkatsu was a food that could be cooked quite fast. 

“The temperature is very important. If the fire is too strong, then the outside will look like it was cooked but the inside was still not yet cooked.” 

Not long after, Len pulled out the tonkatsu from the oil.

Using a kitchen towel, he drained the oil from the tonkatsu. He cut it in the middle using both tongs and scissors. 

Squish—

Minhyuk gulped at the sight. 

Actually at the time when Len was cooking, Minhyuk was only barely able to resist his desire to shove Len away and tell him ‘Step aside,I will eat it!’ 

Minhyuk tilted his head to admire the golden tonkatsu. 

“Waaaaaaaaaaah!” 

He was in awe as he looked at the cut tonkatsu. The inside was cooked perfectly. 

How did he fry it that well? 

It was fried well, with the crispy outside and juicy inside. There were also no burnt spots at all. 

Len smiled at him happily. 

“Go on and check it.”

“Yes!” 

It was also possible to check the details and information of cooked dishes. 

Minhyuk went ahead and checked the tonkatsu. 

(Tonkatsu) 

Ingredient Rank: E

Rank: Magic

Restrictions: None

Storage Date: 2 days

Preservation Time: 1 hour

Special Abilities:

— 6% increase in attack power. 

— 7% increase in defensive power. 

Description: A little special tonkatsu made by Chef Len. 

“Oooooooooh…! There really is a buff effect!” 

Len told the surprised Minhyuk… 

“You might not know this but the amount of buffed dishes that a chef can make depends on what kind of chef you are. I can make about 3 in a day. Since I’m a master, if I manage it well then I can make 20 dishes in a day.” 

He was surprised at what he heard. The fact that Len was a ‘master’ was also surprising. 

The class Chef is ranked from beginner, intermediate, advanced, master and craftsman. 

As far as he knew, the highest rank of the local players that have the class Chef was master. 

‘Who in the world is Teacher Len?’ 

Minhyuk looked at him strangely as Len continued to speak. 

“The storage date also varies depending on the cooking grade. That’s why chefs are always all over the place.” 

“Ah……” 

Minhyuk somewhat understood what he was saying. 

Is this the big advantage of being a chef? 

If he went to a 1 person hunt, then one could purchase a buffed dish right away. However there was still a limit. It was because the storage date was a bit short. 

“Intermediate chefs can probably make dishes that can be stored for 4 hours, but of course it will still depend on what type of dish was made. Well then, why don’t you try making one.” 

Len poured oil in the wok and deliberately lowered the temperature. 

“Familiarize yourself and adjust the temperature of the oil.” 

“Yes, I understand!” 

Minhyuk recalled what Len had told him earlier.

He started moving his hands. Every move of his hands were meticulous and cautious. 

‘It has to be delicious.’ 

Dishes that were well-cooked were more delicious. 

Minhyuk’s hand was moving well. He noticed the influence of the Food God’s Cooking Skills. 

He knew that the meat, with breadcrumbs applied evenly on it, was ready to be fried. 

‘It’s important to familiarize myself with how tonkatsu is made, if I don’t do well then the outside will burn. This is the first ever tonkatsu I will make! I definitely have to make it deliciously!’ 

That was why he was very careful. Before he could drop a breadcrumb in the oil… 

“Huh?” 

[The oil’s temperature is 154 degrees.] 

He heard an astonishing sound.

As he increased the fire, he reached his hand out to check the temperature, the notifications continuously rang in his head.

[The oil’s temperature is 157 degrees.] 

[The oil’s temperature is……] 

Once he reached out his hands then he could check the temperature of the oil. He continuously reached his hand out as he adjusted the fire. This way, a more delicious tonkatsu would be born from his hands. 

Len frowned as he watched him work. 

“You’re checking the temperature by feeling it with your hands? It’s better to go and get a thermometer to check it. It’s better to use the method I told you, so drop the breadcrumbs on……” 

But before he could even finish his words… 

[The oil’s temperature has reached the optimum level.] 

Fsssshhhh! 

As soon as Minhyuk placed the tonkatsu in the oil, it started to get fried steadily. It was as if the oil was at the most suitable temperature. 

‘Hup……!’ 

‘Ack?!’ 

Both Brock and Len turned to look at him with surprise in their eyes. On the other hand, Minhyuk was watching the tonkatsu closely.

They saw him picking up a strainer and placing it near the oil. He was preparing to take out the tonkatsu once he felt that the timing was right. If one just looked at him, they would think that he was a craftsman who fried tonkatsu for quite a long time. 

Not long after, he took out the tonkatsu from the oil. He proceeded to tap the strainer to shake off the excess oil then cut the tonkatsu with the scissors. 

‘……He cooked it really well.’ 

Len was in awe while Brock rubbed his eyes in disbelief. 

“Y, you fry better than I do…?” 

“How?” 

“T, that’s superb!” 

“Hehe!” 

Minhyuk laughed in delight. 

“You can have this tonkatsu to yourself, it’s the first tonkatsu you ever fried after all.” 

“Oh. Thank you.” 

Minhyuk was very moved with what Len allowed him to do. 

He then placed the tonkatsu on a plate. Next, he added the thinly sliced cabbage, buttered corn and mashed potatoes to the side. 

Once he completed the plating, a notification went off in his head. 

[Please choose one from Buff Ability and True Worth of Food.] 

Minhyuk wanted to choose the buff ability to try and check out what it was. He has never made any dish with buff abilities since he started cooking his meals. 

‘This choice won’t change the flavor of the food, right?’ 

In the end, Minhyuk chose the buff ability after he shook his head at his useless thoughts. 

‘Buff ability.’ 

[You have finished making a tonkatsu.] 

[The food’s rank is normal.] 

For the chef class, there were also rankings in cooking. It easily follows the rankings of items. 

Normal, magic, rare, unique, epic, legendary and god. 

It was ranked like that. 

“The regular tonkatsu is done.” 

Len crossed his arms and smiled. 

“You did well on your first tonkatsu. However, there’s nothing else we could do as the skill level is low. It’s the same idea as when you hunt higher leveled monsters. The higher the level you hunt, the more money you will get.” 

Minhyuk immediately checked the information on his tonkatsu. 

(Tonkatsu) 

Ingredient Rank: E

Rank: Normal

Restrictions: None

Storage Date: 4 days

Preservation Time: 12 hours

Special Abilities:

— 10% increase in attack power. 

— 8% increase in defensive power. 

Description: A delicious tonkatsu made by an unknown chef. It was his very first tonkatsu. 

“T, there’s a buff……?” 

“A normal rank has a buff……?”

“Yes. There really is a buff.” 

Len knew that Minhyuk was not a person who would lie. 

“Can you let me check it?” 

Len quickly approached Minhyuk when he saw him agreeing with his question. He then checked the information on the tonkatsu. 

“W, what in the world is this……” 

He was left speechless. 

Something like this was possible? No, this is something that’s already against common sense. 

He has a beginner’s cooking skill. Furthermore, among all of the Lv1 beginners no one could make a dish with such a ridiculous buff like Minhyuk. 

It’s almost at the level of a craftsman’s skill. 

Of course, there was also luck. Luck always played a part in cooking too. However, this was already something that was beyond just luck. 

“Ah, can I check my cooking skills for a moment?” 

“Cough. That’s alright.” 

Len coughed awkwardly. 

‘This rascal… Who the hell is he?’ 

I have never heard someone make a dish with this much buff. 

Minhyuk first checked the notifications that rang earlier. It was the Food God’s Cooking Skills. 

(Food God’s Cooking Skills) 

Passive Skill

Level: 1 (Currently unable to level up.) 

Effects:

— You can apply a buff that is much more outstanding than a craftsman’s buff. 

— The storage and preservation times will be much longer compared to a craftsman’s work. 

— The amount of buff will exceed that of a craftsman’s buff. 

— You can set the amount of buff you want. 

He understood the other parts except for the part where he could set the amount of buff. 

He checked the thorough and detailed explanation of the skill. 

[Setting the Buff. You will be given 100% buff daily, you are allowed to divide this 100% however you like. You can divide it to a smaller fraction to distribute to a lot of people or you can choose to set the number of dishes that will have a buff. It is the same if you choose the True Worth of Food. Your dish will have additional stats. However, cooking a lot of dishes will consume more buffs.] 

‘Aha.’ 

It was quite easy to understand. 

If he focused on only one dish then he could add more buffs on the dish. However, there was only a set amount of buff that he could use in a day and if he made a dish for plenty of people then the buff percentage would be filled too. 

Minhyuk checked his buff percentage. 

‘There’s 30% that’s filled.’ 

It seems like the buff percentage will be at 0% at the start of the day. If this percentage reaches 100, I will probably not be able to make any other buffed dishes for that day. 

If I cooked a dish with plenty of buffs how much strength would that give me? 

It was still unknown. But what was clear was that it would definitely be above the ordinary chef’s cooking. 

It also said that the storage and preservation times are longer than that of a craftsman’s cooking skill. 

Furthermore, Minhyuk’s buffs were already higher than Len’s buffed dish. And, the 3-20 dishes that Len said earlier meant that even ordinary chefs could make buffed dishes if they try very hard. 

The Food God’s Cooking Skills! 

Others will definitely be shocked if they know about this. And they will definitely be in a trance. 

They would be in a trance since there was ‘no’ level. In addition, passive skills were skills that could no longer grow. But this had the possibility to level up. 

What’s more, the improvement of the effects of the normal cooking skill would depend on how delicate you would cook, how much heart and soul you put into it and whether you really did concentrate on it. 

And all of that was turned into this great ability. 

However, Minhyuk looked quite depressed. Len, who was unaware of anything, asked him what was on his mind. 

“What’s wrong?! Boy, did you get a different skill?!” 

“……How to say this, it seems like I got plenty of awfully good things but…” 

“Plenty, but?” 

Brock and Len leaned closer and gulped in anticipation. 

“It doesn’t say that it will taste better. Heeeung!” 

“……” 

“……” 

Minhyuk looked utterly disappointed. 

***

TL’s corner!!! 

I knew this would happen. When I only saw buffs, I knew this is what his reaction would be. I mean who worries about the taste when he could choose between adding buffs or stats on the food he cooks in game??? ONLY MINHYUK. kek. Our resident foodie has once again got himself disappointed with his skills. 

QC’s Corner!

It’s so adorable the disconnect between Minhyuk’s ability, and what he wants. I just love seeing everyone stare at his ridiculousness. Now if you’ll excuse me…I’ve got to find a place that serves tonkatsu before I short-circuit my keyboard from all the watering my mouth is doing.

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